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☆ Pedro Sanchez secures another term as Spain's prime minister, set to form government
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Spanish acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during the investiture debate at the Spanish Parliament on Nov. 15, 2023 in Madrid, Spain. Spain's parliament has empowered acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to assemble a government, following two failed investiture attempts from right-wing opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo. Sanchez, who helms the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), won 179 votes in favor, with 171 against and no abstentions. It ends a four-month political deadlock following inconclusive general elections in July, when Feijóo's People's Party won a 136 majority of seats, while the Socialists clinched 121. Sanchez himself had called for the vote after his party hemorrhaged losses in regional and municipal elections in late May.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Sanchez, helms, Feijóo's, Vox, Junts, Carles Puigdemont Organizations: Spanish, Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party, PSOE, Feijóo's People's Party, Socialists, Catalan, Catalonian Locations: Madrid, Spain, Spain's, Catalonia, Galicia, Basque Country, Belgium

☆ No stock trading, a hefty home mortgage, and more than $120,000 from Liberty University: Here's what we know about newly-elected Speaker Mike Johnson's personal finances
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

House Speaker Mike Johnson is much less wealthy than other members of Congress. He doesn't trade any stocks and has a home mortgage valued between $250,000 and $500,000. He's made more than $120,000 since 2018 teaching online classes at Liberty University. There's little publicly-available information about Johnson's activities at the university, and Insider has reached out to the university for further details. But now that he's speaker, Johnson is set to get a $50,000 raise: while all rank-and-file House members and senators make $174,000, the speaker of the House makes $223,500.

Persons: Mike Johnson, He's, —, That's, they've, Johnson, Nancy Pelosi, Paul's, Insider's, Kelly, Kevin McCarthy, OpenSecrets, he's, There's Organizations: Liberty University, Service, Citizens National Bank, Citizens Bank, university's Helms School of Government, Law Locations: Louisiana's, California, Louisiana

☆ Bertie Bowman ran away from home at 13 to sweep the steps of Capitol Hill. He died at 92 as the the longest-serving African-American Congressional staffer.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Yoonji Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Herbert "Bertie" Bowman was the longest-serving African-American staffer on Capitol Hill in US history. AdvertisementAdvertisementBertie Bowman, the longest-serving African-American staffer on Capitol Hill in history, died at 92 years old on Wednesday morning. Sen. John Kerry hugs Bowman after his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for Secretary of State on January 24, 2013. AdvertisementAdvertisementBowman escorts Hillary Clinton at a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 2, 2011. Bowman had continued to work in the Capitol until his death, becoming the longest-serving African-American congressional staffer in US history.

Persons: Herbert, Bertie, Bowman, —, Bertie Bowman, Andrew Desiderio, Sen, Ben Cardin, Burnet Maybank, Maybank, Chris Dodd, Tom Williams, I'd, talkshow, Tavis Smiley, Lyndon Johnson, Strom Thurmond, John Kerry, Ken Cedeno, Jesse Helms of, J, William Fulbright of, Bill Clinton, Elvis, Clinton, Chip Somodevilla, he'd, Hillary Clinton, Alex Wong, Helms Organizations: Capitol, Senate, Service, Punchbowl News, Foreign, Station, Senate Foreign, State, William Fulbright of Arkansas, US, Foreign Relations, Washingtonian, Military Force, Islamic Locations: Washington , DC, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Summerton, South Carolina, Washington ,, Washington, Jesse Helms of North Carolina, Vietnam, Islamic State

One of those strategies is private credit. As the strategy gains steam, some are concerned that higher-for-longer interest rates could put more stress on the balance sheets of borrowers. However, as servicing the debt becomes more expensive, that could force more negotiations between private credit managers and their borrowers. Arougheti said the firm has been benefitting from rising rates, boosting their relative return. He noted that in pulling data points from the 3,000 portfolio companies Ares lends to and invests in, he's seen "fundamental strength despite the rise in rates."

