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☆ ProPublica: GOP megadonor paid private school tuition for grandnephew of Justice Clarence Thomas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A Texas billionaire and GOP megadonor paid boarding school tuition for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ grandnephew, and the justice did not report the financial assistance for the child he helped raised on his annual disclosures, according to a new ProPublica report – the latest revelation raising ethical questions around the high court. The ProPublica report on Thursday revealed that the billionaire Harlan Crow paid tuition for Mark Martin, who lived with Thomas’ family as a child and for whom the justice became a legal guardian. ProPublica cited a 2009 bank statement and an interview with a former administrator at the Georgia boarding school Martin attended. The former administrator at the school, Hidden Lake Academy, told ProPublica that Crow paid for Martin’s tuition for the year or so Martin was at the boarding school. The administrator said, according to ProPublica, that he had been told by Crow that Crow also paid for Martin’s tuition at another school, the Randolph-Macon Academy in Virginia, which is Crow’s alma mater.

☆ Top Senate Democrats push for new ethics rules in wake of Clarence Thomas report as Republicans defend justice
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Manu Raju | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Plus some Democrats on the panel, like Sen. Dick Blumenthal, want to go much further than Durbin in the Thomas probe – exposing divisions within the ranks. “I hope that Chief Justice Roberts reads his story this morning and understands something has to be done,” Durbin told CNN. “The reputation of the Supreme Court is at stake here. “The drip, drip, drip of these destructive disclosures is going to destroy the United States Supreme Court unless there is an effective proper investigation,” he said. “The court is responsible for their own guidelines in that regard,” Romney told CNN.

☆ Judge Rejects Montana Transgender Lawmaker’s Bid to Return to House Floor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rep. Zooey Zephyr at a House Judiciary Committee meeting in the Montana State Capitol on Monday. Photo: Thom Bridge/Independent Record/Associated PressMontana Rep. Zooey Zephyr cannot return to the state Legislature, a judge ruled, after the transgender lawmaker’s Republican colleagues barred her from participating in floor debates over her actions against a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors, which they said broke decorum. Judge Mike Menahan, of Montana’s First Judicial District Court, on Tuesday denied a request to temporarily block officials from keeping Ms. Zephyr off the House floor for the remainder of this session, which is scheduled to end Friday. Judge Menahan said the request would require the court “to interfere with legislative authority in a manner that exceeds this Court’s authority.”

☆ Doja Cat and Jared Leto dressed like Choupette the cat for the Met Gala
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld’s beloved cat, Choupette, did not make an appearance at the Met Gala, despite the event’s theme honoring her late owner. Doja Cat and Jared Leto both channeled the blue cream Birman with their Met Gala looks, transforming into Choupette in a mishmash of camp, couture and cat. The Grammy-winning rapper wore a silvery hooded Oscar de la Renta gown — complete with cat ears — along with feline facial prosthetics and sharpened talons on her nails. Choupette, 11, was expected by many to attend this year’s event given how important she was to Lagerfeld, who died in 2019. But she opted to “stay peacefully and cozy at home,” her agents said Monday, rather than hog the spotlight at the Met.

☆ 17 Looks That Did the Most at the Met Gala
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( The Styles Desk | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The guest list for the first Monday in May, as the Met Gala is also known, serves as a Rorschach test for whom Anna Wintour deems important, circa now. Many guests wore black and white or suits and gowns embellished with pearls or flowers — favorite motifs of Mr. Lagerfeld. Doja Cat and Jared Leto each paid homage to Choupette, Mr. Lagerfeld’s feline friend. There were many wonderful dresses that paid respect to Mr. Lagerfeld’s legacy — in fact, there were too many to name. So here’s a reminder: The looks that follow did the most at the Met Gala — not necessarily the best, not necessarily the worst, just the most.

☆ 2023 Met Gala: Red Carpet Roundup
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( The Styles Desk | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The worlds of celebrity, fashion, politics, sports, business and art collide at the Met Gala, always held on the first Monday in May. The invitees posed, giving the crowds and cameras angle after angle for prime gawking. Mr. Leto wasn’t the only one who deconstructed an outfit. Janelle Monáe’s Thom Browne hoop skirt transformed into a sequined bikini. And Lil Nas X didn’t have much to take off, having arrived in full silver body paint, bejeweled thong and an elaborate mask.

☆ Montana Transgender Lawmaker Barred From House Floor
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Talal Ansari | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rep. Zooey Zephyr walks out of the Montana House of Representatives after lawmakers voted to bar her on Wednesday. Photo: Thom Bridge/Independent Record/Associated PressMontana’s House of Representatives voted to bar a transgender Democratic lawmaker from participating in debate from the legislature floor a week after she spoke out against a bill that would ban gender-affirming therapies for minors. The Republican-controlled legislature on Wednesday voted 68-32 to no longer admit Zooey Zephyr to the House floor for the rest of the session. She will be able to vote remotely.

