America

It's been a bad start to the week for bank CEOs and ex-CEOs.

Hours after Barclays chief executive Jes Staley was slammed with a regulatory probe and learned he would see substantial cuts to his compensation after he tried to "unmask" a whistleblower, the board of Wells Fargo said it has clawed back an additional $72 million of pay from the two former execs it holds responsible for last year's biggest banking scandal, namely the bank's unprecedented cross-selling practices which went on for years, and which, too, resulted in numerous whistleblowers being silenced.

• Euro hovers above one-month low as French election nerves grow (Reuters)
• French Election Risk Reawakens as Bonds Drop, Volatility Jumps (BBG)
• Hopes fade for U.S. bank earnings despite rally in financial shares (Reuters)
• Skepticism Grows About Higher Fed Rates Helping Banks’ Margins (BBG)
• Record Bond Issuance Signals Doubts About Economy (WSJ)
• Price for Tax Overhaul Makes Bipartisan Deal Unlikely (WSJ)
• Congress Sinks Into Partisan Morass as Shutdown Threat Looms (BBG)

Authored by The College Fix,

On Friday about 40 protesters at Iowa State University demonstrated against the school’s use of prison labor “to acquire furniture.”

According to the Iowa State Daily, the group ISU Student Action organized the event because “prisoners may be paid as little as 15 cents per hour” … apparently not considering the fact that these laborers are incarcerated.

Dear Readers,

I owe you an apology. I made a mistake. I am writing this letter in the first person, because I made the mistake.

A last minute budget negotiation late Friday pretty much ensures that New York will be the first state to offer 'tuition-free' public higher education to its entitled snowflakes.  The $163 billion state budget agreement includes the Excelsior Scholarship, which covers tuition for any New Yorker accepted to one of the state’s community colleges or four-year universities, provided their family earns less than $125,000 a year.