<p><div class="image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/51e99617ecad042744000024-464-348/mike-hargrove-the-human-rain-delay.png" border="0" alt="Mike Hargrove The Human Rain Delay" /><p class="source">Youtube</p></div></div></div>Former Major League Ballplayer (1974 - 1985) and Cleveland Indian's manager (1991 - 1999)  <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hargrmi01.shtml" target="_blank">Mike Hargrove</a> was a man of <em>extreme</em> routines back during his playing days. Known as "The Human Rain Delay", Hargrove would infuriate opposing pitchers with his twitchy, obsessive and excessively long batters box routines.</p>
<p>Before every pitch, Hargrove would step out of the batter's box following each pitch and: adjust his helmet; adjust his batting gloves making sure they fit exactly right especially around the thumbs; pull each sleeve up about an inch; wipe each hand on his uniform pants; reach back to adjust his rear pockets; knock the dirt from his cleats - both feet - with the bat; flex his shoulders; adjust the gloves again; rub his nose; adjust the rubber ring to protect his thumb; and then <strong>repeat the entire sequence</strong>. </p>
<p>Don't take our word for it, watch Hargrove at the plate:</p>
<p><iframe width="853" height="480" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8tGm_JajqLo"></iframe></p>
<p>Let's take a look at those routines.</p>
<p>Touch helmet.</p>
<p><div class="image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/51e9988cecad04d14e000010-623-349/screen shot 2013-07-19 at 3.31.02 pm.png" border="0" alt="Mike Hargrove Human Rain Delay" /><p class="source">Youtube</p></div></div></div></p>
<p>Pull up shirt on shoulder.</p>
<p><div class="image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/51e9988cecad049a48000026-627-349/screen shot 2013-07-19 at 3.30.54 pm.png" border="0" alt="Mike Hargrove Human Rain Delay" /><p class="source">Youtube</p></div></div></div></p>
<p>Wipe nose.</p>
<p><div class="image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/51e9988c6bb3f73a5f00001c-626-347/screen shot 2013-07-19 at 3.30.42 pm.png" border="0" alt="Mike Hargrove Human Rain Delay" /><p class="source">Youtube</p></div></div></div></p>
<p>Adjust gloves.</p>
<p><div class="image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/51e9988ceab8ea4441000006-623-347/screen shot 2013-07-19 at 3.30.29 pm.png" border="0" alt="Mike Hargrove Human Rain Delay" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;" /><p class="source">Youtube</p></div></div></div></p>
<p>Pull up belt.</p>
<p><div class="image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/51e9960aecad043944000024-621-349/screen shot 2013-07-19 at 3.30.19 pm.png" border="0" alt="Mike Hargrove The Human Rain Delay" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;" /><p class="source">Youtube</p></div></div></div></p>
<p>Flick shoes with bat.</p>
<p><div class="image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/51e9988cecad04904800001f-623-349/screen shot 2013-07-19 at 3.30.07 pm.png" border="0" alt="Mike Hargrove Human Rain Delay" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;" /><p class="source">Youtube</p></div></div></div></p>
<p>Adjust helmet.</p>
<p><div class="image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/51e9988ceab8eae43e000014-620-346/screen shot 2013-07-19 at 3.29.59 pm.png" border="0" alt="Mike Hargrove Human Rain Delay" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;" /><p class="source">Youtube</p></div></div></div></p>
<p>Repeat to infinity.</p>
<p>Hargrove played for the Rangers, Indians and Padres, and took the Indians to the World Series in 1995 and 1997 as manager. And he's <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2013/03/cleveland_indians_pm_links_11.html" target="_blank">hoping to manage again</a>. </p>

Mike 'The Human Rain Delay' Hargrove Used To Drive Opposing Pitchers Insane [VIDEO]

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Some corporations pledged not to fund officials who voted against certifying <keyword id="6359191" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="election">election</keyword> results. </li><li>Six months after the Capitol riot, many have donated to PACs, the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-senate-elections-capitol-siege-election-2020-house-elections-62e7985e962e6852ef5041b32c63368c">Associated Press</a> reported.</li><li>Some companies said PACs assured them the funds wouldn't go to officials who objected.</li></ul><p>Six months after the January 6 Capitol riot, numerous large companies appear to have fallen short of promises not to fund the 147 lawmakers who objected to certifying Joe Biden's 2020 election win, the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-senate-elections-capitol-siege-election-2020-house-elections-62e7985e962e6852ef5041b32c63368c">Associated Press</a> reported.