March 2024 - cypherpunks - lists.cpunks.org

Wells Fargo Abruptly Terminating Customers' Bank Accounts, Say Attorneys General in 16 States, Demanding Immediate Freeze on Lender’s Alleged Debanking Practices - The Daily Hodl
by Gunnar Larson 12 Mar '24

12 Mar '24

https://dailyhodl.com/2024/03/10/wells-fargo-abruptly-terminating-customers… More than a dozen state attorneys general (AGs) are accusing banking titan Wells Fargo of abruptly terminating customers’ accounts without warning. In a letter addressed to Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf, 16 Republican AGs across the country accuse the trillion-dollar lender of debanking customers in a political and discriminatory manner. ADVERTISEMENT The AGs say Wells Fargo has started a new trend that looks at clients’ political views as a basis for retaining banking access. “Within this context, Wells Fargo’s decisions to debank Republican candidates and gun industry participants reveal a new troubling trend… Blanket prohibitions and policies against providing service to certain customers lead to the inevitable question – who is next? Which types of companies or people will Wells Fargo determine cannot be allowed as customers? Is this why Wells Fargo apparently closed the accounts of former Republican candidates Lauren Witzke and Pete D’Abrosca on the same day in 2021?” The AGs say the alleged pattern may be in violation of state laws.

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NY Man's COVID Loan 'Greed' Merits 10 Years, Feds Say
by Gunnar Larson 12 Mar '24

12 Mar '24

NY Man's COVID Loan 'Greed' Merits 10 Years, Feds Say <https://www.law360.com/banking/articles/1812314?nl_pk=feb6bbba-7878-4d39-be…> By Parker Quinlan Federal prosecutors have asked a New York judge to sentence a Long Island man to 10 years in prison for his role in a scheme to steal more than $10 million from the Paycheck Protection Program and other pandemic-era disaster relief programs. Memorandum attached | Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/banking/articles/1812314?nl_pk=feb6bbba-7878-4d39-be…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/banking/articles/1812314?nl_pk=feb6bbba-7878-4d39-be…>

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NYAG Sues Meat Producer For Making False "Net Zero By 2040" Claims - Advertising, Marketing & Branding - United States
by Gunnar Larson 12 Mar '24

12 Mar '24

https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/advertising-marketing--branding/1435336… New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that she sued JBS USA Food Company and and JBS USA Food Company Holdings for false advertising, alleging that the companies misled consumers about the environmental impact of the meat that they produce. The defendants (which I'll refer to as "JBS") are subsidiaries of JBS S.A., which is a Brazilian company that apparently claims to be the largest beef and poultry producer in the world. The New York Attorney General's lawsuit – which is clearly going to be a meaty case – is focused on JBS's claims that it will be "Net Zero by 2040." According to the NYAG, in March 2021, JBS announced "a commitment to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040. The commitment spans the company's global operations, ... as well as its diverse value chain of agricultural producer partners, suppliers and customers in their efforts to reduce emissions across the value chain." The NYAG then alleged that, in April 2021, JBS ran a full page advertisement in The New York Times which claimed, "We are the first major global company in our industry to commit to net zero by 2040. Can it actually be done? We think so and we're taking real actions to achieve our goal." The NYAG alleged that similar ads appeared on company websites and in other advertising as well. The NYAG alleged that JBS's claim that it will be "Net Zero by 2024" is false and misleading, however, because the company failed to fully take into account its "scope 3" emissions. "Scope 3" emissions are essentially the emissions from a company's vendors and suppliers (other than suppliers of energy). According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the problem with omitting Scope 3 emissions from a company's calculations of its greenhouse gas emissions is that those emissions "often represent the majority of an organization's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions." And that is exactly the NYAG's concern here. The NYAG alleged that, when calculating its greenhouse gas emissions, JBS did not account for emissions from Amazon deforestation and other land uses changes in its supply chain. The NYAG explained that, "Deforestation for cattle operations contributes to the JBS Group's Scope 3 emissions not only through the immediate release of greenhouse gases from destroyed biomass, but also through the resulting inability of that biomass to subsequently absorb and store greenhouse gases from the atmosphere." The NYAG also charged that JBS's "Net Zero by 2024" commitment is also false and misleading because of the company's current levels of production and its plans to dramatically increase production. The NYAG alleged that, notwithstanding the company's public commitments, it didn't have a feasible plan in place to reduce its emissions (or to offset them) based on both its current level of production or based on its plan to substantially increase its production as well. As the NYAG put it, "The JBS Group, however, has had no viable plan to meet its commitment to be "Net Zero by 2040." This case is still at its very early stages, of course, but there are still several important take-aways from the NYAG's complaint. First, just because you're making an aspirational claim about something you're going to achieve way off in the future, don't assume that regulators and others won't say that you're making claims that require substantiation. (For a court taking a different view, however, check out this case involving Coke's aspirational claims.) Second, if your environmental claims are based on certain assumptions – or you're excluding certain factors in your calculations – you'd better be up front about that, so that consumers don't misunderstand what you're actually claiming you are going to achieve. That being said, regardless of how clear an advertiser is about how it is doing its calculations, would a regulator really be okay with a "net zero" claim that ignores a substantial portion of the omissions? Third, as this lawsuit also makes clear, regulators are going to look very skeptically at your aspirational claims, even far-off ones, unless they are based on current science and realistic, achievable plans. {"When companies falsely advertise their commitment to sustainability, they are misleading consumers and endangering our planet" -- New York Attorney General Letitia James

