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CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin reported that the charges against Bankman-Fried include wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy and money laundering. Neither the Attorney General of the Bahamas nor the Royal Bahamas Police Force would confirm the nature of the charges against Bankman-Fried. "I didn't ever try to commit fraud," Bankman-Fried said. The CFTC and lawmakers have begun their probes into FTX and Bankman-Fried, who told Sorkin he was down to his last $100,000. Failed lender BlockFi sued Bankman-Fried in November, seeking unnamed collateral that the FTX founder provided for the crypto lending firm.

☆ Ronna McDaniel locked down votes for RNC chair despite the midterm debacle. Here's how she did it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan-Allen-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Jonathan Allen | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

An ally, Richard Porter, an RNC member from Illinois, met with her in Washington to make sure she wanted to run for another two-year term. And the most ardent Trump critics among RNC members say McDaniel, Trump's pick for the post six years ago, is too close to him. Bill Palatucci, an RNC member from New Jersey, said he opposes McDaniel's re-election for that reason. For McDaniel to lose, an opponent would have to win the remaining undecided RNC members and swipe nearly two dozen avowed McDaniel backers. Lori Klein Corbin, an RNC member from Arizona who hasn’t committed to any candidate, said McDaniel hasn’t asked for her vote yet.

☆ Meta's Oversight Board criticizes Facebook's special program for VIP users
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Meta told the Oversight Board that it "does have a system that blocks some enforcement actions outside of the cross-check system." For most users, content moderation on Facebook and Instagram was historically straightforward. But for a privileged few, the cross-check program activated a different, more human process. It wasn't clear who made a decision to fast-track a content review process to global leadership. In the report, Meta's Oversight Board provided over two dozen recommendations on fixes to the cross-check program.

Bankman-Fried could face a host of potential charges – civil and criminal – as well as private lawsuits from millions of FTX creditors, legal experts told CNBC. There are three different, possibly simultaneous legal threats that Bankman-Fried faces in the United States alone, Levin told CNBC. He told CNBC, "prosecutors would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Bankman-Fried or his associates committed criminal fraud." (Carter was not an FTX investor, and told CNBC that his fund passed on early FTX rounds.) "People should not jump to the conclusion that something is not happening just because it has not been publicly disclosed," Levin told CNBC.

☆ Biden decries Putin's actions in Ukraine as 'sick,' but says he'd speak with the Russian leader under certain conditions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Biden on Thursday said he'd be willing to speak to Putin directly under certain conditions. Biden said he'd only talk to Putin if he expresses a desire to end the war in Ukraine. Macron has faced criticism in Kyiv and beyond for continuing to speak with Putin amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has induced historic tensions between the West and the Kremlin. "It's sick what he's doing," Biden said of Putin, emphasizing that the only way for the war to end is for the Russian leader to recall his country's forces. "The idea that Putin is ever going to defeat Ukraine is beyond comprehension," Biden said.

BlockFi lawyers said during the crypto lender's bankruptcy hearing on Tuesday that the firm plans to reopen withdrawals as part of an effort to "maximize client recoveries." FTX had arranged a rescue plan for BlockFi, but that fell apart when FTX faced its own liquidity crisis earlier this month and rapidly sank into bankruptcy. BlockFi loaned $671 million to Alameda, Sussberg said, and had an additional $355 million in digital assets that are currently frozen on the FTX platform. Exposure to both firms prompted client withdrawals, but it was FTX's plan to acquire BlockFi that ultimately led it into bankruptcy proceedings, the lawyer said. In the bankruptcy filing, BlockFi indicated it had more than 100,000 creditors, with liabilities and assets ranging from $1 billion to $10 billion.

☆ Ex-federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner says Pence's belief that Congress has 'no right' to his testimony about January 6 should 'disqualify' him from public office
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Ex-federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner criticized Pence's refusal to appear before the Jan. 6 panel. Kirschner said Pence is in effect saying that Americans "have no right" to his "relevant" testimony. After Pence told CBS earlier this month that "Congress has no right to my testimony," Kirschner blasted the former vice president's stance in a video released on Thursday. "The seven words that Mike Pence recently uttered that I contend disqualify him from ever holding public office again," he said. Kirschner has argued that Congress has sufficient reason to question Pence about Trump's repeated attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

☆ Top US diplomat rips FIFA for punishing World Cup players who wear the 'One Love' armband promoting inclusion
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Blinken criticized FIFA for threatening to punish World Cup players who wear a "One Love" armband. "As national federations, we can't put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in FIFA World Cup games." The nations decried the FIFA decision as "unprecedented" and said they were "very frustrated." Fans wearing clothing featuring rainbows, a symbol of support for the LGBTQ community, have reported being prevented from entering World Cup stadiums in Qatar. FIFA, soccer's global governing body, previously said fans were "welcome to express themselves; they are welcome to express their love for their partners."