</p><p>The GOP lawmakers objected to certifying the result in relation to false claims made by then-President Donald Trump.</p><p>Supporters of Trump <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-biden-electoral-college-loss-violence-presidential-election-extremism-2021-1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">breached</a> the US Capitol and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dc-officer-says-hed-crush-white-nationalist-insurrection-again-2021-1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">clashed with law enforcement</a> on the day Congress was gathered to certify Biden's victory over Trump.</p><p>The AP identified Walmart, Pfizer, Intel, General Electric, and AT&amp;T as some of the companies that said they wouldn't donate to lawmakers who opposed certification but had since donated thousands of dollars to political action committees that support them.</p><p>Some companies used language from the beginning that left open the possibility of only a temporary pause, but the AP also reported that some argued donating to PACs was different from donating directly to lawmakers.</p><p>In April, three months after saying it wouldn't support the 147 lawmakers, Walmart gave $30,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee, which supports GOP members running in House elections. More than half of House Republicans voted against certification.</p><p>"Pledging not to give to a certain person doesn't mean that much when there are so many other ways that corporate money reaches elected officials," Daniel Weiner, a former senior counsel at the Federal Election Commission who now works at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University's law school, told the AP. "These pledges are largely symbolic."</p><p>A Walmart representative, Randy Hargrove, told Insider: "As we have for the past 10 years on a bipartisan basis, we have given equally to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign, the National Republican Congressional Committee, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee."<u></u><u></u></p><p>A <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/12-companies-start-giving-to-election-objectors-again">Daily Beast</a> analysis also found that companies including Lockheed Martin, UPS, General Motors, and American Express also broke promises not to donate to lawmakers who objected to certification.</p><p>In a <a href="https://about.americanexpress.com/all-news/news-details/2021/Statement-on-PAC-Contributions/default.aspx">statement</a> a few days after the riot, Amex said it would pull funding for elected officials who attempted to "subvert the presidential election results and disrupt the peaceful transition of power."</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/proxy-voting-michigan-democrats-ford-motor-biden-2021-7">Michigan's Democrats in Congress face an ethics complaint after hanging with Biden and voting from</a></em></p><p>In April, however, the company gave $2,500 to the Republican Legislative Victory Fund, which supports Arizona Republican state senators. That same group had been working on an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doug-logan-cyber-ninjas-arizona-audit-election-conspiracy-theory-film-2021-6">audit of all 2.1 million votes cast in Maricopa County</a>, where Biden won.</p><p>Asked about a different donation - $5,000 in February to the House Conservatives Fund - a representative for AT&amp;T told the AP that the company had been assured the funds wouldn't go toward officials who objected to certification.</p><p>As the AP noted, however, the House Conservatives Fund is led by Rep. Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who <a href="https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_1a18c70a-5037-11eb-9236-63e21dfe26dd.html">objected to certifying the vote</a>.</p><p>Additionally, campaign-finance experts told the AP there's no way to know whether donated funds ended up going toward officials who opposed certification.</p><p>"It's completely frustrating from an accountability point of view," Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, a Stetson University Law School professor who studies corporate campaign finance, told the AP.</p><p>Pfizer, Intel, General Electric, AT&amp;T, Lockheed Martin, UPS, General Motors, and American Express did not respond to requests for comment from Insider.</p>

Some companies pledged to halt donations to lawmakers who objected to certifying Biden's election win. They have not kept their promise.

