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☆ Clarence Thomas' wife Ginni was paid nearly $100,000 for 'consulting' by a nonprofit that ended up filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A conservative activist helped Ginni Thomas rake in nearly $100,000 for consulting, The Washington Post reported. Conservative lawyer Leonard Leo reportedly ensured Ginni Thomas' name was kept off the paperwork. Leo's nonprofit filed an amicus brief before the Supreme Court that same year. Ginni Thomas has previously courted controversy with her public, pro-Trump activities, and other conservative activism. Neither Ginni Thomas, nor a representative for the Supreme Court immediately responded to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Watch Trump defend his lewd 'Access Hollywood' comments in deposition video: 'Historically, that's true with stars'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In it, Trump defended his "Access Hollywood" comments about grabbing women between the legs. The new clip is part of a 48-minute deposition video and was shown to jurors in Manhattan federal court on Thursday. In the "Access Hollywood" recording, Trump bragged about how women "let you" kiss them, saying stars "can do anything." In the deposition video, Trump watches the tape, expressionless. The Washington Post was the first to publish the "Access Hollywood" tape a month before the 2016 election.

☆ The same year Clarence Thomas sent a child to a private boarding school on Harlan Crow's dime, a parent testified that the academy used children for free labor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The school Clarence Thomas sent a child to has been accused of forcing students into hard labor. A ProPublica report found that Harlan Crow footed the school's $6,000-a-month bill for Thomas. Thomas has been accused of judicial misconduct for not reporting gifts he received from Crow. These activities could go on "for as long as 8 hours," the parent wrote. Justice Thomas has been accused of judicial misconduct after a series of reports from ProPublica detailed his acceptance of unreported lavish gifts from Crow.

CompaniesCompanies Law FirmsLaw Firms Related documents VMware Inc FollowMay 2 (Reuters) - VMware Inc (VMW.N) must pay $84.5 million for infringing two patents belonging to rival software company Densify, a Delaware federal jury said on Monday. The verdict, made public Tuesday, said VMware willfully violated Densify's patent rights with its software for optimizing "virtual machines" used in cloud computing. Densify CEO Gerry Smith said the company was "grateful" for the verdict, which "validated the hard work of our inventors." Canada-based Densify won a verdict worth nearly $237 million against VMware in the same case in 2020. The lawsuit alleged that VMware used Densify's technology as a "blueprint" for its own.

☆ Florida just ranked as the top state for education, amid DeSantis battles on curriculum, books, and college leadership
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But on Tuesday, Florida came in first for education as part of the annual Best States rankings from US News & World Report. The Florida education model works." Students from the Miami-Dade County Public Schools School for Advanced Studies-Wolfson campus protest during a statewide walkout on April 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar panned the US News analysis as a "narrow view of education" and predicted curriculum restrictions and book removals would "impact student scores in the years ahead." Florida ranks 44th in the US for spending per student on public schools, according to the Florida Education Association, which is the state's teacher's union.

☆ A law school named after the late Antonin Scalia is a haven for conservative Supreme Court justices to enjoy lavish treatment, New York Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Antonin Scalia Law School at the Virginia-based George Mason University was renamed in 2016. The renaming was part of a plan to help its reputation by getting closer to the Supreme Court. Justices were given notable benefits to teach there, emails obtained by The New York Times reveal. This desire to keep Supreme Court leadership on their roster even superseded scandals the judges faced. The Antonin Scalia Law School and a spokesperson for the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ In emergency meeting, DeSantis-appointed board votes to counter-sue Disney
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The DeSantis-appointed board that oversees Disney's district has sued the company. The move comes after Disney filed a lawsuit in federal court in Tallahassee. The board lawsuit will be filed in Central Florida, where Disney World is. Under a decadeslong arrangement with the state, Disney doesn't have to run its plans by zoning commissions or building-inspection departments. Last week, DeSantis' newly appointed board said "nothing is off the table" as it took on a major overhaul of the area.

☆ As part of the ‘cocktail culture,' consumers are still splurging on dinner and drinks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"Sticker shock" has taken a toll, the report found, with consumers more likely to walk away from a purchase because the price is too high. Further, when it comes to discretionary spending, adults are more likely to treat themselves to dinner out or premium spirits rather than cosmetics. Consumers in the U.S. are four times more likely to have said their latest splurge purchase was food and beverages over personal care, Deloitte found. "Despite the tough economy, consumers continued to enjoy premium spirits and fine cocktails," Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, said in a statement. "Cocktail culture continues to thrive in the United States," Swonger said.

☆ The attorney featured in the painting that shows Clarence Thomas at one of the undisclosed vacations just published an article arguing that the Supreme Court justice did not have to report the trips
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Earlier this month, ProPublica reported on Justice Clarence Thomas's undisclosed luxury trips. Mark Paoletta, a partner at Schaeer Jaffe and close friend of Thomas, wrote in the right-leaning National Review article published Thursday arguing that Thomas had "acted properly and consistent with the rules" of financial disclosures for Supreme Court Justices. But the attorney is also featured in a painting that was commissioned by Crow and depicts Thomas vacationing at the luxury resort that is central to the renewed scrutiny of Thomas' financial disclosure forms. Sharif Tarabay, the artist of the painting, told ProPublica that the piece depicts a moment at Topridge from about five years ago. But that is immaterial to the conclusion that Justice Thomas had no obligation to disclose these innocuous trips," Paoletta wrote.

