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☆ New York City Has Two Million Rats and One New Rat Czar
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Jimmy Vielkind | Joseph Pisani | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Kathleen Corradi ’s anti-rat bona fides date to grade school, when she organized a petition drive to have her Long Island town do something about an infestation behind her house. Now, she has been crowned New York City’s rat czar. The 34-year-old beat out 900 other applicants for a position that, the job posting said, requires a “swashbuckling attitude, crafty humor, and general aura of badassery.” Mayor Eric Adams , who announced it last week, has been vocal about his hatred of a rodent thought to number around two million in New York.

☆ Upfront's Mark Suster has become the star of LA's booming startup scene. Not everyone is a fan.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

"I have worked with more than 50 VCs and nobody comes close to what it is like to work with Mark Suster," said a founder backed by Suster. "Mark and the Upfront Summit helped put LA tech and investing on the map," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, the cofounder of DreamWorks and WndrCo. Several years ago, a founder whose startup Suster invested in was in a conference room rehearsing their presentation for the Upfront Summit. If you're going to put him on your board, you're letting the fox guard the henhouse. "If you're going to put him on your board, you're letting the fox guard the henhouse."

☆ Trump, other 2024 hopefuls seek NRA's blessing amid spate of shootings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Alexandra Ulmer | Thomson Reuters | U.S. National Affairs Correspondent Who Spent Four Years In Venezuela Covering President Maduro'S Administration | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A number of hopefuls, including Trump's closest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, are deliberating if and when to jump into the 2024 race to challenge the former president for the nomination. Trump, whom the NRA enthusiastically backed in 2016 before he was even officially declared the Republican presidential candidate, will address gun aficionados in person on Friday. DeSantis, and other White House hopefuls, Nikki Haley and Senator Tim Scott, will do so by video message. Trump's campaign website says he will "always defend your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms," but does not provide detailed policy proposals. For some fervent NRA members, however, neither Trump nor DeSantis are committed enough to the cause.

☆ Republicans in battleground states sidestep endorsing Trump as they eye 2024 Senate bids
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Republicans weighing 2024 Senate bids in key states haven't settled on Donald Trump for 2024. "As Senate Republican's primary dynamics get messier by the day, Senate GOP candidates are in a lose-lose situation when it comes to Trump," said Nora Keefe, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Representatives for the three GOP prospects and the Senate GOP campaign arm either did not elaborate or respond when asked for comment. Rep. Mike Gallagher, a potential Senate candidate in another battleground state, Wisconsin, has repeatedly said he would not support Trump since the Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in the January 6 insurrection. I stand by what I said," he said during an Axios forum when asked if he would support Trump if he becomes the nominee.

☆ China Warns Taiwan, With an Eye on Rest of the World
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Jonathan Cheng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING—China is attempting to balance its fury over Taiwan with a desire to play the role of global peacemaker—a delicate two-step that comes as China seeks to sustain a burst of diplomatic momentum and establish itself as a new global counterbalance to Washington. By sending an aircraft carrier toward Taiwan and launching live-fire exercises, Beijing wants to send a stern message to Taipei after a groundbreaking U.S. meeting. But so far, it has held off on a more aggressive show of force that could tarnish its bona fides as a benign and responsible global power.

☆ Eileen Fisher Is Back. Her Fans Are Younger Than Ever.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Rory Satran | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Taylor Pierce wears Eileen Fisher. She is among the brand’s new cohort of younger customers. Fashion designer Eileen Fisher has earned die-hard fans for decades for her simple, refined clothing, as well as for her groundbreaking sustainability and management practices. Ms. Fisher, who has won pretty much every sustainability award in the fashion industry, today owns 60% of the Irvington, N.Y.-based company, with the remaining 40% owned by her employees. Despite those bona fides, Eileen Fisher has also, at times, been a punchline.

☆ Here's the 9-page pitch deck Tealbook used to raise its $50 million Series B and help businesses source from more diverse suppliers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The startup uses AI-boosted data to help institutions source from more diverse suppliers. Check out the nine-page pitch deck below. Ownership data can help meet diverse sourcing claims; raw-materials data can help with ethical sourcing goals; carbon-emissions data can help with climate goals. Here's the pitchbook Lapierre used to land her $50 million Series B round led by Ten Coves Capital, with participation from BDC Capital, Grand Ventures, RBC Ventures, Reciprocal Ventures, Refinery Ventures, S&P Global, Stand Up Ventures, RTP Global, Workday Ventures, CIBC Ventures, and Good Friends. Tealbook TealbookTealbook pitch deck TealbookTealbook pitch deck TealbookTealbook pitch deck TealbookTealbook TealbookTealbook pitch deck TealbookTealbook pitch deck TealbookTealbook pitch deck Tealbook

☆ The prosecutor in the Trump case waded into treacherous political waters.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But the Trump question came to dominate the Democratic primary as the race entered its final stretch in 2021. As the district attorney’s investigation against the former president began to heat up, Mr. Bragg and his opponents started to signal to prospective voters that they had the bona fides to lead a potential prosecution of Mr. Trump. Mr. Bragg had some history to draw on. Still, as a candidate, Mr. Bragg was mostly focused elsewhere. When Mr. Bragg took office, and his prosecutors were presenting evidence about Mr. Trump and his businesses to a grand jury, the new district attorney stopped them, concerned that the case, which centered on whether Mr. Trump fraudulently inflated the value of his properties, was not strong enough to move forward.