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a85d1ded0307223008b4613-914/gettyimages-914650366.jpg" alt="Melania Trump" data-mce-source="Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Melania Trump." /><p class="source"><span>Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Melania Trump.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>President Donald Trump's inaugural committee donated less than expected to charity, The New York Times reported.</strong></li><li><strong>Trump's inaugural committee spent a record $107 million on the inauguration festivities.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/us/politics/trumps-inaugural-committee-paid-26-million-to-first-ladys-friend.html?mtrref=undefined" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times reported Thursday</a> that President Donald Trump's inaugural committee paid more than $25 million to an event-planning firm founded by a close adviser to first lady Melania Trump while donating $5 million, a lower-than-expected total, to charity.</p><p>Those findings were the result of tax filings released Thursday, The Times noted. The committee, a nonprofit group tasked with overseeing Trump's inauguration and connected events, spent a record $107 million on the events.</p><p>Tom Barrack, a wealthy businessman and close friend of Trump's, said the committee would donate its leftover cash to charity. The tax filings showed that those donations included $3 million for hurricane relief and $1.75 million to groups that decorate and maintain both the White House and Vice President Mike Pence's residence.</p><p>Most money went toward the festivities, with nearly $26 million spent on Wis Media Partners, a group created just a month prior to the inauguration by a longtime friend of the first lady, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, The Times reported. Wolkoff is now a senior adviser to Melania's official government office and is not paid for her role.</p><p>Melania's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, told The Times that the first lady "had no involvement" with the inaugural committee "and had no knowledge of how funds were spent."</p><p>Another company, Hargrove, Inc., a trade show production company, was paid $25 million for its work. Other expenses included ticketing, promotional gifts, travel, legal fees, fundraising, and salaries, which combined totaled roughly $20 million. In addition, an extravagant concert featuring Three Doors Down and Toby Keith cost about $25 million.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/black-lives-matter-cofounder-on-how-to-really-make-america-great-patrisse-cullors-trayvon-martin-2018-2">How to make America great - according to one of the three cofounders of Black Lives Matter</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/w8oWzdDA-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Trump's inaugural committee gave less than expected to charity while giving a large sum of cash to a top Melania adviser

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52d035006da8119d240b643d-479-360/amy-geng.jpg" border="0" alt="Amy Geng" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151938572799508&amp;set=pb.854734507.-2207520000.1389376696.&amp;type=3&amp;theater">Amy Geng/Facebook</a></span></p><p class="caption">Amy Geng</p></div><p></p></div></div>A 28-year-old mother of four was found dead in her bedroom Monday after obtaining two restraining orders against her allegedly abusive ex-boyfriend, <a href="http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022635408_kirklandmurderxml.html">The Seattle Times</a> reported. Police have not yet arrested anyone in connection to the murder but questioned the ex, who remains anonymous. </p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span>The woman, Amy Hargrove (also known as Amy Gang), died of "manual strangulation," according to the <span>King County Medical Examiner's Office.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span>"A piece of paper isn't going to save my life when he finally gets me, but at least you will know who killed me," Hargrove wrote in a 2012 petition for a protection order against her ex-boyfriend, father to her third child.</span></span></p>
<p>Hargrove first sought protection from the man in 2012 during a custody battle. She said she endured years of horrific abuse from him, a<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">ccording to court documents cited by the Times.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">She claimed her ex </span>harassed her, stole her debit card to drain her account, fractured her eye socket, assaulted her while she was pregnant, raped her at gunpoint, and forced her to have sex with another person. Hargrove told a court that her former boyfriend even led police on a high-speed chase, reaching up to 120 miles per hour and eventually flipping the car, with her children inside.</p>
<p>"The detectives are pretty confident that if it wasn't him, it was someone who knew her," Kirkland Police Lt. <span>Mike Murray </span>told the <a href="http://www.kirklandreporter.com/news/239472401.html">Kirkland Reporter</a>. "It wasn't some random assault."</p>
