FCC chair to block stricter broadband data privacy rules

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will block some Obama administration rules that subject broadband providers to stricter scrutiny than websites, a spokesman said on Friday, in a victory for internet providers such as AT&T Inc, Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc. Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Ajit Pai and FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler testify at a House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee hearing on the FCC’s FY2016 budget, on Capitol Hill in Washington March 24, 2015.

Wall Street Week Ahead: Record-Setting Stock Rally Faces Test in Trump Speech

U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned economic agenda has fanned the flames forWall Street’s record-setting run, but some investors worry that his first major address to Congress next week risks dousing it if his plans look slow to execute or are overly vague. The benchmark S&P 500 has surged 10 percent since Trump’s Nov. 8 election, with optimism running high over the Republican administration’s domestic proposals, including plans to reform taxes paid by businesses.

‘It transformed me’: Donna Brazile reflects on ‘constant…

Outgoing Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile, in some of her first public comments since the presidential election, opened up Friday about how Russian hacking of the DNC last year colored not only the outcome of the election but also her personal experience in politics. In an interview with Business Insider at the DNC winter meeting on Friday, the chair reflected on the effects of the release of hacked emails from the committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman that were published by WikiLeaks last year.

Al Gore just sold $29 million of Apple stock

Former US Vice President Al Gore sold 215,437 shares of Apple this week at an average price of $136.72 per share – a transaction netting him about $29.4 million. The sales appear to represent a significant portion of Gore’s stake in the iPhone maker.

Activists gave out Russian-style Trump flags at CPAC: ‘You…

As President Donald Trump began to deliver his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland on Friday, he was met with plenty of miniature Russian-style flags. The flags were embroidered with a gold “TRUMP” logo, in a font similar to what is typically used on products and architecture that bear his name.

LEGO Film Creator Says Digital Disruption Pushing Hollywood to Take ‘Bigger Risks’

While movie die-hards debate whether “La La Land” or “Fences” will take home the Best Picture honor at Sunday’s Academy Awards, Hollywood is facing a tough reality – how to keep people coming to the theater. Box office revenue and ticket sales have plateaued over the past few years, and even faced a slight decline from last year, according to The-Numbers, a site that analyzes movie data and trends.

UTA Rally: Asghar Farhadi Stresses Unity During a “Time When Some…

Asghar Farhadi applauded the unity shown by the cinema community in his address at UTA’s “United Voices” rally on Friday afternoon. The Iranian director, whose movie The Salesman is nominated for best foreign-language film, spoke via video message from Tehran to the rally crowd of more than 1500 who gathered outside the agency’s Beverly Hills offices.

CBRE Group: Cramer’s Top Takeaways

In an “Executive Decision” segment, Cramer also checked back in with Bob Sulentic, president and CEO of the real estate investment trust CBRE Group , which has seen its stock rise 19% since Cramer last spoke with Sulentic just three months ago . Sulentic said the fundamentals of the real estate market are a lot better than people think, which has led CBRE to have not only a nice quarter but a strong year overall.

Live Nation: Cramer’s Top Takeaways

For his “Executive Decision” segment, Cramer checked in with Michael Rapino, president and CEO of Live Nation Entertainment , a stock that’s up 44% since Cramer last spoke with him a little more than a year ago – but also one that fell 3% in today’s session on what appeared to be solid quarterly results. Rapino said he’s very proud of this quarter’s results and of Live Nation’s record year in 2016.

FCC head puts the brakes on new ISP privacy rules

In the latest chip at net neutrality , Federal Communications Commission has Chairman Ajit Pai has moved to put a halt to a set of privacy rules designed to shield customers’ personal data from internet service providers. The rules were approved by the FCC under former Chairman Tom Wheeler back in October and would have required an ISP to ask for a user’s explicit permission before collecting data on browsing habits, app usage and location or financial information.

It looks like the FCC wants to roll back rules that’d force…

Federal Communications Commission boss Ajit Pai is pushing to halt part of an Obama-era set of privacy rules that would require internet service providers to get explicit consent before they share consumers’ browsing data and other personal information with advertisers. Some background: Those rules were approved this past October under previous FCC chairman Tom Wheeler, who stepped down once President Trump took office .

Doubts grow over stock marketa s Trump-inspired surge

President Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd after he addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center February 24, 2017 in National Harbor, Maryland. While American stock markets have enjoyed a good run since Trump’s election, there are beginning to appear some concerns over whether the so-called “Trump Effect” will last.

Schwarzman’s $425 Million Payout Leads Private Equity Titans

The Blackstone Group LP co-founder received $378 million in dividends on his stock ownership in 2016, according to calculations based on the firm’s annual report filed Friday with U.S. regulators. Add that to his cut of deal profits, salary and other compensation, and Schwarzman took home $425 million, down from $734.2 million the previous year.

Aflac Starts Infrastructure Debt Investing in U.S., Japan

Aflac Inc., the largest seller of supplemental health insurance, has started betting on infrastructure debt at its U.S. and Japan businesses. The insurer, which pushed into that asset class in the fourth quarter, invested $13 million in the debt last year at its Japan operation and $2 million at its U.S. business, according to a regulatory filing Friday.

Petrobras settles four more lawsuits with investors in the U.S.

Feb 24 Brazil’s state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras, said on Friday its board has approved settlements with investors in four more lawsuits in a U.S. federal court in New York. In a securities filing, Petrobras said the new settlements would raise total provisions for the lawsuits to $372 million in the fourth quarter, $8 million above the quarter ended in September.

Week in Review, February 25

Carlos Tavares, PSA chief executive, this week laid out his vision for Opel as a global, profitable entity if General Motors agrees to sell the European brand to the French carmaker, writes Peter Campbell . He said the marque, which owns Vauxhall in the UK and has been lossmaking since the turn of the century, would be exported to markets where Peugeot and Citroen are not strong in the future.

Alphabet’s Google to Shut Down Messaging App ‘Spaces’

Alphabet’s Google will shut down its messaging app “Spaces” on April 17. “Spaces” was the company’s attempt to get in on the group messaging space, allowing users to join small groups to discuss various topics. Its key feature was that it allowed users to pull in Google’s search services and YouTube videos automatically.