Grade 1-placed winner Loggins, a 3-year-old son of Ghostzapper, has been retired, according to BSW/Crow Bloodstock.
Bred in Kentucky by Shirley and P.L. Blake's Pop-A-Top out of their homebred grade 3 winner Beyond Blame, Loggins was a standout at Fasig-Tipton's 2021 Saratoga Sale, its select yearling sale in New York. He was purchased for $460,000 for the Brad Cox Colts Group out of Denali Stud's consignment.
"When we bought Loggins in Saratoga, Brad Cox and I thought he was the best physical in the sale," said bloodstock agent Liz Crow. "We relooked at our list the evening before the sale and felt he was a must-have. He had athleticism, power, and was very mentally tough."
Loggins showed his competitiveness immediately, winning his debut Sept. 17 at Churchill Downs by 8 1/2 lengths and earning a 100 Equibase Speed Figure. He stopped the timer after running 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.87.
Trainer Brad Cox put the colt into graded stakes company in his next start, where he faced future 2-year-old champion colt Forte in the Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland. Loggins captured the lead late down the backstretch and held it through the second turn. As he entered the stretch, Forte loomed on the outside to challenge, and they battled head and head, stride for stride to the wire with Loggins finishing a neck behind Forte. Both colts earned a 102 ESF for their performances.
"Loggins was a beautiful yearling. I was quickly drawn to him given the fact we had trained the mare," said Cox. "He was a precocious, fast 2-year-old that showed brilliance from day one. His race in the Breeders' Futurity may have been one of the most impressive races by a 2-year-old that season.
"We were looking forward to running him in the classics after that performance. Unfortunately, he had a setback he could not come back from," he continued. "He was cut out to be special."
Loggins was raced by Spendthrift Farm, Steve Landers Racing, Martin S. Schwartz, Michael Dubb, Ten Strike Racing, Jim Bakke, Titletown Racing Stables, Kueber Racing, Big Easy Racing, and Winners Win.
Beyond Blame, an 8-year-old daughter of Blame, won the Regret Stakes (G3T) on her way to earning $238,630. She is out of the Forest Wildcat winner and multiple stakes producer Quippery , who is a half sister to grade 2-placed, grade 3 winner Bellera and grade 3 winner Life Imitates Art. The immediate family produced multiple grade 1 winner and sire Street Boss and multiple grade 1 winner Jack Christopher.
Scott, of Fort Worth, is an attorney with over 34 years of experience, and most recently served as Texas Secretary of State for Governor Abbott.
“John Scott has the background and experience needed to step in as a short-term interim Attorney General during the time the Attorney General has been suspended from duty,” said Governor Abbott.
“His decades of experience and expertise in litigation will help guide him while serving as the state’s top law enforcement officer,” Abbott said.
In a history-making vote, the Texas House voted 121-23 in favor of adopting 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton, temporarily removing him from office over allegations of misconduct that included bribery and abuse of office.
The Texas Senate will conduct a trial with senators acting as jurors, and designated House members presenting their case as impeachment managers.
Permanently removing Paxton from office and barring him from holding future elected office in Texas would require the support of two-thirds of senators.
Port Authority officials suspended 22 police officers without pay for alleged time and attendance and other violations at LaGuardia Airport, officials confirmed. The accused officers are now being investigated by the agency’s Inspector General.
“The investigation is ongoing, but as a result of information uncovered already, 22 officers have received suspensions without pay and will be subject to disciplinary proceedings that could result in penalties, up to and including termination,” said a Port Authority spokesman in response to questions by NJ Advance Media about incidents that allegedly took place last week. “These actions constitute serious violations that are completely unacceptable.”
Port Authority officials declined to answer any other questions or provide details about the charges or alleged incidents, until the Inspector General’s investigation is complete, the spokesman said. Port Authority Police Benevolent Association officials also had no information about the specific charges or incident details.
With final approval of the Washington Commanders’ $6.05 billion sale to Josh Harris’ group expected to come soon and the Ottawa Senators narrowing down bids close to $1 billion for the NHL franchise, even more, pro teams will likely be changing hands in the near future.
In the NBA, Micheal Jordan has been exploring a sale of his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets to one of his minority investors since March.
Jordan reportedly would have rethought his intentions had the Hornets won the NBA Draft lottery. Charlotte landed the second pick, narrowly missing out on the chance to select French phenom Victor Wembanyama.
