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☆ Democratic consultant who masterminded AI-generated fake Biden robocall scheme indicted on 26 charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewThe Democratic consultant who admitted to masterminding a bogus Joe Biden robocall scheme has been hit with dozens of charges. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Phillips' press secretary previously told Business Insider that the Phillips campaign did not ask Kramer to create the fake Biden robocall, and that it was "disgusted" by the call and Kramer's alleged involvement. Kramer previously told Business Insider that "with a mere $500 investment, anyone could replicate my intentional call," adding that finding voters to reach out to was simple. Robocall fraud experts also previously warned Business Insider that the New Hampshire incident is "just the tip of the iceberg," and we should expect more to come in a dangerous new era for political spam calls.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Steve Kramer, Kramer, Dean Phillips, Phillips, Biden, John Formella Organizations: Service, Business, NBC News, Minnesota Rep, Federal Communications Commission, New Hampshire Locations: New Orleans, New Hampshire

☆ Meet Tree Paine, the PR mastermind helping to steer the massive Taylor Swift machine
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tree Paine has been Taylor Swift's power publicist for a decade. To that end, Swift's publicist of a decade, Tree Paine, is one of the most critical figures in her orbit. Advertisement'The devil works hard, but Tree Paine works harder'Paine is private on Instagram but active on X, where users regularly rhapsodize about her apparent machinations behind the scenes — whether or not she's actually involved. "The devil works hard," the user wrote, "but tree paine works harder." "Tree Paine undefeated," he joked.

Persons: Tree Paine, Taylor, she's, —, Taylor Swift, — Paine, Paine, Trina Snyder, Swift, Paula Erickson, Erickson, Lance Paine —, Donald Trump, Paine clapped, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Joe Alwyn, Paine fumed, Paine's, paine, David Ehrlich Organizations: Service, Department, Wall Street, University of Southern, Warner Music Nashville, Warner, Premium, Scott Brothers Global, Netflix Locations: Costa Mesa , California, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Swift's, Deuxmoi

☆ Opinion: How Taylor Swift’s new album is an extended family affair for me
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Opinion Amy Bass | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Friday’s midnight release of “The Tortured Poets Department,” Taylor Swift’s 11th album, means that yet another era has begun — and a record-breaking one at that. I am one of them, and the anticipation — along with the revelry — has been an extended family affair. Swifties dug into Taylor math, which often revolves around the number 13, the date of her December birthday. Check out the erratic capitalization of track 24, “Thank you Aimee” if you doubt that Swift is masterminding it all. Maybe wherever they land, there is a seminar on Taylor Swift.

Persons: Amy Bass, Read, CNN —, ” Taylor, Swifties, Travis Kelce, Rodney Bedsole, Hannah, Sarah, Maggie, Def Leppard, Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, —, Swift, “, ”, Lin, Manuel Miranda’s Alexander Hamilton, Joe Alwyn, Swift’s, Alwyn, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, John ”, Jake Gyllenhaal, Aaron Dessner, Gyllenhaal, Jack Antonoff, Diana, they’re, Dylan Thomas, Matty Healy, TTPD ”, Alwyn —, Aimee ”, ” Swift, Taylor Swift Organizations: Manhattanville University, CNN, Poets Department, Kansas City Chiefs, Taylor, Gillette, Def, Department, Machine, nab, Spotify Locations: New York, …, Vancouver, —, British, Great Britain, Lexington, Concord, London, Harvard’s Taylor, Los Angeles, New

☆ Vietnam mounts ‘unprecedented’ $24 billion rescue for bank engulfed in giant fraud, documents show
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Foreign reserves were around $100 billion at the end of the year, according to the central bank. The central bank did not reply to requests for comment about the rescue effort. The finance ministry referred a question to the central bank. The central bank placed SCB under its supervision to stem a run on the bank sparked by the October 2022 arrest of real estate tycoon Truong My Lan. That was up from 478 trillion dong at the end of October, according to the SCB document that was sent to the central bank.

