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☆ DeSantis collects wins as Florida Legislature caps whirlwind session, teeing up possible White House bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a conference titled "Celebrate the Faces of Israel" at Jerusalem's Museum of Tolerance, on April 27, 2023. Measures like the restrictive abortion law DeSantis signed could help him in a GOP primary, but may reduce his appeal in a general election. Lawmakers have also passed multiple measures that could help clear DeSantis' path to the White House, if and when he decides to run. "The entire session was focused on Governor DeSantis' run for president," said Jim Clark, a University of Central Florida senior lecturer and political commentator, in an interview. On top of those issues, DeSantis in March waded into the "school choice" debate by signing a bill expanding Florida's school voucher system.

☆ Future-Proofing the Board of Directors
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +29 min

Governance structures and practices should position the board to provide objective judgment and active oversight supported by board leadership, which is separate from and independent of company management. The board should design governance structures and practices that support it in determining board priorities, agendas, and information needs. The board should create governance structures and practices that ensure that directors are competent, committed, and diverse and that board and committee composition align with the company’s changing needs. Developing and supporting a positive and ethical corporate culture (see Corporate and Board Culture below). Corporate and Board CultureA strong board and corporate culture is imperative for a company’s success.

☆ 'Queer Eye' producers are diving into the world of professional mermaiding for new Netflix doc series
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The producers of "Queer Eye" explore underwater performers in a new docu-series, "MerPeople." Scout Productions executive-produced it; Oscar-winning Cynthia Wade directed. The creators of "Queer Eye" are turning their lens on the world of underwater performers for a new docu-series on Netflix, "MerPeople." Executive producers were Scout Productions' Michael Williams, David Collins, Joel Chiodi, and Rob Eric, along with photographer Andréanna Seymore; Roland Ballester, known for "Halston" and "30 for 30"; and Wade. Scout Productions has become known for richly shot, inclusivity-themed unscripted TV projects like ballroom competition series "Legendary" and streetwear design contest "The Hype" on HBO Max, in addition to "Queer Eye."

☆ A new Netflix docu-series from the producers of 'Queer Eye' dives into the world of professional mermaiding
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

☆ State leaders targeting climate investing have quiet stakes in the fossil fuel industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Fitzpatrick is among a group of powerful Republican state leaders who have waged similar fights against environmentally conscious investing as they held personal investments in, or saw political support from, the fossil fuel industry. Some of the state officials have received campaign donations from fossil fuel companies or their executives. "He has never 'had private briefings tied back to the fossil fuel industry' nor does he personally direct or execute trades himself. Hegar co-signed an open letter in 2021 with other state financial officers that was addressed to the U.S. banking industry and defended the fossil fuel industry. He also co-signed the 2022 letter to Biden from a slate of other state financial officers defending the fossil fuel industry.

☆ Gen Z wants to run your company. 'Shadow boards' give them a say without handing them the keys.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Oliver Wyman says its shadow board helped contribute to a 30% reduction in attrition in 2022. Andrew Pérez started at the management-consulting company Oliver Wyman three years ago. Oliver Wyman started its shadow board in 2021. Oliver Wyman's executive team tends to be older, while the shadow board skews younger and more diverse. She was eager to join the shadow board last year.

☆ Meta rolls out long-sought tools to separate ads from harmful content
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Katie Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The system offers advertisers three risk levels they can select for their ad placements, with the most conservative option excluding placements above or below posts with sensitive content like weapons depictions, sexual innuendo and political debates. Meta also will provide a report via advertising measurement firm Zefr showing Facebook advertisers the precise content that appeared near their ads and how it was categorized. Marketers have long advocated for greater control over where their ads appear online, complaining that big social media companies do too little to prevent ads from showing alongside hate speech, fake news and other offensive content. Under a deal brokered several months later, the company, now called Meta, agreed to develop tools to "better manage advertising adjacency," among other concessions. However, she cautioned that the pricing dynamic could change, given the auction-based nature of Meta's ads system and the reduction in inventory associated with any restrictions.

☆ Republicans are slamming the bailout of Silicon Valley Bank's customers, saying it's a giveaway to the rich
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Federal regulators bailed out Silicon Valley Bank depositors following its Friday collapse. The joint statement made from the Treasury, Federal Reserve, and FDIC noted that the bailout will not be funded by taxpayers — the FDIC's insurance fund, which stands at about $125 billion, will cover all SVB depositors. "I don't know if making money's now woke," Baker said. "Banks like S.V.B. President Joe Biden referenced the 2018 law in Monday remarks on SVB, saying that "we must reduce the risks of this happening again."

☆ The 14-slide pitch deck a Los Angeles-based fintech startup used to raise $10 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Claire Turrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Users can borrow up to $1,000 each time, and they have the option to tip the lender and SoLo Funds. It showcases how simple the SoLo Funds design is, how borrowers have control, and how they set their own terms." After meeting the SoLo Funds team, he invested $1.6 million. SoLo Funds now has more than 100 employees and is a registered B Corp. Here's the original pitch deck that the team used to raise a $1.2 million pre-seed round, which led to raising $10 million in January 2021.

