Gannett journalists walk out, accusing CEO of decimating local newsrooms

Julia Conley, Common Dreams
June 5, 2023

Gannett Logo GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File

As shareholders gathered at the annual meeting of Gannett, the largest newspaper company in the United States following a 2019 merger, hundreds of unionized employees from across the country walked off the job on Monday to demand investors take action against what the journalists say is corporate greed at the top of the organization.

The journalists, who are represented by the NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America (CWA), say CEO and chairman Mike Reed has overseen the gutting of local newsrooms across the country at Gannett's more than 300 publications, jeopardizing readers' access to local news and threatening the livelihoods of reporters while Reed collects a multi-million-dollar salary.

With the walkout, the unionized employees are calling on shareholders to hold a no-confidence vote against Reed.

In a letter to investors last month, the NewsGuild-CWA argued that Reed has "failed shareholders" by taking on debt with high interest rates when Gannett merged with GateHouse Media in 2019.


While taking home a $7.7 million salary in in 2021 and $3.4 million last year, Reed has "maintained a compensation policy that is forcing many of our journalists to seek work elsewhere," the union wrote.

"From a shareholder perspective, these cuts to local news reporters and local news don't just weaken civil society, they diminish the future of that company in the community."

"He has reduced local content by relying on wire service and regional stories [and] cut newsroom staff," the NewsGuild said. "As a result, our communities are not being served and our employees are demoralized. Therefore, we believe it is time for a change in leadership: a clear vote of no-confidence in a guy who has weakened our company, forsaken the towns and cities where we have outlets, and impoverished shareholders."

In order to cut costs to service the company's debt, The New York Times reported Monday, Gannett has cut its workforce nearly in half since 2019. The Austin American-Statesman now has 41 newsroom employees, down from 110 before the merger. The Milwaukee Sentinel's staff has been cut from 104 to 83 in that time period; The South Bend Tribune's was cut from 45 to just 14 in South Bend, Indiana; and The Arizona Republic in Phoenix has cut its workforce from 140 to 89.

Gannett has also closed dozens of newspapers entirely, including six weekly publications in the Akron, Ohio area this past February and four papers in Northern Kentucky last year.

Cost-cutting measures have left readers of The Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, New York without a business section; The Herald-Tribune in Sarasota, Florida without dedicated reporters focusing on the environment or city government; and just one reporter at TheAmerican-Statesman covering issues related to City Hall, Travis County, transportation, and public safety.

"We know what happens to communities when the light from news outlets dims," said the NewsGuild last month. "Political extremism can surge, corruption has fewer watchdogs, high school sports have fewer chroniclers, corporate misconduct has fewer witnesses, and municipal borrowing costs can rise. From a shareholder perspective, these cuts to local news reporters and local news don't just weaken civil society, they diminish the future of that company in the community."

The shareholder meeting and walkout come five months after Gannett laid of 6% of its 3,440-employee media division.

Richard Ruelas, a columnist at The Arizona Republic, organized a crowd-sourced fundraiser to support employees as they stage the walkout, which they plan to continue on Tuesday at the newspaper.

While cutting jobs across the company, said the Arizona Republic Guild, Gannett officials have refused to provide remaining journalists with fair wages and working conditions.

"After over three years of bargaining and repeated unfair labor practices, it's also become apparent that asking nicely isn't going to get us fair wages, benefits and protections for our newsroom, and that Gannett has no intention to bargain over these issues in good faith," said the union.

According to Jon Schleuss, president of the NewsGuild, Reed oversaw a "complete farce" at the shareholder meeting on Monday, ending the conference after just eight minutes and refusing to take questions.

"What a complete joke. Mike Reed needs to go," said Schleuss. "He has no ability to lead Gannett and no ability to be accountable to journalists or shareholders."

'Cowards': Soledad O'Brien rips former CNN colleagues for silence over what she calls Chris Licht's 'malpractice'
Brad Reed
June 5, 2023

Soledad O'Brien (Photo: JD Lasica/Flickr)

Former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien had some harsh words for her former colleagues who have remained silent as CEO Chris Licht has tarnished their network's reputation.

O'Brien on Sunday night made the comments in response to a report from The Atlantic's Tim Alberta that revealed a Licht henchman demanded that CNN's graphics department take down a chyron that referenced Trump being found liable by a jury for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll during last month's town hall event.

Even though sources told Alberta they were shocked and dismayed by this decision, O'Brien argued that this wasn't good enough and that they needed to go public with their concerns.

