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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz's debate turned more into a civil discussion than a grand clash.</li><li>After months of personal attacks, Vance and Walz didn't trade serious blows until the end.</li></ul>Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota trotted out their best version of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/kindness-behind-midwest-nice">Midwest Nice</a> on Tuesday night, delivering <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vance-walz-vp-vice-presidential-debate-highlights-2024-10">a vice presidential debate</a> of relative civility amid a campaign typified by acrimony and upended by violent assassination attempts.The only things it seemed to be missing were an "ope" or a "you betcha."The bar was extraordinarily low.Former President Trump spent part of the first debate falsely accusing Haitian migrants in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/springfield-ohio-town-center-baseless-trump-pet-eating-claims-tensions-2024-9">Springfield, Ohio,</a> of "eating the pets of the people that live there" — a moment perhaps only topped by Trump's infamous 2016 GOP primary debate thinly veiled boast about the size of his penis.Vance and Walz routinely offered that they largely agreed with the points the other one made on everything from how trade deals had left Americans behind to wanting to pass more support for young families."Look, I'm a union guy on this," Walz said. "I'm not a guy who wanted to ship things overseas, but I understand that."Both men also agreed that more needs to be done to drive down <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-kamala-harris-plans-to-build-3-million-new-homes-2024-8">housing costs</a>, one of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kamala-harris-unveils-housing-proposals-yimby-economic-agenda-experts-2024-8">major economic policy areas</a> in the race."First of all, you're going to hear a lot from Tim Walz this evening, and you just heard it in the answer, a lot of what Kamala Harris proposes to do," Vance said. "And some of it, I'll be honest with you, it even sounds pretty good."Echoing Trump, Vance questioned why Harris hadn't already worked on passing some of her economic policies.<h2 id="8387ee49-ec18-48db-a1e7-5857cc8f52a8">The agreement didn't happen in a vacuum</h2>Polls have also shown that Vance is the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jd-vance-unpopularity-struggles-polls-vp-debate-walz-trump-harris-2024-9">least popular figure</a> of the two major candidates and their running mates. It seemed clear that the Ohio Republican, who was tapped to be Trump's MAGA heir apparent, wanted to use the moment to reintroduce himself to millions of Americans with an eye on undecided voters in the key swing states that will decide the race. It shouldn't escape notice that Vance worked in Georgia and Arizona in his answers.Vance is also not former Vice President Mike Pence. After all, Trump's new running mate walks out to an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harris-freedom-2024-campaign-songs-trump-vance-walz-2024-8">Iraq War protest anthem</a>. Vance is not a movement conservative, and thus, he's far more apt to condemn the old Republican Party that once sang the praises of foreign intervention and free trade deals. In an extraordinary moment, Vance offered a defense for Trump's signature tax cut deal by stating that it was aimed more at middle-class Americans than previous tax cuts, in other words, the plan championed by President George W. Bush. (It is true Trump's plan disproportionately benefited higher-income Americans.)Vance even tried to wash away his past support for a national abortion ban. He then tried to neutralize a ProPublica report that a woman in Georgia, Amber Nicole Thurman, died because the publication found she couldn't "access legal abortions and timely medical care in their state.""First of all, Governor, I agree with you, Amber Thurman should still be alive, and there are a lot of people who should still be alive, and I certainly wish that she was," Vance said.Walz and Harris have also sprinted to the center.Harris, in particular, has jettisoned many of the progressive positions she took during her 2020 Democratic presidential primary run. In his closing statement, Walz praised a coalition that had brought former Vice President Dick Cheney and Taylor Swift together. Yes, the Dick Cheney, who embraces being compared to Darth Vader.<h2 id="79ba2328-2405-4869-9519-acdb10a07685">Midwestern Niceness is more than just an aw-shucks demeanor</h2>There's a reason the region is known for its fair share of passive aggressiveness. And there were certainly outright moments of aggression and disagreement. In particular, Walz and Vance traded barbs over Trump's actions in the lead-up to and during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot."Well, I've enjoyed tonight's debate, and there was a lot of commonality here," Walz said, before tearing into Vance's defense of Trump's actions.Walz added that he couldn't believe that Vance would offer a direct answer to whether or not Trump had really lost the 2020 election."This one is troubling to me," Walz said. "I say that because we need to tell the story. The fact is Donald Trump refused to acknowledge this."It also shouldn't go unnoticed that Vance and Walz tore into each other in deeply personal ways ahead of the debate. Vance accused Walz of abandoning his National Guard unit by retiring before his service members were deployed to Iraq. Walz became the Democratic vice presidential nominee in large part because he called Vance and Trump "weird."<h2 id="7fc5d462-af46-4a49-8dce-12a2b4db5ff7">Neither side truly seized what may be the last big moment</h2>Journalists and pundits often joke about how much <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vance-walz-vice-presidential-debate-preview-2024-9">debates truly matter</a> or if they matter at all.Of course, no debate in American history mattered more than Trump and President Joe Biden's June debate which eventually ended with Biden dropping out of the race. It remains to be seen how much ground Harris gained after facing off with Trump, but her national lead has risen slightly since her widely-agreed upon victory.Tuesday's debate comes at a critical time in the race. Election Day is in 34 days. Some states have already begun voting. Polling shows that Harris has built a narrow national lead since her decisive debate against Trump. But in the all-important swing states, the margin between the two remains extremely narrow.Both campaigns need to sway a small number of undecided voters in swing states and then motivate non-voters to the polls. Hence, the move to the middle to try and appeal to the broadest number of people — and hopefully undecideds.Trump and Harris are not expected to meet again on the debate stage. Harris has accepted a second debate, but Trump has thus far said it is too late for them to face off again. In their absence, the two major vice presidential hopefuls took up the unprecedented responsibility of delivering the closing arguments for their campaigns. It remains to be seen if it will move the needle at all.Then again, the 2024 race has ripped up the script at nearly every turn. And given that Tuesday marks the start of October, the month of historic campaign surprises, there may be more upheaval to come.