Persons: Michael Arougheti, helms, he's, Arougheti, CNBC's Leslie Picker

BALTIMORE (AP) — Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson, whose deft glovework and folksy manner made him one of the most beloved and accomplished athletes in Baltimore history, has died. Brooks was just a genuine person.”Coming of age before the free agent era, Robinson spent his entire 23-year career with the Orioles. Robinson contributed an RBI single in the second game and became forever a part of World Series lore with his standout performance in Game 3. The Series ended, fittingly, with a ground out to Robinson in Game 5, a 9-3 Orioles win. There’s a Brooks Robinson Drive in Pikesville, and the annual state high school All-Star game played at Camden Yards is named in his honor.

Persons: Brooks Robinson, Robinson, ”, of Famer Jim Palmer, Brooks, Rob Manfred, ” “ Brooks, ” Manfred, “, ” Robinson, “ Brooks, Earl Weaver, “ He’d, Palmer, …, ” Brooks Calbert Robinson, Johnny Unitas, Cal Ripken, Orioles rooters, Ripken, Lee May, Tony Perez, Tommy Helms, Johnny Bench, Sparky Anderson, ” Anderson, ” Palmer, There’s, ___ Organizations: BALTIMORE, —, of Fame, Orioles, Washington Nationals, of Famer, Cincinnati, Los Angeles Dodgers, Star Games, Gloves, MLB, York, Colts, New York Mets, Reds, ” Reds, Camden Locations: Baltimore, Camden, Arkansas, Brooks, Little Rock, Charm City, Maryland, Pikesville

☆ I’m a Pro-Life Priest. Anti-Abortion Groups Are Wrong to Oppose PEPFAR. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Richard W. Bauer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

For years, the Office of the Inspector General has reviewed PEPFAR’s practices and has never discovered misappropriation of funds for abortion. Over the last 20 years, this ambitious program has saved 25 million lives in 55 countries, most of which are in Africa. PEPFAR also has fortified education systems, helping girls stay in primary school, and stimulated economic growth in recipient countries. Faith leaders from the United States and around the world, including those who oppose abortion, have recently written letters calling for reauthorization. Despite the impressive successes of PEPFAR, we still have a way to go in the fight against AIDS.

Persons: Helms, Shepherd Smith, PEPFAR Organizations: reauthorization, AIDS Locations: Africa, United States, Saharan Africa

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHOUSTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - A draft environmental impact statement for the Dakota Access oil pipeline is now expected to be released in fall, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said on Thursday. The review was initially expected to be completed last year and earlier was pushed back to spring of this year. A U.S. court last year ordered the federal government to undertake a more intensive environmental study of the pipeline's route under a lake that straddles the border of North Dakota and South Dakota. It is the biggest oil pipeline from the Bakken shale oil basin and can transport up to 750,000 barrels of oil per day from North Dakota to Illinois. "It's a real threat that DAPL could be shut down or shut down to temporarily move it," Lynn Helms, director at North Dakota regulator, Department of Mineral Resources, said last week.

Persons: Edwin Drake's, Brendan McDermid, Lynn Helms, Arathy Somasekhar, Gary McWilliams Organizations: Drake, Titusville , Pennsylvania U.S, REUTERS, Rights, Dakota, U.S . Army Corps of Engineers, South Dakota . Pipeline, Energy, North, of Mineral Resources, Thomson Locations: Titusville , Pennsylvania, U.S, North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, Dallas, Missouri, Houston

☆ 13 Hollywood production companies making brand films that streamers like Netflix and Apple want to buy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

said Marc Gilbar, who runs the brand division at Imagine Entertainment. Some are also looking to brand films to offset some of the revenue they're losing in the dual Hollywood strikes. (Brand films are often unscripted and thus aren't governed by the Hollywood unions.) They also see brand work being a positive for below-the-line workers who are idled by the work stoppage. Led by EVP Kate Oppenheim, Tribeca Studios' projects have included "We Could be King" (ESPN2) for Dick's Sporting Goods and P&G's Queen Collective series (BET).

