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☆ Biafran separatist leader's brother loses London court challenge against UK
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 23 (Reuters) - Jailed Biafran separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu's family lost a legal challenge against the British government in a London court on Thursday over his continuing detention in Nigeria. Kingsley Kanu's lawyers argued that the Foreign Office should reach a concluded view on whether his brother was the victim of extraordinary rendition in order to properly assess what steps to take to assist Kanu. Nigeria's Court of Appeal also dropped seven terrorism charges against Kanu, who remains in detention pending an appeal against that decision by the Nigerian government. Britain's Foreign Office and Kingsley Kanu's lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Authorities view IPOB as a terrorist group and banned it in 2017.

☆ Trump mocks calls for his supporters to stay 'peaceful' and falsely claims that 'this is the Gestapo' in all-caps rant
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump ripped into the Manhattan DA in an all-caps Truth Social rant Thursday. He also appeared to mock calls for his supporters to remain "peaceful" as he stares in the face of a potential indictment. Trump continued, falsely claiming that "THIS IS NO LEGAL SYSTEM, THIS IS THE GESTAPO, THIS IS RUSSIA AND CHINA, BUT WORSE. The former president, who over the weekend called on his followers to "protest" and "take our nation back," also mocked calls for his supporters to stay civil and peaceful. In one infamous December 2020 tweet, Trump told his supporters to converge on the Capitol to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election.

☆ Who is Alvin Bragg? What to know about the Manhattan district attorney investigating Trump.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Michelle Mark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is leading the Trump investigation into Stormy Daniels' hush money payoff. He led the New York attorney general's successful 2018 lawsuit against the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which paid $2 million in court-ordered damages for illegally misusing charitable funds. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks at a press conference after the sentencing hearing of the Trump Organization at the New York Supreme Court in New York City. Bragg is highly controversial for his approach to crimeBeyond the ongoing Trump investigation, Bragg has been harshly criticized for being too lenient while the city struggles with rising crime. Bragg's stance provoked instant blowback in New York City and in conservative media.

☆ Trump is 'sad' not 'scared,' his lawyer says of looming indictment threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

President Donald Trump as he leaves the White House for a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, in Washington D.C on May 29th, 2018. Former President Donald Trump is "sad" but not afraid about the possibility of being criminally charged in New York City over a hush money payment to a porn star, one of his lawyers said Tuesday. "No, he's not scared," said the attorney Alina Habba, after she left an unrelated civil Manhattan Supreme Court hearing for the New York Attorney General Office's $250 million fraud lawsuit against Trump, NBC News reported. Asked what Trump's state of mind has been in recent days, Habba said, "He's sad [about] what's going on." Trump in a social media post over the weekend said he expected to be arrested Tuesday on an indictment in the criminal probe by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

[1/2] A J.P. Morgan logo is seen outside the JPMorgan bank offices in Paris, France, January 27, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah MeyssonnierNEW YORK, March 20 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge said on Monday JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Deutsche Bank AG (DBKGn.DE) must face lawsuits accusing them of enabling Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking. Rakoff's decision gives the plaintiffs a chance to prove that JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank knowingly benefited from involvement in Epstein's sex trafficking. Epstein had been a client of JPMorgan from 2000 to 2013, and Deutsche Bank from 2013 to 2018. The cases in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York are: Jane Doe 1 v Deutsche Bank AG et al, No.

☆ House Republicans are rallying to Trump's defense, but they're unlikely to be able to stop a possible indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

House Republicans are demanding documents and testimony from Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. It's the latest major step the GOP-led House has taken to defend Trump as he faces a possible criminal indictment. And without the backing of the Justice Department, it's unclear what consequences, if any, Congress can impose on Bragg's office. Yet while the lawmakers may have made valid criticisms, former Trump White House attorney Ty Cobb said, the letter is "bad form." Monday's letter also comes after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pledged to subject Bragg's office to congressional investigations in anticipation of a possible Trump indictment.

