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☆ Many Boards Are Playing Catch-Up on ESG and Green Issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Rob Sloan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

Other findings were that most believed sustainability efforts had brought real benefits and said ESG engagement with investors had been mostly positive. They also reported that while about half of big companies had ESG targets—many linked to executive compensation—smaller, private companies lagged behind. For public companies investors were most influential, followed by regulators, while directors of private businesses ranked their customers as top with investors in second place. “You had a wind that was giving companies and boards energy, and now you have a countervailing wind of political backlash,” Smith said. Despite those changes, half of respondents believe ESG will continue to be an important driver of their business decisions and strategy.

Persons: aren’t, —, ”, Kristin Campbell, Campbell, “, Alan Smith —, Smith, ” Hilton’s Campbell, ” Smith, ESG, ” Campbell, — hadn’t, Rob Sloan Organizations: Pro, National Association of Corporate, ESG, Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Regency Centers, HSBC, Estates, Sustainable Business, rob.sloan@wsj.com Locations: U.S

Local public health officials say the potential loss of funding could severely impact several essential services, including vaccines, cancer screening and testing for sexually transmitted infections. A national public health expert said the situation is unique in the U.S. and a threat to the entire public health field — especially going into an election year when health officials and their department could again become political targets. “I’m hoping this isn’t the start of a new trend of retroactive punishment against public health departments.”More than than 300,000 people live in Ottawa County, making it Michigan's seventh largest county. “You should not be at war with your health providers.”The Network for Public Health Law and the National Association of County and City Health Officials filed amicus briefs in support of Hambley’s lawsuit last month. And Freeman said her organization is keeping a close eye on Ottawa County: “This isn't something we want on the books for other county commissioners to consider in the future."

Persons: COVID, they’ve, ”, Lori Freeman, “ I’m, Herman Miller, Joe Moss, Sylvia Rhodea, — Moss, Rhodea, John Gibbs, Adeline Hambley, Jacob Bonnema, it's, Hambley, “, ” Hambley, Gibbs, Moss, —, Freeman, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: National Association of County, City Health, Ottawa, Republican, Diversity, Equity, Associated Press, AP, Hambley, Grand Haven, Public Health Law, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Locations: Mich, Michigan, U.S, Ottawa County, Ottawa, Grand

☆ Taylor Swift wins second consecutive video of the year award at MTV VMAs
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Taylor Swift made the whole place shimmer at the MTV Video Music Awards on Tuesday night, when she won the award for video of the year for the second time in a row. Last year, Swift won the same award for her “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)” music video. Tuesday’s wins come as Swift continues what’s arguably her most successful era yet, which started in 2022 when she released her 10th studio album “Midnights.”Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards in New Jersey on Tuesday. She also made an ultimately short-lived amends with West when she presented him with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award that year. And in 2022, she announced that she’d be releasing “Midnights” while accepting the award for best longform video.

Persons: CNN — Taylor Swift, shimmer, Swift, Bejeweled, ” Swift, Tuesday’s, what’s, ” Taylor Swift, Timothy A, Clary, “, she’s, Kanye West, ”, Karlie Kloss, Selena Gomez, Gigi Hadid, Hailee Steinfeld, Cara Delevingne, Michael Jackson Organizations: CNN, MTV, “, Getty Locations: New Jersey, AFP

☆ Express CEO Tim Baxter resigns, replaced by former Tysons Foods exec Stewart Glendinning
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Former Tyson Foods executive Stewart Glendinning will be the new CEO of clothing company Express, replacing Timothy Baxter, effective September 15, the company announced. “He is a highly accomplished executive who will bring fresh thinking to the Company and our strategies for profitable growth. Baxter’s resignation was announced one day after Express released its second-quarter results, with net sales of its Express brand and its lifestyle line UpWest decreasing 15% compared to last year. Express affirmed Baxter’s departure was not related to the company’s financial position. Baxter, who spent more than 11 years with Macy’s, joined Express in June 2019.

