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☆ Why Trump is trying to outrage Washington with his controversial Cabinet picks
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Donald Trump’s increasingly provocative Cabinet picks have left some Republican senators aghast and Washington in shock. The dismay engulfing establishment elites contrasted with the euphoria rocketing through conservative networks and social media among Trump fans. News that Hegseth had been picked to lead the Pentagon rocked Washington the night before the Gaetz pick and sparked similar questions about Trump’s motives. And she was accused of “parroting” false propaganda from America’s premier espionage adversary, Russia, by no less than Utah GOP Sen. Mitt Romney. Not all Trump’s picks are contentious.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, aghast, Florida Republican Matt Gaetz —, Justice Department —, Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s MAGA, Pete Hegseth, Geraldo Rivera, Gaetz —, Trump, ‘, Anthony Scaramucci, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Pennsylvania Democratic Sen, John Fetterman, CNN’s Manu Raju, “, —, Gaetz, Elie Honig, Hegseth, Gabbard, ”, Bashar al, Assad, Utah GOP Sen, Mitt Romney, Florida Sen, Marco Rubio, Rubio, Alaska Sen, Lisa Murkowski, Maine Sen, Susan Collins, Iowa Republican Sen, Joni Ernst, South Dakota Sen, John Thune, Thune, Matt Gaetz, Alabama Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Republicans — you’re, ” Tuberville, acquiesce Organizations: CNN, Florida Republican, Justice Department, Democratic, Fox News, Trump, Senate, Pennsylvania Democratic, Gaetz, FBI, CNN International ., Pentagon, Fox, Defense Department, Utah GOP, GOP, Republican Trump, Iowa Republican, South Dakota, Republican, Republicans, Pennsylvania Senate, Treasury, Health, Human Services, Republican Senate Locations: Washington, Florida, Pennsylvania, Russia, America, Iraq, Afghanistan, Hawaii, Utah, China, Alaska, South, Alabama

☆ Analysts bail on Starbucks with 2 downgrades, slashed price targets. 'Stunning across-the-board miss,' says Blair
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But Deutsche kept its $89 price target, which suggests the stock could gain just 0.6%, as of Tuesday's close. Starbucks stock hasn't logged a positive year since 2021. Bank of America's Sara Senatore maintained her buy rating and $108 price target, which implies roughly 22% potential upside — a fairly bullish aim compared with other firms. Underpinning Senatore's stance is her expectation that Starbucks' earnings growth will reaccelerate in 2025, fueled by traffic-driving initiatives, such as more menu innovation and operational improvements. JPMorgan analyst John Ivankoe kept his overweight rating but moved his price target lower to $92 from $100.

Persons: William Blair, Sharon Zackfia, Zackfia, Lauren Silberman, Deutsche, Wells, Bank of America's Sara Senatore, Laxman Narasimhan, John Ivankoe Organizations: Starbucks, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, UBS, Bank of America, Bank of America's Locations: Tuesday's, U.S, China, Wells Fargo, Israel

☆ Indonesia Votes for New President Under Shadow of Influential Incumbent
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Those surveys show Prabowo with 51.8% and 51.9% support, with Anies and Ganjar a whopping 27 and 31 points adrift respectively. To win outright, a candidate needs over 50% of votes and to secure 20% of the ballot in half of the country's provinces. "Jokowi as the decisive factor has been proven by the rising popularity of Prabowo," said Arya Fernandes of Indonesia's Center for Strategic and International Studies. "But whether or not Prabowo can win in one round, there are some other factors outside of Jokowi," he said, noting turnout would be crucial for Prabowo. "The candidates' programmes will be the decisive factor... Populist pledges that are easy to remember will be very influential."

Persons: Ananda Teresia, Stanley Widianto, Joko Widodo, Ganjar, Anies, Prabowo Subianto, Suharto, Prabowo, Jokowi, Arya Fernandes, Jokowi's, Wasisto Raharjo, Martin Petty, Nick Macfie Organizations: Defence, Widodo, Indonesia's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Central Java, Prabowo, National Agency for Research, Innovation Locations: Stanley Widianto JAKARTA, Indonesia, country's, Jokowi, Jakarta, Jokowi's

☆ Supreme Court may not escape unscathed from its latest date with Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Now, the US Supreme Court faces its greatest test so far from the former president. How Trump works the refsEven though Trump is not expected to attend Thursday’s oral arguments at the Supreme Court, the justices know what’s coming. According to a CNN poll conducted late last month, 49% of Republicans say Trump did nothing wrong following the last presidential election. “I’m not happy with the Supreme Court. “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges,” Roberts wrote in an extraordinary statement that did not name Trump, but clearly had him in mind.

