The world's most expensive scotch goes for a shockingly high amount - USA TODAY
The world's most expensive scotch goes for a shockingly high amount - USA TODAY |
- The world's most expensive scotch goes for a shockingly high amount - USA TODAY
- North Korea fires two more missiles, South Korean officials say, as Trump-Kim talks stall - USA TODAY
- Trump administration sanctions Iran's foreign minister in escalation of tensions - USA TODAY
- After winning her second World Cup, U.S. women's soccer coach Jill Ellis stepping down - USA TODAY
- Worse than Baltimore? Trump won't attack ravaged red states because his friends run them - USA TODAY
| The world's most expensive scotch goes for a shockingly high amount - USA TODAY Posted: 31 Jul 2019 09:00 AM PDT
CLOSE  The Macallan, a revered whisky producer in the Speyside region of the Scottish Highlands, set a record in 2015 when a six-liter Lalique crystal decanter of the distillery's "M" single-malt scotch sold at auction in Hong Kong for $631,850. Six liters is the equivalent of eight regular bottles, so the price came out to $78,981 per bottle. That was a bargain compared to some of the prices The Macallan is charging today. According to figures collected internationally by the wine and liquor database and search engine Wine-Searcher, nine of the world's 10 most expensive whiskies come from that one Speyside institution. The 10th-most-expensive bottle may cost only $34,486, but things escalate rapidly from there. The next most expensive Macallan, the Lalique VI 65-Year-Old Single Malt, goes for $83,073. Fake prescriptions included opioids: A phony pharmacist filled over 745,000 prescriptions in the Bay Area Other offerings from the distillery, most of them also in Lalique crystal bottles (which add substantially to the price, it might be noted), range from 50 to 72 years of age. Age undoubtedly plays a part in these prices, but sometimes obscure brands list new wines or spirits at outrageous prices as well as reasons. For example, you won't believe why this brand is selling its new wine for $35,000 a bottle. Interestingly, the most expensive Macallan of them all is not the oldest – it's the Lalique 55-Year-Old Single Malt, whose average price is a sobering (as it were) $188,118 per 70 cl bottle. "The union of tiny-production, seriously old malts and elegant decanters ... has been a winner for Macallan," according to Wine-Searcher. Freddie Mac predicts more homebuying: But there's a catch Of course, the problem with buying one of these staggeringly expensive bottles is: When do you crack it open and pour yourself a shot? There are 15.78 standard shots in a 70 cl bottle, so if you'd paid $188,118 for that 55-Year-Old, you'd be tossing back $11,921 worth of whisky. That's an indulgence that would probably give pause even to the wealthiest people. Even if you had the money to spare, would you buy it if the whiskey tasted like a more common kind of alcohol? Consumers may soon be able to sip Scotch flavored with faint hints of other spirits. Here is why your whiskey may soon taste like tequila. 24/7 Wall Street is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/07/31/most-expensive-scotch-world-macallan-lalique-single-malt/39864863/  |
| Posted: 30 Jul 2019 02:48 PM PDT CLOSE A former U.S. ambassador to South Korea is skeptical of President Donald Trump's recent diplomatic moves, including his meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un at the border between North and South Korea. (July 2) AP, AP WASHINGTON – North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles Wednesday, according to South Korea's military, another warning sign that the Trump administration's push for denuclearization is in jeopardy. It was the second North Korean weapons test in less than a week. On July 24, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles in what the regime said was a "solemn warning" to South Korea over its plans to conduct joint military exercises with the U.S. and its ongoing weapons development. North Korean state media said those missile launches were designed to send a message to "South Korean military warmongers." Wednesday's missiles flew about 155 miles, according to a statement from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff carried by Yonhap News Agency. They were launched from the Hodo Peninsula on the country's east coast, the South Korean military said. The tests represent a fresh setback as the Trump administration tries to revive talks over North Korea's nuclear program. President Donald Trump met with Kim Jong Un in June at the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea. Trump hailed that meeting – his third face-to-face session with Kim – as historic and "legendary." But the dramatic event did not produce any breakthroughs. Instead, Trump and Kim agreed only to set up negotiating teams aimed at restarting talks to dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons programs. But North Korea has not named any negotiators or agreed to any specific timeline for those talks. "I don't have anything," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters Wednesday when asked when the negotiations would restart. "Chairman Kim said when the two leaders met at the DMZ (demilitarized zone) that they would start in a few