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☆ Kevin Durant is the latest athlete to buy a Major League Pickleball team
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is the latest celebrity athlete taking his love of pickleball big league. In recent weeks, Major League Pickleball has signed on a number of big-name athlete owners, including basketball legend LeBron James and NFL stars Tom Brady and Drew Brees. In September, a viral video showed Durant playing pickleball at a local recreation center, declaring that he's "getting the hang of it." Kleiman told CNBC that by acquiring a team, owners also get equity in the league. Similar to his work with 35V's "Build It and They Will Ball" initiative, which has refurbished basketball courts globally, Durant plans to bring pickleball to underserved communities.

☆ NBA's Durant latest high-profile athlete to invest in pickleball
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 20 (Reuters) - Two-time NBA champion and former league Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant on Thursday became the latest high-profile athlete to buy a Major League Pickleball (MLP) expansion team. The Brooklyn Nets forward and business partner Rich Kleiman announced that their Thirty Five Ventures (35V) firm purchased a pickleball team that is set to compete in the 2023 MLP season. "We're especially excited about their plans to bring pickleball to underserved communities – something they have done with basketball for years." Other MLP team owners and partners include four-time NBA champion LeBron James, Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Tom Brady and Drew Brees as well as former world number one tennis player Kim Clijsters. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Frank Pingue in TorontoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ LA City Council member embroiled in racist audio scandal says he won't resign: 'There is a lot of work ahead.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

LA City Council member Kevin de León said he will not resign amid scandal over leaked audio. "No, I will not resign, because there is a lot of work ahead," de León said, invoking Los Angeles' homelessness problem. De León's decision comes just days after LA City Council member Nury Martinez resigned amid mounting pressure over the same audio. "People should not ask me for forgiveness, because I can't forgive them because it's not my prerogative," he said during a council meeting. Then-acting City Council President Mitch O'Farrell stripped de León and Cedillo of their committee duties earlier this week.

☆ NBA roundup: Suns hit late shot to cap rally from 22-point hole
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Lee hit a 10-foot fallaway jumper over Spencer Dinwiddie to cap an electric Phoenix comeback in the season opener for both teams. Cameron Johnson added 15 points, Mikal Bridges had 13 points and 11 rebounds and Lee scored 11 points off the bench. Christian Wood added 25 points and eight rebounds in his Dallas debut while Dinwiddie added 15 points. D'Angelo Russell added 20 points and Jaden McDaniels had 19 for Minnesota. Santi Aldama (18 points, 11 rebounds) and John Konchar (12 points, 11 rebounds) each posted double-doubles while Jones had 15 points off the bench.

Twitter, a social network with hundreds of millions of users, “was over a decade behind industry security standards,” he later testified. His concerns, raised privately at first and later in a whistleblower disclosure that became public, would upend one of the world’s most influential social networks and raise new questions about its pending acquisition by the world’s richest man, Elon Musk. A big part of the issue, Zatko told a Senate panel, was that software and e-commerce companies “want to ignore problems as long as possible. When he was hired to join Twitter, Zatko framed the move in terms of the public good. “This wasn’t my first choice,” he previously told CNN.

☆ Benzema, Putellas win Ballon d'Or awards for best soccer players in the world
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Julien Pretot | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Summary Real Madrid's Frenchman Benzema voted best men's playerBarca's Spain midfielder Putellas picks up women's awardpep Guardiola's Manchester City chosen as Best ClubPARIS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Real Madrid's France forward Karim Benzema won the 2022 Ballon d'Or award for the best men's player in the world on Monday, while Barcelona's Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas won the women's award for a second time. Benzema had a stellar season with Real, scoring 44 goals in 46 games in all competitions as he helped guide them to a LaLiga and Champions League double. His 15 goals in the Champions League guided Real to a record-extending 14th title. Putellas, who was also named FIFA Best Women's Player earlier this year, was top scorer in the Champions League last season with 11 goals and scored 18 in the Primera Division. However, the teams in the Champions League final lost out on the Best Club award, which went to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City who won a fourth Premier League title in five years.

