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☆ Fact Check-California state map shows results of 1984 presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A predominantly red map of California shows the 1984 presidential election results, where former U.S. President Ronald Reagan won in a landslide. Online posts are falsely saying it shows results from the 2020 general election. However, it shows results from the 1984 presidential election, where only Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Yolo counties voted Democrat while the rest of the state voted Republican (here). The California Secretary of State (SoS) shared the 1984 presidential election results in an email to Reuters, where the results match the map being shared online. The map shows presidential election results in California for 1984, not 2020.

Persons: Ronald Reagan, Joe Biden, Read Organizations: Trump, BIG, Republican, Democratic, State, Reuters, California’s Locations: California, Los Angeles, San Diego , Orange County, Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Yolo

☆ Liberal Prosecutors Are Revisiting Police Killings but Charging Few Officers So Far
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Eliza Fawcett | Tim Arango | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The special prosecutor, Lawrence Middleton, had secured convictions in a 1993 federal trial against Los Angeles Police Department officers for beating Rodney King. (“Both officers’ use of deadly force was reasonable under the circumstances,” Ms. Lacey wrote in a 2019 memo.) The re-examinations themselves take time, and liberal prosecutors may yet file criminal charges against more officers in past cases. The police had responded to a call that Mr. Gonzalez, 26, was acting strangely in a park and talking to himself. The officer, Hector Jimenez, was cleared in each case and remains with the Oakland Police Department.

Persons: Lawrence Middleton, Rodney King, Christopher Deandre Mitchell, ” Ms, Lacey, Irving, “, Ed Obayashi, Mario Gonzalez, Gonzalez, Obayashi, Price, Mr, Ms, Price’s, Moppin, Hector Jimenez Organizations: Los Angeles Police Department, Attorney’s Office, Oakland Police Department Locations: Maine, California, Alameda, Alameda County

☆ Here's what the SEC's 'all-out assault' on crypto means for the market's 2 biggest players
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Max Adams | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"If this goes poorly, it could be an existential issue for Coinbase," Jeff Blockinger, chief counsel at decentralized finance platform Vertex Protocol, told Insider. Sources told Insider they expect Coinbase to fight extremely hard against the suit, which essentially says its whole US operation is illegal. "This is an all-out assault, particularly in regards to Binance, but it is a broader assault on the industry. A deal just means 'the casino can stay open'From Smith's point of view, the real existential matter isn't the SEC's lawsuit but rather the nature of the market itself. "If the SEC and Coinbase cut some sort of deal, that just means the casino can stay open."

Persons: —, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao —, Binance, Zhao, Jeff Blockinger, it's, Brian Armstrong, he's, Coinbase, Gensler, Sam Bankman, Richard Smith, Ron Geffner, Goldberg, Geffner, There's, Smith Organizations: Coinbase, Service, Securities, Exchange Commission, Binance, SEC, Commodities Futures Trading Commission, Bloomberg, The Foundation Locations: Cayman Islands, Alameda, SEC's

The company has denied that its talc contains asbestos, which is linked to mesothelioma, or causes cancer. J&J in a statement on Wednesday said it "deeply sympathizes with anyone suffering from cancer and understands they are looking for answers. It is the company's second attempt to resolve talc claims in bankruptcy, after a federal appeals court rejected an earlier bid. Still, the outcome of the trial could influence whether other plaintiffs decide to join in the proposed settlement. J&J and LTL have argued bankruptcy delivers settlement payouts more fairly, efficiently and equitably than a “lottery” offered by trial courts, where some litigants get large awards and others nothing.

Persons: Johnson, Emory Hernandez, Joseph Satterley, Hernandez, Satterley, J, Michael Kaplan, LTL, Brendan Pierson, Alexia Garamfalvi, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Johnson, Wednesday, LTL Management, LTL's, Thomson Locations: Alameda County , California, Trenton , New Jersey, New York

CompaniesCompanies Law Firms FTX Trading Limited FollowMay 31 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried is seeking documents from a law firm that advised his defunct FTX cryptocurrency exchange, saying in a court filing that they could help him beat fraud charges. The former crypto mogul said the documents could prove that he relied on legal advice from Silicon Valley law firm Fenwick & West and did not believe he was breaking the law. Manhattan federal prosecutors must prove he knew his conduct was illegal. Bankman-Fried, the 31-year-old founder of now-defunct FTX Trading, has pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court to 13 counts of fraud, conspiracy, illegal campaign contributions and foreign bribery. Prosecutors allege Bankman-Fried stole billions of dollars in customer funds to plug losses in his hedge fund Alameda Research, which collapsed along with FTX last year after its risky cryptocurrency bets backfired.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Fenwick, FTX, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, ”, “ meritless ”, Palo, Jack Queen Organizations: West, Prosecutors, Alameda Research, U.S, District, Thomson Locations: Silicon Valley, Manhattan, Palo Alto , California, Bahamas

