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☆ Biden pardons 6 convicted of murder, drug, alcohol crimes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The pardons, announced Friday, mean the criminal record of the crimes is now purged. In the 1990s, he supported crime legislation that increased arrest and incarceration rates for drug crimes, particularly for Black and Latino people. Byrnes-Jackson pleaded guilty to possession and sale of spirits without tax stamps when he was 18, and it involved a single illegal whiskey transaction. Nock pleaded guilty to using his property as a grow-house for marijuana 27 years ago. De Coito pleaded guilty at age 23 to being involved in a marijuana trafficking conspiracy.

☆ Virgin Islands attorney general sues JPMorgan Chase over banking services for Jeffrey Epstein
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Andy Rose | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —The U.S. Virgin Islands government filed a lawsuit Tuesday against JPMorgan Chase, alleging that the Wall Street bank benefited financially from Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation and failed in its duty to report suspicious financial activity. “Human trafficking was the principal business of the accounts Epstein maintained at JPMorgan,” the lawsuit states. The lawsuit claims that JPMorgan Chase failed to make proper regulatory filings that could have tipped off the government to Epstein’s alleged sex-trafficking ring of underage girls through private islands he owned in the U.S. Virgin Islands. A JPMorgan Chase spokesperson told CNN the company had no comment on the lawsuit Wednesday evening. The new lawsuit also comes less than a month after Attorney General George settled the U.S. Virgin Islands’ lawsuit against Epstein’s estate for more than $105 million dollars, along with an agreement that the estate will sell Epstein’s islands in the territory and end business operations there.

☆ Costco’s Credit Card Is Also Great for Filling Your Gas Tank
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

By Ana StaplesURL:WRITER: Ana StaplesThe Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi is a rewarding combination of a Costco store credit card and a cash back credit card. Plus, no other credit card from a major bank offers such a high rewards rate on gas and EV charging. The 3% rate on dining and travel also gives this card an edge and is comparable to rewards offers on some of the best travel credit cards. You’ll get a credit card reward certificate once a year with your February billing statement. If that’s the case, you might want to look into a secured credit card that earns rewards.

☆ Jeffrey Epstein Estate Settles Suit Brought by U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( James Fanelli | Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jeffrey Epstein’s former home on the island of Little St. James in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The estate of Jeffrey Epstein on Wednesday settled a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Virgin Islands that accused the disgraced financier of trafficking and sexually abusing girls and young women on his private island in the Caribbean. U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George said in a statement that, under the settlement’s terms, the estate agreed to pay the Virgin Islands government $105 million, as well as one half of the proceeds from the sale of Little St. James, one of Epstein’s private islands. The estate also agreed to pay $450,000 to remediate environmental damage around Great St. James, another Epstein-owned island, Ms. George said.

☆ Jeffrey Epstein Estate Settles Suit Brought By U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( James Fanelli | Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The estate of Jeffrey Epstein has agreed to pay the U.S. Virgin Islands more than $105 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that he used the territory as the base of an extensive sex trafficking operation. "We are sending a clear message that the Virgin Islands will not serve as a haven for human trafficking." The estate also agreed to pay $450,000 to repair environmental damage around Great Saint James, the other Epstein-owned island. Jeffrey Epstein's estate on Little Saint James in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Epstein bought Little Saint James, off St. Thomas, for $7.95 million in 1998, NBC News reported.

☆ Jeffrey Epstein estate settles Virgin Islands sex trafficking case for over $105 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The estate of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and related entities agreed to pay the U.S. Virgin Islands more than $105 million as part of a settlement in a sex trafficking and child exploitation case, the territory's attorney general said Wednesday. "This settlement restores the faith of the People of the Virgin Islands that its laws will be enforced, without fear or favor, against those who break them," Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George said in the press release. "We are sending a clear message that the Virgin Islands will not serve as a haven for human trafficking." The Virgin Islands brought civil claims against Epstein's estate in 2020 under a law similar to the federal RICO Act, which aims to combat organized crime. The announcement Wednesday evening noted that proceeds from the sale of Epstein's island will go toward a trust dedicated to funding efforts to help victims of sex trafficking and sexual abuse.

