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The billionaires behind many of France's top luxury brands have pledged €300 million (9 million) to help reconstruct Paris' Notre Dame cathedral following a devastating fire.LVMH Group ( 201

The New York state Supreme Court in Manhattan has disbarred Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney and fixer, after Cohen pleaded guilty last year to multiple felony charges, according to a decision released Tuesday.A five-judge panel found that Cohen, who began a three-day stretch of congressional testimony on Tuesday, should be disbarred for his federal conviction for having previously made false statements to Congress, the decision said.Though Cohen's disbarment was widely expected in legal circles, for a onetime trusted legal adviser to the President to be stricken from the roll of attorneys in New York state nevertheless constituted another striking step in the escalating consequences of the investigation into Cohen.Cohen, who pleaded guilty in two cases to an array of charges that included campaign-finance violations connected to his work for Trump, is scheduled to report to prison for a three-year sentence beginning on May 6.The decision was posted online early Tuesday evening. It was released two days earlier than initially intended, according to the New York Law Journal. On Tuesday afternoon, paper copies of the decision, containing the same text but dated February 28, were distributed to reporters in the courthouse press room. Court officials declined to confirm that those copies were legitimate and told CNN the decision was not ready to be released, only to then post it online with Tuesday's date.Lanny Davis, an adviser to Cohen, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Cohen's disbarment.Though an attorney for Trump, Rudy Giuliani, on several occasions has raised concerns that Cohen could have violated attorney-client privilege, the decision from the court didn't address that subject.In New York, conviction of a federal felony triggers disbarment if the offense would constitute a felony under state law.The court has repeatedly found that a conviction for making false statements to Congress "is analogous to a conviction under the New York felony of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree and, therefore, automatic disbarment is appropriate herein," the decision said. 2184

The Federal Trade Commission announced a billion settlement with Facebook on Wednesday, resolving a sweeping investigation by regulators into how the company lost control over massive troves of personal data and mishandled its communications with users. It is the largest fine in FTC history ¡ª and yet still only about a month's worth of revenue for Facebook.The deal comes amid growing calls in Washington for greater transparency and accountability for technology companies, whose power over social movements as well as personal information has increasingly come to be seen as dangerous by politicians, users, and even one of Facebook's co-founders.Facebook agreed to the deal following years of damaging admissions about the company's privacy practices, such as the inadvertent exposure of up to 87 million users' information to the political analysis firm Cambridge Analytica.The settlement resolves a formal complaint by the FTC alleging that Facebook "used deceptive disclosures and settings" that eroded user privacy, violating a prior agreement Facebook signed with the commission in 2012. Facebook also broke the law, the FTC alleged, by misusing phone numbers obtained for account security purposes to also target advertisements to its users. And the company allegedly deceived "tens of millions of users" by implying that a facial recognition feature on the service had not been enabled by default, when in fact it had."The magnitude of the billion penalty and sweeping conduct relief are unprecedented in the history of the FTC," said Chairman Joseph Simons in a statement. "The relief is designed not only to punish future violations but, more importantly, to change Facebook's entire privacy culture to decrease the likelihood of continued violations."Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The FTC settlement ¡ª which also covers Facebook subsidiaries Instagram and WhatsApp ¡ª could set the tone for a wave of further action by policymakers worldwide as they seek to rein in the most powerful players in Silicon Valley.The billion fine is nearly 30 times the FTC's largest-ever civil penalty to date ¡ª 8 million, which was levied on Dish Network in 2017 ¡ª reflecting the tremendous scale of Facebook's operations, as well as the enormity of its self-admitted mistakes.In addition to the record civil penalty, Facebook also agreed to accept greater oversight of its privacy practices. Under the FTC deal, Facebook's board will form a privacy oversight committee made up of independent members who cannot be fired by CEO Mark Zuckerberg alone. That committee will be charged with appointing still other officials who must periodically and truthfully certify that Facebook is complying with the FTC agreement, or risk being held personally liable. Zuckerberg will also be required to make those same certifications, the FTC said."False certifications would subject Mr. Zuckerberg and the [designated compliance officers] to personal liability, including civil and criminal penalties," Simons said in a statement written jointly with the Commission's two other Republican members, Christine Wilson and Noah Phillips.The FTC also required that regular third-party assessments of Facebook's privacy practices not rely on company materials but instead on the auditor's own fact-finding.The FTC voted 3-2 to approve the settlement, with the agency's two Democrats dissenting because they believed the measure did not go far enough. In dissents, Commissioners Rohit Chopra and Rebecca Slaughter said they believed the fines were far too small, and that the FTC wrongfully gave Zuckerberg and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg a pass."Failing to hold them accountable only encourages other officers to be similarly neglectful in discharging their legal obligations," wrote Chopra. "In my view, it is appropriate to charge officers and directors personally when there is reason to believe that they have meaningfully participated in unlawful conduct, or negligently turned a blind eye toward their subordinates doing the same."Other prominent tech critics, including Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, have said a billion fine would be "a bargain" for Facebook. In an earnings report earlier this year, Facebook said it was setting aside billion to help cover expenses related to the expected penalty. It reported quarterly revenues of billion at the time and its stock rose after it announced the charge, signaling investors were relieved by the probable outcome.For more than a year, Facebook ¡ª once the darling of policymakers and a celebrated example of American ingenuity ¡ª has lurched from crisis to crisis.This past October, for example, Facebook disclosed that hackers had compromised tens of millions of accounts by exploiting a series of software flaws, culminating in their ability to impersonate users and take over their profiles.The following month, Facebook 4985

