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☆ Prosecutors say Oath Keepers likely stored January 6 weapons at suburban Virginia hotel
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-14 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com + 0.00 time to read: +4 min

Prosecutors say alleged Oath Keepers stored weapons in a "quick reaction force" outside of DC ahead of January 6. In a new filing, they say members of the paramilitary group likely stashed weapons in a suburban hotel. Twelve alleged Oath Keepers are defendants in a high-profile conspiracy case tied to the attack. Members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right paramilitary group involved in the January 6 Capitol insurrection, likely stored a cache of weapons in a suburban hotel outside of Washington, DC, in the lead-up to the riot, federal prosecutors say. Meggs and other known Oath Keepers rented multiple rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn in Washington, DC, where prosecutors say Harrelson spent the nights of January 5 and 6.

Persons: Amit Mehta, —, Kenneth Harrelson, Harrelson, Kelly Meggs, Judge Mehta, antifa Organizations: Politico, DC, Cell, Prosecutors, Arlington Comfort, Comfort, US Justice Department, CNN, Capitol Locations: Washington, DC, Arlington , Virginia, Washington , DC

☆ Man who 'repeatedly' assaulted multiple officers during Capitol riot planned, boasted on a social media account named for Trump, authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-08 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com + 0.00 time to read: +5 min

Court documents claim Christopher Quaglin assaulted multiple law enforcement officers during the riot. Court documents say additional video footage shows Quaglin physically pushing at least five different officers during the chaos of the break-in. Quaglin is also accused of spraying a chemical irritant at officers who were trying to stop the rioters from entering the Capitol, court documents say. On January 20, his history shows visits to a web page titled, "Countries where you can buy citizenship, residency, or passport." And between January 28 and January 31, Quaglin's account history shows eight total visits to the FBI's "seeking information" for Capitol violence webpage.

Persons: Christopher Quaglin, Christopher Joseph Quaglin, Quaglin, Chris Trump, Joe Biden's Organizations: US Justice Department, Capitol, Metropolitan Police Department, Facebook, Authorities, Google Locations: Jersey, New Jersey, Washington , DC, Quaglin

☆ SEC charges Hollywood actor with operating a $690 million Ponzi scheme based on fake Netflix deals
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-07 | by ( Finanzen.Net Gmbh | ) www.businessinsider.com sentiment -1.00 time to read: +2 min

Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty ImageThe SEC obtained an asset freeze against actor Zachary Horwitz in connection with an alleged $690 million Ponzi scheme. Horwitz is being accused of lying to investors that he had deals to sell films to Netflix and HBO. Horowitz promised investors returns in excess of 35% but paid those returns using funds from new investors. The US Securities and Exchange Commission obtained an asset freeze against LA-based actor Zachary Horwitz in connection with an alleged Ponzi scheme that raised over $690 million. According to the SEC statement, Horowitz and his company,1inMM, promised investors returns in excess of 35%, and for years paid supposed returns on earlier investments using funds from new investments.

Persons: Jakub Porzycki, Zachary Horwitz, Horwitz, Horowitz, Zach Avery, 1inMM, Michele Wein Layne Organizations: SEC, Netflix, HBO, US Securities and Exchange Commission, LA, Los Angeles Regional Office, US Justice Department Locations: Beverlywood , California, America

☆ Thousands of US police officers and public servants have reportedly used Clearview's controversial facial recognition tech without approval
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-06 | by ( Katie Canales | ) www.businessinsider.com + 0.00 time to read: +3 min

Clearview has used free trials to promote its facial recognition tech to police and government workers. Over 7,000 police officers and public servants in the US have been using or testing Clearview AI's facial recognition software without authorization from their departments, according to a report from BuzzFeed News. The outlet reviewed data and found that those individuals were taking advantage of the tool through free trials that Clearview sent to them. Clearview's marketing strategy included distributing free trials to email addresses of not only agencies but to individual employees. Officers and public employees would then use it, without their superiors knowing in some cases, running 340,000 searches between the summer of 2019 and February 2020, according to the report.