JD Vance and Tim Walz kept things civil as they raced to appeal to moderate voters 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Mark Zuckerberg loves playing the strategy video game, "Civilization."</li><li>"I think at some point, I should do like a Twitch stream of me playing with someone," he said.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-says-he-wants-to-be-remembered-for-this-2024-10">Mark Zuckerberg's</a> been thinking of starting a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twitch-amazon-livestream-disappointment-competition-tiktok-youtube-2024-7">Twitch</a> stream for his favorite strategy video game."In terms of strategy games, the one that I'm more likely to want to be the best in the world at is Civilization," the Meta founder told media startup Pubity.The interview, filmed at the Meta Connect 2024 conference, was published on Monday by Pubity's TikTok channel. Meta's conference ran from September 24 to 25."Priscilla looked at my Steam account the other day and she's like: 'What? You've played this for more than a 1,000 hours?'" Zuckerberg said, referring to his wife. Steam is a PC gaming distribution platform and store."I think at some point, I should do like a Twitch stream of me playing with someone," the billionaire added. "Because I'm pretty convinced that I'm close to grandmaster status. I'd be surprised if anyone in the world could beat me at that." "Sid Meier's Civilization" is a strategy video game series by Maryland-based developer Firaxis Games that has sold over 50 million copies worldwide, per its publisher, 2K Games.Zuckerberg has previously spoken of his love for the game. At his 2017 commencement speech at Harvard University, he said he got his college offer letter while playing "Civilization."Zuckerberg's comment comes amid his attempts to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-is-in-fashion-designer-era-tshirts-chains-raybans-2024-8">refresh his public image</a> with a more laid-back personality and fashion style.In his interview with Pubity, Zuckerberg was dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt emblazoned with "Zuck or nothing" in Latin, a sharp break from his <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-same-t-shirt-2014-11">usual uniform of gray t-shirts</a> from yesteryears.Zuckerberg's namedropping also stands to be a major boon for Firaxis Games, which recently launched a major marketing campaign for its upcoming seventh main "Civilization" game, which is set to be released on February 11, 2025.One "Civilization" streamer, Potato McWhiskey, is already jockeying to be the gamer that Zuckerberg might stream with."I challenge you, Mark Zuckerberg, to a 1v1 duel in Civilization," he said in a Wednesday video published on his YouTube channel, which has 480,000 subscribers."See you in the arena, Zuckerberg," the official "Civilization" YouTube account commented.Some public figures have sought to use video games and Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, to win over younger audiences.On Wednesday, Gov. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kamala-harris-vice-president-tim-walz-career-facts-2024-8">Tim Walz</a> of Minnesota was featured on a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harris-campaign-sends-tim-walz-to-court-millennial-male-voters-2024-10">"World of Warcraft" Twitch stream</a>.The move by Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, appears to be part of the Democratic campaign's outreach to younger voters.Zuckerberg hasn't set a date for an appearance on the Bezos-backed Twitch. But it's noteworthy that Meta's Facebook already has its own video-game streaming platform, Facebook Gaming."Not even Mark Zuckerberg wants to stream on Facebook," said a top comment on Pubity's TikTok.Facebook launched <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-gaming-jason-rubin-covid-19-technology-oculus-2021-1">Facebook Gaming</a> in 2020, but the Twitch competitor didn't make a big splash.In October 2022, the company removed the iOS and Android apps for Facebook Gaming, though the service could still be accessed via the main Facebook app.Representatives for Zuckerberg at Meta didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Mark Zuckerberg, 'Civilization' fan and gaming enthusiast, said he may soon give Jeff Bezos' Twitch some love

<keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword> and Maldives have signed an agreement to introduce the <keyword id="19998949" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Unified-Payments-Interface" source="keywords">Unified Payments Interface</keyword> in the archipelago nation, which will have a "very positive" impact on its <keyword id="20260982" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tourism-sector" source="keywords">tourism sector</keyword>, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Friday during Jaishankar's three-day official visit to the Maldives. "Witnessed signing of MoU between (the) National Payments Corporation of India and (the) Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Maldives on (the) introduction of (a) digital payment system in the Maldives," he said in a post on X. Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (<keyword id="19998946" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NPCI" source="keywords">NPCI</keyword>), Unified Payment Interface (UPI) is an instant real-time payment system to facilitate inter-bank transactions through mobile phones. Addressing a press conference with his Maldivian counterpart Moosa Zameer after their "productive discussions", Jaishankar said that India, through its UPI, has "revolutionised digital transactions". Stressing that it has taken financial inclusion in India to new levels, he said "Today 40 per cent of the world's real-time digital payments take place in our country." "We see this revolution, every day in our lives. I am pleased to note that with the signing of the MoU today, we have taken the first step towards bringing this digital innovation to Maldives," he said. "I wish the very best to stakeholders on both sides and hope that we will soon see the first UPI transaction here. I should mention that it will have a very positive impact on tourism," he added. Tourism is the main source of economic activity for the Maldives, contributing nearly 30 per cent of the GDP and generating more than 60 per cent of foreign exchange. Jaishankar's visit aims to reset the bilateral relationship with the Maldives and is the first high-level trip from India after the archipelago nation's pro-China president, Mohamed Muizzu, assumed office last year. "India's partnership with the Maldives is based on our deep desire to work together for each other's welfare and interests. It is a partnership that has enabled us to always swiftly and effectively respond to challenges, as witnessed in the past," Jaishankar said. "It is a partnership that has enabled us to deliver results and bring tangible benefits to our people in accordance with their wishes, aspirations and priorities," he said. In a post on X, Jaishankar also said, "Jointly inaugurated six High Impact Projects in areas of street lighting, mental health, children speech therapy and special education." "Welcome renewal of MoU between National Centre for Good Governance and Civil Services Commission on (the) training of additional 1,000 civil services officers," he added. Addressing the joint press conference, Maldivian Foreign Minister Zameer said, "India has always been one of our closest friends and a vital development partner." He said the "enduring friendship" was built on a foundation of mutual trust and respect and has continued to flourish over the years. "High-level exchanges between our countries have deepened our dialogue and cooperation in areas of shared interest. We remain dedicated to strengthening and advancing this mutually beneficial partnership," he said. "Minister Dr Jaishankar and I agreed that much more needs to be done to promote trade and investment between the Maldives and India," he said, adding that both sides are committed to establishing "effective mechanisms to enhance economic cooperation, fostering a vibrant and prosperous partnership that will benefit both the nations." Zameer said he conveyed President Muizzu's proposal to begin negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement between the Maldives and India. "This agreement alongside other economic and trade-related agreements will facilitate trade liberalisation and ease the risks of doing business in both our countries," he said. Zameer said that India and Maldives have also mutually agreed to further strengthen their partnership by continuing joint exercises and expanding training opportunities for officers from both countries, asserting that this reflects "our commitment to working together to ensure the security of our nations as well as ensuring the safety and stability of the Indian Ocean region." India's relations with the Maldives suffered a major setback last year when President Muizzu demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel manning three aviation platforms in the Maldives. Subsequently, the Indian military personnel were replaced by civilians by May 10, the mutually agreed date. "On regional and multilateral issues of importance, our countries have a common understanding and are united in our efforts to resolve them. We agreed to continue our cooperation on issues ranging from combating terrorism, violent extremism, drugs, human trafficking and to the promotion and protection of human rights," Zameer said. In his press statement, Jaishankar said that India and the Maldives "are not just close neighbours, we are also natural partners." "Today, we are mutually invested in each other's development and progress. In a globalised and interconnected world, we see a lot of volatility and global tensions. Even as the world is recovering from the impact of the COVID pandemic, we have been confronted with new challenges arising from international conflicts," he said. In this tumultuous environment, India has been and will be, an anchor of stability for its friends, partners and neighbours. To the Maldives specifically, India has provided support to deal with economic challenges through financial assistance and budgetary support, and by ensuring an uninterrupted supply of critical items, he noted. India's actions have been and will continue to be guided by its firm commitment to the philosophy of 'Sabka Saath, Sabke Vikas - which is- Together, we prosper', Jaishankar said. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/brainbees-solutions-firstcry-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/112403576.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/brainbees-solutions-firstcry-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/112403576.cms" target="_blank">Brainbees Solutions (Firstcry) IPO allotment – How to check allotment, IPO GMP, listing date and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indias-wearables-market-decline-for-the-first-time-as-smartwatch-shipments-fall/articleshow/112397246.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indias-wearables-market-decline-for-the-first-time-as-smartwatch-shipments-fall/articleshow/112397246.cms" target="_blank">India’s wearables market decline for the first time as smartwatch shipments fall</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/ola-wants-to-re-enter-the-quick-commerce-business-to-take-on-blinkit-and-swiggy-instamart/articleshow/112364583.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/ola-wants-to-re-enter-the-quick-commerce-business-to-take-on-blinkit-and-swiggy-instamart/articleshow/112364583.cms" target="_blank">Ola wants to re-enter the quick commerce business to take on Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart</a>