☆ Big Oil mega-deals would put investors on the spot
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( George Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

So are Shell (SHEL.L), BP (BP.L) and TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), but investors value U.S. oil majors way higher than European ones. $473 billion Exxon and $331 billion Chevron trade at 6 times expected EBITDA for 2023, twice the average of $210 billion Shell, $154 billion Total and $109 billion BP. One reason why is that as oil prices have soared, American drillers look more attractive than European ones that are also pressing into potentially lower-return renewable energy. Imagine Chevron or Exxon acquired BP for $170 billion, factoring in a 30% premium to its market capitalisation, plus debt. Any cross-border deal would see Chevron’s Mike Wirth or Exxon’s Darren Woods take a big bet on continuing high oil prices, and also attract political heat.

Biden noted that 2,200 trains ride through it daily, making it the busiest tunnel in the United States. "Folks talk about how badly the Baltimore tunnel needs an upgrade. Trains that travel through the tunnel now at 30 miles per hour will travel at 110 mph when renovations are through, Biden said. In Washington, Biden faces a colder reality as Republicans, now in control of the House of Representatives, threaten to block his economic agenda, bog down his programs in investigations and prevent the raising of the debt ceiling to force spending cuts. Biden plans a similar event on Tuesday in New York related to that city's Hudson Tunnel project.

☆ Biden to promote Baltimore spending as Republicans try to force cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In Washington, Biden faces a colder reality as Republicans, now in control of the House of Representatives, threaten to block his economic agenda, bog down his programs in investigations and prevent the raising of the debt ceiling to force spending cuts. Monday's event takes Biden, a Democrat who touts his alliance with labor unions, to liberal Baltimore at an event expected to be attended by the state's governor and two senators, all Democrats. He is expected to announce an agreement between Amtrak and a labor group on the tunnel project, according to a White House official. Biden plans a similar event on Tuesday in New York related to that city's Hudson Tunnel project. On Friday, he will highlight the infrastructure bill's provisions replacing toxic lead pipes at an event in Philadelphia.

But add a candidate representing the Bernie Sanders wing of the party, Ro Khanna, and a living legend who got her start with the Black Panthers and would become the only Black woman in the Senate, Barbara Lee — now you're talking about a California Senate race for the ages. Reaching voters isn’t easy in California, with a population approaching 40 million and a land mass bigger than that of many countries. But the race will affect the future of the Democratic Party, both in California and beyond. “An appointment would be a way to make sure that this country has the essential voice of a Black woman,” Allison said. And I don’t see and I don’t understand why it isn’t happening.”Meanwhile, as Lee watches Feinstein, Bernieworld is watching Lee.

☆ The most common lies people put on their résumés — and why they do it
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Jonathan Small | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

65% of respondents say lying in the hiring process helped them land a higher salary. The biggest lie was about education, with 44% of respondents saying they stretched the truth regarding their academic bona fides. Lies during the job interviewThe lying game doesn't end with the résumé. The most common lie in job interviews is years of experience. Sixty-five percent of respondents say lying in the hiring process helped them land a higher salary.

☆ Lands' End almost lost its wealthy boomer customers when it tried to court millennials and Gen Z. Now it's going for Gen X.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Lands' End's baby-boomer shoppers are among the most loyal of any brand, but they are aging. Sales fell when the company tried to attract millennials in 2015 with a move into party dresses and heels. In recent years Lands' End has made a concerted effort to reach oft-overlooked Gen X shoppers. Within just one year Lands' End swung from a $9.2 million profit to a $7.7 million loss and customers were abandoning the brand. "Seventy-five percent of them either never shopped at Lands' End, or are lapsed customers and haven't shopped at Lands' End for five years.

☆ How China planted an FBI mole who was discovered only after gutting the CIA's vast spy network
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( James Bamford | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

At the time, four years after the handover from Britain to China, much of Hong Kong remained a world of neon and noise. "Five years ago, everyone looked down on you if you spoke Mandarin," said a Beijing executive living in Hong Kong. As soon as the Hong Kong Arts Festival ended, the Hong Kong International Film Festival began. In February 2006, Alex Ma, China's mole in the FBI, sent David photos he received from his handlers of five suspected human sources. Born in Hong Kong like Alex, Lee grew up in Hawaii and became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

☆ 3 tips on negotiating from Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer: 'I always get a raise'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Eboni Boykin-Patterson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer recently discussed her pay negotiation tactics in an interview. Spencer has been a vocal advocate of equal pay for women of color in Hollywood. Her perspective has remained straightforward on the topic: "Women and women of color have always lagged. While acknowledging that some negotiating is always necessary because, "Nobody's going to offer you what you're worth," she said, "I'm also not that negotiator who's going to go back and forth. If you can't come up to my price, there are so many other people that you can go to who probably will accept what you're offering.

