Latest news with #Matterhorn
Politico
14-07-2025
- Business
- Politico
Disaster relief done — what next?
Presented by WELL, LOOK AT THAT: It wasn't exactly a unicorn, but something relatively uncommon happened last week — Congress enacted a narrow, uncontroversial tax provision. With good reason, too: The Senate cleared a bipartisan measure, H.R. 517 (119), by unanimous consent Thursday that would offer quicker relief from tax filing deadlines for those affected by natural disasters, in large part in response to the deadly flooding in Texas. In essence, the measure empowers the IRS to offer filing relief to taxpayers in areas where a state has declared an emergency. Until now, the agency could delay filing deadlines only for disasters declared by the federal government, which can take longer to materialize. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), one of the measure's sponsors, noted that only one county in Texas had received a federal declaration as of Thursday, while a state emergency had been proclaimed in more than 20 counties. The House had passed the measure unanimously in March, so the Senate's action last week sends it to President Donald Trump's desk. 'This bill will allow those impacted by a natural disaster to have certainty that tax filing deadlines will be extended earlier in the process, and sometimes before the disaster occurs, so they can focus on their safety,' said Mark Koziel, the president of the American Institute of CPAs. MORE ON THAT in a second, but first — welcome to a special Bastille Day version of Weekly Tax. Not with a bang, but with a…: Today marks 160 years since an English mountaineer named Edward Whymper led the first successful ascent of the Matterhorn, the Alps peak along the border of Italy and Switzerland. (The descent, meanwhile, was far less successful.) Help us reach new heights. Send your best tips and feedback. Email: bbecker@ bfaler@ and teckert@ You can also reach us on X at @berniebecker3, @tobyeckert, @brian_faler, @POLITICOPro and @Morning_Tax. Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories. LOOKING AHEAD: Outside events clearly prompted the quick congressional action on the natural disaster filing bill. But it's worth noting that's far from the only measure of its kind that lawmakers have looked at this year. In fact, Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the tax-writing panel, released draft legislation early this year that would make broad reforms in tax administration. Across the way, the House Ways and Means Committee has cleared a string of other proposals aimed at making life easier for taxpayers. All of that prompted some speculation that the two parties might be able to work together on sweeping tax administration legislation this year or next. We'll see about that. This Congress might only be about a quarter over, but it's unclear whether the bruised feelings over the GOP megabill will subside enough for any real bipartisan tax action in the coming months. Some key Republicans have talked up areas for potential cooperation on taxes. But there's also some chatter within the GOP about doing another partisan budget reconciliation measure — or maybe two — while they have full control, which likely wouldn't help the chances for a bipartisan tax package. NOT SO FAST! A nonprofit group is trying to stop a proposed settlement that would give churches an official OK to wade into political activity. Americans United for Separation of Church and State announced Friday that it had asked a federal court to allow it to defend what's known as the Johnson Amendment, which bars certain tax-exempt groups from endorsing candidates and other types of politicking. The group is seeking to intervene after the IRS and religious groups challenging the Johnson Amendment reached a settlement, as part of which the agency said that the decadeslong ban on weighing in on political campaigns didn't apply to churches. Essentially, the IRS also noted that it was just coming clean on a longstanding unwritten rule — that it had rarely enforced the Johnson Amendment when it came to religious groups. In many ways, that's more broadly true of how the agency has handled the ban on political activity for nonprofits. But AU, the separation of church and state group, argued that the Johnson Amendment 'protects the integrity of both our elections and nonprofit organizations, including houses of worship.' 