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☆ Alex Jones is transferring his money away so he doesn't have to pay Sandy Hook victims, NYT reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Alex Jones owes families of Sandy Hook victims close to $1.5 billion. Jones has been transferring his assets to family and friends, The New York Times reported. The Times reported that Jones' company, Free Speech Systems, has already transferred tens of thousands of dollars to another company he owns with his parents. And he's started new business partnerships with companies founded and owned by his friends, the Times reported. Jones is still broadcasting Infowars, and The Times reported his lawyers have said in court that business is "booming."

☆ A Georgia employee requested their county include gender-affirming care as part of their health coverage. Instead, the county spent $1.2 million fighting the effort: report.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Georgia county was accused of refusing to include gender-affirming care as part of their health coverage. The county spent $1.2 million fighting it, ProPublica found — significantly more than the cost to cover care. Anna Lange, a sheriff's deputy in Georgia's Houston County requested her county expand its healthcare coverage to cover her gender-affirming care, according to court documents reviewed by Insider. "You knew right then and there that no matter what I said, that it wouldn't matter," she told ProPublica. "It was a slap in the face, really, to find out how much they had spent," Lange told ProPublica.

☆ Sen. Mark Kelly flew with Russian pilots in the Navy and with NASA, and he said the Russian fighter jet running into a US drone shows 'how incompetent they are'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A US drone crashed after a Russian fighter jet clipped its propeller over the Black Sea last week. Sen. Mark Kelly, a former Navy combat pilot, said it was an example of Russia's incompetence. He said the incident last week where a Russian fighter jet dumped fuel on and then clipped the propeller of a US military drone shows how "reckless" and "incompetent" they are. I mean, I flew with Russian pilots, fighter pilots who couldn't fly formation. Kelly compared the fighter jet incident to the "incompetence that we see on the battle field every day in Ukraine."

Trump issued a siren call for his supporters to "protest" and "take our nation back" on Saturday. WE MUST SAVE AMERICA!PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!" Trump's lawyers and advisors said they have no indication that the former president will be arrested Tuesday. "President Trump is basing this on press reports," his lawyer, Susan Necheles, told Insider. "Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump," McCarthy tweeted.

☆ This Texas crisis center fields half the state's 988 suicide hotline calls. Their VP describes how they handle it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

After rolling out in July 2022, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Support Line has seen a rise in calls, per federal data. Here's how one Texas crisis center is handling the increase in calls. The Harris Center, based in Houston, is one of the over 200 crisis centers fielding calls all across the country. The center, which has been working in partnership with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline since 2007, has fielded about half the crisis line calls in the state. The center is the largest crisis center in the state and has fielded a majority of the crisis line calls in Texas.

☆ Former GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, says Trump's campaign message is bad for the party: 'We don't need to be led by arrogance and revenge'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Asa Hutchinson said Trump's campaign message of "revenge" is bad for the party. Asa Hutchinson said former President Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign message is bad for Republicans. Hutchinson, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, told CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday that he thinks more voices countering Trump's message is the "best thing in the right direction." "We need to have alternatives again to Donald Trump. Donald Trump is a known quantity.

The two were married in 2001 at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. It was reportedly a "decadent affair" — the cake was so big it had to be cut into pieces so it could fit in the door. The procession enters the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul for the installation ceremony of Archbishop of Philadelphia Justin Rigali on October 7, 2003 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Getty ImagesSource: Washington Post

☆ Chairman of the House panel probing Covid's origins says lawmakers haven't 'seen all that we want to see' but they're following 'the breadcrumbs'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US Energy Department reportedly said with low confidence a lab leak likely caused COVID-19. Other agencies have suggested alternative theories caused the virus, including animal transmission. The chair of a House panel investigating Covid's origins said they have more questions than answers. Wrenstrup said it's "important to find the origins of Covid" but the committee is still unclear on the cause, since different agencies have their own theories. "What we are trying to do is to follow the breadcrumbs, if you will," Wrenstrup said.

☆ South Carolina becomes the latest GOP-led state with a bill to make the death penalty a punishment for abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A South Carolina legislator proposed the death penalty as punishment for women who get abortions. Rob Harris introduced the South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act of 2023 last week, which could make getting an abortion the same as committing homicide. South Carolina state law currently punishes abortion with up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000. The penalty is one of the harshest, but this isn't the first time a state lawmaker has proposed the death penalty for abortion. In March 2021, Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton proposed legislation that would ban and criminalize abortion which could carry the death penalty, the Texas Tribune reported.