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Coinbase Asks 3rd Circ. To Force SEC To Set Rules For Crypto
by Gunnar Larson 12 Mar '24

12 Mar '24

Coinbase Asks 3rd Circ. To Force SEC To Set Rules For Crypto <https://www.law360.com/capitalmarkets/articles/1812485?nl_pk=abe82add-2a33-…> By Aislinn Keely Crypto exchange Coinbase asked the Third Circuit on Monday to force the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to set rules of the road for digital assets in an opening brief that argued the agency failed to provide "a reasoned explanation" for why it denied an earlier request for crypto rulemaking. Brief attached | Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/capitalmarkets/articles/1812485?nl_pk=abe82add-2a33-…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/capitalmarkets/articles/1812485?nl_pk=abe82add-2a33-…>

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Fwd: Open FOIL NY Request From : Gunnar Larson : NY-DFS Superintendent Adrienne Harris Recusal Records
by Gunnar Larson 12 Mar '24

12 Mar '24

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Paasewe, Siaka (DHR) <Siaka.Paasewe(a)dhr.ny.gov> Date: Fri, Feb 2, 2024, 11:35 AM Subject: RE: Open FOIL NY Request From : Gunnar Larson : NY-DFS Superintendent Adrienne Harris Recusal Records To: G(a)xny.io <g(a)xny.io> Cc: dhr.dl.foil <foil(a)dhr.ny.gov> Dear Mr. Larson: Pursuant to your request, please see the attachment. *Siaka Paasewe* Records Access Officer / FOIL Officer *New York State Division of **Human** Rights* One Fordham Plaza, 4th Floor (718) 741-8422 | (718) 741-8256 (Fax) Siaka.Paasewe(a)dhr.ny.gov www.dhr.ny.gov February 2, 2024 VIA EMAIL G(a)xny.io Gunnar D. Larson xNY.io - Bank.org 406 West 25th Street, 1RE New York, NY 10001 Dear Mr. Larson: The Division is in receipt of your Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request, received by the Division on February 2, 2024, in which you requested a copy of the following: NY-DFS Superintendent Adrienne Harris Recusal Records Dear Madam or Sir: On March 30, 2022 New York Magazine published a profile of NY-DFS Superintendent Adrienne Harris titled "Crypto’s Most Powerful Regulator Is Here Adrienne Harris, New York’s financial watchdog, has enormous sway over the industry’s future" (https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/03/adrienne-harris-is- cryptos-most-powerful-regulator.html). The profile of Superintendent Harris quotes "... that she would recuse herself from any dealings with companies she has conflicts with." xNY.io - Bank.org seeks access to any and all records specific to Superintendent Harris' recusal(s) as of February 1, 2024. Please be advised the Division does not have any records in its possession that are responsive to your FOIL request. Any person denied access to a requested record may, within thirty (30) days of the denial, appeal the denial in writing by mail or fax to Caroline J. Downey, General Counsel, N.Y.S. Division of Human Rights, One Fordham Plaza, 4th Floor, Bronx, New York 10458. *From:* noreply-openfoil(a)its.ny.gov <its.sm.openfoil(a)its.ny.gov> *Sent:* Friday, February 2, 2024 6:43 AM *To:* dhr.dl.foil <foil(a)dhr.ny.gov>; dob.sm.foil <foil(a)budget.ny.gov>; dfs.sm.RecordsAccessOfficer <recordsaccessofficer(a)dfs.ny.gov> *Subject:* Open FOIL NY Request From : Gunnar Larson : NY-DFS Superintendent Adrienne Harris Recusal Records *New FOIL Request for Division of Human Rights, Division of the Budget, Department of Financial Services * Submitted on: 2/2/2024 6:43:04 AM Request Confirmation Number : LARSON_DHR_20240202064304145 LARSON_DOB_20240202064304145 LARSON_DFS_20240202064304145 *INFORMATION SUBMITTED:* *Title* Mr. *First Name* Gunnar *Middle Initial* *D* *Last Name* Larson *E-Mail* G(a)xny.io *Telephone* *Fax* *Affiliation/Organization* xNY.io - Bank.org *Street Address 1* 406 West 25th Street *Street Address 2* *City* New York *State* NY *Zip Code* 10001 *Country* *USA* *Short Title* NY-DFS Superintendent Adrienne Harris Recusal Records *Description* Dear Madam or Sir: On March 30, 2022 New York Magazine published a profile of NY-DFS Superintendent Adrienne Harris titled "Crypto’s Most Powerful Regulator Is Here Adrienne Harris, New York’s financial watchdog, has enormous sway over the industry’s future" ( https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/03/adrienne-harris-is-cryptos-most-pow…) The profile of Superintendent Harris quotes "... that she would recuse herself from any dealings with companies she has conflicts with." xNY.io - Bank.org seeks access to any and all records specific to Superintendent Harris' recusal(s) as of February 1, 2024. Thank you, Gunnar -- Gunnar Larson xNY.io | Bank.org MSc - Digital Currency MBA - Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ip) G(a)xNY.io +1-917-580-8053 New York, New York 10001 *FOIL Response Format* Email *If fees apply, please contact me if costs will be greater than* 10000 *Additional Information* I am a representative of, or affiliated with, the news media and this request is made as part of a news gathering effort , I am an individual seeking information for personal use , I am affiliated with an educational or non-commercial scientific institution, and this request is made for a scholarly or scientific purpose , I am affiliated with a private corporation and am seeking information for use in the company’s business for commercial purpose

