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Senator Elizabeth Warren is questioning federal bank regulators on their decision to sell First Republic Bank to the nation's largest bank, JP Morgan Chase. In a letter sent to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Wednesday, Warren said the deal was "deeply troubling," and sought details on how the agencies decided to arrange that particular sale, allowing JPM to grow even larger. This is a troubling outcome, leaving me with numerous questions," she wrote. The FDIC announced this month it had seized First Republic and sold it to JPM in a deal that it estimated would cost its deposit insurance fund $13 billion. Warren also pressed the matter with Michael Hsu, the acting Comptroller of the Currency, at a hearing Thursday.

☆ Opinion: How Putin’s ‘cat’s paw’ sunk into Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

International sanctions complicated Russia’s finances, so the Kremlin used the Wagner Group to get its hands on Sudan’s gold mines. It wasn’t the first time Wagner, Putin’s cat’s paw, had moved deep into mineral-rich Africa. It wanted one on the Mediterranean, which was one of the reasons it intervened – with a strong Wagner Group presence – in the Syrian civil war. But his credibility is in tatters (asked about Wagner’s massacres in Mali a few years ago, he answered “the Wagner Group does not exist”). And all for the sake of two men’s quest for power, aided by the machinations of the Kremlin and the maneuvers of its Wagner Group.

☆ Opinion: Top secrets come spilling out
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. Writing for CNN Opinion, Rep. Justin Pearson noted, “This should be a chastening moment for revanchist forces in Tennessee’s legislature and across the country. Over the long haul, the undemocratic machinations employed to oust us from office are destined to fail. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once famously said that the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice. “As a Jewish historian,” Perry wrote, “I worry about the tension between preserving the memory of past hardships while not locking our entire history into a tale of oppression.

☆ Dominion’s case against Fox News goes to trial next week. Is the First Amendment really on the line?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

But even by the standards of the profession, the language in Dominion's $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News has been downright apocalyptic. A victory for Dominion against Fox, they say, could wreak havoc for other journalism organizations across the country. The sheer closeness between Trump and Fox News makes a case like this unlikely to harm journalism organizations down the line, Goodale said. The vast majority of defamation cases against media organizations are settled, which gives few high-profile precedents to the Dominion lawsuit. "And that's the balance that the Sullivan court strike tried to strike in 1964.

☆ Opinion: Why expelling me from the legislature backfired on Tennessee Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Justin J. Pearson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Editor’s Note: Tennessee Rep. Justin J. Pearson is a Democrat and former community activist in Memphis. And yet, calls for common sense gun reform measures fall on deaf ears in our legislature where a Republican supermajority is wildly out of step with most people’s values. People in Tennessee aren’t even required to purchase a permit to publicly carry guns in the state of Tennessee. And we are required by the Tennessee State Constitution to object to policies injurious to the well-being of our constituents. My constituents sent me to the Tennessee State House to continue this work in their name.

☆ Turkey says it is working to renew Black Sea grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last July allowed grain to be exported from three Ukrainian ports. "We are working hard for the smooth implementation and further extension of the Black Sea grain deal," Cavusoglu said in a speech at the United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries being held in Doha, Qatar. Russia has said it would only agree to extend the Black Sea grain deal if the interests of its own agricultural producers are taken into account. Cavusoglu said he also discussed efforts to discuss the extension of the deal with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Almost 23 million tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs have been exported via the Black Sea Grain Initiative as of March 3, according to the Joint coordination Centre in Turkey which oversees implementation of the deal.

☆ John Malone prepares for a victory lap
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Jeffrey Goldfarb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Now the cable cowboy’s Liberty Media (FWONA.O) empire is trotting out its trademark financial razzle-dazzle to try and wring additional value out of its assets. Malone, Liberty Media’s chairman, is as renowned for his dizzying array of specialized equity issues, spinoffs and splits as he is for the telecom and entertainment companies that have been subjected to the intricate machinations. It excludes broadcaster Discovery, spun off from Liberty Media in 2005, and international broadband provider Liberty Global (LBTYA.O), hived off a year earlier. A more logical starting point would be 2001, when Malone carved Liberty Media out of telecom giant AT&T (T.N). Likewise, Liberty Media’s accompanying shakeup of its tracking stocks stands to further spotlight the value of Formula One.

☆ Atlanta DA doesn't want the public to see the special grand jury report into Trump's efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A special grand jury spent months investigating whether Trump and other officials criminally interfered in Georgia's 2020 election. In an Atlanta courthouse, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said the report, from a special grand jury, should not be released "at this time." McBurney dissolved the special grand jury earlier this month. They typically sit for a maximum of two months, and would review the deposition transcripts and other evidence already gathered by the special grand jury. "That was the approach when she initiated the special grand jury last year."

