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☆ How Red Lobster’s misguided endless shrimp promotion drove it into bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy Sunday, and the bankruptcy filing sheds new light on Thai Union’s role in the endless shrimp mishap. Red Lobster said it is investigating the circumstances of that promotion, which Red Lobster management opposed. Michael Nagle/Bloomberg/Getty Images“This decision created both operational and financial issues for [Red Lobster]… saddling the company with burdensome supply obligations” to Thai Union, Red Lobster said in the filing. “Certain operational decisions by former management have harmed [Red Lobster’s] financial situation in recent years,” Red Lobster said in its bankruptcy filing. Red Lobster stallsBut Red Lobster fell behind its sister brand Olive Garden under Darden.

Persons: Michael Nagle, ”, Alex Susskind, Susskind, General Mills, Bill Darden, Charley Woodsby, Darden, ” Woodsby, Jonathan Maze, Betty Crocker, Red, Mills, Cyrus McCrimmon, ” Joe Lee, Olive, Red Lobster’s, “ Darden, ” Les Foreman, Anthony Behar, SIPPL, AP Darden, they’ve, John Gordon, “, Patrick T, Fallon, Thiraphong Chansiri, ” “, ” Chansiri Organizations: New, New York CNN, Union became Red, Thai Union, Red Lobster, Bloomberg, Getty, Cornell University, CNN, Baby Boomers, General, Howard, Restaurant Business, Darden, Lobster, Denver Post, Harvard Business School, Longhorn, AP, Gate, ‘, Thai, Getty Images Thai Union, ” Thai Locations: New York, Thai Union, Bangkok, Thai, underinvestment, Lakeland , Florida, Orlando, America, Olive, Square , New York, Sale, Torrance , California, AFP

☆ Big corporations are quietly taking over your medical practice. Some doctors and experts say it's ruining healthcare.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

UnitedHealth Group struck a deal in March to buy the nine-state doctor group of the struggling hospital system Steward Health Care. AdvertisementDoctors are hot commoditiesIt's tough to lump the many buyers of medical practices together, as they're pursuing different strategies. Insurers like UnitedHealthcare and CVS' Aetna are required by federal law to spend most of the money they collect in premiums on medical care. Plus, running a modern medical practice is expensive, requiring investments in staffing, technology, and electronic health records. Advertisement"The corporate practice of medicine is the reason why healthcare costs are out of control," Li said.

Persons: —, UnitedHealth's Optum, That's, UnitedHealth, there's, They're, Farzad Mostashari, UnitedHealth's chokehold, Chas Roades, Yashaswini Singh, Singh, Roades, Nick Jones, they're, Optum, Jones, Mitch Li, Li, Michelle Cooke, Cooke, she's, Ben Bowman, Bowman Organizations: Service, UnitedHealth, Health Care, CVS Health, Walgreens, Physicians, Research, US Justice Department, CVS, Aetna, Brown University, Harvard Medical School, Oregon Medical Group, JAMA, Amazon, The Washington Post, Federal Trade Commission, US Department of Justice, Department of Health, Human Services, Oregon State, Corvallis Clinic Locations: Oregon, New York, UnitedHealth, Optum, California, The, Atlanta

☆ How Wealthy Investors Got Rich Looting America's Needy Hospitals
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Bethany Mclean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

That added to the massive debt burdens already placed on the hospitals by their for-profit owners, deepening their financial woes. In January, MPT reported that its biggest tenant, a nationwide chain of 32 hospitals called Steward, could no longer pay its rent. The core idea was simple: to buy hospital real estate, pocket the lease payments, and use the money to reward investors. The more hospital real estate that MPT buys, the more money it makes in rent payments from the hospitals. But that doesn't mean that MPT's leaders didn't get rich off its hospital deals.