Persons: Ben Silverman, Issa Rae's Hoorae, Kevin Hart's Hartbeat, Julian Jacobs, we've, Marc Gilbar, Samuel L, Jackson, Emma Stone, Zac Ryder, Olivia Wilde, Laurene Powell Jobs, Caitlin McGinty, It's, James Gay, Rees, Paul Martin, Kevin Hart's, Hart, Hartbeat, Brian Price, Chase Sapphire, Procter, Reese Witherspoon, Zoe Fairbourn, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer's, Ron Howard's, Bryce Dallas Howard, Gilbar, Rocco DiSpirito, General Mills, Rupert Maconik's Saville, Werner Herzog, Barry Levinson, Sugar23, Oscar, Michael Sugar, Trevor Noah's, he's, Kennedy, Matt Rotondo helms, Sugar, Mike Beck, Alexa Conway, Trevor Noah, Kate Oppenheim, HBO Max, Paul McCartney, Mary McCartney Ventureland, Kerstin Emhoff, Paul Hunter, John Battsek, Stacy's Pita Chips, Will, Jada Pinkett, REI, Gargi Organizations: Hollywood, Brands, Mattel, Netflix, Apple, UTA, Imagine Entertainment, Producers, Adobe, IBM, Anonymous, HP, Afghan Girls National Soccer Team, Showtime, Pepsi Boardwalk Pictures, Relativity Media, Super, Pepsi, REI, Unilever, Marriott, Surf League, Major League Soccer, Sam's, Gamble, Weinstein Co, Hulu, Imagine, Paramount, Saville Productions, Disney, Time Studios, Procter & Gamble, Anheuser, Busch, InBev, CAA, Studios, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, Tribeca Studios, Dick's Sporting Goods, HBO, CNN, Mobile, Stacy's, Everest, Vice Studios, Westbrook Media, Meta, Logitech, Samsung Locations: Hollywood, Subway, Magnolia

MANILA, July 24 (Reuters) - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Monday touted his administration's successes over the past year, including battling inflation and steering the economy back on track, but said a number of economic challenges lie ahead. After more than a year in office, buffeted by soaring inflation that has dented economic growth, the government is now "stabilising the prices of all critical commodities", Marcos said. "Inflation rate is moving in the right direction," he said in his second state of the nation address. Developing the long-neglected farm sector, which contributes 10% of the country's economic output, is a priority for Marcos, who also helms the agriculture ministry. The Philippines remains vulnerable to global price shocks because it buys a sizeable portion of its rice overseas, and relies on imports for most of its fuel requirements.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, helms, Michael Ricafort, Enrico dela Cruz, Eloisa Lopez, Bernadette Baum, Mark Potter Organizations: Rizal Commercial Banking Corp, Asia's, Thomson Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Philippine, Rizal, China, Manila, United States

☆ Elon Musk launches new company xAI, which proclaims a lofty mission to 'understand the true nature of the universe'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk officially unveiled his new company xAI on Wednesday. Musk publicly introduced a new company called xAI, whose stated aim is to glean "the true nature of the universe." And an apparently all-male, 12-person team including Musk has been detailed to the heady task, according to its website, which doesn't list any female employees. Hendrycks has published about the potential dangers of AI, including the technology's ability to spread disinformation. With the launch of xAI, Musk now owns or is in charge of half a dozen companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, The Boring Company, and Twitter.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, xAI's, Tesla, Musk helms, Dan Hendrycks, Hendrycks, Musk's Tesla, Insider's Kali Hays, — Manuel Kroiss, Igor Babuschkin, Babuschkin, Brian Philip Organizations: Morning, X.AI, Tesla, Twitter, X Corp, Microsoft, AI Safety, SpaceX, Center, AI, Palo Alto Police Department, The Boring Company Locations: Nevada, Hendrycks, Palo Alto

☆ China plays it safe with new central bank chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The new boss of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) is probably a relief to those anxiously watching the future of the most meritocratic regulator in the country. The ruling Communist Party on Saturday appointed Pan Gongsheng, who has been deputy governor for the past 11 years, as party secretary – the de facto boss that supervises the institution. The Wall Street Journal said that would be a prelude to Pan becoming governor next, citing unnamed sources. The appointment of Pan, who has since 2015 also run the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), is a surprise. It’s unlikely Pan will deviate much from the current monetary policy trajectories, even if he helms both the party secretary and governor roles.

