Promise vows

A federal grand jury indicted former Democratic Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum and the National Black Justice Coalition chief executive officer Sharon Lettman-Hicks Wednesday for false statements, wire fraud and conspiracy. The 21 count indictment, filed on June 7, alleges that Gillum and Lettman-Hicks conspired to commit wire fraud by obtaining funds from “various entities” and individuals through “false and fraudulent promises” between 2016 and 2019, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida announced in a press release. The funds were allegedly diverted to a company owned by Lettman-Hicks through third parties, then disguised as payments to Gillum for personal use. Former Tallahassee Mayor And Gubernatorial Candidate And Associate Charged With Conspiracy, Wire Fraud, And Making False Statements https://t.co/L2Eq4JU6nm @FBIJacksonville — U.S. Attorney NDFL (@NDFLnews) June 22, 2022 Both are individually charged with … [Read more...] about Democrat Andrew Gillum Indicted On Charges Of Wire Fraud, False Statements To FBI

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Companies ranging from Xerox XRX Corp. to Walmart WMT to Delta Airlines are pledging to become net-zero — to offset their carbon emissions using energy efficiency, renewable energy, or carbon credits. But the market for carbon credits is varied, and not all credits are alike. What’s a company to do? If the Paris climate agreement has adopted the credits, they are safe for businesses to buy. That implies that they have been scrutinized and verified. Critically, it ensures that the money will be distributed to the rainforest nations preserving trees. Companies want to avoid purchasing proprietary credits that do not fully disclose how they dole out the money. Voluntary markets, generally, lack that oversight, tarnishing their image. Rainforest nations may end up getting pennies on the dollar. “If they are voluntary, nothing has been agreed to by the governments in need of the money,” says Federica Bietta, managing … [Read more...] about Not All Carbon Credits Are Created Equal. Here’s What Companies Must Know

- A + A (June 23): Major US oil refiners and US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm emerged from an emergency meeting on Thursday on how to lower pump prices with no concrete solutions but a promise to continue talking, according to a source familiar with the discussions. The two sides entered the meeting with a promise to work together in good faith, but they are still far apart on solutions. The discussion comes at a tense moment for President Joe Biden and Big Oil. The president has criticized its CEOs for reaping huge profits from a fuel supply crunch exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Granholm, striking a more conciliatory tone, expressed interest in a refiner proposal to waive summertime gasoline specifications that combat smog but make the fuel more expensive, a source said. She also downplayed a proposal to ban, or limit, fuel exports as a viable short-term option, the source said. The average price of gasoline was US$4.955 per gallon on Wednesday, … [Read more...] about Gasoline price talks between oil refiners, Biden officials end in impasse

The next political challenge for Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is next month when a censure motion is put to the lower house by opposition MPs. The debate is scheduled for July 18 – 22 and there is no certainty how the votes will eventually fall at this time. Renegade MPs, new political factions, the PM’s falling popularity, and a looming general election will all play a factor in the final result for Prayut and the ruling Palang Pracharat Party. Moving Forward Party MPs will be leading the charge, attacking the performance of the prime minister and 10 of his other leading ministers. This is the fourth such censure debate against the PM and government since the 2019 general election. They’ve so far survived all votes on the lower house floor, along purely party lines. The ruling Palang Pracharat coalition has a tenuous majority and relies on the 17 coalition partners to push through any legislation. The largest rumps of support come from the Democrats and Bhumjaithai, the … [Read more...] about Thailand News Today | “The Last Supper of the Prime Minister”

This story was originally published in December 2021. It has been updated on May 4, 2022, following the leak of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito. (CNN) A stunning leaked draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling and wipe out nationwide abortion protections that have lasted for half a century is sparking a sharp debate over the role of precedent in the American judiciary. Supporters of upholding Roe point to the legal principle of stare decisis, which gives compelling weight to past decisions to bind or influence current cases. Advocates who want to overrule Roe say that it was wrongly decided at the time, and it belongs with other overruled decisions like Plessy v. Ferguson, which at the time upheld segregation in schools. GOP tries to steer clear of abortion politics as midterm plans take shape A CNN analysis of congressional data shows overruling the landmark abortion rights case would be unusual, but far … [Read more...] about Roe has lasted almost 50 years. How unusual would it be to overturn it?