☆ Florida lawmakers just passed a bill for DeSantis to remain governor while running for president
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Republicans in Florida are changing the law so DeSantis can run for president and keep his job. The Trump campaign accused DeSantis of violating the law, even though he hasn't made a bid official. "If an individual who is Florida governor is running for president, I think he should be allowed to do it," Passidomo told reporters at the time. Hutson disagreed that with the assessment that DeSantis wouldn't be able to both operate as governor and run for president. April 25, 2023: This story has been updated with a comment from the Trump campaign.

☆ 5 reasons fighting Disney is a political winner for DeSantis — and 6 reasons it could hurt his shot at the presidency
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

It does a ton of business in China, which many GOP voters view as a threat to the US. DeSantis already ran on being anti-Disney — and wonTaryn Fenske, DeSantis' communications director, has described the Disney fight as being "the will of Florida voters." And they might not vote for DeSantis if they think the Disney fight is a killer in a general election. Families often work hard and save for years to take their children to Disney World. If DeSantis can't bring a resolution to the Disney fight, can he handle the job of president?

☆ Stew Leonard Sr. Dies at 93; Founded ‘Disneyland of Dairy Stores’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Sam Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Stew Leonard Sr., a folkloric retailer who expanded his namesake stores into merchandising meccas replete with petting zoos and mechanical singing farm animals, died on Wednesday at a hospital in Manhattan. Mr. Leonard opened his original store in Norwalk, Conn., in 1969 as a destination that promised fresh milk because it was built around a bottling plant. “You’d have to own a cow to get it sooner,” his advertisements proclaimed. Bryan Miller described it in The New York Times as the “Disneyland of Dairy Stores”; “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” called it the “World’s Largest Dairy Store”; and it earned a place in the Guinness World Records for having the highest dollar sales per square foot of selling space. In 2015, Business Insider praised Kroger’s customer loyalty program and Wegmans’s walk-in beer locker, but it concluded that anyone who had ever set foot in Stew Leonard’s “knows it is miles above the rest.”

☆ Analysis: China's small steps on offshore use of yuan are starting to add up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SINGAPORE, April 27 (Reuters) - China's yuan currency is slowly but surely being adopted for more international payments, which analysts say could lay foundations for a trade system running parallel to the dominant U.S. dollar. True global yuan adoption is unlikely, given expectations that Beijing will want to keep a tight grip on the currency. "Their cooperation could draw other countries to renminbi payments over time and cumulatively, this group could lift the renminbi at the expense of the dollar," he said. "This kind of renminbi internationalisation may achieve Beijing's goals, including reducing China’s exposure to exchange rate fluctuations and mitigating China’s vulnerabilities to U.S. financial sanctions." "Therefore, if exporters want to use yuan to settle trades, they must persuade foreign importers to pay in yuan, which often takes a long time."

☆ NBA roundup: Hawks use late rally to stay alive
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Boston's Jaylen Brown (35 points) posted his second straight 30-plus-point game and Jayson Tatum had 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Jamal Murray scored 35 points, Bruce Brown and Aaron Gordon each had 14 and Michael Porter Jr. grabbed 10 rebounds for Denver. The top-seeded Nuggets are headed to the Western Conference semifinals for the fourth time in five seasons. Anthony Edwards put up 29 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 11 rebounds and Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 15 rebounds for the eighth-seeded Timberwolves. Kevin Durant scored 31 points and Deandre Ayton added 21 points and 11 rebounds for the No.

☆ Nikki Haley invited Disney World to move to South Carolina and took a shot at DeSantis, but the theme park is stuck in Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Disney World sued DeSantis to keep control of its self-governing status in Florida. Nikki Haley said the theme park should move to South Carolina instead. The dig didn't escape Never Back Down, the super PAC that's supporting a DeSantis presidential run. Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in April 2022. AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC ImagesDisney can't moveDespite Haley's overtures, Disney World is stuck in Florida, Richard Foglesong, the author of the book "Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando," told Insider.

Disney alleges that DeSantis tried to "weaponize government power" over the company. It alleges that DeSantis' continued action against Disney "threatens Disney's business operations." Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, alleging that he tried to "weaponize government power" over the company. As retaliation to the Disney executives' pledges, DeSantis took aim at a decades-long provision that gives Disney special self-governing privileges in Florida. Unlike rival parks Universal Studios and Sea World, Disney doesn't have to run their plans by zoning commissions or building-inspection departments.

☆ DeSantis threatened to put a prison next to Disney, but it may not be as scary an idea as he thinks — and in fact small Florida towns could probably use it way more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But it's unclear how much, if at all, a prison would actually impact Disney. A prison could also bring jobs to small towns that don't have a local employer as large as Disney. Ron DeSantis's threat to put a state prison next to the "Happiest Place on Earth" may not be as menacing as he thinks. But it's unclear how much a state prison close to Disney would actually impact the resort and theme park. As for how a prison could impact Disney World, she speculated that the primary factor would be how it impacts the company's brand and tourists' perception of safety.

