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☆ How Big Law fumbled its own Rooney rule on diversity
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Elizabeth Olson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Several law firms adopted the Mansfield rule in 2017, which aims to increase diversity in leadership. It's effectively the NFL's two-decade-old Rooney rule: a requirement that nonwhite candidates be considered when teams hire for coaching and front-office jobs. Law firms followed professional football in 2017 with its version of the Rooney rule, called the Mansfield rule. At first, the Rooney rule seemed to catch on when teams started to hire more coaches of color and a dozen general managers of color when that position was added to the Rooney rule. "For the Rooney rule to work," he said, "there has to be a true commitment from the owners.

While indigenous groups account for about 5% of the world's population, their lands safeguard about 80% of Earth's remaining plant and animal species, according to the World Bank. Indigenous groups have a range of concerns about the U.N. summit negotiations. Some critics worry that the 30-by-30 target could be used to erode indigenous rights under the guise of conservation. Others, like Tuxa of Brazil and Ngomo of Congo argue that a 30% conservation target does not go far enough to ensure nature's protection. Adopting a 30% target at the national level could backfire, Tuxa said, in suggesting Brazil can open more land to development.

☆ Federal judge dismisses crypto scam lawsuit against Kim Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a proposed class action lawsuit by investors against the founders of the cryptocurrency EthereumMax, as well as celebrity endorsers including Kim Kardashian and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. over their promotion of the cryptocurrency on social media. Investors who bought EMAX tokens alleged they had suffered losses after taking the word of the celebrity influencers about the value of the crypto. The suit claims the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to artificially inflate the value of the EMAX tokens. "We're pleased with the court's well-reasoned decision on the case," Michael Rhodes, a lawyer for Kardashian, told CNBC. Fitzgerald in his ruling Wednesday said the EthereumMax lawsuit reflects a broader conflict surrounding celebrity and influencer promotional schemes.

☆ McCarthy's struggle to lock down House Speaker roils GOP caucus, delays key committee assignments
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

A spokesman for McCarthy did not respond to questions from CNBC about the committee vote schedule. Instead, both sides have dug in over the past week, telling reporters they're ready to take the fight all the way to the House floor on Jan. 3. "Oh yeah, I'll take the speaker's fight to the floor," McCarthy told reporters in the Capitol recently. "The goal was never to embarrass Kevin McCarthy on the [House] floor, no one wants that," she said. It also prompted McCarthy to issue a long statement condemning her prior remarks, which he said "do not represent the values or beliefs of House Republicans."

☆ Indonesia’s Parliament passes law criminalizing adultery
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia’s Parliament passed a long-awaited and controversial revision of its penal code Tuesday that criminalizes extramarital sex for citizens and visiting foreigners alike. After ratification, the new criminal code must be signed by the president, according to Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights Edward Hiariej. The criminal code will not apply immediately. Widodo had instructed Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly to get input from various communities while lawmakers discussed the articles. “These laws let police extort bribes, let officials jail political foes, for instance, with the blasphemy law,” Harsono said.

☆ David Zaslav's top priority at Warner Bros. Discovery: Get the cash flowing again
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Discovery will generate more than $3 billion in free cash flow this year, about $4 billion next year and close to $6 billion in free cash flow in 2024, according to company forecasts. Warner Bros. The one certainty is Zaslav's decision will be squarely based on how a deal affects the company's free cash flow.

☆ House Ethics Committee admonishes Rep. Madison Cawthorn over crypto promotion, failure to disclose stake
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., watches results from the North Carolina primary election with staff, volunteers, family and friends at his campaign headquarters on Tuesday, May 17, 2022 in Hendersonville, NC. The House Ethics Committee on Tuesday said it admonished outgoing Rep. Madison Cawthorn and ordered the North Carolina Republican to pay more than $15,000 for violating conflict of interest rules by publicly promoting a cryptocurrency he owned, and for failing to promptly disclose crypto transactions. The panel's report comes nearly a month after Cawthorn reportedly vacated his Washington, D.C., and district offices. Cawthorn lost his bid for a second term in May, when he was narrowly defeated in the GOP primary by Chuck Edwards. Days after Cawthorn lost to Edwards, the Ethics Committee revealed it was probing the congressman for possibly improper promotion of the so-called Let's Go Brandon coin, and for a possible improper relationship with a staffer.