India to introduce UPI payment service in Maldives

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Billionaire Don Hankey's company underwrote a $175 million appeal bond for Donald Trump.</li><li>Hankey's net worth is estimated at $7.4 billion and he oversees a $22.5 billion automotive empire.</li></ul>Billionaire Don Hankey swooped in on Monday and underwrote a $175 million <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-posts-bond-after-court-reduction-2024-4">appeal bond for Donald Trump</a>, saving the former president from getting his assets sold out from under him while he appeals his civil fraud case.The 80-year-old oversees Hankey Group, which employs over 3,400 people and whose assets are worth around $22.5 billion, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/don-hankey/?sh=2ba84a081783">Forbes</a>. The empire consists of eight companies in the automotive, finance, technology, real estate, and insurance industries.Hankey's Knight Specialty Insurance provided Trump's bond on Monday, three days before deadline.It's not the first time Hankey has been financially tied to an entity that's helped Trump out of a potential bind, although the businessman told Bloomberg he didn't do it for political reasons."Yes, I voted for him in the past, but this is a business deal and this is what we do," Hankey said in an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-02/trump-175-million-bond-arranged-by-billionaire-supporter-s-firm">interview</a> with Bloomberg about the $175 million bond. "I have never met Donald Trump, nor talked to him on the phone."Hankey told the publication that he has also invested in Axos Bank, which <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-100-million-loan-trump-tower-bank-ceo-donor-2022-3">refinanced Trump Tower in 2022 </a>for $100 million after the previous loan for that amount had been placed on a debt watch list — but that his Axos Bank investment had nothing to do with Trump's bond. Axos Bank CEO Greg Garrabrants has previously donated around $50,000 to Republican campaigns since 2012, with $9,600 in support of Trump, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Gregory+Garrabrants&amp;max_date=12%2F31%2F2022">Federal elections records</a>.Hankey's net worth is estimated at $7.4 billion, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/don-hankey/?sh=2ba84a081783">Forbes</a> — and it's nearly doubled within the last three years.Hankey grew up a lot worker, washing and polishing cars, and later held a job as a salesman at his father's Ford dealership, which he fully acquired in 1972 and built his empire from, Bloomberg reported.Dubbed the "little-known king of subprime car loans" in his Forbes profile, his largest venture, Westlake Financial Services, operates as a subprime financing company and is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hankeygroup.com/companies/">worth</a> $16.8 billion in assets, according to the Hankey Group website. Westlake collaborates with car dealerships nationwide to offer loans to people with poor or nonexistent credit.The group also owns a real estate firm, Hankey Investment Company LP. The company owns 488,343 square feet of commercial property and 12 million square feet of urban development land in Southern California, according to the Hankey Group website.The billionaire generated buzz two years ago when he poured a reported $82.5 in financing into Bel Air megamansion <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-225-million-mansion-the-one-biggest-modern-home-us-2021-9">"The One," developed by Nile Niami</a>. The 105,000-square-foot property contains 21 bedrooms and 42 full bathrooms. It also includes a 4,000-square-foot guesthouse and a long list of luxury amenities including multiple infinity pools, a nightclub, a spa, a beauty salon, a bowling alley, and a movie theater.<div type="image" title="Aerial view of Bel Air Los Angeles neighborhood with mansions and golf course." height="2002" width="3000" msid="108984506" hostid="261" sizebytes="1092766"></div>However, a lack of interest in the property led to financial issues for its developer, Nial Niami's Crestlloyd, which filed for bankruptcy protection. The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/500-million-bel-air-unfinished-mega-mansion-2021-9">mansion ended up auctioning</a> for less than half of its expected $500 million worth.Hankey became involved in some of the legal challenges over the property's ownership, but said he got all his capital commitments back after the property <a target="_blank" href="https://labusinessjournal.com/special-editions/wealthiest-angelenos/wealthiest-2023/7-don-hankey-2/">sold</a>, the Los Angeles Business Journal reported.<div type="image" title="&quot;The One&quot; mansion Bel Air" height="2929" width="4500" msid="108984507" hostid="261" sizebytes="1267994"></div>Hankey attended the University of Southern California and currently resides in Malibu.He has been married for 40 years to Debbie Hankey and has four children, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/don-hankey/?sh=b177b3c17839">according to Forbes</a>.