'The Trump administration's radical reinterpretation of the Johnson Amendment is a flagrant, self-serving attack on church-state separation that threatens our democracy by favoring houses of worship over other nonprofits and inserting them into partisan politics,' added the group's president, Rachel Laser. Advocates for nonprofits have long worked to preserve the Johnson Amendment, making it a top lobbying priority for both the 2017 Trump tax cuts and the most recent megabill. Those groups argue that allowing churches and other nonprofits more leeway to be political will erode the nonpartisan mission of most organizations and how they're viewed by the public at-large. DOWN GOES THE DST: Brussels has prepared to ditch plans for a digital tax to help ease trade negotiations with the U.S., as our Gregorio Sorgi noted Friday. At least that was the plan: The European Commission's list of upcoming taxes isn't scheduled to be released until Wednesday, and the report about Brussels dropping its DST came before Trump threatened to bump up tariffs on the EU to 30 percent. In return, European leaders threatened their own 'proportionate countermeasures,' leaving the path forward decidedly unclear. But taking a step back: The EU's willingness to scrap its digital tax would be just the latest example of the U.S. getting its way without having to rely on Section 899, the so-called revenge tax that was dropped from the GOP megabill over concerns that it would impede foreign investment. (Worth noting: Brussels is also considering a broader tax on big companies that would also hit tech titans affected by a DST.) Canada discarded its digital tax a couple weeks ago, just hours before payments were due, as part of its trade negotiations with the U.S. And Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's agreement with the G7 to stop parts of the global tax deal from applying to the U.S. — most notably an undertaxed profits rule that allowed other countries to tax American companies that didn't meet minimum tax thresholds — paved the way for Republicans to drop Section 899 from the megabill. Next question, though: What's the broader impact of that G7 agreement on a global tax pact where around 140 countries signed on to the framework? Top officials at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which led negotiations on the agreement, have argued that the side deal strengthens the overall pact. But Mindy Herzfeld of Tax Notes isn't so sure, arguing that other countries might now seek their own carve-outs from the global tax deal, even if none of them has the same clout as the U.S. 'It remains uncertain whether the exceptionalism of the United States will hold at a time when its broader withdrawal from multilateral commitments has weakened the dollar and confidence in its systems,' Herzfeld wrote. Around the World Bloomberg: 'UK Wealth Tax Given 'Zero Chance' Amid Cash Crunch for Reeves.' Reuters: 'German upper house of parliament approves $54 billion corporate tax relief package.' Reuters, again: 'Ferrari Chair John Elkann settles inheritance tax dispute in Italy.' Around the Nation WEWS: 'Ohio GOP plans to override Gov. DeWine school vetoes in order to provide property tax relief.' KTOO: 'Bill requiring car rental apps to collect Alaska taxes avoids second veto.' Washington State Standard: 'Megabill's elimination of tax credits for clean energy projects could cost WA $8.7 billion.' Also Worth Your Time Wall Street Journal: 'Investors Get New Breaks on Capital-Gains Taxes in Trump Law.' Bloomberg: 'Trump Tax Law Quietly Takes Aim at Popular Perk: Office Snacks.' Tax Notes: 'Oversight of IRS AI and Data Analytics Faces Setback.' Did you know? Mountains in California, Colorado and Nevada have all been named after the Matterhorn.
Times
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Times
Matterhon climber was haunted by tragedy — and a vicious letter
Edward Whymper was celebrated as the first climber to reach the summit of the Matterhorn, although the triumph was marred by the deaths of four of his party. For the remainder of his life he was tormented by both the tragedy and the authorship of a poison pen letter, which he believed was connected with a prominent rival. His celebrated account of the climb, which is being republished on the 160th anniversary of the expedition, includes for the first time a copy of the abusive letter and a second note that shows the mountaineer was still hunting for the author 41 years later. Whymper was 25 when he led the expedition in the Swiss Alps in July 1865. During the descent back to Zermatt on July 14 a rope severed, leading to the deaths of Lord Francis Douglas, 18, the son of the Marquess of Queensbury; The Reverend Charles Hudson, 36, a celebrated British climber; his protégé Douglas Hadow, 19, the son of the chairman of the P&O shipping company; and a local guide, Michel Croz, 35. Whymper was the only British survivor, along with the local guides Peter Taugwalder and his son of the same name. The rope was severed between the elder Taugwalder and Lord Douglas. There were suggestions, which were never proven, that it was deliberately cut to prevent all of the party being dragged to their deaths. In a letter to The Times, Whymper described Hadow slipping, knocking over Croz and then dragging Hudson and Lord Douglas with them. 'We held; but the rope broke mid way between Taugwalder and Lord F Douglas,' he wrote. 