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☆ Qatar stock market ends lower, Egypt rises
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Md Manzer Hussain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Qatari Stock index (.QSI) dropped 0.1%, extending its losses to a second session with Gulf's biggest lender Qatar National Bank (QNBK.QA) falling 0.2% and Qatar Islamic Bank (QISB.QA) shedding 1.1%. Among the losers, Lesha Bank (QFBQ.QA) and Dukhan Bank (DUBK.QA) lost 1.1% and 1.3% respectively. Saudi Arabia's benchmark index (.TASI) added marginally as losses in energy and financial sectors countered gains in most of the sectors. Dr Sulaiman Al-Habib Medical Services (4013.SE) climbed 2.5% and Mouwasat Medical Services (4002.SE) surged 6.1%. However, Riyad Bank (1010.SE) and the world's largest Islamic bank by assets Al Rajhi Bank (1120.SE) lost 2.1% and 0.7% respectively.

Persons: Christopher Waller, Dr Sulaiman Al, Md Manzer Hussain, David Evans Organizations: . Federal, United Arab, Qatar National Bank, Qatar Islamic Bank, Lesha Bank, Dukhan Bank, Habib Medical Services, Mouwasat Medical Services, Riyad Bank, Al Rajhi Bank, Co, International Finance Corporation, IFC, Thomson Locations: United States, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi, El

The justices turned away an appeal by Bradley Hester of a lower court's ruling that upheld Cullman County, Alabama's cash bail system. Hester was required to remain in jail following a misdemeanor arrest because he could not afford to make a $1,000 bail payment. Hester joined a lawsuit against Cullman County Sheriff Matthew Gentry and other officials in 2017 following his arrest and detention for possessing drug paraphernalia. A federal judge in Alabama in 2018 temporarily blocked Cullman County's bail practices, ruling that Hester was likely to prevail on his claim that the county's "discriminatory bail practices deprive indigent criminal defendants in Cullman County of equal protection of the law." Circuit Court of Appeals panel in 2022 reversed that ruling, prompting Hester's appeal to the Supreme Court.

Persons: Bradley Hester, Hester, Matthew Gentry, Cullman, John Kruzel, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S, Supreme, . Constitution, Circuit, Thomson Locations: ., Cullman County, Alabama

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - A Georgia-based probe into whether former Republican President Donald Trump and others illegally sought to overturn his loss in the state's 2020 presidential election has expanded into activities outside of Georgia, the Washington Post reported on Friday. As part of the probe into Trump and his allies efforts, Willis's office has sought information from Simpatico Software Systems and Berkeley Research Group about their actions in Georgia and other U.S. states, the Post said. The companies declined to comment to the Post as did Willis' office and representatives for Trump. The Department of Justice is also investigating Trump's role in efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden. A number of individuals under investigation in the Fulton County probe have accepted immunity deals, court records showed last month.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fulton, Willis, Racketeer, Democrat Joe Biden, Joseph Ax, Susan Heavey, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Republican, Washington Post, Post, Democrat, Trump, Simpatico Software Systems, Berkeley Research Group, Justice, Thomson Locations: Georgia, United States, U.S, Fulton County, Fulton

☆ In New Mexico, an unlikely wildfire thinning alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Near Taos in northern New Mexico, Vicente Fernandez, a mayordomo, or forest caretaker, cut saplings and seedlings crowding a mature fir tree. In an about-face, the Forest Service is now paying local woodcutters or leñeros $300 an acre to cut these trees for personal use or sale. Some environmentalists oppose Taos County's so called Mayordomo Program, and other thinning, saying it is a waste of time, harms forests and is often a guise for logging. "The Forest Service believes in helping communities to wisely use the forests," the agency said in a statement. "We cannot fireproof forests, we can fireproof communities," said Horning, who has lived in northern New Mexico for 30 years.

