Octopus Overlords

The PGA Tour has agreed to merge with Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf in a deal that would see the competitors squash pending litigation and move forward as a larger golf enterprise.

...

LIV Golf is backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, an entity controlled by the Saudi crown prince and has been embroiled in antitrust lawsuits with the PGA Tour in the last year. The deal announced Tuesday would end all pending litigation.

PIF is prepared to invest billions of new capital into the new entity, CNBC'S David Faber reported on Tuesday. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

LIV Golf, which launched in 2022 and has been spending top dollar to lure golfers, has also been the subject of controversy, criticism and political intrigue in the U.S. PIF has reportedly invested $2 billion into LIV already, and had aspirations of creating franchises and teams that could one day be sold.

Critics of LIV have also accused PIF of "sportswashing" by using the league to distract from the kingdom's history of human rights violations.

Family members of those that perished in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have protested the league, including outside of events. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11 were from Saudi Arabia, and Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the attacks, was born in the country. It has been concluded by U.S. officials that Saudi nationals helped fund the terrorist group al-Qaida, although investigations didn't find that the Saudi officials were complicit in the attacks.

Former President Donald Trump has hosted a number of LIV Golf events at his golf courses. He has defended being the host of events, falsely claiming that "nobody's gotten to the bottom of 9/11." Last year, Trump also said on Truth Social that a merger between LIV and The PGA Tour was inevitable.

On Tuesday, Trump weighed in on the merger on his Truth Social platform: "Great news from LIV Golf. A big, beautiful, and glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf. Congrats to all!!!"

Smoove_B wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 11:48 am Does this go here?

The PGA Tour has agreed to merge with Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf in a deal that would see the competitors squash pending litigation and move forward as a larger golf enterprise.

...

LIV Golf is backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, an entity controlled by the Saudi crown prince and has been embroiled in antitrust lawsuits with the PGA Tour in the last year. The deal announced Tuesday would end all pending litigation.

PIF is prepared to invest billions of new capital into the new entity, CNBC'S David Faber reported on Tuesday. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Of note:

LIV Golf, which launched in 2022 and has been spending top dollar to lure golfers, has also been the subject of controversy, criticism and political intrigue in the U.S. PIF has reportedly invested $2 billion into LIV already, and had aspirations of creating franchises and teams that could one day be sold.

Critics of LIV have also accused PIF of "sportswashing" by using the league to distract from the kingdom's history of human rights violations.

Family members of those that perished in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have protested the league, including outside of events. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11 were from Saudi Arabia, and Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the attacks, was born in the country. It has been concluded by U.S. officials that Saudi nationals helped fund the terrorist group al-Qaida, although investigations didn't find that the Saudi officials were complicit in the attacks.

Of course:

Former President Donald Trump has hosted a number of LIV Golf events at his golf courses. He has defended being the host of events, falsely claiming that "nobody's gotten to the bottom of 9/11." Last year, Trump also said on Truth Social that a merger between LIV and The PGA Tour was inevitable.

On Tuesday, Trump weighed in on the merger on his Truth Social platform: "Great news from LIV Golf. A big, beautiful, and glamorous deal for the wonderful world of golf. Congrats to all!!!"

Daehawk wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 8:39 am I wish someone would ask republican voters who vote republican because they dislike or hate on other Americans and their lifestyles or views.......You really vote yes to those who wish to take away other Americans rights? Americans....land of the free? Ya know just because they are taking away rights of your fellow citizens that you dont agree with doesn't mean your ass wont be next or be affected in some way.

pr0ner wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 10:53 am https://twitter.com/DougJBalloon/status ... 4164172801

LIV Golfers On Saudi Course Forced To Putt Around Woman Being Beheaded

GreenGoo wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 1:10 pm

pr0ner wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 10:53 am https://twitter.com/DougJBalloon/status ... 4164172801

I don't get it.

LawBeefaroni wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 12:56 pm

Daehawk wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 8:39 am I wish someone would ask republican voters who vote republican because they dislike or hate on other Americans and their lifestyles or views.......You really vote yes to those who wish to take away other Americans rights? Americans....land of the free? Ya know just because they are taking away rights of your fellow citizens that you dont agree with doesn't mean your ass wont be next or be affected in some way.

The rights they're taking away are bad and the ones they want to keep are good. It's simple. Don't agree? Surely they'll selectively quote the Bible to prove you wrong.

Holman wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 5:25 pm

NYT Pitchbot specializes in bad takes that favor conservatives.

GreenGoo wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 10:02 am

Holman wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 5:25 pm

NYT Pitchbot specializes in bad takes that favor conservatives.

Thanks. I still struggle to follow this one, but that's ok. I understand the background of PGA vs LIV (mostly) so that's not the problem, I don't think.

GreenGoo wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 10:23 am I don't usually struggle with funny pitchbot tweets posted here.

GreenGoo wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 10:23 am Got it. I don't usually struggle with funny pitchbot tweets posted here. To be clear, I'm not saying the bit "hurricanes exist because God is woke, etc" aren't funny because of the woke reference. I just struggled with this particular one.

FBI agents on Thursday arrested a real estate developer at the center of allegations that have led to the impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, according to jail records.

Nate Paul was booked into the Travis County jail in Austin after his arrest, according to the jail's online inmate records, which indicated he was there on undisclosed federal charges.

The FBI declined to comment. The Department of Justice did not immediately reply to a request for comment. It was not immediately known if Paul had legal representation. Calls and an email to Paul's business - World Class Holdings - were not returned.

Isgrimnur wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 12:43 am

Max Peck wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 10:14 am
That really is all you need to know to get that entire class of "because they're too woke" memes. It won't necessarily make any one of them funny, because humour is subjective, but it captures the essence of the point they're always trying to make.

