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Heading into a state election on Saturday, the conservative coalition has promised to rein in the powerful "pokies" industry in a jurisdiction with nearly one-tenth of the world's million machines, second only to Las Vegas. "This is the first time in our state's history ... that poker machine reform is actually an election issue," said Stu Cameron, CEO of Wesley Mission, a charity that supports the homeless, addicts and others. Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics"We are the epicenter of pokie machine addiction not just in Australia but across the world. McMillan, the air conditioning repairman, said cashless machines alone could not stop problem gambling, but "I would promote any change that could help people". Since then, a quarter of its 400 groups have taken grants from slot machine interests, Reuters' analysis of publicly available documents showed, in a sign of the industry's grassroots hold.

☆ DirecTV and Newsmax end ugly dispute as the satellite carrier strikes deal to resume broadcasting the right-wing channel
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —DirecTV said Wednesday that it has reached a multi-year distribution agreement with Newsmax, putting to end a bitter carriage dispute that waded into political waters and saw the right-wing channel and satellite carrier savage one another in public. “This resolution with Newsmax, resolving an all-too-common carriage dispute, underscores our dedication to delivering a wide array of programming and perspectives to our customers,” said Bill Morrow, chief executive of DirecTV. Newsmax advanced a wholly different narrative, accusing DirecTV of working to censor conservative voices, even though the carrier offers right-wing talk channels such as Fox News and The First on its lineup. DirecTV said that it found such behavior “troubling,” calling out Newsmax for promoting “inaccurate and misleading information” about the dispute as the outlet published an endless stream of content targeting the satellite carrier. GOP Rep. Byron Donalds, a House Oversight Committee member, told Newsmax last month that Republicans were “definitely looking into” holding a hearing.

☆ U.S. State-Government Websites Use TikTok Trackers, Review Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Byron Tau | Dustin Volz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—More than two dozen state governments have placed web-tracking code made by TikTok parent ByteDance Ltd. on official websites, according to a new report from a cybersecurity company, illustrating the difficulties U.S. regulators face in curtailing data-collection efforts by the popular Chinese-owned app. A review of the websites of more than 3,500 companies, organizations and government entities by the Toronto-based company Feroot Security found that so-called tracking pixels from the TikTok parent company were present in 30 U.S. state-government websites across 27 states, including some where the app has been banned from state networks and devices. Feroot collected the data in January and February of this year.

☆ A Big Donor, Nancy Pelosi and the FCC
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

We recently told you that Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel ’s move to scuttle Standard General’s acquisition of TV station operator Tegna Inc. is dubious as a matter of law. Now evidence suggests she may have been doing the bidding of a major Democratic donor. Byron Allen ’s Allen Media Group made a play for Tegna in autumn 2021. Bloomberg News reported at the time that he was seeking to raise money from investment funds to buy Tegna and roll his existing stations into the new company. Around the same time, Mr. Allen made several contributions to then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic campaign committees.

☆ FBI Once Bought Mobile-Phone Data for Warrantless Tracking. Other Agencies Still Do.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Byron Tau | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The FBI says it doesn’t currently buy commercial database information that includes location data derived from internet advertising. WASHINGTON—The Federal Bureau of Investigation this week acknowledged having bought precise geolocation data derived from mobile-phone advertising in the past before backing away from the practice in the face of thorny legal issues and public controversy. The precise location of millions of mobile devices and automobiles is increasingly available for sale by commercial vendors, sometimes offering a nearly real-time look at how a phone or vehicle moves around the world. Several government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, have bought access to this kind of commercial information such as the geolocation of phones without court authorization, something the FBI says it no longer does.

☆ U.S. House Republican hardliners unveil spending demands for raising debt ceiling
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - The hardline U.S. House Freedom Caucus responded to President Joe Biden's $6.8 trillion budget proposal on Friday, with a list of demands including a near freeze on discretionary spending and an end to multiple programs, in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry said the plan would mean a $131 billion spending cut for fiscal 2024, which begins on Oct. 1, and save $3 trillion over a decade. "America will not default on our debts unless President Biden chooses to do so," Perry told reporters at a news conference. "To ensure America does not default on our debts, the House Freedom Caucus is offering a responsible solution." "To president Biden: your budget is dead on arrival," said Representative Byron Donalds, a House Freedom Caucus member.

