SEC Media Days are finally upon us. We are super excited to be in Atlanta. And we thought, what better way to debut day one of the 2025 edition of SEC Media Days from &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ccs-ep-808-member-exclusive?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+Show+Episodes+Carousel">Crain &amp; Company</a>&#8221; than by drafting the top 25 players in the SEC? 
The hosts of “Crain &amp; Co.” — Jake Crain, Blaine Crain, and David Cone — selected SEC players in a draft order, not as if we were an NFL team, but as if we were building a college football team to play this year. 
Here’s the list we came up with, ranking the top 25 SEC football players for the upcoming season: 
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<h3>25. Tyreak Sapp (DE &#8211; Florida) — Jake’s pick</h3>
He’s such a good player. An older guy, too. This Florida front seven is scary good. 
<h3>24. Arch Manning (QB &#8211; Texas) — Blain&#8217;s pick</h3>
I’d be remiss if I didn’t take Arch Manning. From a potential standpoint, he’ll be on an offense with coach Steve Sarkisian, receiver Ryan Wingo, running back Quintrevion Wisner, and a solid offensive line. 
<h3>23. Diego Pavia (QB &#8211; Vanderbilt) — David’s pick</h3>
Diego is a hard-working player. Three thousand total yards at Vanderbilt and 28 TDs. Yeah, write a book about it.
<div id="attachment_946739" style="width: 790px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-946739" class="wp-image-946739 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191667051-780x576.jpg" alt="" width="780" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191667051-780x576.jpg 780w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191667051-300x222.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191667051-768x567.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191667051-1536x1135.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191667051-2048x1513.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" />Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images</div>
<h3>22. Eric Singleton Jr. (WR &#8211; Auburn) — Jake’s pick</h3>
I don&#8217;t think you have to be an Auburn fan to look at Eric Singleton Jr and realize that this guy may be one of the fastest, if not the fastest, at the NFL draft combine. He’s a true receiver. He’s not a track guy. I think he can take the underneath ball or hit a home run. He can run right by you. 
<h3>21. Jermod McCoy (CB &#8211; Tennessee) — Blain&#8217;s pick</h3>
Before he was injured last year, McCoy had four interceptions and nine pass breakups in 12 games. If he’s healthy this year, you can go ahead and lock that half of the field down. 
<h3>20. R Mason Thomas (DE &#8211; Oklahoma) — David’s pick</h3>
Thomas recorded nine sacks last year. He’s a football player, man. Oklahoma’s got a great one. 
<h3>19. Christian Miller (DL &#8211; Georgia) — Jake’s pick</h3>
Miller is the only returning starter on Georgia’s defensive line. I just think when you look at Christian Miller, guys that are that size, that have that flexibility are more rare than having a middle linebacker that can really play.
<h3>18. Zachariah Branch (WR &#8211; Georgia) — Blain&#8217;s pick</h3>
The kid is an absolute spark plug. You can’t touch him in a phone booth. Soft hands, great route runner. And I think you&#8217;re going to Georgia, where you&#8217;re going to be the main focus for quarterback Gunner Stockton and what they can do over there to get him open.
<div id="attachment_946743" style="width: 730px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-946743" class="wp-image-946743 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2210110484-720x576.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2210110484-720x576.jpg 720w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2210110484-300x240.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2210110484-768x614.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2210110484-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2210110484-2048x1638.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images</div>
<h3>17. Jalon Kilgore (CB &#8211; South Carolina) — David’s pick</h3>
He led the SEC in picks a year ago with five and added five pass breakups. He&#8217;s a good open-field tackler. You can move him anywhere.
<h3>16. Eli Stowers (TE &#8211; Vanderbilt) — Jake’s pick</h3>
I think this guy is going to shoot up draft boards. He was a quarterback who was moved to tight end, and I was so impressed with not only his ability to catch the ball away from his body as a bigger guy, which is tough, but his run after the catch. 
<h3>15. Cam Coleman (WR &#8211; Auburn) — Blain&#8217;s pick</h3>
Cam is one of the best receivers in the SEC already. You want to talk about size? He reminds me a lot of AJ Green. In his last three games, he had over 100 yards receiving to finish out the year and a couple of touchdowns in almost every one of those games.
<h3>14. Suntarine Perkins (LB &#8211; Ole Miss) — David’s pick</h3>
Ten and a half sacks at 6’1, 210 pounds. You&#8217;ve got to be a football player to pull that off. I like this kid out of Ole Miss.
<div id="attachment_946745" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-946745" class="wp-image-946745 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2184332529-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2184332529-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2184332529-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2184332529-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2184332529-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2184332529-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2184332529-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2184332529-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Wesley Hitt/Getty Images</div>
<h3>13. Austin Barber (OL &#8211; Florida) — Jake’s pick</h3>
When you look at tackles around the league, there&#8217;s obviously a lot of talent that&#8217;s returning, and Austin Barber is a very consistent tackle. I’m excited to see where he ends up going in the first round of the NFL draft, probably next year.
<h3>12. DJ Lagway (QB &#8211; Florida) — Blain&#8217;s pick</h3>
I&#8217;ve heard only things when it comes to his shoulder after his surgery. One thing he can improve on, obviously, is his completion percentage, but from talent explosiveness, the dude&#8217;s an absolutely huge dual threat. If DJ lag can be healthy, I think you can put him right up there with the LaNorris Sellers from just an accuracy and going through progressions standpoint. 
<h3>11. Garrett Nussmeier (QB &#8211; LSU) — David’s pick</h3>
He’s the only returning 4,000-yard passer that&#8217;s coming back this season. And look, he can make all the throws. He can make the NFL throws. He’s got to limit some of the mistakes, especially in big moments, but I think that he is a gamer. I think he&#8217;s going to do great things in 2025 for LSU.
<div id="attachment_946747" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-946747" class="wp-image-946747 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191969148-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191969148-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191969148-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191969148-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191969148-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191969148-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191969148-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191969148-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Alex Slitz/Getty Images</div>
<h3>10. LT Overton (DL &#8211; Alabama) — Jake’s pick</h3>
When you look at the size, when you look at the explosiveness, when you look at the versatility, I just love the way the guy plays with his hands. And I think the sky&#8217;s the limit for him.
<h3>9. LaNorris Sellers (QB &#8211; S. Carolina) — Blain&#8217;s pick</h3>
He can get a little more consistency in the short to medium game. I think that comes with experience, but I don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s a ceiling for this guy, I really don&#8217;t. I think he&#8217;s the best running quarterback in the SEC, and has one of the best deep balls in the SEC.
<div id="attachment_946749" style="width: 876px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-946749" class="wp-image-946749 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191509685-866x576.jpg" alt="" width="866" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191509685-866x576.jpg 866w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191509685-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191509685-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191509685-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191509685-2048x1363.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191509685-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2191509685-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" />David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</div>
<h3>8. Jake Slaughter (OL &#8211; Florida) — David’s pick</h3>
He was only penalized twice a season ago and didn&#8217;t allow a single sack. If you&#8217;re a young quarterback like DJ Lagway, you like to have a guy like Jake Slaughter playing center for you.
<h3>7. John Mateer (QB &#8211; Oklahoma) — Jake’s pick</h3>
Some people will think I&#8217;m crazy, but I think this guy is that talented. I get that physically, LaNorris Sellers is more dominant than Mateer is, but I think Mateer is more on time right now because of experience. I can&#8217;t wait to see him and mix with running back Jaydn Ott. And the offensive line, I think, will be better at Oklahoma.
<h3>6. Colin Simmons (LB &#8211; Texas) — Blain&#8217;s pick</h3>
He can do everything you want him to do. Could probably be the signal caller on the defensive. He can put his hand down, can get into coverage, and can tackle in space. 
<h3>5. Ryan Williams (WR &#8211; Alabama) — David’s pick</h3>
Eight hundred sixty-five yards a season ago. That was on 48 catches for an average of 18 yards per reception. Eight touchdowns. To go with those numbers, we saw what he was able to do at the end of the Georgia game last year.
<div id="attachment_946759" style="width: 756px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-946759" class="wp-image-946759 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2187285602-746x576.jpg" alt="" width="746" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2187285602-746x576.jpg 746w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2187285602-300x232.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2187285602-768x593.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2187285602-1536x1186.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2187285602-2048x1581.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 746px) 100vw, 746px" />Jason Clark/Getty Images</div>
<h3>4. Keldric Faulk (DE &#8211; Auburn) — Jake’s pick</h3>
Look, Auburn doesn&#8217;t have the best roster in the league obviously. But I think Keldric Faulk could end up being the number one defensive lineman in the Southeastern Conference. You look at what he can do on the edge. You can move him inside. He&#8217;s incredibly versatile.
<div id="attachment_946751" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-946751" class="wp-image-946751 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2171054709-865x576.jpg" alt="" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2171054709-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2171054709-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2171054709-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2171054709-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2171054709-2048x1363.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2171054709-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2171054709-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Michael Chang/Getty Images</div>
<h3>3. Kadyn Proctor (OL &#8211; Alabama) — Blain’s pick</h3>
Tackle out of Bama, 6’8, 340 pounds. I mean, that dude&#8217;s basically the mountain from Game of Thrones. A little bit of inconsistency last year, but I think you&#8217;re going to see that fixed this year, especially with the offensive line they&#8217;re going to have. I think Kadyn Proctor will probably be the number one tackle taken in the SEC in the NFL draft. 
<h3>2. Dylan Stewart (DE &#8211; South Carolina) — David’s pick</h3>
At 6’5, 245 pounds, he&#8217;s going to put on even more weight than he did a season ago, entering his sophomore year. I just think that he&#8217;s going to be one of the best football players in the conference, and his game is going to transition to the NFL.
<h3>1. Anthony Hill Jr. (LB &#8211; Texas) — Jake’s pick</h3>
He&#8217;s a home wrecker. He&#8217;ll wreck a whole game. I think he could be the first guy taken in the NFL draft from the SEC. I love his versatility. I love his experience, but I love his size. He is basically Fred Warner running around. I would love to build a team and a defense around this guy.
<div id="attachment_946753" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-946753" class="wp-image-946753 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193342531-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193342531-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193342531-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193342531-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193342531-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193342531-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193342531-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2193342531-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Sam Hodde/Getty Images</div>