Persons: Clearview, BuzzFeed, Buzzfeed, Read, Peter Thiel Organizations: BuzzFeed News, US Customs, Border Protection, Clearview, New York Police Department, US Justice Department, US Department of Defense, US Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, Marines, Customs, Google, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn Locations: California

☆ How American guns help Mexican cartels overwhelm Mexico's police and military
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-02 | by ( Luis Chaparro | ) www.businessinsider.com + 0.00 time to read: +8 min

About 70% of guns used in crimes in Mexico that are seized and traced originated in the US. Weapons sent illegally from the US to Mexico and used by criminal groups are overwhelming Mexican security forces. Mexico's prohibitive laws against firearms have not stopped thousands of weapons from being used in its streets, directly threatening its own security forces. "Ciudad Juarez has become the number-one for illegal guns trafficking into Mexico," Grillo said. "This trafficker thought gun shows in Texas were illegal because of how easy it was to get a hold of powerful firearms," Grillo said.

Persons: Mexico's, Causa, PEDRO PARDO, Ioan Grillo, Grillo, Grillo's, GUILLERMO ARIAS, Gregory Meeks, Sen, Dick ] Durbin, Meeks, Durbin, Ciudad, Spencer Platt, El, Wesley Felix, Felix, Julio Cesar Aguilar, Getty Images Felix Organizations: US . Weapons, Office, Getty, House Foreign Affairs, Juarez Cartel, Las, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Hill, Getty Images, US Justice Department, US Department of Justice Locations: Mexico, Ciudad Juarez, MEXICO, Tamaulipas, Mexican, La Condesa, Mexico City, Michoacan, Morelos, Tijuana , Mexico, United States, Texas, El Paso, Fort Worth , Texas, Tucson, Juarez, Arizona, Vegas, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state

☆ Social media posts and online ads claiming to sell COVID-19 vaccines are lying. Here's how to protect yourself from getting scammed.
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-01 | by ( Annabelle Williams | ) www.businessinsider.com + 0.00 time to read: +3 min

Fraudulent vaccines and other coronavirus treatments have cropped up worldwide since the start of the pandemic. The FDA has issued guidance to consumers to protect themselves from COVID-19-related scams. Fake coronavirus vaccines have cropped up around the world, ranging from a major ring in China to a 55-year-old man in the Pacific Northwest accused of selling bogus vaccines. The FDA has issued warnings about false coronavirus tests and counterfeit vaccines as people globally scramble to get their shots. The FDA issued a warning urging people to "beware of fraudulent coronavirus tests, vaccines and treatments."

Persons: Johnny Stine, Stine, vaccinate, coronavirus, Kong Organizations: FDA, US Justice Department, Justice Department, BBC, Social, ABC News, YouTube, Facebook, FTC Locations: South Africa, COVID, China, Pacific, Washington

☆ The former prosecutor who said the DOJ is considering sedition charges in the Capitol riot went rogue and is being investigated, an official said
▼ + stars: | 2021-03-23 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com + 0.00 time to read: +3 min

The former top prosecutor who said the DOJ may bring sedition charges went rogue, an official said. The former federal prosecutor who said the US Justice Department may bring sedition charges against participants of the January 6 Capitol riot went rogue in sitting down for a "60 Minutes" interview, a department official said Tuesday. As far as we can determine at this point, those rules were not followed with respect to the '60 Minutes interview,'" Crabb said. They drew widespread attention, as sedition charges haven't been sought by federal prosecutors in nearly 30 years. The remarks also infuriated Justice Department officials, as Insider's Ryan Barber reported.

Persons: Michael Sherwin, John Crabb, Sherwin —, —, haven't, Crabb, Sherwin, Insider's Ryan Barber, Joe Biden, Channing Phillips, Judge Amit Mehta, Mehta Organizations: DOJ, US Justice Department, Capitol, DC, District of Columbia, Department of Justice, Department of Justice's, Department, New York Times, Justice Department, Times, CBS News, Justice

☆ Hedge funds are ramping up bets against Chamath Palihapitiya's SPACs, and have already taken home $40 million this year. Here's a detailed look at the wagers they're making.
▼ + stars: | 2021-03-22 | by ( Vicky Ge Huang | ) www.businessinsider.com + 0.00 time to read: +8 min

Hedge funds have made $40 million wagering against three of his SPACs amid soaring short interest. IPOF has seen short interest soar 5,202% or $15 million. Short interest on IPOE, which announced a deal to merge with online lender Social Finance, bounced 4,981% or $343 million during the same period, the S3 Partners data shows. Hedge funds have been some of the largest SPAC IPO investors during the blank-check company boom because of the low-risk and high-return attributes of SPACs. While big institutional investors and hedge funds can get access to the $10 shares, retail investors have to buy shares in the market.

