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☆ Opinion | Jackie on My Mind
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Maureen Dowd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — I think about Jackie Kennedy several times a day. Tour groups come by my house in Georgetown to see John Kennedy’s bachelor pad, where he was living when he met Jacqueline Bouvier at a dinner party. “Jackie told Jack he needed to get out of this dump,” the guide said. (Never a Heathcliff type, Jack sometimes treated her, as Jackie once told Gore Vidal, as though she were a campaign asset, like Rhode Island.) Carl Sferrazza Anthony’s new biography, “Camera Girl,” offers a lovely snapshot of Jackie’s single years in D.C., working at The Washington Times-Herald.

Persons: WASHINGTON, Jackie Kennedy, John, Jacqueline Bouvier, “ Jackie, Jack, we’ll, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Jackie, Gore Vidal, Carl Sferrazza Anthony’s Organizations: D.C, The Washington Times, Herald Locations: Georgetown, Rhode

☆ Teenagers Can Expect a Strong Summer Job Market
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Ann Carrns | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Teenagers seeking work will probably find ample jobs with good pay available this summer, economists say. The robust labor market this year, along with shortages of workers in the summer jobs that teenagers usually fill, like in hospitality and leisure, suggests good prospects, said Paul Harrington, a labor economist at Rhode Island College who is part of a team that produces an annual summer job forecast for teenagers. Their analysis predicts that the share of 16- to 19-year-olds working this season will rise to 33.6 percent, from 32.7 percent last year. The outlook is strong despite worries about a potential economic slowdown. The labor market overall has proved resilient, with 339,000 jobs added in May even as the unemployment rate ticked up to 3.7 percent, from 3.4 percent in April.

Persons: Paul Harrington Organizations: Rhode Island College

Venkatakrishnan's intervention underscores the pressure that the British bank is under to protect its U.S. investment banking franchise. Venkatakrishnan promised during the meeting to invest in the investment banking business to boost morale, the sources said. Miller left Barclays to join Jefferies last month, while Barclays only announced a new role for Astier this week, naming him global head of financial sponsors. Still, the exodus that Venkatakrishnan and other Barclays executives have been trying to stem has continued apace. But it was its consumer, cards and payments division, rather than investment banking, that led the charge.

Persons: C.S, Venkatakrishnan, dealmakers, Cathal Deasy, Morgan Stanley, Taylor Wright, Marco Valla, Deasy, John Miller, Jean, Francois Astier, Miller, Jefferies, Jim Rossman, Christopher Ludwig, Pete Contrucci, Evan Rothenberg, Daniel Kerstein, Contrucci, Rothenberg, Kerstein, Milana Vinn, Abigail Summerville, David Carnevali, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Anirban Sen, Greg Roumeliotis, Christopher Cushing Organizations: YORK, Barclays, Citigroup Inc, UBS Group AG, Jefferies Financial Group Inc, Reuters, Credit Suisse Group AG, UBS, Lazard Ltd, Credit Suisse, Svea, Thomson Locations: Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa, United States, New York, Rhode Island

A fountain at Hermon High School in Maine is taped shut after the water tested over the state's safety limit for PFAS chemicals. The school's water recently tested above the state's safety limit for PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often referred to as "forever chemicals." According to the Environmental Protection Agency, even tiny exposure to PFAS in drinking water could pose a serious health risk. Hermon High School is just one example of PFAS contamination currently affecting the community, according to Maine's attorney general, Aaron Frey. The company also expressed a commitment to remediate PFAS contamination, invest in water treatment and collaborate with communities.

Persons: Stephen King —, Micah Grant, Grant, Aaron Frey, Frey, Farmer Adam Nordell, " Frey, Wisconsin —, they've, they're, Scott Gottlieb, Gottlieb, —, du Pont, du Pont de Nemours, Corteva Agriscience, Corteva, Chemours, Deane Dray, Dray, Ben Brewer, It's, 3M's, Eric Rucker, Biden, Gianna Kinsman, Kinsman, PFAS Organizations: Hermon High School, CNBC, Hermon School, Environmental Protection Agency, CNBC Maine, DuPont, 3M, Centers for Disease Control, FDA, Manufacturers, du Pont de, Chemours, Dow, State, RBC Capital Markets, 3M Global, Bloomberg, Getty, RBC Capital, Law, Capstone, Republican, Biden Locations: Bangor , Maine, Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Alaska , California , Colorado , Delaware, Florida , Illinois , Michigan, Minnesota , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New York, North Carolina , Ohio, Vermont, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Delaware, Stuart , Florida, Stuart, Maplewood , Minnesota

☆ FTC's Lina Khan presses ahead with sprawling antitrust plans in the face of GOP opposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

As she made history in leading the agency, Khan's sprawling oversight plans and focus on fair competition in markets drew pushback from GOP leaders who denounced them as "politicized." The backlash to Khan's antitrust platform has come from across the Republican caucuses in Congress — even as many GOP lawmakers have backed antitrust policies or slammed Big Tech companies. watch nowKhan has defended her positions, telling CNBC on May 10 that the FTC enforces antitrust laws passed by Congress. Jordan and other GOP House members have criticized the plan as a "power grab." But an FTC spokesperson said Khan's agency has jurisdiction over all fees except banking and airlines.