Persons: Leonard Green, Sherman Cahal, Rob Simone, Hedgeye, MPT, Steward —, Justin Simon, Jasper Capital, they've, Ed Aldag, Eddie Lampert's, Eileen Appelbaum, Rosemary Batt, MTP, Marc Rowan, Richard Mortell, Leonard Green couldn't, they'd, Stephen Feinberg, Ralph de la Torre, Steward, Simone, Cerberus, Chandan Khanna, That's, de la, de la Torre, la Torre, Amaral, Aldag, Apollo, Eileen O'Grady, Moody's, didn't, Sen, Chuck Grassley Organizations: Northside Regional Medical Center, Ohio Valley Medical, East Ohio Regional Hospital, Luke's Medical, Glenwood Regional Medical Center, Medical Properties Trust, Jasper, Sears, Bain Capital, Affordable, Cornell University, Business, Third Coast Real Estate Capital, Cerberus, Health Care, Boston Globe, Bloomberg, Getty, Easton Hospital, Local, de la Torre, la, MediaNews, Boston Herald, Prospect, Private, Yale New Haven Health, Yale, Apollo, MPT, SEC, Republican, Senate Finance Locations: Youngstown , Ohio, Ohio, Wheeling , West Virginia, Martins Ferry , Ohio, St, Luke's, Phoenix, Massachusetts, West Virginia, California , Pennsylvania, Texas, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, America, Alabama, MPT, Greater Boston, Steward, Easton, Lehigh, Elizabeth's, Boston, Connecticut, it's

☆ Amazon recommends video doorbells that can let anyone spy on you, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Researchers said they've found multiple video doorbells with serious security concerns. At least one doorbell sold by a brand was marked as "Amazon's Choice" product. AdvertisementYou might want to double-check that your video doorbell isn't vulnerable to being hacked. Instead, it seems like they're coasting on their reputation and saddling unknowing consumers with broken products," Brookman told CR. BI also reached out to Eken for comment on these issues and details about the brand names through which it appears to sell these video doorbells, but got no response.

Persons: they've, —, Tuck, Eken —, Justin Brookman, Brookman, didn't, Temu Organizations: Amazon, Walmart, Service, Sears, Consumer, CR

☆ Biden Called Putin a ‘Crazy S.O.B.’ The Kremlin Called Biden a ‘Cowboy.’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Zolan Kanno-Youngs | More About Zolan Kanno-Youngs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a television interview, Mr. Putin said he thought he knew why Mr. Biden had lashed out. Mr. Putin said he believed Mr. Biden’s remark was a result of that endorsement. “If I stood here 10 to 15 years ago and said all this, you’d all think I should be committed,” Mr. Biden said. He added that Mr. Trump has been terrible for the Republican Party. That seems to be lost with some of the things this fellow has been saying,” Mr. Biden said of Mr. Trump.

Persons: Putin, Mr, Biden, Biden’s, “, ” Mr, Vladimir, Donald J, Trump, Aleksei A, they’ve Organizations: Republican Party, Mr Locations: U.S, In California, Russian, American

It may be just electioneering: López Obrador leaves office in September, and he really wants his party’s candidate, former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, to win the presidential elections. López Obrador has made other unfulfilled promises in the past, like pledging Mexico would have a health care system “better than in Denmark." But the cost of what López Obrador is proposing for pensions is striking. The other half of Mexicans, who work under the table in the ‘informal’ economy, have no pension program at all. It seems unlikely to be achieved, so why would López Obrador propose it?

Persons: —, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, López Obrador, Claudia Sheinbaum, “ It's, Morena, ”, Gabriela Siller, It's, he'll, “ López Obrador, Claudia, Sheinbaum, Viri Ríos Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Mexico City, Morena, Nuevo Leon, Banco Base, López Obrador doesn’t, National Guard Locations: MEXICO, Mexico, Denmark, Morena

☆ WeWork was doomed to fail by taking on huge buildings, rival says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

WeWork was famous for huge coworking spaces with amenities like climbing walls and swimming pools. AdvertisementAdvertisementBut the "really enormous WeWork spaces, the 300,000 to 400,000 square foot WeWorks, those are simply too large," for other companies to take on. "Lots of companies, WeWork included, made decisions that spiked revenue in the short run, but probably weren't prudent in the long run," he added. AdvertisementAdvertisementLuxurious coworking spaces may be a thing of the pastHuge coworking spaces filled with yoga rooms, beer taps, and swimming pools were the hallmark of WeWork's operation at its height. AdvertisementAdvertisementHodari told Insider that Industrious, which has over 165 coworking locations across the globe, would probably end up taking over a number of WeWork sites.

