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☆ Druski on staying 'that number one go-to guy for comedy,' and business advice from Drake
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( John Lynch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Like I just can't imagine falling off or having a short career, or just not being that number one go-to guy for comedy, you know? And yeah, he's ... bro, that dude has mastered ... [laugh], like, the art of everything, you know? And yeah, he's just such an inspiration, and it's great to have him as a friend. Oh yeah, definitely. So it's like, y'all can't no longer say it don't equivilate to real money, 'cause, hey, look at us know, you know I'm saying?

☆ Senators Warren, Smith ask Fed for accounting of banks' crypto ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith are demanding an accounting from the Federal Reserve and other U.S. financial regulators of banks' cryptocurrency activity and ties to the industry following the implosion of crypto exchange FTX. "We write to express concern ... and to inquire about how your agency assesses the risks to banks and the banking system associated with those relationships," wrote the senators, both Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee. The letters asked for details on oversight of banks' cryptocurrency trading and loans to crypto firms, and asked if regulators plan to conduct a review of crypto firms' relationships with banks. They gave regulators two weeks to respond to their requests. Reporting by Ann Saphir; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. lawmakers press federal banking regulators on the industry’s exposure to crypto after Alameda stake in bank comes to light
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Top Senate Democrats pressed key banking regulators on possible ties between the industry and digital currency exchanges following the bankruptcy of major cryptocurrency firm, FTX. "Banks' relationships with crypto firms raise questions about the safety and soundness of our banking system and highlight potential loopholes that crypto firms may try to exploit to gain further access." Silvergate Capital Corp., Provident Bancorp Inc., Metropolitan Commercial Bank, Signature Bank, Customers Bancorp Inc. are among several noted banks experiencing heightened volatility after the FTX failure. "Banks' relationships with crypto firms raise questions about the safety and soundness of our banking system and highlight potential loopholes that crypto firms may try to exploit to gain further access to banks," the senators wrote. To better understand the banking industry's exposure to crypto, the senators asked for responses to a roster of questions, including all business relationships between FTX, Alameda and Moonstone, by Dec. 21.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried: US lawmakers want answers from FTX founder
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Lawmakers are demanding that Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the failed crypto exchange FTX, appear before the Senate Banking Committee next week over “significant unanswered questions ” surrounding the collapse of his companies. FTX was one of the biggest crypto exchanges in the world until last month, when it faced a sudden wave of customer withdrawals that it couldn’t cover. One of the key questions prosecutors are likely to probe is whether FTX misappropriated customer funds when it made loans to Alameda. The Times said the issue is part of a broadening inquiry into the collapse of FTX, and it’s not clear whether prosecutors have determined any wrongdoing by Bankman-Fried. In a statement to the paper, Bankman-Fried said he was “not aware of any market manipulation and certainly never intended to engage in market manipulation.”

☆ Comedian Jerrod Carmichael to host Golden Globes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Jerrod Carmichael arrives for world premiere of Transfomers, The Last Night, at a cinema in central London, Britain, June 18, 2017. REUTERS/Hannah McKayDec 8 (Reuters) - U.S. comedian and actor Jerrod Carmichael will host the Golden Globes in January when the annual awards ceremony will be broadcast to audiences once again, organisers said on Thursday. read moreCarmichael, who in September won an Emmy Award for his show "Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel", follows in the footsteps of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Ricky Gervais, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon as host. “Jerrod is the special kind of talent this show calls for to kick off the awards season.”The Jan. 10 ceremony will be the 80th edition of the Globes. It admitted 103 new voters from 62 countries outside of the United States, bringing the total voters to 200.

A Florida sheriff stunned many of his constituents this week by appearing to endorse spanking students, his comments coming during a press conference in which county officials announced plans to tighten discipline in Brevard County schools. Sheriff Wayne Ivey spins the "Wheel of Fugitive" board at the Brevard County Sheriffs Office in 2017. And he is a Brevard County political powerbroker who helped get two Republicans, Megan Wright and Gene Trent, elected to the county school board. Shortly after they were sworn in Nov. 22, Wright and Trent teamed up with school board chair Matt Susin to oust longtime superintendent Mark Mullins. There was agreement among the Brevard County school officials interviewed that disruptive students are a problem in the system.

