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☆ A growing group of lawmakers think TikTok is 'digital fentanyl' and want to ban it. Many others remain skeptical.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Some members of Congress have begun pushing to ban TikTok in the US. "I'm a little less enthusiastic about an all-out ban of it," said Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota. "I'm an incrementalist on a lot of things, and I would be on this as well," said Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on social media and the internet's impact on children. Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, another committee member, said she's most concerned about how social media platforms are impacting kids.

☆ The wedding boom is winding down but inflation is still driving up the cost to say 'I do'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The explosive wedding boom seen last year is winding down, but the average cost of nuptials is still going up, according to new data from Zola. Couples will shell out an average of $29,000 this year to say "I do" – up from $28,000 last year, the digital wedding planning platform found. The expected jump is in large part because of the rising, inflationary costs that vendors are facing, the company said. Catering costs and other labor-intensive services are a particular pain point, Thom said, as vendors raise wages to support workers. "Florals or installations or anything that's really decor-heavy that requires extra labor on site, those costs are rising dramatically," she said.

☆ New York Fashion Week: social media, economy could influence trends
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Alicia Powell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A model presents a creation from the Michael Kors spring summer 2023 collection during New York Fashion Week in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 14, 2022. REUTERS/Caitlin OchsNEW YORK, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Big brands and emerging labels will present their new collections at New York Fashion Week, which kicks off on Friday, seeking to entice trend-followers with their latest creations and perhaps some viral moments. At a time when social media is opening up once-exclusive catwalk shows to fashion followers around the world, brands will be seeking to stand out and create plenty of buzz. Solá-Santiago said she expected to see a Y2K revival and the continued resurgence of nightlife attire as well as designers looking to social media trends for inspiration. “There's a lot of niche TikTok aesthetics that are really emerging like #Cottagecore #Regencycore, #Balletcore," she said.

☆ Republicans are mostly ignoring a $9.4 million sexual assault lawsuit against the Trump-aligned head of CPAC
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

A GOP staffer accused CPAC head Matt Schlapp of sexually assaulting him, filing a $9.4 million lawsuit. A screenshot of the staffer's texts with Matt Schlapp on the morning after the assault on October 20, 2022. "I had a private life before Matt Schlapp, and I want to have that life post-Matt Schlapp," he said. "Those are simply allegations, and I'm not going to comment on them," said Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee. "All matters pertaining to CPAC, I leave to CPAC internally," he said when asked if Matt Schlapp should remain atop the organization.

☆ Meet Thom Browne, the stripe-obsessed designer who took on Adidas and won
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Danni Santana | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Thom Browne defeated Adidas in court this month over its right to use its four stripe design. Adidas sought roughly $7.8 million in damages — equivalent to the amount Adidas believed it would have earned through a licensing agreement with Thom Browne and profits Thom Browne made off the parallel stripe designs. Fashion Designer Thom Browne arrives at Manhattan Federal Court on January 03, 2023. Thom Browne made $285 million in 2021 revenue compared to $23 billion for Adidas, according to the New York Times report. By then, Thom Browne was dressing sports teams like the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and European soccer club FC Barcelona for pregame appearances.

☆ Judge in FTX bankruptcy case rejects motion to remove elite NYC lawyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —One of America’s elite white-collar law firms has emerged as a contentious figure in the complex FTX saga. A judge ruled that the bankrupt crypto platform could retain Sullivan & Cromwell as legal counsel, overruling objections from FTX customers who accused the firm of conflicts of interest. Then FTX’s former top lawyer supported the motion in a court filing, which included additional allegations that one of his former colleagues improperly funneled FTX business to Sullivan & Cromwell. Friedberg alleged that that lawyer funneled business to Sullivan & Cromwell, hoping to curry favor with the firm to which he hoped to eventually return. Earlier this month, a group of US senators also raised objections to Sullivan & Cromwell’s participation in the FTX bankruptcy.

☆ China's private sector is the 'key engine of innovation,' says investment firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailChina's private sector is the 'key engine of innovation,' says investment firmJames Thom of Abrdn discusses China's plan to launch a state-owned ride-hailing app, and weighs in on whether the state poses a threat to private companies.

Thom Browne had argued that, among other things, its designs have a different number of stripes. A spokesperson for Thom Browne Inc said the company was pleased with the verdict. Adidas sued New York designer Thom Browne's brand in 2021, claiming Thom Browne's four-bar and "Grosgrain" stripe patterns on its shoes and high-end activewear violated its three-stripe trademark rights. Thom Browne previously used a three-bar design on its clothing, changing it to the four-stripe design after Adidas objected in 2007. It also requested a court order stopping Thom Browne from using the designs.