'For two or three seconds we saw our unfortunate companions sliding downwards on their backs, and spreading out their hands endeavouring to save themselves; they then disappeared one by one, and fell … we remained on the spot without moving a single step.' • Climbers scale Alpine 'murder wall' and smash three-peak record After Whymper made an appeal in The Times for the families of the guides he received an anonymous letter which was to aggravate him for the remainder of his life. The correspondence is published for the first time in the 2025 edition of The Ascent of the Matterhorn. The letter, sent from Winchester and dated August 25, 1865, begins: 'I enclose what I believe to be the full damage actually sustained to society by the late loss of life on the Matterhorn or Madder-horn (?) peak. 'The view of The Times and the opinions being expressed in that paper by an intelligent 'Swiss' coincide with my own, and with the general opinion of the English public. 'The fact is that the members of the 'Alpine Club' are generally a vain set … Vanity — the love of notoriety — a morbid hankering for the applause of the 'stupid starers'… 'Professor Tyndall is an exception — he risks his life, and nobly, for science and truth. But what benefit do the ordinary mountain-climbers confer on anybody? None.' The letter was signed 'Anti-Humbug', with a PS reading 'I did not read your own 'whimpering' account'. • What I've learnt climbing mountains dressed like history's female adventurers Was it just coincidence that the poison-pen letter referenced Whymper's great rival, Professor John Tyndall, an Irish experimental physicist, who had made a failed attempt on the summit before strongly discouraging Whymper from making the ascent? The letter obviously rankled as 41 years later Whymper was still seeking to identify the writer. He contacted Frederick Morshead, a fellow member of the Alpine Club who reached the top of the Matterhorn at least five times, and asked for help in identifying the writer. Morshead was housemaster at Winchester College and founder of the school's Morshead House. Morshead replied on February 2, 1907: 'After the lapse of so many years I am afraid that I am unable to give you any clue which might help you to find out the author of the enclosed document. 'From the handwriting — which is not at all the Wykhamist type — and the style — which hardly carries out the Wykhamist motto of 'Manners maketh man' — I should say that it certainly does not come from anybody connected with the college.' Whymper died four years later apparently without discovering the identity of the troll. The deaths, particularly of the young aristocrat, caused outrage in Victorian society. Charles Dickens condemned climbing as 'greater folly than gambling' with 'nothing to win but an empty boast'. Queen Victoria even suggested to William Gladstone, the prime minister, that mountaineering should be outlawed. The dramatic story inspired writers including Thomas Hardy, Mark Twain and Alphonse Daudet. The debate was extensively reported in The Times, which asked: 'Why is the best blood of England to waste itself in scaling hitherto inaccessible peaks, in staining the eternal snow and reaching the unfathomable abyss never to return?' Martin Rynja, the publisher of the new edition of Whymper's account by Gibson Square, said it was clear that the reference in the poison-pen letter to Tyndall 'stung Whymper deeply'. 'As an autodidact who left school at 14, he seems to have been deeply conflicted about the fact that his fame was based on scandal rather than science like Professor Tyndall,' Rynja said. 'Despite the scathing tone, the letter writer's position is nuanced compared to the public outcry. The invective is entirely aimed at Whymper and other 'humbugs' of the Alpine Club. 'However, the letter is highly partisan and extols beyond any reproach the same effort undertaken a few years earlier by Whymper's rival Professor Tyndall purely because it was further to the 'noble' pursuit of Tyndall's scientific interests. 'This distinction appears not to have been made or discussed in the press and suggests a proximity to Tyndall close enough to be well informed about Tyndall's minor research interest.' The forward to the new edition is written by Theresa May, the former prime minister, who describes Whymper's expedition as having 'defined the relationship between Britain and the Alps and opened up Alpinism to the rest of the world'. May is a regular visitor to Zermatt and, after leaving Downing Street, said she was considering writing a novel about the expedition. She said the reason why the rope broke 'is an interesting question'. 'We can only imagine the mixed emotions of triumph and grief that Whymper felt writing about his greatest mountaineering achievement while mourning the death of his friend Croz and the loss of three other lives,' she writes in the foreword. 'He had tamed the mountain, but in its own way the mountain had tamed him. What we do know is that this important ascent was to change the course of history for Zermatt and its people, change the relationship of the British with the Alps and leave a lasting legacy for mountaineering.'