☆ Pennsylvania governor: Norfolk Southern have been 'bad actors' following Ohio train derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Dasha Burns | Dasha Burns Is An Nbc News Now Correspondent Who Covers Politics | Social Issues. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Josh Shapiro criticized Norfolk Southern — the rail company that had a train carrying toxic chemicals derail in East Palestine, Ohio — as "bad actors" who "failed miserably." They have a lot of work to do, and the cost will come out of their pocket." "And then, I think they have a responsibility going forward to make sure something like this never happens again," he added. “We have been paying for the cleanup activities to date and will continue to do so. And Shapiro's office announced earlier this month it filed a criminal referral in response to the crash.

The U.S. Department of Labor rule, which took effect Jan. 30, lifts barriers to ESG investing imposed by the Trump administration. The new rule sets guidelines for ESG investing, including requiring that socially conscious investments are still financially sound. They claim that allowing ESG investing will jeopardize the retirement savings of millions of people and lower state tax revenue. The Biden administration rule has divided the business community. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed various rules aimed at increasing transparency related to ESG investing.

In an interview with NBC News Monday, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says he expects Senator John Fetterman to come back to the Senate and to “serve for a good long while.”Shapiro would be charged with naming an interim replacement should there be a vacancy and there would then be a special election in November 2024 to fill the rest of the term — a scenario that would put both of the state’s Senate seats on the ballot next year. When asked If there is a contingency plan in place in case Fetterman decides to step down, Shapiro said, “There is no contingency plan and it is 100% Senator Fetterman’s decision as to what he will do in the future.”Shapiro said he feels no pressure from inside the Democratic Party to push Fetterman to resign, nor does he feel pressure to push him to stay in the seat to benefit Democrats in the 2024 election. Fetterman checked himself into the hospital for treatment of “clinical depression” on February 16th. “I’m proud of Senator Fetterman for getting the help that he needs and I’m there for Gisele and their family. And I know the people of Pennsylvania I’ve talked to are encouraging him along to get the help that he needs.”Today the Senator’s team sent their first official update on his status since announcing his hospitalization.

☆ Chris Sununu boasts about beating Ron DeSantis in a conservative ranking: 'I'm sorry, Ron.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Chris Sununu took a swipe at Ron DeSantis while boosting his conservative credentials. You're number 2. Ron DeSantis, while boosting his own conservative credentials. "I'm a principled free market conservative," Sununu said. Sununu boasted that he's ranked "the most fiscally conservative goveror of the country," though he did not cite the ranking.

☆ U.S. Rep. Santos facing House ethics probe - McCarthy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - U.S. Representative George Santos, who has faced calls from fellow New York state Republicans to step down after fabricating much of his resume, is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy confirmed to CNN on Tuesday. "Ethics is moving through, and if Ethics finds something, we’ll take action," McCarthy told the cable news outlet when asked about Santos' constituents calling on him to resign. Santos told fellow Republican lawmakers last week he would not serve on committees for now, lawmakers said. Santos has rebuffed calls for his resignation, saying he would vacate his seat only if he loses the next election. Santos is the first openly gay Republican to win a House seat in Congress as a non-incumbent, but has positioned himself as a staunch conservative on many social issues.

☆ Indiana's Senate race will show the depths of the fault lines within the GOP. Early signs show it's still Trump's party.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Mitch Daniels would have been an ideal GOP Senate candidate. Daniels' decision offers a look at the obstacles that the party continues to face headed in 2024. Mitch Daniels would have been seen by most traditional conservatives as an ideal candidate to run for the Senate. Eric Holcomb is a potential candidate in the 2024 Indiana Republican Senate primary. AP Photo/Manuel Balce CenetaIndiana could drive the GOP Senate roadmapAhead of the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans anticipated making major gains in Congress, which eventually didn't come to pass.

☆ Embattled U.S. Rep. Santos was drag queen in Brazil pageants, say associates
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Steven Grattan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The embattled freshman congressman has also faced calls from fellow New York Republicans to step down over fabrications about his career and history. Three years later, Santos competed in a drag beauty pageant in Rio, Rochard said. Another person from Niteroi who knew the congressman but asked not to be named said he participated in drag queen beauty pageants and aspired to be Miss Gay Rio de Janeiro. Santos is the first openly gay Republican to win a House seat in Congress as a non-incumbent, but has positioned himself as a staunch conservative on many social issues. Santos competed in a drag beauty pageant that year but lost, Rochard said.

Her successor as Labour leader and prime minister faces a stern test in a general election in October, with support for the party falling and the country expected to fall into a recession next quarter. Despite her high global profile, Ardern's Labour Party has slid in the polls, hurt by rising living costs, growing crime and concern about social issues. That meant that even with traditional coalition partner the Green Party, polling at 9%, Labour could not hold a majority. Ardern most likely stepped down to give the Labour Party a chance to refresh and reposition itself ahead of an election in October, experts said. CONSERVATIVES BUOYEDThe conservative National Party may be buoyed by Ardern's resignation.

