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☆ Trump Asks Trial Judge to Step Aside, Aiming Again at His Daughter
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Donald J. Trump, desperate to delay his criminal trial in Manhattan this month, has renewed a request for the judge overseeing the case to step aside, the latest twist in the former president’s attacks on the judge’s integrity — and family. In a court filing made public Tuesday, Mr. Trump’s lawyers argued that the judge, Juan M. Merchan, has a conflict of interest because his daughter is a political consultant who has worked with Democratic candidates. The lawyers also claimed that her company, Authentic Campaigns, has used social media to deride Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and tout its connections to President Biden. “Your honor has an interest in this case that warrants recusal.”The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which brought the case against Mr. Trump, fired back, noting that Justice Merchan had previously declined to recuse himself, citing a state advisory committee on judicial ethics. They argued that Mr. Trump had offered no new evidence, other than “a daisy chain of innuendos,” and said that he had made “multiple attenuated factual leaps here that undercut any direct connection between Authentic and this case.”

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Juan M, Biden, “, Mr, Todd Blanche, Susan Necheles, Merchan, ” Organizations: Democratic, Authentic Locations: Manhattan

☆ Biden and Harris team up for a rare joint appearance in North Carolina to take on GOP over health care
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Arlette Saenz | Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

It’s taking place on the heels of a campaign push slamming Trump for threatening to repeal the Affordable Care Act if he’s elected to a second term. Dunn argued the GOP plan shows “the Affordable Care Act is still very much under attack by Republican officials.”In contrast, Biden and Harris are expected to highlight the success of the Affordable Care Act and discuss efforts to expand access to health care and lower prescription drugs costs. Biden’s team also hopes the popularity of the Affordable Care Act and proposals to lower health care and prescription drug costs will resonate with voters at the ballot box. More than 45 million people in total have gained coverage through the Affordable Care Act, according to the Biden administration. Roy Cooper had advocated for the Affordable Care Act provision for years, finally convincing the Republican-led legislature to drop its long-standing opposition.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, mifepristone, Tuesday’s, It’s, Trump, “, Biden, Harris, ”, Anita Dunn, he’s, Dunn, Roy Cooper, Josh Stein, Mark Robinson, Cooper Organizations: Washington CNN, Raleigh, Democratic, Trump, Marist, Union, Republican, Affordable, White, What’s, American, Children’s Health Insurance, Medicare enrollees, Medicare, Medicaid, Democratic Gov, GOP, Senate, Gov Locations: North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia , Wisconsin , Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, New Hampshire, Texas, Southern, Georgia, South Dakota, Florida, Kansas, Mississippi

☆ Biden’s Budget Calls for Tax Increases on Corporations and the Wealthy
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Alan Rappeport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For Mr. Biden, tax policy has been at the center of his efforts to make the economy more equitable and to counter Republican tax proposals that Democrats deride as giveaways to the wealthy. “Does anybody really think the tax code is fair?” Mr. Biden asked during his address last week. Overall, Mr. Biden is proposing $5 trillion in additional taxes on corporations and high earners over the next decade. Here’s what those increases would entail:Corporate tax increasesThe budget employs a mix of approaches to make American corporations pay more in federal taxes. Mr. Biden also calls for increasing what’s known as the corporate minimum tax to 21 percent from 15 percent.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, deride, Mr Organizations: Mr, White

☆ A millennial showed off the minimalist home she designed after growing up with her mother's clutter. She got roasted by Gen Z and boomers likening it to an 'airport lounge.'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementWhile she has gone viral before, she's never received this much hate, she told BI. "We have the grey tone on grey tone on grey tone with a snarky tone thrown in," wrote one commenter. "People are either loving the house, and they're millennials, or they're anything but a millennial, and they hate it," she told BI. Those videos then went "super viral overnight," she told BI. Meesh told BI she's also been somewhat restrained in her critiques given what she could be covering — including her mother's views on the LGBTQ+ community and the patriarchal values she's espoused.