Persons: Stewart Glendinning, Timothy Baxter, ” Mylle Mangum, Stewart, Glendinning, Baxter’s, Neil Saunders, Baxter, Macy’s Organizations: CNN, Tyson Foods, Express, Express Board, Company, New York Stock, ” Express, “ Express, WHP, NYSE, “, VF Corporation Locations: womenswear

☆ G20: Highlights from the first day of the Delhi summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The G20 logo is shown ahead of G20 Summit, in New Delhi, India, September 8, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Acquire Licensing RightsSept 9 (Reuters) - The G20 has adopted a consensus declaration on issues facing the bloc, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday during a summit, signalling that negotiators had resolved deep differences over the wording on the war in Ukraine. Following are excerpts from the declaration. UKRAINE- Concerning war in Ukraine, all states must act in a manner consistent with purposes and principles of UN charter in its entirety- On war in Ukraine, all states must refrain from threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition against territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state- On war in Ukraine, use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible- On Ukraine crisis, "there were different views and assessments of the situation"- Peaceful resolution of conflicts, and efforts to address crises as well as diplomacy and dialogue are critical- "Today’s era must not be of war." GRAIN/FOOD/ENERGY SECURITY- Call on Russia and Ukraine to ensure immediate and unimpeded deliveries of grain, foodstuffs, and fertilizers/inputs from Russia and Ukraine- Emphasizing importance of sustaining food and energy security, called for cessation of military destruction or other attacks on relevant infrastructure- Potential for high levels of volatility in food and energy markets remainsECONOMIES AND FINANCIAL MARKETS- "Will protect the vulnerable, through promoting equitable growth and enhancing macroeconomic and financial stability"- Reaffirm April 2021 exchange rate commitment made by our finance ministers and cenbank governors- We endorse financial stability board’s high-level recommendations for regulation, supervision and oversight of crypto-assets, activities- Our finance ministers, central bank governors will discuss taking forward the cryptocurrency roadmap at their meeting in October- Renew our commitment to ensure a level-playing field and fair competition by discouraging protectionism, market distorting practicesCLIMATE CHANGE- Need to accelerate efforts to phasedown unabated coal power, in line with national circumstances- Will work towards facilitating low-cost financing for developing countries to support their transition to low carbon/emissions- Will pursue and encourage efforts to triple renewable energy capacity globally through existing targets and policies, in line with national circumstances by 2030- Reiterate our commitment to take action to scale up sustainable finance- Recognise need for increased global investments to meet our climate goals of the Paris agreement- Note need of $5.8-5.9 trln in pre-2030 period required for developing countries, in particular for their needs to implement their emission targetsCompiled by Kim Coghill, Global News Desk, SingaporeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Anushree, Narendra Modi, Kim Coghill Organizations: G20, REUTERS, Indian, UN, Global, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Ukraine, UKRAINE, Russia, Paris, Singapore

☆ Dating app Grindr loses nearly half its staff after trying to force a return to office
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —LGBTQ dating app Grindr ended its remote work policies and forced employees to relocate. The CWA also said the return-to-work policy was retaliatory and in response to a union drive at the company. Just two weeks prior to Grindr’s policy change, a majority of employees filed to organize a union. “Rather than recognize the union, the company issued a new return-to-office policy requiring staff to relocate or quit,” the CWA said in a statement. Seventy-one percent of employers that are mandating their on-site work policy reported difficulty retaining workers, according to the survey.

Persons: Grindr, “, ”, Andy Jassy, unaddressed Organizations: New, New York CNN, Communications Workers of America, CWA, Washington D.C, Grindr, National Labor Relations Board, Conference, Labor, Amazon, Meta, Business Locations: New York, — New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A judge on Wednesday halted a Southern California school district from requiring parents to be notified if their children change their gender identification or pronouns at school. Bonta argues the policy will forcibly out transgender students in violation of their privacy rights and threaten their well-being. Chino Valley contends the policy seeks to involve parents so they can provide support their children need. He also questioned whether elementary school students as young as 4 and 5 years old should be treated the same as high school teens involved in confidential counseling. He then worked with school board members and the California Family Council to draft the policy that was voted on in Chino Valley.

