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☆ Democratic Lawmakers Ask Justice Department to Publish Data on Corporate Crime
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Dylan Tokar | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

A trio of Democratic lawmakers is asking the U.S. Justice Department to publicly disclose data related to its prosecution of corporate crime. ), comes after a top Justice Department official said data showed a decline in corporate criminal prosecutions. “We need to do more and move faster.”Sen. Durbin serves as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which plays an oversight role over the Justice Department. The federal government hasn’t published a comprehensive report on corporate crime trends since 1979, the Democratic lawmakers said Thursday. A Justice Department report titled “Illegal Corporate Behavior” recommended that the agency start publicizing enforcement data through the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

☆ Abbott Names New Leadership at Troubled Baby-Formula Plant
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Peter Loftus | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Abbott Laboratories has made leadership changes at its major baby-formula manufacturing plant and in its quality organization, following a temporary shutdown of the Sturgis, Mich., plant earlier this year after contamination was found. The Abbott Park, Ill., company also plans to spend about $500 million to build a new baby-formula plant in the U.S., after analyzing the market and concluding more capacity is needed, Chief Executive Robert Ford said Wednesday.

☆ Abortion Pushes Some Suburban Women in West Michigan Toward Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Julie Bykowicz | Photographs Emily Elconin For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ADA, Mich.—Erin Berkeley Weber served on the student council with Gretchen Whitmer when they attended high school in this Grand Rapids suburb. A Republican who favors low taxes and school choice, Ms. Weber voted for her former classmate’s GOP opponent in the governor’s race four years ago. But Ms. Weber, 51, has known since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade that she will vote to re-elect the Democratic governor this fall. She said she likes how Ms. Whitmer has fought to preserve access to abortion, including by waging court battles and backing a ballot initiative to codify in state law a woman’s right to end her pregnancy.

☆ Junk-Rated Companies Search for the Right Time to Tap Investors
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Nina Trentmann | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

While there is limited pressure overall as many businesses refinanced in 2020 and 2021 when funding was cheaper and investor appetite stronger, high-yield companies with immediate financing needs have to find the right time to tap investors, corporate bankers say. Adding loans and revolving-credit facilities, speculative companies have maturities of around $1.47 trillion through 2027, ratings firm Moody’s Investors Service said last week. And the high-yield bond market isn’t closed, it has just become more expensive, bankers said. Movie theater chain AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. on Friday said that its subsidiary Odeon Finco PLC priced a $400 million bond. Bankers said they have received few calls from triple C-rated companies in recent months looking for maturity extensions.

☆ Accused of flirting, juror dismissed from Whitmer kidnapping plot trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

JACKSON, Mich. — A judge has dismissed a young woman from the jury hearing the trial of three men in connection with a 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after attorneys accused her of flirting with one of the defendants. The three are charged in state court in Jackson, Michigan, with providing material support for a terrorist act. “Since the start of the trial ... there’s been non-verbal communication between one of the jurors — a female — and Mr. Bellar,” Rollstin said. Two other men, Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr., were convicted in August of federal crimes in connection with the plot.

☆ Domino’s Revenue Up as U.S. Sales Offset Strong Dollar
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Dean Seal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Domino’s Pizza third-quarter revenue rose 7.1%, as higher sales from its U.S. restaurants offset a decline from international outlets due to the stronger dollar. The Ann Arbor, Mich.-based pizza chain said its top line climbed to $1.07 billion, just above analysts’ expectations, with sales from existing stores up 2% in the U.S. from a year earlier but down 1.8% overseas.

Trying to salvage his summit at Doral, Trump himself phoned the group at Camp David, and the moderates gave the president an earful as well. That fall, Bade and Demirjian write, House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and House GOP Whip Steve Scalise had desperately tried to hold the line and keep Republicans unified against Democrats' first impeachment probe into Trump. That weekend at Camp David, Bade and Demirjian write, moderate Republicans "charged the president’s chief of staff like a pack of wolves." Mulvaney had suggested to his boss inviting a group of wavering Republicans to Camp David. “We don’t want to have to defend you on this,” Wagner told him, suggesting that he host the G-7 at Camp David.

Over two dozen corporate leaders and businesses are quietly donating to the campaigns of at least four Republicans who have pushed false claims about the 2020 election results while running to become secretaries of state, according to a review of state campaign finance disclosures. Marchant is running to be Nevada's secretary of state, while Finchem and Karamo are aiming for the same position in Arizona and Michigan, respectively. The allegations led to dozens of failed lawsuits attempting to overturn state results and prompted the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Those business officials started financing the secretary of state candidates in Aug. 2021 and continued their donations through September, according to state records. Beckel noted in an email to CNBC that donors could be giving to secretary of state candidates for future help with issues more directly tied to their businesses.

