Employees Criticize Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin for Being ‘Mostly Male and Overwhelmingly White’

Jeff Bezos

A letter written by current and former employees of Jeff Bezos’ rocket company Blue Origin took aim at the company’s workplace culture.

The letter, posted on website Lioness and written by former Head of Blue Origin Employee Communications Alexandra Abrams along with 20 unnamed current and former employees, criticized the company’s culture and work environment as “stuck in a toxic past.”

“One-hundred percent of the senior technical and program leaders are men,” the employees wrote, bashing the Blue Origin workforce for being “mostly male and overwhelmingly white.”

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Minnesota Taxpayer Dollars Used to Promote Al Franken’s Comedy Tour

Former U.S. Senator Al Franken

A taxpayer-funded theater in Minneapolis is charging nearly $100 for tickets to former Sen. Al Franken’s new comedy tour.

The tour is titled “The Only Former U.S. Senator Currently on Tour,” and is set to visit the Pantages Theatre on Oct. 2. Pantages is owned by the Hennepin Theatre Trust, which is a publicly-funded entity. In addition to hosting the event, the Hennepin Theatre Trust is running ads to promote Franken’s comedy career, according to its Facebook ad library.

This is a screenshot of an ad the Hennepin Theatre Trust is running ahead of Franken’s next show.

The Trust says its “activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant.” State records confirm that Minnesota’s Legacy fund provided $596,295 in 2019, $701,364 in 2020 and $603,934 in 2021. The Legacy fund was established in 2008 and has been used to pour millions of dollars into projects aimed at promoting LGBTQ performances.

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Andrew Cuomo to Face No Criminal Charges from State Attorney General Despite Findings of Unlawful Sexual Harassment and Retaliation

Andrew Cuomo

New York Attorney General Letitia James said there will be no criminal consequences for Gov. Andrew Cuomo despite her findings that he engaged in “unlawful” sexual harassment and retaliation against multiple women.

“Our work is concluded and the document is now public,” James said during a press conference Tuesday. “And the matter is civil in nature and does not have any criminal consequences.”

“We were tasked with the responsibility of engaging in an investigation. And we have concluded our investigation. And our work is done,” she added. “And so as it relates to next steps, that’s entirely up to the governor and or the assembly and the general public. But the work of the office of the Attorney General and these special deputies has concluded.”

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New York Republicans Seek to Impeach Cuomo as AG’s Office Ramps up Investigation

As New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday announced the attorneys who will conduct the independent review on the sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Republicans in the state Legislature said they intend to seek the embattled leader’s impeachment.

James appointed Joon H. Kim and Anne L. Clark to look into the sexual harassment allegations. Kim is a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Clark focuses on employment law.

James said the state is committed to a thorough review and heralded Kim and Clark as experts. Kim and Clark will be able to issue subpoenas, depose people and review records. They will give James’ office a weekly update throughout the investigatio

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Wall Street Bankers Following Pence’s Lead in #MeToo Era

by John Elliott   If a young, female executive wants to find an experienced male colleague on Wall Street to mentor her, she can stop looking now. In the wake of #Metoo and the Brett Kavanaugh affair, male bankers and lawyers are quite literally fleeing to their man caves. Bloomberg reporters Gillian Tan and Katia Porzecanski have discovered that the ripple effects of the #Metoo campaign have hit Wall Street like a tsunami: For obvious reasons, few will talk openly about the issue. Privately, though, many of the men interviewed acknowledged they’re channeling Pence, saying how uneasy they are about being alone with female colleagues, particularly youthful or attractive ones, fearful of the rumor mill or of, as one put it, the potential liability. A manager in infrastructure investing said he won’t meet with female employees in rooms without windows anymore; he also keeps his distance in elevators. A late-40-something in private equity said he has a new rule, established on the advice of his wife, an attorney: no business dinner with a woman 35 or younger. The changes can be subtle but insidious, with a woman, say, excluded from casual after-work drinks, leaving male colleagues to bond, or having what should be a private meeting with a boss…

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Ron DeSantis Drafting Legislation to Stop Taxpayer-Funded Settlement Payments

Rep. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that he’s working on legislation to prevent tax dollars from paying for settlements of congressional members. “I’m working on legislation to unseal settlement records, bar use of tax dollars to pay claims against members & staff, prohibit members from using office budgets to camouflage payments (a Conyers rule) & require reimbursement…

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