Persons: WeWork, Jamie Hodari, —, Hodari, Briggs Elwell, Adam, Neumann, Elwell Organizations: Service, RLTY

☆ Fitch affirms Sweden's 'AAA' ratings
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 27 (Reuters) - Fitch affirmed Sweden's long-term local and foreign currency debt rating of "AAA" on Friday, citing the country's sound public finances and policy framework. The ratings agency also affirmed Sweden's outlook at "stable" and kept its short-term foreign currency rating at "F1+". The agency upgraded Sweden's foreign currency rating to "AAA" in 2004 and it has remain unchanged since. Earlier this month, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan submitted a bill approving Sweden's NATO membership bid to parliament for ratification. Sweden had applied for a NATO membership alongside Finland last year, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Fitch, Sweden's, Tayyip Erdogan, Tanya Jain, Devika Organizations: AAA, NATO, Finland, Thomson Locations: Sweden, Ukraine, Finland, Turkey, Hungary, Bengaluru

☆ China's Belt and Road Forum: What to know following Beijing's 'grand gathering'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Here are the main takeaways from China’s Belt and Road Forum. No doubt over Putin’s prominenceThe gathering left no question over who was the most important world leader in attendance in the eyes of China’s Xi. In his meeting with Putin, Xi hailed the China-Russia partnership as “a long-term commitment,” stressing “ever-lasting good neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperation,” and alluding to their shared 4,300-kilometer border and mutual aims. Since then, skepticism about China’s global ambitions has risen in Europe, in particular over Beijing’s economic and diplomatic support for Moscow. “Obviously, competition should not mean working against each other but mutually improving each other,” he said, while touting the quantity of China’s global development projects.

Persons: Beijing CNN —, Xi, Vladimir Putin, –, Putin striding, Putin, ” Putin, Joe Biden’s, ”, Giuseppe Conte, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Kassym, Joko, General António Guterres, ” Guterres, Zhai Jun, Wang Yi, “ Organizations: Beijing CNN, Initiative, of, Italian, Beijing, United Nations, Hamas Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Ukraine, Russia, China’s, East, Gaza, Israel, Europe, US, Greece, Austria, Portugal, Czech Republic, Moscow, Italy, Africa, Asia, Latin America, Egypt

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Keeneland has announced plans to build a paddock and enhance the saddling paddock to expand viewing and improve safety for horses and spectators. The project, estimated at nearly $93 million, has already received preliminary approval for incentives up to $23.2 million from the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority, a Wednesday news release from the historic track stated. It will be Keeneland’s largest capital project since its 1936 opening and the first since the library was built in 2002. Construction on the three-level paddock building will begin in January after its all-ages horse sale, with completion scheduled for fall 2025. Political Cartoons View All 1211 ImagesNew jockey quarters will allow fans to view riders walking through before each race, the release added.

Persons: Shannon Arvin, ”, ” Arvin, Andy Beshear, ” Beshear, ___ Organizations: Keeneland, Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority, Kentucky Gov, “ Locations: LEXINGTON, Ky, Kentucky

Hailed by Xi as a “project of the century,” the BRI has emerged as a glaring symbol of China’s rise as a global power. Chinese investment in BRI projects has tapered off as the world’s second-biggest economy slows. The opening ceremony of Cambodia's Morodok Techo National Stadium, funded by China's Belt and Road Initiative, in Phnom Penh on December 18, 2021. Later that year, Xi pledged that China would not build any new coal-fired power projects abroad. The BRI has also spurred other countries to increase their own efforts toward supporting infrastructure projects in the developing world.