☆ Putin signs law expanding Russia's rules against 'LGBT propaganda'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 5 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a law expanding Russia's restrictions on the promotion of what it calls "LGBT propaganda", effectively outlawing any public expression of LGBT behaviour or lifestyle in Russia. Under the new law, which widens Russia's interpretation of what qualifies as "LGBT propaganda", any action or the spreading of any information that is considered an attempt to promote homosexuality in public, online, or in films, books or advertising, could incur a heavy fine. The law expands Russia's previous law against LGBT propaganda that had banned the "demonstration" of LGBT behaviour to children. Authorities have already used the existing law to stop gay pride marches and detain gay rights activists. Rights groups say the new law is intended to drive so-called "non-traditional" LGBT lifestyles practised by lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people out of public life altogether.

☆ Incoming House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries says there's 'a real risk' that the new GOP majority in the chamber will be 'hijacked by the extremists'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Hakeem Jeffries said there's "a real risk" the incoming House GOP majority is being "hijacked" by extremists. Jeffries, the incoming House Democratic leader, said Republicans have not laid out an economic plan. During his interview with CNN, Jeffries was relatively mum on his feelings about Kevin McCarthy. "It's because there's a real risk that the incoming Republican majority is being hijacked by the extremists who have grown in ranks," he added. When asked during the CNN interview what he thought about McCarthy, Jeffries didn't have much to say about his colleague.

☆ Crypto crash leaves media companies with budget holes as advertising dries up
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In Alphabet 's third-quarter earnings call last month, the company blamed a slowdown in revenue growth in part on reduced ad spending by cypto companies and other financial firms. A 30-second spot during the NFL's grand finale in February cost an average of $6.5 million, and crypto was a huge theme. Crypto.com's online ad spending plummeted from about $16.2 million in the first quarter to $1.6 million in the third, SensorTower said. The crypto market has suffered downturns in the past, only to bounce back and attract even greater sums of cash and new entrants. WATCH: FTX's bankruptcy puts increased pressure on the ad market

☆ Twitter stops policing Covid-19 misinformation under CEO Elon Musk and reportedly restores 62,000 suspended accounts
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk's Twitter account displayed on a mobile with Elon Musk in the background are seen in this illustration. Twitter CEO Elon Musk has been a vocal critic of how health officials reacted to the coronavirus pandemic. Musk has committed to free speech on Twitter, which might partially explain why the change was enacted. The change comes as technology newsletter Platformer says employees are scrambling to restore more than 62,000 suspended accounts. That figure could include some of the more than 11,000 accounts that were suspended for violating the company's Covid-19 misinformation rules.

☆ 'Glass Onion' could have made $200 million, but Netflix only let it play in theaters for a week
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Netflix probably left hundreds of millions of dollars on the table by not keeping Rian Johnson's "Glass Onion" in theaters. "Glass Onion" leaves theaters Tuesday. The truncated run for "Glass Onion" also prompted industry insiders to again question the streamer's theatrical release strategy. The first film's performance at the box office has provoked questions about why Netflix has limited the release of "Glass Onion" to just one week in a limited number of theaters. "Glass Onion" earned a 93% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 238 reviews and an audience score of 92%, suggesting that it too could have generated the same kind of word of mouth.

☆ Kids Online Safety Act may harm minors, civil society groups warn lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Ranking Member Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) speaks during a Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security hearing on Protecting Kids Online: Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube on October 26, 2021 in Washington, DC. Dozens of civil society groups urged lawmakers in a letter on Monday against passing a bill that aims to protect children from online harm, warning the bill itself could actually inflict further danger on kids and teens. The American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Fight for the Future and Wikimedia Foundation were among the groups that wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Ranking Member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., opposing the Kids Online Safety Act. Sites would have to let their young users know when parental tools are in effect. The KOSA opponents warned that prescriptive parental controls could be harmful to kids in abusive situations.