☆ Bankman-Fried hints at blame-the-lawyers defense in criminal case
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The plaintiffs' lawyer who filed that case, Kerry Miller of Fishman Haygood, told me on Wednesday that he plans to monitor the Bankman-Fried criminal case for any Fenwick & West documents that might boost the class allegations. Companies are typically reluctant to waive privilege for fear that their lawyers’ documents might be used in other cases. That assertion seems to hint that Bankman-Fried will claim that he can personally waive privilege over some Fenwick & West communications. The strongest defense case, Sandick said, would probably feature testimony from a Fenwick & West witness to bolster testimony from Bankman-Fried about his reliance on advice from FTX lawyers. But contradictory testimony from a law firm witness could undermine Bankman-Fried’s advice-of-counsel defense.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Gresser, Fenwick, Fried, West, FTX, “, ”, Bankman, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan, Kerry Miller, Fishman Haygood, Cohen, Sullivan, Cromwell, Harry Sandick, Patterson Belknap Webb, Tyler, ” Sandick, Sandick, ‘, ’ ”, Alison Frankel Organizations: Cohen, Fenwick & West, Alameda Research, Silvergate Bank, West, U.S, Prosecutors, Alameda, District, District Judge Lewis Kaplan of, Fenwick &, Manhattan U.S, Companies, Defense, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Fenwick, FTX, Alameda, Manhattan, California, District Judge Lewis Kaplan of Manhattan

NEW YORK, May 29 (Reuters) - Prosecutors urged a Manhattan federal court judge on Monday to deny a request by FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried to dismiss criminal charges accusing him of stealing billions of dollars from customers to plug losses at his hedge fund. Bankman-Fried, the 31-year-old former cryptocurrency billionaire, has pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of fraud, conspiracy, making illegal campaign contributions and foreign bribery. In a filing late Monday, prosecutors described motions to dismiss the charges as "meritless", rebutting Bankman-Fried's argument that the indictment's allegations were insufficient and legally defective. He has also argued that some of the fraud charges he faces were based on a theory that the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated on May 11. Legal experts have said Bankman-Fried faces long odds of getting the charges tossed, because prosecutors can point to tangible money that his customers lost.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's trial involves over 6 million pages of evidence including Caroline Ellison's diary, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Bankman-Fried's trial has over six million pages of evidence, per the NYT. The diary of Caroline Ellison, former Almada CEO and on-off girlfriend of SBF, is also evidence. Sam Bankman-Fried's trial involves over six million pages of evidence, making it one of the biggest ever cases of white-collar securities fraud in Manhattan, The New York Times reported. The FTX cofounder has pleaded not guilty to 13 criminal counts including bank fraud, bribery, and campaign finance violations. According to The Times, 2.5 million pages of the evidence come from Bankman-Fried's phones, laptops, and Google accounts.

☆ Bankman-Fried faces long odds of tossing charges despite Supreme Court decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But legal experts said Bankman-Fried's odds of getting the charges dismissed remain slim. Days later, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated that theory known as "right to control" when it overturned the conviction of a Buffalo construction executive accused of bid-rigging. The Court said the theory is "inconsistent with the structure and history of the federal fraud statutes." Officials say Bankman-Fried portrayed FTX as a safe, responsible platform in the volatile sector, even as he was diverting customer funds. Even if the bank fraud count is dismissed, Bankman-Fried would still face 12 other counts at his Oct. 2 trial.

☆ The funniest joke suggestions for Elon Musk's Twitter CEO successor, from Elizabeth Holmes to Meghan Markle
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk announced Thursday he would be handing over the Twitter CEO role to a woman. But Twitter users have been having fun suggesting several joke candidates. Months after Twitter users voted for Elon Musk to step down as the company's CEO, the billionaire announced Thursday that he'd found someone to takeover the position. Musk tweeted. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Yaccarino is in talks to take over as Twitter CEO.

May 9 (Reuters) - Indicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has renewed his attacks on the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange’s law firm as he mounts his defense against a raft of fraud, money laundering and campaign finance charges. Bankman-Fried late Monday asked a judge to designate FTX’s current leadership and the exchange’s attorneys at law firm Sullivan & Cromwell as part of the “prosecution team” in the criminal case against him. FTX and Sullivan & Cromwell provided such extensive cooperation to the government that prosecutors had “effectively deputized the company to aid the prosecution,” Bankman-Fried argued. Sullivan & Cromwell, a prominent Wall Street law firm with about 900 lawyers, represented FTX on transactions and regulatory matters before its collapse last year. In Monday’s filing, Bankman-Fried’s defense team said Ray and FTX’s bankruptcy lawyers have acted as “public mouthpieces” for the prosecution and have turned over “cherry-picked” information incriminating Bankman-Fried.

