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☆ DeSantis accused of violating campaign finance laws by watchdog group
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

DeSantis and his state PAC are being accused of violating campaign finance laws in a new FEC complaint. The group cites reports that they directed or transfered more than $80 million to a super PAC. Ron DeSantis and his state political action committee allegedly violated federal campaign finance laws by directing or transferring more than $80 million to a federal super PAC, Never Back Down, the nonpartisan watchdog group Campaign Legal Center says in a new complaint. "Soft money undermines federal campaign finance laws because it is, by definition, money raised and spent outside the scope of those laws," Saurav Ghosh, the Center's director of federal campaign finance reform, said in a statement. Never Back Down is a federal super PAC that raises unlimited funds to make independent expenditures.

Persons: DeSantis, —, Ron DeSantis, Saurav Ghosh, Ron DeSantis — Organizations: PAC, Service, Gov, federal, Federal, DeSantis Locations: Florida

☆ A Harvard-trained psychologist shares 7 books for a happy and fulfilling life
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The right book can fuel personal growth and help lead you to a happier life. Thema Bryant, president of the American Psychological Association and a professor of psychology at Pepperdine University, says there are a handful of books that have helped her address past trauma, fine-tune her self-care regimen, and conjure more compassion for herself and others. "I like to highlight key passages to read and reflect again," says Bryant, who did her postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical Center's Victims of Violence Program. "Because we change over time, we can gain new insights when we read them again." Here are seven books she recommends for those who want to create a happy, fulfilling life for themselves.

☆ Twitter's top users are posting less since Musk takeover last year, Pew Survey shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Twitter's power users are still coming to the app, but fewer are posting on it since Elon Musk's acquisition late last year, according to a survey from Pew Research Center. The new data underscore the challenges facing Twitter's incoming CEO, Linda Yaccarino, who will replace Musk. The Pew survey also showed most of Twitter's content is produced by a small group of power users. "Since Musk's acquisition, 20% of U.S. adults on the site have produced 98% of all tweets by this group," the survey said. Watch: Elon Musk on Twitter's new CEO

☆ A conservative group just asked a federal court to end the student-loan payment pause immediately — partly because 'some junior associates at major law firms saw their six-figure salaries increase' du
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Conservative nonprofit Mackinac Center asked a federal court to immediately end the student-loan payment pause on Thursday. The ongoing payment pause is currently set to end this summer. In April, the group filed its initial lawsuit against the Education Department to end the pause and prevent a further extension. Additionally, in Thursday's complaint, the group claimed that not every student-loan borrower required the relief the payment pause brought. Nationwide debt relief that fails to distinguish between the two groups provides an unlawful windfall to the latter.

☆ What Chile's state-led lithium policy means for the future of the electric vehicle industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Katie Brigham | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The only two lithium companies currently operating in Chile are North Carolina-based Albemarle , the largest lithium producer in the world, and SQM , the No. Chile's lithium is of particular strategic importance to the U.S., which has a free trade agreement with the country but not with neighboring Argentina. The plan calls for the creation of a national lithium company to partner with all private businesses looking to enter the sector. Bags of battery-grade lithium carbonate at La Negra, Albemarle's lithium processing plant near Antofagasta, Chile. Lenny-Pessagno told CNBC in January that Albemarle supports the creation of a state-owned lithium company.

So far this year, super PACs have spent more than $12 million, about three times as much as four years earlier, according to public disclosures. The outlays suggest an aggressive cycle ahead for spending by super PACs, who helped drive about $1 billion in independent spending in the 2020 presidential contest. TRANSFERS QUESTIONEDRegistered as a super PAC, MAGA Inc is allowed to raise and spend unlimited sums supporting candidates as long as it doesn't coordinate spending with their campaigns. Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, dismissed the Campaign Legal Center's arguments, calling the organization "a Democrat group." Campaign finance law specialists say they fear DeSantis could emulate Trump by transferring some of those funds into a federally registered super PAC to support his expected presidential campaign.

Jeremy Selwyn/WPA Pool/Getty Images Camilla stands next to Queen Elizabeth II during a Diamond Jubilee pageant on the River Thames in June 2012. Chris Jackson/Getty Images From left, Camilla, Charles, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attend the state opening of Parliament in May 2013. From left are Camilla, Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Louis, Duchess Catherine, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William. Frank Augstein/WPA Pool/Getty Images In pictures: Britain's Queen Camilla Prev NextShe reportedly met Prince Charles at a polo match in Windsor in 1970 and they became friends. From left are Camilla, Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Louis, Duchess Catherine, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William.

April 28 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Denver on Friday rejected a Catholic medical center's bid to block Colorado from banning an unproven treatment meant to reverse the effects of a medication abortion drug. Medication abortion begins with the drug mifepristone, which blocks action of the hormone progesterone, crucial for sustaining pregnancy, and is completed with a second drug, misoprostol. Proponents of medication abortion reversal say that if a woman changes her mind after taking mifepristone but before taking misoprostol, the pregnancy can be continued by administering a high dose of progesterone. Mifepristone is the subject of a heated legal battle as anti-abortion groups seek to pull it from the market. Republican state legislatures have also taken steps to restrict access to the drug, while Democratic legislatures have sought to protect it.