☆ College acceptance and financial aid letters are going out — how to understand your offers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

watch nowUnderstanding the college financial aid letterOne of the first things to understand when assessing aid letters is the formula colleges use to come up with the expected family contribution. Kalman Chany financial aid consultantFurther, not all colleges include both direct and indirect expenses in the total "cost of attendance." As a rule of thumb, add an extra $4,000 for those indirect costs if they are not included in the aid offer, Chany said. Differentiate free vs. borrowed moneyIn most award letters, there are often several financial aid options, including grants, scholarships, work-study opportunities and student loans. If your circumstances are now different, that should be brought to the financial aid office's attention with documentation.

☆ Trump will surrender to authorities if he's indicted, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Trump will surrender to authorities if he's indicted, his lawyer said. "We will follow normal procedure if it gets to that point," Joe Tacopina told Insider. Questions have swirled about whether Trump, who famously refused to acknowledge his 2020 election loss, would resist coming to Manhattan to face charges. Experts see little upside to attempting to fight extradition from Florida, however, and defendants in white-collar cases are normally afforded the right to self-surrender to authorities at the Manhattan DA's downtown headquarters, where fingerprints are taken and mugshots snapped. Tacopina told Insider that as of late Friday afternoon, the defense has not had any indication that an indictment has been voted and filed.

Copyright Office issued new guidance on Wednesday to clarify when artistic works created with the help of artificial intelligence are copyright eligible. "The answer will depend on the circumstances, particularly how the AI tool operates and how it was used to create the final work," the office said. Generative AI systems like Midjourney, ChatGPT and DALL-E, which create text and images in response to human instructions, have recently skyrocketed in popularity. The office reiterated Wednesday that copyright protection depends on the amount of human creativity involved, and that the most popular AI systems likely do not create copyrightable work. The office also said that copyright applicants must disclose when their work includes AI-created material, and that previously filed applications that do not disclose AI's role must be corrected.

☆ 'Guys I lied on my resume': Social media managers are pleading with TikTok viewers to help save their jobs and it's working
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Both videos were posted by social media managers claiming to need views to stay out of trouble with their boss. Clancy's Auto Body Shop in the Fort Lauderdale area has amassed a 224,000 following since posting its first TikTok video in February. The clip was made by the business' social media manager Joel Velazquez, and has over 24 million views as of Friday. Velazquez's on-screen caption read: "Guys I lied on my resume, and got a job doing the social media of this body shop, please blow this up so I don't get fired." According to the clip, her boss asked to see the metrics of the business TikTok account at an upcoming meeting, but Claire had just created the account only 12 hours before.

☆ Threats towards women deter political involvement - UN
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Dina Kartit | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 8 (Reuters) - Violence and threats towards women still act as a deterrent to their involvement in politics, the U.N. gender equality organisation said, despite more women holding office. Data showed that the number of women in political leadership posts, both in government and in parliament, has improved overall, though, some regions such as the Middle East and North Africa lagged far behind. "Full democracy needs the equal participation of women in all its processes," the U.N. body added in its report on Tuesday, ahead of International Women's Day. The organisation's data also showed the global average number of women in national parliaments had inched up to 26.5% as of Jan 1., from 25.5% a year ago. The region grouping the Middle East and North Africa remained at the bottom of the regional ranking with fewer than 18% of female members of parliament, the U.N. Women's data showed.

☆ Myanmar military has caused 'perpetual human rights crisis', UN report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, March 3 (Reuters) - A report published by the United Nations on Friday accused Myanmar's military of creating "a perpetual human rights crisis" in the southeast Asian country and called for an immediate end to violence there. "The military, emboldened by continuous and absolute impunity, has consistently shown disregard for international obligations and principles," the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said in a statement. James Rodehaver, chief of the U.N. Human Rights Office's Myanmar team, said that armed clashes were occurring in about 77% of the country. In its recommendations, the report called on authorities in Myanmar to end the violence and stop persecuting opponents. "Military operations must stop to provide room for dialogue that could end this crisis," the report said.