weeks," Pompeo said as he was en route to Thailand for a meeting with South East Asian nations. "It's taking a little bit longer than that." A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the most recent contact between the Trump administration and the North Koreans occurred last week, when a National Security Council official went to the demilitarized zone to give the North Koreans some photographs from the Trump-Kim meeting there. North Korea: North Korea says missile test was a warning to 'South Korean military warmongers' The administration official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the NSC contact asked the North Koreans when they could restart the working-level talks. The response was soon, although the North Koreans did not commit to any dates. North Korean officials have been incensed by a decision by the U.S. and South Korea to conduct the joint military exercises, scheduled for August. Kim Jong Un's regime views those military exercises as a provocation. Trump had suspended the war games as part of an informal agreement with Kim, in which Kim suspended North Korea's nuclear and long-range missile testing. Trump has downplayed the significance of North Korea's recent missile launches. "They're short-range missiles, and my relationship is very good with Chairman Kim," Trump told reporters last week in the Oval Office. "We'll see what happens." Contributing: David Jackson and The Associated Press Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/07/30/north-korea-fires-more-projectiles-trump-kim-talks-stall/1871957001/  |
| Trump administration sanctions Iran's foreign minister in escalation of tensions - USA TODAY Posted: 31 Jul 2019 01:46 PM PDT CLOSE WASHINGTON – The Trump administration said Wednesday it will sanction Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, a move that will likely ratchet up tensions and narrow the window for dialogue with the Islamic Republic following the U.S. withdrawal from a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the U.S. had "indulged" Zarif as a reasonable interlocutor for too long, even as he acted as a propagandist for Tehran's ballistic missile program, its support for terrorism, and other malign behavior. "Zarif's office functions as an extension of the Supreme Leader's office and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," an elite Iranian military unit that the Trump administration has designated as a foreign terrorist organization, the official said. Still, Zarif, 59, is a relatively moderate, U.S.-educated Iranian politician. He was the chief negotiator for the 2015 nuclear deal. His blacklisting throws into doubt any future diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran and could be a victory for Iran's hardliners who have long sought to aggressively push back against the Trump administration. Zarif has advocated a more cautious approach. The Trump administration had been threatening for several weeks to sanction Iran's top diplomat and the action is in line with its "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran. "The United States is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behavior is completely unacceptable," said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. "Instead of using Iran's precious resources to invest in the brave and rightfully proud people of Iran, the Iranian regime facilitates and supports terrorism, jails and tortures innocent Iranians, fuels foreign conflicts in Syria and Yemen, and, in recent weeks, has expanded its nuclear program," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. "Foreign Minister Zarif, a senior regime official and apologist, has for years now been complicit in these malign activities." Pompeo argued that Wednesday's action "represents another step toward denying the Iranian regime the resources to enable terror and oppress the Iranian people." Reacting in a tweet, Zarif said that the reason Washington was "designating me is that I am Iran's 'primary spokesperson around the world.' Is the truth really that painful? It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran. Thank you for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda." The practical implications of Wednesday's actions remained murky. A State Department official suggested that the U.S. would still allow Zarif to travel to New York to attend meetings at the United Nations – or would at least evaluate specific requests to attend U.N. meetings on a case-by-case basis. "The United States will continue to uphold our obligations under the United Nations headquarters agreement," the State Department official said, which gives the U.N. control over its facilities and prohibits American officials from entering the building without permission by the U.N. secretary-general. That means Zarif would also be immune from arrest while traveling to and from the U.N., according to the State Department. Under the sanctions, the U.S. can freeze any property or other assets Zarif holds in the U.S. and bar other American entities from doing business with him. Additionally, any foreign financial institution that "knowingly facilities significant transactions" on behalf of Zarif could be subject to U.S. sanctions. Following the Trump administration's withdrawal from the