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☆ Former AG Bill Barr said Trump is 'toast' if 'even half' of the charges in his classified documents case are true
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Jennifer Cunningham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former AG Bill Barr appeared on Fox News Sunday to discuss his former boss' indictment. "If even half of it is true, then he's toast," Barr said on Fox News Sunday. Trump is facing 37 federal charges that he illegally took classified info from the White House. I do think we have to wait and see what the defense says and what proves to be true, but I do think … if even half of it is true, then he's toast. "This idea of presenting Trump as a victim here, a victim of a witch hunt, is ridiculous," Barr said.

Persons: Bill Barr, Barr, Trump, —, Donald Trump, Shannon Bream, –, Ron DeSantis –, I've, Aileen Cannon, Nich Carlson Organizations: Fox News, Fox News Sunday, Service, Department, GOP, Trump, Gov Locations: Miami

☆ Activist sues Rep. Lauren Boebert for defamation, alleging she slandered him on Fox News when he revealed her alleged drug use, abortions, and escort work
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Jennifer Cunningham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Now he's suing her for defamation, alleging she defamed and disparaged him on Fox News. Boebert did not follow through with her threat to sue Wheeler or American Muckrakers, the lawsuit says. — Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) June 15, 2022Wheeler alleged Boebert's legal threats and interviews with media outlets damaged both his and American Muckracker's reputation and violated his First Amendment rights. He said he'd received death threats and that donations to American Muckrackers tanked following Boebert's media appearances. "Partisan organizations putting out blatantly false and disgusting accusations won't stop me from advancing freedom and conservative values," Boebert told Fox News in June 2022.

Persons: David Wheeler, Lauren Boebert's, he's, Boebert, —, Lauren Boebert, Sean Hannity, Defendant Boebert, Defendant, Wheeler, — Lauren Boebert, he'd Organizations: Fox News, Service, Colorado Republican, Twitter Locations: Colorado, Boebert's

☆ Rudy Giuliani asks judge to toss 'salacious' references to his appearance in 'Borat' movie, denies making racist remarks and selling pardons in response to ex-staffer's sex-abuse lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Jennifer Cunningham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rudy Giuliani asked a judge to toss parts of the sex-abuse lawsuit against him. Giuliani also denied selling pardons for Trump and making discriminatory remarks. Those claims, Giuliani said, are either false or don't bolster Dunphy's underlying claims that he sexually assaulted her. According to Dunphy's lawsuit, Giuliani behaved the same way in his apartment with her and then forced her to give him oral sex. Noelle Dunphy's lawsuit includes allegations of sexual abuse, using Rudy Giuliani's presence in the "Borat" sequel as a reference point.

Persons: Rudy Giuliani, Giuliani, —, Noelle Dunphy's, Dunphy, Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani's, Noelle Dunphy, Adam Katz, –, Dunphy's, Justin Kelton, Giuliani's Organizations: Trump, Service

☆ Judge threatens to jail Hunter Biden for up to 6 months if he doesn't appear for questioning about his finances in his child support suit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Jennifer Cunningham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Lunden Roberts, the child's mom, accused him of mischaracterizing his wealth in a child support suit. A judge has ordered Biden to appear in court next month to answer Roberts' questions. Although he initially denied paternity, Biden said he has since paid Robert's more than $750,000 in support payments for her. Biden has asked a judge to reduce his $20,000-a-month child support payments, and not grant Robert's petition to change their daughter's last name to Biden. Neither Biden's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, nor Lancaster, Roberts' lawyer, returned Insider's requests for comment on Wednesday.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Lunden Roberts, Biden, Roberts, —, Holly Meyer, Clint Lancaster, Biden's, Meyer, Abbe Lowell Organizations: Service, Independence Locations: Arkansas, Batesville , Arkansas, Lancaster

☆ Elizabeth Holmes' ex-partner Sunny Balwani has already had 2 years taken off his prison sentence
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Jennifer Cunningham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Former Theranos exec Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani has had around two years shaved off of his federal prison sentence. He reported to prison in April for a nearly 13-year sentence, but his new release date is in 2034. Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani, Elizabeth Holmes' ex-boyfriend and the number 2 in charge at failed blood testing startup Theranos, has had some time shaved off of his nearly 13-year sentence for fraud and conspiracy, Insider has learned. But federal prison officials have reduced Balwani's sentence. In April, Balwani reported to prison at Terminal Island FCI, a minimum security federal facility just outside of Los Angeles.