SYDNEY, March 8 (Reuters) - One of Australia's top government bureaucrats on Wednesday demanded Russia crack down on the large number of cyber criminals operating in the country, saying their actions posed a threat to national security. The comments come as Canberra reforms its cybersecurity policy following a raft of cyber attacks on some of the country's largest companies. "The greatest density of cyber criminals, particularly those with ransomware, are in Russia," Michael Pezzullo, Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, told the AFR Business Summit in Sydney. The move follows a rise in cyber attacks since late last year with breaches reported by at least eight companies, including health insurer Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX) and telco Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (STEL.SI). The United States and Britain sanctioned several Russians accused of cyber attacks last month, saying ransomware attacks have paralysed businesses, schools and hospitals.

☆ Paramount Global mulls sale of majority stake in BET -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 6 (Reuters) - Paramount Global (PARA.O) is mulling the possible sale of a majority stake in BET Media Group, which includes the BET cable network, BET Studios and VH1, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. BET drew an immediate expression of interest from Byron Allen, whose Allen Media Group's assets include The Weather Channel. A spokesperson for Allen Media Group said it "will be pursuing the acquisition of the network." Paramount also formed BET Studios in 2021 through a partnership with "Black-ish" creator Kenya Barris, actress Rashida Jones and "S.W.A.T" co-creator Aaron Rahsaan Thomas. The Wall Street Journal first reported that Paramount was exploring a possible sale of BET as it looks to improve its balance sheet.

☆ Record retail theft puts pressure on Australian supermarket giants
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, March 2 (Reuters) - Retail theft has hit record levels in Australia, government statistics show, putting pressure on grocery giants Woolworths Group Ltd (WOW.AX) and Coles Group Ltd (COL.AX) that are already struggling with soaring supply costs and freight blockages. Queensland, Australia's third-largest state, had the highest monthly rate of shop stealing on record this January, according to publicly available police data. Neither state's data specified which retailers reported theft. That may impact profit at Woolworths and Coles, which together ring up two-thirds of Australian grocery sales and noted rising store theft in trading updates last month. Supermarkets refer to goods lost to theft, expiry or payment error as stock losses.

[1/3] Students walk past stalls during the orientation week at The University of Sydney, in Camperdown, Australia February 15, 2023. 'BIG RUSH'The shortage has meanwhile jumpstarted one of the few subsets of Australian residential property, the student accommodation sector, that languished during COVID. Before 2020, Chinese students accounted for about 40% of the A$40 billion ($27 billion) Australia made educating foreigners annually. But China's reopening has raised the issue about the availability of beds in a "welcome sign" for investors, said Brad Williams, managing director of AMP Capital's diversified infrastructure trust, Australia's third-largest owner of purpose-built student accommodation. Tomas Johnsson, CEO of UniLodge Australia, the country's biggest operator of purpose-built student accommodation, said some developers were even paying more to speed up construction.

Regional rival Air New Zealand Ltd (AIR.NZ) also reported a swing to profit in the first half ended Dec. 31 on Thursday, along with a muted outlook. Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said cost of living pressures would hit discretionary spending "at some point" but so far the airline expected robust demand into mid-2024 at least. Qantas said it was facing delays of up to six months in new aircraft deliveries from Airbus SE (AIR.PA) alongside other airlines around the world. The Australian carrier said it would bolster its fleet by acquiring some older Airbus planes and exercising nine options for A220 purchases to help meet travel demand growth. "Outlook for RASK is to reduce, however off what we estimate were elevated levels," said Citi analysts in a client note.