<p>The Times also spoke with another former-girlfriend of the man in question. In 2009, he allegedly punched her in the face eight times with a closed fist, stole her cellphone, and forced her into his house. <span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">When contact Thursday night, she sobbed after learning about Hargrove's death. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">"Oh my God, oh my God," she said before declining to talk further.</span></p>
<p>Hargrove leaves behind four children. </p>
<p>"If the mood was sour, Amy would be that person who'd make everyone happy and try to make people not stress," Nickolas Bartth, a longtime friend of Hargrove's, told <a href="%20" If20the20mood20was20sour20Amy20would20be20that20person20whod20make20everyone20happy20and20try20to20make20people20not20stress20said20Bartth.="">King 5 News</a>. </p>

Mother Of Four Wrote Haunting Petition For Order Of Protection Before She Was Found Dead

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52b5d1a469bedde92543201c-689-517/mega-millions-lottery-ticket-5.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="mega millions lottery ticket" width="480" /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Mike Segar</span></p></div><p></p></div>C.W. Whitson of Spring Hill won $2 million this week in the Tennessee Lottery's Play It Again drawing. The win marked his second score in the last three years. Whitson also won $1 million in March 2010 playing the instant ticket game, Tennessee Millionaires Club.</p>
<p>Whitson <a href="http://bit.ly/194RfKC">told WTVC-TV in Chattanooga</a>, "I guess I'm just lucky."</p>
<p>Whitson claimed his most recent and largest prize after he received a call from Lottery President Rebecca Hargrove notifying him he had won $2 million in the Play It Again drawing.</p>
<p>To participate, players enter eligible non-winning instant tickets for another chance to win cash prizes in drawings held approximately three times each year.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: WTVC-TV, <a href="http://www.newschannel9.com/">http://www.newschannel9.com/</a></p>
<div class="nc_footer">
<p>Copyright (2013) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.</p>
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Tennessee Man Wins Lottery Jackpot For Second Time

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="23420" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Arkansas">Arkansas</keyword> legislators recently passed the most restrictive laws in the nation against trans children.</li><li>Insider investigated the campaign finance records of all 76 lawmakers who sponsored the <keyword id="6569846" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="legislation">legislation</keyword>.</li><li>Several visibly LGBT-friendly companies, or PACs representing them, gave money to the laws' sponsors.</li></ul><ul class="summary-list"></ul><p>State legislatures have introduced and passed a number of bills in the past several months that take aim at transgender teens and children. But only Arkansas has gone so far as to pass legislation that specifically aims to remove access to medical care and punish those who treat trans youth.</p><p>Insider pored through campaign finance records from the Arkansas Secretary of State for the 22 state senators and 54 members of the Arkansas house who sponsored House Bill 1570 or Senate Bill 354. We then digitized the records to identify key corporate supporters.</p><p>After analyzing all reports filed since the beginning of 2018, we discovered many of the key financial backers of the legislators who sponsored the anti-trans legislation are companies that otherwise avow to be pro-LGBT.</p><p>The political action committees (PACs) behind Walmart, State Farm agents, McDonald's franchisees, AT&amp;T, ExxonMobil, and more were among the corporate supporters. When reached for comment, the companies' reactions ranged from silence to reviewing future donations to defense of their actions.</p><p><a href="https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?id=hb1570&amp;ddBienniumSession=2021%2F2021R&amp;Search=;Search=">HB 1570,</a> filed in February of this year, makes it a felony for physicians to perform gender-affirming treatment, such as hormones or puberty blockers, to young trans people. The legislation also bans trans youth from receiving trans-related surgeries, though no licensed doctors in the country perform gender-affirming surgeries to people younger than 18.</p><p>Gov. Asa Hutchinson vetoed HB 1570 on April 5 after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/arkansas-governor-met-with-a-trans-official-before-vetoing-2021-4">meeting with two trans women.</a></p><p>"The bill is overbroad, extreme, and does not grandfather those who are under hormone treatment," Hutchinson said in a press conference after his veto. "I want people in Arkansas and across the country to understand that whether they're transgender or otherwise, that they're loved, they're appreciated, they make part of our state, and we want to send the message of tolerance and diversity."