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☆ 15 Best Dress Shirts for Men, According to Style Experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

Since dress shirts are a closet staple, there are also hundreds to pick from, making a trusted recommendation invaluable. “Hands down, it’s my top selling button-up dress shirt,” she says. Though it has the appearance of a traditional dress shirt, it’s actually made of a sweat-wicking cotton-polyester blend with four-way stretch. “Without a doubt, this is a favorite of each client that tries it,” Alexander says of the dress shirt he recommends most often. Soft silk pickAs an alternative to cotton or synthetic blends, silk is a luxurious option that’s lightweight and soft on the skin.

March 10 (Reuters) - The Chicago mayor's office said on Friday a $23.8 million settlement has been reached with Juul Labs Inc over claims that the e-cigarette maker deceptively marketed its products and for selling vaping products to underage users. In the settlement, Chicago said Juul has denied and continues to deny any wrongdoing and liability in connection with the design, manufacture, production, advertisement, marketing, distribution, sale, use, and performance of its products. According to the settlement, the company has agreed to pay the city $2.8 million within 30 days of the execution of the agreement. Chicago would receive an additional $21 million payment later this year under the current schedule and may potentially receive up to $750,000 additional, court-awarded payments, the Chicago mayor's office said. Altria Group Inc (MO.N), which had a stake in Juul valued at $12.8 billion in 2018, on Monday exchanged its investment in Juul, last valued at $250 million, for some of the vaping company's heated tobacco intellectual property.

☆ House Republicans target the CFPB as the agency takes aim at 'junk fees'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers discussed ways to reform, or altogether defund, the nation's foremost consumer protection agency on Thursday, as the regulator takes aim at illegal "junk fees" levied on consumers. GOP lawmakers in the hearing criticized the Biden administration's push to eradicate "junk fees," largely regulated by the CFPB. On Wednesday, the agency released a list of illegal junk fees encompassing deposit accounts; auto and mortgage loan servicing; and payday and title lending. Subcommittee member Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., said Chopra has used junk fees as an excuse to expand his authority. The CFPB's working definition of junk fees is "any fee they don't like," argued Devin Watkins, an attorney at the conservative-leaning Competitive Enterprise Institute.

Principal Deputy IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel testifies before the House Small Business Committee at a hearing on "The Internal Revenue Service And Small Businesses: Ensuring Fair Treatment" in Washington, July 17, 2013. One of Werfel's priorities at the IRS will be ensuring that the wealthiest Americans pay their full tax bills. President Joe Biden's pick to lead the IRS won the support of nearly every Senate Democrat, plus a handful of Republicans. "Confirming someone as qualified as Mr. Werfel as IRS Commissioner is crucial to making sure Americans take full advantage of all the tax credits we approved last year," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday on the Senate floor. He later served as acting IRS commissioner in 2013.

☆ Altria to revive vaping push with $2.8 bln NJOY bid after Juul fiasco
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Deborah Mary Sophia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Altria is betting that NJOY will prove to be an easier way to tap the market since six of the company's products have received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Altria on Friday exchanged its investment in Juul, last valued at $250 million, for some of the vaping company's heated tobacco intellectual property. "We are no longer limited by the terms of those agreements to pursue other strategic opportunities and partnerships," Juul said. Altria's stake in Juul, valued at $12.8 billion in 2018, had raised antitrust concerns and the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint in April 2020. The NJOY deal will include an additional $500 million in cash payments based on regulatory approvals of the company's other products.