Persons: Lina M, Khan, Graeme Jennings, Lina Khan, Pete Buttigieg's, Rohit Chopra, Christine Wilson, Noah Joshua Phillips, Joe Biden's, Matt Stoller, Stoller, Lina, Republican Sens, Chuck Grassley, Mike Lee, Ken Buck, Jim Jordan, Grassley, David Cicilline, Sen, Amy Klobuchar, Elon Musk, Musk, Jordan, Jon Schweppe, Jordan tweeting, they're, Mo Cayer, Khan . Jordan, noncompetes, Trump, Wilson, Leslie Overton, Harkrider, Biden Organizations: Commerce, Science, Capitol, AFP, Getty Images, Biden, Federal Trade, Southwest Airlines, Republicans, Consumer Financial Protection, FTC, Yale University Law School, Washington , D.C, New Yorker, Columbia Law School, American Economic Liberties, Big Tech, Republican, GOP, CNBC, Congress, Rhode Island's, Committee, Twitter, GOP House, Elon, The New York Times, Times, University of New, Democratic, Junk Locations: Washington , DC, London, Washington ,, New, Iowa, Utah, Colorado, Ohio, House, Minnesota, University of New Haven, Connecticut, Khan ., Axinn

☆ 4 great white sharks showed up in New York and New Jersey waters early, having migrated thousands of miles for food
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Mark Reeth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Every year great white sharks head for feeding grounds in waters near the northern US and Canada. One of them is an 8 foot 8 inch male juvenile named Jekyll who weighs just shy of 400 pounds. OCEARCH has been capturing, tagging, and tracking great white sharks since 2007 in order to study their migratory patterns. These great white sharks have traveled thousands of milesAccording to the OCEARCH tracker, a male juvenile great white nicknamed Jekyll has traveled 1,595 miles in 103 days from Georgia to the waters of Atlantic City, where his tracker pinged his location on May 15th. Simon, another male juvenile, traveled 1,520 miles in the last 106 days from Florida to join revelers in the waters of Fire Island on May 2nd.

☆ Big landlords are barreling towards a 'reckoning.' But smaller ones are doing just fine.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Some big landlords are starting to feel the squeeze of stalled rents and increased operating expenses. The main difference between 'big' and 'small' landlords: the financingA key difference between smaller, mom-and-pop landlords and larger landlords is how they're financing deals. While small landlords are typically purchasing single-family homes or multi-family properties like duplexes and triplexes, which you can finance with residential debt, big landlords are buying apartment buildings and have to use commercial debt. With a residential loan, you can typically get a fixed interest rate, which will not change over the lifetime of the loan. "One of the reasons I invest in four units or less is you get 30-year fixed rate debt," he said.

☆ Citizens Bank fined $9 million for mismanaging fraud complaints
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The agency resolved its 2020 lawsuit against Rhode Island-based Citizens Bank for violating the Truth in Lending Act, which protects consumers against unfair credit billing and credit card practices. The CFPB said in its suit that the bank automatically denied fraud claims and billing error notices in certain circumstances. "As outstanding credit card debt approaches $1 trillion, the CFPB will be closely watching the conduct of the credit card industry." Citizens Bank noted that the issue involved a small subset of its credit card customers. Citizens Bank is among the 15 largest consumer banks in the U.S. with branches and ATMs in 14 states and Washington, D.C.

☆ Local GOP politician resigned after police found him passed out in his car holding what appeared to be a crack pipe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Matthew R. Reilly, a city council member and ex-chair of his local GOP in Rhode Island, has resigned. Bodycam footage of the incident shows Reilly passed out in his car with a crack pipe in his hand. "You have a crack pipe in your hand," one police officer responded, according to the bodycam footage. In the footage, Reilly, who is an attorney, said he had a relapse after 13 years of being sober following a bad divorce. Reilly, who also resigned as head of the local GOP earlier this week, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ 10 states where homeowners put the most money toward housing costs—No. 1 isn't New York or California
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Mike Winters | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

It compared median income in each state to housing costs, which included mortgages, taxes, insurance, utilities and HOA fees. The analysis used 30% since it's a common benchmark for housing costs in a monthly budget. Known as the "30% rule," financial planners typically recommend putting no more than 30% of household income toward housing costs. While the median income in these states is significantly higher than the bottom-ranked states, housing costs are also elevated. As with fourth-ranked Rhode Island, there's a limited amount of land to develop in Hawaii, which has pushed up housing costs.