Persons: Chamath Palihapitiya, —, Ihor Dusaniwsky, haven't, IPOF, IPOE, Palihapitiya, IPOs, SPACs, Opendoor, Patrick O'Shaughnessy's, it's, Michael Klein, Shorting SPACs, shorting SPACs, Julian Klymochko, there's, Klymochko Organizations: Wall, Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp, Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp, Social, Partners, Social Finance, S3 Partners, IPOF, Social Capital, Research, Facebook, Virgin Galactic, Clover Health, SEC, Churchill, Citigroup, EV, Lucid Motors, SPAC Research, Hindenburg Research, US Justice Department, IPOE

☆ SolarWinds hackers are expanding espionage data-gathering and gaining powerful access to Microsoft cloud apps, FireEye researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2021-01-19 | by ( Jeff Elder | ) www.businessinsider.com + 0.00 time to read: +5 min

The FireEye research team leading the investigation into the SolarWinds cyberattacks say they are seeing expanded data-gathering. The researchers also say the hackers' appear able to send Microsoft 365 emails and access calendars. While the US and others have implicated Russia as the source of the attacks, FireEye continues to stop short of that. The FireEye researchers leading the investigation into the SolarWinds cyberattacks say they are seeing expanded data-gathering and hackers obtaining broad access to Microsoft 365 applications. Previous communications from FireEye, Microsoft, and the US government have noted the hackers' access to Microsoft 365.

Persons: FireEye, Charles Carmakal, I'm, SolarWinds, CISA, Carmakal, They're, – Carmakal, Troy Hunt, Hunt Organizations: Microsoft, Infrastructure Agency, US Justice Department Locations: Russia, FireEye

☆ Plaid pulled the plug on the Visa deal over price, not antitrust concerns
▼ + stars: | 2021-01-13 | by ( Dan Primack | ) www.businessinsider.com + 0.00 time to read: +3 min

Visa and Plaid this week announced the "mutual termination" of their previously proposed $5.3 billion deal. Visa said it would vigorously defend itself, in part because Plaid has no online debit products nor any in the pipeline. What officially happened next: Visa and Plaid mutually agreed to scrap the deal, with no termination fees to be paid. Not because of any malfeasance by Visa, but because it knew it was now worth way more than $5.3 billion. When I asked if the company would now get into the online debit business, Perret gave a noncommittal laugh.

Persons: I'm, Rapyd, Plaid, Zach Perret, Perret, It's Organizations: Visa, Plaid, DOJ, Tuesday, US Justice Department

☆ Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff delivered a verbal one-two punch when a Fox News crew approached him at a campaign stop on live TV
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-31 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com + 0.00 time to read: +4 min

Jon Ossoff, the Democratic challenger to Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, took a jab at the state's two Republican Senators ahead of the runoff election next week. Ossoff ripped Perdue and Sen. Kelly Loeffler and accused them of "blatantly" using their offices to "enrich themselves." Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff took the opportunity to slam Republican Sens. "We have two United States Senators in Georgia who have blatantly used their offices to enrich themselves. "This man's running for the United States Senate, and all he cares about right now is his reputation," Ndoye can be heard telling the officer.

Persons: Jon Ossoff, Sen, David Perdue, Ossoff, Perdue, Kelly Loeffler, Loeffler, Rev, Raphael Warnock, ploys, Chester Doles, Ouleye Ndoye, Warnock, Doles, Kelly Leoffener, Kelly, Stephen Lawson Organizations: Democratic, Republican, Nazi National Alliance, Georgia Democratic, Republican Sens, Fox News, United States, US Justice Department, New York Stock Exchange, United States Senate, Ku Klux Locations: David Perdue of Georgia, Loeffler, Georgia, Russian

☆ House Republicans have virtually no chance of flipping the election results for Trump, but 140 of them still plan to vote against certification of the Electoral College count next week
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-31 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com + 0.00 time to read: +4 min

At least 140 Republican House members reportedly plan to vote against certification of the Electoral College vote on January 6. At least 140 House Republicans are planning to vote against counting electoral votes that would certify the election for President-elect Joe Biden, two Republican congressmen told CNN. Biden won 306 electoral votes, well over the 270 needed to secure the US presidency, and flipped five states that in 2016 voted for Trump. On Wednesday, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley announced he would object to certifying the electoral votes during the joint session. But the president doesn't and neither do the institutional arsonist members of Congress who will object to the Electoral College vote."