☆ Adidas just lost a legal battle with designer Thom Browne over whether it's OK to sell products with stripes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Matthew Kish | Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Thom Browne prevailed in a trademark lawsuit filed by Adidas. In 2021, Adidas sued Thom Browne and alleged its designs infringed on Adidas trademarks, specifically how the German sportswear company uses stripes. Founder Thom Browne arrived at the courthouse last week wearing a shorts suit and a sock with four stripes. "The notion of Thom Browne wanting to trade on the reputation of Adidas offends him. A Thom Browne spokesman didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.

☆ Adidas is suing luxury designer Thom Browne over his use of stripes — and Browne showed up to court in a shorts suit and one striped sock
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Adidas is locked in a court battle with fashion label Thom Browne over its use of stripes. The designer Thom Browne arrived in a shorts suit and striped sock on the trial's first day. A model's feet at a Thom Browne runway show in 2017, left, and Adidas socks and sneakers. The lawyer for Thom Browne argued that the two companies do not compete, as "Thom Browne is a luxury designer and Adidas is a sports brand," according to WWD. A pair of striped socks from Thom Browne can retail for $120, while similar crew socks from Adidas cost around $16 for a three-pack.

☆ Final farewell: From Sidney Poitier to Pope Emeritus Benedict a look back at the influential figures who died in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +55 min

Other world leaders who died in 2022 include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in August. The final days of 2022 saw the loss of some exceptionally notable figures, including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2022 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Dan Reeves, 77. A Cuban-born artist whose radiant color palette and geometric paintings were overlooked for decades before the art world took notice. A prolific character actor best known for playing villains and tough guys in “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and other films.

☆ Fashion’s Weirdest Year? Why 2022 Saw Paint Cans as Handbags, and Worse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Jacob Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Thom Browne’s $3,000 dachshund-shaped bag is one part of fashion’s strange year. In fashion, it was a year of bags shaped like paint cans, pigeons and potato-chip wrappers. It was a year of R-rated skirts that barely covered your gluteus maximus; of shirts splayed, boorishly, from cuff to collar with fast-food logos. A year of shoes made from repurposed sex toys and sagging totes made from jeans.

REUTERS/Tom BrennerWASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Over 200 advocates from around the United States converged on Capitol Hill this week with an 11th-hour mission: persuade lawmakers to provide citizenship to "Dreamer" immigrants who illegally entered the United States as children. Addinelly Moreno Soto, a 31-year-old communications aide who came to the United States from Mexico at age 3, trekked to the Capitol from San Antonio with her husband hoping to meet with her state's U.S. Senator John Cornyn, an influential Republican whose support could help advance a deal that has eluded Congress for more than a decade. The end-of-year push comes as a window is closing for Congress to find a compromise to protect "Dreamers", many of whom speak English and have jobs, families and children in the United States but lack permanent status. Tillis himself has been skeptical about whether Congress will have time to pass the legislation before the year’s end.

☆ Advocates Urge Congress to Pass Permanent Residency Status for Afghans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesConvincing Republican senatorsThe House version of the Afghan Adjustment Act has 143 co-sponsors, including 10 Republicans. Demonstrators gather to support Afghan evacuees outside the Capitol on Nov. 16, 2022. At the moment, one prospect to advance the Afghan Adjustment Act is by attaching it to that larger spending bill, advocates say. But negotiations on the omnibus are ongoing, and whether the Afghan Adjustment Act will be included is up in the air. Yet without a deal by then, passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act appears doomed, advocates say, keeping Afghan evacuees in perpetual legal limbo.

President Joe Biden signed legislation Tuesday to codify federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages in a ceremony at the White House. Biden also quoted directly from a 2012 interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press" in which he came out in public support of same-sex marriage ahead of then-President Barack Obama. The legislation Biden signed was drafted by a bipartisan group led by Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., the first openly gay person elected to the Senate. President Joe Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday. The amendment included language saying that religious organizations would not be required to perform same-sex marriages and that the federal government would not be required to protect polygamous marriages.

☆ Effort to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas will only complicate the immigration puzzle
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

They want the incoming Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee to launch an impeachment investigation of Mayorkas ASAP in early January. While their alleged crimes are very different, any impeachment effort against Mayorkas would likely end similarly: Belknap was acquitted in a Senate trial. Democrats, controlling the Senate majority, would surely do the same if Republicans could even muster the majority needed to impeach Mayorkas. McCarthy would rather just see Mayorkas resign, although there’s no indication Mayorkas will. “If Secretary Mayorkas does not resign, House Republicans will investigate every order, every action and every failure.

☆ Business groups optimistic Congress may finally strike immigration deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Shannon-Pettypiece-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Shannon Pettypiece | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

WASHINGTON — Some of the largest business groups in Washington are making a last-ditch effort to get Congress to pass immigration legislation before the end of the year and are optimistic a bipartisan agreement could fall into place. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., began circulating the contours of a possible deal. Businesses have been calling on Congress to change the immigration system and make it easier for them to hire foreign workers for years, but the situation has grown increasingly dire since the pandemic. We hope it can be successful.”Republicans who have been involved in past efforts to change immigration laws poured cold water on the Sinema-Tillis push. I appreciate them working on it — there’s a deal to be done down the road — but it’s not money, it’s policy.”