Persons: Ramesh, Sunny, Balwani, Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos, Holmes, Rupert Murdoch, Insider's Sarah Jackson, Stephen Cazares Organizations: US Bureau of Prisons Locations: Los Angeles

☆ Rep. George Santos says he'd rather forfeit his $500,000 bond and go to jail than out the people who guaranteed the money: court docs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Jennifer Cunningham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. George Santos has asked a judge to keep the names of the people who guaranteed his half-million-dollar bond a secret. And if the judge mandates that his guarantors be identified, Santos said he'd forfeit his bond and remain jailed until his trial, according to court documents obtained by Insider. "A few hours later on Friday, June 2, 2023, I received a call wherein a male voice just shouted what sounded like, 'Who paid Santo's bond?' Last month, Judge Shields held a clandestine hearing with the bond guarantors, court filings show, and their names have not been revealed to the public. The judge has not yet ruled on whether or not to make the suretors' names public.

Persons: George Santos, Santos, he'd, —, Anne Shields, Joseph Murray, Murray, Judge Shields, Prosecutors Organizations: Service, United States House Locations: Santos

CNN —“Tobacco smoke harms children.” “Cigarettes cause leukemia.” “Poison in every puff.”Those are among the messages that will soon appear – in English and French – on cigarettes in Canada. The country announced Wednesday it will require health warnings to be printed directly on every individual cigarette – the first country in the world to do so. The labels on individual cigarettes will make it “virtually impossible” for smokers to avoid warnings, health officials said. The regulation is part of the country’s goal to drop its nationwide tobacco use to less than 5% by 2035. It will be accompanied by other measures aimed at reducing the number of smokers in the country, including the strengthening of health messages on tobacco product packages, health officials said.

Persons: ”, Canada’s, Rob Cunningham, Health Jean, Yves Duclos, “ Organizations: CNN, Tobacco, Canadian Cancer Society, Health Locations: Canada

☆ Hertz apologizes after refusing rental to Puerto Rican
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Maria Santana | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Hertz has apologized to a Puerto Rican customer after one of its employees refused to rent him a car he had paid for in advance because he did not show her his passport. Humberto Marchand said that he traveled to New Orleans last Wednesday and presented his Puerto Rican driver’s license at the Hertz counter at the Louie Armstrong International Airport. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States, and anyone born on the island is by law a US citizen. In a statement to CNN, Hertz (HTZ) said that the company accepts Puerto Rican driver’s licenses from customers renting in the United States without requiring a valid passport. It is not clear if Hertz took any disciplinary action against the employee, however, the company said that this employee, like all their employees, has been reminded of their longstanding policy related to Puerto Rican driver’s licenses.

☆ Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan Talk ‘Freaky Friday’ at 20
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Nadine Zylberberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

LINDSAY LOHAN When you get to work with such great actors, it really affects your performance. LOHAN As an 11-year-old, “The Parent Trap” [1998] felt so big to me. I put [the colorist] Tracy Cunningham through hell because I took my nice red hair and just bleached it. CURTIS We met in an office, did the read-through, and it was game on in a big way. If you look at “The Parent Trap,” she has a facility as an actor that is really impressive.

Europe's biggest low-cost carrier said it was placing a firm order for 150 of the largest version of Boeing's narrow-body jet family, known as the 737 MAX 10, with options for another 150. The deal delivers a boost to the 737 MAX, Boeing's best-selling jet whose deliveries have been depressed by a two-year safety crisis and post-COVID disruption. "Boeing wanted us to step up the scale and size of the order even to get the discounts that we [got]." Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun countered during a press conference that no premium was high enough for the jet, in a jovial back-and-forth. On Monday, Reuters first reported that Ryanair was close to a major deal for Boeing jets.

Ryanair said the order would allow it to almost double its traffic to 300 million passengers per year by March 2034 from the 168 million flown to the end of March this year. On Monday, Reuters first reported that Ryanair was close to a major deal for Boeing jets. But its boss pledged not to overpay for the 30 extra seats, telling Reuters in March he could also order more of the existing 200-seat 737 MAX 8200. Ryanair said the deal was worth $40 billion at list prices, though experts note typical discounts run at more than 50%. "Ryanair operates a 737 fleet and is pretty locked in," with Airbus (AIR.PA) sold out for years and China years away from being to supply the West, Agency Partners analyst Nick Cunningham said.

☆ Ryanair set to order jets from Boeing, burying hatchet after price spat
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, May 9 (Reuters) - Ireland's Ryanair (RYA.I) is set to bury the hatchet with its exclusive supplier and place a multi-billion-dollar order for Boeing jets on Wednesday, ending an 18-month spat over prices. Boeing (BA.N) said it would make a "major announcement" at 1300 GMT, but gave no further details. The 737 MAX sells for up to $131 million at list prices but typical discounts run at more than 50% and details of final pricing are confidential. But the bond between Ryanair and Boeing loosened following the pandemic as low-cost carriers expanded markets. But he has pledged not to overpay for the 30 extra seats, telling Reuters in March he was also looking at more orders of the 200-seat 737 MAX 8200.