☆ Elon Musk and Twitter face San Francisco city probe over headquarters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In an aerial view, a modified company sign is posted on the exterior of the Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, April 10, 2023. Elon Musk and X Corp. — the Musk-backed parent company of social media platform Twitter — face an investigation over building code violations at Twitter's San Francisco headquarters on Market Street, according to online public records with the county's Department of Building Inspection. In the drive to cut costs, the Musk transition team told employees to simply refuse to pay landlords who were owed rent by the company. When informed of the risks of termination fees for certain leases, Davis told Twitter senior employees, "Well, we just won't pay those. A representative for the Department of Building Inspection in San Francisco did not immediately respond to a request for further information.

☆ Kia and Hyundai will pay out millions to people who had their cars stolen in Tik-Tok inspired 'Kia Boys' thefts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Chris Panella | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kia and Hyundai will pay millions to people who had their cars stolen in a Tik-Tok inspired trend. The "Kia Boys" trend involved using a common USB charging cord or metal object to start the car. Kia and Hyundai will pay millions of dollars to people who had their car stolen thanks to a missing antitheft device and a TikTok-inspired trend. It affects owners of certain 2016 to 2021 Hyundai models and certain Kia models made between 2011 and 2021. The spike in theft of the models is partially thanks to a TikTok trend from the "Kia Boyz," which followed people breaking into Kia and Hyundai models only using a screwdriver and a USB cord.

☆ County with high rate of overdose deaths doesn’t use opioid settlement funds for addiction program
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Aneri Pattani | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Greene County, Tenn., resident Nancy Schneck wants opioid settlement funds to be used for addiction and mental health treatment. In Tennessee, 15% of the state’s opioid settlement funds are controlled by the legislature and another 15% by local governments. Greene County, Tenn., is directing some of its opioid settlement money into the county's capital projects fund. Pack, from East Tennessee State, urges them to increase access to medications that have proven effective in treating opioid addiction. Some Greene County residents want to see opioid settlement funds go to local initiatives that are already operating on the ground.

☆ A retired Georgia couple is fighting back against a railroad company that wants to take land their family has owned for generations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A retired Georgia couple is battling a railroad company that wants their land. The couple is part of a group fighting Sandersville Railroad's plan to use the eminent domain process. The Institute for Justice has accused the railroad company of abusing eminent-domain power. Blaine and Marvin Smith own separate parcels of land, both of which Sandersville's push for eminent domain would impact. Institute for JusticeBen Tarbutton III, a representative for Sandersville Railroad, said the company disagreed "with the assertions made by the Institute for Justice."

☆ Credit card companies need to explain the 'exorbitant' late fees they're charging customers, says Elizabeth Warren
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to know if credit card companies stand with the banks. Currently, credit card companies are permitted to fine consumers up to $41 for each missed credit card payment — no questions asked. The other nine credit card companies Warren sent the letter to did not immediately reply to a request for comment. She wanted to know why reducing credit card late fees would be any different. Warren also asked each credit card company to answer how much money they collect in credit card fees each year — and the proportion from low-income earners — and the actual cost of collecting those fees.

☆ An Arizona GOP official relentlessly threatened by election deniers after the 2020 presidential race says he has PTSD
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates now has PTSD after relentless attacks during the 2020 election. Election deniers upset about the 2020 presidential results harassed Gates, per The Washington Post. Gates, a longtime Republican, became withdrawn and angry as a result of the campaign against him and his family. A longtime Republican, Gates said he backed former President Donald Trump in the 2016 election and was an elected official in what was a longtime redoubt of the GOP. And after now-President Joe Biden won both Maricopa County and Arizona in November 2020, Trump-aligned Republicans sought to stop the certification of Biden's victory.

☆ An Ohio homeowner surrounded by 598 houses getting demolished said the teardowns have increased property values and improved his neighborhood
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

There are thousands of homes left vacant from abandonment or foreclosure in Ohio. Tony Kelly said the demolitions improved his area, from luring residents to lifting home values. At the end of 2019, Attom found, Ohio was among the states with the highest number of vacant homes, with 3.8 million. Mike DeWine said in a 2021 statement announcing the Ohio Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program. "The demolitions helped to raise property values in the city, making the town more attractive to purchase and build houses," he said.