Prosecutors have until May 29 to respond to Bankman-Fried's dismissal request, and Kaplan will hear arguments on June 15. EXTRADITIONBankman-Fried has acknowledged that FTX had inadequate risk management but denies stealing funds, and has sought to distance himself from FTX's day-to-day operations. In pleading guilty, Singh admitted to making political donations in his own name that were funded in part by transfers from Alameda. "The campaign finance allegations reveal, yet again, the consequences of the Government's rush to indict Mr. Bankman-Fried," his lawyers wrote. Bankman-Fried has largely been confined to his parents' home since his December arrest in the Bahamas, where he had lived and where FTX was based.

FTX imploded after a flurry of customer withdrawals in the wake of reports it had commingled assets with Alameda Research, Bankman-Fried's crypto-focused hedge fund. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate has pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of fraud and conspiracy. He has acknowledged that FTX had inadequate risk management but denies stealing funds, and has sought to distance himself from FTX's day-to-day operations. Three onetime close associates - former Alameda co-chief executive Caroline Ellison, former FTX technology chief Gary Wang, and former FTX engineering chief Nishad Singh - have all pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Bankman-Fried has limited access to technology, after prosecutors warned he might tamper with witnesses.

☆ Shaq tries to dismiss FTX lawsuit, saying he was inadequately served court papers because they were 'tossed' at his moving car
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

O'Neal was served last month after a three-month chase, according to tweets from a law firm. Shaquille O'Neal is trying to get his FTX lawsuit dismissed, saying the way he was served with papers was "inadequate." "Plaintiffs in the billion $ FTX class action case just served @SHAQ outside his house," The Moskowitz Law Firm tweeted on April 17. Representatives for Shaq and The Moskowitz Law Firm did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside normal working hours. In November, investors filed a proposed class-action against several celebrities and public figures who endorsed Sam Bankman-Fried's failed FTX.

☆ Hurricanes of Data: The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Porter Fox | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +35 min

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea Shortly after dawn on Sept. 30, 2021, Richard Jenkins watched a Category 4 hurricane overrun his life’s work. That August, a sister ship, SD 1031, successfully entered Tropical Storm Henri, but only in its early stages. Hurricane research, modeling and forecasting requires many terabytes of data for every square mile the storm passes through, including vitally important sea-level data from inside a storm. The next day, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and officially given the name Sam. And four months later, Tropical Storm Megi killed more than 150, wiped out several villages with landslides and displaced more than a million people.

New York CNN —Lawyers for FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried on Monday filed motions to dismiss the US government’s fraud charges against him. Bankman-Fried’s attorneys said the government failed to properly explain what offenses the former CEO of the bankrupt crypto exchange committed. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to the 13 charges. Prosecutors allege that Bankman-Fried stole FTX customer deposits to finance risky bets at his hedge fund, Alameda Research, and to funnel contributions to American politicians. Three of Bankman-Fried’s former business partners — Gary Wang, Caroline Ellison and Nishad Singh — have pleaded guilty to numerous charges and are cooperating with investigators.

Companies Genesis Global Capital, Llc FollowMay 4 (Reuters) - Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX received U.S. bankruptcy court permission on Thursday to sell its LedgerX business for $50 million, raising additional funds to repay creditors. Miami International Holdings owns the Bermuda Stock Exchange and several U.S.-registered securities exchanges, including the Miami International Securities Exchange. FTX said in a court filing that Genesis owes it that money as a result of transactions that took place shortly before FTX's bankruptcy filing. Genesis, unlike other creditors, was largely repaid before FTX went bankrupt, FTX said. FTX, a once-prominent crypto exchange, filed for Chapter 11 amid allegations that founder Sam Bankman-Fried used FTX customers' money to prop up Alameda's balance sheet.

☆ FBI searches the $4 million home of former FTX exec Ryan Salame, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ryan Salame was the co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets, FTX's Bahamian subsidiary. The FBI searched the home of the former co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets, Ryan Salame, on Thursday morning, The New York Times reported. FTX Digital Markets was the Bahamian subsidiary of Sam Bankman-Fried's fallen crypto exchange, FTX. Prosecutors allege Bankman-Fried funneled $100 million in political donations through FTX executives, which allowed him to exceed contribution limits. The FBI and a lawyer for Salame did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, sent outside US working hours.