Persons: Joe Biden's, Biden, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Mo Brooks, Mike Pence, Pence, Republican Sen, Josh Hawley, Hawley, Trump, Sidney Powell, Smartmatic, Mitch McConnell, Trump's, McConnell, Brooks, John Thune, Ben Sasse, Sasse, doesn't Organizations: Republican, Electoral, Republicans, CNN, Trump . Trump, Trump, Lawyers, Voting Systems, US Justice Department Locations: Congress, Georgia

☆ Elizabeth Warren brings back push to ban lawmakers from stock trading as Georgia's two senators shrug off attacks on their campaigns during a runoff election
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-19 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com + 0.00 time to read: +3 min

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is reintroducing legislation to ban lawmakers from stock trading. This comes as the two senators in Georgia's runoff election face scrutiny over accusations of insider trading. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is relaunching a bill designed to prevent lawmakers from making individual stock trades as Georgia senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler shrug off criticism over buying and selling shares while in office, Politico reported. Perdue and Loeffler are both locked in Senate runoff races in Georgia. That makes up almost a third of all trades by senators over the same time period.

Persons: Sen, Elizabeth Warren, David Perdue, Kelly Loeffler shrug, Perdue, Loeffler, Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff, Warren's, Pramila Jayapal, JPMorgan Chase Organizations: Politico, US Justice Department, New York Stock Exchange, Georgian, New York Times, Democratic, Representatives, JPMorgan, Merck, Bank of America Locations: Georgia

☆ Big Tech's dominance is under threat. Do investors care?
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-10 | by ( Julia Horowitz | Cnn Business | ) edition.cnn.com + 0.00 time to read: +7 min

A version of this story first appeared in CNN Business' Before the Bell newsletter. You can sign up right hereLondon (CNN Business) Big Tech's stranglehold on America's economy and markets has become a fact. Investor insight: Starbucks shares hit an all-time high last Friday, and are up more than 3% in premarket trading Thursday. Maybe investors like the expansion plans — or maybe they're just excited for a national rollout of the company's oat milk. The turmoil has even spilled over into the stock market, where shares of state-owned firms have been sinking.

Persons: it's, Airbnb, David Erickson, Erickson, Doug Anmuth, Danielle Wiener, Bronner, SBUX, Roz Brewer, Laura, Electricity —, Christine Lagarde, LULU Oracle, Boris Johnson, Ursula von der Leyen Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, CNN, US Justice Department, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook, Nasdaq, New York Stock Exchange, University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Barclays, JPMorgan, Fitch, Auto, Tsinghua, Electricity, European Central Bank, Costco, Refinitiv, UK, European Locations: London, China

☆ Facebook was just hit with 2 big antitrust lawsuits. Here's what 'antitrust' means and how 'trust-busting' laws attempt to keep the biggest firms in US history from growing too powerful.
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-09 | by ( Katie Canales | ) www.businessinsider.com + 0.00 time to read: +11 min

Lawmakers will now attempt to determine if antitrust regulations can be applied to four large tech companies that dominate the industry. The last would lead to the creation of the Federal Trade Commission, which is the main government entity tasked with enforcing antitrust laws today. So what's the parallel between tech companies and the big businesses around the turn of the 20th century? How can antitrust laws be used on Big Tech? The leaders of the "big four" tech companies attempted to make their case as to why they aren't infringing on the competition.