Companies U.S. Virgin Islands FollowNEW YORK, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Jeffrey Epstein's estate has reached a nine-figure settlement with the U.S. Virgin Islands to settle claims the disgraced late financier used the territory as a base for his decades-long sex-trafficking operation. George also said Epstein bought the nearby Great St. James in 2016 to keep people from monitoring him and victims from escaping there. Epstein had also been accused of sexual abuse at his homes in Manhattan, New Mexico and Palm Beach, Florida. His former associate Ghislaine Maxwell is appealing her conviction and 20-year prison sentence for enabling Epstein's abuse of girls. The government's share of Little St. James sale proceeds will go toward counseling and other services for sexual abuse victims.

The class members are Google Play Store individual consumers in 12 states, including Ohio, Michigan and Georgia, in addition to American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The plaintiffs' lawyers in the newly certified class action are jointly working with those state enforcers. Google has defended its Play Store business practices, denying the claims in the case before Donato and others. In arguing against class-action certification, attorneys for Google said the plaintiffs failed to show how they were harmed, an argument that Donato rejected. The class attorneys allege among other things that Google prohibited app developers from steering customers to competitors and used "misleading warnings to deter customers from downloading apps outside the Google Play Store."

Lawyers for collapsed crypto exchange FTX said in the company's first bankruptcy hearing on Tuesday that regulators from the Bahamas, where FTX was headquartered, have agreed to consolidate proceedings in Delaware. "What we are dealing with is a different sort of animal," said FTX counsel James Bromley. FTX lawyers confirmed earlier reports that the Southern District of New York's Cyber Crimes unit has begun an investigation into the matter. FTX lawyers have also made reference to cyberattacks, suggesting there were multiple attacks beyond the $477 million hack that occurred shortly after the company entered bankruptcy on Nov. 11. FTX customers had a global presence, but many were based in tax havens.

The EPA shut down the refinery, formerly called Limetree Bay, in May 2021 after a series of chemical releases into the environment sickened neighboring residents. The plant owners intend to restart the facility, but have let it fall into disrepair, the EPA said last month. The new Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit would require detailed air-quality analyses and the use of the best available air pollution control technology, the EPA said Thursday. An earlier owner, Hovensa, was required to spend $700 million on pollution control equipment, among other obligations after violating the Clean Air Act by increasing emissions without first obtaining pre-construction permits and installing required pollution control equipment. Hovensa went bankrupt and shut down the plant the following year; later Limetree Bay Ventures bought the refinery in December 2015.

☆ Powerball jackpot rolls up to record $1.9 billion for Monday drawing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Hyder Abbasi | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The Powerball jackpot now stands at a record $1.9 billion when it rolled Saturday night, after no ticket matched all six drawn numbers — white balls 28, 45, 53, 56, 69 and red Powerball 20. The record jackpot has narrowly edged out the previous high, a $1.586 billion prize won by three ticketholders in 2016. Despite there being no jackpot-winning ticket, more than 10.9 million tickets won cash prizes totaling $102.2 million in the Saturday, Nov. 5 drawing. Monday’s drawing will be the 41st Powerball drawing since the jackpot was last won on Aug. 3 in Pennsylvania. The only other Powerball jackpot run to reach 41 consecutive drawings ended on Oct. 4, 2021, with a $699.8 million winner in California.

☆ Powerball jackpot up to record $1.9 billion after no winner
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A record Powerball jackpot grew to an even larger $1.9 billion after nobody won the lottery drawing on Saturday night. The numbers for the drawing were: white balls 28, 45, 53, 56, 69 and red Powerball 20. The website of the California Lottery Association said the next chance for someone to get lucky will be Monday. The new $1.9 billion jackpot is for a winner who is paid through an annuity over 29 years. The Powerball prize keeps getting more massive because of the inability of anyone to overcome the long odds of 1 in 292.2 million and win the jackpot.

Saturday's Powerball jackpot has increased to $1.6 billion — a world record, according to lottery officials. The prize has grown so large because the last time someone won the jackpot was Aug. 3, three months ago. When no one wins, the jackpot rolls over and increases. The biggest prize ever won in the 30-year history of the game was the $1.586 billion jackpot won by people in three states in 2016. A $1.6 billion jackpot’s cash value is $782.4 million.