"And yet not a single one said anything -- on the record, out loud, using their name," she wrote on Twitter. "They're shocked! They're shaken! But they are also cowards, let's be honest about that. When their boss was supporting pure journalistic malpractice what did they say -- out loud?"

There has been some public criticism from some CNN employees about the Trump town hall, including from media reporter Oliver Darcy and Christiane Amanpour, but so far there has been no broad public revolt by CNN employees.

The Trump town hall has drawn criticism in particular because CNN filled the studio audience with diehard MAGA fans who cheered on the former president even when he mocked and demeaned the woman he was found liable for sexually abusing.

CNN employees say boss Chris Licht has a 'Trumpian' paranoia and self-absorption: longtime insider
Brad Reed
June 5, 2023,

Chris Licht attends the 2022 Time 100 Gala at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center on June 08, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)

CNN boss Chris Licht is coming under increasing pressure over his widely criticized handling of a CNN town hall featuring former President Donald Trump, and now employees are dishing to longtime media insider Brian Stelter about how they really feel about him.

Writing on Twitter, Stelter said that multiple CNN staffers have confirmed to him the impression of Licht given in a report by The Atlantic's Tim Alberta, which made the CNN boss come off as "paranoid, self-absorbed, and reluctant to admit mistakes."

"'Trumpian' is the phrase several staffers used with me," wrote Stelter, who for years was employed as CNN's media reporter.

Stelter also said that there "is sympathy for Licht" among some CNN staffers, although they nonetheless "feel like he's been carrying out someone else's orders.

There has been some public criticism from some CNN employees about the Trump town hall, including from media reporter Oliver Darcy and Christiane Amanpour, but so far there has been no broad public revolt by CNN employees.

The Trump town hall has drawn criticism in particular because CNN filled the studio audience with diehard MAGA fans who cheered on the former president even when he mocked and demeaned the woman he was found liable for sexually abusing.

Chris Licht vows to 'fight like hell' to stop CNN 'meltdown'

Sky Palma
June 5, 2023, 

In the wake of a piece in The Atlantic that painted a brutal portrait of CNN CEO Chris Licht, the network's boss is now trying to reassure employees that he plans to “fight like hell” to win back their trust, The Daily Beast reported.

The Atlantic article told the story of a network in "meltdown" and a CEO who is facing fallout over a town hall that featured former President Donald Trump and the loss of support from staff after he was tasked by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav to reinvent CNN as a “centrist” news channel.

According to sources speaking to The Beast, Licht told staffers during an editorial call on Monday morning that he plans to stay on as CNN's CEO, adding that he knows "these past few days have been very hard for this group."

“I fully recognize that this news cycle and my role in it overshadowed the incredible week of reporting that we just had and distracted from the work of every single journalist in this organization. And for that, I am sorry," he reportedly said.


He said that when he read The Atlantic's piece, he realized that “CNN is not about me" and he “should not be in the news unless it’s taking arrows” for the network’s staff since “your work is what should be written about.”

Read the full report over at The Daily Beast.

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
US DOT fines British Airways $1.1 million for deceptive consumer practices
BYRYTIS BERESNEVICIUS
2023-06-02

Carlos Yudica / Shutterstock.com

The United States (US) Department of Transportation (DOT) has fined British Airways $1.1 million for unfair and deceptive practices against consumers, relating to the returning of refunds to passengers.

Announcing the fine on June 1, 2023, the DOT said that between March and November 2020, the British Airways website provided instructions for passengers on how to receive refunds for canceled flights. They were instructed to contact the airline via phone, yet “consumers were unable to get through to customer service agents when calling the carrier for several months during this period because British Airways failed to maintain adequate functionality of its customer service phone lines”.

Furthermore, the DOT alleged that British Airways did not provide any “way to submit a refund request through the carrier’s website during this period” and had “misleading information on its website which led consumers to inadvertently request travel vouchers instead of refunds”.

Since March 2020, the DOT has processed a total of 1,200 complaints from the airline’s passengers claiming that the carrier was not providing timely refunds after it had canceled or changed their flights. In addition, the government agency noted that the airline “received thousands more complaints and refund requests directly from consumers”.

“British Airways’ failure to establish, for several months, a readily accessible method for consumers to request refunds for flights the carrier canceled or significantly changed caused significant challenges and delays in thousands of consumers receiving required refunds” has violated 49 U.S. Code § 41712 and 14 CFR Part 259, with the DOT ordering the airline to cease and desist further action that violates the two regulations, while landing it with a $1.1 million fine.