☆ Man, 34, charged with murder in Michigan hotel shooting that left worker dead
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

DEARBORN, Mich. — A man accused of killing a suburban Detroit hotel employee and barricading himself in a room for hours was charged Sunday with murder and other crimes. He is accused of fatally shooting a 55-year-old employee on the third floor of a Hampton Inn in Dearborn, Michigan. Williams-Lewis, who was told to leave the hotel, fatally shot an employee who rode an elevator to the third floor to check his co-workers, said Cpl. The hotel and surrounding businesses were evacuated for hours Thursday while police, with help from a lawyer, persuaded Williams-Lewis to peacefully give up. “I just kept saying the same thing over and over, talking to him about his family, telling him he wouldn’t get hurt if he surrendered,” Silver told The Detroit News.

☆ Rep. Elissa Slotkin says Democrats need 'new blood' in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-09 | by ( Summer Concepcion | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said Sunday the Democratic Party needs "new blood" in Congress and the White House in 2024 but committed to support President Joe Biden if he runs for re-election. But she also noted: "I have been very vocal, including with my own leadership in the House, that we need a new generation. We need new blood, period, across the Democratic Party — in the House, the Senate and the White House. In July, Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., also called for a generational change in leadership, adding that he didn't think Biden, 79, should run for president again. Al Sharpton last month he will seek a second term in a private conversation at the White House.

He’s scheduled to headline a Saturday rally for Dixon and other GOP candidates in the state. Through Nov. 8, Whitmer and the Democrats have reserved $24 million in ads for the Michigan governor’s race. And the two most recent polls have shown Whitmer leading Dixon by double digits. “Isn’t that sad that Democrats have to spend so much money?” Dixon said at a news conference Tuesday when asked if she was disappointed in the lack of assistance for her campaign. The Republican Governors Association still has $3.6 million budgeted for ads in Michigan, though a spokesperson acknowledged the funding gap.

Many companies that have shifted enterprise-technology tools into the cloud in recent years, in part as a cost-saving measure, say those investments have yet to pay off. Rather than run software and systems in their own hardware, commercial cloud users tap computing capabilities from providers such as Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. They are also turning to multiple cloud providers, rather than relying on one cloud, for different systems and applications for different business areas. “Many first movers expected significant IT cost efficiency from their cloud investments,” said Barry Brunsman, a principal in KPMG’s CIO Advisory group. “You really do need to not just take it for granted that cloud is where you should head,” she said.

☆ Ford Faces Obstacles Getting New Trial, After $1.7 Billion Verdict in Truck-Rollover Case
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Ryan Felton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ford Motor Co. faces an easier path reducing the $1.7 billion in damages awarded last month in a deadly truck rollover lawsuit than winning a new trial in Georgia, law professors say. On Monday, the Dearborn, Mich., auto maker filed new motions, challenging the jury verdict in a Georgia case that imposed hefty punitive damages on Ford for selling trucks the plaintiffs allege were unsafe.

☆ Best Buy, Home Depot Lock Up Goods to Fight Theft
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Sarah Nassauer | Benoît Morenne | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

To deter theft, Best Buy has replaced some products on shelves with QR codes. A Best Buy store at the Southland Center shopping mall in Taylor, Mich. Shoppers are finding more empty space on store shelves, but not because the retailer is out of stock. In many cases, the items are locked away to prevent theft. At a Best Buy store in the suburbs of Houston, hundreds of items including Bose speakers and Fitbit activity trackers have been replaced by small blue signs that read, “This product kept in secured location,” and ask shoppers to find store workers for help.

☆ Fed rate hikes have made some corporate bonds very attractive. How to profit from it
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

As stocks sink and interest rates rise, investors are getting more excited about corporate bonds than they've been in a generation. One side effect of Federal Reserve tightening policy is it has made interest rates go up everywhere — including in the corporate bond market. The way we choose to access corporate bonds is through a highly diversified low cost index fund and part of the reason for that is when it comes to corporate bonds, there's more difficulty with them than with government bonds," he said. Playing through funds A fund that tracks short-term corporates is the SPSB, SPDR Portfolio Short Term Corporate Bond ETF . There is also the Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF VCSH , which tracks a corporate bond index, is off 8.5% this year.

☆ Michigan GOP gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon mocks 2020 kidnapping plot against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Michigan GOP gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon mocked the kidnapping plot against Gov. "Gretchen Whitmer sure is good at taking business hostage and holding it for ransom," Dixon said. Two men were convicted in the plot, in which they sought to kidnap Whitmer from her vacation home. Insider contacted Dixon's campaign office for comment, but didn't immediately receive a reply Saturday. "Tudor Dixon's comments are dangerous, an insult to law enforcement who keep us safe, and utterly disqualifying for the role of Michigan governor," he said.

☆ Ford Supply-Chain Leadership Overhaul Reflects EV Ramp Up
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Liz Young | Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Ford Motor Co.’s moves to overhaul its supply-chain leadership reflect the increasingly crucial role technology is playing as the development of electric vehicles is transforming the way cars are produced. Ford said the company is seeking to align operations from sourcing and assembly to distribution with a goal of transitioning to EVs. Ford also plans to name its first chief supply-chain officer. It had sold more than 36,500 electric vehicles year-to-date through August. Ford has been working on building closer ties with its suppliers for years, but pandemic-related supply-chain snarls have made it a more urgent priority, the company spokesman said.