☆ AOC blamed a campaign staffer for failing to pay for thousands of dollars in Met Gala goodies until after ethics investigators got involved
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blamed a campaign staffer for not paying Met Gala invoices on time. Her office only paid for the rented dress and accessories after the Office of Congressional Ethics asked about them. The staffer, who is no longer employed by AOC, acknowledged responsibility, saying "it fell off my radar." The ethics office's investigators found that AOC's office didn't pay bills for the rentals and services until after the investigators asked about it. According to the interviews, the AOC staffer acknowledged responsibility, saying the unpaid invoices "fell off my radar."

☆ Florida's DeSantis presses prosecutor over suspect in fatal shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during his 2022 U.S. midterm elections night party in Tampa, Florida, U.S., November 8, 2022. DeSantis, widely thought to be weighing a 2024 presidential campaign, has been accelerating efforts to build his national profile. In August, DeSantis suspended a state's attorney in Hillsborough County who had pledged not to bring criminal cases against people seeking or providing abortions. The letter noted that Moses was arrested in 2021 for possession of cannabis, but Worrell's office did not pursue charges against him. DeSantis' office is seeking from Worrell's office all documents and information regarding Moses, adjudication of his previous cases and his lengthy criminal record.

☆ How the Supreme Court may approach Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Tuesday on Biden's student-loan relief plan. Supporters say the relief is lawful, while opponents say Biden's policy is unconstitutional. The states claim that MOHELA will lose revenue from servicing loans because of Biden's relief. Concerning the constitutionality of Biden's plan, advocates on both sides say they feel confident their respective views will prevail at the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decisions by June.

☆ 3 strategies can get you more financial aid for college
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Apply for financial aidIn ordinary years, high school graduates miss out on billions in federal grants because they don't apply for financial aid. Even now, many families haven't applied for financial aid. Financial aid is determined by income information that is not necessarily up to date. If your circumstances are now different, that should be brought to the financial aid office's attention with documentation. If the financial aid package from another comparable school was better, that is also worth documenting in an appeal.

☆ Shamima Begum, British-born woman who joined IS, loses appeal over citizenship removal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The British government took away Shamima Begum's citizenship on national security grounds in 2019, shortly after she was found in a detention camp in Syria. Begum would have to take the case directly to the Court of Appeal in London if she wishes to challenge Wednesday's decision, according to legislation which covers the tribunal. Begum, who is currently being held in the al-Roj detention camp in north-eastern Syria, argued that the Home Office failed to investigate whether she was a "child victim of trafficking". Judge Robert Jay found there was a "credible suspicion" that Begum was trafficked to Syria for the purposes of "sexual exploitation". But the judge ruled that a finding that Begum may have been trafficked was not enough for her appeal to succeed.

☆ CBO Director Phillip Swagel: There's broad consensus in Congress to tackle budget concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | 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 EmailCBO Director Phillip Swagel: There's broad consensus in Congress to tackle budget concernsPhill Swagel, the director of The Nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the Congressional Budget Office's debt warning, the potential for the U.S. to default on its debt, and rising interest payments challenging the U.S. budget window.

☆ Rep. George Santos' press secretary said she fields endless angry calls, gets dirty looks on the Hill, but still thinks her boss is a 'borderline genius'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Insider interviewed Rep. George Santos' 24-year-old press secretary, Gabrielle Lipsky. The scandal-ridden lawmaker is facing calls to resign, but Lipsky still thinks he's a "borderline genius." Compared to Gabrielle Lipsky, the 24-year-old press secretary for embattled congressman George Santos, we probably have it easy. Being the press secretary for a member of Congress was always likely to involve long hours, challenging work, and lots of stress. Despite all this, Lipsky says that working for Santos, who she claims is a "borderline genius," is an invaluable learning experience.