</p><p>But on April 6, both chambers of Arkansas' legislature voted to override Hutchinson's veto, ushering HB 1570 into law with a simple majority in each chamber.</p><p><a href="https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?ddBienniumSession=2021%2F2021R&amp;measureno=SB354B354">SB 354</a>, also filed in Feburary, bars trans women from playing on women's intramural, interscholastic, intercollegiate, or club athletic teams. The bill passed with little resistance - 75% "yea" votes in the house and 80% support in the senate - and Hutchinson signed it into law.</p><p>"There is a coordinated campaign being waged in state legislatures around the country targeting transgender youth," Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, deputy executive director of the National Center for Trans Equality, told Insider. "Politicians, hoping to gain political advantage, are giving people permission to discriminate against trans kids who are just trying to live their lives as themselves."</p>Table of Contents: Static<h2><strong>Walmart: $58,100</strong></h2><p>Walmart, the largest company in Arkansas, boasts of <a href="https://careers.walmart.com/love-wins-walmart-pride-walmart-proud">numerous sponsorships of Pride events</a> across the country and has an entire "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fcp%2F7887300">Pride &amp; Joy</a>" shop featuring products that "welcome everyone to be their authentic selves-always."</p><p>The company <a href="https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2021/may/29/walmart-ranked-6-on-lgbt-support/">earned a 100% rating</a> on the 2021 Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, and ranked sixth on Diversity Inc's list of companies that support LGBT employees. Their HRC score included a flawless 40 out of 40 in the section "Supporting an Inclusive Culture &amp; Corporate Social Responsibility," and didn't sustain any penalty in the "Responsible Citizenship" category.</p><p>Despite this, the <keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="retail">retail</keyword> giant pumped tens of thousands of dollars to the Arkansas legislators who sponsored the two anti-trans bills.</p><p>Walmart Inc PAC For a Responsible Government gave $58,100 to the legislators behind the Arkansas bills targeting transgender children over the period analyzed. Jim Walton, heir to the Walmart fortune, has also given $56,425 to the sponsors of HB 1570 and SB 354 since 2018.</p><p>"We've made no political contributions in 2021 and nothing since that bill was introduced. So those contributions came before the introduction of those bills. We examine and we adjust our political giving strategy every election cycle and that is ongoing," said Randy Hargrove, the senior director of national media relations at Walmart.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="none">-Walmart  (@Walmart) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1392499904308817920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2021</a></blockquote><p>Walton's contributions made Arvest Bank, which is owned by the Walton family but operated separately from Walmart, the listed employer for $31,500 worth of contributions, and the bank's corporate PAC pumped $14,500 to the bill sponsors.</p><p>In a statement, a spokesperson from the bank said, "As a company, we paused all political contributions in January and any future contributions will be carefully vetted to ensure they support Arvest's values. Arvest strives to create an environment where all people - our customers, associates and the public at large - are respected and feel valued."</p><p>Steuart Walton, a director of Walmart who also helms Runway Group, an investment firm, gave $16,600 to the sponsors of the anti-trans bills since 2018, according to campaign finance records. All told, self-identified employees of Runway Group gave $23,600 to the sponsors of the bills.</p><p>"We work every day to make Northwest Arkansas the best place to live and we're fully committed to that goal," said Runway Group VP of corporate and community affairs Mike Malone. "We are concerned with some recent legislation in the state, however we remain committed to working with all community stakeholders - including legislators on both sides of the aisle-to advocate for a safe and inclusive environment for all Arkansans."</p><p>Stephens Inc CEO and founder Warren Stephens gave $105,050 to 65 sponsors of anti-trans legislation since 2018, making him the fourth-highest contributor to the group of legislators in the entire set and the single largest individual, non-PAC contributor to the group in the state.</p><p>Stephens, a financial institution best known for <a href="https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/stephens-inc-6985/">backing Walmart's early expansion</a>, said in an emailed statement: "Warren Stephens makes political contributions to both Republicans and Democrats in Arkansas. The contributions made to legislators in 2019 and 2020 precede House Bill 1570 and Senate Bill 354 - neither of which had been proposed during that cycle. This is an important distinction. No political contributions have been made in 2021."