Persons: —, Meesh, she's, they're, Meesh Meesh Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Arizona

☆ Opinion: Germany’s far right is surging. Banning it would backfire
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Opinion Paul Hockenos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But today, Germany is staring at a surging far right – and the country’s mainstream politicians and democratic citizens, still by far the lion’s share of the population, are understandably rattled. Since then it has veered steadily to the far right, where its members tout barely veiled racism and Islamophobia. But studies show that time and again the accommodation of radical right positions benefits the hard right – and not its imitators. Moreover, democrats of all stripes should expose the far right’s populist arguments for what they are: exaggerations, falsehoods and demagoguery. Germany’s ascendent far right shows that all of Europe – and beyond, including the US – could be at a tipping point.

Persons: Paul Hockenos, ”, Paul Hockenos Hayyan, Adolf Hitler’s, Reich, Alice Weidel, –, Ulrich Perrey, Holstein Daniel Günther, Vladimir Putin’s, Austria –, Germany’s Organizations: CNN, Berlin CNN, Parliament, Research, Brandeis University Locations: Berlin, New Berlin, Hungary, Italy, Finland, Germany, Schwerin, Schleswig, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, Austria, Europe

☆ GM lavishes shareholders with cash weeks after saying it couldn’t afford workers’ demands
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Allison Morrow | Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

GM’s stock jumped nearly 10% on the news. The announcement comes just weeks after GM executives argued the company couldn’t afford to give the union the wage and benefit gains it wanted. The UAW strike dragged on for six weeks and shut down production in key manufacturing plants. New contracts for GM’s unionized workers in the United States and Canada will cost the company an additional $9.3 billion through 2028. Even with Wednesday’s surge in GM’s share price, the stock is trading for less than it did at the start of the strike.

Persons: Mark Reuss, “, ”, Mary Barra, Buybacks, Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Warren, ” Warren, — CNN’s Matt Egan Organizations: New, New York CNN —, Motors, GM, United Auto Workers, nonunion automakers, UAW Locations: New York, salve, United States, Canada

☆ Here’s why Social Security and Medicare advocates fear Mike Johnson’s speakership
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Here’s what’s not up for debate: Social Security and Medicare are in financial trouble, and the nation’s debt is on an unsustainable trajectory. Spending on Social Security and Medicare is projected to soar as the nation ages, putting more pressure on Congress to address the programs. Advocates’ concernsAdvocates, however, argue that lawmakers can hide behind the debt commission and avoid taking individual blame for agreeing to benefit cuts. “The new speaker has made it clear he’s not a friend to seniors, Social Security or Medicare,” said Max Richtman, CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. “So if you want to keep Social Security solid, you have to do all that stuff and a lot more.”This story has been updated with additional information.

Persons: Mike Johnson, shivers, Johnson, Here’s what’s, ”, That’ll, it’s, Max Richtman, “, Joe Biden, Biden, Charles Blahous, ” Blahous Organizations: CNN, Social Security, Republican, Medicare, Congressional, Office, American Enterprise Institute, National Committee, Preserve Social Security, George Mason University, Committee, RSC

☆ Pope says he will attend COP28 climate summit in Dubai, a first by a pontiff
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pope Francis leads the weekly general audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, October 18, 2023. The pope told Italy's state-run RAI television TG1 news in an interview that he expected to be in Dubai Dec. 1-3. In Dubai, the pope is expected to drive home his recent appeal for action to curb global warming. Francis, 86, has made protection of the environment one of the hallmarks of his papacy and met last month with COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber. Failure in Dubai, Francis said in the document, "will be a great disappointment and jeopardize whatever good has been achieved thus far".

Persons: Pope Francis, Italy's, Francis, Sultan al, Jaber, Deum, Joe Biden, Philip Pullella, Diane Craft, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, Rights, RAI, TG1, Thomson Locations: Saint Peter's, Dubai, el, Sheikh, Egypt, Glasgow, Scotland

The free-wheeling Senate District 27 race in the Fredericksburg area features Republican Del. “I’ve always run a true independent campaign. But because the race could determine control of the state Senate, much of the focus has been on abortion. “I’ve always been very honest and transparent than I am pro life,” Durant said. Griffin, a Democrat, said he would leave current Virginia law in place but seek to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.