☆ Employee Monitoring and Surveillance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +50 min

Ensuring Employee Safety and Systems SecurityEmployers may use electronic workplace monitoring and surveillance to protect their:Worksites. Potential Liability for Electronic Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceEmployers that engage in electronic workplace monitoring and surveillance must comply with various federal and state laws, including:The Wiretap Act. Best Practices for Electronic Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceTo avoid violating relevant state and federal laws, before conducting workplace monitoring and surveillance, employers should:Consider the purpose and appropriate scope of their monitoring and surveillance activities and what methods will help them achieve their objectives. Determine the Purpose of Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceBefore conducting any workplace monitoring or surveillance, best practice is for employers to identify the purpose and goals of these activities to:Ensure that there is a legitimate business purpose for the planned monitoring and surveillance activities. Determine the scope of monitoring and surveillance necessary to accomplish the business purpose, and conduct only the minimum monitoring and surveillance necessary to meet that business need.

☆ ‘Fatal Attraction’ Review: Not Another Potboiler
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Lizzy Caplan and Joshua Jackson Photo: Paramount+Adrian Lyne ’s steamy, scary, sordid “Fatal Attraction” was an era-defining film, a philanderer’s horror feature, an AIDS allegory and a palliative for those left reeling by campaigns for sexual equality. How were we supposed to read Glenn Close ’s Alex Forrest, after all, other than as the successful single woman as a knife-wielding monster, i.e., the end result of feminism? Fatal Attraction Begins Sunday, Paramount+It was a movie that got a lot more mileage out of controversy than quality, however, and while the new production of “Fatal Attraction” is part of a seemingly desperate effort by Paramount to remake its old theatrical titles for TV (“The Italian Job,” “Flashdance,” “The Parallax View”), co-developer and writer Alexandra Cunningham ’s first-rate reimagining is far more complex, engrossing and adult than the 1987 original. And it shows that there was much more to be mined out of James Dearden ’s Oscar-nominated screenplay than Mr. Lyne probably ever imagined.

April 26 (Reuters) - With more and more lawyers at major law firms using fast-advancing generative artificial intelligence tools, legal AI startup Harvey said Wednesday that it raised $21 million in fresh investor cash. Sequoia Capital, which is leading the Series A fundraising round, said more than 15,000 law firms are on a waiting list to start using Harvey. The company says it builds custom large language models for law firms. Technology companies and investors have rushed to embrace large language model-based generative AI since Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT debuted in November. Casetext in March released its AI legal assistant product, CoCounsel, which uses GPT-4 to speed up tasks like legal research, contract analysis and document review.

☆ ‘Fatal Attraction’ Review: Here’s Why She Did It
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Mike Hale | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

So Alexandra Cunningham (“Dirty John,” “Desperate Housewives”) and Kevin J. Hynes (“Perry Mason”), working with the film’s writer, James Dearden, have reimagined “Fatal Attraction” in myriad ways, none of which are erotic and few of which are thrilling. Dan is up for parole because in this new universe, he has served 15 years for the murder of his stalker, Alex Forrest (Lizzy Caplan). The temporal shifts also serve to educate both Dan and the audience about the noxious privilege and entitlement that precipitated his downfall. But apparently converting “Fatal Attraction” into a reasonably diverting crime drama wasn’t enough to remove the stain of the original. Ellen’s research leads her to reassess the behavior of her father’s murdered nemesis, and the greatest labor this “Fatal Attraction” takes on is its effort to turn Alex into an understandable, even sympathetic, character.

☆ Airbnb has descended on America's small cities. Now locals must decide how to contain it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

In cities both small and large, some locals are calling out short-term rentals for making housing more expensive. The same question is perplexing local governments and fueling impassioned locals to weigh in: What should we do about Airbnb-style, short-term rentals? Jacob Boomsma/Getty ImagesFor Bozeman Tenants United, it's simple math: Bozeman homes should be occupied by Bozeman residents first, before out-of-towners. Formed in 2020, Bozeman Tenants United surveyed Bozeman residents on the most pressing issues in local housing and landed on short-term rentals. Fire Thunder said the increase of short-term rentals and vacation-owned properties is just one harbinger of a concerning trend.

☆ Oakland Athletics signal impending move to Las Vegas with agreement to purchase land near strip, per reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Homero De La Fuente | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Oakland Athletics have signed a binding purchase agreement for land near the Las Vegas Strip, where the team plans to construct a Major League ballpark, according to reports from the Las Vegas Review-Journal and The Athletic, citing Athletics team president Dave Kaval. A general view of play between the Oakland Athletics and the Texas Rangers at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 6, 2020. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty ImagesMLB commissioner Rob Manfred expressed his support on the Athletics’ plans to relocate to Las Vegas. “Welcoming the A’s to Las Vegas would be great news for Southern Nevada as well as our entire state,” Lombardo said in a statement to the Review-Journal. “The prospect of bringing new jobs, more economic development and a historic MLB franchise to Las Vegas is exciting on many levels.

