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☆ Students Walk Out in Protest at Duke Before Seinfeld Speech
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Maya Shwayder | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

“The Morehouse College graduation, at least as I remember it, is a very solemn event,” he said. Dr. King said it was a place where he had advanced his understanding of nonviolent protest and moral leadership — which current Morehouse students say they take seriously. Roughly 75 percent of students at H.B.C.U.s, including 50 percent of Morehouse students, are eligible for the Pell Grant, a federal aid program for low-income students. More than 80 percent of Morehouse students receive some form of financial aid. Some students at Black colleges also may decide against protesting because of family pressure, which amplifies the importance of securing their degrees.

Persons: Biden, Kamala Harris, Biden’s, Stephen K, Morehouse —, Martin Luther King Jr, ’, ” David Thomas, Christian Monterrosa, Morehouse, Cedric Richmond, Richmond, “, ”, That’s, Harris, Mekhi Perrin, ” Mr, Perrin, Mr, King, Benjamin Bayliss, Dr . King, Morehouse ”, Pell Grant, Dillard, Walter Kimbrough, Young, Donald J, Freddrell Rhea Green II, Donald Trump, ” “ Joe Biden, Samuel Livingston, Auzzy, Byrdsell, Raphael Warnock of, Warnock, ” Kitty Bennett Organizations: Morehouse College, Morehouse, White House, Black, Democratic Party, The New York Times, White, Democratic National Committee, Mr, Howard University, Gaza, George Mason University in, “ Morehouse, Dillard University, Trump, “, West Bank, Credit Locations: Atlanta, Gaza, Morehouse, George Mason University in Virginia, ”, H.B.C.U.s, Columbia, New Orleans, Palestinian, Raphael Warnock of Georgia

☆ College Protests Live Updates: Schools Brace for More Commencement Disruptions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

At Morehouse College in Atlanta, discontent over the Gaza war has played out relatively quietly, in classrooms and auditoriums rather than on campus lawns. “This should not be a place that cancels people regardless of if we agree with them,” David Thomas, the Morehouse president, said in an interview on Thursday. Mr. Richmond does not think Mr. Biden will face protests. “The Morehouse College graduation, at least as I remember it, is a very solemn event,” he said. Roughly 75 percent of students at H.B.C.U.s, including 50 percent of Morehouse students, are eligible for the Pell Grant, a federal aid program for low-income students.

[1/2] Lawyer David Boies gestures as he walks out of the Southern District of New York court, New York, U.S., July 15, 2019. Boies' tenure as chairman of Boies Schiller Flexner ends December 2024, a firm spokesperson said on Friday. Boies Schiller has lost nearly half of its lawyers over the last three years. Another who briefly held the role, Natasha Harrison, left Boies Schiller last year to found her own firm. Boies Schiller is now managed by a trio of managing partners, who praised Boies' leadership in a statement on Friday.

Persons: David Boies, Andrew Kelly, Harvey Weinstein, Boies, Boies Schiller Flexner, Boies Schiller, Nicholas Gravante, Cadwalader, Taft, Natasha Harrison, David, Matthew Schwartz, Sigrid McCawley, Alan Vickery, Al Gore, George W, Bush, Weinstein, David Thomas, David Bario, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Southern, of, REUTERS, Microsoft, U.S, Supreme, Thomson Locations: of New York, New York, U.S, Hollywood, Wickersham

The complaint by the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission cited statements Rokita made on Fox News in July 2022 about Dr. Caitlin Bernard in a case that became a flashpoint in the debate over abortion access. The Indiana Supreme Court is also the ultimate arbiter for any attorneys charged with misconduct by the commission. The commission said those comments violated rules barring lawyers from making public statements with a substantial likelihood of "materially prejudicing" a case. Bernard has said the Ohio child was referred to her three days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that guaranteed federal abortion rights. A lawyer for Bernard said she had no comment on the disciplinary case against Rokita.