When the United States' national men's team faces England at the Qatar World Cup later on Friday, one thing will be missing: medieval knights. Soccer’s governing body FIFA has told English soccer fans to ditch imitation chain mail, shields and swords or miss the game, according to the Times of London. England fans have worn similar outfits at previous tournaments while watching other sports. Press photos and social media footage show that England fans wearing Crusader gear were allowed into the stadium to watch their team's match against Iran. "As soon as you know anything about crusading history, you know it would produce a reaction like this in the Islamic world," he said.

☆ Qatar World Cup bans English soccer fans from dressing as medieval Crusaders
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Patrick Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

England fans pose for a picture with English footballer Trevor Sinclair at 4TheFans Fan Park ahead of the match. When the United States' national men's team faces England at the Qatar World Cup later on Friday, one thing will be missing: medieval knights. Soccer's governing body FIFA has told English soccer fans to ditch imitation chain mail, shields and swords or miss the game, according to the Times of London. England fans have worn similar outfits at previous tournaments while watching other sports. Press photos and social media footage show that England fans wearing Crusader gear were allowed into the stadium to watch their team's match against Iran.

☆ Russia is on the verge of passing an expanded version of its notorious anti-LGBTQ bill that bans promotion of 'non-traditional sexual relations'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The revised bill bans spreading "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" to people of any age. The bill prohibiting the promotion of "non-traditional sexual relations" builds upon a notorious law passed in 2013, which took aim at "propaganda" spread to minors. Under the new law passed by the State Duma, films, and advertisements depicting same-sex relationships could be banned. Russian citizens found to have spread propaganda about "non-traditional sexual relations" could face a fine of up to 400,000 rubles, or $6,600 at current exchange rates. Human-rights organizations have condemned Russia for the so-called "gay propaganda" law since its introduction.

☆ Fauci says he 'will cooperate fully' with GOP oversight hearings even though he's leaving the government
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dr. Anthony Fauci said he's ready to testify before US lawmakers under the new Congress. "I absolutely will cooperate fully and testify before the Congress if asked," Fauci told reporters during the White House press briefing. In the months leading up to the election, Republicans vowed to hold congressional oversight hearings with Fauci even after he leaves government. During Tuesday's press briefing, reporter Diana Glebova of conservative news outlet the Daily Caller tried to ask Fauci what he did to investigate the origins of COVID-19. Fauci left the briefing after taking questions from reporters for roughly 30 minutes.

☆ Ukraine to protest over Orban scarf showing Hungary including part of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine will summon the Hungarian ambassador to protest that Prime Minister Viktor Orban went to a football match wearing a scarf depicting some Ukrainian territory as part of Hungary, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said on Tuesday. "The promotion of revisionism ideas in Hungary does not contribute to the development of Ukrainian-Hungarian relations and does not comply with the principles of European policy," ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Facebook. Nikolenko said Ukraine wanted an apology and a rebuttal of any Hungarian claims on Ukrainian territory. Ukrainian media showed images of Orban meeting a Hungarian footballer wearing a scarf which the outlet Ukrainska Pravda said depicted a map of "Greater Hungary" including territory that is now part of the neighbouring states of Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Serbia and Ukraine. Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Live Nation, Ticketmaster may need breakup, some senators say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Taylor Swift poses on the red carpet for the 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) at the PSD Bank Dome in Duesseldorf, Germany, November 13, 2022. REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Ticketmaster and owner Live Nation Entertainment, the events ticketing giant behind the recently botched sale of Taylor Swift concert tickets, should be broken up by the Department of Justice if any misconduct is found in an ongoing investigation, Democratic senators said Monday. "This may be the only way to truly protect consumers, artists, and venue operators and to restore competition in the ticketing market." Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged in 2010 after a DOJ-brokered settlement that officials said would encourage competition and send ticket prices down. Instead, "across all genres and venues, Ticketmaster prices have more than tripled in the past 20 years," the senators wrote.