☆ As Trump attacks DeSantis over his travel, Florida allies prepare to change the law so the governor can stay in his role while running for president
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Republicans in Florida want to change the law so DeSantis can run for president and keep his job. The so-called "Resign to Run" law has been changed for candidates before. The Trump campaign accused DeSantis of violating the law, even though he hasn't made a bid official. "If an individual who is Florida governor is running for president, I think he should be allowed to do it," Passidomo told reporters at the time. April 25, 2023: This story has been updated with a comment from the Trump campaign.

☆ Democrats say Florida is 'dead for Biden' as his 2024 presidential campaign starts: 'We just need to be realistic'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

"It's like a dead carcass on the side of the road," DeSantis said in April of the Florida Democratic Party. Nearly two decades ago, Florida Democrats were "similarly declared dead, you know, forever, Amen," Schale said, but they rebounded. Wilfredo Lee/AP PhotoDemocrats say they still have spend in FloridaBut it's important for Democrats to still invest campaign resources in Florida, Democratic insiders said. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said the party had no infrastructure and no voter registration drive when she took the helm in February. Joe Raedle/Getty Images, Scott Olson/Getty ImagesBuilding a Democratic benchFried she's optimistic about Florida Democrats' future — and Biden's potential there.

☆ Lee Zeldin heaped praise on Ron DeSantis during a recent event. On Monday, he endorsed Trump.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

But Zeldin endorsed Trump on Monday while DeSantis was in Japan. This comes after Zeldin praised DeSantis in February at a law-enforcement event. Asked during that trip about slipping in the polls against Trump, DeSantis replied, "I'm not a candidate, so we'll see if and when that changes." Aside from sagging poll numbers in a hypothetical primary against Trump, DeSantis has been losing support among members of his own party. Trump only has ground to lose on endorsements while Governor DeSantis, who isn't even an announced candidate, continues to have a growing base of support."

☆ Asked why he's getting crushed in the polls during his trip to Japan, DeSantis suggests his backsliding against Trump could change 'if and when' he makes his presidential run official
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

He has been slipping in the polls when compared to Trump. Ron DeSantis of Florida brushed off a question Monday about how he's been slipping in 2024 polls against former President Trump. Most recent polling shows Trump bests DeSantis 51% to 38% among GOP primary voters. Though DeSantis has been slipping in the polls, he still is the only candidate who consistently comes in second to Trump in a hypothetical matchup. DeSantis' tactics on Trump may also be a factor in why the governor is slipping in the polls.

☆ Inside the Wild World of Celebrity Keynote Speakers: Drugs, Alcohol
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( David Kushner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +31 min

"I never saw myself as a speaker, let alone a motivational speaker," Leonard tells me while his assistant irons his jeans. 'When I ramble," Hunter told me, "hit me in the leg!" Every plane had been grounded, including the one stuck on the tarmac with an increasingly inebriated Hunter Thompson trapped inside. But by far the most all-consuming task was booking gigs for Hunter Thompson. Just before a debate with G. Gordon Liddy at Brown University, Hunter demanded that Betsy Berg, whom I now worked alongside at GTN, score him some crystal meth.

☆ Bed Bath & Beyond files for bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Chris Hammons unloads a bag of items she purchased at a Bed Bath & Beyond store in Dallas, Texas September 23, 2009. In its bankruptcy filing, Bed Bath & Beyond said it had $5.2 billion in debt and assets of just $4.4 billion. Discount chains such as HomeGoods and TJ Maxx have also undercut Bed Bath & Beyond’s prices. Without the differentiators of the lowest prices or widest selection, Bed Bath & Beyond’s sales stagnated from 2012 to 2019. And Bed Bath & Beyond is the latest retail chain to file for bankruptcy this year.

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☆ NBA roundup: Anthony Davis, Lakers sprint past Grizzlies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Apr 22, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dennis Schroder (17) shoots the ball against Memphis Grizzlies forward David Roddy (27) in the fourth quarter during game three of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. LeBron James added 25 points and nine rebounds as the Lakers took a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference matchup. D'Angelo Russell had 17 points and Rui Hachimura scored 16 for Los Angeles, which led by as many as 29 points in the wire-to-wire victory. Desmond Bane (18 points) ended the Morant run with a 3-pointer that cut the Los Angeles lead to 108-99 with 1:24 remaining. James Harden collected 17 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.

☆ Ryan Garcia vs. Gervonta Davis: rivals set to clash in boxing’s most highly anticipated fight of the year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

But in the case of Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis, they clearly don’t like each other. But Garcia said that a late addition from Davis’ team provided an extra complication to talks; one which he said he was happy to facilitate so the fight could go ahead. “I look at Ryan and I know he’s ready. “‘Tank’ Davis by KO, like I’ve been saying and it might be early,” he said. How to watchBoxing fans across the world will want to tune to watch Garcia and Davis trade blows.

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