Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, and Debt:
Big banks are nudging the SEC for a slice of sweet Bitcoin ETF action
Universal Basic Income Has Been Tried Over and Over Again. It Works Every Time.
Sam Bankman-Fried’s Sentence Might Be Lighter Than You'd Expect
Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:
25 states see 'high,' or 'very high' levels of respiratory illness activity: CDC
Politics:
Trump Ordered to Pay Over $350 Million
A New York judge on Friday handed Donald Trump a crushing defeat in his civil fraud case, finding the former president liable for conspiring to manipulate his net worth and ordering him to pay a penalty of more than $350 million that could wipe out his entire stockpile of cash.
The decision by Justice Arthur Engoron caps a chaotic, yearslong case in which New York’s attorney general put Mr. Trump’s fantastical claims of wealth on trial. With no jury, the power was in Justice Engoron’s hands alone, and he came down hard: The judge delivered a sweeping array of punishments that threatens the former president’s business empire as he simultaneously contends with four criminal prosecutions and seeks to regain the White House.
Not only did Justice Engoron impose a three-year ban preventing Mr. Trump from serving in top roles at any New York company, including his own, but the judge also applied that punishment to the former president’s adult sons for two years…
Mr. Trump will appeal the financial penalty — which could climb to $400 million or more once interest is added — but will have to either come up with the money or secure a bond within 30 days.
Judge Engoron: “The frauds found here leap off the page and shock the conscience.”
https://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrote/status/1758588045224489142
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1758631226624139525
Trump’s Fraud Trial Defeat Is Microcosm of His Life
Donald Trump’s way of doing business is a window into his soul.
So his devastating loss Friday in a New York fraud case that threatens the empire on which he built his art of the deal mythology encapsulates more than a legal defeat.
It offers a character study of the behavior, beliefs and worldview that define the DNA of an irrepressible figure and unchained force who is again tearing at American unity, institutions, democracy and the rule of law as another contentious election looms.
https://twitter.com/p_zalewski/status/1758461970351620231
Navalny’s Wife Makes Dramatic Appearance
Just hours after her husband was reported dead, Yulia Navalnaya made a dramatic, surprise appearance at a gathering of world leaders in Munich on Friday.
Taking the stage, she denounced President Vladimir Putin of Russia and vowed that he and his circle ‘will be brought to justice.’
Said Ms. Navalnaya: “We cannot believe Putin and his government. They are lying constantly. But if it’s true, I would like Putin and all his staff, everybody around him, his government, his friends, I want them to know that they will be punished for what they have done with our country, with my family and with my husband. They will be brought to justice, and this day will come soon.”
https://twitter.com/danielsgoldman/status/1758522085997941102
https://twitter.com/Strandjunker/status/1758517904348156025
Kremlin runs disinformation campaign to undermine Zelensky
https://twitter.com/GaryMarcus/status/1758656342787752113
https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_/status/1758564366897561677
The GOP Doesn’t Give a Damn About Border Security
https://twitter.com/JoJoFromJerz/status/1758333585612783742
Is Mike Johnson Just Bad at His Job?
Johnson is failing on multiple fronts: Lawmakers don’t know what the House will work on each week and the chamber’s schedule frequently falls apart. Republicans are forced to take uncomfortable or pointless votes. They don’t have much clarity into Johnson’s strategic thinking. The only area they think Johnson is doing particularly well in right now is fundraising.
https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1758529385307488539
Judge Rejects Ken Paxton’s Bid to Dismiss Fraud Charges
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s (R) criminal trial appears poised to begin in two months after a judge on Friday denied his request to dismiss charges.
Paxton’s long-awaited trial is set to begin April 15 in Houston on nearly 9-year-old charges of felony securities fraud. He has pleaded not guilty.
https://twitter.com/TristanSnell/status/1758287873596645886
https://twitter.com/middleageriot/status/1758615266546585854
Serendipity:
Hardly any plastics can be truly recycled, and producers have known for decades
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