JP Morgan Settles with Jefferson County
JP Morgan is paying more than 700 million dollars to settle charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission it made unlawful payments to friends of Jefferson County commissioners in order to win municipal bond business. Under the settlement announced Wednesday, JP Morgan agreed to forfeit almost 650 million dollars in bond-swap termination fees. The Wall Street bank will also pay a 25 million dollar penalty and 50 million to Jefferson County. The SEC also took action against two former JP Morgan officials involved in the alleged scheme. They did not settle and an SEC spokesman said the government will continue to pursue the case against them. WBHM’s Bradley George spoke with Samford University finance professor Melissa Woodley. She says Jefferson County leaders are probably relieved by the settlement, but it’s far from a panacea for the county’s massive debt.
If Planet Nine is out there, this telescope might actually find it
A powerful new observatory is the best hope yet for finding the elusive Planet 9, a large planet that some scientists say is hidden in our solar system.
Alabama lawmakers pass legislation that could give pregnant women more access to health care
The “presumptive eligibility” legislation states that Medicaid will pay for a pregnant woman’s outpatient medical care for up to 60 days while an application for the government-funded insurance program is being considered.
U.S. says it is now monitoring immigrants’ social media for antisemitism
Effective immediately, the government says it will begin screening immigrant social media for activity that officials think indicates support for antisemitism.
Lori Vallow Daybell starts a new murder trial, acting as her own attorney
Vallow Daybell is charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of her husband, Charles Vallow, in Arizona in 2019.
Most of the families applying for Alabama’s new school vouchers have kids in non-public schools
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s office released application figures Tuesday for the CHOOSE Act, the new program which will help eligible families tap state dollars to help pay for private school or home-schooling costs.
NOAA contracts are being reviewed one by one. It’s throwing the agency into chaos
NOAA relies on hundreds of contracts to keep the agency running. The new commerce secretary is reviewing many of them individually, causing disruptions to many normal operations within the agency.
