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[1/2] Oil tanker Kerala, chartered by Chevron, is loaded in the Bajo Grande oil terminal at Maracaibo Lake, in the municipality of San Francisco, Venezuela, January 5, 2023. To back up its license application, Chevron last year signed an oil-for-debt swap with Venezuela's state-run PDVSA. The initial exports have rapidly drained the ventures' oil inventories, which had built up for years. Chevron plans to continue pushing up heavy crude output mainly at oilfields in eastern and western Venezuela belonging to its Petropiar and Petroboscan projects, according to the sources. GOLDEN TICKETChevron's license broke a four-year U.S. prohibition on Venezuelan oil exports to the United States designed to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

☆ Eviction Bans Remain in California More Than 3 Years Into the Pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Will Parker | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

California landlords say there is no longer any pandemic justification for many renter protections. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty ImagesA handful of California cities are still enforcing laws that protect tenants from eviction or rent increases, extending pandemic-era policies that most of the country wound down more than a year ago. The San Francisco board of supervisors voted in March to maintain a local eviction ban for unpaid rent until at least the summer. The city of Los Angeles, meanwhile, extended a prohibition on evicting tenants for having unauthorized pets or occupants in their apartments. It also renewed a rent freeze on rent-controlled apartments until next year.

☆ These states might be the next to legalize weed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The state became the 22nd to legalize recreational marijuana and follows Missouri and Maryland, which did so earlier this year. Some states are even moving ahead with proposals or ballot measures to legalize weed, putting them within arms' reach of having recreational markets. These are the states that have a chance to legalize adult-use marijuana in the coming years. OhioOhio may vote on whether to legalize recreational marijuana in November. Haren said the proposal also plans to build upon Ohio's medical marijuana program and issue additional adult use licenses to new companies.

☆ Opinion | Women Have Always Chosen Not to Have Kids. Get Used to It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Peggy O Donnell Heffington | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

So when Senator Vance and the pope — among many others, of course — express concern about women today not having children, they aren’t comparing us to a past that actually existed. In ancient Rome, women used things like beeswax, olive-oil-soaked cloth or even halved lemons to block their cervices before having sex. From medieval Europe to colonial America, women would have used an array of herbs to attempt to end pregnancies. Nearly 16 percent of white women and 13 percent of Black women born in 1870 had no children; of all American women born between 1900 and 1910, 20 percent never did. Some of them, maybe even many of them, were actively avoiding having children.

☆ Florida Legislature Passes Bill Banning Gender-Transition Care for Minors
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Patricia Mazzei | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Background: The Legislature has prioritized bills aimed at L.G.B.T.Q. Last month, the Florida Board of Education expanded through 12th grade a prohibition on classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity. Why It Matters: A growing number of states are passing similar restrictions. At least 13 states have passed laws or policies in recent months to ban or significantly limit the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and gender-transition surgery for people under 18. advocacy organization GLAAD has already sued Florida over the state health board’s prohibition of what experts call gender-affirming care.

☆ Richard Glossip: Supreme Court halts execution
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The US Supreme Court on Friday put on hold the execution of Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma death row inmate whose capital conviction the state attorney general has said he could no longer support. The latest round of litigation was brought to the Supreme Court by Glossip, with the support of the Oklahoma Attorney’s General office, who asked for his May 18 execution to be set aside. The emergency hold on his execution will stay in place while the justices consider his request that they formally take up his case. Glossip has maintained his innocence, having been convicted in 1998 of capital murder for ordering the killing of his boss. Despite Oklahoma’s assertions that it could no longer stand by Glossip’s conviction, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeal declined Glossip’s request that his execution be halted.

NEW YORK, May 4 (Reuters) - The practice of short selling is coming under increased scrutiny as shares of regional banks remain under pressure, with some calls for more regulatory oversight of the practice. Short sellers, who borrow shares they expect to fall and hope to repay the loan for less later to pocket the difference, have profited from the banking crisis. During the financial crisis, short selling was temporarily banned in the U.S., although a New York Federal Reserve review later showed the curb did not achieve the intended effect. The SEC declined to comment on Thursday when asked if it should impose a short selling ban. While some market participants criticized the practice, others, like non-profit group Better Markets, said short sellers warned markets about the challenges regional banks were facing.

