Bill Gates joins 26 newcomers on list of 50 biggest donors
As the ranks of America’s super wealthy grow, the roster of major philanthropists is expanding to include not-so-typical megadonors — among them, a professional clarinetist, a Ph.D. in meat science, and a lawyer who regularly argues before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Arizona sheriff steps up security around ballot drop boxes
The sheriff in metropolitan Phoenix says he’s stepped up security around ballot drop boxes after a series of incidents involving people keeping watch on the boxes and taking video of voters after they were apparently inspired by lies about the 2020 election.
German leader champions new tack on climate at Davos event
New German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for a “paradigm shift” in the way the world approaches climate policy, saying his country would leverage its presidency of the Group of Seven industrial nations to push for standards to fight global warming.
County cuts deal to end fight over Arizona Senate subpoena
Board members overseeing Arizona’s most populous county have reached a deal with the Republican-controlled state Senate that will end a standoff over its demand that they hand over computer routers for use in an unprecedented partisan election review.
Gates, Rockefeller warn leaders about pandemic’s impact
Leaders of the Gates and Rockefeller Foundations — grant makers that have committed billions of dollars to fight the coronavirus — are warning that without larger government and philanthropic investments in the manufacture and delivery of vaccines to people in poor nations, the pandemic could set back global progress on education, public health, and gender equality for years.
Records show pressure by Trump, allies on Arizona officials
Newly released records show the top Republicans in Arizona’s largest county dodged calls from Donald Trump and his allies in the aftermath of the 2020 election, as the then-president sought to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in key battleground states.
Leak of billionaires' tax data draws GOP outcry over privacy
Republicans in Congress are alarmed by the leak of confidential IRS data to ProPublica that has enabled the investigative news organization to reveal that famous billionaires including Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg paid little in U.S. income tax at times.
Bill Gates' leadership roles stay intact despite allegations
Despite damaging allegations suggesting Bill Gates pursued women who worked for him, don’t expect changes to his roles at the two iconic institutions he co-founded, Microsoft and his namesake philanthropic foundation, raising accountability concerns from critics.
Biden's top aides unlikely to qualify for relief payments
WASHINGTON – At least one group in America is unlikely to get any money from President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion economic rescue plan — his own top aides. Most of Biden’s senior West Wing advisers made far more than the threshold that would qualify them for direct payments from the president’s COVID-19 relief bill, according to White House financial disclosure forms released Saturday. Others in the West Wing — whose positions don't require Senate confirmation — have had deep ties to the business world. He was listed as having a salary of $1.8 million, according to his disclosure form. Brian Deese, head of the national economic council, was previously global head of sustainable investing at BlackRock, according to his disclosure.
US prison guards refusing vaccine despite COVID-19 outbreaks
In Rhode Island, 30% of prison staff have refused the vaccine, a higher rate than the incarcerated, according to the state’s Department of Corrections. Prison staff helped accelerate outbreaks by refusing to wear masks, downplaying people’s symptoms, and haphazardly enforcing social distancing and hygiene protocols in confined, poorly ventilated spaces ripe for viral spread. AdStill, some correctional officers are refusing the vaccine because they fear both short- and long-term side effects of the immunizations. The resistance to the vaccine is not unique to correctional officers. It was updated on March 16, 2021, to add the percentage of Rhode Island prison staff who have declined to be vaccinated.
The superspreaders behind top COVID-19 conspiracy theories
Legitimate questions about the virus created perfect conditions for conspiracy theories. COVID CLAIM: Boyle says the coronavirus is a genetically engineered bioweapon that escaped from a high-level lab in Wuhan, China. COVID CLAIM: Nikulin argues the U.S. created the virus and used it to attack China. He first voiced the belief in a Jan. 20, 2020, story by Zvezda, a state media outlet tied to the Russian military. EVIDENCE: There is no evidence that the U.S. created the virus or used it as a weapon to attack Iran.
Months after Biden win, Arizona officials still face threats
FILE - In this May 28, 2019 file photo Arizona Republican Sen. Paul Boyer, at the podium, is seen with Arizona Gov. For months, four elected Republicans and one Democrat on the board overseeing Arizona's most populous county have been facing threats and harassment for backing election results that saw Democrat Joe Biden win the state. All were from Trump supporters who questioned election results that saw a Democrat win Arizona for the first time since 1996. GOP senators demanded access to all the county’s election materials in mid-December, after Trump backers failed in court to overturn election results in Arizona and other battleground states. “But county board of supervisors?” he said.
Washington state eyes 'billionaire tax' on the ultra rich
AdAbout 100 taxpayers in the state have wealth in excess of $1 billion, according to the state Department of Revenue. The bill's sponsor, Democratic Rep. Noel Frame of Seattle, said the measure isn't an attack on the state's richest residents. The Washington state measure “would be the first of its kind if it passes,” he said. Frame said Washington — one of just a few states without an income tax — leans too heavily on its sales tax, disproportionately affecting those with less income. In a blog post in late 2019, Gates wrote about inequality and his push for changes in the tax code, including his support of an unsuccessful voter initiative that would have created a state income tax.
From presidents to faded stars, all welcomed by Larry King
George W. Bush jokes with CNN's Larry King after finishing the "Larry King Live" show from the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, Tenn. King, who interviewed presidents, movie stars and ordinary Joes during a half-century in broadcasting, has died at age 87. For 25 years until 2010, “Larry King Live” was a fixture on CNN's weeknight schedule, and that was after a lengthy career as a late-night radio host. So did “Larry King Live.” He was busy. “Larry King Live” was a type of show that would feel foreign on cable news today, given its obsession with hard-nosed political combat. “My dad always asked me, 'Did you see who Larry King talked to last night?'"
Larry King, broadcasting giant for half-century, dies at 87
FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2017, file photo, Larry King attends the 45th International Emmy Awards at the New York Hilton, in New York. In its early years, “Larry King Live” was based in Washington, which gave the show an air of gravitas. “Do you know who I am?”“Always loved Larry King and will miss him,” Seinfeld tweeted Saturday. Originating from Washington on the Mutual network, “The Larry King Show” was eventually heard on more than 300 stations and made King a national phenomenon. “Larry King Live” debuted on June 1, 1985, and became CNN’s highest-rated program.
Oxfam urges radical economic rejig for post-COVID world
(AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)LONDON – Anti-poverty organization Oxfam warned Monday that the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic will lead to the biggest increase in global inequality on record unless governments radically rejig their economies. By contrast, Oxfam said it could take more than a decade for the world’s poorest to recover their losses. Oxfam said the basis of the scenario plotted was in line with many other economic forecasts. Oxfam has traditionally sought to inspire debate at the World Economic Forum's annual gathering of business and political elites in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. Political leaders will be joined by business executives and campaigning organizations such as Oxfam during the discussions between Jan. 25-29.
Group urges climate adaptation funding in pandemic recovery
A group of more than 3,000 scientists from 130 countries also released a statement Friday before the summit linking investment in the environment with pandemic recovery plans. “The twin threats of COVID-19 and climate change are, above all, caused by human actions. It reversed the withdrawal by President Donald Trump, who ridiculed the science of human-caused climate change. The adaptation summit will focus more on how to build a world that can cope with the effects of climate change that already is happening. “While the year ahead will be defined by our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the centuries ahead will be defined by how green that recovery actually is,” Ban said.