Persons: Todd Rokita, Aaron P, Bernstein, General Todd Rokita, Rokita, Caitlin Bernard, Bernard, Fox's Jesse Watters, Roe, Wade, Nate Raymond, David Thomas, David Bario, Sonali Paul Organizations: Capitol, REUTERS, Indiana, Fox News, Indiana Supreme, U.S, Supreme, Rokita, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Indiana, Ohio

☆ UK's Barratt flags tough housing market conditions after annual profit fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A company logo is seen on a banner outside a Barratt Homes housing development in Warrington, Britain, August 23, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - Britain's largest homebuilder Barratt Developments (BDEV.L) flagged difficult trading conditions over the coming months after it posted a fall in annual profit on Wednesday, as high mortgage rates and a cost-of-living squeeze pummel demand. Affordability concerns stoked by high mortgage rates and a prolonged cost-of-living crisis have weighed on the UK housing market, with indicators on everything from mortgage demand to construction rates and prices sliding in recent months. Barratt said the UK housing market remained difficult and the outlook uncertain, adding that it expected average sales sites to reduce by around 6% in the current fiscal year. British house prices in August were 5.3% lower than a year earlier, their biggest annual decline since July 2009, mortgage lender Nationwide said on Friday.

Persons: Phil Noble, Barratt, David Thomas, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Suban Abdulla, Subhranshu Sahu, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Barratt Homes, REUTERS, FTSE, Nationwide, Credit Suisse, Thomson Locations: Warrington, Britain, Bengaluru, London

☆ Fox's legal head to step down in another major exit after Dominion settlement
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mike Segar/File PhotoAug 11 (Reuters) - Fox Corp (FOXA.O) said on Friday that Chief Legal Officer Viet Dinh was stepping down, a high-profile exit that follows its $787.5 million settlement in April of a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems over its 2020 U.S. election coverage. Top-rated host Tucker Carlson agreed to part ways with Fox in April, just days after the legal resolution. As part of a separation agreement, Dinh will get a lump-sum cash payment of $23 million, Fox said. He will become a special adviser to the company after leaving the role of legal head. In June, Fox Corp also settled a lawsuit by former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg, who claimed gender discrimination and accused the network's lawyers of pressuring her to make misleading statements in the Dominion Voting Systems case.

Persons: Mike Segar, Dinh, Tucker Carlson, Fox, George W Bush, Bancroft PLLC, Kirkland & Ellis, Ng, Abby Grossberg, Chavi Mehta, David Thomas, Anil D'Silva, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Fox, News Corporation, Fox News, REUTERS, Fox Corp, Dominion Voting Systems, Dominion, Patriot, U.S, D.C, Kirkland &, Voting, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, Washington, Bengaluru, Chicago

☆ The number of partners to leave Goldman Sachs since David Solomon took over as CEO just hit 90
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Emmalyse Brownstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

It's been a busy summer for Goldman Sachs' partner departures. Two more farewell memos went out on Tuesday, including for Lisa Opoku and David Rusoff. Just weeks after reporting a 58% drop in profit, the Goldman Sachs CEO was hit with a wave of high-profile defections that bring the number of partners who have left under Solomon to 90. Opoku worked as global head of the Goldman Sachs Partner Family Office, which oversees the firm's wealth management offerings for current and retired Goldman Sachs partners, managing directors, and alumni. In her current role, Lisa oversees the firm's wealth management offerings for current and retired Goldman Sachs partners, managing directors and alumni.