Persons: —, Thomas S, Garza, Rob Bonta, “, Sonja Shaw, Shaw, Bonta, Delbert Tran, ” Tran, Anthony De Marco, De Marco, Bill Essayli, Essayli, Gavin Newsom Organizations: SANTA ANA, Calif, San, Chino Valley Unified School District, San Bernardino Superior, Chino Valley Unified, Republican, California Family Council, Gov Locations: SANTA, Southern California, San Bernardino, California, Chino, Chino Valley, Los Angeles, Sacramento

☆ Judge Blocks Transgender Notification Policy in California School District
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Anna Betts | More About Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The attorney general, a Democrat, said the school district policy amounted to the “forced outing” of transgender students. It also might deter other school districts in California from imposing similar requirements. In recent weeks, the Anderson Union High School District in Northern California and the Murrieta Valley and Temecula Valley unified school districts in the Inland Empire have enacted policies similar to the one enacted by Chino Valley Unified. Orange Unified School District board members are also scheduled to consider a transgender notification policy on Thursday. Nearly a month into its school year, the Chino Valley Unified School District must shelve its notification policy and await further court proceedings.

Persons: Rob Bonta, Bonta, Judge Thomas S, Garza, Andrea Johnston, ” Mr Organizations: Unified School District, San Bernardino Superior Court, Chino Valley Unified, Anderson Union High School District, Orange Unified School District, Chino Valley Unified School District, Chino Valley Unified School Locations: Chino, San Bernardino, California, Northern California, Temecula, Inland, Chino Valley

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Cricket, breakdancing and flag football are still waiting to find out if they will be added to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The process to add sports that organizers in Los Angeles want at the 2028 Games was unexpectedly delayed Wednesday by the International Olympic Committee. India has long seemed the ideal setting to bring cricket — in its shortened T20 format — back to the Olympics for the first time since its only appearance at the 1900 Paris Games. Breaking, the official name of breakdancing, is likely to be retained in 2028 ahead of its widely anticipated debut in Paris next year. The IOC gave no new timetable Wednesday for decisions, saying that “the sports program for the Olympic Games LA28 will be discussed during a later IOC (board) meeting, to take place at a date to be decided.”___

Persons: ” Organizations: —, Angeles Olympics, International Olympic Committee, IOC, Olympic body's, Olympics, Olympic Locations: LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Los Angeles, Mumbai, India, Pakistan, Paris

☆ August Jobs Report U.S. Job Growth Expected to Cool
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Lydia Depillis | Joe Rennison | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Forecasters believe that trend continued in August, estimating that the Labor Department’s monthly report on Friday will show the addition of 170,000 jobs. That would be a decrease from the 218,000-job average over the previous three months, and closer to the number needed to employ the approximately 140,000 people who enter the labor force each month. But analysts say the Federal Reserve’s push to cool rapid inflation by ratcheting up borrowing costs — and the impact on hiring — has a ways to go. Immigrants work at higher rates than the American-born population, in which labor force participation is declining as people age into retirement. Already, Americans are feeling the difference: In the Conference Board’s reading of consumer sentiment for August, the share of workers saying jobs were “hard to get” increased sharply, while the share saying jobs were “plentiful” fell.

Persons: —, ’ ”, Stephen Juneau, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, “ There’s, we’ve Organizations: Labor, Bank of America Locations: American, ”

☆ Americans are getting a little worried about inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington, DC CNN —Americans felt more pessimistic about the economy in August, following two straight months of growing confidence. That would make it extremely hard for the Fed to bring inflation back down to 2%. Consumer attitudes are sometimes a bellwether for spending, which is mainly what economists focus on since consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of economic output. That’s because the US economy’s strength might not be consistent with 2% inflation, the Fed’s inflation goal. But both the economy and job market also remain on strong footing, and that’s helping to keep inflation elevated.

Persons: ”, Dana Peterson, “, Jerome Powell Organizations: DC CNN, Conference Board, Labor, University of, Federal Reserve, Fed, Street, Kansas City, Atlanta Fed, Commerce Department Locations: Washington

☆ How Florida law could trip up Trump if he’s convicted before the 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Meade is executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which works to restore voting rights in the state to former felons. Amendment 4 automatically restored voting rights to former felons, except those convicted of murder or sexual offenses, who have completed their sentences. Initially, organizers projected that Amendment 4 would restore voting rights to about 1.4 million Floridians, but as a result of these new hurdles only a little over 600,000 have actually regained their voting rights, Meade said. Even after Amendment 4, felons are required to have completed their sentence before recovering their voting rights in Florida, as in virtually all other states. Intervening to restore those rights to Trump, if he’s convicted of a felony before the election, would represent a stark departure from the clemency board’s typical procedures.