Persons: Donald Trump, George W, Bush, Al Gore, Trump, it’s, he’s, what’s, Jean Carroll —, Trump’s, Donald Trump Jr, “, ”, SCOTUS, John Roberts, doesn’t, Gore, – Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett –, “ I’m, ” Trump, didn’t, Roberts, Clinton, ” Roberts, CNN’s, Joan Biskupic, Biskupic Organizations: CNN, Colorado Supreme, Trump, Texas Gov, Republican, Supreme, Capitol, Democratic, Representatives Locations: New York, Washington ,, ”, Bush, Washington, Iowa, Colorado, Manhattan

☆ Court Finds Trudeau Overreached by Using Emergency Law to End Blockade
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Ian Austen | Vjosa Isai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Canadian court found that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s use of the country’s Emergencies Act to end a truck convoy protest that had paralyzed the capital, Ottawa, two years ago was an unjustified infringement of civil rights, including the protection against unreasonable search and seizure, and, in some instances, the freedom of expression as well. The Federal Court of Canada decision also found that the freezing of bank accounts of people linked to the protest was similarly unjustified, but it dismissed arguments that the government had violated a variety of other rights, including those linked to peaceful assembly. The protests in Ottawa, which were initially incited by a Covid vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers, rendered most of the city’s downtown streets impassable, clogging them with parked trucks. Six days after Mr. Trudeau’s government introduced the emergency powers, an enormous force of police officers from across the country finished clearing the streets. About 230 people were arrested during the protest.

Persons: Justin Trudeau’s, Mr, Trudeau Organizations: Federal Locations: Ottawa, Alberta, British Columbia, France

It won five cabinet positions in the three-party coalition, including the powerful economy and foreign ministries. And a host of missteps that some even within the party concede has stalled the Greens’ momentum. Today the Greens are widely viewed as a drag on the government of the Social Democratic chancellor, Olaf Scholz, which one poll gave a mere 19 percent approval rating. The Greens have drawn withering attacks from even their own coalition partners. To their opponents, the Greens have overreached on their agenda and become the face of an out-of-touch environmental elitism that has alienated many voters, sending droves to the far right.

Persons: Olaf Scholz Organizations: Germany’s Green Party, Greens, Social Democratic Locations: Ukraine

While a Hamas spokesman told the BBC that Iran did assist in the attack, officials in Tehran have denied responsibility while praising the outcome. "If you had a large end-of-year bonus payment coming your way, might you start spending more money in the meantime? “This money belongs to the Iranian people, the Iranian government, so the Islamic Republic of Iran will decide what to do with this money,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi told NBC News. While the Biden administration renewed talks with Iran to reenter the pact, the discussions have led nowhere and U.S. negotiators publicly walked away. Though not believed to be directly connected, some analysts have speculated that the Biden administration move to free up the $6 billion could have been an incentive to continue talking even as Tehran slowed the pace of development of a nuclear weapon.

Persons: Trump, State Anthony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Richard Goldberg, Matthew Kroenig, Joe Biden, Nikki Haley, Ebrahim Raisi, ”, Biden, Adrienne Watson, Aaron David Miller, Obama, –, Donald Trump Organizations: White, Hamas, Biden, BBC, Treasury Department, “, ”, State, Israeli, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Wall, Georgetown University, GOP, NBC News, Former State Department, –, Trump, U.S Locations: Israel, Iran, Tehran, South Korea, Qatar, Tel Aviv, Gaza, Islamic Republic of Iran, Washington, U.S

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A federal judge on Friday denied a bid by immigration advocates to prohibit U.S. officials from turning away asylum-seekers at border crossings with Mexico if they don't have appointments on a mobile phone app. More than 263,000 people scheduled appointments on the CBP One app from when it was introduced in January through August, including 45,400 who were processed in August. The app has been criticized on the right as too permissive and on the left as too restrictive. Turning back people without appointments violates agency policy and leaves them ”stranded in dangerous Mexican border towns, vulnerable to kidnapping, assault, rape, and murder," they said. Political Cartoons View All 1211 ImagesThe Justice Department insisted there is no policy of turning back asylum-seekers.

