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☆ Texas AG sues county over Houston-area guaranteed income program giving participants $500 a month no strings attached
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe Texas Attorney General's office sued Harris County, which contains Houston, over its new guaranteed income pilot that would give nearly 2,000 residents $500 a month for 18 months with no strings attached. The state is seeking to block Harris County from giving its first payments to participants, which are slated to start in April. In response, Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee said that the lawsuit is "nothing more than another attack" on the county government. The Austin Guaranteed Income Pilot has distributed $1,000 a month to 135 low-income families, who reported using their money for housing, food, and other daily costs. Republican lawmakers are trying to ban guaranteed income programs in states such as Arizona, Iowa, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Persons: —, Ken Paxton, Harris, Harris County Attorney Christian D, Menefee, Dustin Palmer, Paxton, Sen, Paul Bettencourt Organizations: Service, Texas, Business, American, Harris County Attorney, Republican, Austin Locations: Harris, Houston, Texas, Harris County, Austin, Arizona , Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin

☆ Indonesian President's Son Also Rises, but What Will His Role as New VP Be?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Many voters say they were drawn to president-in-waiting Prabowo Subianto's ticket in part because of the ex-commander having Jokowi's eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka as his running mate. That puts Gibran on track to be the youngest vice president in Indonesia's history. Gibran's path to the vice presidency has also raised questions about how prepared he is to step up to the national stage, even if the vice presidency is a position with limited power and influence. Past vice presidents have typically tended to play a low-key role, unless given a specific mandate by the president. Jokowi has repeatedly denied he was involved in Gibran's decision to run for mayor, and then for the vice presidency.

Persons: Ananda Teresia, Kate Lamb JAKARTA, Joko Widodo, Prabowo, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Gibran, Jokowi, Kevin O'Rourke, Gibran's, Suharto, Kanupriya Kapoor, Kay Johnson, Raju Gopalakrishnan Locations: Jakarta, Singapore, Australia, Indonesia

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Morale and trust within the Walt Disney World government has deteriorated since allies of Florida Gov. With the departure of so many district employees in such a short period of time, the district is “no longer functional,” a facilities director who left last month wrote in her exit survey. Disney has sued DeSantis and the members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board in federal court in Tallahassee over the takeover, claiming its free speech rights were violated. Disney is also battling the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District in state court in Orlando. Before control of the district changed hands, the Disney supporters on its board signed agreements with Disney to shift control over design and construction at Disney World to the company.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, ”, “, there’s, DeSantis, hadn't, Matthew Oberly, Martin Garcia, ” Garcia, Glen Gilzean, Gilzean, Mike Schneider Organizations: —, Walt Disney, Florida Gov, Central, District, Associated Press, Republican, GOP, Florida Legislature, Disney, Improvement Locations: ORLANDO, Fla, Florida, Central Florida, “, Reedy, cronyism, Tallahassee, Orlando

☆ Poland's opposition leader Tusk says 3 parties have enough votes to unseat the Law and Justice party
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk said that three opposition parties had sufficient votes to win the general election on Sunday after an exit poll projected that they had enough combined support to oust Law and Justice, the governing conservative nationalist party. The Ipsos exit poll suggested that the opposition together has likely won 248 seats in the 460-seat lower house of parliament, the Sejm. Law and Justice, according to the projection, obtained 200 seats, while the far-right Confederation got 12 seats. The exit poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Law and Justice won nearly 44% of the vote in 2019, but has been polling in recent weeks at more than 30%.

Persons: Donald Tusk, Tusk, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Kaczynski Organizations: Civic Coalition Party, Women, Elections, Justice, Law, Democracy, Poland, Tusk's Civic Coalition, European Union, Votes, EU, Senate, Foreign Ministry Locations: Lodz, Poland, Polish, Ukraine, Russia

The Ipsos exit poll suggested that the opposition together has likely won 248 seats in the 460-seat lower house of parliament, the Sejm. Law and Justice, according to the projection, obtained 200 seats, while the far-right Confederation got 12 seats. Votes were still being counted and the state electoral commission says it expects to have final results by Tuesday morning. Law and Justice won nearly 44% of the vote in 2019, but has been polling in recent weeks at more than 30%. In a sign of the emotions generated by the vote, more than 600,000 Poles registered to vote abroad.