☆ New York Attorney General Letitia James leads multistate effort defending CFPB to the Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — New York Attorney General Letitia James is leading a multistate effort to urge the Supreme Court to overturn a decision that threatens the existence of the nation's leading consumer protection agency. Attorneys general in 22 other states and the District of Columbia joined New York in an amicus brief filing to the court Tuesday in support of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The brief comes a day after dozens of current and former Democratic lawmakers filed a separate amicus brief defending the agency. The Supreme Court agreed in February to hear arguments after the Biden administration appealed the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals' decision that the CFPB's funding method is unconstitutional. If the Supreme Court decides not to overturn the 5th Circuit's ruling, it could invalidate "numerous CFPB rules and other regulatory actions" and harm millions of Americans while destabilizing the consumer financial sector, the attorneys general said in a statement.

☆ Wells Fargo to Pay $1 Billion to Settle Lawsuit by Shareholders
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( John Yoon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Wells Fargo has agreed to pay $1 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing the bank of overstating how much progress it had made in fixing the unlawful practices that regulators said had hurt millions of customers. Wells Fargo removed top executives and pledged to regulators that it would fix the internal deficiencies that caused the scandal and other practices that put customers at risk. The latest settlement resolves a lawsuit brought on behalf of shareholders that focused on the bank’s conduct between 2018 to 2020, after regulators identified many of the problems. The plaintiffs, including pension funds in Mississippi, Rhode Island and Louisiana, said Wells Fargo defrauded investors by giving the false impression that it was further along in the process of tackling regulators’ orders than it had disclosed at the time. The settlement, which must be approved by a federal judge in New York, was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal.

☆ It’s Been a Warm 2023 for the Eastern U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Talal Ansari | Suryatapa Bhattacharya | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

It was ice cream weather in Washington, D.C., in February. Photo: Anna Rose Layden/Bloomberg NewsThe eastern U.S. had a record warm start to the year, according to a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia all had their warmest January to April on record, data from NOAA’s U.S. climate report show. Other Eastern states—Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina and West Virginia—posted their second-warmest period. NOAA and its predecessors have been recording weather data since the 1800s.

☆ If Supreme Court affirms Biden student loan forgiveness plan, some college 'stopouts' may reenroll
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"The reality is that today's students work, they may have children or parents to support — there's an opportunity cost." watch nowStruggles for those with student debt, no degreeAt the very least, the Supreme Court's pending decision on Biden's student loan forgiveness plan will shed more light on the financial burden of college. Increasingly, borrowers are struggling under the weight of ballooning student debt balances. Forgiveness could prompt reenrollmentOn the flip side, loan forgiveness would reduce that burden, making it more likely that previously enrolled students would reenroll, according to Brown. "Loan forgiveness could be a key strategy to bring students who have some college, but no degree, back to finish their coursework," she said.

☆ Philosopher, Slaver and, Now, Former Face of Trinity College Library
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Ed O Loughlin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Trinity College Dublin has decided to seek a new name for its central library, the Berkeley, after concluding that the alumnus it honors, the 18th-century philosopher George Berkeley, owned slaves in colonial Rhode Island and wrote pamphlets supportive of slavery. A fellow of Trinity and the former librarian there, Berkeley is regarded by academics as one of the most influential thinkers of the early modern period. Some view his philosophical and scientific ideas on perception and reality as foreshadowing the work of Albert Einstein. But last month, the governing board of Trinity, Ireland’s oldest university, announced that it had voted to “dename” the library after months of research and consultation by a group established to review problematic legacies. The group based its recommendations on an analysis of historical records, already in the public domain, showing that Berkeley had purchased several enslaved people for a plantation that he operated while living in Rhode Island from 1729 to 1732.

☆ $625,000 Homes in Minnesota, Rhode Island and Kentucky
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Angela Serratore | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Size: 2,022 square feetPrice per square foot: $309Indoors: A paved path leads from the street up to the stoop. The front door opens directly into a sunny living room with hardwood floors and street- and side-facing windows. The hardwood floors continue through a wide, arched doorway into a dining room with a built-in cabinet. This space is open to a kitchen with white cabinetry and new appliances. The family room, beyond, has direct access to the rear deck.