☆ Alleged serial killer in custody and charged in killings of 4 Indigenous women in Canada, police say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Tina Burnside | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Authorities in Winnipeg, Manitoba, believe the murders of four Indigenous women came at the hands of an alleged serial killer now in custody in Canada. Jeremy Anthony Michael Skibicki, 35, of Winnipeg, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of the women, a news release from the Winnipeg Police Service states. Skibicki was arrested May 18 by the agency’s Homicide Unit and charged with first-degree murder, the release says. She is believed to be an Indigenous female killed on or around March 15, police said. “As a city, we must all grieve their loss and recognize that we have much more work to do to protect the lives of Indigenous women and girls,” Gillingham said.

☆ How an arcane 96-year-old law stopped the rail strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The Railway Labor Act was passed in 1926 as one of the very first labor laws in the nation. Because of the law, the House was able to vote Wednesday to impose unpopular contracts on four rail unions whose members have already rejected the terms, followed by a vote by the Senate vote late Thursday that did the same. The Railway Labor Act, passed in 1926, is the reason Congress could intervene this week to block a strike by freight railroad unions. But under the Railway Labor Act, management can fall back on hopes that Congress will give them the deal it wants. When he served in the Senate, Biden voted against an earlier effort to impose a contract on the rail unions to keep them on the job.

☆ 'George & Tammy' review: Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon stand by an oft-told musical tale
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Chastain continues to carve out an inordinately unique niche of standout performances playing women named Tammy, although “Tammy Faye” embodied a different realm of high-profile personalities. That is, of course, an oft-told tale, a la “Sid and Nancy” or Ike & Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” among past dramatizations within different musical genres. Understandably, stars are invariably drawn to these kind of showy roles, with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Rocketman” and “Elvis” among the recent examples. Thanks to Chastain and Shannon (who admirably pull off their own singing), “George & Tammy” provides a warts-and-all window into Wynette and Jones’ lives. “George & Tammy” premieres December 4 at 9 p.m.

☆ Student-loan borrowers should not be 'scammed out of an education and into a mountain of debt,' 3 Democratic lawmakers say. Here's how their new bill would help prevent that.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Three Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill to increase oversight of for-profit colleges. The bill would create a committee to oversee the industry and monitor potential predatory behavior. For-profit schools have come under scrutiny for loading students up with debt they cannot pay off. "We cannot let this industry continue to take advantage of students without proper federal oversight." Along with Democratic lawmakers, President Joe Biden's Education Department has taken steps to increase oversight over the for-profit industry.

☆ Give up on a traditional 60-40 portfolio in 2023 and adopt this unconventional allocation, according to a US stock chief for French financial giant SocGen
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Marley Jay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Kabra laid out his strategy for investing in stocks, bonds, and credit. People have argued for years that a traditional 60% stock and 40% bond portfolio no longer makes any sense. A multi-decade bull market in bonds translated to high prices and low yields, while stock market returns were outstanding. If the purpose of the traditional portfolio was for bonds to provide stability and keep investors' money safe during tough times, it didn't work. Kabra explained that he's cut his stock allocations to barely half of what the 60-40 formula recommends.

☆ Dozens of times drought, ice melt, and storm surge unearthed unusual and unsettling discoveries this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Among the unearthed finds are old sites, ancient artifacts, rare fossils, and even human remains. This summer, low water levels created an eerie boat graveyard of previously sunken ships and beached boats, the Associated Press reported. The manmade reservoir's plummeting water levels also revealed human remains on at least six occasions since May, The Guardian reported. In Spain's Vilanova de Sau in the Catalonia region, plummeting water levels in a reservoir exposed a 11th century Romanesque church, the Associated Press reported. Switzerland's melting glaciers revealed the remains of a 1968 plane in August.

☆ Oregon parents welcome twins from donated embryos frozen 30 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Elise Sole | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

An Oregon couple welcomed twins from embryos that were frozen 30 years ago — what some experts believe could be the longest frozen embryos to result in a live birth. Twins Lydia and Timothy were born on Oct. 31 to Philip and Rachel Ridgeway from embryos that were frozen on April 22, 1992. “It’s a tremendous blessing,” Rachel Ridgeway told TODAY. Molly’s sister, Emma, was born in 2017 from a 24-year old frozen embryo. “We really wanted to find those embryos that have been waiting the longest, that have been overlooked multiple times,” Rachel Ridgeway said.