GreenGoo wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 10:45 am

Max Peck wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 10:14 am
That really is all you need to know to get that entire class of "because they're too woke" memes. It won't necessarily make any one of them funny, because humour is subjective, but it captures the essence of the point they're always trying to make.

True, but in this case you'd also have to understand that the PGA/LIV merger is controversial, why it's controversial, and why conservatives (presumably the demographic most likely to use "woke" as a pejorative unironically) care about the controversy.

For myself I understood (I think) everything except why conservatives in particular would have an issue with the merger. If they don't have an issue, or they have the same issue as everyone else (on either side of the aisle) then the joke doesn't work, imo.

Anyway.

Isgrimnur wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 10:56 am It's as much low-hanging fruit for the satirists as it is for their targets.

GreenGoo wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 10:45 am

Max Peck wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 10:14 am
That really is all you need to know to get that entire class of "because they're too woke" memes. It won't necessarily make any one of them funny, because humour is subjective, but it captures the essence of the point they're always trying to make.

True, but in this case you'd also have to understand that the PGA/LIV merger is controversial, why it's controversial, and why conservatives (presumably the demographic most likely to use "woke" as a pejorative unironically) care about the controversy.

For myself I understood (I think) everything except why conservatives in particular would have an issue with the merger. If they don't have an issue, or they have the same issue as everyone else (on either side of the aisle) then the joke doesn't work, imo.

Anyway.

Max Peck wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 11:31 am

GreenGoo wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 10:45 am

Max Peck wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 10:14 am
That really is all you need to know to get that entire class of "because they're too woke" memes. It won't necessarily make any one of them funny, because humour is subjective, but it captures the essence of the point they're always trying to make.

True, but in this case you'd also have to understand that the PGA/LIV merger is controversial, why it's controversial, and why conservatives (presumably the demographic most likely to use "woke" as a pejorative unironically) care about the controversy.

For myself I understood (I think) everything except why conservatives in particular would have an issue with the merger. If they don't have an issue, or they have the same issue as everyone else (on either side of the aisle) then the joke doesn't work, imo.

Anyway.

That's fair. Understanding what they are going for ("Saying that something is woke is just an idiot's way of saying they don't like it.") doesn't in any way mean that they've crafted a good or insightful joke.

Jaymann wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 11:39 am

Max Peck wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 11:31 am

GreenGoo wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 10:45 am

Max Peck wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 10:14 am
That really is all you need to know to get that entire class of "because they're too woke" memes. It won't necessarily make any one of them funny, because humour is subjective, but it captures the essence of the point they're always trying to make.

True, but in this case you'd also have to understand that the PGA/LIV merger is controversial, why it's controversial, and why conservatives (presumably the demographic most likely to use "woke" as a pejorative unironically) care about the controversy.

For myself I understood (I think) everything except why conservatives in particular would have an issue with the merger. If they don't have an issue, or they have the same issue as everyone else (on either side of the aisle) then the joke doesn't work, imo.

Anyway.

That's fair. Understanding what they are going for ("Saying that something is woke is just an idiot's way of saying they don't like it.") doesn't in any way mean that they've crafted a good or insightful joke.

That argument is woke.

ImLawBoy wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 12:09 pm
I think you meant to say, "Why did Max's argument fail? It became too woke."

TheMix wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 12:18 pm This all got way to meta for me...

JP Morgan Chase has announced a tentative settlement in a legal claim brought by a woman who said that the US banking giant profited from sexual abuse that she and others suffered at the hands of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

“We all now understand that Epstein’s behavior was monstrous, and we believe this settlement is in the best interest of all parties, especially the survivors, who suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of this man,” JP Morgan said in a statement. “Any association with him was a mistake and we regret it. We would never have continued to do business with him if we believed he was using our bank in any way to help commit heinous crimes.”

The proposed deal could begin to shut down weeks of embarrassing leaks about the extensive relationship that the bank had with Epstein, where the convicted sex offender was a client from 1998 to 2013 – seven years after he was first accused of soliciting a minor.

The lawsuit claims that officials at the bank ignored warning signs about Epstein’s abuse because he was a wealthy client who could introduce wealthy people to its private banking and investment arms.

JPMorgan did not disclose a financial amount related to Monday’s settlement, though a previous agreement in a similar lawsuit against Deutsche Bank was resolved for a reported $70m. According to reports, the number of Epstein victims attached to the JPMorgan action could rise to more than 100.

Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced former Theranos CEO, has “limited financial means” and should not be forced to pay $250 a month to victims of her crimes after she is released from prison, her lawyers argued in a court filing on Monday.

The move from Holmes’ attorneys comes after federal prosecutors said in a separate filing last week that “clerical errors” had resulted in no payment schedule being set for Holmes’ restitution after she is released from prison. Holmes and former Theranos COO Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani were previously ordered to pay $452 million in restitution to victims of their crimes.

Holmes reported to prison late last month in Texas to serve out her more than 11-year sentence. She was convicted early last year on multiple charges of defrauding investors while running the failed blood-testing startup Theranos.

Federal prosecutors asked that once Holmes is on supervised released, criminal monetary penalties should be paid monthly in the amount of $250, or at least 10% of her wages, whichever is greater.

In the latest filing, Holmes’ attorneys argued “there is no basis in the record for the payment structure in the government’s request,” but did not object to her being asked to start paying $25 per quarter as part of her restitution while she is in prison.

As part of the original restitution order, some $125 million is owed to media mogul Rupert Murdoch, as well as millions in payments to other Theranos investors.