Persons: Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Xi, –, Cambodia's, Lon Jadina, William & Mary, Marshall, China, ” Organizations: Beijing CNN, Initiative, China's, Getty, BRI, Boston, Global, Policy, William &, Marshall Plan, Global Development Policy Center, World Bank, Global Development, United Arab, European Union Locations: Beijing, China, Israel, Asia, Latin America, Africa, Europe, Ukraine, United States, Phnom Penh, AFP, Papua New Guinea, Kenya, Sri Lanka, West Africa, America, Southeast Asia, Hambantota, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy, East

☆ It’s official: The era of China’s global dominance is over
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

We've reached the end of an era for the Chinese economy. Unless dramatic action is taken, the future of China's economy is looking less like a young dynamo and more like an old, slow-moving blob. A faltering Chinese economy will suppress demand for commodities like oil seeds and grain, hitting US farmers especially hard. For the US economy, China as a workshop is much more important than China as a consumer. Now that China's economic supercycle is over, that may be the cycle we're about to witness.

Persons: We've, Xi Jinping, Lee Miller, it's, Xi's, —, Xu Jiayin, Charlene Chu, Chu, Chu —, Victor Shih, Shih, that's, they're, Jinping, Zhang, Miller, It's, they'll, Chinese Communist Party that's, Anne Stevenson, Yang, isn't, Stevenson, Linette Lopez Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Trust, Autonomous Research, Bloomberg, Autonomous, Century China Center, University of California, J Capital Research, Japan, Nike, Starbucks, Companies Locations: China, Beijing, Cities, Shanghai, It's, Shenyang, metropolises, Shenzhen, Europe, Wall, —, University of California San Diego, Middle Kingdom, Mexico, Vietnam, New York City, United States

☆ Belt and Road Forum: Beijing to host global gathering as Xi Jinping lays out China's vision
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Russia’s Vladimir Putin, whose on-going assault on Ukraine is another major point of global instability and division, is expected to attend. The last time he was in Beijing was for the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in early 2022. Winning backing for China’s global leadership from a broad swath of developing and emerging economies is key to Xi’s strategy to push back against perceived international threats, analysts say. Overseas development finance from China’s two major development banks has also decreased significantly since a peak in 2016, the report’s data show. Ten years on, Chinese decision makers are becoming “more selective and more calculating” about the benefits of their financing, she said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, laud China’s, –, weren’t, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, ”, Craig Singleton, “, Kenya . Han Xu, Li Mingjiang, ” Jonathan Fulton, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Cyril Ramaphosa, Narendra Modi, Sergei Lavrov, Alet Pretorius, ” It’s, Liang, Yun Sun Organizations: CNN, Global, Initiative, Foundation for Defense, Democracies, Getty, Communist Party, Hamas, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, Officials, Atlantic Council, Indian, Russia's, Boston University Global Development, Center, World Bank, Overseas, China’s National, Reform, China Program, Stimson Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Ukraine’s, Washington, Kenya ., Xinhua, Russia, Moscow, China’s, Abu Dhabi, Fulton, Johannesburg, New Delhi, saddling

☆ Prominent bankruptcy judge David Jones recused from cases, under investigation after exposure of undisclosed romantic relationship
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Nicole Einbinder | Dakin Campbell | Esther Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Last week, Insider revealed that prominent bankruptcy judge David Jones was in a romantic relationship with a bankruptcy attorney. The Office of the US Trustee, the bankruptcy regulator, has filed an objection in the Corizon bankruptcy case, citing Jones' "admissions." The Office of the US Trustee intervenesToday the Office of the US Trustee, the federal regulator that oversees bankruptcy cases, took the unusual step of intervening in the bankruptcy case. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe office filed multiple objections to the proposed settlement plan overseen by Judge Jones, including concerns about Jones' role as mediator. The bankruptcy plan breaks creditors down into several classes.