☆ In California, 10% of Legislature now identifies as LGBTQ
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

People by and large are totally fine with LGBTQ people, they support us, they are accepting and willing to vote for LGBTQ candidates,” California state Sen. Scott Wiener, a member of the LGBTQ Caucus, said Monday. Meanwhile, the Legislature has not yet reached parity in gender or in race and ethnicity, according to statistics from the California State Library. New Hampshire and Vermont have each had more LGBTQ legislators, according to the institute, but their legislatures are bigger than California’s and so have not reached the 10% threshold. Alaska and South Dakota elected their first out LGBTQ legislators, and Montana and Minnesota elected their first transgender legislators, according to the Human Rights Campaign. By contrast, “as California’s Legislative LGBTQ Caucus has grown, the state has led the nation in passing groundbreaking legislation protecting LGBTQ+ civil rights,” said Equality California spokesperson Samuel Garrett-Pate.

☆ The 8 Best Winter Boots for Women
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

By Lauren IngramDepending on where you live, your ideal winter boot can vary widely. To help you find a stylish boot that also meets the practical demands of your local weather, we asked style pros from a variety of climates which boots are their winter MVPs. “It’s the most durable winter boot,” says Gall, who has worn her pair for nearly a decade of East Coast winters without having to get them resoled or refurbished. The sporty hiker“A true winter boot keeps you warm, withstands rain and snow—and has a proper anti-slip sole,” says Paris-based fashion photographer Sandra Semburg. For Giangola, this minimalist silhouette checks all the boxes of wearability needed for a Los Angeles winter where style trumps snow-readiness.

☆ Oil prices edge up as softer dollar outweighs China demand concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Isabel Kua | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Oil prices inched higher on Tuesday as the dollar eased, but global recession worries and concerns about China's rising COVID-19 case numbers denting demand from the world's top crude oil importer weighed on sentiment. Brent crude futures rose 44 cents, or 0.5%, to $87.89 by 0513 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for January began trading Tuesday, rising 30 cents, or 0.4%, to $80.34 a barrel. In the United States, crude oil stocks were estimated to have dropped by about 2.2 million barrels in the week to Nov. 18, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday. The front-month Brent crude futures spread narrowed sharply last week, while WTI flipped into contango, which suggests supply concerns are easing.

☆ Oil rebounds from early plunge after Saudis deny OPEC+ output report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Laila Kearney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Brent crude futures for January settled at $87.45, shedding 17 cents. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for December settled at $79.73 a barrel, falling 35 cents ahead of the contract's expiry later on Monday. Oil then retraced its losses after Saudi Arabian energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the kingdom is sticking with output cuts and not discussing a potential oil output increase with other OPEC oil producers, state news agency SPA reported, denying the Journal report. Expectations of further increases to interest rates have buoyed the greenback, making dollar-denominated commodities like crude more expensive for investors. The front-month Brent crude futures spread narrowed sharply last week while WTI flipped into contango, reflecting dwindling supply concerns.

☆ Oil prices rebound from early dive as reports vary on OPEC+ output
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Laila Kearney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Brent crude futures for January fell 77 cents, or 0.9%, to $86.85 a barrel by 12:54 p.m. EST (1754 GMT) . U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for December were down 58 cents, or 0.7%, at $79.50 ahead of the contract's expiry later on Monday. Oil retraced most losses after Saudi Arabian energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the kingdom is not discussing a potential oil output increase with other OPEC oil producers, state news agency SPA reported, denying the Journal report. Expectations of further increases to interest rates have buoyed the greenback, making dollar-denominated commodities like crude more expensive for investors. The front-month Brent crude futures spread narrowed sharply last week while WTI flipped into contango, reflecting dwindling supply concerns.

SoFi pitches itself as a digital financial services company with 3.9 million members as of Q1 2022. Heightened financial and risk controls mean that SoFi's crypto activities "pose significant risks to both individual investors and safety and soundness," the lawmakers said. Investor education material from SoFi warns that a cryptocurrency offered on SoFi's crypto platform, Dogecoin, has "no special use case or features." The letters to regulators and SoFi come as crypto markets weather their worst crisis yet. Lawmakers have demanded an explanation from SoFi on its risk management, credit, financial and compliance systems by Dec. 8.

