Ticker
Facebook knew of Honduran president’s manipulation campaign – and let it go
CEOs plan new push on voting legislation
Suez canal has reopened, but Ever Given isn’t free to go
Gaetz-tied group threatens to sue reporters writing on his Trump relationship
Tech
Mastermind of the nation's biggest investment fraud, dies at 82
Infamous fraudster Bernie Madoff has died at age 82. Madoff masterminded the biggest investment fraud in U.S. history, a Ponzi scheme that ripped off tens of thousands of people of as much as $65 billion. Madoff was serving a 150-year sentence at the federal prison care center in Butner, North Carolina, where he was being treated for what his attorney called terminal kidney disease.


CEOs plan new push on voting legislation
Dozens of chief executives and other senior leaders gathered on Zoom this weekend to plot what several said big businesses should do next about new voting laws under way in Texas and other states.
Suez canal has reopened, but Ever Given isn’t free to go
Mich McConnell backs away from warning businesses to stay out of politics
Delta CEO and Georgia governor get heated in voter law square-off
U.S. jobless claims fall to 684,000, fewest since pandemic

Veselnitskaya’s Trump Tower coverup linked to secret Russian weapons program
A company newly sanctioned by the U.S. over Alexei Navalny’s poisoning attack is tied to the money-laundering network that Natalia Veselnitskaya tried to cover up at the infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting, according to financial records obtained by The Daily Beast. Now we know why Vladimir Putin was so desperate to play down the international corruption probes that began when Sergei Magnitsky uncovered a $230 million fraud on the Russian people. For the first time, that dark-money network can be linked to the murderous chemical-weapons program run by Russia’s notorious intelligence services. After exposing the massive theft of state money, Magnitsky ended up dead in a Russian prison cell.

RNC brushes back Donald Trump's team on cease-and-desist demand
The RNC is denying a cease-and-desist demand from Donald Trump’s attorneys, who asked the party organization to stop using the former president’s name and likeness in fundraising appeals. In a letter sent to Trump attorney Alex Cannon, RNC chief counsel Justin Riemer asserted that the committee “has every right to refer to public figures as it engages in core, First Amendment-protected political speech, and it will continue to do so in pursuit of these common goals.” The letter is a brush-back to the Trump team, which sent a request that the RNC “immediately cease and desist the unauthorized use of President Donald J. Trump’s name, image, and/or likeness in all fundraising, persuasion, and/or issue speech.”

Donald Trump orders GOP's three biggest fundraisers to stop using his name
Donald Trump has sent legal warnings to the three biggest fundraising entities for the Republican Party, ordering them to stop using his name and likeness on emails and merchandise, according to a new report. Trump's lawyers sent the cease-and-desist letters on Friday to the Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, and National Republican Senate Committee, a Trump advisor told Politico. 'President Trump remains committed to the Republican Party and electing America First conservatives, but that doesn't give anyone - friend or foe - permission to use his likeness without explicit approval,' the advisor said.

Californians on universal basic income paid off debt and got full-time jobs
After receiving $500 per month for two years without rules on how to spend it, 125 people in California paid off debt, got full-time jobs and had “statistically significant improvements” in emotional health, according to a study released Wednesday. The program was the nation’s highest-profile experiment in decades of universal basic income (UBI), an idea that gained national attention when it became a major part of Andrew Yang’s 2020 campaign for president.

Jeff Bezos to step down as Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy to take over in Q3
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos will step down later this year, turning over the helm to the company's top cloud executive Andy Jassy, the company announced Tuesday. Bezos will transition to executive chairman of Amazon's board.^

Dominion Voting Systems sues for $1.3bn over baseless election claims
Dominion Voting Systems, the voting equipment manufacturer at the centre of baseless election fraud conspiracy theories pushed by Donald Trump and his allies, has sued the former president’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani in a $1.3bn defamation lawsuit. The 107-page complaint, filed in federal court on Monday, accuses the former New York City mayor of having “manufactured and disseminated” a conspiracy theory related to the company’s voting machines.

Claims climb past one million for second week in a row
One million people filed for unemployment benefits last week in the US as the coronavirus pandemic continued to take a historic toll on the job market.

Tucker Carlson defends actions of teen charged in Kenosha killings
The rightwing Fox News host Tucker Carlson has defended the actions of a 17-year-old who was arrested and charged with murder after two people were killed in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as white vigilante agitators shot at Black Lives Matter protesters.
Shortnews
Volkswagen accidentally posts new company name
Volkswagen on Monday appeared to accidentally announce a rebranding with the new name “Voltswagen,” before quickly removing the press release from its website. On Monday morning, the German automaker posted a statement on its website announcing the “rebranding,” in an apparent shift towards its investment in electric vehicles, before taking it down, USA Today reported. In the release, the automaker said the rebranding is “more than a name change."
White House downplays surprising February jobs gain
Top White House officials took little solace in the better-than-expected February jobs report, insisting Friday that the U.S. was far from a full and equitable recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The February jobs report released Friday showed the U.S. gaining 379,000 jobs last month, nearly double the consensus estimates of economists. The unemployment rate also dropped 0.1 percentage points to 6.2 percent, its lowest level since March 2020, as businesses prepared for a post-pandemic world.
CDC signs off on Johnson & Johnson vaccine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday formally accepted the recommendation from its advisory panel that Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine can be given to people ages 18 and older in the United States. The announcement by CDC Director Rochelle Walensky will allow vaccinations to begin as soon as the doses are received. Walensky called the decision "another milestone toward an end to the pandemic."
News outlets diverge over airing Trump's speech
CNN and MSNBC did not air former President Trump's speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Sunday while Fox News and other conservative outlets such as Newsmax and OANN carried his remarks live. Fox News began airing Trump's speech after the former president took to to the stage at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday. CNN continued on with coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and MSNBC continued to air its "PoliticsNation" program, though it aired a short clip from the speech.
Federal Reserve suffers widespread disruption
The Federal Reserve suffered a widespread disruption in multiple payment services Wednesday, including a system that banks and businesses rely on to zip trillions of dollars around the financial system each day. After experiencing problems for several hours, the crucial payment system, known as Fedwire, resumed normal operations shortly before 3 p.m. ET, according to the Fed's website.