☆ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis taps ex-pastor to Disney oversight board who once said men are turning gay because 'there's estrogen in the water from birth control pills': report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

One nominee, former pastor Ron Peri, previously said he thinks estrogen in water turns men gay, CNN reported. Ron DeSantis' appointee to the new Disney oversight board once claimed men were turning gay because of estrogen in tap water, CNN reported. One of his nominees was former pastor Ron Peri, who is also the CEO of The Gathering – a Christian ministry. In 2015, Jones asserted that "chemicals in the water" were "turning the friggin' frogs gay," The Texas Observer reported. The district will now be called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and Disney employees, owners, or operators will be prohibited from becoming board members.

☆ The Supreme Court justices deciding whether to axe Biden's student loan relief program paid an average of $42,539 to go to college. Today, they'd have to pay around $320,531.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Biden's student debt relief on Tuesday. The cost of getting an undergraduate degree was significantly cheaper when they graduated than now. When Roberts graduated in 1979, it cost $21,400; in 1992 when Jackson earned her undergraduate degree, it would have cost $75,360. When Roberts graduated in 1979, it cost $21,400; in 1992 when Jackson earned her undergraduate degree, it would have cost $75,360. Student loan borrowers gathered at the Supreme Court today to tell the court that student loan relief is legal on January 2, 2023.

☆ Top-ranking Democrat on House China committee says TikTok probably won't be banned in the US but there are serious questions about its data being 'controlled by an adversarial regime'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A top democrat on the House China committee said it's unlikely TikTok will be banned. The concerns stem from the Chinese governments ability to potentially access user data. —Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) February 26, 2023He added: "All we're saying is, if TikTok is gonna operate here, don't have that user data and algorithms controlled by an adversarial regime." The EU also banned staff members from having TikTok on their personal devices if those devices access corporate services. More than half of US states have banned TikTok from government devices, Insider previously reported.

☆ EU bans TikTok on government phones as national security concerns grow from Western lawmakers. TikTok says it feels blindsided by the lack of 'due process.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Western lawmakers have expressed concerns over TikTok's cybersecurity threats in recent years. The EU joins other authorities to ban the app from staff phones over cybersecurity concerns. EU staff members will also have to remove TikTok from their personal devices if those devices access corporate services, Reuters also reported. Western lawmakers and cybersecurity experts have grown wary of the security threats TikTok may pose in recent years. More than half of US states have banned TikTok from government devices, Insider previously reported.

☆ Residents are reportedly getting sick in Ohio town where train derailed with toxic chemicals: 'It's pretty bad'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio earlier this month, leading to the release of toxic chemicals. Now, medical records reviewed by NBC News show illnesses in some residents stemming from likely chemical exposure. The Norfolk Southern train derailed on February 5 and had about 150 cars, of which 20 were carrying hazardous materials, Insider previously reported. The crash resulted in a fire that burned chemicals in derailed train cars. Other symptoms consistent with chemical exposure include headaches, nausea and rashes, which have been reported by residents, NBC News reported.

☆ Clarence Thomas was still making student loan payments when he joined the Supreme Court — and a fellow Yale law student suggested he declare bankruptcy to avoid the 'crushing weight' of payments: book
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Supreme Court will hear two challenges to Biden's student loan debt relief plan on Tuesday. In 2007, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote about the "crushing weight" of student debt in his own life. In his 2007 memoir "My Grandfather's Son," Thomas, the court's longest-serving justice, spoke of the "crushing weight" of student debt from his time at Yale Law School. In August, Biden announced plans to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for federal borrowers making under $125,000 a year. Biden's Education Department has begun reforming the process to make it easier, but right now, the main focus is the president's broad debt relief plan.

☆ US Copyright Office rejects trademark of AI-generated book images: They are 'not the product of human authorship'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An author used AI-generated images in a recently published graphic novel. The US Copyright Office ruled that while the book is protected, the AI-generated images are not. The office said the images weren't protected because they are "not the product of human authorship." The Copyright Office, however, said Kashtanova did not inform it of the use of AI-generated images in the initial copyright application and requested that she update the application or risk losing the copyright. After months of review, the office ruled on Tuesday that the book would keep it's copyright protection, but the the AI-generated images would not because they are "not the product of human authorship."

☆ The top investigator for the House Jan. 6 committee said it was hard to interview witnesses when '30 minutes later' their cooperation would leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The top investigator for the House Jan. 6 committee told The New York Times it was hard to interview witnesses. Timothy Heaphy said witnesses were concerned that their cooperation would be leaked. "I mean, there were days when we would interview a witness and literally 30 minutes later, there's Luke Broadwater on TV saying the select committee interviewed the witness," Heaphy told The Times. The House select committee spent months investigating Trump and his allies' involvement in inciting the riot and called on several members of his inner circle to testify. He also told The Times that he thinks the Department of Justice could also bring charges against several Trump allies including Eastman and Guiliani.