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Elon Musk Is Right About OpenAI But for the Wrong Reasons
by pro2rat＠yahoo.com.au 12 Mar '24

12 Mar '24

Since assertions without evidence - like most of Gunnar s vile spam - may be dismissed without examination I say he is wrong on this for the wrong reasons. Just as he was on strong AI in general and he was wrong on US politics and dead wrong on the physical colonization of wilderness planets. He can't even be trusted anywhere near the moon! Wrong, wrong, wrong. Three strikes and your out mister Musky MORON Now fuck off and die before we hunt you down and put you down. Lie flat. Be water. Drop dead! The future doesn't need you.

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Elon Musk Is Right About OpenAI But for the Wrong Reasons
by Gunnar Larson 12 Mar '24

12 Mar '24

Elon Musk Is Right About OpenAI But for the Wrong Reasons https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-06/elon-musk-openai-lawsuit… Fast-growing technology companies exaggerate constantly. This isn’t to say they lie; it’s just that when you’re raising large sums of money, it helps to present an impressionist picture of your current business rather than a photorealistic one. Google’s founders talked about organizing “the world’s information” back when they weren’t even the most successful search engine from Stanford University; Airbnb’s founders argued that vacation rentals would, by some unknown alchemy, end hatred; and WeWork spun a fairly conventional real estate startup into a pseudo-spiritual lifestyle brand.

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Jamie Dimon Warns US Recession ‘Not Off the Table’ Yet
by Gunnar Larson 12 Mar '24

12 Mar '24

Jamie Dimon Warns US Recession ‘Not Off the Table’ Yet https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-11/dimon-says-us-economy-bo… Says Trump an ‘amazing political figure,’ but unpredictable

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Trump Wants NY Trial Paused As Justices Weigh Immunity
by Gunnar Larson 12 Mar '24

12 Mar '24

Trump Wants NY Trial Paused As Justices Weigh Immunity <https://www.law360.com/mergersacquisitions/articles/1812355?nl_pk=a34c25b5-…> By Elliot Weld Donald Trump asked a New York judge to pause his hush-money case to await a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a separate case on whether he is shielded from criminal charges by presidential immunity. 2 documents attached | Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/mergersacquisitions/articles/1812355?nl_pk=a34c25b5-…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/mergersacquisitions/articles/1812355?nl_pk=a34c25b5-…>

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Nuvei Unit Sues Paycom Over Failed Domain Name Deal
by Gunnar Larson 12 Mar '24

12 Mar '24

Nuvei Unit Sues Paycom Over Failed Domain Name Deal <https://www.law360.co.uk/financial-services-uk/articles/1810478?nl_pk=a94fc…> By Jamie Lennox A Nuvei Group subsidiary has sued several Paycom units and their bosses for allegedly failing to use the company's payments technology, despite signing a deal promising to do so in return for a website domain. Read full article » <https://www.law360.co.uk/financial-services-uk/articles/1810478?nl_pk=a94fc…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.co.uk/financial-services-uk/articles/1810478?nl_pk=a94fc…>

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