Arch Manning/Cam Coleman/Dylan Steward

College Football Preview: Ranking The Top 25 Players In The SEC

College Football

Crain and Company

Lawyers for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hunter-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hunter Biden</a> appeared to use his relationship with then-Vice President Joe Biden to help him evade fraud charges as the Securities and Exchange Commission investigated a business linked to the first son, according to House Republicans. 
Lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee and House Judiciary Committee sent <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/6.18.2024-Letter-to-the-SEC-re-Hunter-Biden.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a letter</a> to the SEC on Tuesday requesting documents related to its 2016 investigation into several of Hunter’s business associates over fraud associated with business entity Rosemont Seneca Bohai. In his response to the SEC for documents needed for the investigation, Hunter asked for confidentiality because of his father’s position, House Republicans said Tuesday. 
“As a threshold matter, we request that you treat this matter with the highest degree of confidentiality, consistent with Commission policy and applicable law,” Hunter’s legal team wrote on April 20, 2016, according to House Republicans. “The confidential nature of this investigation is very important to our client and it would be unfair, not just to our client, but also to his father, the Vice President of the United States, if his involvement in an SEC investigation and parallel criminal probe were to become the subject of any media attention.”
Just weeks later, the SEC charged multiple individuals associated with Rosemont Seneca, but not Hunter Biden, with fraud charges. 
According to the lawmakers, Rosemont Seneca had a bank account used “to funnel other foreign payments and benefits to Hunter Biden, including money from Ukraine and a new sports car from an oligarch in Kazakhstan.”
 Devon Archer, a former partner of Hunter who was convicted over the scheme, previously testified that Hunter was the corporate secretary for Rosemont Seneca. Hunter has told the lawmakers that he did not have a position at the entity.
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Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and James Comer (R-KY) wrote that Hunter appeared to use his father’s position to escape prosecution over the fraud scheme. 
Their Tuesday letter asks SEC Chair Gary Gensler to provide documents about the agency&#8217;s investigation into the fraud, specifically in relation to Hunter Biden’s involvement with Rosemont Seneca.  They also asked for a transcribed interview with Tejal D. Shah, the attorney who led the investigation into the Rosemont Seneca fraud case.
“Mr. Biden’s response gratuitously invoked his father’s position as the Vice President in what could be interpreted as an effort to discourage further SEC scrutiny,” House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY) and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) wrote. “And on May 11, 2016, the SEC published a press release — announcing the charging of seven individuals—with no mention or charging of Hunter Biden.”

