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☆ Clarence Thomas — who let a GOP megadonor foot bills for him for years — said being a Supreme Court justice 'is not worth doing for what they pay'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

In a 2001 speech, Thomas said serving on the Supreme Court wasn't worth it for the money. "The job is not worth doing for what they pay," Thomas said during a speech in 2001, The New York Post reported at the time. The Post reported Thomas cried during the speech and thanked his lawyer who worked on the custody battle. In 2001, the salary for an associate Supreme Court justice was $178,300, while the chief justice made $186,300. A group of 15 Democratic lawmakers now wants to withhold $10 million from Supreme Court funding until the court adopts a code of ethics, The Hill reported.

☆ Supreme Court: Harlan Crow paid school tuition for Clarence Thomas' nephew, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Republican billionaire donor Harlan Crow for several years paid the pricey private school tuition of a great nephew of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a new report reveals. He never disclosed in official filings that Crow was paying the tuition, even though he disclosed another, much less generous payment of $5,000 for a fraction of Martin's tuition by another friend, the report by ProPublica noted. "Ethics law experts told ProPublica they believed Thomas was required by law to disclose the tuition payments because they appear to be a gift to him," ProPublica wrote. ProPublica also exposed that a Crow company bought properties in Savannah, Georgia, owned by Thomas' family, including a home where the justice's mother still lives rent-free. Martin, who is now in his 30s, is the son of Thomas' nephew, who at one point when Martin was a boy was in prison on drug charges, ProPublica noted.

☆ We moved from Chicago to a laid-back remote island in the South you can only get to by boat. We love it so far.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In 2022 they moved their family to Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, near the Georgia border. Most Daufuskie Island residents leave their cars on Hilton Head and instead traverse the island by golf cart. Haig PointWe've come to Daufuskie Island five or six times before we decided to move. The ferry travels across the Calibogue Sound between Daufuskie Island and Hilton Head. Nicolle: The water taxi is free for children under 18, and for adults it's $6 each for the first two adults.

Companies United States Senate FollowWASHINGTON, May 2 (Reuters) - Ethics concerns relating to U.S. Supreme Court justices are set to be scrutinized on Tuesday by a Senate panel during a hearing called amid revelations about luxury trips and real estate transactions involving members of the nation's top judicial body. "Supreme Court ethics reform must happen whether the court participates in the process or not," Durbin said in a statement responding to the decision by Roberts not to appear. "It is time for Congress to accept its responsibility to establish an enforceable code of ethics for the Supreme Court, the only agency of our government without it." Roberts has said Supreme Court justices consult that code in assessing their own ethical obligations. In a letter to Durbin declining to testify, Roberts attached a "Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices" to which the justices adhere.

☆ My grandfather hid the emotional toll of World War II from his family for decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Chloe Melas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —For decades after returning home from World War II, my grandfather did not talk about his wartime experiences. Frank Murphy, the grandfather of CNN's Chloe Melas, after he was captured and taken a prisoner of war by the Nazis in 1943. Everyone could see the physical toll of war on his body, but we didn’t know about his invisible wounds. After World War I, it was “shell shock”; post-World War II it was known as “combat fatigue,” and after Vietnam it was called “post-Vietnam syndrome.” In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association officially recognized it as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. “When your grandfather and my grandfather served in World War II, they didn’t talk about it,” Paul Rieckhoff, founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told me.

☆ Employee Monitoring and Surveillance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +50 min

Ensuring Employee Safety and Systems SecurityEmployers may use electronic workplace monitoring and surveillance to protect their:Worksites. Potential Liability for Electronic Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceEmployers that engage in electronic workplace monitoring and surveillance must comply with various federal and state laws, including:The Wiretap Act. Best Practices for Electronic Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceTo avoid violating relevant state and federal laws, before conducting workplace monitoring and surveillance, employers should:Consider the purpose and appropriate scope of their monitoring and surveillance activities and what methods will help them achieve their objectives. Determine the Purpose of Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceBefore conducting any workplace monitoring or surveillance, best practice is for employers to identify the purpose and goals of these activities to:Ensure that there is a legitimate business purpose for the planned monitoring and surveillance activities. Determine the scope of monitoring and surveillance necessary to accomplish the business purpose, and conduct only the minimum monitoring and surveillance necessary to meet that business need.