In MLB, the Washington Nationals were once up for sale, but the Lerner family has since taken the team off the market while dealing with issues around its MASN regional sports network. Ted Leonsis, who owns local counterparts the Capitals and Wizards, reportedly bid over $2 billion for the Nationals.
Internationally, Manchester United’s sale process drags on as the Glazer family may or may not follow through with a sale of the team, which will likely go for more than $6 billion.
Another NFL team to keep an eye on is the Seattle Seahawks. The future of the team has been up in the air since late owner Paul Allen’s death in 2018. Allen’s sister Jody is likely to sell the team in 2024. The Seahawks have recently been valued by Forbes at $4.5 billion.
Three NWSL teams are also on the market — the OL Reign, Chicago Red Stars, and Portland Timbers. A deal for the Red Stars could come sometime this spring.
With final approval of the Washington Commanders’ $6.05 billion sale to Josh Harris’ group expected to come soon and the Ottawa Senators narrowing down bids close to $1 billion for the NHL franchise, even more, pro teams will likely be changing hands in the near future.
In the NBA, Micheal Jordan has been exploring a sale of his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets to one of his minority investors since March.
Jordan reportedly would have rethought his intentions had the Hornets won the NBA Draft lottery. Charlotte landed the second pick, narrowly missing out on the chance to select French phenom Victor Wembanyama.
In MLB, the Washington Nationals were once up for sale, but the Lerner family has since taken the team off the market while dealing with issues around its MASN regional sports network. Ted Leonsis, who owns local counterparts the Capitals and Wizards, reportedly bid over $2 billion for the Nationals.
Internationally, Manchester United’s sale process drags on as the Glazer family may or may not follow through with a sale of the team, which will likely go for more than $6 billion.
Another NFL team to keep an eye on is the Seattle Seahawks. The future of the team has been up in the air since late owner Paul Allen’s death in 2018. Allen’s sister Jody is likely to sell the team in 2024. The Seahawks have recently been valued by Forbes at $4.5 billion.
Three NWSL teams are also on the market — the OL Reign, Chicago Red Stars, and Portland Timbers. A deal for the Red Stars could come sometime this spring.
An advocacy group, Transparency Society Network has urged President Bola Tinubu to revisit cases of corruption that have not been prosecuted to a logical conclusion.
The advocacy group, while congratulating the new president, noted that steps taken by the Tinubu administration in addressing corruption and financial crimes will give a sense of direction to where the country is headed for the next four years.
The Executive Director of the group, Solomon Omokehinde, in a press briefing held in Ikeja, Lagos State, advised the president to give necessary backing to financial crimes agencies to carry out their duties unhindered
Omokehinde appealed to the president to ensure corruption cases against the Ogun and Lagos Speakers of the State House of Assemblies, Olakunle Oluomo and Mudashiru Obasa, respectively, reach a logical conclusion.
He stressed that the prosecution of these top politicians will boost the fight against corruption across the country.
He added, “This group is calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to make public its findings after the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Mudashiru Obasa was interrogated for alleged financial misappropriation rocking the assembly and of course, other pending investigations that have been concluded but have not been made public.
“Transparency Society Network believes this step is necessary due to the odious noise from the House of Assembly as well as concerns from Lagosians, which is becoming very disturbing and distasteful since the probe was first instituted in 2020.
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“Recall that Mr. Obasa was alleged to have owned more than 60 bank accounts, through which he misused public funds. Mr. Speaker was also accused of awarding contracts to himself using different companies as fronts,” he said.
“Upon interrogation, a nine-member house panel claimed the speaker did no wrong and cleared him even as Mr. Obasa described the allegations against him as unfounded. Can Mr. Obasa be a judge in his own case?”
Omokehinde asked.
He, however, noted that State Assemblies across the country need to be prudent and transparent in public spending.
He further said, “As an advocacy group, we have noted how Lagosians and by extension, Nigerians are now interested in knowing if it is true the Speaker is spending the taxpayer’s money judiciously or not.
“Knowing fully well that the Lagos Speaker is not the only one under probe. As new dispensation beckons across the country, there is, therefore, a need for State Assemblies to be prudent and transparent in public spending.
“We appeal that the EFCC or any Police authority in charge of fraud should probe these allegations in the interest of the public,” he emphasised.
Omokehinde said, “This probe will be necessary in the interest of the public and the Speaker himself. We strongly believe that no allegations should be swept under the carpet or be overlooked.”
