Morning Wire XX
[0] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor -in -Chief John Bickley.
[1] It's Friday, November 3rd, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
[2] Sam Bankman Freed has been found guilty on all charges and now faces decades in prison.
[3] It took a jury just five hours of deliberation to convict the former FTX founder on seven charges of securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.
[4] Once touted as the king of crypto, Bankman Freed now faces 110 years behind behind bars.
[5] Prosecutors say the now 31 -year -old used FTX and Alameda research as a personal piggy bank.
[6] He was also the second largest donor to Democratic candidates behind George Soros.
[7] Damian Williams, U .S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, gave remarks after the verdict was announced.
[8] He says it's no coincidence that this case moves so quickly.
[9] It's a warning this case to every single fraudster out there who thinks that they're untouchable or that their crimes are too complex for us to catch, or that they're too powerful for us to prosecute, or that they could try to talk their way out of it when they get caught.
[10] Those folks should think again.
[11] Bankman Freed's attorneys say they will appeal the verdict.
[12] A top fundraiser for New York Mayor Eric Adams had her home rated by federal agents on Thursday.
[13] Officials who asked to remain anonymous told the AP that agents searched through the home of Brianna Suggs in Brooklyn.
[14] Officials did not say whether Suggs was being investigated.
[15] Mayor Adams abruptly flew home from Washington, D .C., skipping a planned meeting at the White House, though an Adams campaign attorney says the mayor was not contacted as part of this incident.
[16] According to the United Nations, Iran is carrying out executions at a disturbing rate, killing about 419 people in the first several months of this year.
[17] That's up 30 % from the same period last year.
[18] Some of these people were executed for anti -government protests.
[19] Here's Raha Bahraini, an Iran researcher saying it's a tool the regime uses for intimidation.
[20] It's costly for the Iranian authorities to execute protesters.
[21] But when they execute impoverished people from oppressed minorities or for minor drug -related offenses, they can't generate the climate of intimidation.
[22] The Secretary General said 239 people, more than half of those executed in the same seven -month period were reportedly put to death for drug -related offenses, a 98 % increase from the same period last year.
[23] Uber and Lyft drivers in New York will soon be getting a payout, thanks to a settlement reached Thursday between the ride share companies and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
[24] Uber agreed to pay $290 million to current and former drivers, while Lyft will pay $90 million.
[25] The lawsuit alleged drivers were improperly charged sales taxes and other fees that should have been paid by customers.
[26] The companies have also agreed to provide drivers outside of New York City with paid sick leave and a minimum wage of $26 per hour.
[27] The plans for a new Target store currently under construction in Philadelphia have been abandoned by corporate.
[28] This comes a month after the company announced the closure of nine other stores across the U .S. due to high levels of crime and retail theft.
[29] Target did not provide a specific reason for scrapping the plans in statements in local news outlets.
[30] The retailer still has 10 stores in Philadelphia and around 50 throughout the greater metropolitan area.
[31] Here's Target CEO Brian Cornell talking about what went into the decision to close these stores.
[32] We closed those stores because we deemed it wasn't safe for our teams to continue to operate in those environments.
[33] When we're not seeing the progress, when other stores are closing around us and our teams don't feel safe, we had no choice but to say these are stores we're going to close.
[34] Good news for the money savers out there.
[35] The IRS has confirmed that you will be able to add an additional $500 to your 401k retirement accounts starting in 2024.
[36] That raises the savings limits on 401Ks from $22 ,500 to $2 ,300 per year.
[37] IRA contribution limits will also rise from $6 ,500 to $7 ,000 per year.
[38] Brittany Spears memoir, The Woman in Me, has sold more than 1 million copies in just a week since its release.
[39] The memoir tells the story of Brittany's stratospheric rise to fame and the struggles that ensued, including the fight to end her conservatorship.
[40] The book has received critical acclaim.
[41] Spears independently marketed the book exclusively using her Instagram account.
[42] The Walt Disney Company may soon control streaming platform Hulu in its entirety as it seeks to acquire the remaining 33 % stake from Comcast.
[43] Disney has actually been operating Hulu since 2019 when Comcast gave up its authority, becoming instead a silent partner.
[44] Hulu started up in 2007 and was backed by several big entertainment companies hoping to get their TV shows up on the internet.
[45] Disney came on board in 2009, and a decade later, they gained a majority of control.
[46] You're listening to Now and Then, the last Beatles song ever to be released.
[47] The song was originally drafted by John Lennon in the late 70s.
[48] And just recently, Paul McCartney was able to finish up the song, with a little help from his friends, Ringo Star, and director, Peter Jackson.
[49] The song was officially released today, 26 years after it was supposed to make its debut.
[50] All right, those are your drive -home updates this afternoon.
[51] To learn more about these stories, go to Dailywire .com and for more in -depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to our latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.