☆ Leaked L.A. City Council Audio Exposes the Racial Underbelly of Local Politics
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Will Swaim | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

The ground shakes periodically in Southern California, but Los Angeles has rarely experienced a political earthquake as sudden and severe as the one that rocked City Hall this week. The leaked October 2021 recording, published first on Reddit and then by the Los Angeles Times, captures a shockingly candid conversation among City Council President Nury Martinez and Councilmen Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León . Ron Herrera , Los Angeles County’s top union leader, was also present. The four met to discuss how they might carve up the city’s voting districts to maintain Latino political power. Few of the hyperdiverse city’s racial and ethnic groups went uninsulted.

☆ Los Angeles’ Nury Martinez’s shocking anti-Black remarks hurt at the deepest level
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Amir Whitaker | Amir Whitaker Is Senior Policy Counsel With The Aclu Of Southern California. Before Joining The Aclu | Whitaker Represented Students | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Many of us in Los Angeles are still in shock from the recently leaked audio recording of politicians spewing racist and hateful language. It laid bare the true colors of four of the most influential Latinx leaders in the country, whose collective power affects nearly 4 million Angelenos. But this is Los Angeles, one of the most diverse cities in the world. Hearing a public servant in one of the most powerful seats in our city government fantasize about committing violence against a Black child was extremely troubling. I get anxious just thinking about having to explain to my Black child what they need to know to survive in America.

☆ Deputy D.C. mayor resigns after being accused of assault by a personal trainer
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A Washington D.C. deputy mayor, who headed City Hall's public safety efforts, resigned on Wednesday after he was accused of assault in Northern Virginia — an allegation which also raised questions about his residency. Christopher Geldart, now the former deputy mayor for public safety and justice, was charged with allegedly assaulting a personal trainer after they argued in a Gold's Gym parking lot in Arlington. Geldart declined comment on the alleged assault or the state of his residency, but said the resignation was necessary. “I no longer wanted to be a distraction to the vitally important work of the public safety agencies of the district government,” he said to NBC Washington. City administrator Kevin Donahue will act as interim deputy mayor.

☆ U.S. Election Officials Are on Alert for Cyber, Physical Attacks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( David Uberti | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

“They can’t be viewed in isolation when you think about foreign interference.”Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly. Instead, election officials this year have reported a surge in physical threats, largely from people angry about President Biden’s defeat of former President Donald Trump in 2020. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Cybersecurity news, analysis and insights from WSJ's global team of reporters and editors. Governments and technology companies shored up their security after a 2016 race in which U.S. officials said Russia interfered to help elect Mr. Trump with digital disinformation and the hack and leak of Democratic emails. Mr. Trump fired then-CISA Director Chris Krebs days later.

Some may want to see the explosive, racist diatribes of a handful of prominent Los Angeles City Council members as an unfortunate incident that will eventually fade away. But the reality is that such prejudice from Latino to Latino and Latino to other racial groups is not so uncommon. That was on stark display in the conversation among former Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez, council members Kevin De León and Gil Cedillo and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, who resigned Monday. "If you’re going to talk about Latino districts, what kind of districts are you trying to create?” she asks her colleagues in frustration. Zapotecs, or Indigenous people of Oaxacan descent, number about 200,000 in Los Angeles County, one of the largest Oaxacan communities outside Mexico.

☆ Former L.A. City Council president resigns amid uproar over leaked audio of racist remarks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The former president of the Los Angeles City Council at the center of a controversy over leaked audio of racist remarks announced her resignation from the elected board on Wednesday. “It is with a broken heart that I resign my seat for Council District 6, the community I grew up in and my home,” she said. No one expected me to win, but with the support of residents throughout the district I overcame that challenge and won the seat for Council District 6. In the leaked audio, Martinez likened the Black son of council member Mike Bonin, who was 2 years old at the time, to an animal. Since the Los Angeles Times first reported about the audio recording on Sunday, the controversy has grown into a national story.