☆ US Declining Population, Worker Shortage Will Cause Economic Crisis Without a Fix
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Gadel Valle | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

That means that unless people start having a lot more kids, the US population could eventually start to shrink — just like China's population has. While the US population has managed to avoid an outright drop, population growth reached an unprecedented low of 0.12% in 2021. One way the US could encourage more immigration is by focusing on temporary visas for specific industries that need workers. And the treatment of workers in the country on temporary visas has been a problem for decades. After all, the US is running out of options, and soon its growing people shortage is going to spell economic disaster.

Federal worker safety inspections have alleged poor maintenance or a lack of safety training at some Tyson plants where ammonia leaks injured workers. CNN interviewed eleven current or former Tyson workers across three different plants who experienced ammonia leaks. !”A safety sign hangs on a fence at a Tyson plant in Hope, Arkansas, in March 2023. Still, some Tyson workers who lived through ammonia leaks said they wished more had been done to protect them. That means that the data doesn’t necessarily cover Tyson plants or other meat facilities that hold smaller amounts of ammonia.

☆ Windfall tax seizure case in Michigan deepens appellate split on class standing issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The county auctioned Fox's property for about $25,000 — and kept the $22,000 difference between the sale price and Fox's tax obligation. But Fox’s class action did not name only Gratiot County as a defendant. Circuit Court disagreed. The 6th Circuit in the Fox case agreed with the 2nd Circuit's holding that trial courts must consider constitutional standing issues ahead of class certification. The Michigan counties that challenged class certification were represented at the 6th Circuit by Douglas Curlew of Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho.

☆ A Missouri official called the ATF 'unconstitutional' but says it's not because the agency raided his brother's gun shop
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ike Skelton's brother, Jim, had his gun shop raided by the ATF in 2021 and lost his federal firearms license. They cited Missouri's Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA), which penalizes authorities who enforce federal gun laws. Kevin L. Jamison, Jim Skelton's attorney, told Insider that his client did not receive "sufficient advice" before opening his shop. We're not restricting them from enforcing their unconstitutional law," Ike Skelton told Insider. The only thing that my brother's raid did was confirm everything I thought about the ATF," Ike Skelton told Insider.

LLANO, Texas, April 13 (Reuters) - A rural Texas county's public libraries will remain open while a court battle continues over whether local officials can remove books deemed inappropriate, commissioners decided on Thursday. "Does Llano, Texas, want to be known as the town that closed the public library?" No state bans more books than Texas, according to PEN America. "Public libraries are not meant to serve particular ideological factions," said Kasey Meehan, who directs the "Freedom to Read" project of PEN America. Reporting by Evan Garcia in Llano, Texas, and Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; editing by Donna Bryson and Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The Missouri official refusing to comply with the ATF has past experience with the bureau. His brother's gun shop was previously raided by the feds.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ike Skelton's brother, Jim, had his gun shop raided by the ATF in 2021 and lost his federal firearms license. I can't just take their packet, slap it to my forehead and absorb it," Jim Skelton told KRCG-TV at the time. Kevin L. Jamison, Jim Skelton's attorney, told Insider that his client did not receive "sufficient advice" before opening his shop. We're not restricting them from enforcing their unconstitutional law," Ike Skelton told Insider. The only thing that my brother's raid did was confirm everything I thought about the ATF," Ike Skelton told Insider.

☆ Drinking is killing Russian troops, according to UK intel. Widespread alcoholism during the first Crimean War 150 years ago resulted in Russia's defeat.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The Crimean War would become another example of the county's war drinking problem cataloged in the annals of Russian history. I don't think it's nearly as important nowadays, as it was during the Russo-Japanese War or World War One, but it's significant, right?" In an interview with Insider, Schrad expanded on the history of Russian drinking during wartime. A lot of it is the consequence of my research topic, which has been alcohol and Russian history. The Crimean War, the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, in particular, were all drunken fiascos.