Persons: Truong My, Truong, Lan Organizations: AFP, Getty, Stock Commercial Bank, Reuters, ASEAN, Research, SCB, State Bank of, Bank Locations: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Saigon, State Bank of Vietnam's, People's

☆ 3G Capital quietly exited its Kraft Heinz investment last year
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

They had continued to be an investor and were treated as we do any investor," Kraft Heinz said in a statement to CNBC. "We did learn from their recent filing that 3G exited the Kraft Heinz stock entirely in 2023." Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital quietly sold off its 16.1% stake in Kraft Heinz in the fourth quarter, nearly nine years after masterminding the blockbuster merger of Kraft Foods and Heinz with Warren Buffett. Kraft Heinz sought to drive inorganic growth through a takeover bid for Unilever, but the Popsicle owner rejected its offer. In 2022, it distributed about 7% of Kraft Heinz to investors in its fund, which reportedly included tennis star Roger Federer.

Persons: Kraft Heinz, Warren Buffett, 3G's, Heinz, Buffett, Jorge Paulo Lemann, Alexandre Behring, Joao Castro, Neves, Roger Federer, Carlos Abrams, Rivera, he's Organizations: 3G, CNBC, Kraft, 3G Capital, Kraft Foods, Heinz, Busch InBev, Burger King, Big, Unilever, Securities and Exchange, Berkshire, InBev, Planters Locations: Berkshire, Lactalis

☆ Penthouse to prison: Sam Bankman-Fried's journey from crypto king to convicted conman
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Bankman-Fried, the founder and former CEO of failed crypto exchange FTX, will head on Thursday to a federal court in downtown Manhattan, where U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan will deliver his sentencing. After a month of personally dabbling in the market, Bankman-Fried launched Alameda Research, named after the California county that housed his first office. The so-called crypto winter of 2022 wiped out hedge funds and lenders across the crypto universe. May of 2022 brought the crash of stablecoin Luna, creating a domino effect that sent crypto prices plunging, devastating other lenders. On Nov. 2, 2022, crypto trade site CoinDesk publicized details of Alameda's balance sheet, which showed $14.6 billion in assets.

Persons: Samuel Bankman, MacKenzie Sigalos, Sam Bankman, Fried, Damian Williams, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, they'd, FTX, Amr Alfiky, Jane Street, Goldman Sachs, stablecoin Luna, Solana, Changpeng Zhao, Binance, Zhao, Jane Rosenberg, he'd, Cromwell, John J, Ray, confidants, — CNBC's Rohan Goswami Organizations: CNBC, Metropolitan Detention, U.S, District, Prosecutors, Reuters, Jane, Alameda Research, Formula, Democratic, Voyager, Alameda, FTX, Industry, Investors, Enron, Securities and Exchange Commission, Stanford University Locations: San Francisco, he's, Brooklyn, Manhattan, U.S, New York City, South Korea, Alameda, California, Miami, Washington, Solana, FTX, New York, Palo Alto , California

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried Should Get 40 to 50 Years in Prison, Prosecutors Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Matthew Goldstein | David Yaffe-Bellany | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Federal prosecutors said on Friday that Sam Bankman-Fried, the cryptocurrency mogul who was convicted of masterminding a multibillion-dollar fraud, should receive a prison sentence of 40 to 50 years. The prosecutors outlined the recommendation in a filing in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Mr. Bankman-Fried’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 28, when Judge Lewis A. Kaplan will decide his fate. “Justice requires that he receive a prison sentence commensurate with the extraordinary dimensions of his crimes,” the prosecutors said in a 116-page sentencing memo to the judge. The federal probation department separately recommended a 100-year sentence for Mr. Bankman-Fried, 32, effectively a life sentence.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Bankman, Judge Lewis A, Kaplan Organizations: “ Locations: Manhattan

CNBC embedded with teams from HSI and California Highway Patrol to witness four organized retail crime operations for this investigation. CNBCAt the bottom of organized retail crime rings are boosters — the people who go into stores and take the items. A bin filled with sparkly silver boots that police suspect an alleged San Jose, California, crime ring stole from T.J. Maxx. In a statement, a TJX spokesperson said the company is "thankful" for CHP's efforts and is taking organized retail crime "very seriously." Court records filed in connection with the case provide a rare glimpse into the inner workings of an alleged organized retail crime ring.

