Florida proposal targets transgender bathroom use

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Republican lawmakers in Florida this week introduced legislation that could make it a misdemeanor offense for someone to use certain bathrooms that don’t align with their sex at birth, joining conservatives across the country on an issue that opponents say unfairly targets LGBTQ people. Named the “Safety in Private Spaces Act,” lawmakers in the House and...

Read More

Feds: Fugees rapper Pras Michel ran global influence-peddling scheme for cash

Federal prosecutors on Thursday portrayed rap star Pras Michel as a washed-up, money-hungry entertainer who embarked on a brazen secret-influence scheme aimed at the highest levels of the U.S. government. “The defendant needed money and was willing to do anything to get it, including being an agent of the Chinese government,” Justice Department attorney Nicole Lockhart told...

Read More

Biden steps up pressure on Fed to toughen rules for regional banks

The White House on Thursday said it will push to reverse the deregulation of regional banks that was carried out under President Donald Trump, heightening the pressure for swift action in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse. The Biden administration is urging the Federal Reserve and other independent agencies to toughen rules aimed at reducing banks’ reliance on debt...

Read More

Bankman-Fried pleads not guilty to five new charges

NEW YORK — Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of the cryptocurrency platform FTX, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to additional charges alleging that he committed bank fraud and bribed Chinese officials. Bankman-Fried, who flew from his parents’ home in California where he is under house arrest, appeared in a Manhattan courtroom and entered the plea in response to the...

Read More

Feds target alcohol pricing in new antitrust probe

The Federal Trade Commission has opened an investigation into the largest U.S. alcohol distributor, Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, over practices related to how wine and liquor are priced and sold around the country, according to three people with knowledge of the probe. The FTC is investigating Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits for possible violations of the Robinson-Patman...

Read More

Russia seeking munitions from North Korea, Kirby says

Russia is seeking to acquire more munitions from North Korea to bolster its war on Ukraine, the White House revealed on Thursday. The development comes as Moscow has sought help from other countries such as Iran as it continues to expend equipment and ammunition on the battlefield. In a briefing with reporters, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Vladimir...

Read More

Republican lawmakers override veto of transgender bill in Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Republican lawmakers in Kentucky on Wednesday swept aside the Democratic governor’s veto of a bill regulating some of the most personal aspects of life for transgender young people — from banning access to gender-affirming health care to restricting the bathrooms they can use. The votes to override Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto were lopsided in both legislative...

Read More

Biden to visit Mississippi on Friday after deadly tornado

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Rolling Fork, Miss., on Friday, the White House announced on Wednesday, following the deadly tornado that ripped through the Mississippi Delta last week. The storm left 25 dead and dozens injured after it tore through several towns in one of the poorest regions in the U.S. On Sunday, the White House issued an emergency...

Read More

Taiwan’s president is coming to America. Political bickering awaits.

The arrival of Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen in the U.S. on Thursday is highlighting a divide between the White House and China hawks in Congress over how strongly to show support for the self-governing island that China claims as its own. The Biden administration — loath to inflame already tense relations with China — is downplaying the visit, carefully noting that Tsai...

Read More

Congress appropriated $500M for workers. Democrats can’t agree on whether to spend it.

Congress appropriated nearly $500 million last year to help American workers whose jobs have been sent overseas. But two powerful Democrats disagree over whether that money can or should be spent, leaving relief for tens of thousands of workers in limbo. The disagreement between Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) is just...

Read More

Sanders serves strong cup of joe to Starbucks bigwig

After months of steadily amping up pressure on Starbucks and its longtime leader, Howard Schultz, Sen. Bernie Sanders finally got his chance Wednesday to grill the coffee executive over the company's hardball response to union organizing at its stores. "Starbucks has waged the most aggressive and illegal union-busting campaign in the modern history of our country,” said Sanders...

Read More