☆ California attorney general to investigate L.A. City Council after leak of audio with racist remarks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The California attorney general announced Wednesday his office will investigate the Los Angeles City Council to determine whether any laws were broken after an audio recording of racist remarks surfaced this week. Martinez has resigned as council president, and she announced she is taking a leave of absence from the council, according to NBC Los Angeles. Bonta said in the statement he was “deeply appalled" by the remarks from some of Los Angeles’ highest-ranking officials. A council meeting Wednesday was also met with a hostile crowd that disrupted the beginning of the meeting more than once. “The leaked audio has cast doubt on a cornerstone of our political processes for Los Angeles," Bonta said in the Wednesday statement.

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso insisted he's not white, but really Italian — and thus "Latin" — during an awkward debate moment Tuesday in the nation's second-largest city. Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso speaks at Emerson College Los Angeles on Oct. 7, 2022. The mayoral hopeful said he's, for decades, led efforts to bring more education opportunities and healthcare to Black and Latino communities in Los Angeles. "I connect with the Latino community but quite frankly my job as mayor is to connect with every community — the Latino community, the Black community, the Asian community, right? Caruso' "Latin" identity comment drew a harsh reaction, ranging from scorn to mockery.

☆ Los Angeles city official resigns amid furor over racist comments
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Tyler Clifford | Dan Whitcomb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LOS ANGELES, Oct 12 (Reuters) - A Los Angeles city councilwoman resigned her seat on Wednesday, days after she stepped down as president of the body as pressure mounted after an audio recording of her making racist comments was made public. Democrat Nury Martinez, who represented Los Angeles' sixth district, faced calls to resign from local officials and U.S. President Joe Biden. A fourth person heard on the leaked tape, local labor leader Ron Herrera, has resigned from his position as president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. Martinez was first elected to the city council in 2013 and became president in 2020. Martinez also disparaged Mexicans from Oaxaca and voiced her displeasure with Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, saying "he's with the Blacks."

☆ Los Angeles City Council member Nury Martinez resigns – but does not apologize – after explosive audio of racist comments leaked
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

LA City Council member Nury Martinez has resigned after she was caught making racist comments. Earlier this week, fellow city council members and US president Joe Biden called on her to resign. On Monday, Martinez resigned from her position as City Council president, but not the council itself, and taken a leave of absence as calls for her full resignation grew. Advocate groups from across Los Angeles spoke out at City Council meetings earlier this week, calling for all of the involved council members to resign. Earlier this week, Martinez offered a short apology for her words, according to KTLA.

☆ Crowd demands resignations at chaotic L.A. City Council meeting after leaked recording of racist remarks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

An outraged crowd converged on a meeting at Los Angeles City Hall on Tuesday and demanded the immediate resignations of three Latino City Council members after an audio recording of racist remarks surfaced this week. Martinez has resigned as council president, and she announced she is taking a leave of absence from the council, according to NBC Los Angeles. Lori Condinus of the National Action Network Los Angeles was one of dozens of members of the public to speak. Martinez apologized and announced she was stepping down as council president in a statement Monday. “Therefore, effective immediately I am resigning as President of the Los Angeles City Council."

☆ A sports startup that has raised $13 million is building a metaverse app for Gen Z sports fans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Colin Salao | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Stadium Live is a fan-engagement app that's focused on Gen Z sports fans. He thought those pillars could also engage Stadium Live's Gen Z users. Stadium Live closed in March a Series A round worth $10 million, bringing its total funding to around $13 million. Stadium Live StudiosNext, Stadium Live is adding more sports leagues and ways to monetizeMoving forward, Stadium Live plans to expand the number of sports that fans can follow. For users, Kim said the startup will experiment with adding premium items and memberships, potentially as soon as Q1 2023.