Meet the billionaire 'king of subprime car loans' whose company underwrote Trump's $175 million civil fraud bond

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The LA company that underwrote Trump's $175M appeal bond needs major vetting, NY says.</li><li>Officials want the company to prove its financial soundness and show the underlying collateral.</li></ul>The New York Attorney General's Office wants a closer look at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-posts-bond-after-court-reduction-2024-4">Donald Trump's $175 million appeal bond</a>.In <a target="_blank" href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24531734-nyag-v-trump-ag-notice-of-exception-to-surety-20240404">a two-page court filing Thursday</a>, state officials are giving Trump or his underwriters — the Knight Specialty Insurance Company — ten days to "justify," or prove the sufficiency of, the bond.The step is necessary, the state notes in its filing, because the Los Angeles-based Knight is a "non-admitted carrier" under <a target="_blank" href="https://codes.findlaw.com/ny/insurance-law/isc-sect-1111/">state insurance law</a>, meaning it is not automatically qualified to provide bonds in New York."Admitted" insurance carriers are certified by New York's Department of Financial Services as qualified to underwrite bonds.Because of Knight's non-admitted status, Attorney General Letitia James is allowed, under New York's <a target="_blank" href="https://law.justia.com/codes/new-york/2022/cvp/article-25/2507/">civil practice rules</a>, to ask for proof that Knight is financially sound and that the bond's collateral is sufficient.The final call on whether the Knight bond sinks or swims will be up to New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, who has set April 22 for a hearing on the matter.Engoron is the judge who presided over Trump's civil trial, finding in February that the GOP frontrunner and his company executives fraudulently exaggerated the value of Trump Organization assets for a decade.Trump needs the bond in order to keep the winner of the lawsuit, New York, from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-a-trump-property-sheriffs-auction-would-work-2024-3">seizing his properties</a> while he appeals Engoron's judgment, which by Thursday has risen to more than $469 million, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t0aaiBjLw8eeQkfY61er8OrjFUqxPkvQltEyNVgwx1U/edit#gid=2046816337">a penalty calculator </a>maintained by the Associated Press.The Los Angeles-based Knight is owned by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-don-hankey-net-worth">billionaire Don Hankey,</a> described by Forbes as the "king of subprime car loans." The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Because large appeal bonds are almost always underwritten by "admitted" insurance carriers, the need for Knight to "justify" their bond's underwriting and collateral is an unusual extra step.Justifying was not necessary, for example, when <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/whats-up-with-chubb-trump-insurer-balked-at-fraud-bond-2024-3">Trump used insurance giant Chubb</a> to post a $92 million bond last month for his E. Jean Carroll defamation appeal.This time around, though, shopping for a bond has been harder. Before getting his bond through Knight, Trump had complained through his civil fraud defense lawyers that "about 30 surety companies through 4 separate brokers" <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-civil-fraud-judgment-cant-pay-2024-3">had turned him down</a> — including Chubb.Despite the temporary delay, things could have gone far worse for the GOP frontrunner.On March 25, an appeals court in Manhattan allowed Trump to post <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/appellate-court-donald-trump-lowers-bond-175-million-fraud-case-2024-3">a bond covering only $175 million</a> of what he owes New York.Without that lifeline, Trump would have had to pay <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-needs-500m-cash-for-appeal-bond-ny-fraud-case-2024-3">half a billion dollars</a> in cash to purchase a bond covering the full amount he owes, experts told Business Insider.

NY uses obscure civil-practice law to demand a closer look at Trump's $175M appeal bond — and at its underwriter, Knight Specialty