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'I'm running an Ironman Triathlon at 60'
While many of us will be taking advantage of the bank holiday weekend for a bit of rest and relaxation, one man will be in training to push his body to its limits. Ian Russell, an airline pilot from Hereford, is preparing to run his first Ironman Triathlon - at the age of 60. Generally considered one of the toughest one-day races in the world, the event sees competitors swim 2.4 miles (3.9km), cycle 112 miles (180.2km) and then run a full marathon of 26.2 miles (42.1km). "They use to say life begins at 40. Now, 60 is the new 40," said Mr Russell. Although Mr Russell was a keen sportsman when he was younger - he lists climbing Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn among his achievements - work and family commitments had an impact on how active he could be. He later took up running, before joining his local triathlon club. Inspired by some of his fellow members who had taken part, last autumn Mr Russell signed up to the Ironman event in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, this September. "What I didn't realise was that, although it's local and easy to get to, it's actually one of the toughest ones going," he said. Since then, Mr Russell has invested in a coach and trains "most days" - but has suffered a couple of setbacks. "I've had a big operation on my hand," he explained, "which took a few weeks to recover from. And then I broke my foot out training with the triathlon club. "That took a good six to eight weeks to recover from. "So I'm not starting from the best base." He said that, while he was training hard, he was avoiding pushing himself too much. "You might end up injuring yourself, which I can't afford now," he said. "So the idea is just to nurse my old creaking bag of bones through to get to the start line." Mr Russell added he was worried about making a cut off, of two hours 20 minutes, to complete the swim. "I'm definitely not a swimmer," he said. "If you don't make the cut off, you don't even get as far as the bike ride. "All my main part of my training in my mind is revolving around getting through the swimming part. So at least I can get on a bike and… let Mother Nature and tailwinds take their course." Despite this, the athlete said he had no regrets. "I'm proving that age is no barrier to setting bold goals and achieving them," he added. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Thousands 'face the dragon' at Ironman Wales 'World Ironman Championship will be a fun day out' Man with hole in neck to compete in triathlon Ironman
BBC News
04-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
60-year-old Hereford man preparing for first Ironman Triathlon
While many of us will be taking advantage of the bank holiday weekend for a bit of rest and relaxation, one man will be in training to push his body to its Russell, an airline pilot from Hereford, is preparing to run his first Ironman Triathlon - at the age of considered one of the toughest one-day races in the world, the event sees competitors swim 2.4 miles (3.9km), cycle 112 miles (180.2km) and then run a full marathon of 26.2 miles (42.1km)."They use to say life begins at 40. Now, 60 is the new 40," said Mr Russell. Although Mr Russell was a keen sportsman when he was younger - he lists climbing Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn among his achievements - work and family commitments had an impact on how active he could later took up running, before joining his local triathlon by some of his fellow members who had taken part, last autumn Mr Russell signed up to the Ironman event in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, this September."What I didn't realise was that, although it's local and easy to get to, it's actually one of the toughest ones going," he said. Since then, Mr Russell has invested in a coach and trains "most days" - but has suffered a couple of setbacks."I've had a big operation on my hand," he explained, "which took a few weeks to recover from. And then I broke my foot out training with the triathlon club."That took a good six to eight weeks to recover from. "So I'm not starting from the best base."He said that, while he was training hard, he was avoiding pushing himself too much."You might end up injuring yourself, which I can't afford now," he said. "So the idea is just to nurse my old creaking bag of bones through to get to the start line." No regrets Mr Russell added he was worried about making a cut off, of two hours 20 minutes, to complete the swim."I'm definitely not a swimmer," he said. "If you don't make the cut off, you don't even get as far as the bike ride."All my main part of my training in my mind is revolving around getting through the swimming part. So at least I can get on a bike and… let Mother Nature and tailwinds take their course."Despite this, the athlete said he had no regrets."I'm proving that age is no barrier to setting bold goals and achieving them," he added. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
10 fiction, nonfiction books inspired by Vietnam War