Hunter Biden Gun Trial Continues In Delaware

Hunter Biden Used Father’s Position To Evade 2016 Fraud Charges, House Republicans Suggest

Congress

Corruption

Hunter Biden

James Comer

Jim Jordan

Joe Biden

Politics

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/securities-and-exchange-commission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Securities and Exchange Commission</a> paused implementation of a climate rule requiring certain companies to disclose greenhouse gas emissions after a coalition of Republican-led states challenged the rule. 
On Thursday, the SEC <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/IACIO/2024/04/04/file_attachments/2837713/SEC%20letter%20staying%20climate%20rule.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alerted</a> the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals that it would hold off finalizing the climate rule while it faced a lawsuit from 25 states led by Iowa. The states argue that the SEC has overstepped its authority by attempting to put in place the climate rule without congressional approval. 
“Today’s victory shuts down the most outrageous climate mandate for businesses since Biden took office,” <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/IACIO/bulletins/3947929" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. “The SEC’s job is to protect people from fraud. It has no business slapping companies with extremist climate mandates. We are making it clear that Biden has to follow the law like everyone else.”
“By halting this mandate, we are protecting business from costly red tape, securing our supply chain, and defending family farms,” she added. “Next, we are going to make this win permanent!”
In a Thursday filing, the SEC <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/IACIO/2024/04/04/file_attachments/2837713/SEC%20letter%20staying%20climate%20rule.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Eight Circuit, which is reviewing challenges to the rule, that “that the Final Rules are stayed pending completion of judicial review of the consolidated Eighth Circuit petitions.” 
“In issuing a stay, the Commission is not departing from its view that the Final Rules are consistent with applicable law and within the Commission’s long-standing authority to require the disclosure of information important to investors in making investment and voting decision,” the SEC said in a court filing. “Thus, the Commission will continue vigorously defending the Final Rules’ validity in court and looks forward to expeditious resolution of the litigation.”
In addition to forcing companies to report greenhouse gas emissions, the <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/03/28/2024-05137/the-enhancement-and-standardization-of-climate-related-disclosures-for-investors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rule</a> would also ask businesses to report on so-called “climate risks.” 
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This decision follows a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-appeals-court-temporarily-halts-sec-climate-disclosure-rules-456f2f4c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">move</a> last month by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to temporarily block the rule. 
While a host of states filed challenges to the rule, which was proposed in, Iowa was chosen to be the lead challenger. Other states included in the challenge were Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
“Biden’s radical climate mandate is the most outrageous act of overreach we’ve seen from the Securities and Exchange Commission since Biden took office,” Bird <a href="https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/newsroom/attorney-general-bird-to-lead-nationwide-lawsuit-against-biden-greenhouse-gas-disclosure-mandate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> after Iowa was named the lead for the case. “His climate mandate will only saddle businesses with costly red tape, threaten our supply chain, and devastate Iowa family farms. Biden also illegally worked around Congress to force his climate mandate through, knowing that it lacked support from lawmakers.”

The SEC Votes On Corporate Climate Disclosure Rules

SEC Pauses ‘Extremist Climate Mandate’ After Challenge From Republican Attorneys General

Biden Administration

Climate Change

Securities and Exchange Commission

Financial asset manager <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/blackrock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BlackRock</a> said in its annual report that environmental, social, and governance policies could hurt its bottom line after Republican state officials cut ties with the company over its ties to China and climate activism. 
In its annual Form 10-K <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1364742/000095017024019271/blk-20231231.htm#item_1a_risk_factors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEC filing</a> put out last week, BlackRock said that it was facing ESG-related risk factors that might cause it to lose revenue and damage its earnings. The financial giant, which has over $10 trillion in assets, has faced scrutiny from Republican officials who say the company misleads its customers about leftist policies. 
“If BlackRock is not able to successfully manage ESG-related expectations across varied stakeholder interests, it may adversely affect BlackRock’s reputation, ability to attract and retain clients, employees, shareholders and business partners or result in litigation, legal or governmental action, which may cause its AUM, revenue and earnings to decline,” the company wrote in its filing. 
The company said that this was due to having “clients who have a variety of goals and preferences, including those who want to increase their exposure to the low-carbon transition and those who choose not to invest in products or strategies with sustainable investment objectives.”
BlackRock said that there was risk because some of its clients wanted it to become more involved in promoting ESG investing, while others have cut off business because of its policies toward coal and natural gas. 
“Some US states and state officials have adopted or proposed legislation or otherwise have taken official positions restricting or prohibiting state government entities from doing certain business with entities identified by the state as ‘boycotting’ or ‘discriminating’ against particular industries or considering ESG factors in their investment processes and proxy voting,” the filing said. “Other states and localities may adopt similar legislation or other ESG-related laws and positions that adversely impact BlackRock’s business.”
The filing was cheered on by conservatives who said that it was only the beginning of pushback on ESG initiatives.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is enormous. The blowback to the ESG tyranny is only beginning. <a href="https://t.co/ZjSiSwrr43">https://t.co/ZjSiSwrr43</a>
&mdash; Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1763602148514799698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;The hustlers &amp; radicals pushing ESG on American investors &amp; retirees are finally being exposed. But the battle is far from over because they are going to change tactics &amp; try to fly under the radar. Our policy responses will need to evolve,&#8221; Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenMarcoRubio/status/1763633618390294896" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
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In recent years, a number of states, including Louisiana and West Virginia, have divested from BlackRock. As opposition grew, the company has backtracked on some of its policies, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/financial-giants-pull-14-trillion-from-climate-group-that-pressures-companies-to-take-action-on-climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most recently</a> pulling out of Climate Action 100+, a group that pressures companies to “take action on climate change.” BlackRock International, a subsidiary, remained in the group.
Republican officials have also maintained pressure on the company, and 15 Republican attorneys general, led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Follow_up_letter_to_BlackRock_Directors_FINAL.pdf">demanded</a> more answers from BlackRock about its participation in climate organizations and what kind of environmental, social, and governance policies it has implemented.

BlackRock offices in New York City. Founded in 1988,

BlackRock Admits Its Bottom Line Could Be Hurt By ESG Investing

BlackRock

China

Environmentalism

Marco Rubio

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Stock Exchange</a> has withdrawn a rule that Republicans said would have illegally implemented a radical environmentalist agenda and harmed national security.
On Wednesday, the NYSE <a href="https://www.sec.gov/files/rules/sro/nyse/2024/34-99355.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that it would be withdrawing a proposed rule to the Securities and Exchange Commission that would have created a listing <a href="https://www.nyse.com/introducing-natural-asset-companies">entity</a> called a Natural Asset Company (NAC). A NAC would be empowered to control private and public lands by capturing “the intrinsic and productive value of nature” and block things like logging, herding, and drilling from happening on the land.
The proposed rule was opposed by a coalition of over two dozen Republican attorneys general and state financial officers who warned that the rule would be used to push a liberal political agenda. Republicans also said that foreign entities would be able to purchase and control what happens on public lands by designating it a NAC.
Utah Republican Treasurer Marlo Oaks said that he was pleased with the NYSE decision to withdraw the rule.
“The proposed creation of Natural Asset Companies is one of the greatest threats to rural communities in the history of our nation. Under the proposal, private interests, including foreign-controlled sovereign wealth funds, could use their capital to purchase or manage farmland, national and state parks, and other mineral-rich areas and stop essential economic activities like farming, grazing, and energy extraction,” he said in a statement obtained by The Daily Wire. “It is my hope this news signals an end to this horrible idea and that it does not resurface in other venues.”
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The SEC was considering the proposal to approve NACs and was scheduled to take public comment until January 18.
Derek Kreifels, the CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation, said the consequences for America could have been “dire” if the rule had been accepted.
“I’m grateful for all who helped raise the alarm on this attempted land grab by climate alarmists, and thankful for today’s corrective from the NYSE, but we must continue to be vigilant in defending our communities and states from future efforts that would seek to upend what has made this country great in pursuit of radical political agendas,” he said. 
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-ags-issue-warning-over-proposed-environmental-rule-they-say-would-compromise-national-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republican AGs Issue Warning Over Proposed Environmental Rule They Say Would Compromise National Security</a>

Stock Exchange Sign

New York Stock Exchange Withdraws Rule Republicans Warned Would Compromise National Security

Economy

New York City

U.S.