CNN —Nima Momeni, the man accused of killing Cash App founder Bob Lee in San Francisco, intends to plead not guilty next week, his attorney said. “We believe that we have sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Momeni murdered Bob Lee,” Jenkins said. Alleged conversations between Lee and MomeniBob Lee cofounded the mobile payment service provider Cash App. Lee had told Momeni nothing inappropriate happened, according to the document. “Momeni forcefully grabbed her right upper arm and her right side waist area,” Officer Johnson wrote in the report, according to the Chronicle.

☆ Nima Momeni was cited with assault against a woman less than a year before he was arrested and charged in the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lloyd Lee | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Nima Momeni faces a murder charge in connection to Cash App founder Bob Lee's death. Less than a year before, he was cited for simple assault of a woman, records show. Momeni had a few prior run-ins with police, including for driving with a suspended license and a DUI. Nima Momeni, 38, the tech consultant who was arrested on a murder charge in the stabbing of Cash App creator Bob Lee, was previously cited on suspicion of assault and battery, according to police records obtained by Insider. Records state that Momeni was subsequently cited and released on PC 242, the California penal code for assault and battery.

☆ Bob Lee: Suspect accused of killing CashApp founder had been cited in 2022 domestic battery incident but never charged, San Francisco Chronicle reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Taylor Romine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The suspect accused of killing CashApp founder Bob Lee was cited last year by police for misdemeanor battery, the San Francisco Chronicle reported exclusively Thursday. Lee, who cofounded the mobile payment service provider Cash App, was stabbed to death in the Rincon Hill neighborhood of San Francisco early in the morning of April 4. Momeni was taken to the San Francisco County jail last week, where he was booked on one charge of murder. Dispatch records show she told police Momeni “grabbed her arm & pulled it, pushed her physically,” the paper reported. Police officers “indicated they cited and released Momeni on suspicion of battery almost an hour after the call came in,” the Chronicle said.

☆ Search Halted for 3 Americans Missing Off the Mexican Coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Johnny Diaz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The search for three Americans who were reported missing two weeks ago, after sailing off the coast of Mexico to California, has been called off, the authorities in both countries said. The missing people, a woman and two men identified as Kerry O’Brien, Frank O’Brien and William Gross, were sailing aboard the Ocean Bound, a 44-foot La Fitte sailboat. They were last heard from on April 4, when they were near Mazatlán, Mexico, the Coast Guard said in a news release. The Coast Guard did not specify their ages on Thursday. The three travelers had left Mazatlán on their way to San Diego, and they were scheduled to stop in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on April 6 to resupply with provisions, according to the Coast Guard.

☆ Oakland Athletics signal impending move to Las Vegas with agreement to purchase land near strip, per reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Homero De La Fuente | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Oakland Athletics have signed a binding purchase agreement for land near the Las Vegas Strip, where the team plans to construct a Major League ballpark, according to reports from the Las Vegas Review-Journal and The Athletic, citing Athletics team president Dave Kaval. A general view of play between the Oakland Athletics and the Texas Rangers at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 6, 2020. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty ImagesMLB commissioner Rob Manfred expressed his support on the Athletics’ plans to relocate to Las Vegas. “Welcoming the A’s to Las Vegas would be great news for Southern Nevada as well as our entire state,” Lombardo said in a statement to the Review-Journal. “The prospect of bringing new jobs, more economic development and a historic MLB franchise to Las Vegas is exciting on many levels.

☆ Taylor Swift didn't sign $100 million FTX sponsorship because she was the only one to ask about unregistered securities, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Taylor Swift pulled out of a $100 million sponsorship deal with Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX. The lawyer suing other celebrities for promoting FTX says she was the only one to ask about unregistered securities. Taylor Swift managed to avoid signing a $100 million sponsorship deal with FTX because she was reportedly the only celebrity to question the crypto exchange, according to the lawyer handling a class-action lawsuit against several FTX promoters. "The one person I found that did that was Taylor Swift," Moskowitz told The Scoop's Frank Chaparro. "In our discovery, Taylor Swift actually asked them: 'Can you tell me that these are not unregistered securities?'"

☆ FTX could relaunch - and one of its former VC backers may lead a $250 million funding round to revive the failed exchange, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tribe Capital may lead a $250 million funding round to reboot FTX, according to Bloomberg. Tribe's cofounder Arjun Sethi held talks with the failed crypto exchange in January, sources said. The VC firm and its partners could provide $100 million to fund the relaunch, Bloomberg said. Tribe Capital is considering leading a $250 million fundraising effort to help reboot the failed crypto exchange, Bloomberg said, citing people familiar with the matter. Tribe's proposal in January would relaunch FTX US, FTX Australia, FTX Japan, FTX EU, FTX International and LedgerX, Bloomberg said.

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