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Greece is shifting to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/greece-six-day-workweek-longer-productivity-retail-agriculture-service-employees-2024-6">six-day workweek</a> in some industries to boost productivity.</li><li>The new 48-hour workweek counters global trends toward shorter ones for better productivity.</li></ul>So long, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/helpful-advice-for-following-a-mediterranean-diet-from-pro">siga siga</a>.The Greek phrase meaning "slowly, slowly" refers to the relaxed pace of life in the country famous for its culture, history, and clear Mediterranean waters.It could be harder for some workers to embrace that philosophy as the country prepares to shift to a six-day workweek for some industries.The Greek government says the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/01/greece-introduces-growth-oriented-six-day-working-week">move to a 48-hour workweek</a>, which is set to start Monday, could boost productivity amid a declining population and a dearth of skilled workers. The shift is notable because it runs counter to the companies and countries that are experimenting with a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/4-day-workweek-could-be-here-sooner-than-you-think-2024-3">four-day workweek</a>.Working longer hours can help people further refine their skills, but it can also lead to decreased productivity because of <a target="_blank" href="https://docs.iza.org/dp10722.pdf">fatigue</a> and burnout, research shows.The extra hours will come with a 40% jump in pay for Greek workers who add two hours to their day or take on an extra eight-hour workday. The change, which won approval in September, applies to workers in industries like agriculture, retail, and various service industries, as BI previously reported. It also applies to private businesses that operate 24 hours a day.Even with the bump in pay for the extra time, some union officials are decrying the shift."It makes no sense whatsoever," Akis Sotiropoulos, from the civil servants' union Adedy, told The Guardian. "When almost every other civilized country is enacting a four-day week, Greece decides to go the other way."<h2 id="2f876f4f-8d93-41e1-af11-7e1266033d55">Doing more with less</h2>Experiments with the four-day workweek have often shown being on the job for less time makes workers more productive because they're better rested, more focused, and have more time to attend to needs that arise in their personal lives outside work.One study that examined manufacturing in the US found that when overtime increased by 10%, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241684896_Are_long_hours_reducing_productivity_in_manufacturing">productivity dropped</a> by 2% to 4%.Another review <a target="_blank" href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/721803">examined the output</a> of more than 10,000 skilled workers at a large tech company in India working from home. When time on the clock went up — including a jump of 18% outside normal work hours — output slipped, and productivity dropped between 8% and 19%. The biggest culprit: more time spent communicating and coordinating and less time engaging in uninterrupted work.Research shows workers often benefit when they have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-deal-with-stress-burnout-work-mental-health-professional-2023-11">time away from their jobs</a> to recover.Having more free time can also boost gratitude among employees. Zachary Toth runs a small manufacturing company in Toronto. He previously told BI that he and his management colleagues began looking into a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/four-day-workweek-companies-profits-workers-happier-efficient-takano-2023-7">four-day workweek</a> after seeing successful pilots in Japan and other countries.Toth didn't expect the extra time away from the factory would encourage workers to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/four-day-workweek-workers-showed-up-on-weekends-2023-12">show up without being asked</a>."They just came in because they knew there was a project that had to be finished, and they didn't want productivity to fall. They wanted to make sure we keep doing the four-day workweek," he said.Toth, the owner and president of Metex Corporation, said productivity has increased "in every single way."Basis Technologies, an advertising software company, shifted its workweek to four and a half days after years of experiments with a four-day workweek and other approaches. For 2024, it settled on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/4-day-workweek-us-half-day-fridays-pros-and-cons-2024-1">making Fridays a half day</a>.Emily Barron, the company's executive vice president of talent and development, previously told BI that the company had been looking for ways to give workers more time to decompress while still meeting the business's needs. For now, the half-day approach is best, she said."It really is intended for people to take a mental break, to get caught up, to, you know, go to that workout class that they couldn't get to at 7:30 in the morning," Barron said.<h2 id="209c66e4-f60d-4e56-b0fc-57bb7401dc19">The end of the 5-day week</h2>In Greece, the longer workweek is designed to address changing demographics, which the country's prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has called a "ticking timebomb," according to the Guardian. Some 500,000 largely young and educated Greek citizens have left the country following a debt crisis that began more than a decade ago, the newspaper reported.The new rule is voluntary, but some critics say it will effectively mark the end of a five-day workweek.Aris Kazakos, an emeritus labor law professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, recently <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dw.com/en/greece-introduces-the-six-day-work-week/a-69439050#:~:text=Employers%20can%20instruct%20staff%20to,the%20sixth%20day%20of%20labor.">told Germany's DW</a> news outlet that bosses can require workers to work a sixth day, and workers can't say no.The move to six days "will kill off the five-day workweek for good," he said.

Greece's plan for a 6-day workweek to boost productivity may not work

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US DOJ, with 16 state attorneys general, has filed a civil <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-antitrust-lawsuit-justice-department-2024-3">antitrust lawsuit against Apple</a>.</li><li>That lawsuit argues that the iPhone maker engaged in anticompetitive practices in five key respects.</li></ul>Apple is under fire.The US Department of Justice, along with attorneys general from 16 states, has accused Apple of engaging in illegal anticompetitive behaviors to achieve the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-rules-gen-z-nearly-90-percent-have-iphone-survey-2023-10">iPhone's dominance</a>.The stakes are high.Prosecutors — who likened the action to the famous antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft more than two decades ago — say their focus on the iPhone is because of several ways in which Apple unfairly limits the functionality of other products and services to iPhone users.Apple "engaged in many of the same tactics that Microsoft used," the Justice Department alleges, leaving customers with "higher prices, fewer new products, and a worse user experience."Apple said in a statement to Business Insider that the suit was "wrong on the facts and the law, and we will vigorously defend against it."Meanwhile, it was a bad day for Apple's stock, which was down more than 4% at market close.So what does the DOJ's case against Apple center on?Here are the five key areas where prosecutors say Apple is breaking the law and harming consumers:<h2>1. Restricting cross-platform apps</h2>The suit says Apple makes it harder for consumers to switch between smartphone platforms by restricting apps that offer a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-slapped-with-whopping-fine-of-nearly-2-billion-2024-3">consistent user experience across devices</a>.<h2>2. Limiting cloud streaming games and apps</h2>Prosecutors argue that Apple's restrictions on streaming services force users to pay for more expensive smartphone hardware than they would otherwise have to.<h2>3. Android users get green text bubbles and grainy videos</h2>Because <a target="_blank" href="https://businessinsider.com/antitrust-doj-lawsuit-apple-green-messages-android-2024-3/">Apple blocks other apps from sending or receiving carrier-based messages</a> in favor of its own Messages app, the lawsuit says the company is making communications with non-iPhone users less innovative and less secure. Look no further than relegating Android users' texts to green bubbles and the grainy quality when sending videos, the DOJ argues.<h2>4. Making smartwatches less smart</h2>This one is a twofer: Prosecutors say the Apple Watch's dependence on an iPhone locks users into the iOS system, while the iPhone doesn't play as nicely as it should with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/google-pixel-watch-vs-apple-watch-series-8">third-party smartwatches</a>.<h2>5. Denying access to full-fledged digital wallets</h2>In limiting tap-to-pay functionality and restricting third-party development of cross-platform digital wallets, prosecutors say Apple is harming businesses' and customers' <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/big-tech-companies-say-apples-app-store-rules-insufficient-brief-2024-3">ability to conduct secure digital transactions</a> on their phones, independently of Apple.<h2>Read the full complaint here</h2><p style=" margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;"><a title="View US vs. Apple Inc lawsuit on Scribd" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=f7d30b5124c98b9f38ab6547117092894ea691b83de0488b1363d8444caeea4b&amp;postID=65fc6099669ae113e1baaf21&amp;postSlug=apple-lawsuit-explained-60-seconds-2024-3&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.scribd.com%2Fdocument%2F715763893%2FUS-vs-Apple-Inc-lawsuit%23from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;">US vs. Apple Inc lawsuit</a> by <a title="View Steven Tweedie's profile on Scribd" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=d1b281f50e90e18c4fe0ada6be2dd9a8689ccf9a40e3f13200cded1930747586&amp;postID=65fc6099669ae113e1baaf21&amp;postSlug=apple-lawsuit-explained-60-seconds-2024-3&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.scribd.com%2Fuser%2F379310862%2FSteven-Tweedie%23from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;">Steven Tweedie</a>

