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☆ Biden’s Classified Document Stash
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Whatever gods are scripting America’s political drama these days, they sure do have a sense of humor. On Monday CBS broke the news that, days before the midterm elections, “roughly 10” documents with classification markings were found among Joe Biden’s vice presidential files in a private office he once used. A federal prosecutor is investigating, and the FBI is involved. Not even George Santos could make up this plot twist. The documents discovered in Mr. Biden’s possession include “intelligence memos and briefing materials that covered topics including Ukraine, Iran and the United Kingdom,” CNN reports.

☆ Merrick Garland appoints special counsel to probe Biden's mishandling of classified documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to probe Biden's mishandling of classified information. "Mr. Hur has a long and distinguished career as a prosecutor," Garland told reporters after announcing his decision. Garland added that US attorney John Lausch, a Trump appointee who has guided the preliminary investigation, told Garland that he could only lead the initial stages of the probe. Responding to Garland's announcement, Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, called the mishandling of documents a "mistake." "As I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents and classified material seriously," Biden told reporters.

☆ Biden suggested the classified documents found in his garage were safe because it was locked with his Corvette in there
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

President Joe Biden downplayed security concerns after classified documents were found at his Delaware home. Biden told reporters the documents were in his locked garage, not "sitting out on the street." This is the second batch of documents discovered in Biden's possession, with the first group found at his former office. When a Fox News reporter asked what Biden was thinking by keeping documents in his garage, Biden pushed back. The Justice Department is already investigating Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, for keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and allegedly obstructing investigators.

☆ Biden's aides discovered a second batch of classified documents at another location, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Biden's aides discovered another batch of classified docs at a second location, NBC News reported. They've been conducting an exhaustive search for additional documents since first discovering what the White House described as a "small" batch at Biden's old office in November. Biden's team notified the National Archives and turned the documents over, and they're cooperating with a DOJ investigation into the matter, the White House said. "He takes classified documents very seriously." Fox News' Peter Doocy pointed to Biden calling Trump's retention of classified documents "totally irresponsible" and asked, "How can President Biden be trusted moving forward with America's secrets?"

☆ Biden's classified records mistakes are serious and so far largely unexplained
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The closet where Biden's lawyers found classified documents was inside of a shared "general suite." A second batch of classified documents was discovered by aides at a separate location Biden had used, NBC News reported on Wednesday. He expressed concern about the two-month delay between Biden's lawyers discovering the documents and the White House's public announcement. Trump repeatedly (and foolishly) tried to stonewall Archives and the FBI, which then discovered additional records in the August search; Biden's lawyers say they are cooperating. Ozio confirmed that the Penn Biden Center shared a "general suite" with another Penn entity that uses the same address.

☆ Greece's last king Constantine II to be buried privately in Athens
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Sons of Greece's former King Constantine II, Crown Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos and Prince Philippos leave the Maximos Mansion following a meeting with members of the Greek government, in Athens, Greece, January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Alkis KonstantinidisATHENS, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Greece's former King Constantine II, who died on Tuesday night aged 82, will be buried privately at a former royal estate north of Athens, the Greek government said on Wednesday. Deposed by military rulers and spurned by his subjects who voted to ditch the monarchy in 1974, Constantine II was the only son of King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece. Constantine II, godfather to Britain's Prince William and a second cousin to King Charles, would be buried privately in Tatoi, the summer palace of the former Greek royal family, where his ancestors are also laid to rest, the government said. Constantine II was 27 years old and had only recently ascended to the throne, in 1964, when he was forced into exile with a young family in late 1967.

☆ Biden classified documents: White House won't say why it didn't disclose earlier that records were found
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a bilateral meeting at the North American Leaders' Summit in Mexico City, Mexico, January 10, 2023. "Why didn't the 'Justice' Department announce the Highly Classified documents found in the Biden Office before the Election?" Trump wrote in a post on his social media site, Truth Social. U.S. President Joe Biden attends a news conference at Waldorf Astoria in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia July 15, 2022. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters"This discovery of classified information would put President Biden in potential violation of laws protecting national security, including the Espionage Act and Presidential Records Act," Turner wrote.

