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For Republicans, the months following the 2022 midterms have been consumed by a fair amount of introspection — and finger-pointing — about why the results were so underwhelming for the party. The secret ballot vote will take place during the open-press portion of the RNC's three-day winter meeting, which opens Wednesday. McDaniel, who was handpicked by then-President Donald Trump for the role, has faced heat from some Republicans and conservative media figures for the party's lackluster results in November. Meanwhile, an RNC official formally accused a McDaniel ally of engaging in "religious bigotry" aimed at Dhillon’s Sikh faith in discussing the race for party chair. I'm not surprised that folks coalesced behind her or around her as quickly as they did."

Musk ended three days on the stand defending against claims that he defrauded investors by tweeting on Aug. 7, 2018, that he had "funding secured" to take Tesla private. The trial in San Francisco federal court is testing whether the world's second-richest person can be held liable for his sometimes impulsive use of Twitter. Musk, however, acknowledged he did not have binding agreements with investors, leaving it to the jury to decide if he misled shareholders. The Saudi fund did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. But when questioned by Nicholas Porritt, a lawyer for the investors, Musk said he did not have binding agreements for financing from any interested party.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party, which long championed campaign finance reform, got so good at the game that it used more dark money than Republicans during the 2020 presidential campaign. He was also charged with campaign finance violations, allegedly using "straw donors" to circumvent contribution limits by giving money to allies who would then donate to politicians in their own names. There have been no campaign finance bills introduced in the new Congress, no new policies from regulators and barely even any discussion about reform. But I’m not so surprised," said Sheila Krumholz, the executive director of OpenSecrets, which tracks political donations, of Bankman-Fried’s use of the campaign finance system. "This is yet another example of how lax campaign finance rules allow someone with money to throw their weight around and build influence and maybe it is not gaining traction because it’s just one of many stories like this."

☆ Tips for investing in 2023 as a potential recession looms large
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Callie Cox: The biggest risks include whether the Fed can get inflation down, and whether we enter a recession. The job market and corporate earnings are the two catalysts that make me think we can avoid those risks. CC: The Fed will be more responsive to what's happening in the job market, because the job market directly impacts inflation. Services inflation — think rent, haircuts, insurance prices — is still growing at a 7% clip annually, which is way too high in the Fed's mind. And the kicker here is that services inflation is the type of inflation that the Fed can best control through the job market.

☆ DeSantis' 'Freedom Blueprint' for Florida is taking shape, and it's widely viewed as paving the way for a 2024 presidential run
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It's widely viewed as a blueprint for theHe has already made some of his intentions clear, on areas from Disney to anti-China policy. DeSantis will ask the Florida legislature to permanently lift the state's 6% sales tax on baby necessities including on cribs, strollers, clothing, shoes, wipes, and diapers. He also wants the state to nix the sales tax on medical equipment and on medicines for pets. Other tax cuts would be temporary, including lifting the sales tax for a year on children's books, athletic equipment, and toys, as well as a proposal to suspend the sales tax on pet food and on household items that cost $25 or less. Loosening gun restrictionsDeSantis wants lawmakers to pass legislation that would change Florida law so that gun owners could carry a gun in public without a concealed weapons permit.

☆ Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, agrees to a 40% target pay cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Apple CEO Tim Cook has agreed to cut his pay this year after shareholders rebelled. The world’s largest tech company said it would reduce Cook’s target pay package to $49 million, 40% lower than his target pay for 2022 and about half Cook’s $99.4 million total compensation that he was granted last year. But shareholders voted against Cook’s pay package after Apple’s stock fell nearly 27% last year. This year, the executive’s share award target has been cut to $40 million. Apple’s share price, like other tech companies, plunged last year as coronavirus lockdowns shuttered some of its factories in China.