Branded is a weekly column devoted to the intersection of marketing, business, design, and culture. advertisement advertisement What happens when your brand connotes cheap-o performance, bare-bones service, and routine problems and inconveniences—so much so that you’re pretty much the running joke of your industry? If you’re Spirit Airlines, what happens is you find yourself the subject of a bidding war. Indeed, JetBlue doubled down on that outcome this week, raising its prior $31.50 per share cash offer for Spirit to $33.50, a deal worth an estimated $3.7 billion . JetBlue’s interest follows budget carrier Frontier’s $2.9 billion offer for Spirit back in February . (Spirit has postponed a shareholder vote on that deal as it considers JetBlue’s bid. The Frontier offer would involve a mix of cash and stock, and is now worth somewhat less as its share price has declined.) It may seem puzzling that Spirit, a complaint … [Read more...] about Why are the airlines fighting so hard to own Spirit, the most beat-up brand in air travel?

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Former President Donald Trump applauded the Supreme Court for striking down Roe v. Wade on Friday, and claimed the decision was “only made possible because I delivered everything as promised”—taking credit for a ruling decided partly by Trump-appointed justices. Key Facts In a statement, Trump said it was his “great honor” to nominate three conservatives to the Supreme Court, a move that dramatically shifted the court’s ideological skew. All three of Trump’s appointees—Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett—sided with the majority opinion Friday, which gave states the power to ban abortion by tossing out both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Crucial Quote “Today’s decision, which is the biggest WIN for LIFE in a generation, along with other decisions that have been announced recently, were only made possible because I delivered everything as promised,” Trump … [Read more...] about Trump: I Get The Credit For Roe V. Wade Being Overturned

A village in East Pattaya has suffered from horrendous sewage problems for more than 7 years, and things aren’t getting any better. Wastewater regularly flows into Daraphan Village 5 from the neighbouring Eakmongkol Village 8, and officials’ minimal efforts have not brought about change. In 2015, officials had agreed to install suitable pipework to carry the wastewater into Pattaya city sewers. But after Pattaya’s deputy mayor and city councillors visited both villages this week, they found that the pipes were useless. Sewage still flowed down the road into Daraphan 5. So far, Deputy Mayor Manote Nongyai hasn’t kept any promises to the desperate Daraphan villagers on fixing the sewage problem that has plagued them for at least 7 years. Several areas of Pattaya battle with sewage problems. Officials have come up with various “solutions” to the problems that can be described as jokes at best. In 2019, officials jammed sandbags into a sewage outlet to stop black sewage and … [Read more...] about Sewage nightmare continues for Pattaya village after years

Representative image German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomes leaders of the Group of Seven rich democracies on Sunday to a three-day summit in the Bavarian Alps overshadowed by the war in Ukraine and its far-reaching consequences, from energy shortages to a food crisis. The summit takes place against a darker backdrop than last year when the British, Canadian, French, German, Italian, Japanese and U.S. leaders met for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic and vowed to build back better. Soaring global energy and food prices are hitting economic growth in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The United Nations warned on Friday of an "unprecedented global hunger crisis". Climate change, an increasingly assertive China and the rise of authoritarianism are also set to be on the agenda. The G7 leaders are expected to seek to show a united front on supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary and cranking up pressure on the Kremlin - although they will want to … [Read more...] about G7 summit kicks off under shadow of Ukraine war, stagflation risk

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Supreme Court on Friday overturned the nationwide right to abortion in its landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling, causing major uncertainty about the future of abortion access in the United States. Here are answers to some of the biggest questions: What did the Supreme Court’s ruling say? In a decision by Justice Samuel Alito, the court upheld a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. A majority of justices also voted to strike down Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), effectively ruling abortion is no longer a nationwide right and giving states the power to ban the procedure. Alito called Roe v. Wade “an abuse of judicial authority” that relied on “egregiously wrong” reasoning, and argued the right to abortion is not expressly mentioned in the Constitution and isn’t “deeply rooted in this Nation's history and tradition.” Four other conservative … [Read more...] about Roe V. Wade Overturned: The Ultimate Explainer On What It Means