Persons: Pan Gongsheng, –, Pan, Yi Gang, helms, Yawen Chen, ’, George Hay, Pranav Kiran Organizations: Reuters, People’s Bank of China, Communist Party, Saturday, Street Journal, State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Committee, Cambridge, Harvard, Agricultural Bank of China, U.S ., Twitter, KKR, Thomson Locations: United States, Hong Kong, Shanghai, China

☆ U.S. Supreme Court won't weigh gender dysphoria's status under disability law
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( John Kruzel | Industry Insight | Corporate Attorneys Don T Want To Pay Law Firms For Chatgpt When They Could Use It Themselves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, June 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday turned away a dispute involving a transgender woman whose former jailers housed her with men and delayed her hormone treatment in a case that asked whether gender dysphoria is a disability under federal law. At issue was whether gender dysphoria, a condition involving distress resulting from a discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their assigned sex at birth, qualifies as a disability under a landmark 1990 federal law called the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The jail classified Williams as male because she "maintains the male genitalia with which she was born," according to 2021 court records. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the judge's ruling, finding that gender dysphoria is protected under the ADA. Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kesha Williams, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Williams, Sheriff Stacey Kincaid, Jesse Helms, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Disabilities, Conservative, Adult, Republican, Circuit, ADA, Lawyers, Virginia, Thomson Locations: Fairfax County , Virginia, Fairfax, U.S, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Richmond , Virginia, West Virginia, New York

☆ US shale's muted reply to OPEC oil cuts to limit supply, executive says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Arathy Somasekhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. energy firms have cut domestic oil and gas drilling activity to the lowest level since April 2022 with declines from Texas to Pennsylvania. Analysts expect further cuts this year with oil and gas prices off from last year's strong levels. "We are more constructive on where oil prices could go." Global benchmark Brent crude was trading at $77.10, while U.S. natural gas prices were trading around $2.58 per million British thermal units. It expects to flatten drilling activity there and turn more to Ohio's Utica and Wyoming's Powder River Basin, he added.

Persons: Lloyd Helms, Morgan, Helms, Arathy Somasekhar, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Global, Brent, Organization of, Petroleum, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Thomson Locations: ., Texas, Pennsylvania, U.S, Saudi Arabia, New Mexico, Utica, Houston

☆ Here's the 14-page pitch deck a startup helping people build credit through rental payments used to raise $4.5 million from Clocktower VC and Plaid's cofounders
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Bianca Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Boom is a startup that helps people build credit by reporting rent payments to credit bureaus. The startup raised $4.5 million in a seed round led by Starting Line. "I started helping them on their housing, find a new rental, build credit, get things removed from their credit report, access rental assistance, things like that," Whiting told Insider. That's when the lightbulb went off to start Boom, a startup that helps people build credit by reporting their rent payments to credit bureaus. Here's the 14-page pitch deck Boom used to raise its $4.5 million seed.

Persons: Rob Whiting, Whiting, Kirill Moizik, helms, Boom . Whiting, Moizik, Boom, Plaid's cofounders Zach Perret, William Hockey Organizations: Boston Consulting Group, Clocktower

[1/2] Denmark's Prime Minister and head of the Social Democrats Mette Frederiksen speaks on the Workers' International Day at Arbejdermuseet (The Workers Museum) in Copenhagen, Denmark, May 1, 2023. "There is great respect in Europe for the work she has done as prime minister and for the person she is in international cooperation," he said. Frederiksen, a career politician who is also head of the Social Democratic Party, became the youngest-ever Danish prime minister in 2019. Many see her as too dominant and hungry for power," former Danish defence and justice minister Hans Engell told Reuters. When former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019 proposed buying Greenland, a sovereign territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, Frederiksen dismissed the offer as "absurd".