☆ TikTok Ban in Montana Faces Speed Bump as Governor Seeks Changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Meghan Bobrowsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte previously banned TikTok on all government-issued devices. Photo: Thom Bridge/Associated PressMontana’s governor is asking legislators to make changes to a bill that would be the first in the U.S. to ban TikTok outright, according to a draft of the amended bill language viewed by The Wall Street Journal. The changes would broaden the ban from applying specifically to TikTok, which is owned by China-based ByteDance Ltd., and cover social-media applications that provide certain data to foreign adversaries, according to the proposed bill language.

☆ Biden should sanction Huawei Cloud, other Chinese firms -senators
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, April 25 (Reuters) - A group of nine Republican senators on Tuesday urged the Biden administration to impose sanctions on Huawei Cloud and other Chinese cloud service providers, citing national security concerns, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The senators said Huawei Cloud launched its "Sky Computing Constellation" in co-sponsorship with Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute also known as "Spacety China" in 2021. Alibaba Cloud, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (9988.HK), did not immediately comment. Reuters reported in January 2022 that the Biden administration was reviewing the cloud business of e-commerce giant Alibaba to determine whether it poses a risk to U.S. national security. The letter said the Biden administration should consider further investigation or actions against China’s other cloud service providers including Baidu Cloud and Tencent Cloud which may impact U.S. national security.

Trademark Office to reject a Black Lives Matter application for a trademark featuring three parallel stripes. "Adidas will withdraw its opposition to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation's trademark application as soon as possible," the company said in a statement. The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is the most prominent entity in the decentralized Black Lives Matter movement, which arose a decade ago in protest against police violence against Black people. Representatives of the Black Lives Matter group did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. A jury in that case decided in January that Thom Browne's stripe patterns did not violate Adidas' trademark rights.

☆ Black Lives Matter dodges Adidas legal battle, but other brands using striped logos remain targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Danni Santana | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Adidas has retracted its notice of opposition against Black Lives Matter trademarking its logo. But BLM's stripes are yellow as opposed to Adidas' black and white branding. In the notice of opposition, Adidas went into great detail about its 70-year history using the three-stripe mark in collaborating with artists and athletes. An Adidas spokesperson told Insider that it will withdraw its opposition to BLM registering its trademark "as soon as possible." Adidas has at least five pending cases involving its three stripes logo against companies like Elite Custom Wear, Equicor LLC, and Sol Echo.

Trademark Office to reject an application for a Black Lives Matter trademark featuring three parallel stripes, arguing it could mislead the public. Adidas told the office in a Monday filing that Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation Inc's yellow-stripe design would create confusion with its own famous three-stripe mark. Representatives for the Black Lives Matter group did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is the most prominent entity in the decentralized Black Lives Matter movement, which arose a decade ago to protest police violence against Black people. The Trademark Office gave the Black Lives Matter group until May 6 to answer.

WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - Democratic and Republican U.S. senators urged the Biden administration on Friday to share information with the International Criminal Court that could assist as it pursues war crimes charges against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last week, the court issued an arrest warrant for Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. The legal move will obligate the court's 123 member states to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their territory. Although the United States is not a party to the ICC, Biden said last week that Putin has clearly committed war crimes, adding that the ICC warrant was justified. Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Liz Cheney blasts DeSantis over his comments about Russia's invasion of Ukraine: 'Weakness is Putin's greatest weapon'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The governor told Tucker Carlson in a statement that the war should not be a priority for the US. "This is not 'a territorial dispute,'" Cheney said in a statement to The New York Times. Ron DeSantis in a statement Tuesday, saying the Governor was "wrong" for his comments on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "Weakness is provocative and American officials who advocate this type of weakness are Putin's greatest weapon. Abandoning Ukraine would make broader conflict, including with China and other American adversaries, more likely," Cheney said in the statement to the Times.

☆ Mitch McConnell slams Fox News — but spares Kevin McCarthy — over Tucker Carlson's depiction of January 6 footage
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mitch McConnell slammed Fox News for airing Tucker Carlson's misleading portrayal of January 6. He held up a letter from the Capitol Police chief calling the depiction "offensive and misleading." But he notably declined to fault House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for handing over the footage. At the top of his weekly press conference at the Capitol, McConnell produced a print-out of an internal letter from US Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manager describing the footage as "offensive and misleading." But he later declined to criticize House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for handing over 40,000 hours of footage to Carlson in the first place.

In North Carolina, party activists are seeking to punish Republican Senator Thom Tillis for his support for same-sex marriage rights. North Carolina State Representative Mark Brody, who supports censuring Sen. Tillis, says it is better to address differences directly. Law, who served as a senior member of Trump's 2016 and 2020 campaigns in Nevada, and the county party did not respond to requests for comment. Although Tillis retains support among the party establishment, Jim Womack, a county party chair, says the Senator’s critics are gaining strength. “The North Carolina Republican party will eventually be decentralized to the point where the grassroots will actually run the party,” Womack said.