Persons: Desmond Meade, Meade, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Donald Trump, he’s, ” Meade, Trump, ”, Insha Rahman, Neil Volz, DeSantis –, Mark Schlakman, Lawton Chiles, Republican Sen, Rick Scott, Schlakman, hasn’t, there’s, “, Vera Institute’s Rahman, Ian Bassin Organizations: CNN, Restoration Coalition, Florida, Republican, GOP, Trump, Vera Institute of Justice, Florida State University, Florida Gov, District of Columbia, National Conference of State Legislatures, State, Florida State University Center, Advancement of Human, DeSantis, Republicans, Protect Democracy Locations: Florida, Maine, Vermont, ”

☆ Consumers are growing slightly more cautious about the economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Minneapolis CNN —Americans’ attitudes toward the US economy appear to be growing more tepid. The University of Michigan’s closely watched consumer sentiment index measured 69.5 in August, down slightly from July. “Consumers perceive that the rapid improvements in the economy from the past three months have moderated, particularly with inflation, and they are tentative about the outlook ahead,” Joanne Hsu, director of the university’s Surveys of Consumers, said in a statement. Inflation expectations for the year ahead ticked down to 3.3% from 3.4% in July, showing “remarkable stability” but still trending higher than pre-pandemic expectations, which ranged in the 2.3% to 3% range. Inflation expectations are crucial data points for the Federal Reserve.

Persons: ” Joanne Hsu, Hsu, ” Hsu, “ Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, University of Michigan’s, Consumers, Federal Reserve Locations: Minneapolis, Michigan

☆ Olivia Rodrigo, Pop’s Brightest New Hope, Just May Be a Rock Star
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Caryn Ganz | More About Caryn Ganz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Olivia Rodrigo, the bearer of perhaps the most famous driver’s license in Los Angeles, piloted her black Range Rover to Westwood on a scorching late July afternoon. Six weeks remained before the release of her second album, “Guts,” and she was racked with anxiety — about finding a spot for her SUV. The car was her dream purchase, her favorite place to listen to music and yes, she feels guilty about the gas. When Rodrigo awoke on a January 2021 morning to news that her first single, the octave-climbing weeper “Drivers License,” had rocketed to No. At the 2022 Grammys, three of her seven nominations turned into wins, including best new artist.

Persons: Olivia Rodrigo, ”, Rodrigo, Alanis Morissette, Gwen Stefani, Billy Joel, Avril Lavigne, Cardi, Halsey Organizations: Disney, Twitter Locations: Los Angeles, L.A

☆ DeSantis’ appointees attack Disney over local employee perks and discounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Allies of Ron DeSantis have fired another shot at the Walt Disney Company as the Florida governor’s long-standing rivalry with the media company heats up again. As part of DeSantis’ bill, RCID was renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, and the district’s pre-existing oversight board was replaced by five people hand-picked by DeSantis. Earlier this year, Disney sued DeSantis and the district oversight board in federal court, accusing DeSantis of weaponizing his political power to punish the company for exercising its right to free speech. In May, the oversight board voted to sue Disney in order to maintain its oversight of the district. Earlier this month, DeSantis urged Disney to drop its lawsuit in an interview with CNBC, saying “we’ve basically moved on.”

Persons: Ron DeSantis, DeSantis ’, DeSantis, RCID, Jeremy Redfern, ” Disney, Aubrey Jewett, It’s, ” Jewett, Jewett, “, ”, Disney, Disney’s, Bob Chapek, “ we’ve Organizations: CNN —, Walt Disney Company, Central, Walt Disney World, Disney, DeSantis, Twitter, University of Central, CNBC Locations: Florida, Central Florida, DeSantis, RCID, University of Central Florida, Reedy Creek

☆ After Vice’s Downfall, Top Journalists Start Their Own Tech Publication
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

And so 404 Media was born. The tech publication — founded by Motherboard’s former editor in chief, Jason Koebler; two of its top editors, Emanuel Maiberg and Samantha Cole; and one of its writers, Joseph Cox — started publishing on Tuesday. Mr. Maiberg said 404 Media would start with just the four of them and focus on topics they had extensive experience reporting on, including hacking, sex work, niche online communities and the “right to repair” movement. “It’s very much a website by humans for humans about technology,” he said. “It’s not about the business of technology — it’s about how it impacts real people in the real world.”