Persons: Donald Tusk, Tusk, Jaroslaw Kaczynski Organizations: Justice, Law, Democracy, Poland, ”, Tusk's Civic Coalition, European Union, Votes, EU, Senate, Foreign Ministry Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Polish

☆ Nagorno-Karabakh crisis lays bare deteriorating Armenian relationship with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Clare Sebastian Anna Chernova Katharina Krebs Tim Lister Christian Edwards | Clare Sebastian | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh has come amid a sharp deterioration in the relationship between historic allies Armenia and Russia, and has been amplified by sometimes incendiary commentary from prominent individuals in Moscow. Armenia’s Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan accused Russian peacekeepers of failing to protect Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijani aggression, according to state media Armenpress. The prominent Russian military blogger Rybar said Armenia was over reliant on Russia to provide security for Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia purports to provide security to Armenia through the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance of post-Soviet states that includes Armenia but excludes Azerbaijan. The Armenian authorities handed over the Armenian shrine with their own hands… The fate of Judas is unenviable.”Simonyan also wrote on Telegram about protests in Yerevan.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Armenia’s, Armen Grigoryan, Dmitry Peskov, Pashinyan’s, Anna Hakobyan, ” Pashinyan, Dmitry Medvedev, “, ”, ” Medvedev, Rybar, –, ” Rybar, Margarita Simonyan, Judas, ” Simonyan, ’ They’ve, Vladimir Solovyov, Lavrov, Putin, Ivan, ” Solovyov, Meduza Organizations: CNN, Armenian, Armenia’s Security, Kremlin, CNN Prima News, Russia, NATO, Collective Security, Organization, Twitter Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Russia, Moscow, Yerevan, United States, Ukraine, Kyiv, “, Azerbaijan, Russian, Soviet

"Unless Zelenskiy gets rid of Tatarov, he won't be seen as serious in purging the country of corruption," she told Reuters. "He knew about law enforcement and warned us to be careful about saying almost anything on the phone," Maiboroda told Reuters. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said experts would need to study the material to verify it. "The main thing is that a person is honest," Zelenskiy told reporters several days after Tatarov's appointment. Zelenskiy told Ukrainian television network ICTV in October 2021 that the offshore arrangement was to protect his TV production business from political pressure by the Yanukovych government.

Persons: Oleh Maiboroda, Maiboroda, Oleh Tatarov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Tatarov, Maiboroda's, Ukraine's, Zelenskiy, Kyiv pollsters, Oleksii Reznikov, Reznikov, Daria Kaleniuk, Nicola Mirto, Mirto, Viktor Yanukovych, Yanukovich's, Maxym Mykytas, Mykytas, Maiborada, NABU, Yanukovych, –, General Iryna Venediktova, Artem Sytnyk, Sytnyk, didn't, Oleksiy Symonenko, Symonenko, Andriy Yermak, Yermak, Denys, Dmytro Shtanko, Liudmyla, Sergey Shefir, Shefir, Vyacheslav Shapovalov, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, Zheleznyak, Zelensky, Ihor, Kolomoisky, Semen Kryvonos, Kaleniuk, ”, Stephen Grey, Dan Peleschuk, Janet McBride Organizations: Reuters, Ukrbud, Prosecutors, Ukraine's, European Union, International Monetary Fund, Kyiv, Kyiv Independent, Tatarov, Ministry, Interior Ministry, Virgin Islands, ICTV, National Agency for, Ministry of Defence, Kiel Institute, NATO, Thomson Locations: VIENNA, KYIV, Vienna, Ukraine, Tatarov, Russia, Europe, European, Kyiv, Italian, Ukrainian, Soviet Ukraine, Zelenskiy's, Switzerland, Spain, Soviet, United States, Irpin

According to Maiboroda, Mykytas used Tatarov for difficult tasks, including bribe payments on behalf of Ukrbud Development. "He knew about law enforcement and warned us to be careful about saying almost anything on the phone," Maiboroda told Reuters. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said experts would need to study the material to verify it. "The main thing is that a person is honest," Zelenskiy told reporters several days after Tatarov's appointment. Zelenskiy told Ukrainian television network ICTV in October 2021 that the offshore arrangement was to protect his TV production business from political pressure by the Yanukovych government.