Persons: It's, Goldman Sachs, Lisa Opoku, David Rusoff, Julian Salisbury, Takashi Murata, David Solomon, Solomon, Goldman, — Lisa Opoku, David Rusoff —, pare, Tammy Kiely, Frederick Baba, Dina Powell McCormick, Opoku, Marc Nachmann, Kathryn Ruemmler, Rusoff, Ken Griffin's, Peng Zhao, David Thomas, Goldman's, Thomas, Shawn Fagan, Lisa Organizations: Asia Pacific, Global Banking, Markets, Citadel Securities, Citadel, Engineering, Securities Division, Commodities Bank, Black Network, Advisors, Black Economic Alliance, Firmwide Locations: Hong Kong, Asia, New York, London, Americas

☆ UK's Barratt looks to boost revenue with $212.6 mln homes sale deal with Citra
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 30 (Reuters) - Barratt Developments (BDEV.L) on Friday said it had agreed to sell 604 homes to Lloyds' (LLOY.L) private rental subsidiary Citra Living for 168.4 million pounds ($212.57 million) in cash, as Britain's largest housebuilder looks to diversify revenue. About 500 of the homes will be transferred to Citra's ownership by June 2024, while the remaining homes will be transferred the following year, Barratt said. The sale comes as the UK housing sector braces for a slower recovery due to persistent interest rate hikes which are set to hurt demand. Britain's biggest mortgage lender Lloyds launched its private rental business, Citra Living, in 2021 in a bid to find new revenue sources. "Our goal at Citra is to bring much needed high quality homes to the UK rental market ... Our partnership with Barratt helps us achieve that goal," Citra Managing Director Andy Hutchinson said in a statement on Friday.

Persons: Barratt, David Thomas, Andy Hutchinson, Eva Mathews, Rashmi Aich, Jason Neely Organizations: Barratt, Lloyds, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

Wells Fargo's Legal Specialty Group reported a 1.5% drop in demand, calculated as the number of hours lawyers billed. Firms among the 50 highest-grossing U.S. law firms saw a 2% drop compared to the first quarter of 2022, the report said. The average number of hours lawyers billed in the first quarter of 2023 was down 6% from the same period last year, from 1,634 to 1,536 hours, Wells Fargo found. The survey included 66 of the top 100 U.S. law firms by revenue as identified by The American Lawyer. Owen Burman, a senior consultant in the Wells Fargo unit, said it was surprising to see any growth at all.

Law Firms Boies Schiller Flexner LLP FollowMay 1 (Reuters) - A lawyer in the Florida attorney general's office has left to join U.S. law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, the firm said Monday. Deputy Solicitor General Evan Ezray has rejoined the firm's Fort Lauderdale, Florida office as a partner, the firm said. Ezray previously worked at the law firm co-founded by prominent lawyer David Boies from 2017 to 2020, according to his LinkedIn profile. The solicitor general is the chief appellate attorney for the state of Florida and part of the Florida attorney general's office. Read more:Florida board to countersue DisneyU.S. appeals court upholds Florida voting law that judge found discriminatoryDisney sues Florida's DeSantis for 'weaponizing' governmentFlorida judge blocks Republican-backed voting law as discriminatoryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

(Reuters) - A Kirkland & Ellis partner whose clients have included General Motors Co, BP Plc and auto manufacturer Polaris Inc said he has joined the Chicago office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. R. Allan Pixton told a federal judge in Detroit on Friday that he has joined Quinn Emanuel's Chicago office. Pixton and a Kirkland spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to his defunct Kirkland profile, Pixton's litigation experience covered class actions and mass torts. In 2020, he left Kirkland to lead the new Chicago office of Hilliard Martinez Gonzalez, a Corpus Christi, Texas-based law firm.

Chicago prosecutors alleged that Girardi misappropriated more than $3 million in client funds owed to families of the victims of the 2018 Boeing (BA.N) 737 MAX Lion Air Flight 610 crash in Indonesia. Christopher Kamon, the former chief financial officer of Girardi's now-defunct law firm Girardi Keese, was also charged in the Chicago and Los Angeles cases. Girardi's son-in-law, David Lira, who worked at the firm, was charged with wire fraud and criminal contempt of court by the Chicago prosecutors. The California Supreme Court disbarred Girardi in June in connection with his alleged conduct in the Lion Air case. Kamon was separately charged with wire fraud in November for allegedly embezzling $10 million from the defunct Girardi Keese firm.

