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Former Lizzo backup dancers Crystal Williams, Noelle Rodriguez, and Arianna Davis are suing Lizzo (aka Melissa Jefferson), Shirlene Quigley (Dance team captain), and ‘Big Grrrl Big Touring’ Inc. for - Hostile Work Environment Failure to prevent and/or remedy a hostile work environment Religious harassment Failure to prevent and/or remedy religious harassment Racial harassment Disability discrimination International interference with prospective economic advantage Assault False Imprisonment Shirlene Quigley reportedly was very vocal about religious beliefs during practices and remarked on personal details about Davis’s virginity and Rodriguez’s disbelief in Christianity. While on tour, Rodriguez says that Quigley pressured her publicly to lead a group prayer, even after Rodriguez had refused. Tour bus drivers for ‘Big Grrrl Big Touring’ were reported to have made inappropriate comments and played sexually explicit music for the passengers; all three defendants say they filed complaints against drivers, but management did not act. In Amsterdam, an outing in the Red Light District led to Davis being pressured into interacting with an erotic performer despite voicing discomfort; a security guard hired by Lizzo was also pressured to strip and perform for the group. In Paris, another outing was planned by Lizzo. Unknown to the group, this outing was to a nude cabaret bar; the entertainment took aback the team members who attended the outing. Dancers were placed on “soft holds,” which implied that dancers could not seek employment elsewhere during the breaks between tours. The three defendants say this created a financial dependence on the income generated from Lizzo, making it harder for dancers to feel like they could voice concerns. The defendants stated that they (and other dancers) had tried establishing a retainer during the “soft holds” with management for financial stability. It was poorly received and sparked tension with management and Lizzo against dancers such as the defendants. Tension reached a boiling point when Lizzo met with the dance team, stressing that their jobs were unsafe and they would have a re-auditioning process. This process was stated to be so intense that Davis had an accident during the session. After Davis had recorded a meeting to take notes, Lizzo and Quigley confronted her on why she recorded the meeting. Davis stated she has a disability and needed to take notes to listen back and digest the information. Shortly after this incident, Davis was fired. Rodriguez then protested this move, which also led to her being terminated. Full Lawsuit Document vs. Lizzo & Co.

Microsoft has been trying to acquire Activision Blizzard (an American developer and publisher of entertainment content for mobile devices, game consoles, and personal computers) since January 18, 2022. The prolonged deal process is due to US and UK regulators attempting to block the deal. Since the US and UK both have “cloud gaming markets,” they have the autonomy to regulate the markets in their respective ways. The United States FTC had tried blocking the deal over concerns that Microsoft’s Xbox would be too dominant in the market, as it would have ownership over top game franchises such as “Call of Duty.” On July 20, the FTC withdrew its case, as it could not argue its opposition effectively to Federal Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley. However, the UK's Competition Markets Authority (CMA) successfully blocked the deal, jeopardizing the entire Activision Blizzard acquisition. Microsoft then restructured its acquisition deal in August 2023 to ease the CMA’s regulation. Pacts with Nintendo, Sony, and Nvidia accompanied the new deal. The pacts will last for a decade; within that time frame, the three companies mentioned will have access to Activision franchises - Sony was only given “Call of Duty” in their agreement. Sony had been vocally opposed to Microsoft's acquisition, likely due to the massive intellectual property benefit Microsoft would be gaining. Sony had previously acquired Bungie, a developer/publisher company that developed games such as Halo and Destiny. Yet Bungie has significantly less strategic value than Activision, as Bungie has 13 patents compared to Activision’s 1,073. Microsoft’s new deal will sell the cloud rights of current and future Activision games released over the next 15 years to Ubisoft. Since Ubisoft will be able to distribute games to players on both Xbox and Playstation, regulation is expected to be less strenuous on the deal. There are talks of Microsoft looking to acquire Ubisoft somewhere down the line, but that may be difficult given the current regulatory climate. As the deadline for the merger has been extended to October 18, Microsoft hopes that the CMA will approve the deal soon before it expires. Full Microsoft / Activision Blizzard merger inquiry: Provided by gov.uk