The decision was made despite British Airways stating that the refund situation must be viewed “in the context of the unprecedented global health pandemic and the resulting astronomical number of flight cancellations, which caused operational and personnel challenges”. The airline was ordered, effective immediately, to close its call centers at the time, with the airline responding by equipping employees to work from home, retraining others to undertake customer service duties, and developing an automatic solution for easily solvable refunds.

British Airways added that “it made it clear that passengers whose flights were cancelled due to Covid could obtain a refund and the voucher application on the website made clear that it applied to vouchers, rather than to refunds”. The airline disagreed that “reasonable customers would have been confused”.

Between March 2020 and December 2021, British Airways refunded over $40 million to customers that “had nonrefundable tickets for flights to or from the United States who chose not to travel and for whom British Airways had no legal obligation to refund”.

Still, the DOT determined that the airline violated the two regulations seriously. It will have to pay $550,000 within six months, while the remaining $550,000 will be “credited to British Airways for refunds that British Airways voluntarily provided to passengers with non-refundable tickets for flights to or from the United States who chose not to travel and were not entitled to refunds under U.S. law”.

UPDATE

Twitter’s head of trust and safety resigns after criticism from Elon Musk



 Jun 3, 2023

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A top Twitter executive responsible for safety and content moderation has left the company, her departure coming soon after owner Elon Musk publicly complained about the platform’s handling of posts about transgender topics.

The departure pointed to a fresh wave of turmoil among key officials at Twitter since Musk took over last year.

Ella Irwin, Twitter’s head of trust and safety, confirmed her resignation in a pair of tweets late Friday. She did not say in the message why she was leaving, but her departure came shortly after Musk criticized Twitter’s handling of tweets about a conservative media company’s documentary that questions transgender medical treatment for children and teens.

Musk was responding to complaints by Jeremy Boreing, co-CEO of the media company, the Daily Wire. Boreing said in tweets and retweets of conservative commentators Thursday that Twitter was suppressing the movie by flagging posts about it as hate speech and keeping the movie off lists of trending topics.

Boreing tweeted that Twitter canceled a deal to premiere “What is a Woman?” for free on the platform “because of two instances of ‘misgendering.’” Twitter rules prohibit intentionally referring to transgender individuals with the wrong gender or name.

“This was a mistake by many people at Twitter. It is definitely allowed,” Musk tweeted back. “Whether or not you agree with using someone’s preferred pronouns, not doing so is at most rude and certainly breaks no laws.”

Irwin tweeted Friday that “one or two people noticed” she left the company the day before, and she noted speculation about whether she was fired or quit. She teased that she would post 24 tweets to explain her departure.

Then she posted that she was just kidding about the long narrative.

“In all seriousness, I did resign but this has been a once in a lifetime experience and I’m so thankful to have worked with this amazing team of passionate, creative and hardworking people. Will be cheering you all and Twitter as you go!”

Next to Musk, Irwin had been the most prominent voice of the company’s ever-changing content policies in recent months.

Twitter has struggled to bring back advertisers turned off by Musk’s drastic changes and loosening of rules against hate speech since he bought Twitter for $44 billion in October. Twitter also has an incoming CEO, Linda Yaccarino, known for decades of media and advertising industry experience, but she hasn’t started yet.

Irwin and Twitter didn’t respond to requests from The Associated Press for comment.

Twitter has been in turmoil including mass layoffs and voluntary departures since the billionaire Tesla owner bought the San Francisco company and took it private. The company’s head of trust and safety left shortly after the takeover, and turnover in the top ranks has continued. Last month, Twitter fired two more top managers.

Raspberry Pi production rate rising to a million a month

CEO stands by decision to keep prices steady instead of scoring sweet, sweet, windfall profits

Laura Dobberstein

THE REGISTER
Mon 5 Jun 2023 

Raspberry Pi boss Eben Upton says the micro manufacturer's ovens will crank out a million units in July, after years of supply issues restraining sales.

In a newsletter article spotted by Tom's Hardware, Upton said the fruiterer shipped 800,000 units in Q1 of 2023 – its worst result since 2015 and a number that buyers usually acquire in a single month.

Upton wrote that he is now seeing a "rapid recovery in silicon supply" – a recovery he attributed to "Sony's willingness to stockpile the non-silicon elements" required to build out single board computers (SBCs) which are Raspberry Pi's mainstay.

The biz shifted around 600,000 units this May, expects to produce 800,000 in June and will hit the million units mark in July. Upton said production levels will remain there "for as long as necessary" to clear remaining back orders and return to easy availability.

Upton also expressed confidence that Pi shortages are in the past, and 2023 will be the "strongest ever year" for the SBCs and modules.