☆ Los Angeles official takes leave of absence as racist comments roil city
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Dan Whitcomb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LOS ANGELES, Oct 11 (Reuters) - A Los Angeles city councilwoman day took a leave of absence from her post on Tuesday as a furor raged around her and two colleagues over racist comments she was heard making on an audiotape of their private conversation. Democrat Nury Martinez, who resigned her leadership post a day earlier, announced her leave of absence in a statement issued before the regularly scheduled council meeting. Herrera resigned on Monday night from his position as president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, the Los Angeles Times reported. Martinez also disparaged Mexicans from Oaxaca and voiced her displeasure with Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, saying "he's with the Blacks." Martinez was first elected to the city council in 2013 and became president in 2020.

☆ Los Angeles council president steps down after audio leak of racist comments
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 10 (Reuters) - A Los Angeles city councilwoman resigned as president of the council on Monday after the release of an audio recording in which she makes racist and other disparaging comments, including ones about the Black son of a colleague. She continues to represent Los Angeles' sixth district. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterMartinez also disparaged Mexicans from Oaxaca and voiced her displeasure with Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, saying "he's with the Blacks," the Times reported. Bonin issued a statement on Sunday calling for the city council to remove Martinez as president and for her to resign from the legislative body. Martinez was the first Latina to become president of the city's council in January 2020, according to her office website.

The president of the Los Angeles City Council resigned Monday after an audio recording of racist remarks surfaced. Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez at Los Angeles City Hall on April 1, 2022. The 2021 audio from a political strategy meeting attended by a handful of Latino Democrats on the council was first reported Sunday by the Los Angeles Times. "Therefore, effective immediately I am resigning as President of the Los Angeles City Council," she said. Bonin has called for Martinez, De León and Herrera to resign and said the episode points to deep fissures in the city’s population.

A small group of Los Angeles city leaders faced shame and castigation after an audio recording of racist remarks at a private meeting surfaced Sunday. The most egregious remarks were uttered by City Council President Nury Martinez, who seemed to verify the 2021 recording by apologizing to constituents. Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León and City Council President Nury Martinez confer at council meeting on Oct. 4. Martinez and de León and other Latino council members apologized Sunday after The Los Angeles Times reported that they had been taped making racist comments in a private meeting. The three issued a joint statement Sunday night that called past City Council support for Black Lives Matter "a facade."

☆ Nancy Pelosi's congressional stock trading ban has a massive blind trust loophole and is too broad, ethics experts warn
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But ethics experts say the bill has a major loophole when it comes to blind trusts, and is too broad. Broadly speaking, a blind trust is a financial arrangement wherein people turn over their assets to be managed by an independent entity to prevent a conflict of interest. Several previously-introduced bills to ban stock trading allow for lawmakers to place their stocks into a blind trust, rather than fully selling off existing stock holdings. "You'd be able to create any kind of a trust you want to, put anything you want into it, and call it a blind trust, even though there wouldn't actually be any way to prove that it is, in fact, a blind trust." Payne also said the blind trust loophole was a "small risk," but that in an optimistic scenario, "that language allows this law to grow for future circumstances that you just can't be prepared for."

☆ Inside the New York Times' heated union fight, where a potential strike looms and the biggest sticking point is pay
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Steven Perlberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Will reporters at The New York Times really go on strike? The idea, unthinkable just a few months ago, is now on the lips of New York Times Guild members as the union's contract negotiations with management heat up. New York Times reporters have walked off the job before, like as part of a 1962-1963 citywide newspaper strike. But Robles said union members are upset that the Times' strong business footing has not translated into better pay. (The Times spokesperson countered that the paper was not seeing record profits).

☆ LeBron James is a pickleball fan. And now he's buying a team
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

LeBron James, the king of basketball courts, is one of the newest owners of a professional pickleball team. "When I started playing pickleball, I immediately connected with the sport's community and its capacity to be both fun and competitive," Carter told CNBC in an interview. "We had this immediate connection over their passion for playing pickleball, their passion for growing pro pickleball grassroots. Worcester said the demand for owning a pickleball team is high with more than 60 different groups expressing interest. "Yes, we would welcome LeBron or Draymond or Kevin Love to think about playing," Worcester said laughing.

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