Persons: David Jones, Jones, —, Elizabeth Freeman, Freeman, Corizon, Tehum, Michael Van Deelen, didn't, he'd, Harris, Marvin Isgur, Christopher Lopez, Lopez, Judge Jones, Hector Garcia Jr, Hector Garcia, they're, Lila Hassan Organizations: Fifth Circuit, Service, Southern, Southern District of, Court, Fifth, Tehum Care, Wall Street Journal, Houston, Corizon Locations: Southern District, Southern District of Texas, Texas, YesCare, New Mexico

☆ World leaders to meet at UN as big powers vie for developing states
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

John Angelillo/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsUNITED NATIONS, Sept 15 (Reuters) - World leaders meet at the United Nations next week in the shadow of geopolitical tensions - largely fueled by the war in Ukraine - as Russia and China vie with the United States and Europe to win over developing countries. BILLIONS FOR INFRASTRUCTUREThe Ukraine war is just one reason for the focus on developing countries. Ahead of the New York meetings, diplomats acknowledged their focus on the developing world but dismissed suggestions that rivalry played a role. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, described the U.N. gathering as a chance for small countries to "lay out their priorities to us" and that she doesn't view it "as being a competition between big powers." Ambassador Zhang Jun told Reuters that Beijing has "no intention to compete with anyone else" and that, as China's conditions improved, the country was "willing to do more in return for developing countries but we are not competing."

Persons: John Angelillo, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Richard Gowan, U.N, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Zhang Jun, Russia's U.N, Vassily Nebenzia, Joe Biden, Antonio Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Nebenzia, Barbara Woodward, Michelle Nichols, Don Durfee, Howard Goller Organizations: UN, Assembly, United Nations Headquarters, REUTERS Acquire, UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Group, New, Reuters, Security, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Ukraine, Russia, China, United States, Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia, Beijing, Moscow, European, Western, Brazil, India, South Africa, African

[1/2] Hostess Brands "Twinkies" are displayed in a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S. July 5, 2016. Smucker (SJM.N) said on Monday it will buy Twinkies-maker Hostess Brands (TWNK.O) in a $5.6 billion deal, as major U.S. packaged food companies look to expand their brand portfolios with pandemic-era fortunes dwindling. J. M. Smucker will pay Hostess shareholders $34.25 per share in a cash and stock deal, representing a premium of 54% since the day before the report surfaced. Hostess Brands became an acquisition target after it managed to boost its revenue through price hikes that fueled investor concerns over its prospects with its volume growth consistently declining. Smucker and Hostess deal follows a spree of other deals including that of Campbell Soup's (CPB.N) $2.7 billion deal for Rao's sauce maker Sovos Brands (SOVO.O) and Unilever (ULVR.L) buying premium frozen yogurt brand Yasso in North America.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Smucker, Campbell Soup's, Hostess, Ding Dongs, Dimpal Gulwani, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Anirban Sen, Savio D'Souza, Shinjini Organizations: REUTERS, Hostess Brands, Reuters, Hostess, Mills Inc, Mondelez, PepsiCo Inc, Hershey Co, Sovos, Unilever, Hos, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, North America, Lenexa , Kansas, Ho, Bengaluru, New York