☆ How WWE’s Vince McMahon ruthlessly got his job back despite allegations of sexual assault and misuse of company funds
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Kyle Feldscher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

WWE has always been a family business – Vince McMahon, Sr., handed over the reins to his son in the 1980s – and it seemed set to continue that way. Why was Vince McMahon stepping aside such a big deal? Vince McMahon was more akin to a king than a business executive in the world of WWE, his fingerprints on everything. Once considered a wrestling genius, critics have more recently come to consider Vince McMahon a creative liability. McMahon,” Vince McMahon’s devious on-screen character, who served as wrestling’s greatest heel for years in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

☆ Constantine, the former and last king of Greece, dies at 82
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

ATHENS, Greece — Constantine, the former and last king of Greece, who won an Olympic gold medal before becoming entangled in his country’s volatile politics in the 1960s as king and spent decades in exile, has died. Prince Constantine on his sailboat at the Olympics in 1960. With minimal nostalgia for the monarchy in Greece, Constantine became a relatively uncontroversial figure. Crown Prince Constantine, left, arrives at the Raiding Forces' Headquarters on July 5, 1956. Prince Charles and King Constantine II of Greece attend Sunday service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate in King's Lynn, England, on Dec. 9, 2007.

☆ Here's how the U.S. economy could escape a recession in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

The U.S. economy heads into 2023 facing what might be the most anticipated recession in history. That basically means some parts of the economy will feel like they're in a recession while others won't. "Some areas of the economy may not feel like they actually are in recession. "For certain parts of the economy, it will feel like a very deep recession. For other parts, it will feel like a healthy growth economy, particularly in the parts of the economy where we see strong demand," she said.

☆ Premarket stocks: Investors are hoping for the economic tide to turn. The wait may soon be over
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

What’s happening: Price increases in the United States cooled more than economists expected last month, recording the lowest level of growth since last December. This is the second consecutive month of moderating price pressures and could mean the underlying trend of inflation is finally decelerating. That’s a welcome and hopeful sign for consumers, policymakers and investors, said Jim Baird, chief investment officer at Plante Moran Financial Advisors. The bill specifically names TikTok and its parent, ByteDance, as social media companies for the purposes of the legislation. In the past two weeks, at least seven states have introduced such measures, including Maryland, South Dakota and Utah.

☆ Everything you need to know about the FTX saga that unfolded today
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

On Tuesday, Ray testified before the House Financial Services Committee, relaying what he could about the company he took over just four weeks ago. FTX, on the other hand, was “not sophisticated at all.”“This is really old-fashioned embezzlement,” Ray continued. They say he misappropriated FTX customers’ deposits by using those funds to pay expenses and debts of Alameda, his crypto hedge fund. (The SDNY are an aggressive people, but they are not sloppy, and they don’t indict without a solid case.) Several lawyers not involved in the case have told me that the speed of Bankman-Fried’s arrest signals that former FTX employees may be aiding prosecutors.

☆ Netflix's streaming hit 'The Crown' reaches Charles-Diana divorce
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Ani Bundel | Ani Bundel Is A Cultural Critic Who Has Been Writing Regularly Since Her Work Can Also Be Found At Elite Daily | Weta'S Telly Visions | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The fifth season of Netflix’s superb, ambitious “The Crown” covers the years from 1988 to early 1997, arguably the nadir of England’s modern monarchy. “The Crown” sets up series creator Peter Morgan to be a 21st- century Shakespeare for the Second Elizabethan era. “The Crown” sets up series creator Peter Morgan to be a 21st-century Shakespeare for the Second Elizabethan era. His retellings of royal life are no more accurate than “Richard II” or “Henry V,” making royal whining all these years later all the sillier. “The Crown” even finds ways to make Charles a sympathetic figure in the divorce, no small feat.

☆ Kanye West anti-Jewish posts lead Adidas to cut ties way too late
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Josh Levs | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

After weeks of inaction, Adidas on Tuesday finally dropped its partnership with the proud antisemite Ye, aka rapper Kanye West. But the delay fuels the antisemitic narrative by suggesting Adidas took this step reluctantly and only under pressure. As a company with its own Nazi history, Adidas had every reason to know the dangers of letting antisemitism grow and fester. As a company with its own Nazi history, Adidas had every reason to know the dangers of letting antisemitism grow and fester. It’s a fact that should make Adidas the first business to act against antisemitism on its watch.

Sunak, the 42-year-old former finance minister, could be named leader as soon as Monday to replace Liz Truss, becoming Britain's third prime minister in less than two months. "The United Kingdom is a great country but we face a profound economic crisis," Sunak said in a statement declaring his candidacy on Sunday. Should she fail to hit the threshold, Sunak would become prime minister. "He's not taking anything for granted at all," interior minister Grant Shapps, a supporter of Sunak, told BBC television. If chosen, the former Goldman Sachs analyst would be the United Kingdom's first prime minister of Indian origin.