The CEO has been predicting that supply chains would improve in Q2 since at least December last

 year.

While Pis are again being produced in high numbers, increased component costs – as expected during a supply chain crisis – have led to price rises for the models including the 2GB Raspberry Pi 4, the Compute Module 4, and the Raspberry Pi Zero.

In a recent interview with YouTuber Jeff Geerling, Upton seemed content with the supply situation. He also revealed that the business decided not to float the price of its products and "let capitalism take care of it" as component prices moved in recent years – despite the amount of money that could have been made.

"I think that would've been a horrible betrayal of trust," said the CEO, though it would have left Raspberry Pi able to "swim in the profits."

"Oh my god, the amount of money that we could have made and if we'd floated the price of the products."

That's a reference to the COVID-caused crimps on supply chain inputs ranging from chips to ships. Many tech vendors did hike prices as the cost of their inputs grew. The boot's on the other foot now, as supply chains are moving fast once more but demand has dived, leading companies like HP to discount aggressively and PC-makers like Lenovo experience 75 percent profit declines.

Upton told Geerling that Raspberry Pi users tend to horde their machines, keeping several in the back cabinet for a rainy day.

"People can survive a transient shortage, just as a company might … by having some buffer of supplies and inbound componentry. So a hobbyist can survive for a period of time by using the Raspberry Pis they already have," opined Upton. ®

In Photos: A Spectacular ‘Strawberry Moon’ Lights Up The Night Sky

Jamie Carter

FORBES
Senior Contributor
I inspire people to go stargazing, watch the Moon, enjoy the night sky
Jun 5, 2023

The full Strawberry Moon sets behind the Statue of Liberty before sunrise on June 4, 2023, in New York City. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

Sky-watchers across the world were treated to a spectacular sight this weekend as the full “Strawberry Moon” lit-up the night sky.

The final full moon of spring 2023 in the northern hemisphere, the “Strawberry Moon” is named after the fruit that ripens at this time of year (and not for its color).

To get the best view of a full moon means being somewhere that has a good view low to the eastern or western horizon at the precise time of moonrise or moonset. Only then is it possible to see the orb gradually appear while draped in reddish orange hues.

That’s exactly what these photographers did to get some often impeccably-planned shots, some before sunrise and others after sunset on Saturday, June 2, 2023.

Photojournalist Gary Hershorn in New York City captured the incredible shot of the “Strawberry Moon” with the Statue of Liberty (above) as well as this image:

The full Strawberry Moon sets behind the Statue of Liberty before sunrise on June 4, 2023, in New ... 
Also in the Big Apple, Dan Martland shot this time-lapse of the “Strawberry Moon” setting behind One World Trade Center:

A few hours later, Tayfun Coskun snapped the full moon rising over Alcatraz in San Francisco:

Full Strawberry Moon rises over Alcatraz of San Francisco in California, United States on June 3, ... ANADOLU AGENCY VIA GETTY IMAGES

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Earlier that evening some spectacular images of the “Strawberry Moon” were taken in the UK, including this one by Stuart Cornell of the moonrise behind St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall:
Another standout came from Cambridge, with the full moon imaged as it appeared behind the spire of Ely Cathedral:

For the northern hemisphere it was one of the lowest-hanging full moons of 2023. That’s because in a few weeks it’s solstice, when the Sun is highest (farthest north) in the sky—and a full moon is opposite the sun with regard to Earth.

In this view from Fort Baker, a strawberry moon rises behind the San Francisco skyline Saturday, ... [+]COPYRIGHT 2023 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The next full moon is the “Buck Moon,” which will be the first of summer in the northern hemisphere and also be the first of four supermoons in 2023. It will be best viewed at moonrise on Sunday, July 2, 2023 just before it turns 100% full.

China's Shenzhou 15 capsule lands safely with 3 Tiangong space station astronauts 

By Andrew Jones

June 4,2023

China's Shenzhou 15 astronauts returned to Earth with a smooth and safe weekend landing after completing a six-month mission to the country's space station.

Astronauts Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu touched down in their Shenzhou 15 spacecraft return capsule at the Dongfeng landing site at 6:33 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 3, (2233 GMT; or 6:33 a.m. on June 4 Beijing Time), according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The Shenzhou 15 crew launched from Jiuquan in northwest China on Nov. 29 and were part of the first-ever crew handover on China's new Tiangong space station.

Fei and his crewmates had taken over control of the station from the Shenzhou 14 crew in early December. They welcomed the incoming Shenzhou 16 crew on May 29.