Although prominent election deniers in critical battleground states lost at the polls, their movement has had far-reaching impact. In reality, the livestream app suffered a glitch that caused the cameras to stop working, county officials said in a statement after investigating the blackout. IN ARIZONA, BOOSTING SECURITYIn Arizona's Maricopa County, election officials strengthened doors, added shatterproof film on windows and stationed a security guard in the ballot-counting room. In Georgia's Gwinnett County, which includes part of the greater Atlanta area, election officials held planning meetings with local law enforcement to beef up security, Elections Supervisor Zach Manifold told Reuters. The plan included keeping sheriff's officers on site for longer to ensure election staff felt safe, he said.

☆ FTX used corporate funds to purchase employee homes, new filing shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of FTX is seen on a flag at the entrance of the FTX Arena in Miami, Florida, November 12, 2022. Corporate funds were used to purchase Bahama homes and "personal items" in the name of employees and advisors of FTX, a bankruptcy declaration said, days after the penthouse apartment of founder Sam Bankman-Fried was listed for nearly $40 million. Auditing for one of the FTX corporate verticals – what Ray referred to as "Silos" – was done by Prager Metis, a firm with "which I am not familiar," Ray wrote. Ray, who oversaw Enron's bankruptcy proceedings and restructuring, declared he had 40 years of experience in the bankruptcy and corporate space. FTX and affiliated companies, including Alameda Research, Bankman-Fried's crypto trading firm, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month.

☆ Never seen 'such a complete failure' of corporate controls, says new FTX CEO who also oversaw Enron bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Ray formerly served as the CEO of Enron after the implosion of the energy titan. He promised to work with regulators to investigate FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. Bankman-Fried." Ray excoriated Bankman-Fried and his management team for what were described as lackadaisical controls on systems and regulatory compliance. Coordinating with regulators, Ray wrote, the chapter 11 bankruptcy process would examine the actions of Bankman-Fried in connection with FTX's collapse.

☆ An old video of Ron DeSantis branding himself a 'pitbull Trump defender' has resurfaced on Twitter amid an intensifying feud between the 2 men
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An old Ron DeSantis campaign video is making the rounds on Twitter. In the 2018 clip, DeSantis calls himself a "pitbull Trump defender." Ron DeSantis, in which he brands himself a "pitbull Trump defender," is making the rounds on Twitter. I love that part," DeSantis says in the clip as the words "pitbull Trump defender" flash on screen. In keeping with his habit of giving political rivals unflattering nicknames, the former president this month also dubbed the governor "Ron DeSanctimonious."

☆ Matt Gaetz mocked GOP leadership over the midterms, dubbing Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, and Ronna McDaniel a 'McFailure'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Matt Gaetz blasted several top GOP leaders as vote counts for the midterms draw to a close. McFailure," tweet Gaetz, meaning Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. Gaetz's tweet laid part of the blame on McCarthy, McConnell, and McDaniel. McDaniel has publicly had warmer ties with Trump in recent years than McConnell and McCarthy. Nor did representatives for McCarthy, McConnell, and McDaniel.

“I think it’s going to be significant,” Chuck Coughlin, an Arizona Republican pollster, said of the third-party impact on key Senate races. Angela McArdle, the chair of the Libertarian National Committee, said it’s not her party's job to protect Republican candidates who are alienating voters. "If Republicans fear that Libertarians are going to be spoilers, Republicans need to run more liberty-minded candidates," McArdle told NBC News. Much attention has been paid to the level of support third-party candidates can wrestle from the major party contenders in recent election cycles, particularly on the presidential level. "We have to wait to see the melt on these third-party candidates," he said.

☆ Nationalist Meloni set to smash Italy's glass ceiling, become premier
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-29 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Leader of Italy's nationalist Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d'Italia) party and frontrunner to become prime minister Giorgia Meloni, holds a closing rally in Naples, Italy, September 23, 2022. Fast forward three years, and the nationalist leader is also poised to become Italy's first female prime minister. It is from tomorrow that we must prove our worth," the 45-year-old Meloni told party faithful early Monday morning. All the tough talking inevitably draws comparisons in the Italian press between Meloni and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Just as Thatcher shattered Britain's glass ceiling to top office 43 years ago, so Meloni looks set to follow suit in Italy.

Supporters of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act — or PACT Act — overwhelmingly expected the House-passed bill to sail through to the president's desk for signature. The PACT Act would have expanded VA health care eligibility to more than 3.5 million post-9/11 combat veterans who were exposed to toxins while serving in the military. When the bill returned to the Senate, the bill had not changed much but the view — and vote — of 25 senators did. "But what is shocking is that so many senators would literally be willing to play with veterans’ lives so openly like this." Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., speaks at a news conference about the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act in Washington on Thursday.

☆ 'If it blows up, it's cool': The far-out philosophy that explains why Elon Musk won't let a few baby sea turtles stop SpaceX's quest to get to Mars
▼ + stars: | 2022-04-05 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

In the case of Elon Musk v. Charismatic Megafauna, the agency intends to publish its final report in late April. Musk went on: "Either explicitly or implicitly some people seem to think that humans are a blight on the Earth's surface. Musk is talking about existential risk, the idea that something — an asteroid, a rogue artificial intelligence — might kill every human on Earth. And if you assume that future human minds will "mainly be implemented in computational hardware instead of biological neuronal wetware," as Bostrom does, you end up with a mind-boggling 1054 human lives. Musk has made the defense of "future life" his mission.

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