A Russian publisher heavily redacted a book on a gay film director noting that “the text of the book has been shortened due to Federal Law 478”. Many see it as a political statement.

“Paradoxically, publishing a censored text may be one of the few ways to safely express dissent”

From me today, a curious tale of Russian censorship. A publisher there releases a heavily-redacted book on a gay Italian film director - but says it is “an artistic statement.” Then, the book sells out its entire print run. Reuters

reuters.com/world/europe/r…

Strange inversion here - good government groups defend unlimited spending, while many politicians call for caps.
nysfocus.com/2024/05/01/new…

The FDA first approved aspartame in 1974. But today, Coca-Cola and Pepsi shareholders will vote on proposals about the health risks of artificial sweeteners, part of a bigger ESG push on health:

on.ft.com/4aXPK3s

Big critical minerals and mining-related news out of U.S. Department of Energy’s LPO office today: extraction/mining/production activities are now eligible to receive funding. Previously, only processing, recycling, and manufacturing were eligible. Jigar Shah

energy.gov/lpo/articles/h…

Microsoft prepares to essentially buy 10.5GW of energy from Brookfield in a massive renewable power deal that could lead to over $10bn in construction.

ft.com/content/70f3ce…

“We are seeing cardiovascular diseases, we are seeing respiratory illnesses and, in some cases, mental health problems, when people lose everything.”

Why life and health insurers are increasingly concerned about direct and indirect climate effects ft.com/content/517dbc…

🚨New: Auto industry plans for Mexican import disruption if Trump gets in🚨

🚘'Our expectation is the border effectively closes' says one exec

🚘Carlos Tavares warns pick-up trucks would become unaffordable & US flooded with Mexican migrants

Full story:
ft.com/content/c79cb8…

NEW: Trump’s economic advisers are considering ways to actively stop nations from shifting away from using the dollar, sources tell me, Nancy Cook
+ Jennifer Jacobs

Penalties being discussed: export controls, currency manipulation charges and tariffs

bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

UN-appointed investigators have uncovered a new $13 billion oil-backed loan to #SouthSudan from an obscure company based out of Dubai in one of the world's largest oil-for-cash deals ever

(🧵1/4)

- with Augusta Saraiva and *free to read* via Bloomberg:

bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Electric vehicles continue to be doomed, this time with help from Honda and its $11 billion investment in new facilities in Canada to produce EVs for North America: bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Did you know about tax normalization? It's actually really important to explain why a lot of big political economy theories of investment and utilities don't work in the real world. In short, if you are an IOU, you have to take your ITC over thirty years rather than up front.

An Australian judge said climate groups that were not directly involved in suing over an undersea pipeline must let oil company Santos comb through their internal documents. The groups may even have to pay Santos’s legal costs. New avenue for SLAPP claims?
theguardian.com/law/2024/apr/2…

As public pensions amass bigger holdings in private equity, Biden admin including Lael Brainard and state officials like NY Comptroller Tom DiNapoli are pushing for better labor standards, such as telling portfolio companies to stay neutral when workers unionize:

NEW: 5 major pension funds have now committed more than $1 trillion in assets requiring robust labor standards in private equity investments, the WH announced today.

That includes CalPERs & as of today, the New York State Common Retirement Fund

washingtonpost.com/business/2024/…

The recording is now live for the panel we hosted this week on 'ESG's Second Act' with Lee Harris from Financial Times, Michael O'Leary from L Catterton, Marian Macindoe from Parnassus Funds, Jessica Whitt from Barclays Bank, and nolan lindquist from CAS.
youtube.com/watch?v=yX2LcQ…

Last week, Common Cause New York and New York Focus filed a motion requesting that the transcripts of Trump's criminal trial be made public.

We're pleased that the court agreed, and we urge New York judges to do the same in other cases.
nytimes.com/2024/04/22/nyr…
twitter.com/frankrunyeon/s…