Related: China's Shenzhou 15 astronauts quietly conduct 3rd spacewalk (video)

“We are feeling good," mission commander Fei said in a brief interview right after exiting the return capsule.

The mission was Deng Qingming's first flight to space, having been selected in China's first batch of astronauts back in 1997. That's a nearly 26-year wait for his first trip to space.

"Now, I really, really miss my family and my hometown. My experience as an astronaut over the past 25 years makes me believe more firmly in the power of dreams and persistence," Deng told Chinese state media.

RELATED STORIES:

— China's Shenzhou 15 astronauts complete record-breaking 4th spacewalk (video)

— Facts about China's Tiangong space station

— China launches 3 astronauts to Tiangong space station on Shenzhou 16 spacecraft (video)

The Shenzhou 15 crew embarked on four extravehicular activities, or spacewalks, during their time in space, setting a national record. The trio also carried out a range of science experiments and outreach activities.

Tests included using a two-photon microscope to image an astronaut's skin, testing a free-piston Stirling thermoelectric converter, as well as various experiments using a combustion chamber. Two of Tiangong's three modules are science modules which contain a number of experiment racks.

Meanwhile, in orbit, the new Shenzhou 16 astronauts are expected to remain aboard Tiangong until this upcoming November, when they will be relieved by the Shenzhou 17 crew. China aims to keep Tiangong operational and permanently occupied for at least a decade.

Vigilantes in Haiti strike back at gangsters with brutal street justice
Published:Monday | June 5, 2023 |

AP
Nertil Marcelin, leader of a community group, goes door-to-door to distribute machetes to residents in Delmas district of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

PORT-AU-PRINCE (AP):

Old cars, used tires and barbed wire block off the biggest neighbourhood in the capital of Haiti.

Gun-toting gangsters have been robbing, raping and murdering the innocent. Weak or corrupt police and officials have done little, or worse.

Now, the people are taking action and a wave of brutal vigilante justice is roiling Haiti, concentrated in this capital of about 1 million. The vigilantes close off neighbourhoods. They stone and often chop the limbs of suspected gangsters, behead them and set them afire, sometimes while they are still alive.

Vigilantes have killed at least 164 people since the movement dubbed “bwa kale” began in April, according to the United Nations. The name means “peeled wood” in Haitian Creole and insinuates male dominance and power in street slang.

“If you’re not from here, we’re going to kill you,” said Leo, a community leader who granted the AP access to Turgeau neighbourhood for journalists to see how they are responding to the gangs estimated to control 80 per cent of Port-au-Prince. He did not provide his last name to protect his family.

Banners that read, “We are tired of the kidnapping” and “Watch out for one another” are strung throughout the city, and many neighbourhoods have erected barricades like those closing off Turgeau.

One afternoon, Leo and neighbours guarded one of the four makeshift barriers blocking roads into their hilly community of doctors, nurses, pastors, lawyers, street vendors and engineers.

People who wanted to enter had to show their IDs, open their bags, lift their shirts to reveal any gang tattoos, and, if they didn’t live there, explain where they were going. At night, those seeking to enter Turgeau also had to provide a password, which the community changes every week.

KILLINGS AND KIDNAPPINGS DROPPED

Haitian police don’t keep reliable crime statistics. But gang-related killings and kidnappings have dropped because of bwa kale, say human rights activists, who also worry about the gruesome violence, and that innocent people could be killed.

Weslander Al Cégaire, a cook in the southern city of Les Cayes with a round face and easy smile, told the AP that his cousin was recently killed by bwa kale participants while riding with a motorcycle driver who was targeted.

“It’s a good movement, but at the same time, the innocent are paying for the guilty,” Cégaire said, adding that he left Port-au-Prince because he feared the gang violence and the bwa kale movement.

Turgeau is under siege by a gang known as “5 Seconds”, because that’s supposedly how long it takes them to kill someone. The bwa kale movement gained momentum in Turgeau after residents said the gang launched a pre-dawn attack in late April, killing nearly a dozen people.

“They burned down motorcycles. They burned down houses. They burned people. They raped. They looted,” said Kenson Dimanche, a volunteer who controls one of the barricades.

Kettia, a resident who provided only her first name to protect her and her family, said that the gang snatched her husband, forced him to lead them out of the neighbourhood, and used him as a shield as they exchanged fire with police. He survived.

Kettia, a short woman with a soft demeanour, tries to stay strong for her four-year-old and one-year-old, but they keep wondering if the gang will return.

“If the people doing bwa kale didn’t stand up, it could’ve been worse,” she said.