[1/2] Hostess Brands "Twinkies" are displayed in a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S. July 5, 2016. Smucker (SJM.N) on Monday agreed to buy Twinkies maker Hostess Brands (TWNK.O) for $5.6 billion including debt in a deal that unites two major American snack makers. The deal was worth about $4.6 billion excluding debt, with Jif peanut butter maker Smucker paying Hostess shareholders $34.25 per share. Campbell Soup's (CPB.N) recent acquisition of Rao's sauce maker Sovos Brands (SOVO.O) represented an adjusted EBITDA multiple of 14.6 times, including run rate savings, and 19.8 times excluding those. Based in Lenexa, Kansas, Hostess was founded in 1930 and is behind several iconic household brands, including Ho-Hos, Ding Dongs, Zingers, and Voortman cookies and wafers.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Smucker, Campbell Soup's, Smucker's, Campbell, Hostess, Ding Dongs, Dean Metropoulos, Alec Gores, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Anirban Sen, Abigail Summerville, Dimpal, Savio D'Souza, Shinjini Ganguli, Jason Neely Organizations: REUTERS, Hostess Brands, Reuters, Sovos, JPMorgan, Sovos Brands, Hos, Smucker, Apollo Global Management Inc, Hostess, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, North America, Lenexa , Kansas, Ho, Bengaluru, New York

FILE PHOTO-Hostess Brands "Twinkies" are displayed in a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S. July 5, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidFile Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Hostess Brands Inc (TWNK.O), the maker of Twinkies snack cakes, is exploring a sale after fielding takeover interest from major snack food makers, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. General Mills Inc (GIS.N), Mondelez International Inc (MDLZ.O), PepsiCo Inc (PEP.O) and Hershey Co (HSY.N) are among the companies that have shown an interest in acquiring Hostess, the sources said. Hostess has hired investment bank Morgan Stanley (MS.N) for advice on handling the deal negotiations, the sources said. No agreement is certain and Hostess may decide against any deal, the sources added.

Persons: Brendan McDermidFile, Hostess, General Mills, Morgan Stanley, Mills, Ding Dongs, Dean Metropoulos, Alec Gores, Gross, Anirban Sen, Abigail Summerville, Chris Reese, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Hostess Brands Inc, Nasdaq, General, General Mills Inc, Mondelez, PepsiCo Inc, Hershey Co, Hostess, Hershey, PepsiCo, Hos, Apollo Global Management Inc, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, Mondelez, New York, Lenexa , Kansas, Ho

☆ Bond vigilantes are 'saddling up.' Here's how concerned investors might take action over the ballooning federal deficit.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Jason Ma | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Bond vigilantes are "saddling up" again as federal deficits balloon, said market veteran Ed Yardeni. And I think the bond vigilantes are quite concerned about that." Now there are signs they are stirring again as bond yields continue to climb despite signs of cooling inflation. And I think the bond vigilantes are quite concerned about that," he said. In a now-legendary commentary from 1983 titled "Bond Investors Are the Economy's Bond Vigilantes," Yardeni warned, "So if the fiscal and monetary authorities won't regulate the economy, the bond investors will.

Persons: Ed Yardeni, e've, Yardeni, we've, James Carville, Bill Clinton, Clinton, Bond Organizations: Service, Treasury, Yardeni, Bloomberg, Federal, Republican Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Student-loan borrowers' interest rates would be 'immediately eliminated' if Democratic lawmakers' new bill is passed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A pair of Democrats introduced a bill to eliminate interest on existing federal student loan balances. "Thanks to this fix, 43 million Americans with existing federally held student loans would see their interest rates immediately eliminated," the press release said. The federal government should not exacerbate the problem by making money off borrowers' federal student loans," Courtney said in a statement. This legislation comes as interest on student-loan payments is beginning to accrue again in September, with borrowers resuming payments one month later. People should not be incurring interest during this 12-month on-ramp period, so I highly urge the administration to consider suspending those interest payments."

Persons: Joe Courtney, Vermont Sen, Peter Welch, Courtney, SCOTUS, Biden's, Pell, Virginia Foxx, Joe Biden's, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez Organizations: Service, Democratic, Connecticut, Republican, Federal Assistance, FAIR, New York Rep Locations: Wall, Silicon, Vermont, Alexandria

☆ Some workers are going thousands of dollars into debt to pay for their own training. A federal watchdog is scrutinizing the practice of chasing employees for money after they leave.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau looks at employer-driven debt. The report finds that employers are saddling workers with thousands in debt for training and supplies. On Thursday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a report detailing the impact of training repayment agreement provisions, or TRAPs. The watchdog said it will continue to evaluate how companies are using TRAPs to determine whether they are violating consumer financial laws. "TRAPs impose significant financial burdens on workers and foster monopsony in labor markets by reducing worker mobility and bargaining power.