☆ Companies Are Inventing Silly, Cute Executive Titles but It's a Trick
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Drew Limsky | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Chief amazement officers, chief heart officers, and chief empathy officers are popping up across companies. They also found that titles like chief people officer and chief happiness officer were gaining in use. If you thought home's where the heart is, think again, because the workplace now has a chief heart officer. Sometimes the chief heart officer exists in addition to the head of human resources, a role that is increasingly called, more humanistically, the chief people officer. Claude Silver, the chief heart officer at VaynerMedia and self-proclaimed "first chief heart officer," told Forbes in 2017 that she was "here to be of service" to her staff.

While there is still much that is not known about the Biden documents, there are key differences between the two cases — as well as some similarities. Court papers show officials found classified documents in 14 of the 15 boxes, including 25 that were marked top secret. Justice Department investigationIn both cases, the Archives reported the discovery of classified documents to the Department of Justice. The FBI then learned Trump had not fully complied with the subpoena and still had more classified documents. McQuade posted on Twitter that the Justice Department prosecutes the mishandling of classified documents when there is an aggravating factor present.

☆ Rocket start-up fails attempt to launch satellites off Alaska’s coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A rocket operated by a California-based start-up failed near the coast of Alaska Tuesday, marking yet another mishap for companies hoping to offer their services to launch scores of small satellites into orbit. The privately held ABL Space Systems attempted to launch its RS1 rocket at 1:27 p.m. local time (5:27 p.m. “Thanks to all for the support.”The mission was aiming to carry two small satellites to orbit for OmniTeq, which recently spun off its space division. Those companies may soon be joined by yet another start-up, Relativity, which currently has its first rocket poised at a launch site in Florida. The failed ABL launch Monday comes after the first few attempts to get its RS1 rocket off the ground in December came up short.

☆ With new China travel restriction in place, Asian Americans urge nuanced caution
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Following the Biden administration’s implementation of a new Covid-19-related travel requirement for passengers flying in from China, Asian American advocates and experts are urging caution and nuance amid years of heightened anti-Asian violence. Several Asian American organizations and leaders have expressed concern over the requirement of a pre-departure negative Covid test from those flying in from the country. “What I would ask everyone to do is, again, be careful not to conflate the virus with an ethnicity or a group of people,” said John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. But some groups like Stop AAPI Hate, a nonprofit that tracks incidents of hate and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, strongly opposed the policy. The group pointed to previous travel restrictions under the Trump administration in January 2020 that coincided with a rise in hate incidents against the racial group.

☆ Risk Management at Crypto Firms Is in Focus Following FTX Collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Cryptocurrency companies are disclosing more information about their internal controls and risk management following the collapse of FTX, but a level of transparency in the industry that would make many investors feel comfortable remains far off. Jeff Horowitz, BitGo chief compliance officer Photo: Jeff Horowitz“We need better risk management, more guardrails…and we need some of that installed into the crypto industry,” said Jeff Horowitz, chief compliance officer at crypto custodian BitGo. Although most crypto firms aren’t subject to formal federal regulation, many have adopted the enterprise-risk-management programs that U.S. watchdogs require of mainstream financial institutions in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. As the crypto industry matures, these executives said it is important for investors and consumers to check for signs of adequate risk management and compliance measures at crypto firms. Other signs include whether the company engages in outside due diligence, whether assets are segregated and how secure crypto assets passwords are kept.

JOSH BRECHEEN - FLIPPEDThe Oklahoman freshman went for McCarthy on Friday afternoon, saying a deal "will allow conservatives to rein in out-of-control spending." ANDREW CLYDE - FLIPPEDClyde of Georgia is a member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, which is driving opposition to McCarthy. He moved to support McCarthy on Friday. ANDY BIGGS - OPPOSEDThe Arizona lawyer ran against McCarthy in the first round of voting for speaker. MATT ROSENDALE - OPPOSEDThe lone congressman from Montana has remained opposed to McCarthy, voting repeatedly for fellow Republican Kevin Hern instead.