☆ Wrexham: An intoxicating tale of Hollywood glamour and sporting romance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

In an often brutal and bleak world, the recent resurgence of Wrexham, the city as well as the soccer club, lifts the soul. The Turf pub is a must-see for Wrexham fans. But now, there’s Wrexham with a story that, in hindsight, feels as if it was just waiting for Hollywood. One of Wrexham city center's shopping areas, pictured on April 22. Wrexham fans celebrate on the pitch after their team beat Boreham Wood at the Racecourse Ground.

☆ Carol Burnett's birthday special' is an elegant (and hilarious) event
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Marianne Garvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Hulton Archive/Getty Images Burnett peeks at a portrait of herself that was being painted by artist Dmitri Vails in 1963. CBS/Getty Images Burnett interacts with the audience of her new variety show, "The Carol Burnett Show," in 1967. CBS/Getty Images Burnett, left, and Cher perform a skit on "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" in 1972. CBS/Getty Images Burnett poses with her memoir "One More Time" at a book signing in Beverly Hills, California, in 1986. Will Hart/NBC/Getty Images Carol Burnett Square was unveiled in Los Angeles in front of her alma mater, Hollywood High School, in 2013.

☆ Brits need to accept they are now poorer, Bank of England chief economist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — Companies and workers are trying to pass the impact of inflation onto each other — and that risks persistent inflation, according to Huw Pill, the Bank of England's chief economist. "What we're facing now is that reluctance to accept that yes we're all worse off, we all have to take our share," Pill said on an episode of Columbia Law School and the Millstein Center's "Beyond Unprecedented" podcast, released on Tuesday. That has been followed by adverse weather and an outbreak of avian flu driving up food prices. The U.K. imports nearly half its food. "If what you're buying has gone up a lot relative to what you're selling, you're going to be worse off," Pill said.

☆ David Solomon's private plane use gets flagged at Goldman Sachs' annual shareholder meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

One shareholder cites reports about Goldman Sachs CEO's use of the corporate jet. A shareholder of Goldman Sachs cited Goldman CEO David Solomon's personal use of the corporate aircraft at the company's annual meeting Wednesday morning in Dallas. Chesser put the proposal in terms of Goldman Sachs organizational processes that, he said, "look pretty weak." Solomon acknowledged Chesser's remarks, and moved to take questions before advancing to the next shareholder proposal and presentation. As Insider has previously reported, at least one other shareholder has asked Goldman's investor relations department for information about Solomon's personal use.

☆ 3M to cut 6,000 roles globally as weak consumer electronics demand bites
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Kannaki Deka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 25 (Reuters) - 3M Co (MMM.N) will cut about 6,000 positions globally in a second round of lay-offs this year, as the U.S. industrial conglomerate looks to rein in costs amid waning demand for consumer electronics. 3M, which makes electronic displays for smartphones and tablets, has been struggling with waning demand for consumer electronics as people are cutting back on discretionary spending amid recession worries. The company's consumer electronic business fell 35% in the first quarter, Chief Financial Officer Monish Patolawala said on a call with analysts. With the second round of job cuts, the company has now reduced its total global workforce by 10%. 3M expects to take total pretax restructuring charges of $700 million to $900 million, with about half of those to occur in 2023 and the balance in 2024.

☆ As possible Social Security benefits cut looms, GOP senator says lawmakers are working on a 'big idea' fix
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty ImagesSocial Security's trust funds have a new projected depletion date that is about a decade away. The idea calls for creating an investment fund separate from Social Security and allowing the investment to earn returns over a period of 70 years, Cassidy said. It would target the Social Security trust funds' biggest weakness, which is that it has "the absolute worst investment strategy you could have right now," Cassidy said. 'Big idea' inspired by private pensionsThe idea for investing Social Security's funds in the market is inspired by private pension funds, which already buy securities outside of Treasurys. Possible changes to fix Social Security generally include tax increases, benefit cuts or a combination of both.

☆ One chart shows how many more hours married women spend on housework than their husbands in 5 different types of opposite-sex marriages
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Pew Research Center compared the hours opposite-sex married couples spend on housework and caregiving. The chart below shows the average time spent per week on housework and caregiving duties for five different kinds of income arrangements for opposite-sex marriages. Wives in these wife-primary-earner marriages spend about 11 hours a week on housework and caregiving compared to their husbands' almost 8 hours a week. 57% of US adults said American society values the "contributions men make at work." Men and women pretty much said the same thing — 55% of men and 58% of women answered this way.

☆ 75% of Americans don't trust crypto—and nearly half of traders say their investments have performed worse than expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Cheyenne Devon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Americans don't have a lot of faith in cryptocurrency. About 66% of U.S. adults under 50 who are familiar with crypto aren't confident in its reliability and safety, the survey found. What's more, American crypto traders feel their investments haven't performed as well as they had hoped, according to Pew's survey. About 45% of respondents say their investments have actually done worse than they expected. While 30% say their investments have performed as expected, only 15% say their investments have performed better than anticipated.