☆ Rolls-Royce sees record sales 2022, no slowdown in spending by the wealthy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Rolls-Royce sold a record number cars in 2022 as demand for its $500,000 vehicles remained strong, despite recession fears, according to CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos. "We haven't seen seen any slowdown or downturn," Muller-Otvos told CNBC. Still, the U.S. was the largest market overall for Rolls-Royce in 2022, accounting for nearly 35% of its global sales, Muller-Otvos said. China, its second-largest market, saw a slight decline in sales but still claimed 25% of global sales and posted its second-strongest year for the company. The company's SUV, the Cullinan, was its best seller in 2022 making up about half of global sales, Muller-Otvos said.

☆ A moment of truth is fast approaching for both Trump and the DOJ
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

She then rebuffed White House condemnations of her comments by insisting she was joking. Smith has also issued a flurry of grand jury subpoenas since Thanksgiving, including to ex-Trump adviser Stephen Miller and two former White legal counsels. A judge on Monday formally dismissed Trump’s case challenging the Mar-a-Lago evidence collection and in which she had appointed a special master. If a moment of truth is approaching for Trump, the same can be said of Garland and the DOJ. Trump has already tried to use claims that justice is being weaponized against him as rocket fuel for his 2024 presidential bid.

CNN —The special master review of evidence seized from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate is no more. Judge Aileen Cannon on Monday formally dismissed the case, which Trump brought to challenge the Mar-a-Lago evidence collection and in which she appointed special master Raymond Dearie, another judge, to make recommendations on whether prosecutors could access evidence. The dismissal of the case now gives the Justice Department full access to tens of thousands of records and other items found among documents marked as classified in Trump’s beach club and private office. The court told Cannon the case must be dismissed and there will be no further proceedings before Cannon in the Southern District of Florida. That critique culminated in a scathing opinion from an appellate court panel – stacked with GOP appointees – that tore apart Trump and Cannon’s rationale for why the special master was necessary.

☆ WeWork exits 40 U.S. locations after tepid forecast, shares slump
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Kannaki Deka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 10 (Reuters) - WeWork Inc (WE.N) forecast fourth-quarter revenue below estimates and said it will exit about 40 underperforming U.S. locations, sending shares down over 15%, as the workspace provider deals with high expenses and a strong U.S. dollar. "A recession is going to materially impact WeWork's operations because SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) are going to cut costs. WeWork expects fourth-quarter revenue of between $870 million and $890 million, below Wall Street targets of $923.8 million. WeWork went public in 2021 after a two-year struggle and currently has a market cap of around $1.77 billion. It reported third-quarter revenue of $817 million, below market expectations of $865 million, according to a Refinitiv poll of five analysts.

☆ Vatican hit with $9.25 million claim by ousted auditor and deputy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said on Thursday he had no comment on the lawsuit, which was filed last week with the Vatican prosecutor's office by lawyers for Libero Milone and Ferruccio Panicco. Becciu told Reuters in 2017 that Milone "went against all the rules and was spying on the private lives of his superiors and staff, including me". Milone denies this, saying he just was seeking information he had a right to see as auditor general. The Vatican's prosecutor's office said it had recently re-opened an investigation about events at the time of the sacking in 2017. Becciu's lawyers said Milone had given a "a completely unfounded reconstruction" of events in the legal filing.