☆ Tyre Nichols video showed how ‘culture of policing’ and ‘ancient’ procedures were on display, ex-officers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Memphis authorities on Friday released videos from multiple vantage points showing the aftermath of the traffic stop. Five Memphis police officers were fired and charged with second-degree murder, and other crimes, including aggravated assault and kidnapping. Georgetown Law professor and NBC News legal analyst Paul Butler appeared on MSNBC Saturday to discuss the release of the Nichols video. Video shows Nichols escaped while on the ground and an officer shot a stun gun at him. “The bottom line is there were sufficient number of officers to do as such and to get him corralled and handcuffed at that traffic stop.

Musk's email said hiring Perkins Coie was "an error on the part of a member of the Twitter team." A Perkins Coie spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Musk tweeted on Dec. 8 that Twitter "isn't using Perkins Coie" as outside counsel and urged other companies to boycott the firm. He singled out a former Perkins Coie lawyer, Michael Sussmann, who advised Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign while at the firm. In May, Musk tweeted that Perkins Coie and another large law firm were made up of "white-shoe lawyers" who "thrive on corruption."

Nov 14 (Reuters) - Squire Patton Boggs on Monday said it will open an office in Dublin next year, becoming the latest international law firm to expand into Ireland. Agnew was a founding partner of Pinsent Masons' Dublin office. A Squire Patton Boggs spokesperson said the firm is currently looking at space in Dublin's central business district. Agnew said in an email that the exact timing of his departure from Pinsent Masons "has still to be agreed." Squire Patton Boggs was created in 2014 by the merger of Washington, D.C.-founded Patton Boggs and Cleveland-founded Squire Sanders.

NEW YORK, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The United States is seeking a forfeiture order for more than $1 billion in Bitcoin that was stolen from the Silk Road online marketplace in 2012, federal prosecutors in Manhattan said on Monday. Zhong on Friday pleaded guilty to wire fraud that tricked Silk Road's processing system into releasing the funds into his accounts. The Bitcoin was at the time worth more than $3 billion, but the value of the cryptocurrency has since lost about two-thirds of its value. Silk Road was seized by the U.S. government in 2013, when officials described the underground website as a massive illegal drug- and money-laundering marketplace. The website's creator Ross Ulbricht was convicted in 2015 of seven counts of enabling illegal drug sales via bitcoin.

A dispute arose over the price Fox would pay for a stake in the market-leading FanDuel app, leading to arbitration that began in the spring of 2021. The sports betting app Fox Bet is available in four states, with just 0.2% share of the U.S. market, according to researcher Vixio. A free version called Fox Bet Super 6 has attracted some 6 million users whom Fox hopes to eventually convert to betters. The growth of Fox Bet has stagnated since Flutter acquired Stars Group, the company that helped launch Fox Bet and owns and operates the app. Fox claimed that Flutter failed to provide reasonable resources behind Fox Bet, a claim Flutter said the arbitrator rejected, finding that Flutter had agreed to commit "commercially reasonable" resources behind the offering.

WASHINGTON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - The House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump said on Friday it had given the former president until next week to begin producing documents requested under a subpoena. The Jan. 6 committee announced on Oct. 21 that it had sent a subpoena to Trump requiring documents be submitted by Nov. 4 and for him to appear for deposition testimony beginning on or about Nov. 14. The panel said then it had "overwhelming evidence … that (Trump) personally orchestrated" an effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Reporting by Patricia Zengerle Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Companies Chevron Corp FollowNov 4 (Reuters) - The Contra Costa County District Attorney on Friday said it has reached a settlement with Chevron Corp (CVX.N) over a diesel spill into the San Francisco Bay from the company's 245,271 barrel-per-day Richmond, California refinery last year. Officials did not release financial details of the settlement, and Chevron was not immediately unavailable for comment. "Corporations must be held strictly liable for any discharges of diesel into San Francisco Bay," said District Attorney Diana Becton in a statement. Around 757 gallons of a diesel water mixture leaked into the bay at the Richmond Refinery Marine Terminal in February last year. Some provisions in the judgment mandate Chevron implement various prevention and response measures to address and mitigate the identified hazards discovered in the investigation.