Utah

The following is an excerpt from the new book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/American-Playbook-Winning-Country-Democrats/dp/1668022346/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2EIWGD6O73X26&amp;keywords=clay+travis&amp;qid=1691529618&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=clay+travis%2Cstripbooks%2C105&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Playbook: A Guide to Winning Back the Country from the Democrats</a> by Clay Travis (Threshold Books/Simon &amp; Schuster).
In the summer of 2020, I had to fight one of the biggest battles of my career.
The Big Ten and Pac 12 were close to deciding it was too dangerous to play college football, and if they canceled their seasons it was believed the SEC, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and Big 12 would soon follow suit. And if college football wasn’t played, no other college sport would be played, either.
I decided right then and there I would fight harder for the playing of college football than I’d ever fought for anything in sports. Over the next several months, Outkick, both my radio show and the website, became the most aggressive media outlet in the country to support playing college football. Why was playing college football so important in my opinion?
First, the data was overwhelming that there was no substantial risk to young, healthy players. That was despite the fact that news outlets like CBSSports.com were running hyperventilating pieces claiming that if college football was played at least eight players would die because of Covid. (The actual number of athletes who died from contracting Covid because of sports? Zero.) But the most important data here was that if college football was shut down, many high schools wouldn’t play fall sports and many wouldn’t open at all.
I had regular conversations with Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey during this time. He told me that one of the biggest challenges he faced was how many southern high schools would shut down their seasons if college football wasn’t played. As a public school kid who knew the importance of high school sports to so many in the country, especially to many kids who would otherwise just vanish when it came to schooling, I couldn’t let that happen.
I made the calculated decision to go all in fighting for college football to be played. I was a maniac about it, pulling every political lever I could to influence governors on the issue, and I aggressively used my two biggest platforms, Outkick and my national sports radio morning show, to that end. I got every governor with an SEC, ACC, or Big 12 school in his state I could on the air. We’d never had governors on the radio show before, but I had our staff reach out to all of them in an effort to get them on to publicly support the return of sports.
We had Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on several times. DeSantis was important because he said that not only did the SEC and ACC schools in his state need to play football, but so did every high school. We also hosted Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt. We put together an entire coalition of red state governors who would all come out in favor of college football being played in their states.
Each of these governors — all with ACC, SEC, and Big 12 schools in their states — came on and endorsed the idea of playing college football in the fall. Each time I would get a governor to publicly endorse playing, I would text Greg Sankey, the SEC’s commissioner, and let him know we had another political supporter keeping the dream of playing the season alive.
I can’t impress upon you enough, by the way, how much I came to respect Sankey. Under immense pressure from the sports media — almost all of whom were convinced the season had to be canceled because it wasn’t safe to play — he stayed calm and reasonable.
Early on in the Covid era, I even called Sankey and told him that he was used to sports media being in favor of sports, but that wasn’t going to be the case now. “You need to tell every president and school athletic director what’s coming. They’re going to get ripped to the high heavens for even considering playing. Get them ready.”
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I wasn’t just lobbying to get governors on to endorse playing college football. I also worked as hard as I could to get the biggest asset of all, President Donald Trump, on my radio show to call for sports to be played, too. Years ago, when Trump was elected, I told my wife that one day we’d get him on my sports radio show. I even predicted it on the air. Everyone laughed. 
It didn’t seem crazy at all to me, though. After all, Trump was a monster sports fan and we agreed on many overlapping issues of sports and politics, particularly as they pertained to getting sports back under way, which was an important signpost of a return to normalcy in the country.
Then, one day, it happened. After months of lobbying, the time was right for Trump to come on the show and endorse the importance of playing college football.
The night before the interview, when I told my kids the president was coming on the radio show, my middle son said, “That’s awesome. He knows Vince McMahon!” (My boys are big WWE fans.)
I couldn’t sleep the night before the interview. For regular listeners of my sports talk radio show, they all know our phones never worked. I mean, just complete and total tech failure all the time. My biggest fear was that we’d get Trump on the air and then we’d accidentally drop him. Or he wouldn’t be able to hear us. In radio, the tease is what you say as you go to break to try to encourage people to keep listening. That morning my radio tease was “Up next, the president of the United States.”
That’s probably the best radio tease imaginable. 
Trump came on the show and said he 100% supported college football being played. But that barely moved the needle. Later that very same day, the Pac 12 officially announced they were canceling their fall season. Shortly thereafter the Big Ten did the same. My stomach sank. After months of fighting, it appeared we were close to losing the battle for college football.
Late in that summer of 2020, after the Big Ten and the Pac 12 had canceled their seasons, SEC commissioner Sankey called me. “I think I’m going to have to cancel the season,” he said. “The only reason I haven’t done it yet is because I just can’t figure out how to do it.”
I encouraged him to hang out for as long as he could and keep up the fight. We just needed, I thought, to get the players to report to campus. Once they got to campus and started practice, and in the South in particular, where college football is religion, it would be nearly impossible to stop the games.
On Outkick and on the radio show we redoubled our efforts. I worked like a maniac, enlisting support wherever I could, fighting harder for college football to be played than I’d ever fought for anything in my professional career. Slowly, we gained allies. The parents of Big Ten football players, it turned out, were furious they weren’t being allowed to play and filed lawsuits challenging the Big Ten’s arbitrary decision to cancel the season.
For most of my career, I’d been an SEC guy, but suddenly I was the most popular media figure in the Big Ten, one of the only media members with a large audience who was willing to fight for football. Our crew was small, but committed. As the football season inched closer, I began to work with the Trump White House, Tim Pataki in particular, to reverse the decision to end the Big Ten football season. We gained momentum, with Trump even getting on the phone with Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren to try to get that conference to reverse its decision.
Heck, I was even involved in strategy sessions with the White House to figure out how to save college football. 
But we still needed more allies. 
That’s when the players themselves, who had mostly been quiet, suddenly spoke out on social media. Clemson’s star quarterback, Trevor Lawrence; Ohio State’s star quarterback, Justin Fields; and many more players started a let-us-play hashtag on Twitter that went viral.
For months I’d been hearing from players, coaches, and administrators behind the scenes about how badly they all wanted to play, but they’d been afraid of being ripped to shreds by the sports media, who overwhelmingly had opposed a return to play for all sports and spread rampant fear-porn about the deaths that would ensue if sports returned.
Indeed, Mike Gundy, the Oklahoma State football coach, had faced significant censure in May 2020 when he’d suggested his players should return to campus and resume regular workouts. He’d been so vociferously attacked for sharing this opinion that many coaches stayed quiet, afraid of being swarmed by a mob on social media.
Finally, Outkick had public allies.
Slowly, thanks to steadfast leadership from SEC Commissioner Sankey and the players speaking out so loudly, the SEC, the Big 12, and the ACC began to hold the wall. We just needed to reach kickoff and have the games start. Because once the games started I was confident the parents of players in the Big Ten and the Pac 12 would force those conferences back to the football fields, too.
During this time, despite being the most likable and humble person in sports media, I made a lot of enemies in the sports media industry. People who had previously been my friends ripped me in public on social media, and in their articles they wrote about the impossibility of playing football during Covid. Negative articles about me and Outkick piled up. I’ve never been more attacked in my entire career.
But as I said when I started the book, my idol as a kid was Davy Crockett — be sure you’re right and go ahead. 
I knew I was right. 
And if I’m confident that I’m right, nothing is going to stop me.
I worked hard, harder than I’d ever worked before. I drove the people around me, those working at Outkick, very hard, too, the radio show, everyone. I wasn’t always the nicest version of myself. Sometimes I lost my temper with our workers and lashed out when I thought we weren’t making smart decisions or things weren’t being implemented rapidly enough. I was impatient. There was so much to make happen and it felt like everyone was against us and we didn’t have enough time to do everything we needed to do to make the season happen.
In the late summer of 2020, every day felt like a whirlwind. I barely slept. I was on my phone constantly, running Outkick and all my shows and fighting to save the college football season with every ounce of energy I had.
The players reported to fall camp in the SEC, the Big 12, and the ACC. Kickoff inched closer and closer. In private conversations, Sankey held out hope with me that if smaller college games could kick off and then the NFL kicked off, momentum would carry through and everyone would play.
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On August 30, 2020, the first college football game of 2020 kicked off. It was Austin Peay at Central Arkansas. 
I watched every minute of the game, luxuriating in the return of football to television.
A month later, on September 26, the SEC kicked off a full slate of conference games. It was nearly a month later than normal, but finally, at long last, the season was under way. The ACC and the Big 12 also kicked off their games.
On opening day, I poured myself a tall glass of whiskey. I’m not ashamed to admit that when kickoff happened in the SEC, I cried. “We did it,” I told my wife. “We really did it.” 
Not only did the SEC, the ACC, and the Big 12 play nearly complete seasons, but the Pac 12 and the Big Ten, under immense pressure from their own players, parents, and fan bases as the other conferences were playing, came rushing back to the field, too, even though their teams were only able to play shortened seasons.
And not only was college football played, but not one player or coach suffered serious Covid illness or death as a result. In fact, it didn’t happen anywhere in college athletics. As I’d been arguing all along, football itself was far more dangerous to players than Covid.
Just about every high school in the entire South played football as well. We’ll never know how many kids stayed in school because of those games, but I’m convinced we used sports to help ensure that millions of kids had as close to a normal 2020 school year as possible.
College football being played in 2020 remains my proudest moment in professional life. If Outkick and our radio show hadn’t existed, I’m not sure it would have happened. When there were almost no voices in the entire country advocating for college football, we helped give the necessary space to commissioners, school presidents, athletic directors, coaches, and players to make the season happen.
There are many people all over the country who deserve credit for college sports being played in the fall of 2020, but I’m confident no one in sports media did more than Outkick.
So, again, I will always be immensely proud of what we accomplished.
* * *
Clay Travis is the cohost of <a href="https://www.clayandbuck.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show</a>. He is the founder and president of OutKick, and is also a podcast host, TV anchor, columnist, editor, and the author of &#8220;Republicans Buy Sneakers Too,&#8221; &#8220;On Rocky Top,&#8221; and &#8220;Dixieland Delight.&#8221; Follow him on Twitter @ClayTravis.
This excerpt is taken from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/American-Playbook-Winning-Country-Democrats/dp/1668022346/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2EIWGD6O73X26&amp;keywords=clay+travis&amp;qid=1691529618&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=clay+travis%2Cstripbooks%2C105&amp;sr=1-1">American Playbook: A Guide to Winning Back the Country from the Democrats</a> by Travis Clay. Copyright 2023 by Clay Travis. Reprinted by permission of Threshold Books, An Imprint of Simon &amp; Schuster, Inc. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Kentucky v Tennessee