☆ A new sign of panic in the US banking industry: Law firm Wachtell Lipton calls on SEC to crack down on short selling of bank stocks.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jeffrey Cane | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Influential law firm Wachtell Lipton says the SEC needs to respond by stopping bets against bank stocks in the form of short sales. Read the law firm's memo here. On Thursday, the law firm Wachtell Lipton sent a memo to clients asking the Securities and Exchange Commission to crack down on the short selling of bank stocks. Calls for limits on short selling can be seen as a sign of stress in the financial system. Other longer-term solutions may include reinstitution of the traditional up-tick rule, and aggressive enforcement combating abusive short sales, market manipulation and groups acting in concert.

☆ F.T.C. Seeks ‘Blanket’ Ban on Meta’s Use of Young Users’ Data
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Natasha Singer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Federal Trade Commission escalated its fight with the tech industry’s biggest companies on Wednesday as it moved to impose a “blanket prohibition” on the collection of young people’s personal data by Meta, Facebook’s parent company. The commission wants to significantly expand a record-breaking, $5 billion consent order with the company from 2020 and said that Meta had failed to fully meet the legal commitments it made to overhaul its privacy practices to better protect its users. Regulators also said Meta had misled parents about their ability to control whom their children communicated with on its Messenger Kids app and misrepresented the access it gave some app developers to users’ private data. The proposed changes mark the third time the agency has taken action against the social media giant over privacy issues.

☆ Indomie: Nigeria probes popular noodles after recalls by Malaysia, Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Nigeria’s food and drug regulator says it is investigating the popular Indomie brand of instant noodles following recalls in Malaysia and Taiwan where health authorities say they detected a potentially cancer-causing substance. “The public is … informed that the implicated Indomie instant noodle is not registered for sale in Nigeria. Indomie: The instant noodle giant in Nigeria 01:18 - Source: CNNIndonesian food giant Indofoods has defended the safety of its products. Indonesian food giant Indofoods says Indomie noodles is available in more than 100 countries across the world in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Indomie first launched instant noodles in 1972 with a chicken flavor but is now produced in many varieties.

☆ U.S. FTC to enforce law to curb risks of artificial intelligence -chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - The Federal Trade Commission's chief said the agency was committed to using existing laws to rein in some of the dangers of artificial intelligence, such as enhancing the power of dominant firms and "turbocharging" fraud. One risk she noted was that firms that dominate cloud services and computing would become even more powerful as they help startups and other firms launch their own AI. AI tools could also be used to facilitate collusion to raise prices. Khan expressed concern that generative AI, which writes in conversational English, could be used to help scammers write more specific and effective phishing emails. Reporting by Diane Bartz Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Negotiating Financing Provisions in Mergers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +47 min

(For the complete version of this resource, which includes initial considerations and questions counsel should ask when drafting and negotiating financing provisions in merger agreements, see Drafting and Negotiating Financing Provisions in Mergers on Practical Law.) For a private placement under Rule 144A, the financing parties may offer some flexibility regarding the required financing statements. The term refers collectively to provisions that benefit debt financing parties by limiting their liability in an acquisition financing, including provisions that provide for:No recourse to the financing parties. The target company has no recourse against the financing parties and cannot pursue litigation against the financing parties directly. The financing parties are third-party beneficiaries of the Xerox provisions to permit the financing parties to enforce their rights under the merger agreement.

May 1 (Reuters) - Donald Trump should be able to talk about the evidence in the criminal case against him over a hush payment to a porn star, especially with others free to do so, his lawyers said in a court filing on Monday. The Manhattan district attorney wants to bar Trump from disclosing the material on news or social media platforms without court approval. Prosecutors last week asked for a court order restricting Trump's use of the evidence because of his attacks on people involved in proceedings against him. They said they wanted to reduce the risk of harassment to witnesses and other participants in the case. "Trump cannot be the only interested party in this case whose speech about the evidence in the case is restricted by the court," the lawyers, Susan Necheles and Todd Blanche, wrote.