☆ Walmart chases higher profits powered by warehouse robots and automated claws
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Tasks are powered by giant automated claws and rolling robots, instead of people. The company took investors on a tour of an approximately 1.4 million-square-foot facility in Brooksville, Florida — the first automated distribution center for packaged foods and other shelf-stable household items. By the end of January, roughly a third of stores will get distribution from the automated facilities, the company said. He declined to share specific turnover numbers, but said the first year after the Brooksville facility became automated, no employees left the job. With the automation, Molina watches the robots unload the truck and intervenes if they run into a problem, he said.

☆ This strategy could save thousands off the cost of college: 'It's a very smart way to start your higher education,' says expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Gabriel Quezada, 17, is a senior at Early College High School in Costa Mesa, California. His father, Humberto Quezada, said he first heard about the Early College High School in Costa Mesa, California, when Gabriel was in third grade. Although there are up to 900 early college programs nationwide, according to Zeiser, not that many people know about them. 'A very smart way to start your higher education'"The culture is different from your average high school," said David Martinez, principal of the Early College High School. David Martinez principal of Early College High School, Costa Mesa, California

☆ 4 signs you need to check in on your friends, according to a Harvard-trained psychologist
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

People who have five or more friends are 60% happier than people with fewer than five friends, according to a recent study. Here's how to know when your friend is in a bad place, and how to effectively check in, according to Bryant. 4 signs you need to check in on your friendDisappearing. will elicit a scripted response, Bryant said. You can say, "I know you're working a lot and your oldest kid has been giving you a hard time.

☆ A Harvard-trained psychologist says this is the No. 1 way to shut down negativity in your friendships
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"When they say something that is putting you down or putting the whole group down, in one sentence refute it," she said. When they say something that is putting you down or putting the whole group down, in one sentence refute it. If you want to check in on your friend, but don't know where to start, Bryant offers some pointers: Make sure you can handle a deeper conversation. Instead, ask questions that signal you want a real response. Instead, ask questions that signal you want a real response.

Michael M. Santiago | Getty ImagesThere's one group of people that's being disproportionality hurt by high inflation: women. First, a jump in child care prices has started to pressure women out of the workforce. Child care inflation, which has increased 214% from 1990 to 2022, has outpaced average family income gains, which have risen 143%. Surprisingly, over 50% of parents spend over 20% of their income on child care in the US." Women and minorities are underrepresented in higher-wage industries, such as technology or finance, that are more insulated from inflation pressures, Gosai noted.

The Arctic Council was created in 1996 to discuss issues affecting the polar region, ranging from pollution to local economic development to search-and-rescue missions. The Arctic Council comprises the eight Arctic states of Russia, the United States, Canada, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark. Russia's possible degree of involvement with the Council once Norway takes over is still unclear. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had earlier extended an invitation to Arctic officials to attend a transition ceremony in Salekhard, Siberia. Russian Arctic Ambassador Nikolay Korchunov, chair of the Senior Arctic Officials on the council, told Reuters the transition would "presuppose active and responsible participation of all Arctic Council member states in this preparatory process."

☆ A church fired a worker who raised concerns after finding rats and spiders in the kitchen of its childcare center, the Labor Department said
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Texas church fired a worker who spoke to health authorities about pests in its daycare center, per OSHA. The worker said he'd spotted rats, roaches, and spiders in the facility's kitchen and cafeteria. OSHA ordered New Mount Zion Baptist Church to rehire him and pay him $31,000 in back wages and damages. The next day, the worker was told he was being terminated based on a vote by the church's board, per OSHA. In a preliminary order, OSHA told the church to reinstate the worker and pay him more than $11,000 in back wages and $20,000 in damages.

☆ Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's ties to billionaire George Soros are not as close as Republicans claim
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

As Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg moves to bring an expected indictment against Donald Trump, Republicans lawmakers leaping to the former president's defense have fixated on what they call Bragg's ties to billionaire George Soros. There is also no indication the Open Society Policy Center's donation was directed toward an eventual Color of Change campaign to influence Bragg. The funding from Soros' nonprofit was not targeted toward the campaign to support McCarter, the Color of Change official told CNBC. Open Society's website says the group's donation was intended "to support [Color of Change]'s social welfare activities" over the course of five years. Months before Bragg won a 2021 Democratic primary on his way to becoming Manhattan DA, George Soros' son, Jonathan, and his wife, combined to donate $20,000 to Bragg's campaign, state records show.

☆ Adam Sandler honored with Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Jeff Mason | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Actor and comedian Adam Sandler waves as he is awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center in Washington, U.S., March 19, 2023. REUTERS/Joshua RobertsWASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) - Actor and comedian Adam Sandler became the 24th recipient of the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday, at an evening event featuring stars Jennifer Aniston, Chris Rock and Conan O’Brien to celebrate his comedy and career. With the White House a short distance from the Kennedy Center, some presenters touched on politics. Sandler joins the ranks of other comedians who have received the Mark Twain Prize, including Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Letterman, Carol Burnett, Eddie Murphy and Ellen DeGeneres. The prize is named after novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain.

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