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☆ 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 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.

☆ 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.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg established a grand jury for another Trump investigation. The special grand jury is hearing evidence over whether Trump broke laws with his 2016 hush-money payment. The case is being heard by a special grand jury, according to the Times, which sits for six months rather than the standard single month. Bragg's predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., allowed members of his team to bring evidence to a grand jury over potential tax and bank fraud charges. According to the Times, to bring felony charges against Trump, prosecutors would need to prove he falsified records for the payment to conceal a second crime.

☆ UN says Myanmar opium cultivation has surged 33% amid violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Opium production in Myanmar has flourished since the military's takeover in 2021. The so-called Golden Triangle area, where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, has historically been a major production area for opium and hosted many of the labs that converted it to heroin. Most of the opium exported by Myanmar goes to China and Vietnam, while heroin goes to many countries across the region, Douglas said. The cultivation of opium had been trending downward in recent years before the military took control of the government in 2021. After rising slightly in 2021, that spiked in 2022 to an estimated 790 metric tons (870 tons), according to the report.

☆ Trump claims lawsuits are a conspiracy to 'keep him busy' ahead of 2024. He's the one making lawsuits political, judges say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Judges have repeatedly slammed Trump for using lawsuits "to advance a political narrative." "Keep Trump busy, because this is the way you defeat him, to keep him busy with litigation," Trump testified in the deposition, speaking in the third person. US District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks said that Trump has a "pattern of misusing the courts to serve political purposes." Trump's lawyers have to deal with his 2024 runIn the Trump lawsuits that haven't been dismissed, those trials may need to be scheduled around his 2024 campaign events. A trial for Carroll's claims is set for April of this year, and James' lawsuit against Trump is on track for October.

☆ Amazon cited by Labor Department for exposing warehouse workers to safety hazards
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued citations against Amazon at three of its warehouses for exposing workers to safety hazards, the department announced Wednesday. 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. Amazon warehouse workers have previously complained that the company's pace of work prevents them from taking adequate bathroom and rest breaks, and leads to unfair disciplinary actions. In April, workers at an Amazon warehouse on New York's Staten Island voted to form the company's first U.S. union. Workers at another Staten Island facility rejected a union, while a second election at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama is being contested.

☆ Baltimore man who stood trial 4 times in killing is freed after charges are dismissed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Minyvonne Burke | Minyvonne Burke Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Baltimore, Maryland's newly elected top prosecutor dismissed all charges against a Black man who stood trial four times in a 2015 killing despite his repeated claims that he was innocent and set up by police. Keith Davis Jr. walked free Friday after Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates announced his decision. Keith Davis Jr. hugs supporter Peggy Amaker as he arrives at a gathering following his release from custody in Baltimore on Jan. 13, 2023. Supporters of Davis said he was "cornered by police in a West Baltimore garage" and shot at 44 times, according to the website Free Keith Davis Jr. The website denied Davis' involvement in the killing and said the gun police claimed he used "was never fired."

☆ Trump Organization hit with $1.6 million fine for criminal tax fraud scheme
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

One of those executives was former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, who pleaded guilty to tax fraud charges last summer and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors against his longtime employer. The Trump Corp. and The Trump Payroll Corp., two subsidiaries of the Trump Organization, were both sentenced to the maximum possible fines under New York laws. The Trump Organization has denied all wrongdoing and is planning to appeal the verdict. The Trump Organization, former President Donald Trump 's business empire, was hit with a $1.6 million fine Friday for tax fraud and other crimes committed as part of a yearslong scheme to help some of its top executives avoid paying taxes on compensation. Prosecutors and Trump Organization lawyers gather at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse for the sentencing hearing in New York City, U.S. January 13, 2023.

[1/4] The logo of FTX is seen at the entrance of the FTX Arena in Miami, Florida, U.S., November 12, 2022. Companies facing wide-ranging investigations often hire pool counsel for employees. The use of pool counsel suggests that federal prosecutors in Manhattan probing FTX's collapse may be interested in questioning a deep roster of employees. The use of pool counsel enables a single legal team to gain expertise in the case, making it more efficient than having each employee retain individual lawyers, Krissoff said. The arrangement does not mean Covington is representing FTX, which has turned to Sullivan & Cromwell, another law firm.

☆ This 31-year-old started his vending machine business with $10,000 in savings. Here's how he maxed out his profits to make $300,000 last year.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Marcus Gram started his vending-machine business in 2018 with $10,000 in savings. But when he realized vending machines could generate cash flow and required less startup capital, he changed his mind. He launched a vending-machine business with the goal of turning his $10,000 in savings into a million-dollar company. His company, Joyner Vending, operated 18 vending machines in four states as of 2021. After a year in business, Gram hit the jackpot of vending locations: a dorm that housed 500 students.

☆ Madison Cawthorn never bothered to hand over constituent casework to the successor who beat him and it's now a gigantic mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Outgoing members of Congress are required to pass along ongoing constituent service information to their successors. His successor, Rep. Chuck Edwards, is now asking the public for help. This includes help obtaining government resources, casework, US Service Academy nominations, and more. And when a legislator departs Congress, they're expected to pass along any casework and ongoing constituent services information to their successor in order to maintain guidance and leadership for their constituents. Cawthorn, his successor said, failed to do that.

☆ Trump's top money man, Allen Weisselberg, is braced to begin time at NYC's notorious Rikers jail on Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A judge will likely order he immediately begin serving 5 months in NYC's notorious Rikers Island. Himself a veteran of Rikers, Rothfeld did say this — it won't be easy. A board containing confiscated shanks from Rikers Island is displayed during a press conference with Mayor Eric Adams on Rikers Island on June 22, 2022. The Rikers Island jail complex in New York City, with the Manhattan skyline in the background. The Trump Organization now faces up to $1.6 million in fines; Merchan is scheduled to set the amount at a January 13 sentencing.

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