Persons: Republican Del, Tara Durant, Joel Griffin, Monica Gary, Gary, “ I’ve, ”, Glenn Youngkin, Durant, ” Durant, ” Griffin, Griffin, she's, Stephen Farnsworth, restauranteur Matt Strickland, Strickland, deride Durant, Youngkin, She, “ Organizations: Democrat, Republican, Marine, Stafford, Economic Development Authority, Republican Gov, Democrats, Associated Press, Mary Washington University, Life, Republicans, AP Locations: FREDERICKSBURG, Va, Fredericksburg, Stafford County, Virginia, Durant

☆ Pope Francis may attend global climate talks in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pope Francis leads the weekly general audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, October 18, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVATICAN CITY, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Pope Francis may attend the COP28 climate conference starting next month in Dubai, Vatican sources say, to drive home his recent appeal for action to curb global warming. It would be the first time a pope has attended a U.N. climate change conference since they began in 1995. Other Vatican sources put the probability that the pope would go to the Nov. 30-Dec. 12 event as high as 90 percent. Failure in Dubai, Francis said in the document, "will be a great disappointment and jeopardize whatever good has been achieved thus far".

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Joe Biden, Sultan al, Jaber, Philip Pullella, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, CITY, State, Reuters, Catholic, Thomson Locations: Saint Peter's, Dubai, Vatican, Rome, el, Sheikh, Egypt, Glasgow, Scotland, Mongolia, French, Marseilles

☆ Opinion | Ibram X. Kendi and the Problem of Celebrity Fund-Raising
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Michelle Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The turmoil at Ibram X. Kendi’s Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University, which recently laid off more than half its staff, has been a schadenfreude bonanza for the right. Three years later, there are considerable questions about what’s been accomplished with all that money. Conservatives who see Kendi as the living embodiment of the style of social justice activism they deride as “wokeness” are, naturally, gleeful. It’s almost hard to blame right-wingers for their delight; Kendi’s mistakes played right into their hands. It exemplifies the lamentable tendency among left-leaning donors to chase fads and celebrities rather than build sustainable institutions.

Persons: George Floyd, what’s, Jeffrey Blehar, ” Organizations: Kendi’s, Antiracist Research, Boston University, National, Washington Examiner Locations: antiracism

☆ Sean Penn and Volodymyr Zelensky: 'Superpower' puts the two men in the center of the action
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Although Penn happened to be in the right (or wrong) place when he was scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, “Superpower,” which Penn directed with Aaron Kaufman, is the product of seven trips to and from Ukraine. Sean Penn and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in November 2022. His conversations with the Ukrainian people prove equally enlightening, both before the war – when many expressed doubts about Zelensky – and during it. Of course, there are those quick to deride or dismiss actors like Penn stepping off the soundstage and into such roles. Still, if you’ve read this far and might not have clicked on a review about another Ukraine documentary, guess what?

Persons: Sean Penn, ” Penn, Penn, Volodymyr Zelensky, Aaron Kaufman, “, Walter Cronkite, Steven Pifer, Vitali Klitschko, Alexander Vindman, Zelensky –, Sean Hannity’s, Penn doesn’t, Hannity, Will Smith Oscar, Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, you’ve Organizations: CNN, “, Penn, European Affairs, United States National Security Council, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Fox News, Paramount Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Haiti, Kyiv, Crimea, Ukrainian, –

To start, Congress faces a deadline to fund the government by the end of the month, or risk a potentially devastating federal shutdown. But starting a formal impeachment inquiry into Biden could help to appease Republican allies of Trump, who has emerged as the GOP frontrunner to confront Biden in the 2024 election for the White House. Woodhouse is now a senior adviser to the Congressional Integrity Project, which is preparing to criticize Republicans over the Biden impeachment. While the shutdown is the more pressing problem for McCarthy, the Biden impeachment inquiry is his bigger political gamble. McCarthy has signaled an impeachment inquiry is coming.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, It's, —, Joe Biden, “ They've, ”, John Thune of, Donald Trump's, “, Hunter Biden, Biden, Trump, Brad Woodhouse, Woodhouse, White, Ian Sams, deride, Matt Gaetz, Kevin, ” Gaetz, Ken Buck, Jen Psaki, ” Trump, GOP Sen, Lisa Murkowski, Murkowski, couldn't, we’ve Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Capitol, Republicans, Republican, White, Democratic, Congressional, House, Caucus, Defense Department, ”, Senate, GOP Locations: Ukraine, John Thune of South Dakota, Washington, U.S, Mexico, Russia, Lago, Alaska

☆ Crypto Is Dead? Or Is That Just ‘Fud’?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

FUD is an abbreviation for “fear, uncertainty and doubt” — the whirlwind of anti-crypto news, data and online chatter that evangelists deride as propaganda spread by enemies of the new financial order. The term predates crypto: For decades, corporate experts have used it to refer to disinformation spread by a business to hurt a competitor. In recent years, though, it’s become a staple of the crypto lexicon. Among blockchain believers, ignoring FUD is a badge of honor, a sign of ironclad commitment to the crypto cause.