☆ Damar Hamlin showing signs of 'remarkable improvement,' the Bills say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Erika Edwards | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"Damar has shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours," the Bills tweeted. Hamlin, 24, has been in intensive care after collapsing on the field from cardiac arrest during "Monday Night Football" on Jan. 2. There has been no official statement about what caused Hamlin's cardiac arrest. It is in this exact moment, experts say, that a blow to the chest in the exact right place can launch an otherwise healthy person into cardiac arrest. Thursday morning, Hamlin's teammate Kaiir Elam said in a tweet, "Our boy is doing better, awake and showing more signs of improvement."

☆ Starting 2023 with Dry January? We can cut alcohol consumption even more via taxes.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Keith Humphreys | Keith Humphreys Is The Esther Ting Memorial Professor Of Psychiatry At Stanford University School Of Medicine. He Was A Drug Policy Adviser In The Bush | Obama White Houses | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

There is thus a relationship between American alcohol consumption rising and the cost of alcohol falling over the past quarter century. Indeed, the biggest change to federal alcohol taxes Congress has made over the period has been to cut them for craft beer and spirit producers. Reduced alcohol consumption would thus almost certainly deliver large benefits not just to public health but also to public safety. The case for higher alcohol taxes is thus very strong and some advocacy groups are pushing vigorously for them. When the new Congress convenes Tuesday and focuses on America’s addiction crisis, raising alcohol taxes should be at the top of its agenda.

☆ It's hard to see what an avowed far-right militant 'would be doing much differently' than Elon Musk with his Twitter policies, extremism expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Berger, a researcher on extremism and extremist movements on social media, explained what constitutes extremism and how Musk fits into the right-wing extremist ecosystem. Elon Musk wouldn't be considered a right-wing extremist, right? It's hard to say if he's an extremist, but he is most definitely implementing policies that favor extremism. Is Elon Musk just bad at his job and unintentionally letting these right-wing extremists through or is it more sinister than that? There's a mythology of the center that the far right advances and that is the mythological center that Elon Musk is interested in promoting.

☆ My first time driving a Tesla showed me why people are so obsessed with Elon Musk's electric cars
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

First, the basicsThe Tesla Model Y. Tim Levin/InsiderThe Model Y is Tesla's small SUV and its most popular product. The Tesla Model Y. Tim Levin/InsiderThe display is super responsive to taps and swipes and features crisp graphics. The Tesla Model Y. Tim Levin/InsiderPlus, the Model Y lacks Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Our impressions: An excellent choice, but not the only optionThe Tesla Model Y. Tim Levin/InsiderAs it turns out, the Tesla fans have a point. The Tesla Model Y. Tim Levin/InsiderThe Model Y is a great choice for many buyers, but Tesla isn't the only game in town anymore.

Arizona Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs is taking the state’s child protective services agency in a radically different direction in the wake of a ProPublica-NBC News investigation into the racial disparities that have plagued the child welfare system here. This week, Hobbs, a Democrat, announced that she has selected Matthew Stewart, a Black community advocate, as the new head of Arizona’s Department of Child Safety. Arizona’s child welfare system has long disproportionately investigated Black families. After leaving DCS, Stewart formed the community organization Our Sister Our Brother, which has fought the department for more equitable treatment of Black and also low-income parents. Child welfare experts in the state and families affected by the system praised Stewart’s selection, though some wondered how much change he could bring about even in DCS’ top position.

☆ I made $10K a month freelancing after getting my start on Fiverr. Here are 9 strategies I used to maximize my earnings.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Emilina Lomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

I had already dabbled in fitness writing, so I figured I could sell workout plans on the platform for supplemental income. Here's the truth about Fiverr: the good, the bad, and the time-wastingFiverr is basically an online marketplace for freelance services. This was crucial to making money from freelancing, as Fiverr takes 20% of your earnings per gig. After a few months, it was clear that health and fitness writing was a niche I could fill on Fiverr. While making a lot of money on Fiverr might be possible further down the line, it's rare.