Vietnam War-Anniversary-Books (AP) Washington: Vietnam has been called the first "television" war. But it has also inspired generations of writers who have explored its origins, its horrors, its aftermath and the innate flaws and miscalculations that drove the world's most powerful country, the US, into a long, gruesome and hopeless conflict. Fiction "The Quiet American," Graham Greene (1955) British author Graham Greene's novel has long held the stature of tragic prophecy. Alden Pyle is a naive CIA agent whose dreams of forging a better path for Vietnam - a "Third Force" between communism and colonialism that existed only in books - leads to senseless destruction. "The Quiet American" was released when US military involvement in Vietnam was just beginning, yet anticipated the Americans' prolonged and deadly failure to comprehend the country they claimed to be saving. "The Things They Carried," Tim O'Brien (1990) The Vietnam War was the last extended conflict waged while the US still had a military draft, and the last to inspire a wide range of notable, first-hand fiction, none more celebrated or popular than O'Brien's 1990 collection of interconnected stories. O'Brien served in an infantry unit in 1969-70, and the million-selling "The Things They Carried" has tales ranging from a soldier who wears his girlfriend's stockings around his neck, even in battle, to the author trying to conjure the life story of a Vietnamese soldier he killed. O'Brien's book has become standard reading about the war and inspired an exhibit at the National Veterans Art Museum in Chicago. "Matterhorn," Karl Marlantes (2009) Karl Marlantes, a Rhodes scholar and decorated Marine commander, fictionalised his experiences in his 600-plus page novel about a recent college graduate and his fellow members of Bravo Company as they seek to retake a base near the border with Laos. Like "The Quiet American," "Matterhorn" is, in part, the story of disillusionment, a young man's discovery that education and privilege are no shields against enemy fire. "No strategy was perfect," he realises. "All choices were bad in some way." "The Sympathizer," Viet Thanh Nguyen (2015) Viet Thanh Nguyen was just 4 when his family fled Vietnam in 1975, eventually settling in San Jose, California. "The Sympathizer," winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2016, is Nguyen's first book and high in the canon of Vietnamese American literature. The novel unfolds as the confessions of a onetime spy for North Vietnam who becomes a Hollywood consultant and later returns to Vietnam fighting on the opposite side. "I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces," the narrator tells us. "Perhaps not surprisingly, I am also a man of two minds." "The Mountains Sing," Nguyen Phan Que Mai (2020) Nguyen Phan Que Mai was born in North Vietnam in 1973, two years before the US departure, and was reared on stories of her native country's haunted and heroic past. Her novel alternates narration between a grandmother born in 1920 and a granddaughter born 40 years later. Together, they take readers through much of 20th century Vietnam, from French colonialism and Japanese occupation to the rise of Communism and the growing and brutal American military campaign to fight it. Que Mai dedicates the novel to various ancestors, including an uncle whose "youth the Vietnam War consumed." NONFICTION "The Best and the Brightest," David Halberstam (1972) As a young reporter in Vietnam, David Halberstam had been among the first journalists to report candidly on the military's failures and the government's deceptions. The title of his bestseller became a catchphrase and the book itself a document of how the supposedly finest minds of the post-World War II generation - the elite set of advisers in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations - could so badly miscalculate the planning and execution of a war and so misunderstand the country they were fighting against. "Fire in the Lake," Frances FitzGerald (1972) Frances FitzGerald's celebrated book was published the same year and stands with "The Best and the Brightest" as an early and prescient take on the war's legacy. Fitzgerald had reported from South Vietnam for the Village Voice and The New Yorker, and she drew upon firsthand observations and deep research in contending that the US was fatally ignorant of Vietnamese history and culture. "Dispatches," Michael Herr (1977) Michael Herr, who would eventually help write "Apocalypse Now," was a Vietnam correspondent for Esquire who brought an off-hand, charged-up rock 'n' roll sensibility to his highly praised and influential book. In one "dispatch," he tells of a soldier who "took his pills by the fistful," uppers in one pocket and downers in another. "He told me they cooled out things just right for him," Herr wrote, "that he could see that old jungle at night like he was looking at it through a starlight scope." "Bloods," Wallace Terry (1984) A landmark, "Bloods" was among the first books to centre the experiences of Black veterans. Former Time magazine correspondent Wallace Terry compiled the oral histories of 20 Black veterans of varying backgrounds and ranks. One interviewee, Richard J Ford III, was wounded three times and remembered being visited at the hospital by generals and other officers: "They respected you and pat you on the back. They said, You brave and you courageous. You America's finest. America's best.' Back in the states, the same officers that pat me on the back wouldn't even speak to me." "A Bright Shining Lie," Neil Sheehan (1988) Halberstam's sources as a reporter included Lt Col John Paul Vann, a US adviser to South Vietnam who became a determined critic of American military leadership and eventually died in battle in 1972. Vann's story is told in full in "A Bright Shining Lie," by Neil Sheehan, the New York Times reporter known for breaking the story of the Pentagon Papers and how they revealed the US government's long history of deceiving the public about the war. Winner of the Pulitzer in 1989, "A Bright Shining Lie" was adapted into an HBO movie starring Bill Paxton as Vann.