Persons: Motherboard’s, Jason Koebler, Emanuel Maiberg, Samantha Cole, Joseph Cox —, Maiberg, ”, “ It’s Organizations: Media

☆ 'Rich Men North of Richmond': A virtually unknown conservative singer just rocketed to the top of the charts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The right-wing media universe is maturing — and finding great success — beyond typical news commentary. That’s quite a feat, considering singer Christopher Anthony Lunsford was virtually unknown just weeks ago. It’s also illustrative of the power amassed by right-wing media forces, taking unknown quantities and churning them out into overnight blockbuster hits, a weaponized cudgel against perceived enemies in mainstream institutions. And, while he is a well known country singer, Jason Aldean’s widely criticized “Try That In a Small Town” was not much of a commercial success until it was boosted by right-wing media to the top of the Billboard charts. As conservatives increasingly see legacy media companies and performers as not only disagreeable, but outright evil, it makes sense that they would look toward outsiders to fill their entertainment needs.

Persons: Oliver Anthony Music’s, “, Christopher Anthony Lunsford, Lunsford, Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen, Olivia Rodrigo, Miley Cyrus, It’s, Donald Trump, Tom Cruise, Jason Aldean’s Organizations: CNN, North, Billboard, Fox News, Trump, Daily, Disney Locations: Richmond, Washington

☆ Jason Aldean’s ‘Try That in a Small Town’ Hits No. 1
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Ben Sisario | More About Ben Sisario | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last week, Jason Aldean’s song “Try That in a Small Town,” which the country star portrays as a paean to neighborly values but critics have described as a call to racist vigilantism, opened at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, after its music video became a culture war battleground. 1 single on Billboard’s all-genre singles chart in Aldean’s nearly two-decade career as a top Nashville hitmaker. As the song has stirred debate, tweaks have been made to its music video, which early on was pulled without explanation by Country Music Television but remains available on YouTube. Last week, a new version appeared, six seconds shorter than the original and scrubbed of news clips showing Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

Persons: Jason Aldean’s, Nashville hitmaker Organizations: Nashville, Country Music, YouTube Locations: ”, Aldean’s, United States

Infuriated after being blindsided by the PGA Tour’s pact with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, a band of leading golfers has won a series of concessions from the beleaguered circuit’s commissioner — including the elevation of Tiger Woods to the tour’s board — in a star-driven rebuke of the tour. The tour announced the changes on Tuesday, one day after dozens of top players wrote to Jay Monahan, the tour’s commissioner, and insisted on significant overhauls. The demands detailed in the Monday letter amounted to a dramatic effort to reclaim power over a circuit that got its modern start after a player rebellion in the late 1960s. The addition of Woods to the board, one of several changes agreed to by Monahan with a signed acknowledgment, would allow the players to outnumber six to five the independent board members, who come from the worlds of business and law. In addition, the players want to change the board’s rules to avoid a repeat of the negotiations with the Saudis, in which a handful of independent board members acted without the backing of players on the board.

Persons: Tiger Woods, Jay Monahan, Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Monahan Organizations: PGA Locations: Saudi

☆ Disney District, Now Under DeSantis’s Control, Ends Its D.E.I. Programs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Anna Betts | More About Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Fentrice Driskell, the Democratic leader in the Florida House of Representatives, said she was not surprised that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District had followed suit. The State Legislature instead stripped the company of its power to appoint the five members of the district’s oversight board and gave it to Mr. DeSantis. In April, the newly appointed board voted to nullify two agreements that gave Disney control over expansion of the resort. What’s NextThe feud between Disney and Mr. DeSantis appears set to continue, with the two lawsuits still winding their way through the courts. Mr. DeSantis, who is running for the Republican nomination for president, has highlighted both his “anti-woke” and “anti-corporate” agenda on the campaign trail.