Nov 4 (Reuters) - Fox Corp (FOXA.O) said an arbitrator on Friday reaffirmed its right to acquire a nearly one-fifth stake in FanDuel, settling a longstanding dispute with the betting app's owner, Flutter Entertainment Plc (FLTRF.L). The New York-based Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services also settled a dispute over the price to exercise that option. Fox has a 10-year option to acquire an 18.6% stake of FanDuel for $3.7 billion. In April 2021, Fox filed its lawsuit against the Irish gaming company, seeking to secure its option to buy an stake in the market-leading FanDuel app. The arbitrator Friday settled on an option price based on a $20 billion valuation for FanDuel.

Nov 4 (Reuters) - Fox Corp (FOXA.O) said an arbitration court on Friday reaffirmed its right to acquire a nearly one-fifth stake in FanDuel, settling a longstanding dispute with the betting app's parent company, Flutter Entertainment Plc (FLTRF.L). The court also settled a dispute over the price to exercise that option. Fox has a 10-year option to acquire an 18.6% stake of FanDuel for $3.7 billion. Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Nov 4 (Reuters) - Twitter was sued over Elon Musk's plan to lay off about half of its workforce, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing a class-action lawsuit filed in a San Francisco federal court. Twitter employees say the company is eliminating workers without enough notice in violation of federal and California law, the report said. Reporting by Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb ChakrabartyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Nov 3 (Reuters) - A state court in Washington has temporarily blocked Albertsons Companies Inc (ACI.N) from paying a $4 billion dividend to shareholders before the grocery chain closes its proposed deal with rival Kroger Co (KR.N), documents filed said on Thursday. Kroger Co (KR.N) snapped up Albertsons in a $25 billion deal in last month's mega merger between the No. "By eliminating its cash-on-hand and nearly doubling its debt, Albertsons will be in a weakened competitive position relative to Kroger, thereby harming grocery consumers and workers throughout Washington," State Court Commissioner Henry Judson wrote in issuing the temporary restraining order. Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson called the temporary order a "huge victory". In its statement, Albertsons said on Thursday the court order was based on the "incorrect assertion" that the dividend payout would weaken its competitiveness while antitrust agencies review the proposed merger.

Nov 3 (Reuters) - Washington's King County court has granted a nationwide temporary restraining order, blocking grocery chain Albertsons Companies Inc's (ACI.N) $4 billion dividend payment, State Attorney General Bob Ferguson tweeted on Thursday. loading"We'll be back in court Nov. 10 seeking an injunction to keep the dividend on hold while our lawsuit continues," Ferguson said in a tweet. Supermarket operator Kroger Co (KR.N) snapped up Albertsons in a $25 billion deal last month, to better compete against U.S. grocery industry leader Walmart Inc on prices. Ferguson filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to block Albertsons from paying dividends to shareholders before closure of its proposed merger with Kroger. The attorneys general of Washington D.C., California and Illinois also filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in a federal court seeking to block the dividend payment alleging that the proposed dividend was in violation of federal and state antitrust laws by rendering Albertsons less able to compete effectively with other supermarkets.

Barrack was also acquitted of obstruction of justice and making false statements to FBI agents in 2019 about his interactions with Emirati officials and their representatives. Barrack raised money for Trump during the 2016 campaign and chaired Trump's 2017 inaugural committee. Also receiving a pardon was Paul Manafort, Trump's 2016 campaign chairman, who had been found guilty in 2018 of financial wrongdoing and sentenced to 7-1/2 years in prison. During his testimony, Barrack told jurors he never agreed to be a UAE agent or asked Trump for a pardon. Barrack's lawyers acknowledged that he sometimes sought feedback from Emirati officials, but that any impact on U.S. policy or public opinion was insignificant.

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