How Fighting For College Football Became The Biggest Battle Of My Career

Books

Clay Travis

NCAA

Readers Pass

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officials on Thursday slapped a $4 million fine against JPMorgan Chase after the multinational financial service allegedly deleted approximately 47 million communications amid a dozen civil securities-related investigations.
The commission alleged that JPMorgan Securities deleted millions of emails and instant messages in 2019 that were dated between January to April of 2018. According to the <a href="https://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2023/34-97787.pdf?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery">settlement order</a>, the messages were deleted from about 8,700 mailboxes belonging to as many as 7,500 employees who had regular contact with Chase customers.
Many of the deleted emails included business records sought in at least a dozen regulatory investigations that the largest U.S. bank was required to retain for three years under the commission&#8217;s rules.
&#8220;Because the deleted records are unrecoverable, it is unknown – and unknowable – how the lost records may have affected the regulatory investigations,&#8221; the commission said in the order. &#8220;Indeed, a member of JPMorgan&#8217;s compliance department acknowledged in an internal email after the deletion event was discovered that lost documents could relate to potential future investigations, legal matters and regulatory inquiries.&#8221;
Officials also ordered JPMorgan to &#8220;cease and desist from committing any future violations.&#8221;
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The order stated JPMorgan initiated a project in 2016 &#8220;to delete from its system older communications and documents no longer required to be retained,&#8221; which included aged emails, instant messages, and communications transmitted to Bloomberg terminal services. However, the project experienced &#8220;glitches . . . with the identified documents not, in fact, being expunged.&#8221;
&#8220;In June 2019, while troubleshooting the issue, firm employees executed deletion tasks on electronic communications from the first quarter of 2018, erroneously believing, based on written representations from JPMorgan’s archiving vendor, that all the documents were coded in a way to prevent permanent deletion of records still within the thirty-six month regulatory retention period,&#8221; the order continued.
&#8220;The eComm Tech team and the vendor investigated the issue, and learned that electronic communications in the Chase domain which had been the target of the troubleshooting tasks had not, in fact, been properly coded by the vendor with the thirty-six month default retention and actually had been deleted,&#8221; the order said.
JPMorgan, which is based in New York, agreed to the commission&#8217;s sanction but did not admit or deny the allegations to media outlets.
&#8220;JPMorgan takes its record-keeping obligations seriously,&#8221; the bank said in a statement, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/jpmorgan-chase-is-fined-by-sec-over-mistaken-deletion-emails-2023-06-22/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a>.
According to reports, the latest punishment marks the third time the financial adviser failed to preserve electronic records. In 2021, JPMorgan officials agreed to pay $125 million in penalties for losing text messages and other electronic communications sent between January 2018 and November 2020. In 2005 the banking firm paid $700,000 in penalties after failing to preserve electronic records from 1999 to 2002.
Earlier his month, JPMorgan Chase <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jpmorgan-to-settle-sex-trafficking-lawsuit-with-epstein-victims-for-290-million" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreed</a> to settle with victims of Jeffrey Epstein&#8217;s sex trafficking operation for $290 million, according to a tentative agreement.
The victims had alleged the bank allowed Epstein, a wealthy financier and convicted pedophile who died in a New York City jail cell in 2019, to facilitate his sex trafficking operation through his accounts and connections at the bank. The precise number of victims involved in the suit remains unclear.
The bank did not admit any wrongdoing in connection to Epstein, and CEO Jamie Dimon has testified that the bank was in the dark about Epstein&#8217;s misdeeds.
JPMorgan is facing a similar lawsuit in the Virgin Islands, where it is also under fire over its relationship with Epstein. That trial is set to begin in October.
Previously, Deutsche Bank, another bank accused of ambivalence to Epstein&#8217;s sex trafficking operation, settled with several individuals who said they were victims of Epstein&#8217;s crimes and other women for $75 million.
JPMorgan Chase added in its Monday statement that it regretted any association with Epstein.
“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 bank said.
Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this report.