☆ Health Plan Coverage of Abortion and Related Services
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Practical Law Employee Benefits | Executive Compensation | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +36 min

The Dobbs ruling, which returned the regulation of abortion to the individual states, has led to legislation that restricts abortion, including medication abortion, in many states. In response to the rapidly changing post-Dobbs legal landscape, this article addresses health plan coverage of abortion, medication abortion coverage and litigation, abortion-related travel benefits, and related Practical Law resources concerning these topics. The insurer in a fully insured health plan, health maintenance organization (HMO), or similar arrangement:Assumes the risk of providing health coverage for insured events by paying medical costs for eligible claims incurred under the plan. Self-Funded Health PlansBy contrast, employers with self-funded arrangements may have more discretion in providing coverage for abortion and related services. Changes to plan coverage of medication abortion will likely require plan administrators to:(For more on coverage of medication abortion, see Newly Launched, ReproductiveRights.gov Website Addresses Access to Medication Abortion (Mifepristone) Using Telehealth on Practical Law.)

☆ U.S. engineers recommended grounding Boeing 737 MAX soon after second crash - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - Some Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) engineers recommended grounding the Boeing (BA.N) 737 MAX in March 2019 after a second fatal crash and before the agency took action, a report released Friday said. The Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General said in a report that its review of emails and interviews of FAA officials revealed individual engineers recommended "grounding the airplane while the accident was being investigated based on what they perceived as similarities" between two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. The report FAA officials "expressed frustration that foreign civil aviation authorities were grounding the aircraft before they had data that linked the two accidents." "We also continue to look for additional opportunities to apply lessons learned from the Boeing 737 MAX's return to service," the agency said Friday. The inspector general added the engineer's risk analysis was not completed and did not go through managerial review citing a lack of detailed flight data.

☆ Comstock Act: The 150-year-old chastity law that may be the next big fight over abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

“Comstock is really the backdoor way to remove access to abortion across the whole country,” said Greer Donley, a University of Pittsburgh Law School professor who specializes in abortion law. Severino argued that, at least when it comes to the Comstock Act’s prohibitions on mailing abortion pills, Congress is well within its powers to regulate those shipments. Several towns, some in New Mexico and elsewhere, have passed local ordinances that cite the Comstock Act and prohibit business within those jurisdictions from shipping or receiving items used for abortions in the mail, as covered by the Comstock Act. The lawsuits in New Mexico state court that those ordinances have prompted may provide for another opportunity for courts to elaborate on what the Comstock Act means. The Supreme Court, in the emergency order it issued last week, did not say anything about the Comstock Act.

☆ Minnesota Votes to Legalize Marijuana as Democrats Press Liberal Policies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Ernesto Londoño | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“So we came ready to work on Day 1.”Legalizing marijuana for adults to use recreationally had long been an elusive goal for Democrats in Minnesota. The state joins 22 others that have legalized cannabis for recreational use in recent years, though Minnesota’s legislation has unique features. The bill Senate Democrats passed on Friday includes provisions that will expunge the criminal records of tens of thousands of people previously charged with marijuana misdemeanors. The bill also funds substance abuse and law enforcement programs. “It just does not do enough on substance abuse prevention,” she said.

☆ Lawmakers reintroduce SAFE Banking Act, a bill the cannabis industry hails as a lifeline
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Aaron Smith, chief executive officer of the National Cannabis Industry Association, speaks during a news conference on the Safe Banking Act outside the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., US, on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. A group of bipartisan lawmakers reintroduced the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act in the House and Senate on Wednesday, after the legislation designed to free up banking services for the cannabis industry stalled in last year's Congress. "For the first time, we have a path for SAFE Banking to move through the Senate Banking Committee and get a vote on the floor of the Senate," Merkley said in a statement. The bipartisan nature of the SAFE Banking Act's reintroduction appeared to boost hopes of more relief to come in the industry. It is past time that Congress addresses the irrational, unfair, and unsafe prohibition of basic banking services to state-legal cannabis businesses," said Blumenauer, founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus.