Persons: ”, deride, it’s

☆ Is America’s economy really as bad as Republican presidential candidates say it is?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —To hear Republican presidential candidates describe the US economy, you’d think it was in a deep recession, with growth and productivity choked off by President Joe Biden’s policies. The economy is strong, but most Americans say they don’t feel good about it, according to polls. HousingAnother reason voters are down on the economy: Housing affordability is at its lowest point in decades. In fact, economic growth is booming thanks to the strong labor market and resilient consumer spending. We won’t have a complete read on third-quarter economic growth until late October, but already, forecasts for GDP “are running wild on the upside,” writes Chris Rupkey, chief economist at FwdBonds.

Persons: New York CNN —, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Republicans can’t, what’s, — it’s, Jerome Powell, Trump, “, It’s, deride “, ”, Chris Rupkey Organizations: New, New York CNN, Republicans, GOP, CNN, Federal, Inflation Fox News, Wisconsin, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, Trump, Biden, Corporations, FwdBonds, Atlanta Federal Reserve Locations: New York, Ukraine, America, United States

☆ Cramer: The Cassandras are wrong about the market (again) — here's why I'm upbeat
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

The impossibility of any company doing anything right, or as right as the market seems to judge, serves as the only homily worth offering. You simply don't land at all. Of course, the biggest worry to this market is its two-tiered nature: The mega-cap techs versus all the rest. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

Persons: Warren Buffett, It's, Jerome Powell's, Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke, Powell, deride Powell, —, it's, Wells, Vin Diesel, he'll, Goldman Sachs, Amy Hood, Tim Cook's, Mark Zuckerberg's pickleball, Clive Cussler, Stephen King, Lina Khan's, Jonathan Kanter, Khan, Morgan, let's, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Victor J Organizations: Apple, Wells, JPMorgan, PepsiCo, Treasury, Bank of America, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Nvidia, Intel, Devices, Colgate, Federal Trade, Activision, Justice Department, sycophantic, Fed, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC, Visitors, New York Stock Exchange, Blue, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: People's Republic of China, China, Wells Fargo, America, New York

☆ Indiana Jones, John Williams and the Art of Music You Can Barely Hear - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Frank Lehman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

I’ve been fascinated with film music since elementary school, when I got a cassette tape called “Kid Stuff: An Afternoon at the Movies,” which featured Mr. Williams and the Boston Pops. No one exemplifies this better than Mr. Williams, who is still composing at 91. Mr. Williams accomplished this by inviting the trumpet section of the London Symphony Orchestra to blast away in its most piercing register. As he has with other cues, Mr. Williams has given this particular set piece an afterlife in concert performances. Keep your eyes shut!” Maybe then we’ll stop passively hearing film music and begin actively listening to it.

Persons: Indiana Jones, John Williams, doesn’t, He’s, I’ve, Williams, ”, Dvorak, Stravinsky, Bach, extol, Gene Shalit, “, —, “ Indiana Jones, you’ll, Kate Capshaw’s, Willie Scott, That’s, it’s, Mickey Mousing, Emilio Audissino, Daniel Goldmark, ” Mr, Mickey Mouser, Guy ”, Mousing, Beyoncé’s, Marion Ravenwood, Marion Organizations: Raiders, “ Star, “ Raiders, Boston Pops, London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, ”, Hollywood, “ Locations: “, Indiana

President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, has agreed to plead guilty to charges that he willfully failed to pay federal income taxes. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg NewsHouse Republicans are conducting a series of probes that could lead to the impeachment of President Biden and administration officials. Democrats deride the investigations as politically motivated and baseless. Here are answers to some of the most common questions about what is going on, and what might happen next.