The House of Representatives voted by 230-195 on Tuesday to approve .5 billion in aid for the growing crisis at the US southern border -- a vote that followed Democratic infighting over the package and a White House veto threat.House Democratic leaders had worked to quell a progressive rebellion and secured passage after making several updates to the measure in response to concerns within the caucus, but the White House has already said it "strongly opposes" the legislation and it is not clear whether the House and Senate will be able to reach an agreement the President will sign off on.The Senate has a bipartisan bill that would allocate .59 billion for the border crisis and advanced out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on a 30-1 vote last week. But the proposal has significant differences with the House bill, adding to the uncertainty over whether a deal can be reached.The progressive pushback against the bill was an unexpected wrinkle in the race to get the legislation passed and signed into law before a key agency -- the Office of Refugee Resettlement -- runs out of money at the end of the month.That's not the only agency in desperate need of funding to stem the crisis at the border. The funding would also go to help other agencies and help manage the crisis.The Senate still faces uncertainty on when it will pass its own border supplemental bill, which doesn't include some of the policy riders the House bill has and includes money for? the Department of Defense, something that the House doesn't do.In a possible sign that the House and Senate may be able to find common ground, however, Pelosi referred to the Senate legislation as a "good bill," in a House Democratic caucus meeting on Tuesday, according to a senior Democratic aide."The Senate has a good bill," Pelosi said at the meeting, according to the aide, though she then said, "Our bill is much better. But if we are going to prevail we have to have a good, strong vote."But even if the House and Senate can come to an agreement, it's still an open question whether the President will sign off.Sen. Dick Shelby, the Republican chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said on Tuesday that he does not have assurances from the White House that the President will definitely support the Senate bill and sign it into law if it's the proposal that passes. "We don't," Shelby said.In a more than two-hour meeting on Monday night, House Democratic leaders and appropriators faced tough questions from rank-and-file members frustrated by House leadership's strategy and the underlying border spending bill.House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey, a Democrat from New York, unveiled proposed changes on Tuesday morning to the border aid bill, including strengthening requirements for the care of migrants in government custody and setting a time limit of 90 days for unaccompanied children to stay in temporary shelters.Late Tuesday afternoon, the proposed changes were updated to include additional provisions, including requiring the secretary of Health and Human Services to replace contractors who do not meet "enhanced standards required under the Flores settlement" -- which limits the length of time and conditions under which US officials can detain immigrant children.The White House veto threat, however, made clear that the administration "strongly opposes" the bill and 3396

The first tropical system to slam the US this year is expected to make landfall as a hurricane. But days before landfall, it's already walloping New Orleans with widespread flooding.The National Hurricane Center predicts Tropical Storm Barry will form in the Gulf of Mexico by Thursday and strengthen to a hurricane by Saturday, when it's expected to make landfall in Louisiana. The tropical system has already spawned its first tornado warning and flash flood emergency, both in the New Orleans area.New Orleans resident Angela Catalano, whose house is already flooded, said she's worried about what's next."We took in about 2 feet of water in our basement/ground floor level," Catalano said. "I'm very concerned about the impending storm, with the Mississippi River near flood stage. I'm very worried about more flooding."Indeed, the worst is yet to come. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said about 10 to 15 inches of rain could fall within 24 hours between Friday and Saturday. Edwards declared a state of emergency Wednesday for all of Louisiana in preparation for the impact of the low-pressure system."That is a short time period for such an intense" rainfall, Edwards said.Even worse: The slow-moving storm is crawling at about 3 to 5 mph, the governor said. That means it could hover over the same place for long time, dumping rain relentlessly.Forecasters warned drivers to stay off flooded roads."A FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY has been issued for Jefferson Parish! 4 to 6 inches have already fallen and 2 - 3 more is anticipated," the National Weather Service's New Orleans office tweeted. "Please do not drive in flooded roads! Seek higher ground if flooding!"New Orleans City Hall closed Wednesday as the ferocious weather kept pounding the city."As always during hurricane season, residents are reminded to review emergency plans, gather emergency supplies, and stay informed," Mayor LaToya Cantrell's office said. "Hurricane preparedness information is available at 1987

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