nuclear accord in May last year, the White House re-imposed economic sanctions on Iran. As Iranians braced for the full restoration of those sanctions in November, Zarif told USA TODAY in an exclusive interview that his government would be open to talking to the U.S. about a new nuclear arms accord if Washington changed its approach to the deal it exited. "Mutual trust is not a requirement to start negotiations – mutual respect is a requirement," Zarif said in the wide-ranging, 45-minute interview. Zarif hinted in the interview that Iran's government was waiting to see whether Trump would be a one-term president before deciding to completely abandon the nuclear agreement. Iran has since taken steps to loosen its commitment to the deal, but it has not abandoned it completely. Instead, it has sought to pressure European signatories to the accord – Britain, Germany, France – to do more to help Iran circumvent the impact of U.S. sanctions that have reduced its oil exports and crippled Iran's economy. CLOSE In an interview with USA TODAY, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif talked about U.S.-Iran relations and the Iran nuclear deal Neale Haynes and Jasper Colt, USA TODAY Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/07/31/trump-administration-sanction-irans-foreign-minister-javad-zarif/1881534001/  |
| Posted: 30 Jul 2019 11:45 AM PDT CLOSE SportsPulse: The U.S. women are World Cup champions, yet again. The Americans lived up to all of the pre-tournament hype and expectations claiming their fourth title. And as Nancy Armour puts it, their impact will be long lasting on and off the field. USA TODAY U.S. women's soccer coach Jill Ellis, who guided the Americans to back-to-back World Cup titles for the first time in their history, announced Tuesday that she is stepping down from her post. U.S. Soccer said in a news release that Ellis, 52, will coach the women's national team throughout its five-game victory tour before transitioning into the role of "U.S. Soccer Ambassador" in October. She will depart as the second-winningest coach in the history of U.S. Soccer — and the only coach to win two women's World Cups. "The timing of this is I think good not just for me on a personal level, but also for the program, in terms of preparing to start a new (World Cup) cycle," Ellis said on a conference call Tuesday evening. "It just felt right. It felt good." US SOCCER: USWNT has made more than the men's team RAPINOE: Meeting with President Trump wouldn't change his mind SO SNEAKY: ESPN host posed as USWNT star for LeBron's post-ESPYs party An English immigrant who got her start as a college coach, Ellis spent the better part of the past two decades with U.S. Soccer in one capacity or another. She was a scout, youth coach, assistant coach, development director — and then, as of 2014, the head coach of the senior national team. With Ellis at the helm, the U.S. women's soccer team won eight tournaments — including the World Cup in 2015 and another earlier this summer — and led the Americans to an overall record of 102-7-18. They never lost a World Cup match under Ellis' watch and outscored their opponents 40-6 during her tenure, thriving as she made unconventional moves at several critical junctures. "Jill was always extremely passionate about this team, analytical, tremendously focused and not afraid to make tough decisions while giving her players the freedom to play to their strengths," U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro said in a statement. "She helped raise the bar for women's soccer in the USA and the world, and given the history of this program, the level of success she achieved is even more remarkable." Ellis said she had long considered leaving the team after this recent World Cup, believing change at the top can be beneficial for the team. She said she first broached the idea of leaving at this juncture with her family in December or January, and she doesn't believe a different result in the World Cup would've changed her decision. U.S. Soccer, for its part, said it will soon name a general manager for its women's program, then begin the search for its next head coach. The federation will have to move relatively quickly, however, with the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo already less than a year away. "Obviously, the Olympics stand alone. They're very, very important," Ellis said. "But I also think it gives a coach an opportunity to really have a world event before the next World Cup, and I think that's also important. ... It just feels like an appropriate break in the cycle." Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.  |
| Posted: 31 Jul 2019 12:15 AM PDT