More than 1,630 people were killed, wounded or kidnapped in Haiti in the first three months of the year, a nearly 30-per-cent increase compared with the previous quarter, according to a report issued in May by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti. In April alone, more than 600 people were reported killed, compared with a total of 846 people slain in the first three months of the year.

WORLD HAS TO RESPOND

In October, Prime Minister Ariel Henry requested the immediate deployment of an international military force to quell gang violence, but neither the UN Security Council, the US or Canada has acted.

María Isabel Salvador, the UN special envoy for Haiti, told AP that “Haiti truly can’t take it any more”.

“The world has to respond,” she said.

In Turgeau, some vigilantes walked around with sharpened machetes, like 63-year-old Réné Mizak, who said he was a former Tonton Macoute, a private militia that terrorised Haiti during the dictatorships of François ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier and his son, Jean-Claude.

“I bought it to defend myself,” said Mizak, a tall, slender man with a relaxed gait, “We are seeking justice our way.”

Mizak, who also declined to provide his full identity due to fear of gangsters, said he recently cut off one man’s arm and burned another’s face with gasoline because no one in the community recognised them, adding that bwa kale participants have killed at least three people in Turgeau who were suspected gang members.

The bwa kale movement began when police detained 13 suspected gang members during a traffic stop in Port-au-Prince in late April.

“We took them from the police and finished them,” recalled Israel Bien-Aimé, who said he helped stone and set fire to the group that day. “This is the only movement that can give us a solution to the gangs in Haiti.”

Bien-Aimé, a tall man with an athletic build, vowed to continue.

“If we found a bandit right now, we would hold them, beat them and kill them,” he said.

The killings have grown increasingly grisly.

Just a couple of blocks from Turgeau, a man on a motorcycle carried a decapitated head as the crowd yelled, “Bwa kale! Bwa kale!”

Gangs have yet to respond to the bwa kale movement, although some neighbourhoods are bracing for revenge. In a recent TikTok video, a man who said he’s a member of the gang that controls the Grand Ravine area southeast of Port-au-Prince said he’s waiting for the bwa kale movement to come to the area.

With a black balaclava covering his face and a belt of .50-calibre bullets draped around his neck, the man said his gang will give Haitians their own taste of bwa kale in due time.

“We are very relaxed,” he said, “We’re not going to rush. We’re not going to fuss. We’re just going to wait.”

ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON 2023
El Niño and extreme Atlantic Ocean heat are about to clash

Published: Monday, June 5, 2023 |

Christina Patricola/Contributor

JAMAICA GLEANER

NOAA via AP
This GOES-East GeoColor satellite image taken Friday, June 2 at 1:21 p.m. EDT., and provided by NOAA, shows Tropical Storm Arlene, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, in the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida.

The Atlantic hurricane season started on June 1, and forecasters are keeping a close eye on rising ocean temperatures, and not just in the Atlantic.

Globally, warm sea surface temperatures that can fuel hurricanes have been off the charts in the spring of 2023, but what really matters for Atlantic hurricanes are the ocean temperatures in two locations: the North Atlantic basin, where hurricanes are born and intensify, and the eastern-central tropical Pacific Ocean, where El Niño forms.

This year, the two are in conflict – and likely to exert counteracting influences on the crucial conditions that can make or break an Atlantic hurricane season. The result could be good news for the Caribbean and Atlantic coasts: a near-average hurricane season. But forecasters are warning that that hurricane forecast hinges on El Niño panning out.

INGREDIENTS OF A HURRICANE

In general, hurricanes are more likely to form and intensify when a tropical low-pressure system encounters an environment with warm upper-ocean temperatures, moisture in the atmosphere, instability, and weak vertical wind shear.

Warm ocean temperatures provide energy for a hurricane to develop. Vertical wind shear, or the difference in the strength and direction of winds between the lower and upper regions of a tropical storm, disrupts the organisation of convection – the thunderstorms – and brings dry air into the storm, inhibiting its growth.

THE ATLANTIC OCEAN’S ROLE

The Atlantic Ocean’s role is pretty straightforward. Hurricanes draw energy from warm ocean water beneath them. The warmer the ocean temperatures, the better for hurricanes, all else being equal.

Tropical Atlantic Ocean temperatures were unusually warm during the most active Atlantic hurricane seasons on recent record. The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season produced a record 30 named tropical cyclones, while the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season produced 28 named storms, a record 15 of which became hurricanes, including Katrina.

HOW THE PACIFIC OCEAN GETS INVOLVED

The tropical Pacific Ocean’s role in Atlantic hurricane formation is more complicated.