☆ Wildfire Smoke Is Erasing Progress on Clean Air
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Mira Rojanasakul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

Smoke from wildfires has worsened over the past decade, potentially reversing decades of improvements in Western air quality made under the Clean Air Act, according to research published Thursday from Stanford University. The new analysis reveals a picture of daily exposure to wildfire smoke in better geographic detail than ever before. Where Wildfire Smoke Pollution Increased Over the Past Decade 0 0.25 0.5 1 2 4+ micrograms of PM2.5 Seattle Spokane WASH. Portland MAINE Missoula MONT. FLA. Micrograms of PM2.5 0 0.25 0.5 1 2 4+ Note: Map shows increase in average wildfire smoke from 2006-2010 to 2016-2020. The research isolated wildfire smoke from background pollution from other sources, which has actually decreased in recent decades.

☆ The ‘Cost’ of Voting in America: A Look at Where It’s Easiest and Hardest
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Nick Corasaniti | Allison Mccann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +13 min

Researchers focused on 10 categories related to voting, including registration, inconvenience, early voting, polling hours and absentee voting. The state also stopped using special voting deputies, officials whose tasks had sometimes included conducting voter registration drives, according to the study. To assess the voting laws passed after the 2020 election, this year’s Cost of Voting Index study added new categories and scoring. While the political debate surrounding new election laws has centered on ballots and the voting process, the Cost of Voting Index also gives heavy weight to the ease of voter registration. States rank higher in the index if they allow voter registration drives, provide automatic voter registration, offer same-day registration and maintain longer periods in which to register.

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan duo on the Jan. 6 committee is rolling out legislation aimed at preventing future attempts to overturn elections, and House leaders are eyeing a vote as early as this week. In an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal on Sunday evening, Cheney and Lofgren said the bill would include four components. Last week, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., notified members that the full House might consider the bill this week. For instance, the Senate bill would require one-fifth of each chamber to force a vote to object to electors. But in bringing the Cheney-Lofgren bill to the floor this week, House Democratic leaders are sending a clear signal about where their caucus stands on the issue.

☆ Ford Warns Parts Shortages, Higher Supplier Costs Are Expected to Affect Earnings
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Nora Eckert | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ford Motor on Monday warned third-quarter earnings would be affected by about $1 billion in higher-than-anticipated supplier costs and parts shortages that have led to unfinished vehicles it couldn’t sell during the period. The Dearborn, Mich., auto maker reaffirmed its year-end guidance for 2022, projecting adjusted operating results for the third quarter would fall between $1.4 billion and $1.7 billion.

☆ Europe's severe drought is unearthing ancient artifacts from 'Spanish Stonehenge' to Emperor Nero's bridge
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-17 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Receding water levels due to drought in Europe are unearthing old sites and artifacts. Since early 2022, Europe has experienced an extended period of unusually high temperatures and severe lack of rainfall. From megalithic monuments to ancient bridges, sites and artifacts continue to be unearthed by the 2022 drought in Europe. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty ImagesIn late July, receding water levels in Spain's Valdecanas reservoir dropped to 28% percent of its capacity, revealing the Dolmen of Guadalperal, dubbed "Spanish Stonehenge," Reuters reported. In June, receding water levels due to the intense drought resurfaced a sunken shipwreck of a World War II-era barge.

Bed Bath & Beyond has released a list of the initial 56 stores it plans to close as part of a broader restructuring to stabilize the home goods chain's struggling business. The company recently outlined a major restructuring plan that included plans to close 150 "lower producing" stores and lay off 20% of its workforce. In the run-up to the reorganization announcement, at least one analyst criticized Bed Bath & Beyond for failing to maintain stores and for heavily discounting items. For much of 2022, Bed Bath & Beyond stock was the subject of interest from so-called "meme" investors after GameStop chairman Ryan Cohen announced a stake in the company earlier this spring. Year to date, Bed Bath & Beyond shares have declined roughly 45%.

☆ A College Acting Class Changed Ernie Hudson’s Life. ‘For the First Time, I Felt at Home.’
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-13 | by ( Marc Myers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ernie Hudson, 76, is an actor best known for his role in the “Ghostbusters” film series. He currently stars in “The Family Business,” “L.A.’s Finest” and NBC’s “Quantum Leap.” He spoke with Marc Myers. The night my Uncle Izah pulled into the drive-in movie theater in Benton Harbor, Mich., I had no idea what “Blackboard Jungle” was about. When the 1955 film began, Sidney Poitier was the only Black teenager in the classroom of “difficult” kids.

☆ Меркель сделала прививку от коронавируса вакциной AstraZeneca
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-16 | by ( ) newsmaker.md time to read: +1 min

Канцлер Германии Ангела Меркель сделала прививку от коронавируса. Ей ввели первую дозу вакцины AstraZeneca. «Рада, что сегодня мне сделали первую прививку AstraZeneca. Kanzlerin #Merkel: „Ich freue mich, dass ich heute die Erstimpfung mit AstraZeneca bekommen habe. В Германии разрешено делать прививку от коронавируса вакциной AstraZeneca людям старше 60 лет.

Persons: Ангела Меркель, Штеффен Зайберт, Зайберт, Меркель Locations: Германия, ФРГ, ЕС

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