Russia and India have been in the middle of a lunar space race, with the objective being who can reach the Moon’s South Pole first. The South Pole has been an essential region of the moon to explore ever since 2018 when evidence of water on its surface first came to light. The South Pole may also contain elements that make the region a possible opportunity for mining. India had launched the same mission in 2019 but failed, and Russia’s last lunar mission was in 1976 (Luna-24). Russia has not had a focus on space exploration for quite some time, as funding for military needs were prioritized after the 1970s. India’s Prime Minister Modi has been pushing this mission as a way to not only boost his candidacy in his election campaign but also to boost global confidence in the Indian space program. Potentially gaining future collaborations with other powers (most likely the U.S.) for projects like missions and commercial satellites. Russia pursued its Luna-25 mission as a statement to the world. Given that Russia has sanctions and tech bans placed on it by the West, acquiring resources for a successful launch would be a feat for the country. Without help from the rest of the world, if Russia could complete this mission, it would instill global confidence in its space program. The mission ultimately failed on August 19, resulting in Russia’s probe attempting to land on the Moon’s South Pole and crashing. Russia and China had recently agreed to develop a project to establish settlements on the moon in the future. Given the state of the Russian space program, the deal between the two countries may be strained as China’s space program is significantly more developed when compared to Russia’s. India successfully landed their probe on August 23. This marks a new era in Indian history, as the country will likely look to see if other nations would like to partner with them for future endeavors. As India deals with a contentious relationship with China (as China and India have had a persisting border dispute since 2020), this mission is a sign of a fruitful relationship between the U.S. and India. This marks the first instance of India usurping Russia as a world power. NASA’s Evidence for Water on the Moon’s South Pole EU Sanctions on Russia - ‘Aviation sector’ Portion

A desert storm brought downpours to Burning Man on the sixth day of the nine-day event. Heavy rain turned the landscape into mud, making it impossible for festival goers (given the self-title of “Burners”) to navigate the campgrounds freely and operate bikes and cars. Some Burners even left behind their cars at the campgrounds, as they had no way to operate them and wanted to seek shelter elsewhere. During heavy rainfall, Burners on public transport buses were even kept on vehicles for an extended time as they were too far from locations to leave the vehicles and walk. The campgrounds of less prepared attendees were eventually flooded, resulting in some people sleeping in or surrounded by water and mud. Since vehicles could not navigate the terrain, sanitation trucks could not service the campgrounds. Some Burners then converted tents at their disposal into outhouses and utilized other rustic sanitation methods. General reports from Burners varied regarding how much individuals were genuinely affected. In most accountings, festival goers who networked with others and/or had a surplus of equipment and food supplies were relatively unburdened. Burning Man 2023 did, however, leave behind more than average amounts of waste, given the extreme weather. Reportedly, after the mud was resolidified, it was a simple process of moving the remains of the festival. Cars left behind at the campground were returned to owners or moved off the property. The clean-up team is tasked with conducting a line sweep of the entire 3,600-acre area, with the mission of leaving zero trace. The Burning Man festival has seen its share of harsh weather conditions; the 2022 festival was particularly dry and hot, which created dust storms. Future Burners can now add floods and heavy rainfall to the list of conditions to prepare themselves for.

New York City has implemented “Local Law 18,” which took effect September 5, effectively banning short-term rentals. Individuals cannot legally rent an apartment or home for less than 30 days, even if that individual owns or lives in the building. Additionally, rental owners will have to register their properties through the city so that potentially illegal short-term rentals are preemptively caught. New regulations on short-term rentals are being implemented in NYC and other major cities (in different variations), such as Atlanta, San Fransisco, New Orleans, and Dallas. The rationale behind these regulations is that short-term rentals reduce the amount of available long-term listings within cities. The lower housing supply could, in turn, raise the prices for long-term rents. This relationship between rising rents and the existence of short-term rentals within zipcodes was studied by the Wharton School of Business - the study found that companies offering short-term hospitality (like Airbnb) contributed to a fifth of actual rent growth within a zipcode annually. Individuals such as Arun Sundararajan (an NYU professor & author in economic studies) have argued that Airbnb users in NYC mainly rent out apartments that they live in. Therefore, the short-term rentals within NYC do not dip into the long-term housing supply, but this argument has yet to be studied and proven. Local Law 18 prompted Airbnb to file lawsuits against NYC, but they were dismissed. Judge Arlene P. Bluth concluded that having to comply with a registration system does not present an “overly onerous obligation.” It is yet to be seen how these regulations will affect the tourism economy and the businesses in the city that survive off of the tourism revenue. Additionally, this may open up the possibility for a short-term rental “black market” in the area. Hotels are not directly affected by Local Law 18 as the buildings do not take away from the long-term housing supply, and revenues generated by New York's resort tax on hotel stays are appealing enough to keep the businesses unregulated. Final Rules Governing NYC Short-Term Rental Full Wharton Study “​​The Effect of Home-Sharing on House Prices and Rents”