☆ Altria to buy e-cigarette startup NJOY for $2.8 bln after Juul exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 6 (Reuters) - Altria Group Inc (MO.N) said on Monday it would buy e-cigarette startup NJOY Holdings Inc for about $2.75 billion in cash, in fresh bets by the Marlboro maker on the fast-growing market after losing billions through its investment in Juul. The value of Altria's investment in Juul slid to $250 million as of December last year from $12.8 billion it invested in 2018. The NJOY deal will include an additional $500 million in cash payments subject to regulatory outcomes related to some NJOY products, Altria said. NJOY is one of the handful of vaping companies whose products have clearance from federal regulators. Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Altria to light up vaping push with $2.8 bln NJOY bid after Juul fiasco
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Deborah Mary Sophia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Altria on Friday said it had exchanged its investment in Juul, last valued at $250 million, for some of the once red-hot vaping company's heated tobacco intellectual property. Altria's stake in Juul, valued at $12.8 billion in 2018, had raised antitrust concerns and the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint in April 2020. NJOY's products include Ace Pods - currently the only pod-based e-vapor product with market authorizations from the FDA - and disposable e-cigarettes under the NJOY Daily brand. The deal will include an additional $500 million in cash payments based on regulatory decisions related to other NJOY products, Altria said. Vapor products was a $7.84 billion market in the United States in 2021, up from $4.6 billion in 2017, according to Euromonitor International, and is projected to rise to $9.46 billion by 2025.

☆ Effort to Ban Stock Trading Among Executive Branch Officials Renewed
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Andrew Ackerman | Rebecca Ballhaus | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri introduced a bill that would ban lawmakers and their spouses from owning or trading individual stocks last year but it didn’t move forward. WASHINGTON—Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) is expected to introduce legislation Monday that would ban senior executive branch officials from owning or trading individual stocks, a push to toughen restrictions on conflicts of interest in the federal government. Mr. Hawley’s bill is the latest fallout from a Wall Street Journal series that identified a sweeping pattern of financial conflicts across the executive branch, including finding that more than 2,600 officials invested in companies overseen by their agencies.

☆ Senators to launch bill that will help ban or prohibit foreign technology like TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner, D-Va., said Sunday he is introducing a broad bipartisan bill this week that will outline an approach to banning or prohibiting foreign technology, like the popular video-sharing app TikTok. TikTok is a short-form video platform that is used by more than 100 million Americans. Warner's legislation comes after U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voted Wednesday to advance a bill that would grant President Joe Biden the authority to ban TikTok. The bill passed the Republican-controlled committee 24-16 along party lines, with unanimous GOP support and no Democratic votes. TikTok is no stranger to challenges from U.S. officials, as former President Donald Trump declared his intention to ban the app by executive action in 2020.

☆ Big tech was a major target at CPAC, but conservatives building alternatives are facing challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Ben Goggin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., targeted big tech and the legal immunity companies enjoy under Section 230, which is currently being considered by the Supreme Court. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Co., said in her speech Saturday: "I have called for 230 protections to be removed from these big tech companies who are hiding behind section 230, and they are acting like editors rather than publishers." "The key was, could we build something that big tech couldn't tear down and couldn't stop?" But not all Big Tech was a target. LibsofTikTok creator Chaya Raichik criticized how big tech has treated her accounts while also boasting about her follower count on those platforms and promoting her book sold on Amazon.

☆ I'm a Gen X working mom who tried TikTok's 'Bare Minimum Monday' trend, and it's harder than it looks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"Bare Minimum Monday" is the latest TikTok trend to slink into the workplace. I soon found out that Bare Minimum Monday was harder than it looked. That helps explain why for me, Bare Minimum Monday started on Sunday afternoon. But I was determined to do a realistic version of Bare Minimum Monday. "I thought this was supposed to be 'Bare Minimum Monday,'" she said, deadpan.

☆ Where Restrictions on Abortion Pills Could Matter Most
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Allison Mccann | Amy Schoenfeld Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

Abortion providers in the United States A United States map shows the location of abortion providers in states without abortion bans. total abortions Medication abortions 71,700 61,500 58% 37,500 32,100 28,800 29,500 41% 61% 60% 51% 52% Florida New York Georgia Pa. Mich. N.C. N.J. Ohio Wash. Mass. Some ways the ruling could affect the availability of abortion pills A flowchart shows possible outcomes from a judge’s ruling and highlights how abortion pills could remain available under some scenarios. Even if the judge rules in favor of the plaintiffs, abortion pills could remain available. The foundation’s Wichita, Kansas, clinic sees more than 500 patients a month, many from Texas, and 60 percent choose abortion pills.

