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☆ Just months after buying the platform, Elon Musk is officially the biggest account on Twitter, leapfrogging former president Barack Obama to reach 133 million followers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk overtook Barack Obama on Thursday to become Twitter's most followed account. Five months after buying the social-media platform, Musk has over 133 million followers. The Twitter CEO posted 72 times on Monday, and has his tweets boosted by engineers, per Platformer. According to the follower-tracking site SocialBlade, Musk saw the biggest increase last April – the month he first offered to buy Twitter – gaining 9.7 million followers. The Twitter CEO became the sixth-user to cross the 100 million mark last June, according to The Verge, which first reported the news.

☆ Fugees rapper Pras Michel was 'willing to break any laws necessary to get paid' in alleged international fraud scheme, prosecutor said
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The conspiracy and fraud trial of American rapper Pras Michel kicked off on Thursday. Prosecutors alleged that Michel was involved in an international scheme to influence the US government. Michel is accused of working with Malaysian businessman and fugitive Jho Low. "Low had money to burn and the defendant was willing to cash in at any turn," Lockhart said. McMaster, casino mogul Steve Wynn, and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who starred in the 2013 film "The Wolf Of Wall Street" that Low helped fund.

☆ Wyoming abortion ban blocked due to Obamacare-era amendment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Abortion is legal in Wyoming again, oddly enough as the result of a state constitutional amendment pushed by conservatives opposed to Obamacare more than a decade ago. Anti-abortion lawmakers in Wyoming have tried to work around the 2012 amendment in passing the ban on abortion. The state's sweeping ban, dubbed "Life is a Human Right Act," claims that abortion is not a form of health care. It's unclear whether the court will ultimately agree that the anti-Obamacare amendment prohibits a state abortion ban. For instance, a judge in Ohio in October temporarily blocked the state's abortion ban because of a constitutional provision adopted in 2011 as a backlash to Obamacare.

[1/2] U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg delivers remarks during a discussion hosted by the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 12, 2019. A rare meeting of the Supreme Court Bar, comprised of attorneys admitted to practice law before the court, featured speeches from people who worked closely with Ginsburg including U.S. Trump also appointed conservative Justices Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. Appointed to the Supreme Court by Democratic President Bill Clinton in 1993, she provided key votes in landmark rulings securing equal rights for women, expanding gay rights and safeguarding abortion rights. Ginsburg was the second woman ever named to the court, after Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

☆ DeSantis first-week memoir sales far outpace books by Trump, Pence, Clinton and Obama
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

DeSantis' book sales also appeared to far outpace recently published memoirs by a handful of other Republicans who have either launched 2024 presidential campaigns or are considering it, according to BookScan. Former Vice President Mike Pence's "So Help Me God," released last November, sold 37,600 print copies in week one. Of course, book sales alone don't guarantee a politician's future success. Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton sold 86,200 print copies of her 2014 book "Hard Choices" in the first week, BookScan data showed. On Friday, DeSantis' book was listed No.

☆ Ron DeSantis' memoir sold more copies in its first week than books by Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

DeSantis' first memoir sold over 94,000 copies in its first week, a number that includes preorders. The first week of sales eclipsed those of Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton. Ron DeSantis' first memoir has outsold books by Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama during its first week of sales. Clinton's memoir "Hard Choices," about her time working in the Obama administration before mounting her presidential run, sold 86,200 copies in its first week, according to BookScan. The DeSantis political team declined to comment for this story.

☆ Analysis: Biden's focus on deficit in budget is targeted at Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Biden's increasing emphasis on the deficit now doesn't mean the White House sees an imminent crisis looming from the nation's $32 trillion debt. Instead, the White House hopes to draw a sharp contrast with Republican threats to refuse to raise the debt limit without sharp spending cuts. Including this fiscal plan in Biden's agenda can help shore up his economic credibility before his expected 2024 re-election campaign, the White House believes. That doesn't mean that what the White House is proposing is going to happen, of course. Reuters GraphicsNearly six in ten people told Pew Research Center in January that reducing the deficit should be a top Biden administration priority.

☆ U.S. defense secretary aims to reassure Mideast allies, deliver tough message
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The United States has about 30,000 troops in the region and is seen as pivotal in helping counter Iranian influence. Austin is poised to send a clear message on the need for Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to respect human rights, underscoring Washington's concern on the issue. "I fully expect him to bring up human rights, respect for fundamental freedoms," the U.S. defense official said. The United States has withheld small amounts of military aid to Cairo, citing a failure to meet human rights conditions. The United States has committed more than $32 billion in weapons to Ukraine including sophisticated air defense systems and tanks.