Persons: Michelle Mack, Mack, Michelle Mack's, Louis Vuitton, Adam Parks, they've, Parks, HSI, It's, Joaquin, El, Guzman, Scott Robles, Robles, moisturizer, Allegra, Maxx, Gabrielle Fonrouge, Manny Nevarez, TJX, Michael Ball, Diego, Donna Washburn, Washburn, Mack —, we'll, Charlotte, Estee Lauder, masterminding, Rob Bonta, Kenneth Mack, Bonta, Kimora Lee Gooding texted Michelle Mack, Jan, Gooding, Andrew Barclay, Scott, let's, Kenneth Mack texted Michelle Mack, Michelle Mack texted Alina Franco, Sephora, Prada, Ulta's, Dave Kimbell, Kimbell Organizations: Police, CNBC, Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, Department of Homeland, New, U.S . Custom House, Operation French, Walgreens, New Orleans Public, Federal, Gillette, CHP, TJX Companies, Bay Area, CNBC Police, Flea, Santa, Attorney, Capitol Flea, L'Oreal, Macy's, Body Locations: San Diego, Bonsall , California, California, Washington , Utah , Oregon, Colorado , Arizona , Illinois , Texas, Florida , Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio, U.S, Baton Rouge , Louisiana, HSI, New Orleans, Orleans, San Jose, Jose , California, Maxx, Bay, Bay Area, San Jose , California, Santa Clara, Washburn, St, Augustine , Florida, Charlotte Tilbury, Prada, LensCrafters

The long-awaited indictments marked the latest development in what has been labeled the largest corruption case in Ohio history. In July 2021, Yost asked a judge in Columbus to add Jones, Dowling and Randazzo to his office's lawsuit against FirstEnergy. It identified 84 phone contacts between Jones and Householder and 14 phone contacts between Dowling and Householder. FirstEnergy admitted to its role in the bribery scheme as part of a July 2021 deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. A statement of facts signed by then-FirstEnergy CEO and President Steven Strah, who retired in 2022, detailed the involvement of Jones, Dowling, Randazzo and others in the bribery scheme.

Persons: Chuck Jones, Michael Dowling, Dave Yost, Sam Randazzo, Larry, Matt Borges, Jones, Dowling, Susan Baker Ross, Randazzo, Baker, Columbus, FirstEnergy, Mike DeWine, Carole Rendon, ”, Matthew Meyer, Richard Blake, Borges, Juan Cespedes, Jeffrey Longstreth, Neil Clark, Householder’s, Bill, Yost, Steven Strah Organizations: FirstEnergy Corp, Republican, Public Utilities Commission, Summit, FBI, Republican Gov, GPS, Industrial Energy, Randazzo, Sustainability, of Ohio, FirstEnergy, U.S . Department of Justice Locations: COLUMBUS , Ohio, Ohio, Akron, Naples , Florida, FirstEnergy, U.S, Cincinnati, Columbus

WASHINGTON (AP) — A prominent defense attorney whose star clients have included Snoop Dogg pleaded guilty Friday to leaking grand jury information to reporters about a political conspiracy case against a rapper from the Fugees. Michel's trial included testimony from such figures as actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Kenner’s attorney said in court documents that the reporters originally agreed to sign a protective order, but later changed their minds. L. Barrett Boss, one of the defense attorneys, said Kenner was planning to retire after Michel’s trial. But Boss said Kenner is “very strained financially” because he spent $1.4 million “out of pocket” on Michel’s defense.

Persons: Snoop Dogg, David Kenner, Suge Knight, Tory Lanez, Kenner, ” Michel, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeff Sessions, ” Kenner, Michel, Peter Zeidenberg, Kenner misattributing, Diddy, Judge Amit Mehta, Mehta, Barrett Boss, Boss, Pras Michel, Erica Dumas, Barack Obama’s, Trump, DiCaprio, Jho, _____ Whitehurst Organizations: WASHINGTON, Bloomberg News, U.S, Bloomberg, Kenner, Justice Department, Hollywood Locations: California, Washington, U.S, Malaysian, China, Philadelphia

☆ 'Pretty horrific mistakes:' Democrats have few nice things to say about Henry Kissinger following his death
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"There are some pretty horrific mistakes that Henry Kissinger made that have taken the United States a very long time to recover from." Other Democrats have issued similar critiques of Kissinger's legacy in the wake of his death. "I am proud to say that Henry Kissinger is not my friend. "Count me in as somebody who will not be listening to Henry Kissinger," Sanders added at that debate. "Today, the world Henry Kissinger leaves behind bears his indelible mark," McConnell said on the Senate floor on Thursday.