☆ Australia tells Twitter, Google to give information on handling online child abuse
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationSYDNEY, Feb 23 (Reuters) - An Australian regulator has sent legal letters to Twitter and Google telling them to hand over information about their efforts to stop online child abuse, drawing them into a crackdown that has already put pressure on other global tech firms. She said it was in Twitter's interests to show that it was acting effectively to eradicate child sexual abuse material, otherwise advertisers could turn away from the company. Apart from writing to Twitter, the commissioner also sent letters to Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google, owner of YouTube and the file storage unit Google Drive, and China's TikTok. Last year, the commissioner sent similar notices to Apple Inc (AAPL.O), Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Facebook owner Meta Platforms (META.O). read moreInman Grant said a 2020 joint investigation with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection found widespread publicly-available abuse material on Twitter, which those authorities reported to Twitter's head of trust and safety.

☆ GOP lawmakers vilify ESG moves at BlackRock, Vanguard but take their money nonetheless
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

But Republicans have vilified BlackRock, Vanguard Group and State Street for leading the push on Wall Street to promote clean energy and what GOP lawmakers often title "left-wing social priorities." Still, many Republican lawmakers received money from the very firms their party is criticizing. It was the third election cycle in a row that both lawmakers took donations from the firm's PAC. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., received $10,000 from BlackRock and a combined $6,500 from Vanguard and State Street in the 2022 cycle. Huizenga's spokesman Brian Patrick said the donations won't affect the lawmaker's position on ESG issues.

Woolworths and smaller rival Coles Group Ltd (COL.AX) have experienced wild swings in Australian consumer behaviour since COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 sparked grocery stockpiling. As with Coles' interim result reported on Tuesday, the Woolworths profit gain was helped by a sharp decline in COVID-19 related expenses. Woolworths shares were up 2% by midsession, against a 0.3% dip in the broader benchmark(.AXJO), as analysts cheered the prospect of profit margin growth at a company exposed to rising supply costs. "Momentum in the key Australian Food business remains solid, with sales growth rates better than expected in early 2H23," E&P Financial retail analyst said Phillip Kimber in a client note. Woolworths declared an interim dividend of 46 Australian cents per share, compared with 39 Australian cents a year earlier.

☆ PayPal tells Australia it supports buy-now-pay-later regulation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Payments giant PayPal Holdings Inc (PYPL.O) wants buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) loans subjected to consumer protection law, it said in a submission to the Australian government, adding a powerful voice from inside the sector calling for regulation. Many other companies which sell BNPL loans said in submissions that they supported minimal or self-regulation. BNPL companies attract shoppers by charging no interest and make money from retailer fees. The company saw "merit in further consideration of the development of a bespoke BNPL credit reporting framework" without the full "costs typically associated with engaging in the credit reporting regime". The government has said it wants BNPL regulation in place in 2023.

☆ Why the future of Sinclair's Bally Sports Regional Networks matters to every pro league and stakeholder in the TV sports business
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sinclair bought its regional sports networks, now branded as Bally, from Fox after it sold assets to Disney. Four years later, the 19 networks now carrying the Bally Sports brand name are likely headed for a Chapter 11 reorganization. "We see downside risk increasing as Pay TV subscribers shift away from the linear bundle. Questions are swirling over how Diamond Sports will continue to pay rights fees to the sports leagues during a reorganization process. Symson said local rights are up in some markets and Scripps is ready to engage.

Thirteen relatives of victims spoke during the hearing including Simone Crawley, who called Gendron, 19, a "cowardly racist." The sentence, which was expected because the state does not employ the death penalty, was given by Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan. Erie County District Attorney John Flynn and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown called Gendron's apology too little and too late. "I anticipate what he said today was to save his life in federal court," Flynn said after the hearing. His lawyers have sought a plea deal relating to these in an effort to avoid a possible death sentence.

☆ Biden doubles down on needling Republicans over proposed Social Security and Medicare cuts: 'I'm your nightmare'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

"I guess I shouldn't say any more," he said, "but particularly on Social Security and Medicare." Rubio, who is in the rumored mix for the 2024 GOP nomination, said anybody who supports slashing Social Security or Medicare is delusional. "You have to listen to what the president said the last couple of years about protecting and fighting for Medicare and Social Security." "I've never ever said I would reduce Medicare or Social Security benefits. As for Social Security, its trust funds are expected to be insolvent by 2035, which would trigger 20% in cuts across the board.