☆ Ukraine to protest over Orban scarf showing part of Ukraine as Hungarian territory
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV/BUDAPEST, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine will summon the Hungarian ambassador to protest that Prime Minister Viktor Orban went to a football match wearing a scarf depicting some Ukrainian territory as part of Hungary, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said on Tuesday. Ukrainian media showed images of Orban meeting a Hungarian footballer wearing a scarf which the outlet Ukrainska Pravda said depicted a map of "Greater Hungary" including territory that is now part of the neighbouring states of Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Serbia and Ukraine. Nikolenko said Ukraine wanted an apology and a rebuttal of any Hungarian claims on Ukrainian territory. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Orban did not directly address the controversy over the scarf. Reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Anita Komuves, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Trump is reportedly furious that top Republicans are trying to persuade him not to campaign in the Georgia Senate runoff: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Trump furious Republicans are trying to dissuade him from campaigning in Georgia runoff, per Rolling Stone. Trump's status in the GOP has taken a big hit after the midterm elections. Republican Herschel Walker faces Democrat Raphael Warnock in the Senate runoff in December. Trump endorsed hundreds of candidates in the midterm elections, in a bid to cement his hold over the Republican Party before announcing his 2024 bid. Trump's relentless promotion of election fraud conspiracy theories in 2020 was blamed by some for the Republican Party's two Georgia Senate runoff defeats last year.

☆ Elections 2022 shows the Latino vote moving to the right. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Keith Humphreys | Keith Humphreys Is The Esther Ting Memorial Professor Of Psychiatry At Stanford University School Of Medicine. He Served As A Drug Policy Advisor In The Bush | Obama White Houses | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

In the five years prior to the pandemic, Hispanic median household income grew more than twice as much as whites. It follows that, just as people rarely consider quitting jobs or divorcing spouses that they like, they find political change unappealing when they are satisfied with their life situation. There are certainly many Hispanic Americans who are poor and oppressed, but there’s considerable evidence that many are doing better than ever. In this year’s entering class at the University of California, the largest racial and ethnic group is Hispanics. But it’s easy for political junkies to assume that most people follow political nuances closely, when in fact they don’t.

☆ ‘Complicit’ Review: Going Along, Avoiding Blame
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Julian Baggini | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Corporate malfeasance is all too common and hurts far more than a company’s bottom line. Purdue Pharma’s promotion of opioid use was, by one calculation, the single largest cause of the decrease in U.S. life expectancy during the mid-2010s. Separately, an estimated 45,000 disability-adjusted life years were lost as a result of the pollution from the Volkswagen diesel engines that, in 2008-15, had fraudulently passed emission tests. The Sackler family name—which used to adorn galleries and buildings that the family funded with wealth from Purdue’s success—is mud. But to pin all the blame on the stand-out villains is too easy.

"It is more complicated than your plain vanilla crypto exchange story," she said. FTX filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11 and is facing scrutiny from U.S. authorities. The lawsuit filed on Tuesday did not name FTX as a defendant but instead targeted individuals. New lawsuits may also target celebrity promoters of FTX crypto products. Future investor lawsuits over the FTX meltdown are likely to allege claims beyond securities registration and consumer protection violations, plaintiffs' attorneys said.

☆ Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen named in lawsuit against FTX
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Genesis said it was working with advisers “to explore all possible options,” adding that it would release a plan for the lending business next week. “We’re working tirelessly to identify the best solutions for the lending business, including among other things, sourcing new liquidity,” the company said. The suspension comes as the entire crypto industry is on edge following the unraveling of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX exchange and Alameda Research hedge fund, both of which filed for bankruptcy late last week. On Wednesday an FTX investor sued Bankman-Fried as well as several celebrities who have endorsed the platform, including Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen and Steph Curry. “The deceptive FTX platform maintained by the FTX entities was truly a house of cards,” the proposed class-action lawsuit states.

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