Shohei Ohtani, a Pitcher and Designated Hitter for the Anaheim Angels, will be out for the rest of the 2023 season. Ohtani sustained an oblique injury on September 4 during batting practice, which has persisted, and an elbow ligament tear on August 23, which ended his utility as pitcher for the 2023 season. Ohtani has already undergone elbow surgery in 2018, but going into the 2023 off-season, he is expected to undergo his second surgery. His agent, Nez Balelo, and Angels Manager, Phil Nevin, are confident that his rehabilitation will be successful and will not impact his 2024 performance significantly. Ohtani will be a free agent after the conclusion of the 2023 MLB season. His market value in free agency has seemingly not diminished despite his persisting medical complications. Rumors point to the Boston Red Sox being the top contenders in acquiring the prospect. Alternatively, the Dodgers and Mets could put in their own extremely high bids. Even though Ohtani is heavily sought after, it may even turn out that he would rather stay with the Angels going forward. Jeff Fletcher has quoted Ohtani on his relationship with the team: “…Obviously I've been with the Angels my whole career. I love the fans. I love the team. No complaints…”

Back in October 2022, the FDA announced that the drug category “Amphetamine Mixed Salts” (the category Adderall falls under) was experiencing a shortage. As a rising rate of prescriptions were being made during the Covid-19 pandemic, the shortage became more demanding. Today the shortage persists - on August 1, 2023, the FDA released a statement urging manufacturers to work together to meet the demand for the drug. The shortage results from manufacturing delays with Teva (the world’s largest generic drug producer and largest producer of Adderall). Teva is cutting back production of generic drugs and focusing resources on developing new treatments that they hope will be profit drivers to get them out of their current financial slump. Teva acquired the company responsible for the opioid crisis (Actavis Generics) in 2016. Because of this acquisition, Teva became the target of state and local government lawsuits - just one settlement with the Texas Attorney General was 4.25 billion. As Teva slowed its production, the company’s CEO Richard Francis was quoted at a news conference on May 18 saying, “I think when we step out of these markets, we’ll be replaced very quickly by the many other manufacturers who are delivering and supplying these products.” Implying a confidence that the shortage of the drug would remedy itself. However, many drug manufacturers operate at peak capacity with dedicated resource allocations to the drugs they produce. To meet surplus demand from Teva backing away, companies will need time and additional resources to satisfy the market. This is made even more complicated by Adderall being a controlled substance and heavily regulated, as manufacturers are only allowed to work with a certain amount of Amphetamine Mixed Salts each year. Public outcry over the Adderall shortage may help facilitate a solution sooner rather than later, but within the drug market, there are 160 drug shortages with significantly less coverage. Joint DEA/FDA Letter to Pharma on Drug Shortage Drug Shortage Statistics Data on the increase in Adderall prescriptions during Covid-19 NCPA Drug Shortage Survey by local pharmacies Texas x Teva Opioid Settlement

Brazilian towns like Atafona have been affected by rising sea levels over the years - resulting in more often annual storm surges, erosion of the coastline, and destruction of property. The effects of rising sea levels along the Brazilian coast have been reported since 1995, with the publication of Muehe & Neves's “The Implications of Sea-Level Rise on the Brazilian Coast: A Preliminary Assessment.” (Link provided below) The paper reflects the general attitudes of the people and researchers from 1995. Highlighting the Brazilian residents' belief that the sea levels would steadily decrease in time. By reading the paper, you can see how tide gauge records indicate coastal erosion beginning as far back as 1960, as well as an interesting section labeled “Human Occupation of the Coastline.” This section goes over how the Brazilian government in 1995 would financially back efforts to minimize the effects of the rising sea level. Ultimately the strategy was to increase taxes on people living in coastal areas and reallocate public funds. Today sea levels continue to rise; this is supported by the WMO (World Meteorological Organization) releasing a statement in 2022 that utilizes the chart provided. (Link to the statement provided below). From 1995 when Muehe & Neves’s paper was published, to 2022, we see a roughly 50 mm increase in sea level. People still living in Brazilian coastal areas plead to government officials to implement strategies proposed by University Researchers to prevent further erosion, yet the only preventative measure utilized by the municipal government has been to place more than a thousand sandbags by especially vulnerable properties annually. (Link to “The Implications of Sea-Level Rise on the Brazilian Coast: A Preliminary Assessment” provided) (Link to WMO 2022 statement provided)