Persons: Biden, Al Otro Lado, Andrew Schopler, Joe Biden, Melissa Crow, Katherine Shinners Organizations: DIEGO, —, CBP, Venezuelan, Haitian Bridge Alliance, U.S, District, Supreme, Center, Gender & Refugee Studies, Justice Department Locations: Mexico, United States, Mexican, San Diego, U.S, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Texas, States

☆ Good news, homebuyers: This fall could finally be a 'sweet spot' in the US real-estate market, Zillow says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

US homebuyers might see a "sweet spot" in the market this fall, said a Zillow economist. Zillow estimates that about 10% of home listings saw a price cut in the week ending September 16 — the most since November. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementUS home prices have risen in the last year due to higher mortgage rates, but Zillow thinks it's a good time to buy — if you have the budget. US home sales have slowed as houses have gotten less affordable, thanks to rising prices which have been driven higher by an inventory shortage and high mortgage rates.

Persons: —, Zillow, it's, Jeff Tucker, It's, homebuyers, Tucker, Freddie Mac Organizations: Service Locations: —

☆ Zelenskyy 'bombed' at his first White House meeting and 'pissed Biden off,' says new book
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Zelenskyy "bombed" his first Oval Office meeting with Joe Biden, according to a new book. The book says that even Zelenskyy's most ardent sympathizers in the White House thought he'd overreached. "The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future" by Franklin Foer will be published in the US next week and is a source of anxiety for the White House, Politico reports. The Ukrainian president had long sought a White House meeting amid mounting tensions with Russia. Zelenskyy and Biden have forged a powerful wartime partnership US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walk during an unannounced visit in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 20, 2023.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Franklin Foer, he'd, Zelenskyy, Joe Biden's, Foer, Donald Trump, —, Trump's, Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: NATO, Service, White, Politico, Guardian, Random, Presidential, New York Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukraine, France, Germany, Kyiv

☆ What is RICO and why are prosecutors using it against Trump?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Jack Queen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The main requirements under the federal RICO law are at least two underlying crimes and participation in a criminal enterprise over a long period of time. WHY ARE PROSECUTORS USING RICO? That means prosecutors would not necessarily have to prove Trump personally broke the law but knowingly coordinated with others who did. RICO cases are inherently more complex because prosecutors must first prove the existence of a criminal enterprise. Prosecutors will need to prove that Trump and his co-defendants worked together towards a common criminal purpose, which is not always as straightforward as proving an underlying RICO crime.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Reba Saldanha, Willis overreached, kingpins, Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, John Eastman, Jack Queen, Noeleen Walder, Howard Goller Organizations: U.S, Prosecutors, Trump, Republican, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Georgia, U.S, Fulton County, Windham , New Hampshire, New York

A representation of the cryptocurrency is seen in front of Coinbase logo in this illustration taken, March 4, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoNEW YORK, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Coinbase Global (COIN.O) on Friday asked a judge to end the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's lawsuit accusing the world's largest publicly traded cryptocurrency exchange of violating federal securities laws. Coinbase was sued by the SEC in June, and accused of operating illegally as a national securities exchange, broker and clearing agency without registering with the regulator. Firms are closely watching the litigation between the SEC and Coinbase, with some onlookers deeming it an "existential" clash. Coinbase leaned on the recent Ripple matter in Friday's filing, noting the SEC's lawsuit hinges on the type of transactions that the judge deemed outside of the regulator's jurisdiction.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Coinbase, Paul Grewal, Chris Prentice, Toby Chopra, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Securities, Exchange, SEC, Labs, Thomson Locations: Manhattan