FRANCE-BANKING-POLITICS

SEC Regulators Allege JPMorgan ‘Erroneously’ Deleted 47 Million Emails Amid Investigations

SEC Regulators Allege JPMorgan 'Erroneously' Deleted 47 Million Electronic Records Amid Dozens Of Civil Securities-Related Investigations

Jeffrey Epstein

JP Morgan

A House Republican threw one curveball of a question at Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler, asking the Biden administration official on Tuesday to answer under oath whether he facilitated payment for British ex-spy Christopher Steele&#8217;s now-discredited <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-offered-christopher-steele-1m-for-evidence-backing-up-dossier-claims-about-trump-fbi-analyst" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anti-Trump dossier</a>.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) ended his <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?527459-1/sec-chair-testifies-house-oversight-hearing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contentious line of questioning</a> during the final moments of a House Financial Services Committee hearing by hearkening back to Gensler&#8217;s role as chief financial officer on Hillary Clinton&#8217;s 2016 presidential campaign.
&#8220;Did you facilitate the payment for the Steele dossier since you were CFO of the Hillary Clinton campaign?&#8221; he asked.
Gensler, who was shaking his head, began to answer with, &#8220;Sir,&#8221; after which Donalds said, &#8220;Yes or no.&#8221; This happened twice before Donalds reminded the witness that he was under oath. &#8220;I know,&#8221; Gensler replied before offering an answer: &#8220;It was not something I was aware of.&#8221;
The exchange, and the hearing at large, ended there.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
A Rockstar with a MEGA BOMBDROP emerges! <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDonaldsPress?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepDonaldsPress</a> WOWZERS!!!! <a href="https://t.co/ncMZcCZWpz">pic.twitter.com/ncMZcCZWpz</a>
&mdash; Digital Asset Investor (@digitalassetbuy) <a href="https://twitter.com/digitalassetbuy/status/1648409072226664449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It is already well established that funds from Clinton&#8217;s failed campaign and the Democratic National Committee <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-dnc-hillary-campaign-paid-compile-trump-ben-shapiro" target="_blank" rel="noopener">went toward Steele&#8217;s</a> dossier, which was packed with salacious allegations tying former President Donald Trump to Russia that have been <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/christopher-steele-holds-firm-on-defending-discredited-dossier" target="_blank" rel="noopener">picked apart</a> by <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/mueller-report-dismisses-many-steele-dossier-claims-11555710147" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal investigators</a>.
In fact, both parties <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/fec-fines-dnc-clinton-for-trump-dossier-hoax" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were fined by the Federal Election Commission</a> for not properly disclosing the roughly $1 million that made its way to Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm that hired Steele, from the Perkins Coie law firm.
Gensler&#8217;s name came up when the Clinton campaign&#8217;s chairman, John Podesta, testified to the House Intelligence Committee in 2017. Podesta mentioned Gensler as being the person who &#8220;established the financial controls&#8221; and he stressed that &#8220;Gary&#8221; was &#8220;at the top,&#8221; handling payments to Perkins Coie, <a href="https://justthenews.com/sites/default/files/2022-09/PodestaInterview.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a transcript shows</a>.
Devin Nunes, the Republican former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who left Congress to head Trump&#8217;s media company, said this week that his panel &#8220;outed&#8221; Gensler as the individual who &#8220;wrote the check to Fusion GPS.&#8221;
During a &#8220;Just the News Not Noise&#8221; interview, Nunes also criticized Gensler and the SEC for the extended holdup on a <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/22/trump-sec-truth-social-public-company-00070444" target="_blank" rel="noopener">planned merger</a> between the Trump Media &amp; Technology Group, which runs the social media platform called Truth Social, and Digital World Acquisition Corp.
This follows Trump Media&#8217;s general counsel <a href="https://justthenews.com/sites/default/files/2023-02/23.02.27%20TMTG%20to%20Congress%20FINAL%20w%20Attachments.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requesting in February</a> that Congress investigate the SEC over an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-new-social-media-venture-is-under-sec-investigation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;endless&#8221; review</a> described as &#8220;an unprecedented attempt to kill the deal without any finding of wrongdoing.&#8221;
Donalds <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/byron-donalds-endorses-trump-president-strength-resolve" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed Trump earlier this month</a>, at the time making him the third GOP lawmaker from Florida to back the former president&#8217;s 2024 White House campaign.