☆ Biden’s Oil Price Machinations
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

White House officials accuse OPEC and its allies of manipulating oil prices, but then what do you call what President Biden is trying to do? Three weeks before Election Day, Mr. Biden is ordering 15 million more barrels released from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to reduce gasoline prices. Crude price climbed after OPEC+ this month announced a two million barrels a day cut in production. This is really closer to one million barrels a day since many countries aren’t meeting their quotas now. But as day follows night, U.S. gas prices have increased, and the political timing couldn’t be worse for Democrats.

With this, Goldman Sachs wraps up earnings reports from big U.S. banks this quarter on a largely positive note. "A better-than-feared earnings season may well be the catalyst the market needs to see a break in the steady grind lower." Netflix (NFLX.O) added 2.4% ahead of reporting its earnings after markets close. The reversal of parts of a controversial UK fiscal plan that had roiled bond markets also aided sentiment. Toymaker Hasbro Inc (HAS.O) fell 1.3% upon posting a 28% fall in quarterly profit, highlighting that inflation-hit consumers were further discouraged by price hikes.

☆ Russian roulette: Is Putin serious about nuclear war, or bluffing?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Jason Corcoran | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

On Oct. 26, President Vladimir Putin appeared on Russian state television overseeing a practice run of Russia's strategic nuclear deterrence forces. The conflict has revived Cold War-era fears of nuclear war across the region. In August, a Ukrainian official said that 9,000 Ukrainian military personnel had been killed, though another source said the number could be far higher. (President Zelensky previously estimated that 30% of Ukraine's power stations have been damaged or destroyed, although the figure is now likely to be greater.) In a wide-ranging answer, Putin had offered, almost as an aside, that Russian victims of nuclear war "will go to heaven as martyrs" while Western citizens would perish without having "time to repent."

☆ Inside the little-known tool that gives JPMorgan Chase the power to collect data about everything its employees do at work
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-27 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

Insider learned about the WADU system through interviews and leaked internal documents that explain what kinds of data it captures. Though the use of Palantir was reportedly for security purposes, JPMorgan employees who spoke to Bloomberg said the situation quickly escalated. When companies are opaque about how they use employee data, the consequences can be detrimental — from harming employee "engagement" to eroding their "mental health," Garr said. Companies that fail to do this run the risk of cultivating the kind of mistrust that JPMorgan employees claim is running rampant through their ranks. "It does not sit well with me, what they're doing," said the US-based staffer with direct knowledge of the WADU system.

2022 and 2023 federal income tax brackets by filing statusBelow are the federal income tax brackets for single filers, heads of household, and married people who file either jointly and separately for 2021 and 2022. Your marginal tax rate is the highest tax rate your taxable income falls into. For one thing, it's because you can only determine your effective tax rate by going through the machinations of figuring out your marginal tax rate and the resulting total tax liability. Once you know your marginal tax bracket, you know how much tax you'll pay on each dollar of income. You can then calculate your effective tax rate based on your total tax liability for the year.

2021 and 2022 federal income tax brackets by filing statusBelow are the federal income tax brackets for single filers, heads of household, and married people who file either jointly and separately for 2021 and 2022. Your marginal tax rate is the highest tax rate your taxable income falls into. For one thing, it's because you can only determine your effective tax rate by going through the machinations of figuring out your marginal tax rate and the resulting total tax liability. Once you know your marginal tax bracket, you know how much tax you'll pay on each dollar of income. You can then calculate your effective tax rate based on your total tax liability for the year.

☆ O platformă românească de marketing conversaţional atrage 300.000 de euro de la fondul de capital GapMinder
▼ + stars: | 2020-09-29 | by ( ) tvrmoldova.md time to read: +3 min

29.09.2020 12:15 Sursa foto:TVR Moldova Vizualizari:O platformă românească de marketing conversaţional atrage 300.000 de euro de la fondul de capital GapMinderPlatforma românească de marketing conversaţional, Cartloop, a atras o investiţie de 300.000 de euro din partea fondului GapMinder VC, la numai o jumătate de an de la lansare. Potrivit unui comunicat de presă al companiei, transmis marţi AGERPRES, investiţia de 300.000 euro provenită de la GapMinder VC este completată de o contribuţie de tip "angel investment" din partea lui Cristian Tamaş, co-fondator al TypingDNA. Suma va fi utilizată pentru optimizarea soluţiei, fondatorii vizând atragerea de clienţi noi şi extinderea pe plan global. Cartloop este o platformă de marketing conversaţional care ajută comercianţii online să îi convingă pe clienţi să cumpere produsele din "coş" în cazul în care au părăsit site-ul fără să finalizeze comanda. În prezent, platforma Cartloop este utilizată de sute de clienţi din SUA, Canada, Marea Britanie şi Australia.

Persons: Cristian Tamaş, Andrei Negrău, Lisa Popovici, îşi Organizations: A Locations: AGERPRES, SUA, Canada, Britanie, Australia, Europa, Spania, Franţa, Germania, GapMinder, România, Europa Centrală, TypingDNA, SmartDreamers, Deepstash, Frisbo, Machinations

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