Persons: John D, Rockefeller, Sherman, Clayton, Bill Gates, Douglas Graham, Reagan, Ma Bell, Uncle Sam, they're, Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook, US Department of Justice —, —, Makan Delrahim, it's, aren't, Ian Madrigal, Melina Mara, wasn't Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Facebook, Apple, Google, Department of Justice, titans, Oil, Rockefeller, Antitrust, Standard Oil, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Microsoft, Congressional, US Justice Department, IBM, Sherman, Windows, US Department of Justice, Big Tech, FTC, Monopoly, Capitol, Washington Locations: United States, Investopedia, New York, Seattle, Washington , DC

☆ DOJ has agreed to temporarily halt deportations for some migrant detainees and whistleblowers who alleged medical and sexual abuse at a Georgia detention center — until at least a Biden-Harris adminis
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-25 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com + 0.00 time to read: +4 min

A new court motion in Georgia temporarily suspends deportation proceedings for at least four of the women who alleged suffering medical and sexual abuse at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia, according to VICE News. Prior to Tuesday's motion of consent, DHS had initiated deportation proceedings against several of the women, according to the Los Angeles Times. The US Justice Department agreed on Tuesday to temporarily suspend the deportations of detained immigrant women who have alleged abuse at an immigration detention facility in rural Georgia, according to new court filings. Tuesday's decision could dent the Trump administration's legal pursuits in the case and signal a broader victory for the whistleblowers and detainees at the privately-owned Irwin County Detention Center. Shortly after, the House Immigration Subcommittee announced an investigation into the facility and its medical care for detainees.

Persons: Mahendra Amin, hysterectomies, Harris, Biden, Dr, Elora Mukherjee, Mukherjee, Irwin, Dawn Wooten, Wooten, Amin, Pramila Jayapal, Nannette Barragan, Scott Grubman Organizations: Detention, DHS, Los Angeles Times, US Justice Department, US, Middle, Middle District of, VICE News, Biden, Justice, Trump, Irwin, ICE, Columbia University, Democratic, Rep, of Homeland Security, Department of Justice Locations: Georgia, Irwin, Middle District, Middle District of Georgia

New York (CNN Business) Dr. Scott Atlas, an adviser on the White House Coronavirus Task Force, apologized after appearing in an interview with Russian state broadcaster RT, just days before Election Day. I recently did an interview with RT and was unaware they are a registered foreign agent. A senior White House official told CNN Sunday that Atlas did not have clearance from the Trump administration for his interview with RT. The official said Atlas "did it on his own without approval by the White House." RT said the interview was done from the White House property.

Persons: Scott Atlas, Atlas, National Intelligence Twitter, Trump, RT, Ron DeSantis, Anthony Fauci, Fauci, tweeting, Jim Acosta Organizations: CNN, White, Coronavirus, Force, RT, RIA Novosti, America, US Justice Department, Kremlin, National Intelligence, Department of Homeland Security, White House, CNN Sunday, Institute for Health Metrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Twitter, Florida, Washington Post, RT, Thursday, YouTube, Johns Hopkins University, Twitter, CantThrowABall Locations: York, Russian, Russia, United States, coronavirus, Atlas, Florida

☆ Big Tech is strengthening its hold on the US economy
▼ + stars: | 2020-10-30 | by ( Julia Horowitz | Cnn Business | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

You can sign up right hereLondon (CNN Business) America's tech companies are strengthening their hold on the economy during the coronavirus crisis — though for investors, some results look better than others . The truth about a record economic bounceThere's plenty to celebrate in the latest GDP reports out of the United States and Europe. With Europe staring at a potential double-dip recession, anxiety is rising that the United States isn't far behind. The truth about a record economic bounceThere's plenty to celebrate in the latest GDP reports out of the United States and Europe. With Europe staring at a potential double-dip recession, anxiety is rising that the United States isn't far behind.

Persons: What's happening:andall, Paola Rodriguez, Christine Lagarde, Joseph Brusuelas, Newell Brands NWL Phillips, Bell Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, CNN, Big Tech, Apple, Facebook, US Justice Department, Google, Dow, Nasdaq, West Texas Intermediate, Rystad Energy, Central Bank, RSM US, RSM, Chevron CVX Colgate, Palmolive, ExxonMobil XOM Honeywell, Armour UA, PCE, CNN Business, Facebook, Google, Rystad Energy Locations: London, Washington, North America, Europe, France, Germany, United States, London, Congress

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