Persons: Sen, Bernie Sanders, Henry Kissinger, Hillary Clinton's, Kissinger, I've, Sanders, —, Greg Casar, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Chris Murphy of, Murphy, they've, General Augusto Pinochet, Pinochet, Jim McGovern, @RepMcGovern, Gerry Connolly, Vietnam –, Hillary Clinton, Mike Pompeo, AzyRrHhH6i — Bernie Sanders, George W, Bush, Mitch McConnell, McConnell Organizations: Service, Democratic, Texas, National Security, State, Republican, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Massachusetts, House Foreign Affairs, — Locations: China, Soviet Union, Latin America, Southeast Asia, United States, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Vietnam, Argentina, East Timor, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Virginia, Iran, @GerryConnolly, Vermont, Khmer Rouge, @BernieSanders

☆ Cummins says World Cup triumph pinnacle of Australia's stellar year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AHMEDABAD, India, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Australia skipper Pat Cummins said Sunday's World Cup final win over India that earned his nation a record-extending sixth title in the format marked the pinnacle of a spectacular 2023 season for the team. "That's huge, I think that's the pinnacle of international cricket, winning a one-day World Cup. And yeah, it's just the whole cricket world stops with this World Cup. To win a World Cup in India, it's been a fantastic eight weeks. The World Cup's got such rich history, I'm sure it's going to be around for a long time," Cummins added.

Persons: Pat Cummins, Rohit Sharma's, Cummins, It's, it's, Mitchell Starc, masterminding, Pat, Starc, That's, gee, Australia's, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Toby Davis Organizations: India, Cummins, England, Australia, Thomson Locations: AHMEDABAD, India, Australia, Ahmedabad

The 31-year-old onetime crypto mogul fumbled for an answer when the prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, repeatedly asked whether he had told his employees not to spend FTX customer money on investments, pricey real estate and other expenditures. Mr. Bankman-Fried also couldn’t name any employees who might have authorized the use of FTX customer money for that spending. “I don’t recall giving any direction,” Mr. Bankman-Fried said three times about the spending of FTX customer money before he concluded his testimony. Both sides rested their case before lunchtime on Tuesday, with closing statements set to unfold on Wednesday. Mr. Bankman-Fried was on the stand for a third day testifying before a jury in his own defense for a trial that has come to symbolize the highs and lows of the volatile crypto industry.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Danielle Sassoon, Fried, ” Mr Organizations: Alameda Research Locations: Alameda

☆ The Strange Omission of Slavery from a Charleston Ghost Tour - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Colin Dickey | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

(The church discourages these stories; a plaque on the grounds reads: “The only ghost at St. Philip’s is the Holy Ghost.”)Leaving race out of any history is a striking blind spot — even in a ghost tour. Born into slavery, Vesey had purchased his freedom in 1799 after winning a lottery, and became a prosperous carpenter. Some websites will tell you to look for Vesey’s ghost at the Old Charleston Jail, a structure that’s stood since 1802. Long after my own tour, I tracked down two longtime ghost tour guides, Joy Watson and Randy Johnson, who regularly take visitors up to the old jail. They told me that they had never heard of any Vesey ghost sightings there.

Persons: Stede Bonnet, Harriet Mackie, Sue Howard, Philip’s, Denmark Vesey, Vesey, Emanuel ”, Long, Joy Watson, Randy Johnson Organizations: Old, Philip’s, African Methodist Episcopal Church Locations: Holy, St, Charleston, Denmark, Haiti

☆ South Africa's 'eccentric genius' Erasmus continues to divide opinion
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Nick Said | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

There is a general view, in the northern hemisphere especially, of how the game should be played, but Erasmus’ Springboks do not conform to that. Former England coach Clive Woodward said if other teams followed suit, the sport would be "dead within five years". And yet since then, many sides have tapped into what they do well, including England, who took the Springbok copybook on their run to the semi-finals this year and almost stunned South Africa in Paris this past weekend. Erasmus raises the ire of traditionalists but almost always sticks within the confines of the laws. And herein lies the other side of Erasmus, the streetfighter who will not lie down and go quietly into the night.