Apple's horrible day &mdash; explained in 60 seconds

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Palestinians broke into UN-run aid facilities on Saturday, taking basic food and medical supplies.</li><li>The incidents prompted the UN agency to warn that civil order is starting to break down in Gaza.</li></ul>Thousands of Palestinians have broken into several United Nations-run aid centers in search of basic survival items, prompting the organization to warn that civil order in the area was starting to break down.Flour, hygiene products, and other basic supplies were taken from depots in the middle and southern areas of the Gaza strip, the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) <a target="_blank" href="https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/news-releases/gaza-strip-thousands-break-unrwa-warehouses-gaza-taking-wheat-flour-and-basic">said Sunday</a>.One of the facilities that was stormed in Deir al-Balah holds aid being delivered via the Rafah border crossing."This is a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza," said Thomas White, the agency's Gaza director.<div type="image" title="Palestinians storm a UN-run aid supply center, that distributes food to displaced families following Israel's call for more than one million residents in northern Gaza to move south for their safety, in Deir al-Balah on October 28, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas." height="3850" width="5775" msid="104803402" hostid="261" sizebytes="1676286"></div>More than 7,000 Palestinians have been killed and 1.4 million displaced in Gaza, per reports by <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-death-toll-numbers-injured-5c9dc40bec95a8408c83f3c2fb759da0">The Associated Press</a>, as Israel bombs the region in retaliation for the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7 that killed more than 1,400 people in southern Israel.Basic services in Gaza have crumbled as the conflict continues, leaving Palestinians facing water shortages, limited electricity, and communications blackouts."Supplies on the market are running out, while the humanitarian aid coming into the Gaza Strip on trucks from Egypt is insufficient," said White."The needs of the communities are immense, if only for basic survival, while the aid we receive is meager and inconsistent," he added.Around 84 aid trucks carrying food, water, and medicine have entered Gaza since the Rafah crossing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rafah-crossing-point-between-gaza-egypt-opens-first-aid-trucks-enter-2023-10">was opened</a> on October 21, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.Before the conflict, about 500 trucks entered the Gaza Strip every day to deliver supplies, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-aid-monitoring-must-change-allow-more-trucks-un-chief-2023-10-27/">Reuters</a>.The US, Israel, Egypt, and the UN remain in negotiations over creating a more sustainable aid delivery system for Gaza.Col Elad Goren, an Israeli official who oversees civilian operations in the occupied Palestinian territories, said that a "dramatic increase" in aid to Gaza was being coordinated, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/29/civil-order-starting-break-down-gaza-people-raid-un-warehouses">The Guardian</a>.Israel is not allowing any fuel to enter the territory out of fears Hamas will divert it for military uses and to power generators that ventilate the networks of tunnels used by its fighters.

'Civil order' is starting to break down in Gaza, warns UN agency, after thousands break into aid centers for food and supplies

<keyword id="19923231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-India-Express" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Air India Express" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Air India Express">Air India Express</keyword> has termited at least 25 <keyword id="21572930" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cabin-crew-members" source="keywords">cabin crew members</keyword>, a day after hundreds of <keyword id="19916568" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="employees" source="keywords">employees</keyword> reported sick and failed to report to work that led to disruptions to <keyword id="19954208" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="flight-operations" source="keywords">flight operations</keyword>. According to sources within the airline, the management on Wednesday terminated cabin crew members who took <keyword id="20299395" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sick-leave" source="keywords">sick leave</keyword> between Tuesday and Wednesday due to their unprofessional behaviour, which resulted in inconvenience to thousands of passengers. The <keyword id="21571427" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mass-sick-leave" source="keywords">mass sick leave</keyword> was considered a pre-meditated and concerted abstention from work without any justifiable reason, violating Air India Express Limited employee service rules. The decision to terminate the employees was made as their actions violated the conditions outlined in their employment contracts, leading to their immediate termination. The disruption caused by the mass sick leave affected more than 95 flights of Air India Express between Tuesday evening and Wednesday, impacting over 10,000 passengers. The disruption in flight operations stemmed from the delay and cancellation of over 90 international and domestic flights due to cabin crew members reporting sick. In response to this, Air India Express CEO, Aloke Singh, announced plans to reduce flight operations in the coming days. Singh said that since Tuesday evening, "over 100 of cabin crew colleagues have reported sick prior to their rostered flight duty, at the last minute, severely disrupting our operations. Because this action was mostly by colleagues assigned L1 role, the impact was disproportionate, disrupting 90+ flights even though other colleagues reported for duty." He emphasised that the behaviour of a few does not represent the dedication of the majority of the airline's cabin crew, who continue to serve guests with dedication and pride. "This act is certainly not representative of the 2,000-odd cabin crew colleagues in the company who continue to respond to the call of duty and serve our guests with dedication and pride. I am thankful to all who are standing by the airline in this hour of crisis," he said in a statement. Singh invited staff for discussions to address any concerns they may have and assured that all communication channels are open. The cancellations and delays prompted the Ministry of Civil Aviation to seek a detailed report from Air India Express. The ministry urged the airline to promptly resolve the issues and ensure that passengers are provided with facilities as per DGCA norms. Sources within the ministry revealed that cancellations and delays began on Tuesday night, continuing into Wednesday morning, which led to flight operations being curtailed due to a sudden shortage of crew members. Some senior crew members allegedly switched off their mobile phones just before flight operations, citing health issues. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/indegene-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/109952516.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/indegene-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/109952516.cms" target="_blank">Indegene IPO allotment – How to check allotment, GMP, listing date and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-wallet-launched-in-india-store-your-loyalty-cards-boarding-passes-and-more/articleshow/109941139.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-wallet-launched-in-india-store-your-loyalty-cards-boarding-passes-and-more/articleshow/109941139.cms" target="_blank">Google Wallet launched in India – store your loyalty cards, boarding passes and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/webstories/top-selling-cars-in-india-in-april-2024-tata-punch-continues-to-dominate/slidelist/109909744.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/webstories/top-selling-cars-in-india-in-april-2024-tata-punch-continues-to-dominate/slidelist/109909744.cms" target="_blank">Top-selling cars in India in April 2024 – Tata Punch continues to dominate</a>