Cloetta AB, (CLOEb.ST) a Swedish confectioner which makes Lakerol lozenges that use gum arabic, has "ample" stock of the ingredient, a spokesperson said in an email. Global production of gum arabic is about 120,000 tonnes a year, worth $1.1 billion, according to estimates cited by Kerry Group. "Both buyers and sellers are clueless on when things will normalise.”Alwaleed Ali, who owns AGP Innovations Co Ltd, a gum arabic exporting business, said his customers are looking for alternative countries to source gum arabic. It accounts for the livelihoods of thousands of people and the more expensive variety can cost about $3,000 a tonne, according to Gum Sudan. There is a poorer quality, cheaper gum from outside of Sudan, but the preferred ingredient is only found in acacia trees in Sudan, South Sudan and Chad, Alnoor said.

☆ Looking for a Climate Career? They Might Have the Answer.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Somini Sengupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

She became intrigued by land use changes, and then, gradually, by the links between climate change and sustainable food systems. Kolman, who grew up in Savannah, Ga., majored in physics and political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “I spent my time in undergrad searching for a career where I could use my analytical skills to improve society,” he told me. A trip to South Africa, which has dealt with successive droughts exacerbated by climate change, brought home “the impacts of water insecurity.”He considered working in public policy but those plans changed after the 2016 election. Kossoff, who calls herself the “most recent climate convert,” grew up mostly in southwest Florida and studied business and chemistry at Emory University.

☆ Royal castles to luxury getaways: How to spend King Charles III's coronation weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The king has pledged a more scaled-back affair than that celebrated by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953. Here's CNBC Travel's top picks for how to spend the coronation weekend. Watch the ceremonial processionThe coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey on May 6 in a service conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Buckingham Palace, London residence of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, is open for tours outside of the coronation weekend. Picnic in the Royal ParksLondon's Royal Parks offer a more low-key way to absorb the royal atmosphere over the coronation weekend.

☆ I left NYC for SC and I'll probably never go back. Here's what the slower pace of life taught me about work-life balance and happiness.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Michelle Gross | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Michelle Gross and her husband left New York City after 14 years and moved to South Carolina. Here's what it's been like to leave New York City in search of a slower way of life in the South. I knew leaving New York City wouldn't be easyGross posing in front of a mini Statue of Liberty in NYC. Living and working remotely in the South has led to a better work-life balanceGross on her dock in Beaufort, South Carolina. Moving to a small town in the South Carolina Lowcountry meant I needed to alter my work and travel habits considerably.

☆ Sen. Wyden asks billionaire Harlan Crow for list of gifts to Supreme Court Justice Thomas
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Monday asked GOP megadonor Harlan Crow for a complete list of gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and evidence that the billionaire real estate developer complied with federal tax law in connection with the long-undisclosed largesse to Thomas. "This unprecedented arrangement between a wealthy benefactor and a Supreme Court justice raises serious concerns related to federal tax and ethics laws," Wyden, who heads the Senate Finance Committee, wrote in a six-page letter to Crow. Thomas had not disclosed any of the gifts from Crow, or the property purchases by him, until they were revealed by ProPublica. "The secrecy surrounding your dealings with Justice Thomas is simply unacceptable," Wyden wrote in his letter to Crow. "The American public deserves a full accounting of the full extent of your largesse towards Justice Thomas, including whether these gifts complied with all relevant federal tax and ethics laws," he wrote.

☆ Justice Clarence Thomas and the Plague of Bad Reporting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( James Taranto | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Wonder Land: When we began to devalue conscience, blurring a pragmatic understanding of right from wrong, we unleashed the whirlwind that engulfs us now. Images: Margaret Small/Reuter/Zuma Press Composite: Mark KellyProPublica’s big scoop turned out to be a quarter-teaspoon. In an error-filled report last week, the opinionated news site got one point right: Justice Clarence Thomas didn’t disclose the 2014 sale of his one-third interest in three Savannah, Ga., properties to a company controlled by his friend Harlan Crow . On these pages, in an article published online Sunday, I observed that he may have to amend his financial-disclosure form for that year. On Monday, “a source close to Thomas” told CNN that the justice would do so.