SEC Chair Gary Gensle

Biden’s SEC Boss Confronted Over Steele Dossier Payment

House Republican Confronts Biden’s SEC Boss Over Steele Dossier

Byron Donalds

Christopher Steele

Hillary Clinton

SEC Commissioner, and the most influential man in college football, Greg Sankey, said that once Texas and Oklahoma join the league in a couple seasons, the SEC is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/sec-will-abandon-divisions-ep-186" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leaning toward scratching its current divisional model</a> of having teams split into two divisions: East and West.
We’ve seen other conferences like the Pac-12, the Big-12, and the Mountain West do the same and it&#8217;s exactly the right move.
The whole point of scheduling in a conference is to have each team play each other at home at least once and play away at least once during the course of a college career. This decision will bring the SEC one step closer to that.
The geography of how the SEC has done it also makes absolutely no sense. You don’t have to be Christopher Columbus to figure out Auburn and Alabama don’t need to be in the ‘West’ or Missouri and Texas A&amp;M in the ‘East’.
It also seems like <a href="https://twitter.com/marcryanonair/status/1593299510679281668" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the four team pod model</a> is also dead, which I also agree with.
The biggest challenge out there, as the SEC leans into this change, will be keeping the best rivalries intact. Games like Georgia vs. Florida or Texas vs. Oklahoma or Auburn vs. Alabama are big, historical rivalries and must-watch games. The way the new SEC championship will be set up makes it very possible to maintain those rivalries.
<div id="attachment_465814" style="width: 830px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-465814" class="wp-image-465814 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1355898103-820x576.jpg" alt="" width="820" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/GettyImages-1355898103-820x576.jpg 820w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/GettyImages-1355898103-300x211.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/GettyImages-1355898103-768x539.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/GettyImages-1355898103-1536x1079.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/GettyImages-1355898103-2048x1439.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" />Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images</div>
With the SEC&#8217;s goal of expanding to 16 teams by 2025, this seems like a simple decision. At the end of each season, the top two teams play for a spot in the College Football Playoff. The tiebreaker system needs to be simplified as well. Head-to-head should take precedence if teams are tied and if there is no head-to-head, there should be tiebreakers implemented underneath that.
Either way the SEC is making the right move. At the end of the day, divisions are always bad.
Jake Crain is co-host of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/crain-and-company" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;Crain &amp; Company.&#8221;</a> the Daily Wire&#8217;s sports show hosted by former athletes and coaches Jake Crain, Blain Crain, and David Cone. @JakeCrain_
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

2021 SEC Championship – Georgia v Alabama

Why Scrapping Divisions In The SEC Is The Right Move

Sports

As staff at the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/securities-and-exchange-commission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Securities and Exchange Commission</a> depart at elevated levels amid a surge in rulemaking, Republican lawmakers are pressing SEC Chair Gary Gensler for an explanation.
Under the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden administration</a>, the regulatory agency is pursuing new rule changes at a much faster pace than in past years, with a proposal to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/behind-the-scenes-most-executives-actually-hate-woke-investing-survey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">force climate disclosures</a> among the most controversial. A private letter to Gensler from six Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee claims that he has adopted an overly antagonistic posture toward the financial industry.
The letter, dated Oct. 27, concludes that &#8220;efforts to ram through hurried rulemaking without proper analysis, deliberation or consideration of downstream negative impacts is nothing short of regulatory malpractice,” according to a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/senate-republicans-want-sec-explain-why-staff-are-quitting-2022-10-30/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from Reuters, which obtained a copy of the letter.
The Republicans asked Gensler to explain how he would respond to their concerns.
Roughly 20.8% of employees in senior positions departed the agency in the last fiscal year, marking the highest attrition in nearly a decade, according to a <a href="https://www.sec.gov/files/inspector-generals-statement-sec-mgmt-and-perf-challenges-october-2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the SEC’s Office of Inspector General published earlier this month. Turnover reached 8.4% among attorneys and 7.0% among economists. The document cited “stiff competition from the private sector as increased wages and workforce engagement make private sector positions attractive to both new and seasoned professionals.”
The SEC takes significantly longer than the private sector to hire new workers, according to the report. An audit of the agency’s hiring process found that almost half of the analyzed hiring actions took more than 100 business days to complete, which is more than twice the average in the private sector. Beyond new advertising and branding campaigns, the SEC suggested that robust internal employee development could reduce attrition.
President Joe Biden is pursuing a “whole-of-government approach to put climate change at the center of our domestic, national security, and foreign policy,” according to a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/01/27/remarks-by-president-biden-before-signing-executive-actions-on-tackling-climate-change-creating-jobs-and-restoring-scientific-integrity/#:~:text=It%27s%20a%20whole%2Dof%2Dgovernment,We%27re%20bold." target="_blank" rel="noopener">speech</a> he delivered days after his inauguration. Among other proposals, the SEC has <a href="https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2022-46" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> forcing companies to report the material impact climate change presents to operations, the impact of “climate-related events” such as severe weather on transaction activities, and risk management processes used to mitigate climate risk.
However, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/behind-the-scenes-most-executives-actually-hate-woke-investing-survey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> conducted by CNBC shows that 55% of financial managers are opposed to the rule, while 35% are “strongly” opposed. Within the sample of 21 executives were multiple chief financial officers at Fortune 500 companies.
Other agencies have similarly been pursuing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/key-treasury-dept-office-taps-new-climate-czar-to-push-wokeness-on-banks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased climate scrutiny</a> of the private sector. The Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency recently announced that Yue Chen would serve as chief climate risk officer, leading environmental risk efforts related to “supervision, policy, and external engagement.”
The Federal Reserve, which is separate from the federal government and charged with ensuring monetary stability, plans to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-reserve-will-evaluate-climate-related-financial-risks-with-help-from-bidens-new-climate-officer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">work alongside</a> the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to “provide guidance to large banks on how we expect them to identify, measure, monitor, and manage the financial risks of climate change,” according to a speech delivered by Federal Reserve Board of Governors member and Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr.
“As our nation, and the world, grapple with how to respond to climate change, banks are increasingly focused on the risks that climate change brings to their balance sheets,” Barr said. “The Federal Reserve is working to understand how climate change may pose risks to individual banks and to the financial system. The Federal Reserve’s mandate in this area is important, but narrow, focused on our supervisory responsibilities and our role in promoting a safe and stable financial system.”

Hedge Funds Face SEC Rule For Faster Disclosure Of 5% Stakes

Staff At Biden’s Top Financial Regulator Keep Quitting. Republicans Want To Know Why.

