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☆ Alameda's ex-CEO tells judge she hid billions in loans to FTX execs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Alameda Research FollowNEW YORK, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried and other FTX executives received billions of dollars in secret loans from the crypto mogul's Alameda Research, the hedge fund's former chief told a judge in her guilty plea for her role in the exchange's collapse. "We prepared certain quarterly balance sheets that concealed the extent of Alameda’s borrowing and the billions of dollars in loans that Alameda had made to FTX executives and to related parties," Ellison told U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams in Manhattan federal court, according to the transcript. Bankman-Fried has been accused of orchestrating an "epic" fraud that led to the loss of billions of dollars of customer and investor funds. He has acknowledged risk-management failures at FTX but said he does not believe he has criminal liability and he has not entered a plea. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York Writing by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Del.

President Joe Biden signed legislation Tuesday to codify federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages in a ceremony at the White House. Biden also quoted directly from a 2012 interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press" in which he came out in public support of same-sex marriage ahead of then-President Barack Obama. The legislation Biden signed was drafted by a bipartisan group led by Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., the first openly gay person elected to the Senate. President Joe Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday. The amendment included language saying that religious organizations would not be required to perform same-sex marriages and that the federal government would not be required to protect polygamous marriages.

In the mid-1990s, revelations that Israel may have shared U.S. fighter technology with China led Rep. Dave Obey, D-Wisc., to sponsor an amendment banning the not-yet-in-service F-22 stealth fighter from being exported. Unfortunately, this contributed to a negative outcome for the U.S. as well as its potential foreign partners. It’s true some U.S. defense partners maintain significant partnerships with potential military adversaries or may use U.S. arms in objectionable ways. If that happens, it could become impossible to rebuild domestic fighter production capacity fast enough to respond to a crisis. But it’s good for U.S. national security when our allies and partners retain an independent defense technology base rather than allowing their indigenous industries to atrophy.

Federal authorities on Tuesday charged FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried with using what they said was tens of millions of dollars of misappropriated customer funds to make illegal political donations to both Democratic and Republican candidates. He then used those funds to make "large political donations," to make investments and buy "lavish real estate," the SEC complaint alleged. The campaign finance allegations come days after a private watchdog group asked the Federal Election Commission to investigate Bankman-Fried's political contributions. Most of Bankman-Fried's publicly disclosed campaign contributions, which totaled nearly $40 million in the 20222 election cycle, went toward Democrats, FEC records show. "The question is whether regulators, including the SEC, backed off from aggressive investigation of FTX because of this political influence," Painter said.

☆ Kellyanne Conway slams GOP senators who didn't stump for Herschel Walker ahead of the Senate runoff: 'Why weren't you in Georgia?'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kellyanne Conway last week criticized GOP senators who didn't stump for Republican Herschel Walker. "Where were the other senators to say, 'I want Herschel Walker, not Raphael Warnock in the Senate with me?'" In last month's general election, Warnock edged out Walker 49.4%-48.5% statewide, which triggered a runoff as neither candidate hit the requisite 50% of the vote to declare victory. Warnock on Tuesday won the runoff over Walker 51.4%-48.6%. I don't like it because it's not Election Day, it's election season, election trimester.

☆ Defeated Georgia GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker was 'absolutely shocked' he didn't win 100% of the vote in Johnson County, where he grew up: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Walker was "shocked" he didn't 100% of the vote in his home county last month, per The Daily Beast. The Republican carried Johnson County 74%-26% over Warnock, but was still taken aback by the result. While Walker received 2,484 votes to Warnock's 869 votes in Johnson County in November, Kemp earned 2,504 votes compared to Abrams' 867 votes. On Tuesday, Warnock defeated Walker in the runoff 51.4%-48.6%, earning a full six-year term in the Senate and denying Republicans a much-desired win. And Warnock gained ground in Johnson County in the runoff compared to the November election, winning 967 votes (29%) to Walker's 2,419 votes (71%).

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer took an emotional victory lap on Wednesday after Democrats won the Georgia runoff and secured an outright majority with a 51st Senate seat. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks at a press conference at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. Last month, after a poor general election showing and before the Georgia runoff, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republicans failed with moderate voters. The majority leader, who is slated to keep his post for at least two more years, admitted he initially wanted someone else to run in Georgia. “Four years ago, I began recruiting candidates in Georgia,” Schumer said.

☆ TSMC's increased investments in the U.S. keeps the firm 'in the game,' says Credit Suisse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailTSMC's increased investments in the U.S. keeps the firm 'in the game,' says Credit SuisseRandy Abrams of the investment bank says 65% to 70% of TSMC's revenue comes from its "large U.S. customers."

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved a potential sale of 116 General Dynamics (GD.N) made M1A1 Abrams tanks, other vehicles and munitions to Poland in a deal valued at up to $3.75 billion, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. The sale comes just months after Poland was authorized to buy 250 M1A2 tanks by the same maker. The package would include vehicles to recover disabled tanks, eight assault bridges and other vehicles. It would also provide thousands of rounds of advanced munitions including armor-piercing rounds, spares and technical support, the Pentagon said. Despite approval by the State Department, the notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.