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Lots of states are dangerous, poor, uneducated, polluted, uninsured and dependent on federal aid. But they're Trump states, and he needs them in 2020.President Donald Trump is right when he says Baltimore's got problems. Like all big cities, it has crime, drugs, corruption, pockets of poverty and yes, rodents. But it also has wonderful neighborhoods, beautiful parks, a world class university, rich history and a lively, vibrant culture. Obviously, Trump hasn't singled out Charm City because he's concerned about it. It's only 40 miles away, but he has never visited as president and hasn't offered to lift a finger to help. Shouldn't presidents want to make things better for all Americans? Not Trump, whose only concern is that Rep. Elijah Cummings, the powerful Democratic chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, believes in the Constitution and its time-honored system of checks and balances — and is using his authority to probe the president and his administration. And half of Cummings' district is in Baltimore. Or perhaps I'm wrong and Trump really does care. But if that's the case, why stop at Baltimore? His loud criticism of it can be contrasted with his silence on other places that also have serious problems. Least educated, most dangerousThe least educated states are, from 46th to 50th: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, West Virginia and Mississippi. Highest poverty rates (46th to 50th): Kentucky, West Virginia, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi. Most dangerous (46th to 50th): Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico. Highest share of people on food stamps in 2017 (46th to 50th): Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia, New Mexico. Most dependent on federal aid — i.e., "socialism" (46th to 50th): Kentucky, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi. Most polluted (46th to 50th): Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana. Most people lacking health insurance (46th to 50th): Florida, Georgia, Alaska, Oklahoma, Texas. What's interesting is that of the 16 states mentioned in these seven categories, 15 are red states that voted for Trump in 2016. Trump can't mention their problems, because he fears offending people who voted for him. Deep red hellholes in the SouthTrump thinks Baltimore's a hellhole? The data shows Mississippi, a deep red state, is poorly educated and mired in poverty and crime and heavily dependent on federal aid. Of course, because Mississippi's governor, two senators and three out of four Congressmen are Republicans who are all in the tank for him, Trump won't say a word. The good people of Mississippi deserve — and should demand — better. The good people of Kentucky also deserve better. Another state that can't support itself and is heavily dependent on Washington (it gets $2.61 for every dollar it sends to Washington), the Bluegrass State also ranks poorly on the poverty and pollution scale. Trump criticizes Cummings, who has been in Washington since 1996. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has been in the Senate since 1984 — what's he done? Besides watering down and flat-out blocking efforts to safeguard our electoral process, I mean. Turning a blind eye to Russian attacks on our democracy — which has kept him busy since the Obama era — is nothing less than dereliction of duty, and although he bristles at his new nickname, "Moscow Mitch," I say if the boot fits, comrade, wear it. You get the idea. When Trump, who wants those critical of America to leave, criticized it himself in his dark, creepy "American carnage" inaugural address (no inspirational "shining city on a hill" or "malice towards none" for him), he could have been talking about these ravaged, failing, mostly red states just as much as Baltimore's 7th congressional district. But he'll never do that, of course. Jared Kushner could help BaltimoreOne way Trump could help Baltimore clear up its rodent infestation without spending a dime of taxpayer money is to summon his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, down the hall to the Oval Office and tell him to be a better landlord in that city. The Kushner family — which owns nearly 9,000 rental units in 17 locations, most of them in Baltimore County — racked up 200-plus housing violations there in 2017 alone. More Baltimore commentary: The president is right about Baltimore. Are Democrats really prepared to defend failure? ProPublica reporter Alec MacGillis, who found substandard conditions were par for the course in Kushner properties, tells the story of one resident, Marquita Parmely: "She had a mouse infestation that was severe enough that her 12-year-old daughter recently found one in her bed. Parmely also has a 2-year-old with asthma, which is aggravated by allergens in mice droppings. She moved her own bed and other furniture away from the walls to dissuade mice, kept the family's laundry in tote bags after mice started appearing in the hamper and vacuumed twice a day." The greedy Kushner clan fixes things only when threatened with fines, and even then, "violations on nine properties were not addressed, resulting in monetary sanctions." How ironic that Trump complains of problems that a greedy, uncaring member of his own White House staff has been complicit in creating. It seems that the great city of Baltimore isn't the only place that needs to be cleaned up. Paul Brandus, founder and White House bureau chief of West Wing Reports, is the author of "Under This Roof: The White House and the Presidency" and is a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors. Follow him on Twitter: @WestWingReport Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/07/31/trump-attacks-baltimore-not-failing-red-states-he-needs-2020-column/1866050001/  |
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