SEC Bleeding Employees Even As They Pursue New Regulations

Executive

A recent poll suggests that behind closed doors, an overwhelming majority of financial <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/wall-street" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executives</a> do not support the environmental, social, and governance (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/esg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESG</a>) movement.
Among other common ESG goals is the embrace of <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">green energy</a> usage, even when reliance upon traditional energy sources is more fiscally prudent. According to a CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/29/the-esg-backlash-inside-the-executive-ranks-at-top-corporations.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> released on Thursday, a mere 25% of chief financial officers support climate reporting proposals from the Securities and Exchange Commission (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/securities-and-exchange-commission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEC</a>) moving closer to implementation.
Roughly 55% of financial managers are opposed to the rule, while 35% are “strongly” opposed. Within the sample of 21 executives were multiple Fortune 500 CFOs.
CNBC reported that there exists “evidence of a split” between technology companies desiring to help other firms process the data requirements with ESG rules and “a broader set” of CFOs struggling to “understand how the costs their companies will incur in making new disclosures will generate a return on investment.”
The SEC <a href="https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2022-46" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requirements</a> would require companies to report the material impact climate change presents to operations, the impact of “climate-related events” such as severe weather on transaction activities, and risk management processes used to mitigate climate risk. A salient issue for executives is “the lack of a clear correlation between the climate data and financial statements,” according to CNBC.
Those who invest in companies are of a similar mind. Earlier this year, an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/poll-by-two-to-one-margin-investors-reject-woke-companies-pushing-political-causes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exclusive poll</a> from The Daily Wire showed that American investors would prefer that companies commit solely to the pursuit of profits. Although 29% of respondents agreed it is a “good thing” for companies to leverage their financial power for political or social means, 58% said it is a “bad thing.”
The White House is nevertheless pursuing a “whole-of-government approach to put climate change at the center of our domestic, national security, and foreign policy,” according to a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/01/27/remarks-by-president-biden-before-signing-executive-actions-on-tackling-climate-change-creating-jobs-and-restoring-scientific-integrity/#:~:text=It%27s%20a%20whole%2Dof%2Dgovernment,We%27re%20bold." target="_blank" rel="noopener">speech</a> delivered by President Joe Biden days after his inauguration. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, an entity in the Treasury Department charged with regulating and supervising banks, <a href="https://www.ots.treas.gov/news-issuances/news-releases/2022/nr-occ-2022-110.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently tapped</a> New York State Department of Financial Services climate czar Yue Chen as its new chief climate risk officer.
The Federal Reserve, which is separate from the federal government, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-reserve-will-evaluate-climate-related-financial-risks-with-help-from-bidens-new-climate-officer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> on Thursday that six of the nation’s largest banks will take part in a pilot process to examine economic risks posed by climate change, although the exercise carries no regulatory implications. The central bank will also work alongside the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to forward environmental initiatives within the private sector.
“As our nation, and the world, grapple with how to respond to climate change, banks are increasingly focused on the risks that climate change brings to their balance sheets,” Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Michael Barr remarked in a recent speech. “The Federal Reserve is working to understand how climate change may pose risks to individual banks and to the financial system. The Federal Reserve’s mandate in this area is important, but narrow, focused on our supervisory responsibilities and our role in promoting a safe and stable financial system.”
Beyond fiscal and monetary policymakers, large asset management firms such as Vanguard and BlackRock have played active roles in advancing ESG among fellow actors in the private sector. The latter company revealed in its investment stewardship <a href="https://www.blackrock.com/corporate/literature/publication/our-commitment-to-sustainability-full-report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> that it pressed “voting action on climate issues” upon 53 of its portfolio companies in 2020 while putting 191 others “on watch.”
“We’re seeing evidence every day that climate risk is investment risk,” BlackRock CEO Larry Fink <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/climate-risk-is-investment-risk-bill-clinton-and-blackrock-ceo-larry-fink-make-bold-claims-about-woke-investing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> during a recent panel event at a meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative. “People are waking up to that, and that’s created this tectonic shift.”

American flag in Midtown Manhattan

Behind The Scenes, Most Executives Actually Hate Woke Investing: Survey

Most Executives Spurn The SEC's Pending Woke Climate Rules

Business

Wokeness

Three men are facing federal fraud charges for a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fraud</a> scheme that involved a $100 million deli.
Two men from North Carolina and a third living in Hong Kong are being charged with a multitude of fraud charges by the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/three-men-charged-international-market-manipulation-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Justice</a>, prosecutors said Monday. The three men allegedly set up a holding company, and took over another, then manipulated the value of the two companies through coordinated stock trading and market consolidation to take millions of dollars in profit. The <a href="https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2022-172" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Securities and Exchange Commission</a> is also suing the defendants in civil court.
“We allege that the defendants’ brazen schemes resulted in the artificial inflation of the stock price of two publicly traded companies with little to no annual revenues,” SEC Associate Director of Enforcement in the Philadelphia Regional Office said in the agency&#8217;s press release. “Such manipulative schemes diminish the trust investors must have in the integrity of the markets, and we will pursue those who engage in such wrongdoing.”
The alleged scheme centered around a small deli in Paulsboro, New Jersey. One of the defendants was high school wrestling teammates with the deli owner; the defendant allegedly convinced him to put the deli in a holding company, Hometown International, under which the deli would operate as a wholly owned subsidiary. According to the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/press-release/file/1538031/download" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indictment</a>, around 2019, the three defendants bought the deli owners out of the company. Then in 2020, the same defendant recruited another friend to help a second company, E-Waste Corporation, find a partner for a corporate process called a reverse merger. The defendant then put his friend in charge of E-Waste, and took control of the company&#8217;s stock.
Once the defendants had allegedly taken control of both companies, they spread the stock out by transferring millions of shares to business entities controlled by the defendant to mask their involvement; the defendants also transferred shares to family members and friends, then acquired their login information to control the stock trading accounts.
The defendants then used their control over the accounts to conduct a series of coordinated trading events to manipulate the stock price and create the false impression that there was a genuine market interest in the stock. The counterfeit trades inflated Hometown International&#8217;s stock by approximately 939%, and E-Waste&#8217;s by approximately 19,900%.
Both companies became targets of scrutiny in 2021 after the market noticed that the companies both had market capitalizations of over $100 million, despite Hometown International owning just the deli, and E-Waste having no discernible business activity.
A letter to shareholders from hedge fund <a href="https://www.valuewalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Qlet2021-01-2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Greenlight Capital</a> in April 2021 scrutinized Hometown International, pointing out that while the company owned the deli and only the deli, it had achieved a market cap of $113 million in February. &#8220;The pastrami must be amazing,&#8221; the firm mocked, before calling out regulators for not looking into the company. A <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/01/e-waste-company-linked-to-new-jersey-deli-announces-reverse-merger.html">CNBC</a> article from 2021 described a successful reverse merger between E-Waste and an electric ATV manufacturer called EZRAider Global. The article said that E-Waste had a market cap of $110 million, despite having no business operations. It also pointed out many of the suspicious connections E-Waste and Hometown International had with one another.
The three defendants are charged with 12 federal criminal counts, including wire fraud, securities fraud, money laundering and conspiracy; if convicted, the defendants face up to 85 years in prison, and millions of dollars in fines. The SEC also charged the defendants with violations of federal securities laws; the agency is seeking injunctive relief, monetary penalties, and a ban on future penny stock trading.

Hometown Deli Paulsboro NJ

Feds Indict Alleged Fraudsters In Scheme That Involved A $100 Million Local Deli

Federal Prosecutors Indict Alleged Fraudsters In Get-Rich-Quick Scheme Involving A Local Deli Worth $100 Million

Crime

Department of Justice

Fraud

New Jersey

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