</p><p>Asked if the contributions would continue following the passage of the bills, Stephens Executive Vice President Chenoa Taitt told Insider: "We respectfully decline to comment further. Thanks."</p><h2>McDonald's franchisees: $35,000</h2><p>McDonald's obtained a perfect score of 100 from the Human Rights Campaign's 2021 Corporate Equality Index and has <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mcdonalds_pride/?hl=en">an entire Instagram account touting its Pride Month activities</a>. Meanwhile, in Arkansas, the McDonald's Local Owner Operators of Arkansas PAC gave $35,000 to 52 of the sponsors of the anti-trans legislation since 2018.</p><p>McDonald's didn't reply to Insider's request for comment.</p><h2>Koch Industries: $72,000</h2><p>Koch Industries' PAC was the largest corporate contributor to the sponsors of HB 1570 and SB 354, steering $72,000 to 10 Senate and 34 House sponsors of the bills since 2018.</p><p>"KOCHPAC supports candidates who will advance market-based policies at the local, state and national levels," David Dziok, director of communications marketing at Koch Industries, said in a statement. "To that end, we did not engage on these bills in Arkansas. Moreover, in general, not seeing eye to eye with a lawmaker on one issue will not preclude us from engaging with that lawmaker on others."</p><h2>State Farm agents: $70,200</h2><p>In 2020, State Farm Insurance was named one of the <a href="https://www.statefarm.com/about-us/diversity-inclusion">Best Companies to Create Inclusive Workplaces</a>. Their website says they work with <a href="https://www.statefarm.com/about-us/corporate-responsibility/stronger-communities/national-community-relationships/lgbtq-relationships">a number of advocacy groups</a> and charities, including the Human Rights Campaign, that benefit LGBT rights.</p><p>The Arkansas State Farm Association PAC gave $70,200 to all but five of the sponsors of the two bills, with the insurance agents coming in just below Koch Industries in their financial largesse to the sponsors of the bills.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-State Farm  (@StateFarm) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1402264220453027853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2021</a></blockquote><p>The PAC is separate from the national State Farm company, though the most recent campaign finance filings available indicate all officers of the PAC are State Farm agents within the state of Arkansas, with annual filings indicating the PAC exists to advocate for State Farm agents and employees within the state.</p><p>"There are a number of states where groups of independent contractor State Farm agents have formed PACs," State Farm public affairs specialist Michal Brower told Insider. "These PACs are independent of State Farm and are fully managed, funded, and operated by their members in each respective state. Each State Farm agent office is operated by the independent contractor agent. Agents and their staff are not employees of State Farm."</p><p>Compared to every other donor, PAC or individual, the State Farm Agents PAC was the 11th highest contributor to the sponsors of the two bills targeting transgender minors.</p><p>"State Farm does have a Federal PAC (SFF PAC), which allows our employees and agents to collectively provide funds to individual candidates across party lines," Brower added. "The SFF PAC does not provide contributions to state-level candidates or legislators in Arkansas, past or present."</p><iframe title="Top 15 donors of the 76 Arkansas legislators supporting restrictive laws against trans children " id="datawrapper-chart-Ql6h4" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Ql6h4/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% ; border: none;" height="920"></iframe><h2>ExxonMobil: $36,750</h2><p>Oil major ExxonMobil, which received <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/buyers-guide/exxon-mobil-corp.">a score of 85</a> from the Human Rights Campaign and suffered no penalty for "responsible citizenship," had its corporate PAC pump $36,750 to the sponsors of the bills targeting trans kids.</p><p>"ExxonMobil's contributions to legislators are to be used for campaign purposes. We did not contribute to support any specific Arkansas legislation, and to imply that would be false," said Casey Norton, corporate media relations at Exxon.</p><p>"We continually review all contributions. Past contributions do not indicate that that ExxonMobil will contribute again in the future." </p><h2>AT&amp;T: $26,450</h2><p>AT&amp;T is a National Corporate Founder of HRC's foundation with <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/buyers-guide/at-t-inc.">a flawless score of 100</a> on the corporate equality index, and the group rated it as one of the best places to work for <keyword id="729067" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="LGBTQ">LGBTQ</keyword> equality in 2021.