Persons: Mette Frederiksen, Ritzau Scanpix, Emil Nicolai Helms, Frederiksen, Biden, Monday Frederiksen, Joe Biden, Jens Stoltenberg, Jonas Gahr Store, Jacob Kaarsbo, Hans Engell, Donald Trump, Tayyip Erdogan, Viktor Orban, Engell, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Denmark's, Social, Workers, The Workers Museum, REUTERS, NATO, U.S, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Social Democratic Party, Reuters, Hungary's, Thomson Locations: Copenhagen, Denmark, Ukraine, COPENHAGEN, Washington, NATO, Russia, Europe, Nord, Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark

☆ Fact Check-The Progress Pride Flag adds representation for transgender and people of color to the rainbow
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Progress Pride Flag does not include representation for people attracted to minors, contrary to harmful misinformation posts on social media. Other posts also falsely link the transgender flag to a flag for “Minor Attracted Persons,” or MAPs (here), (here). They have been added to the traditional rainbow Pride flag alongside black and brown into what is now known as the Progress Pride Flag. The white, pink and light blue were first used in the Transgender Pride Flag designed by Monica Helms in 1999 (here). The Progress Pride Flag does not represent “Minor Attracted Persons.” Light blue, pink and white represent the transgender flag.

Persons: “ Minor, Daniel Quasar, Monica Helms, Read Organizations: “, Philadelphia Pride, AFP, Reuters

☆ Facebook-Giphy sale shows how fear of regulators is slowing M&A market
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri touted Giphy's "amazing team" and "expressive" userbase, and stressed Giphy's user data was "not the motivation." The sale was forced by the U.K.'s antitrust regulator, which ruled Meta's acquisition posed a risk to the social media and advertising markets. Jonathan Kanter, who helms the Department of Justice's Antitrust Unit, and Lina Khan, the Federal Trade Commission's chair, have been given wide latitude by President Joe Biden to pursue potentially anticompetitive behavior. Prior to his DOJ posting, Kanter worked in private practice, advising directors and executives on potential deals and attendant regulatory pitfalls. Van Grack, the former chief of the DOJ's Foreign Agent Registration Act unit, noted regulatory scrutiny was increasing for years prior to the current administration.

☆ CNN is axing Laura Coates' 11 p.m. anchor slot to save on costs, according to sources, and insiders are concerned about on-air representation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

CNN is still shifting its late night lineup, and Laura Coates will no longer anchor solo at 11 p.m.Coates is said to be "stunned" and "disappointed" by losing the opportunity. On paper, Coates would seem like the ideal figure to fill the network's 11 p.m. slot, particularly as CNN already shared a press release about her appointment to the role in January. CNN and news industry insiders who commented for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity because they're not authorized to speak to the press. "They pulled her off to save money," said one person familiar with internal conversations at CNN. The network's only Black solo anchors now are Abby Phillip, who helms the high-profile "Inside Politics Sunday," and Fredricka Whitfield, who also hosts a weekend show.

☆ High Philippine inflation dents Marcos' approval ratings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Philippines President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. delivers a speech on the 126th founding anniversary of the Philippines army at Fort Bonifacio, in Taguig, Philippines, March 22, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File PhotoMANILA, April 12 (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's approval ratings edged lower due to public dissatisfaction over his government's handling of inflation, but he remains popular, an opinion poll showed on Wednesday. Marcos' approval ratings were slightly lower than the 83% that his vice president, Sara Duterte, got in March. Duterte, daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, currently serves as education minister, while Marcos helms the agriculture department. In the same survey, 61% percent of respondents approved of Marcos' government in terms of "defending the integrity of Philippine territory against foreigners", up from 58% in November.