☆ Four takeaways from Biden's State of the Union speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

While Democrats were quick to rise in applause, Republicans applauded only sporadically, and remained silent when Biden listed his administration's accomplishments. Several Republican lawmakers remained seated throughout. "Social Security and Medicare are a lifeline for millions of seniors. We will not cut Social Security!" Murphy, a Democratic ally of the president, called the speech "the best the president has ever been" and touted Biden's "metaphysical connection" to the viewing public.

☆ Biden declares 'unanimity' after Republicans boo idea of Social Security cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset," the president said. Sitting behind Biden, McCarthy shook his head as Biden raised the idea. Multiple House Republicans, including hardliners Marjorie Taylor Greene and Byron Donalds booed. Biden even urged protesting Republicans to contact his office, saying he would "give you a copy of the proposal." "So, folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now.

☆ Three takeaways from Biden's State of the Union speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who once served as press secretary for Trump, rejected Biden's speech in a response prepared beforehand. "Social Security and Medicare are a lifeline for millions of seniors. ATTACK ON BIG COMPANIESBiden used a large segment of his ostensibly bipartisan pitch attacking corporations, from what he called "Big Pharma" to "Big Oil" and "Big Tech." Biden accused the pharmaceutical companies of charging too much for insulin but made no mention of their role in tamping down the COVID-19 pandemic. He accused tech companies of running a for-profit "experiment" on children, said oil companies were making too much money and made a case for higher taxes on billionaires.

One of the really interesting questions here – this will be fascinating – the core of linear TV is sports rights. When you look at the size and scope of the linear TV business, it's huge. Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty ImagesByron Allen, Entertainment Studios founder and CEO: I think linear TV will exist for a very, very long time. Simmons: I believe Apple, out of nowhere, will start making their own awesome televisions that have Apple TV embedded in them. We are witnessing early stages of this dynamic with deals like "NFL Sunday Ticket" on YouTube and the MLS deal with Apple TV.

☆ Australia's biggest state unveils plan for cashless poker machines
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Feb 6 (Reuters) - The leader of Australia's most populous state on Monday unveiled a plan to make all poker machines cashless within five years to fight money laundering and problem gambling, setting up a political battle ahead of a state election next month. New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said his government would make every poker machine cashless by 2028 and offer interest-free loans for pubs and clubs to buy new cashless gambling machines that would only allow players to bet from a bank account. Perrottet said his proposal "solves problem gambling, solves money laundering, protects jobs and industries". Australia, with a population of 25 million, has about one-fifth of the world's 1 million legal poker machines, according to think tank the Australia Institute. The centre-left Labor state opposition has stopped short of calling for mandatory cashless poker machines, saying only that it would support a limited trial of the measure.

☆ George Santos' first House race took days to call in 2020. So he came to DC for new member orientation and had a blast before finding out he lost.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In 2020, Santos ran his first campaign and lost — but still went to DC for new member orientation. 'He seemed nice'In cases where a congressional election takes more than a few days to fully determine, both candidates are sometimes invited to take part in new member orientation. Adam Frisch, a Democrat who almost unseated Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert this past year, attended the orientation sessions in November as the vote-counting in Colorado dragged on. In 2018, current Republican Rep. Young Kim of California attended as well, despite ultimately losing her race that year. Santos at 2020 new member orientation, seated near Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas and Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs of California.

☆ Tom Brady Retires: The Revised Edition
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Ben Shpigel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is retiring from football. His seven Super Bowl titles are more than any single organization has won. He was twice foiled in the Super Bowl by the New York Giants. Brady racked up yardage but Tampa Bay fired its offensive coordinator, Byron Leftwich. Look again, though, at the piercing final play from that game: A 30-yard Rams field goal, the ball snapped from the Tampa Bay 12-yard line.

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