☆ Analysis: It's not 2020 anymore. Biden's re-election campaign faces new challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Jeff Mason | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"It's quite shocking that Biden thinks he would be able to fill a second term, let alone the rest of this term," said Republican strategist Scott Reed. "An extensive travel schedule is not the measure of a candidate's ability to do the job," said Democratic strategist Karen Finney. CAMPAIGN REINVENTEDBiden campaign aides reinvented his 2020 campaign as COVID-19 spread across the country. But other issues may trip up the incumbent president on the campaign trail, including his handling of the economy. We don't need rah rah rallies," said Democratic strategist Joe Lestingi.

☆ Russia's Bolshoi ballet drops 'Nureyev' after 'LGBT propaganda' law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A general view shows the empty hall of the Bolshoi Theatre prior to the launch of its project to stream iconic ballet performances online making them available worldwide, in Moscow, Russia March 27, 2020. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File PhotoMOSCOW, April 19 (Reuters) - Moscow's Bolshoi theatre has dropped a contemporary ballet about the legendary Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev from its repertoire following the expansion of a ban on "LGBT propaganda". A law passed in November not only widened an existing prohibition on material considered to promote an LGBT lifestyle but also restricts the "demonstration" of LGBT behaviour. Serebrennikov, one of Russia's leading film, theatre and television directors and stage designers, made his frustration clear. "This criminal 'law' was passed specifically against this show and against several books... Well, OK..." he wrote on his Telegram channel, adding three rainbows - an LGBT symbol.

☆ 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.

☆ US airlines about to be hit with ‘tsunami’ of pilot retirements
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Greg Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington DC CNN —The US airline industry is about to be hit with a “tsunami of pilot retirements” that will further the nation’s pilot shortage, limiting flight availability for passengers and putting upward pressure on fares, an industry group told Congress Wednesday. Black’s group represents the regional carriers which provide feeder service for the larger airlines such as American, United (UAL)and Delta (DAL). But the union representing most US airline pilots urged Congress against changing pilot qualification and training standards in an attempt to address the pilot shortage, saying some ideas would compromise safety. The Regional Airline Association, representing carriers that connect major cities to smaller regional airports, noted that the airlines are not the only destination for pilots with that qualification and warned of a significant pilot shortage that will get worse with a “tsunami” of retirements. Senior airline pilots frequently fly international routes, but international rules have an age 65 limit.

☆ Florida expands Gov. Ron DeSantis' so-called 'Don't Say Gay' law to all grade levels
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Florida's Board of Education approved expanding the rules of the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law through 12th grade. Currently, the state bans lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through 3rd grade. Ron DeSantis requested expanding the ban as he gears up for an expected presidential run. The current law is also the root of an ongoing feud with Disney, one of the state's largest employers and political donors. DeSantis has directed the chief inspector general to investigate the Disney board's move and vowed to take additional revenge against the company through legislation.

☆ U.S. Supreme Court turns away suit by Texas inmate held 27 years in solitary confinement
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen in Washington, U.S., April 6, 2023. Hope, who is still in prison but as of last year no longer in solitary confinement, filed a civil rights lawsuit against prison officials in 2018. Following a 1994 prison escape, Hope was placed by prison officials in solitary confinement. Hope said he continued to be held in solitary confinement despite being deemed by Texas security officials in 2005 to no longer pose an escape risk. Texas asked the justices to consider the case moot since Hope is no longer held in solitary confinement, a request that was contested by Hope's lawyers.

☆ Montana Legislature Approves Outright Ban of TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Montana House of Representatives on Friday approved a total ban on TikTok inside the state, setting up the state’s Republican governor to sign the first-of-its-kind prohibition into law. The legislation, which would also bar app stores from carrying TikTok, the wildly popular viral video app, was approved 54 to 43 in the last of two votes in the State House. Greg Gianforte must decide whether to sign the bill into law, veto it or do nothing for 10 days after receiving the bill and let it become law without his signature. A spokeswoman for Mr. Gianforte did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A TikTok spokeswoman, Brooke Oberwetter, said in a statement that supporters of the bill had admitted they didn’t have a feasible plan for carrying out the ban.

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