☆ Missouri officials refuse to work with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, saying all federal 'so-called' gun laws are unconstitutional
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Officials in Camden County, Missouri are refusing to cooperate with the ATF, according to local reports. Officials cited a since-struck-down state law that kept police from enforcing federal gun laws. Six top elected officials in Camden County signed a letter to the ATF saying as much, according to NPR affiliate KCUR 89.3. Last month, a federal judge struck down the 2021 law, which prohibited local police from enforcing federal gun laws, calling it "invalid, null, void, and of no effect." "Any and all federal firearms laws, so-called laws, in my opinion, and many others' opinion, are unconstitutional," Skelton told KCUR.

☆ A recession could be 'deeper than expected' this year, says analyst—here's what it means for your money
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Ryan Ermey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Raheel Siddiqui, senior research analyst at Neuberger Berman, told CNBC Make It a recession in 2023 "will be more severe than expected." The labor market is strong, too, with a tiny unemployment rate of 3.4%. "In a plain-vanilla recession, earnings go down 20%. And when economic downturns occur at the same time as deflation, you can expect a larger-than-normal drop in earnings, Siddiqui said. The bottom quartile is entering a recession," Siddiqui said.

☆ Inside JPMorgan massive tech org: 7 key execs helping global CIO Lori Beer manage the firm's $14 billion tech budget.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Bianca Chan | Carter Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

JPMorgan's tech organization is led by nine-year bank vet Lori Beer, its global CIO. As the biggest US bank by assets, JPMorgan's sprawling $14.1 billion tech budget can be hard to comprehend. The size and scale of JPMorgan's tech spending can seem unfathomable to a small startup or everyday consumer. Lori Beer, JPMorgan's chief information officer, oversees that sprawling tech budget, which grew by 20% from 2019 to 2022. Insider mapped out the key tech executives at JPMorgan who report to Beer and help her lead the bank's massive tech org.

Amy Edwards demonstrates against the live entertainment ticket industry outside the U.S. Capitol January 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. The Senate Judiciary Committee slammed concert giant Live Nation on Tuesday, calling on activists and artists to speak to competition in the ticketing industry following a botched sale of Taylor Swift tickets in November. Opponents intensified their complaints in November when presale tickets for Swift's Eras Tour were plagued by disruptions and slow queues. Live Nation was supposed to open up sales for 1.5 million verified fans ahead of general public ticket sales. The Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation into Live Nation's practices, however, that probe predates the Swift ticket sale fiasco.

☆ Judge Orders Cruise Companies to Pay More Than $436 Million for Docking at Seized Terminal in Cuba
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Four major cruise lines say they will appeal a recent ruling that would force them to pay roughly $436 million in total damages to a company that owned a port terminal in Havana prior to the Cuban Revolution. The ruling in favor of Havana Docks Corp., owner of the Havana Cruise Port Terminal before the Cuban revolution, marked an important milestone for Cuban-Americans seeking compensation for property confiscated by the Castro regime. Mickael Behn, a descendant of the original owners of Havana Docks. The verdict in favor of Havana Docks is the first from a district court, the data shows. The ruling comes after the judge in the case, Beth Bloom, signaled last March that she agreed that the use of the Cuban port constituted trafficking in confiscated property owned by Havana Docks.

☆ Meet the executive in charge of Bank of America's $15 billion initiative to give no-down-payment mortgages to disenfranchised homebuyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

She leads the neighborhood and community lending program for the second largest US bank. It's her job: Barkley helms a Bank of America lending program aimed at increasing homeownership in multicultural and historically underserved communities. In fact, she says the rationale for the bank's $15 billion Community Homeownership Commitment seems to follow her everywhere she goes in the Dallas metro area, where she is based. A feature of that commitment is a mortgage program that sets aside requirements that often prove to be obstacles to borrowers trying to get traditional loans. When houses are refurbished, the rest of the community will hopefully see the benefits that come from homeownership, she said.

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