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FRIDAY, NOV. 22, 2019 | IN THIS ISSUE
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Billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg has filed papers with the Federal Election Commission to
run for president, a move that allows him to begin fundraising, Reuters reports. That may not be a big concern, since Mr. Bloomberg's personal
wealth is estimated at $54 billion, according to Forbes. The former New York City mayor and media magnate has already registered to appear on the ballot for the Democratic presidential primary in Alabama, Arkansas and Texas.
Although some early contenders have already dropped from the race, Mr. Bloomberg joins a crowded Democratic field, and may have a hard time gaining traction in early voting states like Iowa. Mother Jones magazine reports that Bloomberg seems to garner
low interest among Iowa Democrats, who criticized his "
personal wealth and big-city credentials, as well as his late arrival."
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Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins is at least temporarily taking over as top administrator of the state's judicial branch following the death of Iowa Supreme Court Justice Mark Cady. Radio Iowa reports that Mr. Wiggins will
serve as "acting chief justice"
until the vacancy is filled and a chief justice is selected by the full court. The next chief justice will not have an unlimited term as previous chief justices, however. Under a Republican-backed state law change, the next chief justice will be selected will serve until 2021, when another vote will be taken on the chief justice.
Mr. Wiggins handily
survived a campaign to oust him
from the Supreme Court in 2012 because of his vote in a decision legalizing same-sex marriage in Iowa, the Muscatine Journal reported at the time.
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After discount megabroker TD Ameritrade's recent acquisition of Scottrade, it now appears on the cusp of being acquired by rival Charles Schwab. CNBC reports the deal could
create a financial services Goliath with $5 trillion in assets, while Fox Business says Schwab will reportedly pay $26 billion for TD Ameritrade. Mergers in the sector became likely after Schwab, TD Ameritrade and Fidelity
eliminated trade commissions in October.
Shares of TD Ameritrade shot up 18% and shares of Schwab jumped 7% Thursday on news reports that a deal is close. TD Ameritrade recently closed a former Scottrade office in southeast Cedar Rapids, while Schwab lists no local branches on its website.
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Collins Aerospace
faces a state court lawsuit from a former employee who says the company took no action against a fellow employee who sexually harassed and assaulted her during a work trip to Minnesota last year. The Gazette reports the lawsuit was filed on behalf of Marieda Freese, 37, who said her co-worker grabbed and shook her breasts, argued that men are superior to women, and instructed Ms. Freese to agree with him in front of two other men while they were talking at a bar after a day at a conference. Collins Aerospace declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received
14 percent more sexual harassment complaints last year, MarketWatch reported, as the #MeToo movement gained momentum and women felt more willing to speak up about inappropriate workplace behavior.
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In another sign of an uncommon corn crop year, shipping patterns in the Midwest may be
shifting from their perennial southward direction to a more easterly tack. According to Crain's Chicago, there's a growing price discrepancy between local grain markets in the eastern and western states in the region, which has led to more grain from Iowa and Illinois going "over Chicago" to feed mills and ethanol plants in Ohio and Indiana, where more farmers had weak corn harvests due to heavy spring rains. Those farmers are
hoarding their corn harvest in the hopes that low corn prices will rise, reports Bloomberg.
Another reason corn can be held off the market is the USDA's Market Facilitation Program to reimburse farmers hurt by the trade battle with China. That program will
make its second MFP payment next week, according to AgriWeb.
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Wrap your week
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 Your Morning Commute
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Traffic's moving normally in the Corridor this morning, although the DOT is reporting a major crash on I-80 westbound near Wilton. See the DOT's interactive road conditions map here.
Links as of 7 a.m.
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