Food options for residents in West Newton and surrounding communities soon could be severely limited as the town’s only supermarket is slated to close next month.
The Giant Eagle at 105 Robertson St. is scheduled to close June 23, when the store’s independent owners, Mike and Maryann Bingey, retire. A related pharmacy that is operated separately by Giant Eagle will remain open, according to the supermarket chain.
West Newton Mayor Mary Popovich said she’s started efforts to keep a grocery store in the borough, reaching out to Giant Eagle and other food retailers.
“I don’t want to see the store shut down,” she said. “It’s going to impact our community and other communities that are in our area.
“I’m going to do everything I can to try to keep a food store of some sort in our community.”
Giant Eagle is directing shoppers, after the West Newton store is closed, to its Belle Vernon supermarket, which is about eight miles away at the Tri-County Plaza in Rostraver.
Shoppers at the West Newton store Friday were disappointed.
“It’s convenient. It’s the only thing around for miles,” said Amanda Smith of Sutersville. “I’d have to go to Belle Vernon or Irwin or West Mifflin (to shop).”
“It hurts,” said Smith’s mother, Tammy Kidd of Sewickley Township. “It’s bad enough that everything is so far away. I just hope they open something else. We like coming down here. It’s the only place that sells my tea.”
Aside from the related economic and employment loss, Popovich noted closure of the West Newton store would create a hardship for residents with limited access to transportation.
Filbern Manor, a senior apartment tower, is adjacent to the Giant Eagle.
“A lot of those folks don’t drive,” Popovich said. “It would be a major inconvenience to them.”
Many organizations and businesses in town also shop at the store, she said.
“Everybody has a right to retire,” Popovich said of the Bingeys. “They’ve been a good employer in our community.”
She said the West Newton site has housed a grocery store since the mid-20th century. It previously was affiliated with the A&P and Shop ‘n Save supermarket chains.
The Bingeys have operated the store since 1988.
“We have greatly appreciated the support of the West Newton community for these past 35 years,” the Bingeys said in a statement released by Giant Eagle. “We thank our team members for their commitment to helping us meet the needs of our customers.”
The store employs about 50 people, and all who are interested will be considered for any open positions at other Giant Eagle locations, the company said.
The Bingeys and Giant Eagle lease the space for the store and pharmacy. The property is owned by Bache Family Limited Partnership of Naples, Fla., Westmoreland County tax records show.
A grocery store is one of the essential components of a town’s retail community, said Julia Koprak, associate director of nutrition incentives at The Food Trust. That Philadelphia-based nonprofit administers the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative, a state-funded program that has provided grants, loans or other funding to support 40 healthy food retail projects across the state since 2018.
According to Koprak, the program provided a $150,000 grant to Salem’s Market and Grill, which was approved by Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority to purchase a Hill District plaza on Centre Avenue that previously housed a Shop ‘n Save supermarket. Salem’s is expected to open a grocery store there by this coming fall.
“A lot of Pennsylvania residents want to eat healthy, but they need a place that is accessible and affordable,” Koprak said. “A lack of healthy food retail certainly still exists in Pennsylvania. Sometimes, there are large swaths of communities where there isn’t really any place nearby selling fresh food.”
The loss of a community’s sole food market can create a grocery gap, she said.
“Sometimes, that leaves just a gas station or convenience store that may not sell any range of healthy groceries,” she said.
“If you have limited access to a vehicle, or if you live in a more rural area and you’re either driving 20 or 30 miles or paying somebody to take you to the closest grocery store, that becomes a significant burden. People are already struggling with inflation and reduced SNAP (food stamp) benefits.”
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff by email at jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Which Carolina Panthers players heading into the final year of their respective deals probably won't be back with the organization in 2024?
There is plenty of football ahead before the Carolina Panthers begin casting their attentions on the 2024 offseason. But for some in the building, that process is already well underway.
Whether it be scouts focusing on college prospects of interest or examining which players are potentially worthy of receiving longer commitments ahead of time, the Panthers are currently trying to navigate everything accordingly. One also cannot dismiss the possibility of further additions arriving given the problem positions and the abundance of salary-cap space available.
This will be a constant evaluation throughout Frank Reich's first season as head coach. The chances of making an NFC South title challenge right out of the gate in 2023 cannot be ruled out, but this is only the start of turning the Panthers into a legitimate contender in the coming years.