☆ Biden says Elon Musk’s relationships with foreign countries 'worthy of being looked at'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Lauren-Egan-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Lauren Egan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Asked whether Elon Musk posed a threat to national security, President Joe Biden said Wednesday that the billionaire’s “relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at.”“I think that Elon Musk’s cooperation and/or technical relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at,” Biden told reporters at the White House. “Whether or not he is doing anything inappropriate — I’m not suggesting that — I’m suggesting it’s worth being looked at. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and the new owner of Twitter, has significant business interests in China. That helped prompt Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., to call for an investigation into the national security implications of Saudi Arabia’s stake. But Musk has important relationships with the U.S. government, too, and those have continued under the Biden administration.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy on Monday called for an immediate investigation into the national security implications of Saudi Arabia's stake in Twitter after Elon Musk’s takeover of the social media company. “The purpose of these reviews is clear: to protect the national security interests of the United States and American citizens,” Murphy wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who leads CIFIUS. Late last week, Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding Company and the private office of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said they would help Musk finance his Twitter deal by rolling over their ownership of shares of the company worth about $1.89 billion, according to a statement tweeted by Alwaleed. Together all the way @Twitter,” Prince Alwaleed tweeted. Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, led by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, owns nearly 17 percent of Kingdom Holding, according to Reuters.

☆ Democratic U.S. senator wants probe into Saudi firm's stake in Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Chris Murphy said on Monday he wants a U.S. national security review of a Saudi Arabian conglomerate's stake in Twitter Inc after Elon Musk's takeover of the social media company. "The deal is in line with the long-term investment strategy which Kingdom Holding Company is known for," the statement said. Alwaleed's Kingdom Holding is 16.9% owned by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, which is chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Banks including Morgan Stanley (MS.N) and Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) committed to provide $13 billion in debt financing. Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington Editing by Franklin Paul and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Saudi's Kingdom Holding company to maintain Twitter stake
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Holding Company and the private office of Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal said on Friday that they will continue their ownership of Twitter (TWTR.N) shares valued at $1.89 billion after Elon Musk's takeover of the social media company, according to a statement tweeted by Prince Alwaleed. Alwaleed's Kingdom Holding is 16.9% owned by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund chaired by crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal rose to international prominence after making a big successful bet on Citigroup Inc(C.N)in the 1990s and he was an early investor in Apple Inc. The prince has also made hundreds of millions of dollars by investing in companies such as Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) to Twitter Inc. Reporting by Lilian Wagdy, Writing by Hadeel Al Sayegh; Editing by David Goodman and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Trump has aides who follow him around on the golf course and recite positive things people say about him on social media: NYT reporter
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Trump has aides who follow him around reciting praise he's had on social media. The former president's love of praise and adulation is well known, The NYT's Maggie Haberman reported. Allies will often effusively praise Trump on social media. It's long been reported that Trump loves hearing praise, and at his private offices surrounds himself with magazine covers, paintings, and other keepsakes memorializing his achievements. North Korea's Kim Jong Un entered into a correspondence with Trump during his presidency, and Trump would boast of the "beautiful letters" he received from the dictator.

☆ Lindsey Graham called Trump a 'lying motherfucker' but added that he's 'a lot of fun to hang with': book
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-17 | by ( Yelena Dzhanova | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Lindsey Graham called Trump a liar but added that he's a "lot of fun to hang out with." Graham's remarks appear in an upcoming book about Trump written by two journalists. Other Trump allies, like White House strategist Steve Bannon, have also characterized Trump as a liar. In the same exchange, Graham said he's a "lot of fun to hang out with," per the book. Steve Bannon, Trump's former White House strategist, for example, said he'd often lie to get his way, as Insider's Joshua Zitser reported.

☆ Bucket-list travel experiences like Singapore Airlines' first-class suite cost thousands of dollars, but they're much more attainable if you earn credit card points
▼ + stars: | 2020-02-20 | by ( Elizabeth Aldrich | Read More | Read Less | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Some of the world's best first-class flights cost well over $10,000 but you can often get them for under 100,000 miles. A good travel credit card will help you accumulate these miles faster. See Business Insider's list of the best travel rewards credit cards »Get the latest tips you need to manage your money — delivered to you biweekly. Aspirational, bucket-list travel is one of the best uses of travel points and airline miles, in my opinion. You can transfer Amex points, Chase points, Citi points, and Marriott points to Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer program, so you have lots of options for earning the requisitive rewards.

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