☆ Chad recalls envoy to Cameroon as dispute over Exxon's asset sale escalates
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Exxon closed the sale of its operations in Chad and Cameroon to Africa-focused oil and gas producer Savannah in a $407 million deal in December. Chad has nationalized the assets on its side of the border, including Exxon's share of the over 1,000 km (621 miles) Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline. Savannah Energy has said it will pursue its legal rights over Chad's decision to nationalize Exxon's assets it had acquired. The company said on Wednesday that it had sold a 10% stake of the share capital of the Cameroon Oil Transportation Company which owns and operates the 903km Cameroon section of the Chad-Cameroon pipeline to Cameroon national oil company (SNH). Chad said in its statement that it was not informed of this sale which was contrary to the status of the pipeline company.

[1/2] Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts arrives before President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, February 7, 2023, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoCompanies United States Senate FollowWASHINGTON, April 20 (Reuters) - The Senate Judiciary Committee's chairman called on U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts to testify at a May 2 hearing on Supreme ethics reform after earlier urging him to investigate ties between Justice Clarence Thomas and a wealthy Republican donor. The court did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Roberts. The chief justice is a member of the court's 6-3 conservative majority. In inviting Roberts to testify, Durbin also said the chief justice could designate another justice to appear instead.

☆ GOP megadonor Harlan Crow isn't charging Clarence Thomas' mother rent. Zillow estimates suggest that would have saved her $155,000 since 2014.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

GOP megadonor Harlan Crow bought SCOTUS justice Clarence Thomas' mother's house in October 2014. Thomas' mother still lives there rent-free, CNN reported. And that deal may have saved her more than $150,000 in rent for the property, according to Zillow estimates. According to Zillow's estimates for what the property would cost to rent, Williams could have saved as much as $154,900 over the years. ProPublica reported that after the sale, renovations equating to thousands of dollars were made to the home, including a repaired roof and a new carport.

☆ Sorry everyone, but Clarence Thomas can take undisclosed money from whomever he wants and there is little to be done about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But Supreme Court experts told Insider there is no chance the conservative justice will be removed. The Supreme Court has little regulatory oversight and few routes for disciplining its judges. Judiciary ethics experts told Insider the bombshell ProPublica report left them "shocked" and "disturbed." Federal law requires government employees, including Supreme Court justices, to report most real estate transactions worth more than a thousand dollars. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas attends the ceremonial swearing-in ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett to be the U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice on the South Lawn of the White House October 26, 2020.

☆ Justice Thomas Failed to Report Real Estate Deal With Texas Billionaire
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Abbie Vansickle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — Justice Clarence Thomas did not disclose that he had sold a string of properties to a longtime conservative donor from Texas in 2014, ProPublica revealed on Thursday. The transaction is the first known instance of money going directly from the billionaire donor, Harlan Crow, 73, to the justice, in what appears to be a direct violation of disclosure requirements. The revelation cast greater scrutiny on Justice Thomas, who has long raised eyebrows over questions of conflicts of interest, in part because of the political activism of his wife, Virginia Thomas. The disclosures have fueled calls by Democratic lawmakers and court transparency advocates for the justices to face tighter ethics constraints. In 2014, a real estate company linked to Mr. Crow bought a single-family home and two vacant lots on a quiet Savannah street, paying $133,363 to Justice Thomas and his family for the property, ProPublica said.

☆ Clarence Thomas sold his childhood home to GOP donor Harlan Crow and never disclosed it. The justice's 94-year-old mom still lives there: ProPublica
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas sold property to GOP donor Harlan Crow, ProPublica reported. It is also in much better condition than before the sale, with Crow having invested $36,000 in improvements, ProPublica reported. In a statement, Crow told ProPublica that he intends to turn the property into a museum dedicated to Thomas. "Justice Thomas must be held accountable." A spokesperson for the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Check out the 18-page pitch deck that Hollywood-focused fintech FilmHedge used to raise tens of millions and help hot new movies and TV series get made
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

FilmHedge lends credit to movies and TV shows with budgetary needs between $1 million and $5 million. The 3-year-old fintech closed on a $5 million round in March and has a $100 million credit facility. FilmHedge, an Atlanta-based fintech launched in February 2020, provides liquidity to productions with budgets ranging from $1 million to $50 million. It follows a $100 million credit facility from Coromandel Capital and Fallbrook Capital in 2022, which helps FilmHedge finance projects. FilmHedge gave Insider a look at the 18-page pitch deck it used while raising its $5 million Series A round and $100 million credit facility — check it out here.