Persons: Biden’s, Hunter Biden, Al Drago, Biden Organizations: Bloomberg News House Republicans, Democrats

☆ Disney is seriously unpopular with GOP primary voters in key states, internal DeSantis 2024 campaign data and leaked audio show
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

But DeSantis 2024 campaign polling shows it could help him with Republican voters in a primary. Ryan Tyson, pollster for the campaign, found the company was deeply unpopular among Republicans primary, according to findings shared with The Messenger. "The campaign thinks this is a very good issue for primary voters," Dan Eberhart, CEO of drilling services company Canary, LLC, told Insider. Neither campaign responded to a query from Insider addressing whether they had polling that conflicted with the DeSantis campaign findings. When combining this week's calling efforts with online donations, the DeSantis campaign raised $8.2 million in the fist 24 hours of the campaign.

☆ VistaJet CEO defends company's financials as auditor raises liquidity, debt concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

watch nowVistaJet CEO Thomas Flohr defended his company's financial standing following reports that the fast-growing private charter jet company is facing liquidity and debt trouble. All documents and data was always available to our equity and debt holders," Flohr said. "We as a company, both shareholders and bondholders, [are] only focused on EBITDA, the cash creation of the company," Flohr said. That's as a private company the choice we're making as this conservative policy in place, but we might change it going forward." "Going forward, this infrastructure really allows us to grow the company from approximately $800 million EBITDA to $1.5 billion EBITDA," he said.

☆ Biden used first veto to save a 401(k) investment rule. Here's what it does
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

watch nowFew 401(k) plans — about 5% — offer an ESG fund, according to PSCA survey data. The [Biden] rule doesn't force you to consider ESG. Under the Biden rule, employers must still consider ESG factors within the context of what is in investors' best interests. "The [Biden] rule doesn't force you to consider ESG," Chao said. The Biden administration issued the final text of its investment rule in November, shortly before Republicans assumed control of the House.

☆ This could be Big Oil's last surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

The era of Big Oil could end sooner than its massive profits suggest, analysts told Insider. But the worst-case scenario for the environment — that oil and gas companies reinvest all their extra money to keep growing — isn't happening, Logan said. The role of oil and gas companies in the energy transition is an ongoing debate, analysts told Insider. The UK company cited the need for an "orderly" energy transition. And while Big Oil's finances may begin to show some cracks over the next decade, he doesn't expect them to "suffer financially" for another 25 to 35 years.

☆ Analysis: US Republicans aim to stymie gun sale codes at state level
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Ross Kerber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"I don't want card companies to raise interest rates or fees on merchants as a way to dissuade them" from selling guns and ammunition, Owen told Reuters. Visa Inc (V.N) declined to comment on the state bills. Other payment card companies Discover, Mastercard Inc and (MA.N) American Express Co (AXP.N) did not respond to requests for comment. Owen, the Mississippi state legislator, said he expects that payment companies could address any technical issues the bills could create. "I think the credit card companies are going to have to adapt on a state-by-state basis," Owen said.

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has vowed not to allow an increase in the $31.4 trillion legal limit on federal borrowing without an agreement from President Joe Biden's Democrats in Congress to rein in federal spending. Failing to lift the debt ceiling could trigger a default on the federal government's debt that would take a heavy toll on the American and probably world economies. Vought, whose plan also calls for $150 billion in cuts, said Democratic control of the Senate makes limited austerity more politically realistic. Another Budget Committee Republican, Freedom Caucus member Ralph Norman, described in general terms a debt-ceiling playbook, backed by other conservatives, that aligned with Vought's plan. McCarthy spokesman Mark Bednar said federal spending growth was "entirely unsustainable, and House Republicans were elected to bring it to an end."

☆ Bernstein analysts offer a cautious bull case for crypto recovery after a year from hell
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Emilia David | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Analysts from Bernstein laid out why they're still bullish on the crypto space. But Bernstein analysts Gautam Chhugani and Manas Agarwal offer crypto true believers a few reasons to keep the faith. Crypto keeps bouncing backThe past year was not the first "crypto winter," and crypto always bounced back fairly easily. Much of the crypto space remains decentralized. Chhugani and Agarwal said FTX's collapse had hastened DeFi adoption, which makes DeFi a bright spot in crypto investing, according to crypto VCs.

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