Persons: Rassie Erasmus, Jacques Nienaber, Erasmus, Clive Woodward, Matt Proudfoot, Sport24, Rassie, Nic Berry, Nick Said, David Holmes Organizations: South, Springboks, New Zealand, Erasmus ’, Erasmus ’ Springboks, Springbok, British & Irish Lions, Erasmus, Guardian, Thomson Locations: CAPE, South Africa, New, Paris, England, Africa

☆ Bolsonaro faces mounting legal woes in Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro leaves the Federal Police headquarters after testifying about the January 8 riots, in Brasilia, Brazil, October 18, 2023. The far-right former army captain was already the subject of police probes before and during his four years in office. Bolsonaro has repeatedly denied breaking any laws, and calls allegations against him a witch hunt by his political opponents. Among the legal headaches now facing Bolsonaro:BARRED FROM OFFICE TILL 2030In June, Brazil's federal electoral court (TSE) barred Bolsonaro from public office until 2030 for his conduct during last year's election. The inquiry has no power to punish Bolsonaro or others, but can issue recommendations for them to face criminal or civil charges.

Persons: Jair Bolsonaro, Ueslei Marcelino, Jair, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro, Bolsonaro's, Mauro Cid, Cid, Gabriel Stargardter, Brad Haynes, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Federal Police, REUTERS, DE, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Brasilia, Brazil, DE JANEIRO, United States, Saudi

☆ Factbox-Bolsonaro Faces Mounting Legal Woes in Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The far-right former army captain was already the subject of police probes before and during his four years in office. But his efforts to undermine faith in Brazil's voting system, which culminated in a Jan. 8 insurrection by thousands of his supporters in Brasilia, have only added to his problems. Bolsonaro has repeatedly denied breaking any laws, and calls allegations against him a witch hunt by his political opponents. Among the legal headaches now facing Bolsonaro:BARRED FROM OFFICE TILL 2030In June, Brazil's federal electoral court (TSE) barred Bolsonaro from public office until 2030 for his conduct during last year's election. Last month, after months in jail, Cid agreed to cooperate with the federal police and was freed from behind bars.

Persons: Jair, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro, Bolsonaro's, Mauro Cid, Cid, Gabriel Stargardter, Brad Haynes, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: RIO DE, Reuters, Supreme Locations: RIO DE JANEIRO, Brasilia, United States, Saudi

Six months later, his friend-turned-rival Notorious B.I.G, whose legal name is Christopher Wallace, was gunned down. They hung out together on the set of the 1993 film “Poetic Justice,” which starred Janet Jackson and Shakur. Shakur found out that the night of that attack, Wallace and Sean “Diddy” Combs were together in a recording studio. East vs. West coastsLess than 24 hours after the 1994 shooting, Shakur made a court appearance in a wheelchair on sex-assault charges against him. Greenidge, who described the rapper as a professional mentor, told the grand jury he was in the convoy.

Persons: Tupac Shakur, Shakur, B.I.G, Christopher Wallace, Wallace, Duane “ Keffe, ” Davis, Davis, enmeshed, ”, Justin Tinsley, Janet Jackson, Sean “ Diddy ” Combs, Combs, Malcolm Greenidge, Reggie Wright Jr, Marion “ Suge, Knight, disrespecting Combs, Tha, Snoop Dogg, Faith Evans, “ It’s, Wright, Robert Ladd, Ladd, “, Orlando Anderson, ” Denvonta Lee, Mike Tyson, Bruce Seldon, Anderson, Daniel Ford, Ford, Lee, Deandrae Smith, Smith, “ Keffe, ” Lee, Keffe, Biggie Shakur, Tinsley, ” “ Biggie, ” Tinsley, ‘, Tupac, Rio Yamat, Ken Ritter, Scott Sonner, Gabe Stern, Andrew Dalton, Ryan Pearson, Stefanie Dazio, Felicia Fonseca Organizations: ANGELES, New York City, The Associated Press, Los, Records, New, Boy Records, Row, Tha Dogg, West Coast, Side, South Side, Bloods, MGM, Anderson, BMW, Authorities, Cadillac, ” Police, Las Vegas, ___ Associated Press Locations: East, West, New York, Las Vegas, Compton, midtown Manhattan, East Harlem , New York, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Harlem, New York City, York , New York, Vegas, Lakewood, South Los Angeles, Reno , Nevada, Flagstaff , Arizona

☆ The $8 billion Sam Bankman-Fried criminal trial starts today — here's what's at stake and how we got here
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +19 min

In the first trial, Bankman-Fried faces seven criminal counts related to the collapse of the crypto empire he built, including wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering. Alameda, FTX and a host of subsidiaries Bankman-Fried founded filed for bankruptcy protection in Delaware. FTX's own terms of use specifically forbade him, or Alameda, from using customer money for anything — unless the customer allowed it. And from FTX's inception, there was a lot of customer money. Bankman-Fried and other executives admitted to each other that "FTX customer funds were irrevocably lost because Alameda had appropriated them."