You may be wondering, how can ocean temperatures on the other side of the Americas influence Atlantic hurricanes? The answer lies in teleconnections. A teleconnection is a chain of processes in which a change in the ocean or atmosphere in one region leads to large-scale changes in atmospheric circulation and temperature that can influence the weather elsewhere.

When the tropical eastern-central Pacific Ocean is unusually warm, El Niño can form. During El Niño events, the warm upper-ocean temperatures change the vertical and east-west atmospheric circulation in the tropics. That initiates a teleconnection by affecting the east-west winds in the upper atmosphere throughout the tropics, ultimately resulting in stronger vertical wind shear in the Atlantic basin. That wind shear can tamp down hurricanes.

That’s what forecasters are expecting to happen this summer. The latest forecasts show a 90 per cent likelihood that El Niño will develop by August and stay strong through the fall peak of the hurricane season.

A TUG OF WAR

My research and work by other atmospheric scientists has shown that a warm Atlantic and a warm tropical Pacific tend to counteract each other, leading to near-average Atlantic hurricane seasons.

Both observations and climate model simulations have shown that outcome. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 2023 forecast calls for a near-average 12 to 17 named storms, five to nine hurricanes, and one to four major hurricanes. An earlier outlook from Colorado State University forecasters anticipates a slightly below-average season, with 13 named storms, compared with a climatological average of 14.4.

THE WILD CARDS TO WATCH

Although tropical Atlantic and Pacific Ocean temperatures often inform skilful seasonal hurricane forecasts, there are other factors to consider and monitor.

First, will the forecasted El Niño and Atlantic warming pan out? If one or the other does not, that could tip the balance in the tug of war between the influences.

The Atlantic Coast should be rooting for El Niño to develop as forecast, since such events often reduce hurricane impacts there. If this year’s expected Atlantic Ocean warming were instead paired with La Niña – El Niño’s opposite, characterised by cool tropical Pacific waters – that could have led to a record-breaking active season instead.

Two other factors are also important. The Madden-Julian Oscillation, a pattern of clouds and rainfall that travels eastward through the tropics on a time scale of 30 to 90 days, can either encourage or suppress tropical storm formation. And dust storms from the Saharan air layer, which contains warm, dry and dusty air from Africa, can suppress tropical cyclones.

Christina Patricola is assistant professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/atlantic-hurricane-season-2023-el-nino-and-e...

The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season is under way – Here’s what to know
Published:Monday | June 5, 2023 | 1:01 AM

AP
Mike Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, speaks during a news conference on May 31.

MIAMI (AP):

It’s time for residents along the southeastern US coastlines to make sure their storm plans are in place as the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season got under way last Thursday.

Forecasters are predicting a “near-normal” season, but Mike Brennan, the new director at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, stressed during a Wednesday news conference that there’s really nothing normal when it comes to hurricanes.

“A normal season might sound good in comparison to some of the hurricane seasons in the past few years,” he said. “But there’s nothing good about a near-normal hurricane season in terms of activity.”

WILL THE 2023 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON BE BUSY?

Uncertainty is the key word, Brennan said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted in late May a 40 per cent chance of 2023 being a near-normal hurricane season; a 30 per cent chance of an above-average season, which has more storms than usual; and a 30 per cent chance of a below-normal season, which has fewer.

“So we’re expecting a busy season with 12 to 17 named storms,” Brennan said, adding that five to nine of those storms could become hurricanes, with one to four growing into major hurricanes.

“It only takes one storm affecting your area to make it a busy season for you,” he said.

Already, the first named storm of the season formed on Friday in the Gulf of Mexico.

WHAT’S NEW THIS SEASON?

This year, the hurricane centre is rolling out a new storm surge model that, Brennan said, “helps push real-time storm surge prediction out to 72 hours in advance of the storm”, in hopes of getting life-saving information to emergency managers regarding evacuation orders.

In addition, tropical weather outlooks have been extended from five days out to seven days, providing “an additional heads-up” for residents to make decisions about whether to evacuate in advance of a storm, Brennan said.

WHAT IS EL NINO? HOW WILL IT AFFECT THE 2023 SEASON?

El Niño is a natural temporary warming of the Pacific Ocean that occurs every few years, changing weather patterns worldwide.

Generally, the Atlantic is quieter and has fewer storms during El Niño years. That’s because the warmer waters of El Niño make warmer air over the Pacific reach higher into the atmosphere and affect wind shear that could head off storms.