Persons: onboarding, hasn't, Nurse E, E, …, Persis Yu Organizations: Consumer Financial, Service, Biden, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Protection Locations: Wall, Silicon, America

☆ Biden has a new plan to save renters from bogus apartment fees
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Biden administration is trying to crack down on hidden apartment rental fees. As part of the initiative, major rental platforms will show the total cost of units, not just the rent. As part of the Biden administration's ongoing initiative to crack down on junk fees, the White House has a new target: Rental fees. On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced a slew of new measures to help ensure that renters aren't burdened with surprise fees while trying to find a new place, or after they move in. Now, prospective renters will be able to see the total cost of an apartment when they peruse three major platforms — Zillow, Apartments.com, and AffordableHousing.com.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden doesn't, Zillow Organizations: Service, White, Ticketmaster Locations: Wall, Silicon

LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - Thames Water has become the poster child for a British water industry under fire for its poor environmental record and financial mismanagement. After a period as a listed company, Thames Water was acquired by German utility RWE (RWEG.DE) in 2001. Thames Water said on Monday they would provide 750 million pounds, and added it had strong liquidity of 4.4 billion pounds. FINANCESNearly 60% of Thames Water's debt is index-linked, according to ratings agency Standard & Poor's, saddling it with higher repayments as inflation soars. Thames Water was fined 3.3 million pounds last week, while Southern Water was fined 90 million pounds in 2021.

Persons: Margaret Thatcher's, Australia's Macquarie, Abu, Hermes, Ofwat, Sarah Young, Chiara Elisei, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Margaret Thatcher's Conservative, Water, Thames, Ontario, BT, China Investment Corp, Thames Water, Macquarie, Yorkshire Water, Severn Trent, United Utilities, The Times, Environment Agency, Southern Water, Thomson Locations: Britain, Here's, Abu Dhabi, Thames, Southern Water, United, England

☆ Elon Musk's Twitter sues top law firm Wachtell over $90 million fee for work under prior ownership
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Attorneys for Elon Musk filed suit this week against the law firm that represented Twitter when Musk was trying to take the company private last year, claiming the firm charged too much for its work. The lawsuit says Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, and Katz, which was Twitter's firm prior to Musk's acquisition, racked up a $90 million "last minute" legal bill. Wachtell represented Twitter after Musk reneged on his initial offer to take Twitter private for $44 billion. The law firm helped close the deal in November 2022, and was paid that $90 million fee for its work securing the transaction, which was tendered at a significant premium to Twitter's public market valuation. Twitter sued Musk for not honoring his commitment to the company's shareholders, and Musk eventually relented, purchasing Twitter at the agreed upon price.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, Katz, Reid Collins, Tsai, It's, Ben Roth, — CNBC's Lora Kolodny Organizations: Tesla Inc, Elon, Twitter, X Corp, San Francisco, Google, Rosen Locations: San Francisco , California, Austin , Texas, Delaware, California, San Francisco

☆ These Cowboys Build a New Juneteenth Tradition at a Rodeo in Portland
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Brent Lewis | Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Ivan McClellan, a photographer, was captivated the first time he came across Black cowboy culture at a rodeo in Oklahoma years ago. He saw Black people donning cowboy hats and saddling horses, images that inspired him to fully document that community in his work. This year, though, he wanted to go a step further. Mr. McClellan and Vince Jones-Dixon, a city councilor in Gresham, Ore., sought to host a Juneteenth rodeo in Portland, one that would bring together the Black cowboy and cowgirl communities across the Pacific Northwest.

Persons: Ivan McClellan, McClellan, Vince Jones, Dixon Locations: Oklahoma, Gresham , Ore, Portland, Pacific Northwest

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