☆ Ohio Senators Lead Rail-Safety Push After East Palestine Train Derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Two Ohio senators are leading a bipartisan effort to respond to last month’s train derailment in their state, proposing legislation that would subject railroads to a series of new federal safety regulations and increase fines for wrongdoing. Vance of Ohio, along with Sens. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), Josh Hawley (R. ), Bob Casey (D., Pa.) and John Fetterman (D., Pa.), introduced legislation on Wednesday intended to prevent future train disasters like the Feb. 3 derailment of Norfolk Southern Corp. railcars near East Palestine, Ohio. The incident has raised concerns about the long-term health risks near and around the village of 4,700 people.

☆ TikTok's potential ban in U.S. could be boon for Meta and Snap
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Jonathan Raa | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesInvestors in Meta , Snap and other U.S. digital media companies have been looking for signs of a rebound after a tumultuous 2022. Meta climbed 1% on Wednesday, and Snap was unchanged. She said that Meta's Facebook, Snap and Google's YouTube could be "huge beneficiaries" if the ban ultimately takes place. watch now"A U.S. ban on TikTok is a ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion-plus people who use our service worldwide," a TikTok spokesperson said Wednesday. Andrew Boone, an analyst at JMP, said that Meta likely stands to benefit the most should TikTok face a U.S. ban.

With the way cable news talking heads describe debt ceiling negotiations, one might think America is headed for an extinction-level event. Left-wing pundits argue that anything but a "clean raise" in the debt ceiling – extending America's credit card limit with no conditions – will bring about an economic apocalypse. As the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee with jurisdiction over the debt ceiling, Social Security, and Medicare, no debt ceiling legislation that passes through my committee will include cuts to these vital programs. Debt ceiling negotiations are something Democrats – and even then-Senator Biden – have agreed to multiple times in our nation's history. For Washington Democrats to engage in politics as usual is manifesting the very crisis they claim they want to avoid.

☆ Senators unveil rail safety bill after Ohio train derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Liz Brown-Kaiser | Rose Horowitch | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A bipartisan group of senators will introduce legislation Wednesday aimed at preventing rail disasters after the devastating derailment in East Palestine last month. It would also require trained, two-person crews to work aboard every train carrying hazardous materials and levy heightened fines for rail carriers' wrongdoing. The Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying vinyl chloride led to a spill of toxic chemicals. The bill will be introduced by Brown and his Republican counterpart, Sen. JD Vance, who represent the state where the Norfolk Southern derailment occurred. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday asked Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw to participate in an upcoming hearing.

☆ Altria in talks to buy vaping startup NJOY for about $2.75 billion - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Altria Group Inc (MO.N) is in advanced talks to buy e-cigarette startup NJOY Holdings Inc for at least $2.75 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Journal further notes that the proposed deal includes an additional $500 million earnout if regulatory milestones are met. The Journal reported in October Juul was preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, while searching for an alternative - such as a sale, investment or loan - that could stave off a filing. NJOY and Altria did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. In July, the WSJ had reported that NJOY has hired bankers for a possible sale of the company, adding that the privately held firm is likely to be valued at up to $5 billion.

☆ GOP lawmakers vilify ESG moves at BlackRock, Vanguard but take their money nonetheless
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

But Republicans have vilified BlackRock, Vanguard Group and State Street for leading the push on Wall Street to promote clean energy and what GOP lawmakers often title "left-wing social priorities." Still, many Republican lawmakers received money from the very firms their party is criticizing. It was the third election cycle in a row that both lawmakers took donations from the firm's PAC. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., received $10,000 from BlackRock and a combined $6,500 from Vanguard and State Street in the 2022 cycle. Huizenga's spokesman Brian Patrick said the donations won't affect the lawmaker's position on ESG issues.