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Ellison, FTX, Wang, Judge Lewis Kaplan, Samuel Bankman, MacKenzie Sigalos, San Francisco —, SBF, Wang —, Nishad Singh —, Goldman Sachs, Binance, Damian Williams, Rehypothecation, —, Crypto, Solana, Zhao, he'd, Cromwell, John J, Ray, John Ray's, — CNBC's Rohan Goswami Organizations: Alameda Research, Southern, of, Stanford, MIT, U.S, New York Times, Bankman, That's, CNBC, Jane, Capital, University of California, Formula, Democratic, Twitter, Securities Exchange Commission, SEC, Futures Trading, United States Attorney's Office, CFTC, Alameda, Alameda didn't, Voyager, BlockFi, FTX, Industry, Investors, Zhao, Publicly, Sullivan, Enron Locations: Bahamas, Manhattan, New York, Alameda, of New York, FTX, Brooklyn , New York, San Francisco, South Korea, Alameda , California, Fried's Alameda, Berkeley, Miami, Washington, Delaware, California, Federal, Solana, Fried

☆ Every Russian commander who led the invasion of Ukraine has lost their job, former UK defence secretary says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia is losing in its war against Ukraine, the UK's former defense secretary said. He said none of the Russian commanders behind the invasion still had their jobs 19 months in. AdvertisementAdvertisementNone of the commanders who led Russia into its full-scale war with Ukraine in 2022 are still in their jobs, the former British Defence Secretary said. Not a single commander who led the major Russian units into Ukraine is still in place." In recent weeks, Ukraine has made incremental but important gains in seeking to break through Russian defensive positions in south and east Ukraine.

Persons: Ben Wallace, —, Wallace, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Defence Ben Wallace, Boris Pistorius, Sean Gallup, Wallace didn't, Wagner, Sergey Surovikin, masterminding Organizations: Service, British, Sunday Telegraph, State, Defence, German, Getty, The Washington Post, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Berlin, Germany, Ukrainian

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried considered paying Trump $5 billion not to run for president, Michael Lewis tells '60 Minutes'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Bankman-Fried, the alleged crypto criminal who stands accused of masterminding one of the biggest financial frauds in U.S. history, was considering paying Donald Trump $5 billion not to run for president, according to best-selling author Michael Lewis. In an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" that aired on Sunday, Lewis said the FTX founder wanted to put a stop to a Trump White House run in 2024 over fears that the former president was a threat to democracy. "Sam's thinking, 'We could pay Donald Trump not to run for president. And the number that was kicking around when I was talking to Sam about this was $5 billion. Sam was not sure that number came directly from Trump."

Persons: Sam Bankman, Donald Trump, Michael Lewis, CBS's, Lewis, Sam, Fried, Bernie Madoff Organizations: Trump White, Bankman Locations: New York, Trump, Manhattan

When the sun broke through the dreary sky on a recent summer’s day in London, Lauren Thompson started packing for a family picnic. Another city resident, Maxwell St Hill, began masterminding plans for an afternoon barbecue. And Johana Bowhill texted her friends that a day dedicated to outdoor games — to celebrate her 24th birthday — was going ahead. Though strangers, the three Londoners all had the same idea for the best way to take advantage of the precious blue skies. “The first thing that people do is flock to the parks,” Ms. Thompson said.

Persons: Lauren Thompson, Maxwell St Hill, —, Ms, Thompson, “ There’s, ” Locations: London

☆ Tupac, Cocaine, Murder: Henchmen Brothers, Hip-Hop's Forgotten Moguls
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( David Kushner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +39 min

Mario called Tupac. All he could do was listen to her cry as he explained that he didn't know when he'd be back. He didn't speak Spanish, didn't know a soul in Mexico, and had no clue where he would be sent. Mario didn't ask why, and the guy didn't inquire about Mario's predicament. "It's all good, man," Mario told Jimmy.