☆ Student-loan borrowers could be waiting over a year for Biden to implement his new plan for broad debt relief
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Biden is going through negotiated rulemaking to implement his new student-debt relief plan. It recently took his Education Department 15 months to go through that process. The law says the Education Department can "enforce, pay, compromise, waive, or release any right, title, claim, lien, or demand" related to federal student debt. That process has historically taken a long time, meaning that the new attempt at broad student-debt relief may not arrive for a while. Of course, the timeline for this new plan for student-debt relief could be quicker, and Education Department officials have said they will work as fast as they can under the process to get relief to borrowers.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden's, Education James Kvaal Organizations: Department, Service, Education Department, Higher, Biden overreached, Federal, Education, guaranty, servicers, Federal Register Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Meet a first-generation Gen-Zer with $60,000 in student debt who says it's 'hard to be excited' about Biden's new plans for relief: 'There's just no clear messaging'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Olivia Bissanti, 23, has $60,000 in federal and private student debt. As a first-generation college student, Bissanti was the first in her family to achieve a higher education and navigate the financial system that comes along with it. Six months after graduating from college in 2021, Bissanti started making payments on her private student loans. Olivia Bissanti (right), 23, has $60,000 in private and federal student debt. At the end of June, the Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for federal borrowers.

Persons: Olivia Bissanti, she's, hasn't, Bissanti, I've, Joe Biden's, overreached, —, Biden, Biden's, it's, There's, Bharat Ramamurti, that's Organizations: Service, Education Department, —, Supreme, Higher, National Economic Council Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Everything student-loan borrowers need to know about what will happen when payments restart this fall without broad debt relief
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Biden announced a new plan to transition borrowers back into repayment after his broad debt relief was struck down. The plan includes a 12-month "on-ramp" period and a new income-driven repayment plan. Along with the on-ramp period, Cardona also said his department has finalized a new income-driven repayment plan for borrowers. If a borrower is already enrolled in the REPAYE plan — an existing income-driven repayment plan — they will automatically be put on the SAVE plan when it becomes available. If a borrower is enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan, they can go to studentaid.gov and select the "My Aid" page, which will list their repayment plan.

Persons: Biden, —, Joe Biden's, overreached, Miguel Cardona, Cardona, we'll, I'm Organizations: Service, Higher, Education Department, Public, Valuable Education

☆ DeSantis may have overreached when he went to war with Disney, and Trump smells blood in the water
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Florida Gov. "DeSanctus is being absolutely destroyed by Disney," Trump wrote earlier this week. "DeSanctus is being absolutely destroyed by Disney," Trump crowed on his social media platform Truth earlier this week. The Florida governor wanted to burnish his national image by torching Disney. And by gobbling up intellectual property and broadcasting rights, Disney continues to be virtually inescapable.

☆ A publisher removed references to Rosa Parks' race in a draft of its textbook to comply with Florida's laws, NYT reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A publisher removed references to Rosa Parks' race in a draft of a Florida textbook. Studies Weekly changed the language to comply with the Stop Woke Act, The New York Times reported. The publisher told the Times that it withdrew from the state's review. DeSantis signed into law the Stop Woke Act and the Don't Say Gay Act in 2022. The FDOE has also amended the Stop Woke Act to ban critical race theory from being taught in schools.

☆ Analysis: Kremlin moves to rein in Russian mercenary boss Prigozhin
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"The position of the (Kremlin) political bloc is not to let him into politics. Prigozhin told a Russian interviewer on Friday that he had "zero" political ambitions. Markov, who described Prigozhin as extremely confrontational, said he believed Putin had told Prigozhin to halt public criticism of the top brass at a St Petersburg meeting around Jan. 14. It advised recipients to stop mentioning Prigozhin or Wagner and suggested generic phrases to describe his forces instead. After years of denials, Prigozhin stepped out of the shadows in September to admit he had founded Wagner in 2014.