☆ Is one of Russia’s oldest allies slipping from the Kremlin’s orbit?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“Armenia’s security architecture 99.999% was linked to Russia,” he told Italian newspaper La Repubblica earlier this month. Analysts said the effectiveness of Russia's peacekeeping presence, which began after the war in 2020, has diminished over time. “Russia failed to deliver on its promises to secure the Lachin corridor… Russia failed to deliver weapons that Armenia purchased from Russia, Russia failed to curtail Azerbaijan’s expansionist and aggressive behavior against Armenia,” said Ter-Matevosyan. But in trying to shore up its security vis-a-vis Azerbaijan, Armenia has inadvertently delivered a stinging snub to Russia. “We have to remember that Russia has a huge destructive potential in the region,” said Ter-Matevosyan, referring to Russia’s sizable military base north of Yerevan.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Nikol Pashinyan, ”, Pashinyan, Armenia’s, Tofik Babayev, Azerbaijain, Vahram, Matevosyan, Karen Minasyan, Ter, Marie Dumoulin, Azerbaijan’s, ” Dumoulin, “, Putin, Ilham Aliyev –, He’s, Aliyev, Dumoulin, Dmitry Peskov, ’ ”, Anna Ohanyan, Ohanyan, –, Will Organizations: CNN, La Repubblica, Russian Federation, Getty, American University of Armenia, Collective Security, Organization, European Council, Foreign Relations, ICC, Politico, NATO, Stonehill College, Kremlin Locations: Armenia, Soviet, Ukraine, Rome, Russia, Azerbaijan, Italian, Russian, Nagorno, Karabakh, AFP, Turkey, Yerevan, “ Armenia, Moscow, “ Russia, Baku, Pashinyan, Massachusetts, “, Belarus, Repubblica, Western

The debate, which was hosted by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., aired on multiple Louisiana news stations including KLFY. While Wilson supports exceptions and a ballot initiative to allow citizens to vote on the abortion laws, he has previously stated he is pro-life. All candidates addressed the death of Greene, who was killed after being arrested by Louisiana State Police. Schroder and Landry have backgrounds in law enforcement and said they are willing to meet with the Greene family. While most of the night was spent on issues, some candidates took the opportunity to verbally spar with Landry, who skipped the first debate.

Persons: Jeff Landry, Black, Ronald Greene, Sen, Sharon Hewitt, Landry, Donald Trump, Hunter Lundy, Richard Nelson, John Schroder, Stephen Waguespack, Bobby Jindal, Shawn Wilson, Wilson, Nelson, “ It’s, ” Wilson, Greene, John Bel Edwards, Schroder, Alton Sterling, Lundy, Schroeder, ” Landry, Edwards Organizations: GOP, Republican, Transportation, Development Department, Democratic, Nexstar Media Group, Inc, Republicans, Democrat, Louisiana State Police, Authorities, Associated Press, ” Locations: BATON ROUGE, La, Louisiana, Lake Charles, Landry

☆ DeSantis' Disney board wants to cut millions from road fixes at the park. Meanwhile, it's facing huge legal fees to keep fighting Mickey Mouse in court.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

DeSantis' Disney board may cut $3 million for roadway repairs and maintenance from its 2024 budget. The tentative budget cuts come as the board expects millions in legal fees in its battle against Disney. The chairman of the board slammed the ousted Disney board, accusing it of "cronyism." Chairman of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, Martin Garcia. Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, YouTubeThe district expects to spend over $2.6 million more in 2024 on legal fees — largely connected to DeSantis' ongoing feud with Disney.

Persons: DeSantis, Ron DeSantis, Florida —, Martin Garcia, Garcia Organizations: Disney, Service, Central, The Central, Politico, District Locations: Wall, Silicon, Florida, Central Florida, The Central Florida

☆ Poland to vote in privatisation referendum, likely alongside October election
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"For us, the voice of ordinary Poles is always decisive," PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said in a video posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. He said that the first referendum question would be: "Do you support the sale of state-owned enterprises?". "The Germans want to embed Tusk in Poland to sell off common property, his background shows it directly," Kaczynski said. Another state-run broadcaster, Polskie Radio 24, reported that there would be four referendum questions in total. Poland's lower house of parliament will deal with legislation concerning the organisation of the referendums at its sitting on Aug. 16-17.