Air India Express terminates 25 employees, day after mass sick leave

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Downing Street staff held a leaving party on April 16 2021 for James Slack, Boris Johnson's former head of communications.</li><li>But official records show Slack left the civil service on March 19 2021.</li></ul>James Slack, Boris Johnson's former head of communications, left the government nearly a month before a lockdown-busting leaving do at Number 10, official records show.<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1002748/Transparency_information_about_outside_appointments_and_employment_take_up_by_former_members_of_the_Cabinet_Office__January_to_March_2021.pdf">Transparency records released by the Cabinet Office</a> show Slack's last day in the Civil Service was March 19 2021.A party, which Downing Street described on Friday morning as a "farewell event", was held on April 16 2021, the eve of Prince Philip's funeral, at which the Queen was pictured sat alone.<div type="image" title="James Slack" height="872" width="627" msid="88900978" hostid="261"></div>At the party on Friday April 16, Slack thanked a group of press advisors and aides in a farewell speech, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/01/13/two-parties-held-downing-street-queen-country-mourned-death/">the Telegraph reported</a>.The Prime Minister's deputy spokesperson was not immediately able to answer Insider's query on this inconsistency.The event included Number 10 staff joining via video link, the Telegraph said.Alcohol was later opened up and the group mixed with another group celebrating a different member of staff leaving in the Downing Street garden.Slack has issued a statement on the event, saying: "I wish to apologize unreservedly for the anger and hurt caused. This event should not have happened at the time that it did. I am deeply sorry, and take full responsibility."The Prime Minister's deputy spokesperson told journalists on Friday morning: "It is deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning. Number 10 has apologised to the palace."The spokesperson did not explain what "this" specifically referred to.

James Slack had left civil service a month before lockdown leaving do at Number 10, records suggest

<ul class="summary-list"><li>President Biden created a national monument in honor of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley.</li><li>Till's murder in Mississippi helped spark the civil-rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.</li></ul>President Joe Biden on Tuesday established a national monument in honor of Emmett Till, the Black teenager from Chicago whose 1955 kidnapping and murder in Mississippi was a defining spark in the emerging civil-rights movement.Biden made the announcement on what would have been Till's 82nd birthday.The president signed a proclamation forming the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, which is also reflective of the decadeslong civil rights work of Till's mother, who fought valiantly for equality for Black Americans after her son's murder. The monument will consist of a site in Chicago, the city where Emmett Till was born, and two sites in Mississippi, where the 14-year-old traveled during that fateful 1955 summer to spend time with his cousins."I know no matter how much time has passed, how many birthdays, how many events, how many anniversaries, it's hard to relive this. It brings it all back like it happened yesterday," Biden said as he recounted how he was 12 years old when Till was murdered.The president — speaking at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House — then pushed back against any attempts to minimize or rewrite history, especially as it relates to some of the most traumatic incidents in the nation's history."At a time when there are those who seek to ban books and bury history, we're making it clear. Crystal, crystal clear," he said. "We can't just chose to learn what we want to know. We have to learn what we should know. We should know about our country. We should know everything, the good, the bad, the truth. It's who we are as a nation.""For only with truth comes healing, justice, repair, and forming a more perfect union," he continued. "That's what's going to happen when visitors of all backgrounds learn the history of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley. Telling the truth and the full history of our nation is important."In August 1955, Emmett Till was accused by Carolyn Bryant Donham of making advances toward her while he was inside the Bryant's Grocery and Meat Market in Money, Miss., which at the time was run by Donham and her then-husband, Roy Bryant.The accusation prompted Bryant and his half-brother, J. W. Milam, to abduct Till at gunpoint from the home of his great-uncle, Moses Wright. Bryant and Milam then tortured and lynched the teenager before throwing his body into the Tallahatchie River.Till's battered body was weighed down by a cotton-gin fan and was found several days later.His face was unrecognizable. But, at his funeral service in Chicago, Mamie Till-Mobley insisted that her son would have an open casket funeral so the world could see the brutality and horror of what her son endured in the segregated South.<div type="image" title="Biden" height="4272" width="6400" msid="102116106" hostid="261"></div><h2>'A story of determination'</h2>Biden during his remarks also praised the Black press — specifically citing Jet magazine and The Chicago Defender — for their unyielding pursuit in revealing Till's case, calling them "another hero in this story."The Illinois monument site will be the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, on the city's South Side, where Emmett Till's funeral was held in 1955. The Mississippi sites include Graball Landing, where it is believed that Till's body was recovered from the Tallahatchie River, and the Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse in Sumner, where Bryant and Milam were tried and acquitted by an all-white jury.Theresa Pierno, the president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, said that "there are few stories as heart wrenching" as Till's murder, but also remarked that "it is also a story of determination.""This is a story of a brave young mother who experienced a parent's worst nightmare, but found the strength and power to rise up and shine a light on injustice as a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. Mamie Till-Mobley galvanized a movement and inspired a nation," she said in a statement.In a 1956 <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/till-killers-confession/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a> in Look magazine, Bryant and Milam confessed to the murder. Both men have since died.Donham died in April. She was 88 years old.Last December, Congress voted to award the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to Till and his mother.In March 2022, Biden <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-anti-lynching-legislation-law-federal-hate-crime-2022-3">signed into law</a> the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act, which made lynching a federal hate crime for the first time in US history.The president's push to elevate civil rights leaders and acknowledge the full scope of Black history comes as Republicans in recent years have sought to limit how race can be taught in classrooms, with conservatives also targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and hailing the Supreme Court's recent decision to end affirmative action in college admissions.Biden's original student debt relief plan, which was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/student-loan-forgiveness-blocked-supreme-court-strikes-down-debt-cancellation-2023-5">invalidated</a> by the Supreme Court, was also intended to be one that had a significant <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/24/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-student-loan-relief-for-borrowers-who-need-it-most/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">racial equity element</a>, as the administration sought to narrow the racial wealth gap by forgiving $10,000 in loans for individuals and $20,000 in loans for individuals who received the Pell Grants given to low-income students.Vice President Kamala Harris — who last week sharply criticized Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida over revised state education guidelines for middle schoolers that mandate teachers include instruction about "how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit" — made reference to the issue again during her remarks at the ceremony."Today there are those in our nation who would prefer to erase or even rewrite the ugly parts of our past," she said. "Those who attempt to teach that enslaved people benefited from slavery. Those who insult us in an attempt to gaslight us, who try to divide our nation with unnecessary debates."DeSantis last week <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-florida-desantis-education-9ccbeac59d1f8289e1d8c9bccbff85a9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushed back</a> against Harris, accusing her of seeking to "demagogue" the curriculum issue, while also stating that he "wasn't involved" in the changes made by state education officials.