☆ Israeli parliament in uproar over Netanyahu plans for judiciary
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Israeli lawmakers engaged in a shouting match on Monday in a parliamentary committee deciding on government plans to overhaul the judiciary, a move President Isaac Herzog has warned risks tipping the country into "constitutional collapse". The plans, which would give rightist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greater control of appointments to the bench and weaken the Supreme Court's ability to strike down legislation or rule against the executive, have triggered widespread protests. Morning trains from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem were packed with people, many carrying Israeli flags and protest signs, heading to the demonstration. U.S. President Joe Biden has urged Netanyahu to build consensus before pushing through far-reaching changes, saying in comments published by the New York Times on Sunday that an independent judiciary was one of the foundations of U.S. and Israeli democracy. Additional reporting by Hannah Confino; Writing by James Mackenzie, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. Chamber of Commerce threatens to sue the FTC over proposed ban on noncompete clauses
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Signage is seen on the Chamber Of Commerce Building in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., April 21, 2021. A major business advocacy group has pledged to sue the Federal Trade Commission if it acts on a proposal to ban noncompete clauses in worker contracts — an issue that has bipartisan support among lawmakers. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which represents some 3 million businesses, is prepared to sue if the FTC continues to push for a proposal that prohibits companies from imposing noncompete clauses on employees, President and CEO Suzanne P. Clark told reporters Thursday. The Chamber called the proposal "blatantly unlawful" and ignorant of established state laws where "noncompete agreements are an important tool in fostering innovation and preserving competition." Banning noncompete agreements is "clearly authority that (the FTC doesn't) have and no one has ever thought that they had," Bradley said.

COVINGTON, Ky. — A key part of the White House plan to combat the new House GOP majority was on vivid display Wednesday: President Joe Biden talked about bridges and bipartisanship, while Republicans bickered among themselves. They plan to show him addressing real-world problems that are Americans' top concern while painting congressional Republicans as being focused on raw politics. They are refining plans to pressure House Republicans in swing districts to stop any impeachment votes in committee — before the issue reaches the House floor. The general view inside the White House is that there is little of substance to worry about. There, Barack Obama challenged McConnell and congressional Republicans to “help us rebuild this bridge!” and put unemployed construction workers to work.

The Supreme Court in recent years has hemmed in prosecutors in political corruption cases including a 2020 decision to toss the convictions of two aides to Republican former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie relating to the "Bridgegate" political scandal. The charges against Percoco and Ciminelli were brought in 2016 by then-Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who also pursued corruption cases against top state lawmakers including former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. They also have asked the Supreme Court to reverse their convictions. A judge in July allowed all four to be released from prison on bail after the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. Ciminelli's lawyers said such intangible information could not qualify as a "property fraud" under Supreme Court's precedents.

☆ World's dash for natural gas endangers climate goals -report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Germany's future LNG terminal is under construction amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Lubmin, Germany, September 19, 2022. Among the projects are new gas drilling in Canada and liquefied natural gas (LNG) import capacity in Germany and Vietnam. By October, Russian gas had plummetted to 7.5% of Europe's gas imports, down from 40% in recent years. The dash to replace those supplies has bolstered plans to expand fossil fuel infrastructure, even as the European Union has proposed higher renewable energy targets to attempt to mostly replace Russian fuel with clean energy. The International Energy Agency has said no new oil and gas fields should be opened if the world is hit the 1.5C goal.

☆ Removing Sanctions on Crypto Mixer Tornado Cash Won’t Be Easy
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

While crypto advocates and companies contend that Tornado Cash’s sanctions infringe on personal rights to privacy—an important issue for the nascent industry—crypto experts said Tornado Cash might not be the best test case for that argument. Tornado Cash, a currency mixer that lets users commingle their funds to obfuscate ownership, was sanctioned in August by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which enforces U.S. sanctions. OFAC accused Tornado Cash of allowing users to launder billions of dollars in virtual currency, including $455 million allegedly stolen by North Korean hackers. The sanctions froze U.S. assets held by Tornado Cash and barred U.S. companies and individuals from doing business with it. Other participants in the decentralized-finance industry have expressed similar concerns about OFAC’s power to sanction Tornado Cash.

☆ The army Putin spent 2 decades building has been largely destroyed in Ukraine, and Russia's 'strategic defeat' could threaten his grip on power
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Russia's military will have to be rebuilt because of the war in Ukraine, experts say. But the war in Ukraine has decimated the Russian military that Putin spent years building, while raising questions about his grip on power, Russia experts and military analysts told Insider. Russia's military is going to have to be rebuilt," George Barros, a military analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, told Insider. These losses have forced the Russian military to resort to pulling obsolete Soviet-era equipment, such as T-62 tanks, out of storage. The Russian military is "not nearly as powerful as we thought it was," he said.

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