☆ Many Democrats Are Pushing the Fed to Pause Rate Increases. Biden’s Not One.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jim Tankersley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A growing collection of congressional Democrats is calling on the Federal Reserve to pause its steady march of interest rate increases, warning the central bank is risking “engineering a recession that destroys jobs and crushes small businesses.”Those lawmakers include prominent progressives like Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, along with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, the chairman of the budget committee. They contend the Fed’s actions pose a particular risk to lower-paid workers, Black workers and others who are historically most likely to face job loss and financial pain if recession hits. “While we do not question the Fed’s policy independence, we believe that continuing to raise interest rates would be an abandonment of the Fed’s dual mandate to achieve both maximum employment and price stability and show little regard for the small businesses and working families that will get caught in the wreckage,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Fed officials ahead of their meeting this week. Progressive groups and lawmakers like Ms. Warren have urged the Fed to pause rate increases for months, saying they are the wrong tool to fight high inflation, which is moderating but remains above recent historical levels. Their calls have mounted as storm clouds gathered over the financial system, including the failures of three large regional banks in the past two months.

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The case is the latest bid asking the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, to rein in the authority of federal agencies. The companies are asking the Supreme Court to overturn its own decades-old precedent calling for judges to defer to federal agency interpretation of U.S. laws, a doctrine called "Chevron deference." The New England herring fishing regulations were issued by the fisheries service, part of the U.S. Commerce Department. The Biden administration said in court papers that the monitoring program will be suspended for the fishing year starting in April due to insufficient federal funding. The Supreme Court is due to hear the case in its next term, which begins in October.

☆ 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.)

☆ The attorney featured in the painting that shows Clarence Thomas at one of the undisclosed vacations just published an article arguing that the Supreme Court justice did not have to report the trips
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Earlier this month, ProPublica reported on Justice Clarence Thomas's undisclosed luxury trips. Mark Paoletta, a partner at Schaeer Jaffe and close friend of Thomas, wrote in the right-leaning National Review article published Thursday arguing that Thomas had "acted properly and consistent with the rules" of financial disclosures for Supreme Court Justices. But the attorney is also featured in a painting that was commissioned by Crow and depicts Thomas vacationing at the luxury resort that is central to the renewed scrutiny of Thomas' financial disclosure forms. Sharif Tarabay, the artist of the painting, told ProPublica that the piece depicts a moment at Topridge from about five years ago. But that is immaterial to the conclusion that Justice Thomas had no obligation to disclose these innocuous trips," Paoletta wrote.

☆ These are investor Mario Gabelli's favorite value stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Billionaire investor Mario Gabelli is finding some value buying opportunities in this murky macroenvironment. Due to its reasonable balance sheet, solid management and defense tailwinds, Gabelli said investors can make 50% on their investment in two years' time. Finally, Gabelli highlighted Grupo Televisa SAB , a Latin American media company based in Mexico. In 2021, Grupo Televisa agreed to sell its media and content division in a deal valued at $4.8 billion, while maintaining a stake in the newly formed TelevisaUnivision. A potential public offering in the next year and a half should also benefit Grupo Televisa, now trading under $5 a share, Gabelli said.

☆ Ireland's Trinity College to drop philosopher Berkeley's name over slavery
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBLIN, April 26 (Reuters) - Ireland's oldest university, Trinity College Dublin, has announced it will remove the name of philosopher George Berkeley from one of its main libraries over his ownership of slaves and efforts to "advance ideology in support of slavery". "George Berkeley's enormous contribution to philosophical thought is not in question," Trinity's Provost Linda Doyle said in a statement that confirmed Berkeley's work would still be taught at the university. It said it had not yet decided on a new name for the library, which was opened in 1967. The owners of Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel in 2020 removed four historic statues from its entrance in the belief that they represented female slaves. Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Supreme Court deals blow to oil companies by turning away climate cases
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Lawrence Hurley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday allowed lawsuits brought by municipalities seeking to hold energy companies accountable for climate change to move forward in a loss for business interests. The relatively narrow legal issue is whether the lawsuits should be heard in state court instead of federal court. Litigants care because of the widely held view that plaintiffs have a better chance of winning damage awards in state court. The municipalities' lawsuits say they have been harmed by the affects of climate change caused by carbon emissions that the oil companies are heavily responsible for. In an earlier case, the Supreme Court in 2021 ruled in favor of oil companies on a procedural issue in a similar lawsuit brought by the city of Baltimore.

The justices turned away five appeals by the oil companies of lower court decisions that determined that the lawsuits belonged in state court, a venue often seen as more favorable to plaintiffs than federal court. A separate appeal filed by the oil companies challenging lower court decisions in cases out of New Jersey and Delaware is still pending before the Supreme Court. Theodore Boutrous, an attorney for Chevron, expressed confidence that the cases will be dismissed in state court. That decision prompted other federal appeals courts to reconsider whether they should send similar lawsuits by state and local governments back to state courts. Four other appeals courts reached similar conclusions in the lawsuits by Rhode Island and jurisdictions in California, Colorado, Hawaii and Maryland.

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