☆ Trump lawyer Tacopina says 'I feel we're not going to get to a jury' in New York case
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Lawyer of former US president Donald Trump, Joe Tacopina speaks to the press outside the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on April 4, 2023 after Trump's hearing. A criminal defense lawyer for Donald Trump said Wednesday he expects that the porn star hush money case against the former president to get dismissed without having to go to trial in New York City. "I feel that we're not going to get to a jury," the lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, said in an interview on NBC's "Today Show." "I think this case is going to fall on its merits on legal challenges well before we get to a jury," Tacopina said. Tacopina did not answer Guthrie's question about whether a "fair jury" could be selected for trial in Manhattan.

☆ Chad approves bill to nationalise assets ExxonMobil sold to Savannah Energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

N'DJAMENA, March 29 (Reuters) - Chad's parliament on Wednesday approved a bill to nationalise oil assets and rights acquired last year by Savannah Energy (SAVES.L) from ExxonMobil's (XOM.N) affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Chad. In December, ExxonMobil closed the sale of its operations in Chad and Cameroon to Africa-focussed oil and gas producer Savannah Energy in a $407 million deal, but the Chadian government challenged the agreement. Out of 175 lawmakers present, 172 backed the law to nationalise the assets - a move Savannah vowed last week to contest. Chad's energy and hydrocarbons ministry said last week that all the relevant assets and rights would be nationalised, including hydrocarbon permits and exploration and production authorisations that belonged to the Exxon Mobil subsidiary. Reporting by Mahamat Ramadane Writing by Anait Miridzhanian Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Cargo theft, led by food and beverage, is surging across the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

1 on the list of products being targeted by freight thieves who are increasing their criminal activity across the national supply chain. While household goods and electronics are still high on the list of cargo thieves, "Now, we're starting to see food and beverage commodities pull up front," Cornell said. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwardsAccording to CargoNet's latest theft report through February, there was an almost 50% increase year over year in beverage and food cargo theft. According to the FBI, cargo theft is estimated to cost trucking companies and retailers at least $15 billion to $30 billion a year. Cities that are seeing a spike in freight theft include Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Savannah, Newark, New Jersey, Memphis and Chicago.

☆ Chad says it has nationalized all assets owned by Exxon Mobil
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

N'DJAMENA, March 23 (Reuters) - Chad has nationalized all the assets and rights including hydrocarbon permits and exploration and production authorisations that belonged to a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), the Central African nation's energy and hydrocarbons ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Exxon Mobil said in December that it had closed the sale of its operations Chad and Cameroon to London-listed Savannah Energy (SAVES.L) in a $407 million deal, but the Chadian government contested the agreement, saying the final terms were different from what Exxon Mobil had presented. It warned that it may ask courts to block Savannah's purchase of Exxon's assets in the country and take further steps to protect its interests. Exxon's assets included a 40% stake in Chad's Doba oil project, which comprises seven producing oilfields with combined output of 28,000 barrels per day (bpd). Exxon Mobil and Savannah Energy were not immediately available for comment.

☆ Despite East Palestine toxic train disaster, railroads still want single-person crews
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The rail safety legislation, introduced in Congress Wednesday with bipartisan support, would include a prohibition on single-person crews. There is no such existing law or federal regulation requiring both an engineer and a conductor to be on a train. The Association of American Railroads confirmed that its position in favor of one-person crews has not changed. “No data shows a two-person crew confined to a cab is safer, and train crew size should continue to be determined through collective bargaining,” a statement from UP. But it might have one or two provisions which are deal breakers for the unions, such as allowing single-person crews.

☆ US awards nearly $1 billion to airports in infrastructure grants
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it is awarding nearly $1 billion to 99 U.S. airport terminal projects under a 2021 $1 trillion infrastructure law. The awards include $10.8 million to Des Moines International Airport in Iowa to replace the 1948 terminal that is operating above capacity and $29 million to Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah for a terminal and concourse redevelopment program. This is the second phase of funding - the FAA awarded nearly $1 billion for airport terminal projects announced for 85 airports last year. In November the FAA granted final environmental approval for construction of a new $4.2 billion terminal at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport and for an $8.5 billion project at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport that includes a new Terminal 2. The 2021 infrastructure law dedicates $25 billion for airport projects over five years.

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