☆ In surprise result, Italy's left picks Elly Schlein to rebuild party
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Italy's opposition centre-left Democratic Party (PD) picked Elly Schlein, a 37-year-old U.S.-Italian national who grew up in Switzerland, to be its new leader and rebuild the group after its election rout last year. Schlein will lead opposition in parliament to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with two women for the first time in Italian history heading the country's two main parties. Although she has promised a new start for the party, many of the PD's grandees have rallied behind her in recent weeks. Polls suggested he would easily beat Schlein, but in the end he only drew strong backing in the more traditionalist south. Schlein faces a monumental struggle if she hopes to heal divisions within her party and beat Meloni's conservative bloc in the next national election in 2027.

☆ UN Security Council denounces Israel in statement after US showdown averted
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The Security Council reiterates that continuing Israeli settlement activities are dangerously imperiling the viability of the two-State solution based on the 1967 lines," the council said in the statement. "The Security Council expresses deep concern and dismay with Israel's announcement on February 12." Resolutions need nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, Russia, China, France or Britain to be adopted. Netanyahu's office described the Security Council statement on Monday as "one-sided" and criticized the United States for supporting it, adding: "The statement should not have been made and the United States should not have joined it." Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council that the United States opposes Israel's Feb. 12 settlement plans.

☆ No UN vote Monday on Israel settlements - diplomats
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Accordingly, there will not be a vote on the draft resolution on Monday. Much of the language of the PRST will be drawn from the draft resolution." But in 2016 President Barack Obama's administration abstained on a vote to allow the council to adopt a resolution demanding Israel stop building settlements. Most world powers view as illegal the settlements Israel has built on land it captured in a 1967 war with Arab powers. It also condemned all attempts at annexation, including decisions and measures by Israel regarding settlements.

WASHINGTON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The United States will directly warn companies against evading U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia over the war in Ukraine, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said, as Washington seeks to further squeeze Russia's economy. "We're going to go directly to their companies and make very clear to their companies that you have a choice," Adeyemo said. The comments come amid signs that Russia's economy was not hit as heavily as initially expected by western sanctions. The International Monetary Fund last month forecast that Russia's economy would expand by 0.3% in 2023 after shrinking by 2.2% in 2022. "Russia's economy is very small, relative to our coalition, and getting smaller because of the actions that we've taken."

☆ UN likely to vote Monday on call for Israel to stop settlements, diplomats say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 15-member council is likely to vote on Monday on the text, drafted by the United Arab Emirates in coordination with the Palestinians, diplomats said. In December 2016 the Security Council demanded Israel stop building the settlements. The U.S. mission to the United Nations and Israel's UN mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the draft resolution. It also condemns all attempts at annexation, including decisions and measures by Israel regarding settlements. Most world powers view as illegal the settlements Israel has built on land it captured in a 1967 war with Arab powers.

☆ Trump, after reported subpoena, defends keeping classified folders
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Susan Heavey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he kept folders with classified markings at his resort but they were empty. The reported subpoena and newly turned-over material comes amid scrutiny over the handling of presidential and vice presidential materials -- particularly classified records -- that has made Trump the subject of a federal criminal investigation. Biden's documents date to his time as former President Barack Obama's vice president. Trump resisted efforts to have documents in his possession returned, and the FBI in August conducted a court-approved search of Trump's Florida property. Trump said folders found at his Florida estate "were merely inexpensive and very common folders with ... 'Presidential Reading,' 'Confidential,' 'Classified,' or other words stamped on the front cover" but were empty.

☆ LeBron rewrites playbook on athlete activism on way to the top
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Amy Tennery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

He said other players would approach him during his years in the league to discuss his activism - quietly. James became a leading voice in support of the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. The four-times MVP took aim at Republican then-President Donald Trump in 2018, saying Trump had emboldened racists in the United States. In response to his criticism of Trump, Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham told him to "shut up and dribble". "He kind of maintained as broad of a consensus appeal, not only because of his activism, but also because of the way he's kind of done marketing and business and commercialization," said Hartmann.

☆ Indiana's Senate race will show the depths of the fault lines within the GOP. Early signs show it's still Trump's party.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Mitch Daniels would have been an ideal GOP Senate candidate. Daniels' decision offers a look at the obstacles that the party continues to face headed in 2024. Mitch Daniels would have been seen by most traditional conservatives as an ideal candidate to run for the Senate. Eric Holcomb is a potential candidate in the 2024 Indiana Republican Senate primary. AP Photo/Manuel Balce CenetaIndiana could drive the GOP Senate roadmapAhead of the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans anticipated making major gains in Congress, which eventually didn't come to pass.

[1/3] U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2023. REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meet on Wednesday to discuss the $31.4 trillion U.S. debt ceiling, a first test of how the two leaders will work together, or not, in a divided Washington. House Republicans want to use the debt ceiling as leverage to exact cuts in spending by the federal government, though they have yet to unite around any specific plan. The White House says it will discuss future federal spending cuts with Republicans, but only after the debt ceiling is lifted. The 2011 crisis was resolved with a bipartisan deal that cut spending and raised the debt limit but left Obama administration officials smarting.