☆ Lawmakers show rare bipartisan unity in pursuing protections for kids online
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee found rare alignment at a recent hearing about how Congress can help protect kids from online harms. They're speaking out in support of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which would require sites likely to be accessed by kids 16 or younger to maintain certain privacy and safety protections by default. "We must and we will double down on the Kids Online Safety Act," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who co-sponsored the bill with Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said at the hearing. Though lawmakers have shared similar goals in other discussions around regulating tech, when it comes to protecting kids online, they're more united in the types of action they want to see take place. However, a bill that recently passed the state's House of Representatives removed that provision, instead allowing for consumers to sue social media companies that knowingly cause harm.

☆ Elder financial fraud is a $3 billion-a-year problem. This bill in Congress aims to help prevent it
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Sarah O'Brien | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Seb_ra | Istock | Getty ImagesA bill that's pending in the Senate aims to battle a persistent danger to older adults and other vulnerable individuals: financial exploitation. The bill would "provide folks on the front line with the tools necessary to help prevent exploitation," Jennings said. Called the Financial Exploitation Prevention Act of 2023 and sponsored by Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., the bill cleared the House last month in a unanimous bipartisan vote. watch nowA nearly identical version of the bill that cleared the House in 2021 ended up languishing in the Senate. Older adults with cognitive challenges are the most vulnerable to exploitation and may have up to twice as much stolen than those without those issues.

When people think of great places to work remotely, what usually comes to mind is some resort-worthy locale like a beach in Hawaii or North Carolina, or a cabin in the Rockies. But what about Springfield, Mo.

☆ House Tax Leader Denounces International Plan to Raise Minimum Corporate Tax
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Richard Rubin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rep. Jason Smith said ‘Republicans will not tolerate’ changes that could let other countries collect more taxes from U.S. companies. WASHINGTON—The House’s top tax legislator criticized an international agreement to raise minimum taxes on corporations, saying Republicans in Congress wouldn’t accept the deal reached by the Biden administration and more than 130 countries. Rep. Jason Smith (R., Mo. ), who became chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee last month, said the agreement would help China gain a competitive advantage and hurt the U.S.

☆ Nonalcoholic Beer Ad in Super Bowl Spotlights ‘Dry Economy’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Heineken USA plans to run a 30-second Super Bowl ad for its Heineken 0.0 nonalcoholic beer, enlisting actor Paul Rudd as Marvel’s Ant-Man to make the pitch. Sales volume in low- and no-alcohol was $2.5 billion, while the overall U.S. alcohol market totaled $188.3 billion. Ad spending to promote nonalcoholic beer on national television, by comparison, totaled $9.7 million in January, up from $1.4 million in January 2019. Boisson Inc., a retailer of nonalcoholic beer, wine and spirits with 10 stores in New York and California, said it is increasing its marketing spending. SipSteady co-hosted a Dry Vibes event in January in Kansas City that included tastings of nonalcoholic beverages.

☆ Top GOP Tax Legislator Says He’ll Boost Workers, Probe Companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Richard Rubin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rep. Jason Smith, who represents southeastern Missouri, said his policies will focus on ‘real Americans’ over large corporations. Jason Smith (R., Mo. ), the House’s new top tax writer, is promoting an approach he says would favor working-class Americans over large corporations, a shift in tone from his predecessors that raises questions about companies’ ability to push tax cuts through Congress. In speeches, interviews and a 10-year voting record in Congress, Mr. Smith has been a steady supporter of Republican tax cuts, and he says that basic approach isn’t changing. As chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, he says the needs of farmers, small businesses and working-class Americans should come first when setting policy.

Forty-seven pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong have been accused of a conspiracy to commit subversion in a landmark political case. Benny Tai, 58, was a professor of law at the University of Hong Kong. Pro-democracy primary Pro-democracy candidates held a primary vote ahead of the upcoming Legislative Council election. The 47 defendants helped organize or participated in this event. New election rules announced China announced new rules for Hong Kong elections, limiting candidates to only those deemed loyal to Beijing.

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