☆ Peru's mining south, rocked by violence, braces for 'endless battle'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The anger in the Andean south looks likely to harden, protest leaders told Reuters, a major risk to firms in the world's no. "This is an endless battle," said Edgar Chura, leader of the Puno Defense Front protest group before the Monday clashes, a view shared by other protest leaders who spoke with Reuters. Protest leaders, meanwhile, say that a government proposal to bring elections forward to April 2024 is not enough. Jose Luis Chapa, a protest leader and workers union official in Arequipa, said new elections must be held this year if the government wanted dialogue. "The agreement is not to talk with anyone from government, least of all Dina Boluarte," the mining region protest leader said, adding protests would be "staggered" around the south.

☆ JD Vance is joining a distinctive club of conservatives who parlayed their celebrity into a GOP seat
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Incoming Sen. JD Vance continues a tradition of celebrities who broke into Republican politics. Their pre-congressional careers include stints on Broadway and reality TV, and in blockbuster movies. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyNewly minted Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio won't just be replacing retiring Sen. He'll be joining the cadre of right-leaning actors, singers, and reality TV personalities who traded on their celebrity to secure a spot on Capitol Hill. Here are five other cultural figures, listed by when they joined Congress, who beat Vance to the punch of becoming Republican lawmakers.

☆ What could GOP control of the House mean for U.S.-China tensions?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Megan Lebowitz | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

McCarthy also says he plans to create a House select committee on China, the first since the late 1990s. House Republicans will also investigate the origins of the coronavirus and “the CCP’s role in the spread,” the blog post said, although it is unclear whether that investigation would be part of the select committee. Tensions were further inflamed in August by Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, the first by a sitting U.S. House speaker since 1997. The most volatile issue in U.S.-China relations is the status of Taiwan, which Beijing has not ruled out seizing by force. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei, Taiwan on Aug. 3, 2022.

☆ Apple may pull iPhone production out of China. Don’t expect other supply chains to follow.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

COVID lockdowns and protests in China have reportedly pushed Apple to move production. It's the latest hit in a wave of talk about "reshoring" supply chains not always followed by action. In an August survey conducted by research firm Gartner, 95% of responding companies said they were reevaluating their China sourcing strategies. And most would say they had plans to move their supply chains away from China. But just as the Wall Street Journal reported Apple's intent to leave China, the country's leaders relaxed the COVID restrictions that were strangling the economy.

The win ends a nearly two-year power sharing agreement, giving Democrats true majority rule. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona's viselike grip on their party's priorities has loosened a bit, thanks to Georgia. Republicans will no longer be able to bottle up Biden administration nominees in committee, and select Democratic committee chairs will again be able to issue subpoenas. "Joe Manchin is a good person; he really is," Biden said Friday at a reception for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York speaks at a press conference at the Capitol on August 5, 2022.

☆ Biden says inflation is slowing in 'good news for the holiday season'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BAY CITY, Mich., Nov 29 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday hailed easing prices for gasoline, clothes and appliances as "good news for the holiday season," but said it would take time for inflation to return to normal levels. That's good news for the holiday season," Biden said, noting that costs for producers were also coming down. "While these prices are lower, they're not low enough," he said, adding, "It's going to take time to get inflation back to normal levels ... we're laser focused on this." Prices could spike again if unions reject a potential contract deal with U.S. railways, the White House has warned, but Biden did not raise the issue during his remarks. read moreReporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Writing by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Analysis: In male-dominated North Korea, leadership prospects of Kim Jong Un's daughter are uncertain
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Chun Su-jin, the South Korean author of a book on North Korean women leaders, said the chance of North Korean elites welcoming Kim's daughter as ruler is close to zero. “That gives ample time for North Korea's political culture to change and create the conditions for a female successor,” Madden said. The increased participation of North Korean women in elite politics does not necessarily indicate change to the broader social or political systems, 38 North said in a 2020 report. North Korea is deeply isolated from world geopolitics and is under UN sanctions for its weapons programmes, which include nuclear bombs. "In North Korea, gender is still important to be a leader," said Hyun In-ae, a North Korean defector who now works at the Ewha Institute of Unification Studies in Seoul.

☆ Toyota Unveils New Prius as EV With an Engine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Sean Mclain | River Davis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Toyota’s new Prius hybrid goes on sale starting this winter. The Prius hybrid helped cement Toyota Motor Corp. ’s environmental bona fides in the late 1990s by marrying an electric motor to a gasoline engine to boost fuel economy. Now, this pioneering model is getting a reboot, as the Japanese car company looks to arrest a multiyear sales slide for the car and prove hybrids have staying power in the electric-vehicle age.

☆ Toyota Pitches New Prius Hybrid as ‘EV With an Engine’
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Sean Mclain | River Davis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Toyota’s sales of its Prius hybrid have declined in recent years as rival brands put out their own hybrids. The Prius hybrid helped cement Toyota Motor Corp. ’s environmental bona fides in the late 1990s by marrying an electric motor to a gasoline engine to boost fuel economy. Now, this pioneering model is getting a reboot, as the Japanese car company looks to arrest a multiyear sales slide for the car and prove hybrids have staying power in the electric-vehicle age.

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