WELLINGTON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - The shock resignation of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who altered the face of global politics when she was elected the world's youngest female head of state, throws a spotlight on the demands faced by women in power. "We need people like Jacinda Ardern in politics. [1/2] New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during the Australia-New Zealand Leaders' Meeting at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices in Sydney, Australia, on Friday, July 8, 2022. "Certainly she really challenges the male stereotype of being a prime minister." Former Prime Minister Helen Clark said Ardern had done an "extraordinary job" in leading New Zealand through major crises.

☆ Judicial security focus of U.S. Chief Justice Roberts' annual report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Richard Cowan | Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts departs the Trump impeachment trial in Washington, U.S., January 29, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidWASHINGTON, Dec 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Saturday focused a year-end report on the judiciary on the need for stepped up security for federal judges, amid a surge in threats and as the United States is embroiled in a bitter debate over abortion. Roberts' nine-page annual report came just two weeks after the U.S. Congress approved legislation that aims to bolster security for Supreme Court justices and federal judges by allowing them to shield their personal information from being available online. "I want to thank the members of Congress who are attending to judicial security needs ... essential to run a system of courts," Roberts wrote in his 2022 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary. An armed California man was charged last June with attempted murder after being arrested near the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

☆ 14 business leaders making corporate America more inclusive in an increasingly polarized society
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Insider is proud to present its third-annual list of diversity trailblazers in corporate America. These leaders, ranging from execs at Bank of America to Google, are advancing equity in business. Inflation, worker shortages, and worries about potential recession are topping corporate leaders' lists of concerns. Insider is pleased to present its third-annual list of notable diversity officers changing their companies. Collectively, these executives are helping break barriers for an untold number of workers while also pushing their fellow corporate leaders to make their businesses more inclusive.

Insider's second-annual list of the Most Transformative CEOs features three executives who are leading innovation in their industries. These CEOs are devising new ways to serve a range of interests, including clients, employees, and investors. At FanDuel, Howe has brought more women into the industry. ROSALIND BREWER, the CEO of Walgreens Boots AllianceRosalind Brewer, the CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance. BRIAN NICCOL, the CEO of ChipotleBrian Niccol, the CEO of Chipotle.

☆ 3 unique and cheap ways I've built strong connections with customers to grow my multimillion-dollar jewelry business
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

This article is part of "Marketing for Small Business," a series exploring the basics of marketing strategy for SBOs to earn new customers and grow their business. For one, when I sat down and crunched the numbers, I realized a lot of traditional marketing methods would not be the most effective way to use our budget. I also thought about my target customer, and traditional marketing didn't feel like the best way to reach her, either. Here are three twists on traditional marketing I use to connect more deeply with clients, grow our company reach — and, ultimately, build a multimillion-dollar business. We celebrate our customers instead of doing traditional event marketingEvents are a great way to show prospective customers our products in person and let them try them on for size.

☆ Kyrsten Sinema's Democratic defection without a difference
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Specter’s switch from the Republican to the Democratic Party briefly gave Democrats a filibuster-proof majority and allowed them to pass the Affordable Care Act. Joe Lieberman, the moderate Democrat and former longtime senator, lost a Democratic primary in Connecticut in 2006, largely over his support for the Iraq war. A defection without a differenceArizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema appears to be different as she becomes the 22nd senator to change party affiliation while in office. A Senate independence trioSinema will be the first independent senator who isn’t from New England in more than a generation. The most complete political evolution may be that of Lincoln Chafee, the Rhode Island politician who was a Republican senator, independent governor and failed Democratic and Libertarian presidential candidate.

Some of Signore’s newer content takes aim at the people he said contributed to the allegations against him and their aftermath. Signore recorded the interview and released segments of it in July in a YouTube video criticizing NBC News’ coverage of the trial.) In between clips from the trial, Signore comments that he believes the testimony is true and reflects strongly on Depp’s case. Business Insider reported that the top three Super Chat earners on YouTube during the trial were creators who exclusively streamed it. “There’s no due process,” Signore said in the May video comparing himself to Depp and one of his accusers to Heard.

Giuseppe Bivona and Marco Taricco, Bluebell's partners, wrote to Fink, saying they want someone else to run the company. Bluebell was founded in 2019 and has taken on companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Glencore, Vivendi and Danone, where it engineered the ouster of former CEO Emmanuel Faber. "Fink clearly has political ambitions because it is not his job as chief executive of BlackRock to dictate energy policy,” Bivona told Reuters in an interview. BlackRock did not support Bluebell's campaign to oust the CEO of chemical company Solvay or at Leonardo SpA (LDOF.MI), where Bluebell wanted to promote a liability action against the CEO. A BlackRock spokesman said it did not "support Bluebell's campaigns as we did not consider them to be in the best economic interests of our clients."

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