☆ Apple CEO Tim Cook to meet with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi following Mumbai store opening
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Seema Mody | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches slew of infrastructure projects from MMRDA Grounds, at Bandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra (East) on Jan. 19, 2023 in Mumbai, India. After opening a flagship store in Mumbai, CEO Tim Cook will travel to New Delhi to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. Apple's growth in India is widely seen as a success story by Modi and Indian officials. Flipkart and Amazon are dueling for the top spot in India's e-commerce market, and both face competition from newcomer Meesho. — CNBC's Steve Kovach contributed to this reportWATCH: Tim Cook visits India to open first Apple retail store

☆ The Military Recruitment Crisis Is a Symptom of Cultural Rot
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( David Mccormick | James Cunningham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

America’s cultural cancer manifests itself in many ways, but no symptom is more telling than our low military recruitment. Last year the Army hit only 75% of its recruiting target, while other services had to scramble to meet theirs. The all-volunteer force, formed 50 years ago, is in peril and threatens our ability to defend ourselves in a dangerous world. A volunteer military requires able-bodied recruits, but 77% of young Americans would be unfit to serve for health reasons. Every year, fentanyl and other drugs take more than 106,000 lives and affect millions more, reducing the pool of recruits.

Companies Tesla Inc FollowApril 14 (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators have written to Elon Musk, Tesla Inc's chief executive, questioning him about the sharing by employees of sensitive images recorded by cameras in customers' vehicles. The recordings included a child struck by a Tesla vehicle while riding a bicycle and a man approaching a car completely naked, according to former Tesla employees. Reuters had reported that seven former Tesla employees had said they could view camera recordings' map locations — and potentially see where a Tesla owner lived. Following last week's Reuters report, a California Tesla owner filed a prospective class-action lawsuit in San Francisco, accusing the company of violating customers' privacy. It alleged that Tesla employees accessed customer data for "tasteless and tortious entertainment" and "the humiliation of those surreptitiously recorded."

LLANO, Texas, April 13 (Reuters) - A rural Texas county's public libraries will remain open while a court battle continues over whether local officials can remove books deemed inappropriate, commissioners decided on Thursday. "Does Llano, Texas, want to be known as the town that closed the public library?" No state bans more books than Texas, according to PEN America. "Public libraries are not meant to serve particular ideological factions," said Kasey Meehan, who directs the "Freedom to Read" project of PEN America. Reporting by Evan Garcia in Llano, Texas, and Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; editing by Donna Bryson and Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'Human-grade' dog food is on the rise, as pet owners ditch traditional kibble in favor of high-end brands promising health benefits
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Pet owners are giving up typical kibble for food that more closely matches a human diet. According to a new report from The New York Times, pet owners are giving up dry food, and in many cases even canned food, in favor of nourishment that more closely resembles a human diet. Companies like The Farmer's Dog and Ollie have led the charge, marketing high-end dog food to pet owners and calling it "human-grade," according to the Times. But in the eyes of some pet experts, the new trend is little more than a gimmick looking to disrupt an industry where pet food has been tested by decades of use and research. Still, for many pet owners, human-grade food seems like a strong option to keep their dogs healthy, and show that they care about their pets' health and diet.

☆ Explainer: How are money market funds preparing for a potential debt ceiling crisis?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( John Mccrank | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

HOW BIG ARE MONEY MARKET FUNDS? Assets under management in U.S. money market funds, which include Treasury-only funds, prime funds, and government funds, totaled a record $5.2 trillion as of March 29, Investment Company Institute data showed. WHY IS THE DEBT CEILING A CONCERN FOR MONEY MARKET FUNDS? Fitch Ratings warned in February that the potential for investor redemptions and volatility in Treasury-only money market funds – as opposed to prime and government money market funds, which have other sources of funding – would rise if investors believed the government were to default. Runs on money market funds have been rare.

To report this story, Reuters contacted more than 300 former Tesla employees who had worked at the company over the past nine years and were involved in developing its self-driving system. The company requires car owners to grant permission on the cars’ touchscreens before Tesla collects their vehicles’ data. Reuters found that Tesla employees shared clips that captured sensitive and embarrassing personal moments. Tesla’s own data labelers initially worked in the San Francisco Bay area, including the office in San Mateo. According to several ex-employees, some labelers shared screenshots, sometimes marked up using Adobe Photoshop, in private group chats on Mattermost, Tesla’s internal messaging system.

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