☆ The top investigator for the House Jan. 6 committee said the Justice Department could charge these 4 Trump allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The top investigator for the House Jan. 6 committee spoke to The New York Times in a story out Sunday. Heaphy said the DOJ's decision on who to charge will depend on them going beyond what the House committee was able to get. Giuliani, Meadows, Eastman, and ClarkJohn Eastman appeared alongside Rudy Giuliani at a pro-Trump rally on January 6. He and other Trump allies spread the false claims of election fraud across the the country in the lead-up to the insurrection. Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Meadows, testified that he was warned about potential violence on January 6 in advance.

☆ Rihanna may not have gotten paid for her Super Bowl halftime show performance, but her music streams saw a massive surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rihanna performed at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show on Sunday in her first live performance in over five years. Like past performers, she wasn't paid, but her music sales and streams have skyrocketed since Sunday. Songs on which Rihanna is the primary artist raked in over 62 million on-demand streams on Sunday and Monday compared to 25.8 million streams the two days prior, Billboard reported. Per Insider's Sarah Al-Arshani, Super Bowl halftime show headliners are paid little to nothing for their performance, although the NFL does cover the costs associated with putting the show on. Her brands, Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin, and Savage X Fenty all featured special-edition "Game Day" products to consumers.

☆ Pieces of the shot-down Chinese spy balloon are expected to wash up near North Carolina and local police are warning residents not to touch it
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

On Saturday, the US military shot down a Chinese spy balloon above the Atlantic Ocean. Police in a North Carolina town warned residents that debris may wash ashore. Local authorities cautioned residents against touching or moving pieces of the balloon. Late Saturday, the US military used an F-22 jet to shoot down the spy balloon with a single AIM-9X Sidewinder missile, Insider previously reported. Police said the military was working to collect the debris in the Atlantic Ocean, but it's likely that pieces could wash ashore.

☆ Sen. Marco Rubio says it's 'absurd' that the media has details on the classified documents found at Biden's and Trump's residences but the intelligence committee still doesn't have clear information
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Senate Intelligence Committee members said they don't have a timeline as to when they'll obtain Biden's and Trump's classified documents. Classified documents were found at both Trump and Biden's private residences over the past several months. Sen. Marco Rubio told CBS it is "absurd" that the press had more info on the vague contents of the documents. In August of 2022, the FBI raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate and seized 11 sets of classified information, including some that were marked top secret. In November, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to investigate Trump's handling of classified documents.

☆ Property documents for a London apartment suggest wanted 'crypto-queen' is alive after allegedly vanishing in 2017 with $4 billion from investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Wanted fugitive Ruja Ignatova hasn't been seen since October 2017. A recent property listing hints that Ignatova is alive and still on the run, reports say. Bulgarian-born Ignatova, 42, is wanted by the FBI for allegedly scamming investors out of $4 billion between 2014 and 2016 in a Ponzi scheme using her now-defunct company OneCoin. In October 2017, she vanished until documents related to a penthouse apartment in London seemingly pointed to her whereabouts, the New York Post reported. "It suggests she is still alive, and there are documents out there somewhere which contain vital clues as to her recent whereabouts," Bartlett said.

☆ 3 men arrested after attempting to kidnap an Iranian-American journalist and activist who is critical of the country's human rights abuses, feds say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Three men were indicted on charges of money laundering and murder-for-hire, the DOJ said. The target, Masih Alinejad, told The Associated Press the FBI read her the messages the men exchanged. The indictment did not say if the Iranian regime was directly involved in the murder order. Alinejad told The Associated Press that the FBI read her the messages the men exchanged,"I'm not scared," Alinejad told the AP. While the man behind the plot is in Iran, the DOJ indictment did not say whether the Iranian government was behind the plot.

☆ A Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate and her husband want to open an indoor gun range to host weddings, 'high-end meetings' and 'easter egg hunts'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow is running for the state's Supreme Court in November. Dorow and her husband, Brian, have also applied to open an indoor gun range, Jezebel reported. The gun range would host weddings and holiday events and serve alcohol, city documents show. Dorow announced her candidacy for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in late November 2022. He also defended the proposal request for a liquor license in the same space as the gun range.

☆ Former Trump DOJ aide says Biden's team should be 'nervous' about classified documents probe because federal prosecutors are like 'hunting dogs' who like to come back 'with something in their mouth'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former Trump aide said Biden's team should be nervous because federal prosecutors are like "hunting dogs." In November, Biden's team found 10 classified documents at Penn Biden Center, a DC think tank, and submitted them to the National Archive. This came as Trump was also being investigated for mishandling classified documents and not turning them over to the National Archives. In December, Biden's team found more documents in the garage of his Delaware home. On January 14, The New York Times reported that another batch of documents was also found in Biden's home.

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