>>4851179 lb
China grants Ivanka Trump 5 trademarks amid trade talks
SHANGHAI (AP) — The Chinese government has granted Ivanka Trump's company preliminary approval for another five trademarks this month, as her father's administration pushes ahead on trade negotiations with China.
Four trademarks, including child care centers, sunglasses and wedding dresses, were approved on Sunday. A fifth, covering brokerage, charitable fundraising and art valuation services, was approved on Jan.6, according to online trademark office records. The applications were filed in 2016 and 2017. If no one objects, they will be finalized after 90 days.
Ivanka Trump's expanding intellectual property holdings have long raised ethical concerns, particularly in China, where the courts and bureaucracy tend to reflect the will of the ruling Communist Party.
Ivanka Trump's lawyers in China did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Critics argue that by asking a foreign government for valuable intellectual property rights, White House officials could open themselves to pressure in government negotiations. There is also concern that the family's global trademark portfolio would open the way for lucrative business opportunities once Donald Trump leaves office.
"The sheer number of foreign trademarks Ivanka Trump has gotten while working in the White House would be troubling enough, but the fact that she just got one for charitable fundraising when her father's namesake foundation — which she served as a board member for and is closing in scandal following a New York Attorney General investigation outlining numerous legal violations — is especially troubling," Jordan Libowitz, a spokesman for watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in an email.
Ivanka Trump closed her fashion brand in July. Her representatives assert that trademark filings are a normal business practice and are needed to protect her name from copycats seeking to capitalize on her fame.
Companies apply for trademarks for a range of reasons. They can be signs of corporate ambition, but many also are filed defensively, particularly in China, where trademark squatting is rampant.
China has said it treats all trademark applications equally under the law.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-grants-ivanka-trump-5-092228068.html
U.S. Airport Screener Absences Triple as Shutdown Continues
The number of U.S. airport screeners who took unscheduled absences rose to 10 percent on Sunday, more than triple that of a year ago as the stalemate over the government shutdown continued over a holiday weekend, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
The number of unscheduled TSA absences hit the highest level seen so far, the TSA said in a statement Monday as the shutdown entered its 31st day. A year ago the absence rate was 3.1 percent.
“Many employees are reporting that they are not able to report to work due to financial limitations,” according to the statement.
Airport screeners are in a category of workers including FBI agents and border patrol officers who are considered “essential” and therefore required to work without pay during the shutdown. The worst delays on Sunday were reported at the main airport in New Orleans, the TSA reported, though it said 99.9 percent of passengers waited less than 30 minutes.
The partial government shutdown that began Dec. 22 has halted funding for more than a dozen major departments and agencies.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump praised federal employees working without pay, saying on Twitter, “THANK YOU - YOU ARE GREAT PATRIOTS.” ***
To all of the great people who are working so hard for your Country and not getting paid I say, THANK YOU - YOU ARE GREAT PATRIOTS! We must now work together, after decades of abuse, to finally fix the Humanitarian, Criminal & Drug Crisis at our Border. WE WILL WIN BIG!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2019
Yet there was little end in sight to the shutdown as Trump was locked in a political fight with congressional Democrats over funding to build barriers along the U.S. border with Mexico.
The president said in a Jan. 19 speech he would support a mix of immigration-related proposals in exchange for $5.7 billion to build a wall or other barriers along the border. Although Trump said the Senate would soon bring up legislation containing the funding and proposals, Democrats rejected the plan.
Democrats have called for the government to be reopened to allow workers to get paid while discussions over border security and the president’s wall continue.
California Senator Kamala Harris, who on Monday announced her intention to pursue the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, said on ABC News that “Those 800,000 people who’ve dedicated themselves to public service, those federal employees, they’re going to want to know we’re not playing politics with their livelihood and their ability to pay rent at the end of the month.”
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*** can't stop laughing!
sure it was for them!
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-21/u-s-airport-screener-absences-triple-as-shutdown-enters-day-31?srnd=premium
Hedge Fund Billionaire Griffin Buys $122 Million London Home
There are still buyers out there for top-end homes in London.
Citadel LLC founder Ken Griffin bought 3 Carlton Gardens, a 200-year-old home that overlooks London’s St. James’s Park about half a mile from Buckingham Palace. The billionaire hedge-fund manager paid about 95 million pounds ($122 million) for the property, a Citadel spokesman said.
The historic Georgian-era home was redeveloped by property developer Mike Spink in a venture with Evans Randall Investors. The 20,000 square-foot (roughly 1,900 square-meter) house includes a gym, pool and underground extension. An asking price of 145 million pounds was originally discussed but in the past two years the house was offered for 125 million pounds, according to the Financial Times, which reported the purchase earlier and later clarified the asking price.
Griffin, who has a $8.8 billion fortune, is the richest person from Illinois to feature on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a ranking of the world’s 500 richest people. He already owns hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property in New York and Chicago, according to the index.
For all that, 3 Carlton Gardens will stand out in his portfolio. It housed the private office of Charles de Gaulle during World War II, and a statue of the French Resistance leader stands across the road.
“It’s an iconic property with great history,” said Charles McDowell, founder of Charles McDowell Properties. “He’s picked it up for a discount. For people who’ve got the money, there are real buying opportunities in London.”
Prices in London’s best districts are about 19 percent below their 2014 peak, according to data compiled by broker Savills Plc.
A spokesman for the developers declined to comment.
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Get a load of the douchebag realtor comments "it's at a discount"….no moar words needed.
sauce
was laughing so hard forgot to add it.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hedge-fund-billionaire-ken-griffin-152116811.html
have only gone through the scanner once and that was recently. The chertoff 'machines' were a joke and since they decided they did not work lets get another gov't contract and make moar.
Then there is his family's connections to israel.
Enough to make you not want to travel
trips confirm…."taint wipes"
Even without raising rates the markets are done. That would speed it up as every .25bp in raises will require the system to cough up an extra $20-25b in carrying costs alone. It may be moar or less now but last time I looked it was between $18-20b. about 1.5 years ago.
They all got a reprieve starting in january as it was levitated on below average volume..and just in time for the banks to drop the worst earnings for some time-at least since 2008.
Moar complicated but they are so highly levered they need 'up' all the time.
since you travel frequently have you noticed a slow down in overall traffic through the airport?
when I did it, not as much as you, I tried to do it all early in the day if possible.