☆ Live Results: Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker face off in the Georgia Senate runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker are fighting to the finish in Georgia's Senate runoff. Warnock is seeking a full 6-year term, while Walker hopes to knock off the incumbent Democrat. Both parties see the Senate runoff as a proving ground in advance of the 2024 presidential election. Before Warnock and Ossoff won their races last year, a Democrat hadn't won a US Senate seat in Georgia since Zell Miller in 2000. Walker has raised $58.3 million, spent $48.5 million, and has $9.8 million left to spend, as of November 16.

☆ Raphael Warnock has a 4-point lead over Herschel Walker in the Georgia Senate runoff: poll
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Warnock has a 50%-46% lead over Walker in the Georgia Senate runoff, per a new SurveyUSA poll. Independents, a critical slice of the Georgia electorate, backed Warnock over Walker by 13 points. In the poll, Warnock enjoyed near-unanimous support (95%) among Democrats, while Walker earned the backing of 87% of Republicans; 11% of GOP respondents crossed party lines to support Warnock over Walker in the survey. Because no candidate received 50% of the vote at the time, a runoff election was triggered. A recent Emerson College Polling survey showed Warnock leading Walker 49%-47% among likely voters, while a new CNN poll had Warnock ahead of Walker 52%-48%, also among likely voters.

☆ Georgia GOP Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan says Herschel Walker will 'probably go down as one of the worst candidates in our party's history'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"I think Herschel Walker will probably go down as one of the worst candidates in our party's history," he said. Walker and incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock are facing off in a December 6 runoff election. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyOutgoing Georgia Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan said in a recent interview that Trump-backed Senate candidate Herschel Walker will likely become "one of the worst candidates in our party's history." "This wasn't the right brand for Republicanism," he continued to say, "and I think Herschel Walker will probably go down as one of the worst candidates in our party's history.

☆ Elizabeth Holmes, Donald Trump, and childcare are all contributing to a loss of trust in women leaders
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Trust in women leaders is decreasing across the globe, a new study found. Experts say that the normalization of sexism, as well as perceived failures of some female leaders, may be why. That's on top of reduced childcare options during the pandemic locking many women out of the workforce. The survey, which was taken by over 30,000 people across the G20 countries, found that trust in women as leaders has fallen significantly over the past year. In particular, she pointed out that when Hillary Clinton lost the presidential election to Trump, many media outlets speculated whether America was really ready for a female president.

The Georgia voters who delivered Mr. Kemp a comfortable victory over his Democratic challenger, Stacey Abrams, in November did not show the same enthusiasm for Mr. Walker. Neither Mr. Walker nor Mr. Warnock cleared the 50 percent threshold needed to win outright, sending voters to the polls again for a runoff on Tuesday. The outcome of Tuesday’s runoff with Mr. Walker, who was pressed to run by Mr. Trump, will shed more light on Mr. Trump’s influence in Georgia. Mr. Walker has spent more time campaigning in Atlanta’s suburbs and has embraced Mr. Kemp as a surrogate. Mr. Warnock has sought to portray Mr. Walker as unfit for office and as an ally of Mr. Trump.

☆ Extraordinary close-up images show insects as you’ve never seen them before
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Released on 22 November, “Extinct & Endangered: Insects in Peril” is a collaboration between Biss and the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). Biss spent two years photographing the insects, capturing every extraordinary detail from strands of hair to the reflection in a wing. "Extinct & Endangered: Insects in Peril" is out now in hardcover. The insect specimens were couriered to the UK, where Levon Biss photographed them in his studio. He has photographed seeds and fruits in extraordinary detail, insect eggs, the human eye and even mold growing on tea bags.

Persons: Levon Biss, Biss, –, Abrams, ”, “, Elli Biss “, Lauri Halderman Organizations: CNN, American Museum of, of Locations: British, Biss, New York City

☆ A razor-thin Senate buffer and 2024 chances are at stake in Georgia's runoff next week between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Early voting has started for the Georgia Senate runoff between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker. A Warnock victory would usher in a 51-49 Democratic majority, while the GOP hopes for a 50-50 split. Georgia Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker speaks with supporters during a campaign rally in Milton, Ga., on November 21, 2022. Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont — who caucus with the Democratic Party, creating an equal split in the upper chamber. However, some Republicans would prefer that Trump remain at Mar-a-Lago, worried that he could cost them another Senate win.

☆ Asian American voters are flexing their political muscle in the Georgia Senate runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Both the Warnock and Walker campaigns have courted this crucial bloc ahead of the Senate runoff. Ballots cast by Asian American voters rose dramatically from 2016 to 2020, from 73,000 votes to 134,000 votes, respectively, according to the Democratic polling data firm TargetSmart. Per CNN exit polling from the November general election, Warnock won Asian American voters by 20 points over Walker (59%-39%). Brian Kemp cultivated relationships with Asian American voters during his successful campaign. "We're the only demographic group that keeps going up," Georgia state Sen.-elect Nabilah Islam told Politico.