In the hopes of increasing baseball’s viewership, the MLB has implemented rule changes in nuanced elements of the game to improve the pace of play. The newly introduced elements include a pitch timer, defensive shift limits, bigger bases, and a limited number of pick-off attempts. These changes come from the MLB being hit hard between 2019 - 2022, with the World Series viewership on TV being the lowest in recorded history (reference the link below from Baseball Almanac for this data). TV viewership does not capture the full scope of fan presence but is accurately measurable compared to self-reported numbers from streaming services. So far in the 2023 season, the goal has been achieved, with the average game duration being now roughly 30 minutes shorter. Opening day saw a +10% increase in viewership from 2,007,000 to 2,212,000 (as reported by FOX Sports). This is not a drastic shift, but the MLB remains hopeful that this is the beginning of an upward trend. Link to Baseball Almanac World Series Ratings

The Saudi-backed, for-profit LIV Golf is merging with the non-profit PGA. The PGA has been the leader in golf events, holding tournaments in not just North America, but Europe and Asia as well. LIV was created in 2021 to counter traditional golf events, introducing high-energy crowds, loud music, looser dress codes, etc. The merger seeks to create an entirely new entity, which would combine the assets of the two organizations. PGA would still exist as a non-profit and retain control over its tournaments. PGA commercial business and rights (for example, televised tournaments) would be owned jointly under the new entity. The merger attracts the PGA because of LIV’s ability to produce funding and draw in a younger crowd. The PGA policy board has yet to approve the merger. Through 2023, both entities are still separate. The potential of a merger is causing confusion and outrage amongst PGA loyalists, who were behind the PGA’s initial opposition to LIV due to its Saudi roots. The Justice Department is also examining the deal to ensure no anti-trust laws will be broken. The DOJ was already investigating the PGA and other golf bodies for anti-competitive behavior, even before the merger news came out. People behind the merger deal, like Jay Monahan - believe that the merger will benefit the golf industry as a whole, which should make regulators happy.

Conservative candidate Maria Machado has been prohibited from running in the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election. The news comes from Venezuelan Comptroller General’s June 27 statement alleging corruption and prohibiting her from running for office for 15 years. Click here to read the public statement. Previously Machado had been barred from holding public office in 2015 after allegedly being unable to disclose the entirety of her earnings during her time as a congresswoman. An accusation that Machado denies. Current Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has a history of not letting opposing sides run for office. In 2018, his administration was anointed with being responsible for a “presidential crisis,” where the political parties ‘Justice First,’ ‘Popular Will,’ and ‘Democratic Action,’ were prohibited from running. This then led to Maduro retaining his position and prompted many to call his reign an illegitimate presidency. After the Comptroller General’s statement was released on June 27, the EU and the U.S. denounced the action. Releasing their statements against the current administration, threatening stricter sanctions on Venezuela - aiming to constrict their oil industry. To this, Maduro said, “They want to sow the deadly poison of fascism, of hatred, of confrontation among everyone, through social media, paying millions to sow hatred, to try to put their claws on our country and hand it over to the US empire and to the old European racists and colonialists” he stated on his weekly televised show.

Flannery Associates, an unnamed investment group, has purchased 52 thousand acres of Solano County’s 530 thousand acres. Most alarmingly, this group has purchased land around the Travis Air Force Base in California - the land acquired is also a part of what’s known as the “Gateway of the Pacific.” Flannery had disclosed that they intended to buy large amounts of agricultural land to grow new crops and diversify with renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines. This prospect confuses locals, as they have reported that the land purchased is “dry farmland.” Flannery disclosed they were planning to lease a “substantial portion” of the land to olive growers; portions of the land in question for lease run along Travis Air Force base. The question of “who owns the investment group?” is being looked into by the Air Force’s ‘Foreign Investment Risk Review Office’ and local reps in the area have asked the ‘Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.’ (CFIUS - an arm of the Treasury Department) to investigate the matter. With CFIUS’s involvement, the hope is CFIUS could subpoena Flannery to gain more information on the backers. However, this authority has not historically been conducted, which may mean a subpoena from CFIUS will not happen. Flannery Associates says it is a wholly owned subsidiary of Flannery Holdings (an LLC registered in Delaware). LLCs registered in Delaware do not have to disclose the identity of their owners publicly. Flannery has also told the USDA that its holdings do not need to be registered in Solano because no foreign person “holds any significant interest or substantial control.” The attorney for the group has disclosed that 97% of the company has backing from U.S. investors, with 3% coming from other investors that are “British and Irish.”