</p><p>The telecomm giant's Arkansas Employee PAC contributed $26,450 to the legislative sponsors of the pair of bills that targeted transgender children in Arkansas.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-AT&amp;T  (@ATT) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1400161581862854656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2021</a></blockquote><p>AT&amp;T declined to comment.</p><h2>Health insurance companies: over $57,400</h2><p>A number of health-related groups contributed substantial amounts of money to the bills, one of which stripped access to healthcare.</p><p>The PAC behind UnitedHealthGroup (HRC corporate equality index <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/buyers-guide/unitedhealth-group-inc.">score of 100</a>) contributed $23,650. They did not respond for a request to comment. Delta Dental's PAC gave $20,500, and did not respond to a request for comment. Merck (HRC corporate equality index <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/buyers-guide/merck">score of 100</a>) had its PAC give $13,250. </p><p>"In establishing our PAC political giving priorities, our Contributions Committee prioritizes candidates who endorse policies that support innovation and enhance patients' access to healthcare," said a Merck spokesperson. "We certainly do not agree with every position that every recipient of PAC support takes on every important social and business issue."</p><p>"Recently, we have taken the opportunity to review again the governance of our PAC.  The PAC's Contributions Committee already consists of a diverse group of leaders from across our organization, and we have recently broadened the membership to include additional employee representatives, including our Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer."</p><h2>Large railways: $96,250 combined</h2><p>BNSF Railway's PAC gave $67,500 to the sponsors of the bills.</p><p>After two same-sex couples <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/engineers-sue-bnsf-railway-seek-same-sex-benefits/">sued BNSF</a> in 2013, accusing the company of failing to provide medical benefits, the National Railway Labor Conference agreed <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-railroads-benefits/major-u-s-railways-to-offer-health-benefits-to-gay-workers-spouses-idUSBRE9B405520131205">two days later</a> to start paying for them.</p><p>BNSF Railway didn't respond to Insider's requests for comment on its PAC contributions.</p><p>Rival railroad Union Pacific Corp, which <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/buyers-guide/union-pacific-corp.">achieved a score of 95 from the Human Rights Campaign</a>, gave $28,750 to the sponsors of the bills.</p><p>"Union Pacific, through its Fund for Effective Government (FFEG) PAC, provides donations on the federal and state levels," Kristen South, Union Pacific's senior director of corporate communications and media relations, told Insider in a statement. "We consider a variety of factors when considering who to support and do not expect that we will always be aligned on every issue."</p><p>"Union Pacific's stance on these issues is clear as a proud member of the Business Coalition for the Equality Act and most recently signing the statement against anti-LGBT legislation in the states," South added.</p><h2>Entergy: $32,750</h2><p>Entergy's CEO signed <a href="https://www.entergynewsroom.com/article/bringing-your-whole-self-work/">The CEO Action for Diversity &amp; Inclusion</a> and the utility company achieved <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/buyers-guide/entergy-corp.">a score of 90</a> on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, with perfect marks in the inclusive culture and social responsibility section.</p><p>Since 2018, Entergy's PAC has given $32,750 to the sponsors of the two Arkansas bills.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Entergy New Orleans  (@EntergyNOLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1403804297385631750?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2021</a></blockquote><p>"Our employee-run Political Action Committee, ENPAC, engages in the political process to inform elected officials and candidates about policy issues important to the electric utility industry or that may have an impact on Entergy's customers and communities," Entergy spokesman Neal Kirby told Insider. "We may not necessarily agree with every position that recipients of ENPAC support take on all issues, but ENPAC strives to use reasoned and consistent criteria in making contribution decisions."</p><h2><strong>LGBTQ groups react</strong></h2><div type="image" title="a rainbow sign says born this way at a streetfair festival supporting pride" height="4104" width="6043" msid="83605879" hostid="261"></div><p>When reached for comment for this story, the Human Rights Campaign declined.