Brennan noted there are other factors that add to the uncertainty of the effects of El Niño, such as very warm sea surface temperatures, weaker low-level easterly flows and a more active African monsoon season.

“So these forces are going to kind of fight it out over the course of this hurricane season,” Brennan said. “We don’t know how this season’s going to play out.”

WHAT IS THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY’S ROLE?

FEMA Director Deanne Criswell said her agency is working to protect residents in hurricane zones by getting them the “critical information that they need” and making it easier for people to apply for help.

She said the summer doesn’t just bring the start of hurricane season, but it’s also the beginning of wildfire season.

“So we are in the summer season of severe weather events, but I think, as many of you know, it’s not just a summer season of severe weather any more,” she said, noting weather-related events take place throughout the year.

WHY DO HURRICANES HAVE NAMES? WHEN ARE THEY RETIRED?

Hurricanes are named primarily to eliminate confusion if there are two or more storm systems occurring at the same time.

The United States began using female names for storms in 1953, and began alternating male and female names in 1978.

There is a rotating list of Atlantic hurricane season names every six years. The list can then be repeated, with names being eliminated if they are retired from the rotation, according to the National Hurricane Center’s website.

The 2023 hurricane names are: Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harold, Idalia, Jose, Katia, Lee, Margot, Nigel, Ophelia, Philippe, Rina, Sean, Tammy, Vince and Whitney.

Hurricane names are routinely retired if a storm was so deadly or caused so much destruction that using the name again would be inappropriate. It’s not up to the National Hurricane Center to retire a name, however. That practice is left to an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization, which selects another name to replace the retired one.

The most recent names to be retired include Ian, which struck southwest Florida as a Category 5 hurricane in September 2022 with ferocious winds and storm surge as high as 15 feet (four metres). Ian killed more than 156 people in the US, the vast majority in Florida, according to a comprehensive National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report on the hurricane.

Other retired names include Katrina, Harvey, Charley, Wilma, Matthew, Michael and Irma.

WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE WORST HURRICANES TO HIT THE UNITED STATES?

In August 1992, powerful Hurricane Andrew struck south of Miami, crossing Florida and making a second landfall in Louisiana. For years, it was the costliest and most damaging hurricane to ever hit the US coastline, resulting in around 65 reported deaths and causing more than $27.3 billion in damages at the time. The Category 5 storm destroyed more than 65,000 houses.

Hurricane Katrina, which struck Louisiana as a Category 3 storm in August 2005, still ranks as one of the most devastating hurricanes to hit the United States. Katrina caused about 1,400 deaths and produced catastrophic damage along the Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Harvey struck Louisiana after slamming into Houston in 2017, causing severe flooding. Harvey killed more than 80 people, including 50 in the Houston area.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Katrina and Harvey are listed as the two costliest US hurricanes on record, with total costs of over $160 billion and $125 billion, respectively.

UK

Sunak loses half of 2019 Conservative voters, poll suggests

The polling suggests the swathe of “Red Wall” seats won by Boris Johnson in 2019 would fall back into Labour hands.

 by Jack Peat

LONDON EYE
2023-06-05 


Rishi Sunak’s hopes of re-election look to be in dire straits after new polling shows he has shed half of 2019 Conservative voters.

The prime minister set out five priorities at the start of the year, including halving inflation, growing the economy, cutting NHS waiting lists, reducing the national debt and stopping small boat crossings.

But almost halfway through the year, a poll by Ipsos UK found more than 50 per cent of people think the Government is doing a bad job on almost all those priorities.

In worse news for the Government, the poll found that the public tended to think Sunak was doing a worse job on the areas that were most important to them.

The public’s top priority, according to the poll, was easing the cost of living, with 59 per cent listing it as important, followed by ensuring people can get NHS treatment more quickly on 54 per cent and reducing NHS waiting lists on 51 per cent.

But 60 per cent said the Government was doing a bad job on easing the cost of living, with only 18 per cent saying it was doing a good job, and 62 per cent thought it was not delivering on reducing NHS waiting times.

In more bad news for Sunak, a separate poll by BMG Research for the i newspaper showed just over half, or 52 per cent, of those who voted Conservative in 2019 say they would do so again, suggesting the swathe of “Red Wall” seats won by Mr Johnson would fall back into Labour hands.

The PM’s personal approval rating among voters has also fallen dramatically since the Conservatives’ disastrous local election results.

In figures which will cause alarm in Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s net satisfaction score for May is -21 per cent, down from -14 per cent in April.

This is Sunak’s second-lowest approval rating since becoming Prime Minister last October, with only one worse figure of -23 per cent in January.