☆ A growing group of lawmakers think TikTok is 'digital fentanyl' and want to ban it. Many others remain skeptical.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Some members of Congress have begun pushing to ban TikTok in the US. "I'm a little less enthusiastic about an all-out ban of it," said Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota. "I'm an incrementalist on a lot of things, and I would be on this as well," said Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on social media and the internet's impact on children. Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, another committee member, said she's most concerned about how social media platforms are impacting kids.

☆ The wedding boom is winding down but inflation is still driving up the cost to say 'I do'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The explosive wedding boom seen last year is winding down, but the average cost of nuptials is still going up, according to new data from Zola. Couples will shell out an average of $29,000 this year to say "I do" – up from $28,000 last year, the digital wedding planning platform found. The expected jump is in large part because of the rising, inflationary costs that vendors are facing, the company said. Catering costs and other labor-intensive services are a particular pain point, Thom said, as vendors raise wages to support workers. "Florals or installations or anything that's really decor-heavy that requires extra labor on site, those costs are rising dramatically," she said.

☆ New York Fashion Week: social media, economy could influence trends
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Alicia Powell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A model presents a creation from the Michael Kors spring summer 2023 collection during New York Fashion Week in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 14, 2022. REUTERS/Caitlin OchsNEW YORK, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Big brands and emerging labels will present their new collections at New York Fashion Week, which kicks off on Friday, seeking to entice trend-followers with their latest creations and perhaps some viral moments. At a time when social media is opening up once-exclusive catwalk shows to fashion followers around the world, brands will be seeking to stand out and create plenty of buzz. Solá-Santiago said she expected to see a Y2K revival and the continued resurgence of nightlife attire as well as designers looking to social media trends for inspiration. “There's a lot of niche TikTok aesthetics that are really emerging like #Cottagecore #Regencycore, #Balletcore," she said.

☆ Republicans are mostly ignoring a $9.4 million sexual assault lawsuit against the Trump-aligned head of CPAC
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

A GOP staffer accused CPAC head Matt Schlapp of sexually assaulting him, filing a $9.4 million lawsuit. A screenshot of the staffer's texts with Matt Schlapp on the morning after the assault on October 20, 2022. "I had a private life before Matt Schlapp, and I want to have that life post-Matt Schlapp," he said. "Those are simply allegations, and I'm not going to comment on them," said Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee. "All matters pertaining to CPAC, I leave to CPAC internally," he said when asked if Matt Schlapp should remain atop the organization.

☆ Meet Thom Browne, the stripe-obsessed designer who took on Adidas and won
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Danni Santana | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Thom Browne defeated Adidas in court this month over its right to use its four stripe design. Adidas sought roughly $7.8 million in damages — equivalent to the amount Adidas believed it would have earned through a licensing agreement with Thom Browne and profits Thom Browne made off the parallel stripe designs. Fashion Designer Thom Browne arrives at Manhattan Federal Court on January 03, 2023. Thom Browne made $285 million in 2021 revenue compared to $23 billion for Adidas, according to the New York Times report. By then, Thom Browne was dressing sports teams like the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and European soccer club FC Barcelona for pregame appearances.

☆ Judge in FTX bankruptcy case rejects motion to remove elite NYC lawyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —One of America’s elite white-collar law firms has emerged as a contentious figure in the complex FTX saga. A judge ruled that the bankrupt crypto platform could retain Sullivan & Cromwell as legal counsel, overruling objections from FTX customers who accused the firm of conflicts of interest. Then FTX’s former top lawyer supported the motion in a court filing, which included additional allegations that one of his former colleagues improperly funneled FTX business to Sullivan & Cromwell. Friedberg alleged that that lawyer funneled business to Sullivan & Cromwell, hoping to curry favor with the firm to which he hoped to eventually return. Earlier this month, a group of US senators also raised objections to Sullivan & Cromwell’s participation in the FTX bankruptcy.

☆ China's private sector is the 'key engine of innovation,' says investment firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailChina's private sector is the 'key engine of innovation,' says investment firmJames Thom of Abrdn discusses China's plan to launch a state-owned ride-hailing app, and weighs in on whether the state poses a threat to private companies.

Thom Browne had argued that, among other things, its designs have a different number of stripes. A spokesperson for Thom Browne Inc said the company was pleased with the verdict. Adidas sued New York designer Thom Browne's brand in 2021, claiming Thom Browne's four-bar and "Grosgrain" stripe patterns on its shoes and high-end activewear violated its three-stripe trademark rights. Thom Browne previously used a three-bar design on its clothing, changing it to the four-stripe design after Adidas objected in 2007. It also requested a court order stopping Thom Browne from using the designs.

☆ Adidas just lost a legal battle with designer Thom Browne over whether it's OK to sell products with stripes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Matthew Kish | Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Thom Browne prevailed in a trademark lawsuit filed by Adidas. In 2021, Adidas sued Thom Browne and alleged its designs infringed on Adidas trademarks, specifically how the German sportswear company uses stripes. Founder Thom Browne arrived at the courthouse last week wearing a shorts suit and a sock with four stripes. "The notion of Thom Browne wanting to trade on the reputation of Adidas offends him. A Thom Browne spokesman didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.

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