Sinema herself, however, said she would not caucus with the Republican Party, according to an interview Politico published on Friday. It will be up to Senate Democrats to foil Republican initiatives. Sinema and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin have kept Washington in suspense over the last two years as they repeatedly withheld needed votes for legislation sought by Biden. Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) walks from her hideaway office to the Senate floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. August 2, 2022. Just this week, Sinema and Republican Senator Thom Tillis unveiled an immigration reform plan that is getting bipartisan attention in the Senate.

WASHINGTON — The House passed legislation Thursday that enshrines federal protections for marriages of same-sex and interracial couples. Thirty-nine House Republicans supported the legislation Thursday and one voted present. The revisions to the bill meant the House had to vote again after passing an earlier version in July. It reflects the rapidly growing U.S. public support for legal same-sex marriage, which hit a new high of 71% in June, according to Gallup tracking polls — up from 27% in 1996. In the Senate, 12 Republicans voted with unanimous Democrats to pass the bill, which sent it back to the House.

☆ Mitch McConnell could've tried to block a bill to protect same-sex marriage. He stayed silent about it instead.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Mitch McConnell never publicly offered his position on a bill to protect same-sex marriage. Susan Collins of Maine and Thom Tillis of North Carolina on amendments to the bill, told Insider. "You know, the leader has to look at his conference," Tillis told Insider, referencing his own time as the Speaker of the North Carolina House. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a conservative opponent of the bill, told Insider that "of course" he wished McConnell had taken a vocal position on the bill. As Sinema stood up to embrace the Iowa Republican, McConnell rose from his seat and voted no.

But first: The results from five counties will help tell us if Democrat Raphael Warnock is on track to win tonight’s Senate runoff in Georgia. Warnock got 56.9% of the vote in Cobb when he won the Jan. 2021 runoff, and he got just under that last November (56.8%). And in Gwinnett, Warnock got 60.6% of the vote in the 2021 runoff, compared with 58.9% last month against Walker. In rural Chattooga — one of NBC News’ “County to County” counties — Warnock got just 20.5% when he won the 2021 runoff, and he got less than that in the November general election (19.8%). Data Download: The number of the day is … $7.79 billionThat’s how much money was spent on political television, radio and digital ads this entire cycle (starting the day after the 2021 Georgia Senate runoff through today’s runoff), per AdImpact.

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan Senate duo has launched a last-minute push to enact immigration reform before the end of the year. Under the proposal, the boost in border security would include higher salaries for border patrol agents, and increased staffing and other resources for border patrol and border protection. “They have clearly found a successful equation here," the Senate aide said. If they can strike a deal, pro-immigration reform members are hoping to attach their proposal to a bill to keep the government funded that must pass later this month. I’ve been in touch w/ my colleagues & will carefully review their proposal,” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., tweeted on Monday.

☆ Factbox: Who are 12 U.S. Senate Republicans who voted to protect same-sex marriage?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here is what they said about supporting the Respect for Marriage Act, which some social conservatives object to:SUSAN COLLINS, MAINECollins is one of the most moderate Senate Republicans. LISA MURKOWSKI, ALASKAMurkowski, a moderate Senate Republican, was the third Republican senator in 2013 to come out in support of same-sex marriage. DAN SULLIVAN, ALASKASullivan said he disagreed with the 2015 Supreme Court decision that established the national right to same-sex marriage. CYNTHIA LUMMIS, WYOMINGAlthough she also believes in "traditional" marriage, Lummis said she believed the separation of church and state was more important than individual religious opinions. She told Politico that although she believes "in traditional marriage," her stance evolved with growing popular support for same-sex marriage.

That’s all I have to say about that,” said Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a member of Senate Republican leadership. I don’t think he should be the nominee of our party in 2024,” he said. And I don’t think it’ll matter in terms of his political future, but I do believe we need to watch who we meet with. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., the outgoing NRSC chair, said, “There’s no room in the Republican Party for white supremacist antisemitism — so it’s wrong.”Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said: “Antisemitism is wrong, and white supremacy is wrong, and that’s all there is to it. Writing on Truth Social, Trump called Ye a “seriously troubled man” and said he had no idea who Fuentes was.

☆ 12 Republican senators so far have broken with their party to support a bill that would protect same-sex marriage. Final passage is expected Tuesday night.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Senate will vote on a bill to protect same-sex marriage on Tuesday night. Twelve Republican senators so far have voted to advance the bill. Senators have tweaked the bill, which passed the Democratic-controlled House in July, to get GOP support. So far, 12 Republicans have cast votes in support of advancing the bill, and more could emerge when the final version comes up. A Gallup poll from June 2021 found that 70% of Americans — including 55% of Republicans — support same-sex marriage.

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