Persons: DeSantis, Glenton Gilzean, DeSantis’s, Fentrice Driskell, “, ”, Bob Chapek, nonbinary, Disney, Donald J, Trump Organizations: Central, Disney, “, Democratic, Legislature, Florida Department of Economic, Republican Locations: Central Florida, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, Orange, Osceola, Orlando

Rafaela Vasquez was watching television on her smartphone in March 2018 when the Uber self-driving vehicle fatally struck Elaine Herzberg, 49, who was crossing a road in Tempe, Arizona, according to a National Transportation Safety Board investigation. The Uber-employed safety driver behind the wheel of the car was meant to monitor the car’s performance and intervene if the autonomous driving software failed, as previously reported by CNN. But the National Transportation Safety Board’s 2019 investigation found that Vasquez was looking away from the road for over a third of the trip. The board concluded that the crash was “avoidable” if the safety driver had been alert and also found that an inadequate safety culture at Uber contributed to the crash. The company’s self-driving software wasn’t designed to expect that pedestrians outside crosswalks may be crossing the street, according to the investigation.

Persons: Rafaela Vasquez, Elaine Herzberg, Vasquez, Uber, Rachel Mitchell, “, ” Mitchell, Motional, Albert Jaynes Morrison Organizations: CNN, National Transportation Safety Board, Transportation Safety Locations: Tempe , Arizona, Superior, Maricopa, Maricopa County

☆ Ron DeSantis Wants to Tell the Future by Controlling the Past - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Jamelle Bouie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It’s an important point that you can also find in the College Board’s Advanced Placement class in African American Studies. “In addition to agricultural work, enslaved people learned specialized trades and worked as painters, carpenters, tailors, musicians and healers in the North and South,” the A.P. “Once free, African Americans used these skills to provide for themselves and others.”Similar points, yes, but the language isn’t quite the same. To say that any more than a fortunate few could “parlay” their skills into anything that might improve their lives is to spin a fiction. For them, there was no point after slavery where they could use their skills.

Persons: It’s, ”, Donald Yacovone Organizations: African American Studies, British Crown Locations: North, North America, British, United States

☆ Americans continue to feel better about inflation and the economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington, DC CNN —US consumers have been feeling a whole lot better this summer as inflation has continued to slow. That’s a huge improvement from June 2022, when consumer sentiment fell to its lowest level on record and inflation reached a four-decade high of 9.1%. “However, sentiment for lower-income consumers fell.”Indeed, recent data continue to reflect inflation slowing. Consumer spending is the main engine of the economy, accounting for about two-thirds of output, and much of it hinges on the state of the labor market. The Fed certainly wants to see core inflation continue to decelerate, but Powell routinely points to the labor market not being balanced.

Persons: ”, Joanne Hsu, Lydia Boussour, Jerome Powell, ” Powell, Powell Organizations: DC CNN, University of Michigan, University of Michigan’s, Federal, National Association for Business Economics, Fed, “, Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: Washington, EY

☆ Government’s NatWest meddling crosses risky line
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Meddling ministers crossed a line, and may struggle to retreat back onto the right side of it. Its shares fell a modest 3% on Wednesday morning – compared with 1% on average for Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L), Barclays (BARC.L) and Virgin Money UK (VMUK.L). Rose’s strategy of cutting costs, continuing to scale back risky trading and focusing on core UK retail banking was working. Britain’s Economic Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Griffith said on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, that “it is right that the NatWest CEO has resigned”. Domestic rivals Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays and Virgin Money UK were down 2% on average.

Persons: Alison Rose, Rose, Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Nigel Farage, Andrew Griffith, Coutts, aren’t, Nigel Farage's, Paul Thwaite, George Hay, Pranav Kiran, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Economic, NatWest, BBC, Royal Bank of Scotland’s, UK Government Investments, . Mortgage, Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, Virgin Money, Lloyds, Domestic, Thomson Locations: NatWest’s

☆ Jason Aldean’s ‘Small Town’ video edited to remove Atlanta protest footage
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A music video for a controversial Jason Aldean song that has received both backlash and support has been shortened by a few seconds, removing apparent television footage of a protest in Atlanta, Georgia. It is unclear as to when and why the video was edited, but public outcry over the music video erupted last week. While the song was released in May, according to Billboard, the accompanying video wasn’t released until July 14. CMT pulled the music video from rotation last week. 2 on Billboard’s Global 200 chart and the music video had more than 19 million views as of Wednesday.

Persons: Jason Aldean, “, Henry Choate, Aldean Organizations: CNN, Fox News, YouTube, Aldean, Fox, Billboard, Columbia, Riot, CMT, Billboard’s Locations: Atlanta , Georgia, “, Georgia, Aldean, Maury, Columbia , Tennessee

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