☆ For Stacey Abrams, Beto O’Rourke, Encore Campaigns Yield More Losses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Aaron Zitner | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Beto O’Rourke became a Democratic Party sensation by nearly winning a Senate race in Republican-dominated Texas. Stacey Abrams became a national Democratic figure by nearly winning the governor’s office in GOP-leaning Georgia. That was in 2018. This year, both Ms. Abrams and Mr. O’Rourke tried again for statewide office—and ended up losing by far larger margins than in their first attempts. In doing so, they raised a question that also looms over several other nationally known figures who lost in this year’s elections: Can a bright star in politics, once dimmed by defeat, find a way to shine again?

☆ Republicans want Brian Kemp's mojo to rub off on Herschel Walker in the Georgia Senate runoff, but hurdles remain as the governor uses his political operation to boost the GOP
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Brian Kemp has emerged as Herschel Walker's most powerful surrogate in the Georgia Senate runoff. Kemp, who won reelection as governor, didn't campaign with Walker during the general election race. This normally wouldn't be a notable act in GOP politics, but the Georgia Senate runoff election is not a normal contest. For that reason, Walker has found himself openly embracing Kemp, who came out of the general election as the biggest winner in Georgia politics. On November 7, Kemp flew around Georgia with most of the statewide GOP candidates — including Raffensperger — but Walker wasn't part of the mix.

☆ NATO troops hold drills in Poland's Suwalki Gap
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Kuba Stezycki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KLUSY, Poland, Nov 25 (Reuters) - NATO forces took part in drills in northern Poland on Friday, an area of crucial significance to the security of the alliance's eastern flank. "As part of these drills there were exercises that... were formulated based on our experience and observation of the battlefield in Ukraine," said Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak. The TUMAK- 22 exercises involve 2,000 soldiers from land and air forces, the Polish Ministry of Defence said. On the snowy day, drills included practicing crossing water and landing. The drill saw dozens of Polish and allied soldiers cross the water with military vehicles on amphibious transporters, while U.S. troops in Abrams tanks simulated chasing the enemy.

☆ Fewer states than ever could pick the next president
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Five states decided the last presidential race by flipping from Trump in 2016 to Joe Biden in 2020 – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The Democratic and Republican presidential nominees have each carried 20 states in every election since at least 2008. Democrats did not demonstrate the capacity to threaten any of the GOP’s core 20 states, as Republicans did in Nevada. A race with just Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona as true battlegrounds would begin with Democrats favored in states holding 260 Electoral College votes (including Washington, DC) and Republicans in states with 235. After 2022, the list of genuinely competitive presidential states may be shrinking, but, if anything, that could increase the tension as the nation remains poised on the knife’s edge between two deeply entrenched, but increasingly antithetical, political coalitions.

☆ The Visions of Octavia Butler
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Lynell George | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +27 min

As a science fiction writer, Butler forged a new path and envisioned bold possibilities. Mural with a portrait of Octavia Butler and her name, composed of dots of various densities in 3-D space. In 1995, she became the first science fiction writer to be awarded a MacArthur “genius” grant. “‘Kindred’ was a story of ordinary people trapped in fantastic circumstances,” Butler wrote in a 1988 notebook. Her point of view was one not traditionally found in science fiction and, simply by writing, she demanded a larger world.

Senate Democrats’ main super PAC says it’s planning to spend more than $4 million in television ads to boost Warnock. But McConnell endorsed Walker in the primary, after which Democrats unloaded on the Republican nominee in a brutal ad campaign. The Dec. 6 Georgia runoff between Walker and Warnock won’t decide the balance of power in the Senate, now that Democrats are assured control. After Republicans failed to win control of the Senate this week, top McConnell and Scott allies pointed fingers. Roberts, who retired after the 2020 election, said McConnell and Scott must set aside their differences to win Georgia.

☆ Ticketmaster extends presale period for Taylor Swift 'Eras' tour to deal with 'unprecedented demand'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ticketmaster has extended presales for tickets to Swift's upcoming "Eras" tour after fans flocked to the site, causing site disruptions and slow queues. The ticket seller took to social media to update fans about the intermittent issues its site was currently facing. "There has been historically unprecedented demand with millions showing up to buy tickets for the TaylorSwiftTix Presale," the company said. "Eras" tour tickets are priced from $49 to $450, with VIP packages starting at $199 and reaching $899. Ticketmaster has rescheduled a number of ticket queues in order to deal with demand, including West Coast venues and Capital One onsale.

PITTSBURGH — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are at the moment their parties’ leading candidates for 2024. But more competitive midterm contests appear poised to inject a host of new prospects into the 2024 conversation for both parties. That governors would already find themselves in the 2024 spotlight comes as little surprise to political observers. “Governors get s--- done, right?” Shapiro said in a recent interview after batting away questions about his own future ambitions. Jared Leopold, a Democratic strategist who formerly worked at the Democratic Governors Association, said Biden is and will remain Democrats’ top choice in 2024.

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