Persons: Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Kacper, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Kaczynski, Marcin Kierwinski, Alan Charlish, Toby Chopra Organizations: Justice, National Army, REUTERS, Law, Former European, PO, Polskie Radio, Polskie, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Germany

☆ YTL Corporation chairman discusses succession plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAs a publicly listed company, we can't have nepotism and cronyism: Infrastructure conglomerateFrancis Yeoh, chairman of Malaysia's YTL Corporation, tells CNBC's Christine Tan about his succession plans.

Persons: Francis Yeoh, Christine Tan Organizations: Malaysia's YTL Corporation

☆ Britain's Covid inquiry has become a political farce
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

London CNN —Britain’s Covid inquiry was supposed to give closure to people who lost loved ones in the pandemic. It’s instead become a political circus that could hurt both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. Johnson undercut Sunak by directly handing his own information to the inquiry. This is the committee’s investigation into the infamous Partygate scandal, which led to Johnson being fined by police for breaking Covid rules. Johnson had initially told parliament that all rules were followed at all times.

Persons: Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, Johnson, Sunak, Deborah Doyle, ” Boris Johnson, Dan Kitwood, Sunak’s, ” Jack Rodgers, Christina Pagel, Pagel, “, Peter Summers, Lorelei King, ”, Baroness Hallett, ” King Organizations: London CNN, Justice, CNN, University College London’s, Research Unit, Conservative, “ Locations: Sunak, Britain, Covid

☆ As shoppers look for savings, Nordstrom hopes Rack stores can fuel its revival
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The success or failure of the Nordstrom Rack turnaround effort could shape the company's future. Those chains such as T.J.Maxx , Ross Stores and Burlington Stores , have opened more stores and wooed new customers, driving higher foot traffic than Nordstrom Rack has seen. Nordstrom Rack stores outnumber the company's namesake stores, with 241 locations across the country, according to company filings. Nordstrom Rack stores accounted for more than 40% of new customers in 2022, CEO Erik Nordstrom said on the March earnings call. As it pins its growth hopes on the off-price locations, Nordstrom has turned Rack stores into e-commerce hubs, too.

☆ Opinion: Turkey’s Erdogan is in the fight of his political life. The real winner may be Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Opinion Elmira Bayrasli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —For Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s longest serving ruler, Sunday’s upcoming election may be the end of a two-decade winning streak. Following an attempted coup to unseat Erdogan, the Russian president called his Turkish counterpart and offered his country’s support. Still, it was not enough to change the eastern tilt of Turkish foreign policy. Whether Erdogan wins or loses, Ankara is unlikely to untangle itself from Moscow and turn back to the West. (The Turkish president has previously dismissed concerns about press freedom in his country).

[1/5] People attend a protest "Serbia against violence" in reaction to recent mass shootings that have shaken the country, in Belgrade, Serbia, May 8, 2023. Crowds in numbers not seen in the Balkan country for years, solemnly marched through the city centre behind a banner reading "Serbia Against Violence". Opposition parties and some rights groups accuse President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of autocracy, oppressing media freedoms, violence against political opponents, cronyism, corruption, and ties with organised crime. In response to the shootings, Serbia's police on Monday started a one-month amnesty for surrendering illegal weapons. In addition to existing gun laws, Vucic announced police checks of registered gun owners.

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr dismissed criticism during an interview on Thursday that his presidential campaign played down the corruption and extravagance the Marcos family was known for during his father's rule. Marcos told Reuters at the end of a four-day visit to Washington that his country's citizens could not continue to fight decades-old social battles. During his campaign, critics said Marcos' presidential bid tried to whitewash the corruption and authoritarianism associated with his father's 20-year rule. The Marcos family denies wrongdoing. Marcos' Washington visit has been the first by a Philippine president in more than 10 years and included a summit on Monday with U.S. President Joe Biden.