☆ Here's the six-word outlook for stocks in 2023: going to hell in a handbasket
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

We knew that the stock market had formed a bubble and that it was going to pop as interest rates went up. That, in turn, pushed the stock market off a cliff so steep that we still cannot see the bottom. This all goes back to the Fed's move to keep interest rates at 0% after the 2008 financial crisis. Since interest rates were so low, companies that didn't make money could just borrow to keep the lights on. In 2018, Wall Street got a preview of how ugly this bubble would look once it popped in earnest.

☆ Children’s health leaders call for emergency response as respiratory viruses continue to spread across the US
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

And health care systems nationwide continue to feel the strain of a respiratory virus season that has hit earlier and harder than usual. There have been about 8 flu hospitalizations for every 100,000 people this season – rates typically seen in December or January. While the Covid-19 emergency declaration remains in place, the federal government has not made a formal emergency declaration around children’s health care. HHS and the CDC are in regular contact with health care leaders and providers, actively monitoring situational needs and ready to provide assistance on a case-by-case basis, an HHS spokesperson told CNN. They also urge all those eligible to get their flu and Covid-19 vaccines, along with other routine vaccinations.

SINGAPORE, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Oil prices extended declines on Thursday as concerns over geopolitical tensions eased, while rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in China added to demand worries in the world's largest crude importer. Brent crude futures fell by $1.04, or 1.1%, to $91.82 a barrel by 0430 GMT. On Wednesday Brent dropped by 1.1% and WTI 1.5% after Russian oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary restarted. "Crude oil fell after NATO cleared Russia's missile attack on Poland, while demand concerns (are) back to trader's focus amid ongoing China's COVID curbs and gloomy global economic outlooks," said Tina Teng, an analyst at CMC Markets. Sustained concerns about weak demand in China are also "keeping markets grounded," said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management.

☆ Oil falls as geopolitical tensions ease, China COVID concerns return
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Emily Chow | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 65 cents, or 0.8%, to $84.94 a barrel. Brent dropped by 1.1% and WTI declined by 1.5% on Wednesday after Russian oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary restarted. "Crude oil fell after NATO cleared Russia's missile attack on Poland, while demand concerns (are) back to trader's focus amid ongoing China's COVID curbs and gloomy global economic outlooks," said Tina Teng, an analyst at CMC Markets. Oil prices eased despite a larger-than-expected draw in crude oil stockpiles in the United States, added Teng. read moreSustained concerns of demand weakness in China are also "keeping markets grounded," said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, as it continues to report more COVID cases in major cities.

☆ Oil falls as geopolitical tensions ease, China Covid concerns return
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil prices fell for a second day in early Asian trade on Thursday as concerns over geopolitical tensions eased and rising numbers of Covid-19 cases in China added to demand worries in the world's largest crude importer. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 65 cents, or 0.8%, to $84.94 a barrel. Brent dropped by 1.1% and WTI declined by 1.5% on Wednesday after Russian oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary restarted. "Crude oil fell after NATO cleared Russia's missile attack on Poland, while demand concerns (are) back to trader's focus amid ongoing China's Covid curbs and gloomy global economic outlooks," said Tina Teng, an analyst at CMC Markets. Oil prices eased despite a larger-than-expected draw in crude oil stockpiles in the United States, added Teng.

☆ Oil prices steady as China COVID worries outweigh supply concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Isabel Kua | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices were little changed on Wednesday as COVID-19 cases in China continued to climb, sparking worries of lower fuel demand in the world’s top crude importer, and outweighing concerns about an escalation of geopolitical tensions and tighter oil supply. Oil prices settled higher on Tuesday after oil supply to parts of Eastern and Central Europe via a section of the Druzhba pipeline was temporarily suspended, according to oil pipeline operators in Hungary and Slovakia. That has dampened oil demand growth outlook with the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecast demand growth slowing to 1.6 million bpd in 2023 from 2.1 million bpd this year. Earlier, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cut its forecast for 2022 global oil demand growth for a fifth time since April citing mounting economic challenges. Industry data showing a bigger-than-expected drop in U.S. crude stockpiles provided some support to oil prices.

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