☆ U.S. Congress split on making daylight-saving time permanent
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Legislative aides told Reuters they do not expect Congress to reach agreement before the end of the year. Daylight-saving time has been in place in nearly all of the United States since the 1960s. Pallone previously said he backs ending the clock-switching but has not decided whether to support daylight or standard time as the permanent choice. On Sunday, Mexico rolled back its clocks one last time after the passage of a law last week to abolish daylight-saving time. The White House declined to say earlier this year if Biden supports making daylight-saving time permanent.

☆ Powerball jackpot grows to $700M after months without a big winner
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: 1 min

DES MOINES, Iowa — The eighth-largest lottery jackpot will be up for grabs when numbers are drawn for an estimated $700 million Powerball grand prize. No one has matched all six numbers and won Powerball’s top prize since Aug. 3, allowing Wednesday night’s jackpot to slowly grow for a nearly three months. The $700 million jackpot is for those who take an annuity option, paid out annually over 29 years. The biggest lottery jackpot was a $1.586 billion Powerball prize that three ticket holders won in 2016. Powerball is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The idled St. Croix refinery, formerly called Limetree Bay, was shut down by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in May 2021 after a series of chemical releases into the environment sickened neighboring residents. The refinery was sold in December 2021 for $62 million to West Indies Petroleum and Port Hamilton Refining and Transportation, following the bankruptcy of its former private equity owners. The owners also failed to provide hazard assessments and other documentation for the facility, the EPA said. The refinery was sold in December 2021 for $62 million to West Indies Petroleum, a Jamaican oil storage company that intends to operate the facility. In June, West Indies Petroleum denied its ownership of the facility, though the EPA has said it does.

Under Pennsylvania law, voters are required to write the date on the outer envelope of a mail-in ballot. In his appeal, Ritter argued that mail-in ballot rules improve election administration and deter fraud. Alito wrote that the 3rd Circuit ruling "could well affect the outcome" of elections this year. Pennsylvania Republican legislators echoed Ritter's warning. Pennsylvania Republican legislators in a filing to the Supreme Court said the 3rd Circuit's ruling threatened an orderly election in November.

Share this -Link copiedFloridians are livestreaming Hurricane Ian on TikTok Floridians are giving TikTok users a front-row seat to Hurricane Ian. Storm surge map, they didn’t have a color for 12 to 15 feet," he said about the historic levels of storm surge expected near where Ian is expected to make landfall. Share this -Link copiedA view of Hurricane Ian from the International Space Station A view of Hurricane Ian from the International Space Station, on Monday. Share this -Link copiedSatellite images show Hurricane Ian approaching Florida Hurricane Ian over the Gulf of Mexico early Wednesday. Share this -Link copiedIan expected to strengthen until making landfall, officials say Hurricane Ian is still forecast to strengthen until the hurricane makes landfall in Florida, the National Hurricane Center said.

Storm surge map, they didn’t have a color for 12 to 15 feet," he said about the historic levels of storm surge expected near where Ian is expected to make landfall. Share this -Link copiedA view of Hurricane Ian from the International Space Station A view of Hurricane Ian from the International Space Station, on Monday. “We are extremely concerned about the potential impacts Hurricane Ian may have on phosphate facilities around the state,” Whitlock added. Share this -Link copiedIan strengthens into Category 4 storm Hurricane Ian has strengthened into a Category 4 storm as it advances upon Florida's west coast. Share this -Link copiedSatellite images show Hurricane Ian approaching Florida Hurricane Ian over the Gulf of Mexico early Wednesday.

The National Hurricane Center said Puerto Rico could get 12 to 18 inches of rain, with 30 inches possible in some areas. Nelson Cirino secures the windows of his home Sunday as the winds of Hurricane Fiona blow in Loiza, Puerto Rico. He said the first responders were prepared to be in Puerto Rico for as long as two weeks. Biden was briefed on the situation in Puerto Rico during his trip abroad, a senior administration official said. Nelson Cirino looks in his bedroom Sunday after Hurricane Fiona tore the roof off his house in Loiza, Puerto Rico.

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