Biden creates a national monument honoring Emmett Till, the Black teenager whose 1955 murder was a catalyst for the civil-rights movement

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Donald Trump's criminal trial finally arrived at the 34 documents at the heart of the case.</li><li>Prosecutors allege Trump falsified records to cover up reimbursements to Michael Cohen.</li></ul>For the past two weeks, jurors in former President Donald Trump's Manhattan criminal trial heard about extra-marital affairs, seedy "catch and kill" machinations, and the frantic damage control within his campaign ahead of the 2016 election.On Monday, they heard a lot about accounting.Prosecutors spent the day presenting two dry — but crucial — witnesses who handled The Trump Organization's finances, cutting checks and creating records within the company.Those witnesses, longtime Trump Organization employees <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeffrey-mcconney-trump-organization-investigation-witness-allen-weisselberg-2021-10">Jeffrey McConney</a> and Deborah Tarassoff, handled the checks, invoices, and other records that comprise the 34 business records the Manhattan district attorney's office alleges Trump illegally falsified.This paperwork, shown on giant TV screens in the courtroom, is the crux of the case.The purpose of those falsifications, prosecutors say, was to cover up reimbursements to Michael Cohen, who wired a $130,000 hush-money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels just 11 days before the 2016 presidential election.District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleges the money interfered with the election by silencing Daniels' story, long denied by Trump, of a hotel-suite fling during a Lake Tahoe celebrity golf tournament in 2006, just months after Melania Trump gave birth to their son.After a brief hearing Monday morning — in which <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-hit-gag-violation-judge-threatens-jail-time-2024-5#:~:text=Judge%20Juan%20Merchan%20hit%20Trump,jail%20sanction%2C%22%20he%20said.">the judge held Trump in contempt for a 10th gag order violation</a> and threatened to jail him — prosecutors called McConney to the stand.Under a mop of shiny white hair, McConney testified about how finances were managed at the Trump Organization, where he worked for over 30 years and served as the company's controller before retiring in February 2023. He oversaw 401K plans, loan documents, and payroll processing.Most crucially for the case, he also oversaw Trump's accounts payable department and the accounts receivable department."Accounts receivable is the other side, when someone owes you money," McConney said, making grabbing motions in the air with his hands.<h2>The two Trump Organization employees were responsible for making sure Cohen got paid</h2>McConney testified about a meeting in January 2017 with Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's chief financial officer at the time.Weisselberg has since stepped down from the position. He was sentenced to five months in jail in 2022 for a Trump Organization felony <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-org-tax-fraud-profits-well-exceed-16m-sentence-friday-2023-1">payroll tax-fraud prosecution</a>, and is now <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-cfo-allen-weissberg-begins-5-month-perjury-sentence-nyc-2024-4">serving another five-month sentence</a> for felony perjury in last year's Trump Organization civil fraud trial.The Trump Organization needed to reimburse Cohen for some money, McConney testified that Weissberg told him."Are you familiar with someone named Michael Cohen?" prosecutor Matthew Colangelo asked McConney on the stand.McConney gave a heavy sigh, paused, and then answered, "Yes.""He said he was a lawyer," McConney added, to some laughter in the courtroom.Prosecutors showed jurors a copy of a bank statement revealing that Cohen sent $130,000 to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sex-tapes-celebrity-rehab-trump-trial-gets-even-more-tabloid-2024-5">Keith Davidson</a> — an attorney representing Stormy Daniels, who testified earlier — from one of his accounts.In <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/JayShams/status/1787555072731185415">handwritten notes shown to the jury</a>, Weisselberg had added $50,000 to cover technical services, doubled that sum to account for the taxes, and then added on a $60,000 bonus.That total of $420,000 should be disbursed to Cohen throughout 2017, in $35,000 chunks, McConney <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/JayShams/status/1787555508229943320">jotted down in a second document</a>.Colangelo led jurors meticulously through what prosecutors say was the phonied up paperwork for each of these reimbursement checks.Each reimbursement check began with Cohen emailing an invoice — and a personal greeting — to Weisselberg, the CFO."Hope you are holding up and not damaged by the hurricane to your Florida home," Cohen emailed the CFO in September of 2017."Happy Thanksgiving and hope all is well," Cohen emailed the CFO when he sent along his November invoice.In each month's email Cohen would attach a brief invoice — 11 in all, each of them a falsified document, the DA alleges."Dear Allen," each began. "Pursuant to the retainer agreement, kindly remit payment," the invoice would continue.Weisselberg forwarded each invoice to McConney, the controller, who would forward them to Tarasoff, the accounts payable supervisor.Tarasoff would print and cut the checks, 11 in all — each of them another alleged falsified document.Jurors saw each of these checks, too, including nine Capital One personal checks to Cohen that Trump would need to sign himself throughout his first year at the White House.That created a problem, McConney said. For decades, Trump worked from his office upstairs in Trump Tower, and it was easy to get ahold of him to sign a check. As president, he was rarely in New York, McConney said."Somehow, we would have to get a package to the White House," McConney said. Yet another Trump Organization employee would FedEx the checks to Trump in DC, he testified.In the afternoon, prosecutor Christopher Conroy slogged through more records with Tarasoff, who said she has worked at the Trump Organization for 24 years.Tarasoff sounded both anxious and cautious as she walked jurors through the process of printing, cutting, and creating payment vouchers for each check.The parade of emails and invoices didn't excite everyone. At one point during Tarasoff's testimony, Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche let out a wide-mouthed yawn.Conroy scored a point that seemed to demonstrate Trump was paying attention to each and every check. Sometimes, Tarassoff testified, he'd write "VOID" on a check if he didn't want it paid."It was signed in black and it was in Sharpie and that's what he usually uses," Tarasoff said.

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