Persons: Mario Rosemond, Rosemond, Jimmy, Mario, Akon, Sean Kingston, Gucci Mane, Jimmy Rosemond —, Lowell, Lodi Mack, Fletcher, Tupac Shakur, Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Jimmy Rosemond, Saul Goodman, Tommy Davis, Mario stammered, It's, Jimmy Jr, Andrea, Constantin, Johnny Nunez, Rikers, —, Slick, Russell Simmons, Benny Medina, Lyor Cohen, Chris Lighty, Mona Scott, Mark Sparks, Shoop, Paul Bergen, Bryce Wilson, Wilson, Mohammed, Tef, Stewart, Little Shawn, Puff Daddy, Pac, Freddie Moore, Moore, Al Pereira, would've, Jimmy wasn't, They'd, didn't, Jimmy didn't, —, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Wyclef Jean, Garland, Cyrus, THONY BELIZAIRE, Mariah Carey, LL, Missy Elliott, Cent, Tef Stewart, Jimmy Rosemond Jr, Jimmy Sr, Khalil Abdullah, Jimmy Iovine, determinedly, DJ Skee, Mario couldn't, Mario chuckles, he'd, GummyBone, Mario didn't, I'm, freckling, he's, isn't, I've, Jim Brown, Michael K, Williams, Donald Trump, Arturo Holmes, Scott Olson, Trump, Brown, James Rosemond Jr, David Kushner Organizations: FBI, Entertainment, Justice Department, Bronx ., Quad Studios, AP, grandad, Wall, Black Panthers, Junior Mafia, Hollywood, Haiti, Management, Apollo, Lowell, Racing, Interscope Records, Interscope, Feds, Department of Motor Vehicles, DMV, Colombian, York Post, Drug, Administration, NFL, Trump, Stone, Atari Locations: Mexico, Haiti, Brooklyn, Bronx, Cuernavaca, Spanish, Rahway , New Jersey, Port, New York City, Vanderveer Estates, East Flatbush, Rikers, Islam, Miami Beach, New York, New Jersey, East Coast, West Coast, Plainfield , New Jersey, Brandy, Los Angeles, Czar's, Harlem, LA, California, Beverly Hills, San, Tijuana, Mexico City, Colombian, San Diego, Manhattan

☆ Sanity Question and Plea Talks Shadow Coming Sept. 11 Hearings
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Carol Rosenberg | More About Carol Rosenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prosecutors have issued a new deadline — Sept. 18 — for four detainees at the American military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to show their willingness to plead guilty to plotting the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and receive a maximum punishment of life in prison. The fifth defendant in the case has been found incompetent to stand trial and is likely to be removed from the case. Without a challenge, the judge is expected to sever him from the case when hearings resume next week after a 22-month hiatus. They describe the deadline as driven by the scheduled Oct. 7 departure of the current overseer of the case, Jeffrey D. Wood. In March 2022, Mr. Wood authorized prosecutors to pursue guilty pleas that would spare the defendants a capital trial to resolve the long-running case.

Persons: Ramzi bin al, Prosecutors, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Jeffrey D, Wood Organizations: Mr Locations: Guantánamo Bay, Cuba

☆ Famed Italian dealmaker and Piaggio CEO Colaninno dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Roberto Colaninno attends the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Vespa Primavera scooter at the Piaggio Museum in Pontedera, Italy, April 19, 2018. REUTERS/ Alessandro Bianchi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Entrepreneur Roberto Colaninno, chairman and CEO of scooter maker Piaggio and one of Italy's best-known dealmakers, has died, his investment company IMMSI said on Saturday. He is most famous for his surprise $58 billion leveraged buyout of Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) in 1999, at the time the world's largest hostile takeover. In 2003, after his efforts to take over carmaker Fiat were rebuffed, he turned his attention to Piaggio, maker of the Vespa scooter, which had fallen on hard times. Colaninno ditched the firm's loss-making computer unit and focused on the telephone business - which he subsequently used as a vehicle to launch the Telecom Italia bid.

Persons: Roberto Colaninno, Alessandro Bianchi, IMMSI, Colaninno, Carlo De Benedetti, De Benedetti, Olivetti, Matteo, Michele, Oretta, Crispian Balmer, David Holmes Organizations: Primavera, Piaggio Museum, REUTERS, Rights, Piaggio, Telecom Italia, Pirelli, Fiat, Alitalia, Thomson Locations: Pontedera, Italy, Asia, India, China, Vietnam, Fiamm, Europe

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