☆ Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling talks to set tone for divided Washington rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2023. REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are set to discuss the nation's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling on Wednesday, a meeting that will give a first sign of how the two will work together, or fail to, in a divided Washington. House Republicans want to use the debt ceiling as leverage to exact cuts in spending by the federal government, though they have not united around any specific plan to do so. McCarthy, 58, leads a fractious House Republican caucus with a narrow 222-212 majority that has given a small group of hardline conservatives outsized influence. The 2011 crisis was resolved with a bipartisan deal that cut spending and raised the debt limit but left Obama administration officials smarting.

☆ FBI searched Biden think tank office after classified documents were found last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

FBI agents searched the office President Joe Biden used after his vice presidency in Washington, D.C., in mid-November after his lawyers first discovered classified documents there earlier that month, two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News. Biden's personal lawyers said Justice Department investigators found more than half a dozen additional documents, some marked classified, in the search. The documents discovered range from his Senate tenure to his time as vice president under former President Barack Obama. Former President Donald Trump is also facing a special counsel investigation for failing to turn over classified documents. Last week, it was also reported that Trump's vice president, Mike Pence, also had classified documents in his home in Indiana.

☆ Chaos and intrigue reign in UK court fight over Castro-era Cuban debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Michelle Caruso-Cabrera | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Cuban government and an investment firm are battling in a British court over decades-old debts racked up by the communist-run island nation. Kin Cheung | APIllegally recorded videos, chaotic protests and testimony from an imprisoned Cuban bank official marked the first week of a high-stakes trial in the UK High Court between Cuba and an investment fund. Adding to the intrigue: a court attendee who's a dead ringer for Raul Castro's son and Fidel Castro's nephew, Alejandro. Cuban officials say the man is just a press officer for the Cuban Embassy in the UK. Debt in distressDefaulted sovereign debt, like that of Cuba, trades on the secondary market.

☆ Elon Musk says his Twitter misadventure has only helped Tesla. Wall Street isn't buying it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Asia Martin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Wall Street analysts feel otherwise: They're bullish on Tesla, but think Musk is too distracted. Musk's tweets have gotten him in trouble with shareholders and the courts. Wall Street thinks Twitter is a costly distractionMusk is not wrong in that he and Tesla are reasonably popular on Twitter. But how many of Musk's and Tesla's followers converted to sales based on the content coming from those accounts? As in most things, there's always more to the story — but you can't deny the impact of Musk's Twitter habits, either.

☆ Jeff Zients reportedly will be Biden’s next chief of staff
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Jeff Zients, the White House's Covid-19 response czar, speaks during a press briefing at the White House where they spoke about a pause in issuing the Johnson & Johnson Janssen Covid-19 vaccine on April 13, 2021, in Washington, DC. Jeff Zients will serve as President Joe Biden's next chief of staff, according to media reports on Sunday. After the midterm elections in November and an action-packed two years in the White House, Klain has told colleagues that he is ready for something different, a Washington Post report said. Klain previously acted as Biden's chief of staff during former President Barack Obama's first term, and he's worked with Biden since he ran for president back in 1987. A White House representative did not immediately respond to CNBC requests for comment.

☆ Biden White House chief of staff Ron Klain set to step down in coming weeks: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

White House chief of staff Ron Klain is expected to depart his role in the coming weeks, per The New York Times. Klain worked as President Barack Obama's White House Ebola response coordinator and also previously served as chief of staff to former vice president Al Gore. He also was chief of staff to then-Vice President Joe Biden during the first two years of the Obama administration. Anita Dunn — who rejoined the White House last year after having previously served in the White House as a senior advisor from January 2021 to August 2021 — has been a name long rumored to be a contender upon a Klain departure. Other individuals thought to be under consideration include former Delaware governor Jack Markell, White House counselor Steve Ricchetti, and White House domestic policy director Susan Rice.

☆ Ron Klain, Biden’s White House chief of staff, is reportedly expected to step down
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (R) is joined by Ebola Response Coordinator Ron Klain (L) in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, U.S. November 13, 2014. White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain is preparing to step down in the coming weeks, according to a report from The New York Times. After the midterm elections in November and an action-packed two years in the White House, Klain has told colleagues that he is ready for something different, the report said. Klain previously acted as Biden's chief of staff during former President Barack Obama's first term, and he's worked with Biden since he ran for president back in 1987. The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment.

Republicans are on a collision course with the White House, which is demanding that Congress raise the debt limit without conditions. Republicans have waged heated battles over the debt ceiling, most notably in 2011, but they have always been resolved in time. Why does a GOP House complicate debt ceiling negotiations? Republicans have floated everything from budget cuts to socially conservative legislation as part of a debt ceiling increase. The White House had laid down a marker: no negotiations, no policy strings attached to raise the debt ceiling.

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