☆ California county starts monitoring wastewater for illicit drugs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Nathan Frandino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] The Central Marin Sanitation Agency facility, where wastewater samples are collected for testing, is seen in San Rafael, California, U.S. March 29, 2023. REUTERS/Nathan FrandinoSAN RAFAEL, California, April 11 (Reuters) - As the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, a California county is using the same wastewater monitoring program it used to track the coronavirus to go after another deadly public health crisis: opioids. We're losing one resident every five days in Marin County," said Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County's public health officer. Marin County, like many other places in the U.S., is grappling with a drug epidemic. Reporting by Nathan Frandino in San Rafael, Additional reporting by Brian Snyder in Cambridge, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Harris backs expelled Tennessee lawmakers, chides Republicans for ousting them
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Cheney Orr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Republicans who control the Tennessee House of Representatives on Thursday expelled two young Black lawmakers who last week led protesters into the well of the House floor, while a resolution to remove a white representative came up one vote short. The Republicans ousted Justin Pearson, 28, of Memphis, and Justin Jones, 27, from the Nashville area. They staged the protest for gun reforms following the March 27 shooting at a Nashville school that killed three 9-year-old students and three adults. With a 75-23 advantage over Democrats in the House, Tennessee Republicans took the extraordinary measure to expel their Democratic colleagues, citing their disruption of orderly House business. Just two state lawmakers had previously been expelled since the U.S. Civil War.

☆ Harris visits Tennessee after lawmakers expelled over gun protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Cheney Orr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/7] U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an address after the Tennessee House of Representatives voted to expel two Democratic members, representatives Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, for their roles in a gun control demonstration at the Tennessee State Capitol, in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., April 7, 2023. Just two state lawmakers had previously been expelled since the U.S. Civil War. Tennessee Representative Yusuf Hakeem, a Democrat, said Harris' visit showed "the White House is very interested and concerned in a meaningful way," adding that he does not expect protests to fade. Nearly 50 organizations, led by gun safety advocacy group the Newtown Action Alliance, called for nationwide student walkouts in solidarity with those in Tennessee. Members of the Tennessee General Assembly's Black Caucus at a news conference on Friday said Republicans had sunk to new lows.

☆ Harris chides Tennessee Republicans for ousting state lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Cheney Orr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Republicans ousted Justin Pearson, 28, of Memphis, and Justin Jones, 27, from the Nashville area. They staged the protest for gun reforms following the March 27 shooting at a Nashville school that killed three 9-year-old students and three adults. [1/7] U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an address after the Tennessee House of Representatives voted to expel two Democratic members, representatives Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, for their roles in a gun control demonstration at the Tennessee State Capitol, in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., April 7, 2023. With a 75-23 advantage over Democrats in the House, Tennessee Republicans took the extraordinary measure to expel their Democratic colleagues, citing their disruption of orderly House business. Just two state lawmakers had previously been expelled since the U.S. Civil War.

☆ It'll cost DeSantis' handpicked board at least $1,300 per hour to hire a team of lawyers to investigate how Disney outmaneuvered them
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

DeSantis' board will pay hourly legal fees to investigate Disney's loophole in the governor's plan. DeSantis had previously planned to take over the company's governing rights over Disney World. A prior agreement invoked by Disney renders the new board's power essentially obsolete. Ron DeSantis and his handpicked board nearly $1,300 per hour in legal fees to investigate how Disney found a loophole in the governor's plan to take over the company's governing rights over Disney World, stripping the new government-appointed board members of their power. "This essentially makes Disney the government," Ron Peri, a member of the board, said during a meeting on Wednesday.

☆ It'll cost DeSantis' handpicked board nearly $1,300 per hour to hire a team of lawyers to investigate how Disney outmaneuvered them
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

☆ It took a progressive Virginia suburb 8 years to let developers build apartments instead of single-family houses. It shows how hard it is to build middle-class housing in the US.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Arlington, Virginia, is finally set to pass a "missing middle" housing policy after years of debate. Arlington is just the latest community to address missing middle housing as a part of a broader national reckoning. Across the country, critics of increasing housing density in single family neighborhoods are disproportionately older, wealthier, white homeowners. Advocates of missing middle housing say there's a deep generational gap when it comes to housing density. Despite the massive effort it took to come to the verge of passing missing middle housing, Arlington officials predict change will be slow and limited.

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