☆ Tech stocks got whacked in 2022 — but one server maker soared almost 90%, beating all its peers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Heading into 2023, the outlook for the server market is murky, especially in the early part of the year. He said tech companies can move faster with Supermicro servers and are willing to pay for execution and the company's design skills. Another specialized market Supermicro is targeting is servers for 5G or telecom applications, using a new kind of approach called OpenRAN. Supermicro said in November that a big unnamed customer was responsible for nearly 22% of the company's sales in the quarter. Intel and AMD have issued downbeat prospects for the server market, and companies of all sizes are cutting costs.

☆ A band of immigrant tenants went to war with their $31 billion landlord. It's a sneak peek at what's to come across America.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

In Alexandria, Virginia, $31 billion landlord CIM Group bought a massive apartment complex in 2020. The group was organizing against CIM Group, the landlord they said had upended their lives. Insider spoke with 10 Southern Towers tenants. The battle between the Southern Towers tenants and CIM could presage what's to come across America. "We're not going to leave"The Southern Towers tenants aren't the only ones following the money.

☆ Leaked internal document shows Amazon expects a soft landing for the US economy and little chance of a recession, a rosier outlook than many other forecasters
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Amazon estimates a 30% chance of US recession in the next 6 months, internal analysis shows. Amazon anticipates a soft landing for the US economy, according to the leaked analysis. A leaked internal document from Amazon suggests a brighter outlook, especially for the US economy. Yet, even if a recession were to come and unemployment rose, Amazon appears less concerned about the impact on its sales. The internal report from November said the US economic outlook for 2023 has "worsened significantly" and baseline forecasts now see growth falling below 1%.

☆ Here's how each airline does compensation for flight delays, from meals to hotels to ground transportation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US Department of Transportation launched a new "airline customer service dashboard" this year. It breaks down the different rights passengers have when an airline delays or cancels their flight. However, several airlines have announced they are waiving flight change fees for passengers caught in the storm's path. The airline will now offer meal vouchers to passengers whose flights are delayed more than three hours instead of four hours, the airline's website shows. American Airlines has also updated the language in its customer service plan to "clarify" the company's existing policies, a spokesperson said.

☆ Alabama inmate 'baked to death' in prison cell 'hotter than three hells,' federal lawsuit says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Julianne Mcshane | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

An Alabama inmate died after being “baked” to death in a sweltering prison cell described as “hotter than three hells,” his family alleged in a federal wrongful death lawsuit. T Unit, the mental health ward where Rutledge was held, was not included in the project, according to the lawsuit. Alleged negligence by corrections officersThe suit said that inmates in the T Unit had complained of “excessive heat” all weekend prior to Rutledge’s death. The evening of Rutledge’s death, the heat in T Unit was over 100 degrees, the lawsuit said, and the blistering temperature was “obvious” to officers who conducted periodic checks. NBC News has reached out to the Alabama Department of Corrections and attorneys for each of the defendants for comment.

☆ North Korea performs key test to build more threatening ICBM
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Some experts say North Korea would eventually use an expanded arsenal to seek sanctions relief and other concessions from the United States. “Unlike liquid propellant missiles, solid propellant missiles are fueled at the time of manufacture and can thus be released far more quickly in a war, all else being equal,” Panda said. North Korea already has a growing arsenal of short-range, solid-fueled ballistic missiles targeting key locations in South Korea, including U.S. military bases there. “Testing a gimbaled nozzle could therefore represent an important technological waypoint toward North Korea’s stated goal of a solid motor ICBM,” Dempsey said. If North Korea uses the technology to build an ICBM-class missile that can be fired from a submarine, that would equip the North with a threatening secondary, retaliatory attack capability against the United States, he said.

☆ Here's our November rapid-fire update on all 33 stocks in Cramer's Charitable trust portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Here's a rapid-fire update on every stock in the CNBC Investing Club portfolio. Estee Lauder (EL) — New Club members who want to start a position in the cosmetics giant could do so at these levels. We'd advise Club members do so the same, even if we still like the company's defensive nature. (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust.) Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

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