</p><p>"Corporations can't celebrate Pride with us in June and expect us to look the other way if they fund anti-LGBTQ campaigns, legislators, and activist groups," GLAAD Rapid Response Manager Mary Emily O'Hara told Insider. "Being a corporate ally means speaking up for what's right and helping fight anti-LGBTQ discrimination all year long. It's not just throwing a rainbow on some packaging one month out of the year."</p><p>O'Hara and other advocates say that it's unfair for Arkansas legislators to prevent trans children, a vulnerable group, from being able to receive the healthcare they need.</p><p>"State laws that unfairly and unnecessarily target transgender youth are unconscionable and, frankly, disturbing," they said. "Trans youth are already vulnerable to higher levels of bullying and harassment, and the last thing elected officials should be doing is singling them out and making it even harder to fit in at school or access life-saving healthcare."</p><p>"The danger is real, and the harm is very personal," said Heng-Lehtinen of the National Center for Trans Equality. "Children deserve to be loved and supported by their families and their communities. These attacks are putting young people in jeopardy, and it's critical that schools, businesses and individuals stand up against them."</p><p><em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/azmi-haroun">Azmi Haroun</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/erin-snodgrass">Erin Snodgrass</a> contributed reporting.</em></p>

Arkansas passed 2 of the most brutal laws targeting trans kids in the US. These pro-LGBTQ companies pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars to the lawmakers behind it.

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/513f3622eab8ea6f48000014-711-533/new-orleans-saints-tracy-porter-interception-super-bowl.jpg?maxX=400&amp;maxY=300" border="0" alt="New Orleans Saints Tracy Porter interception Super Bowl" width="400" height="300" /></div><p class="source">AP Photo/Mike Groll</p><p class="caption">New Orleans Saints cornerback Tracy Porter (22) reacts as he returns an interception 74 yards for a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl XLIV football game in Miami, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010.</p></div>Attorney Mary Jo White will testify before the <keyword id="6355284" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="senate">Senate</keyword> Banking Committee today as the nominee to head the <keyword id="6362470" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="SEC">SEC</keyword>. It's also the confirmation hearing for Richard Cordray, the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.</p>
<p>You can expect serious questioning from the usual cast of outspoken anti "too big to fail" politicians — Elizabeth Warren, Sherrod Brown and, David Vitter.</p>
<p>Especially David Vitter.</p>
<p>The Republican Senator from Louisiana has made it clear that he plans to question White about some work she did for the NFL on last year's "Bountygate" scandal, <a href="http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/03/vitter_plans_to_question_sec_n.html">according to Nola.com.</a></p>
<p>After a storied career in the public sector (White was the first female U.S. Attorney in Manhattan), White joined the massive law firm Debevois and Plimpton. In 2012, she was hired by the NFL to investigate the "Bountygate" scandal.</p>
<p>The NFL was trying to find out if, from 2009-2012, players on the New Orleans Saints were paid "bounties" to harm other players. White said that they were, and supported sanctions against players. Four current and former New Orleans Saints players were suspended as a result.</p>
<p>Of course, now we know that in December of last year the NFL vacated the suspensions that it had placed on New Orleans Saints players.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/03/vitter_plans_to_question_sec_n.html">From Nola.com:</a></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"The factual basis for the sanctions is strong in my opinion," White said during the May conference call with reporters."</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">White also said that Anthony Hargrove, a Saints defensive lineman, was shown saying, "Bobby, give me my money," after it was believed he had knocked Vikings quarterback Brett Favre out of the NFC Championship game in January 2010. But later, Goodell cast doubt on the allegation, saying "I am prepared to assume - as he apparently stated publicly - that he did not" make the "give me my money" statement.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Vitter said he's troubled by White's findings.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"If Mary Jo's work on the SEC is anything close to her botched work for the NFL, folks who want to protect their investments, like the victims of the Stanford Ponzi scheme, are in trouble," Vitter said. He was alluding to the many investors from Louisiana and elsewhere who lost millions of dollars from their investments with Allen Stanford, who is now serving a 110-year sentence for fraud. The SEC has acknowledged it took too long to investigate Stanford.</p>
<p>So just so you know, this is going to be a tough one.</p>

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