☆ The return of El Nino could make the world even hotter — endangering a critical climate threshold
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The El Nino Southern Oscillation system is composed of El Nino and La Nina — two opposite states of fluctuation in the Earth's climate system, which can have significant consequences on weather, wildfires, ecosystems and economies across the world. An El Nino event is declared when sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise 0.5 degrees Celsius above the long-term average. The warmest year ever recorded, 2016, started off with a powerful El Nino that helped to boost global temperatures. This lagged effect is why forecasters believe 2024 could be the first year that humanity surpasses 1.5 degrees Celsius. Weather conditions are likely to be drier than average in Indonesia during an El Nino event as rainfall moves out to the Pacific Ocean.

☆ Exclusive: The FBI's McGonigal labyrinth
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +28 min

She never saw McGonigal pay. "The notion that Mr. Deripaska is some proxy for the Russian state is a blatant lie," Ruben Bunyatyan, a spokesperson for Deripaska, told Insider by email. McGonigal was not charged with espionage, and although there is currently no evidence that McGonigal committed espionage, an FBI source told Insider that the investigation is ongoing. At the FBI, McGonigal racked up a string of big cases and promotions. "He said he needed to make more money," Guerriero told Insider.

☆ The Manhattan DA was skeptical about using Michael Cohen to testify against Trump. He's now helping the office investigate the ex-president's hush-money scandal.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg was reportedly skeptical about using Michael Cohen in a criminal case against Trump. Cohen — a former vice president of the Trump Organization and personal lawyer for the ex-president — has his own criminal history. Pomerantz was hired by Bragg's predecessor Cyrus Vance Jr. A legendary defense attorney and former prosecutor, he returned to law enforcement solely for the Trump investigation. Weisselberg pleaded guilty to the fraud charges, and the Trump Organization was convicted at trial late last year. Weisselberg is under pressure to cooperate in the DA's Trump investigation or he could face more charges, the Times reported this week.

☆ Amazon cited by Labor Department for second time in a month over warehouse injuries
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Federal safety inspectors on Wednesday issued citations against Amazon at three of its warehouses for putting workers at risk of serious injury, the second such penalty in a month. The move comes after OSHA last month cited Amazon for failing to keep workers safe at three other facilities. "Amazon's operating methods are creating hazardous work conditions and processes, leading to serious worker injuries," said Doug Parker, assistant secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, in a statement. Amazon also faces a separate investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office's civil division that centers around worker safety hazards at the e-retailer's facilities nationwide. As part of the probe, investigators are also looking into whether Amazon has accurately reported worker injuries and if it misrepresented those injuries to lenders to obtain credit.

☆ New York attorney general calls for new sanctions against Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Jan 31 (Reuters) - New York's attorney general on Tuesday asked a judge to sanction former U.S. President Donald Trump, his adult children, the Trump Organization and their lawyers over their responses to her $250 million civil fraud lawsuit against them. Lawyers for the Trump defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who announced a third run for the presidency in 2024, hosts a New Year's Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. December 31, 2022. James asked for sanctions on the same day new video from her office's Aug. 10 deposition of Donald Trump showed the former president repeatedly refusing to answer questions, citing his right against self-incrimination under the U.S. Constitution. "This is a vindictive and self-serving fishing expedition, the likes of which this country has perhaps never seen before," Trump said.

☆ New York AG will seek sanctions on Trump, lawyers over 'false' court filings in fraud suit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Former US President Donald Trump addresses the crowd during a 2024 election campaign event in Columbia, South Carolina, on January 28, 2023. James is suing Trump, the Trump Organization , three of his adult children — Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump — and others for what she said was widespread fraud involving false financial statements and improper valuation of real estate assets . Trump and the other defendants last week responded to the lawsuit with a court filing that contained so-called verified answers to the allegations. One would be the judge assuming that Trump had effectively admitted the allegations that he and his co-defendants had improperly denied. Wallace pointed to the Trump defendants' denial in James' lawsuit that Trump remained the inactive president of the Trump Organization while serving in the White House.

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