☆ Rishi Sunak’s party just took a pounding in UK local elections. The road to recovery is steep
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

And they made grim viewing for a man hoping to lead his Conservative Party back to power in just over a year’s time at the next UK general election. With nearly three-quarters of results declared by late afternoon on Friday, the Conservatives had shed 35 local authorities and more than 600 councilors. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party suffered a drubbing at local elections. They are downplaying the local elections and pointing out that Labour would still need a swing bigger than Tony Blair achieved in 1997 to win a majority of just one seat. The Conservative Party has developed a taste for regicide since 2016.

☆ BBC's Sharp resigns after breaching rules over Boris Johnson loan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Sarah Young | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The investigation, initiated by the public appointments watchdog, examined the way in which Sharp was selected by the government to chair the corporation in 2021. Specifically, it looked at whether Sharp fully disclosed details of his role in facilitating an 800,000 pound ($1 million) loan for Johnson before he was named chairman. The report found that, while he had breached the government's code for public appointments, that breach did not necessarily invalidate his appointment. "I have decided that it is right to prioritise the interests of the BBC," Sharp said in a statement. The report mentions Johnson's Downing Street office as having recommended Sharp as "a strong candidate" for the role, which attracted 23 applications.

☆ Former Trump AG Bill Barr joins new business lobbying group that aims to target Biden regulations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Former Attorney General Bill Barr will help to lead a new group formed by a business lobbying organization that aims to be an alternative to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the massive advocacy group that has fallen out of favor with some Republicans. Barr will be chair of an advisory board for a project called the Center for Legal Action, he told CNBC in an interview. The group is part of the American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce, the business lobbying group that launched last year as a possible rival to the chamber. The business lobbying behemoth moved away from predominantly supporting Republicans in recent years after former president Donald Trump embraced trade protectionism, bashed certain companies for their social stances and tried to overturn the 2020 election. The new group aims aims to challenge — at times in court — regulations put in place by the Biden administration.

☆ The Rise of Kickback Capitalism
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Andy Kessler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

“I’m a capitalist,” President Biden said in the State of the Union address. He then added, “But pay your fair share.” He’s missing the fashionable modifiers for capitalism: late, sustainable, patrimonial, state-directed. Real capitalism is, by definition, a meritocracy in which money flows to those providing the highest returns. America’s rugged individualism makes it most compatible with real capitalism. But now we’ve entered an era of kickback capitalism, which has created a mangy mob of meritless mooches.

☆ EX-UK leader Boris Johnson nominates father for knighthood - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Times said Johnson had put forward as many as 100 names for awards. The newspaper did not specify what service Stanley Johnson's nomination was in acknowledgement of. All departing British leaders are entitled to draw up a "resignation honours" list that bestows knighthoods and other titles. Opposition Labour's health policy chief Wes Streeting told the BBC: "I think (his resignation honours list) speaks to a pattern of Boris Johnson's behaviour around cronyism." As prime minister, Johnson in 2020 elevated his brother Jo Johnson to the House of Lords, the upper chamber of parliament, where he has a seat for life.

☆ Exclusive: Daughter of Thaksin banking on nostalgia to win Thailand election
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Juarawee Kittisilpa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 36, the Pheu Thai Party's most visible candidate for prime minister, speaks during the general election campaign in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand, February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaAMNAT CHAROEN, Thailand, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Touting her billionaire family's legacy of populism and massive election victories, Thailand's Paetongtarn Shinawatra is emerging as the candidate to beat in upcoming polls, betting that nostalgia can win millions of working class votes. And only through stable politics can people's lives change in a sustainable manner," she said, while campaigning in the northeast. Thaksin and Yingluck were toppled by the army in 2006 and 2014 respectively, despite overseeing big economic growth. Thailand's election is shaping up to be another grudge match between warring elites in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.

☆ Adani's fall reignites scrutiny of billionaire's close ties with Modi
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Ashok Swain Uppsala UniversityHindenburg's report has further sharpened the focus on the billionaire mogul's close ties with Modi. After Modi became prime minister, Adani continued to benefit from the relationship but on a much larger scale, said Swain. In his address to parliament last week, the prime minister seemed unfazed by the opposition's criticism and made no mention of Adani. "And you can never breach this safety shield with the weapons of abuse and lies," he said, as opposition lawmakers chanted "Adani, Adani." "Prime Minister Modi and I are from the same state.

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