With that being said, here are four pending Panthers' free agents in 2024 that probably won't be back unless something drastic occurs next season.
The fullback position is a dying breed across the NFL. Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid stated he wouldn't be taking one onto his 53-man roster next season, and he's unlikely to be alone in this particular approach.
Giovanni Ricci currently holds this spot for the Carolina Panthers. However, his status is far from assured with a new coaching staff and the possibility of Tommy Tremble also switching to this position as a fullback/tight-end hybrid.
Regardless of whether Ricci makes the team or not, this might be his last season in Carolina all things considered.
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Broadcom's $61 billion acquisition of VMware is expected to close this fall.
Employees in VMware's end-user computing and cybersecurity units speculate they could get spun out.
VMware had a small round of layoffs in January, and workers expect larger ones when the deal closes.
As Broadcom works to close its acquisition of VMware sometime later this year, some VMware employees say they're unsure about the future of the units they work in, if big layoffs will hit after the deal closes, or if customers will abandon them.
Broadcom and VMware announced the $61 billion deal last year and recently pushed back the deadline as it undergoes regulatory scrutiny. It's expected to close by the end of August or around Thanksgiving, VMware said in a recent SEC filing.
Insider spoke with one former and four current VMware employees about the changes they expect to face once they are owned by the chipmaker Broadcom. Their concerns can be summed up in a word: trepidation.
That's primarily because VMware is considered a "strange fit" for Broadcom, as Broadcom is, at its core, a hardware company while VMware is focused on software, one employee said.
Another employee said that staff members were excited about VMware spinning out as an independent company in 2021, but their excitement was tempered when news of the Broadcom deal came out.
"People are not at all happy. This is not a good acquisition," that employee said.
A VMware spokesperson said in a statement that after the deal closes, VMware customers will obtain "more choice and flexibility" in managing their IT needs, especially across multiple cloud-computing services. "This vision was a cornerstone of Broadcom's strategic rationale for pursuing the transaction." (See VMware's full statement below.)
The future of 2 of VMware's business units
Employees in the end-user-computing unit and the security unit — which includes the $2.1 billion acquisition of Carbon Black in 2019 — told Insider they were unsure if their units will be permanently folded into Broadcom, sold, or potentially spun out into stand-alone companies.
Carbon Black, a product that monitors cloud and on-premises tech for security threats, was supposed to be integrated into VMware's other flagship products within a year or two after VMware bought the company.
VMware's former COO Sanjay Poonen, left, and Carbon Black's former CEO Patrick Morley, who both left the company in 2021.VMware
But it's "kind of been in limbo," one employee said, adding that Carbon Black's operations haven't really been absorbed into the greater company yet; it still has separate Salesforce and support accounts from the rest of the company. "I think it's safe to say that it has been a slower process than we anticipated," that employee said.
Since Broadcom already owns the security company Symantec, employees have been speculating that Broadcom could spin out Carbon Black or sell it, three employees said.
"To me the writing is on the wall. They might sell off Carbon Black because they have Symantec, which is a duplicate," one employee said.
Similarly, employees say they're unsure about the future of the end-user-computing unit, which makes products for cloud-based workstations and for managing desktops and mobile devices and has some overlap with products Broadcom already offers.
At a team meeting, Robert Ruelas, VMware's head of end-user computing, admitted EUC isn't important for Broadcom and dodged a question on if EUC was staying with VMware, a former employee said.
In addition, there could be a culture clash, as VMware is more remote-friendly — especially in this business unit that makes products specifically for mobile users — while Broadcom is requiring workers to return to the office.
"One of the things that bothers a lot of EUC, especially their salespeople, is how do you square that you're coming in here and talking about customers and users who are demanding to work remotely and work from home?" an employee said.
Workers expect layoffs after the deal closes
Employees say they are nervous about potential layoffs once the deal closes.
VMware had a small round of layoffs in January, two employees said, and it regularly conducts annual layoffs around the close of its fiscal year in January. But they said this year the layoffs were smaller, and VMware has not announced a big workforce cut. As of February, VMware employed over 38,000 people.
In response to questions about the small layoff, the VMware spokesperson said, "We also continue to monitor the current macroeconomic uncertainty and the industry dynamics, and we reassess our needs annually against our multi-cloud and SaaS transformation goals."
Workers expect more staff to be cut once the deal closes, particularly on teams where there would be overlap like HR, accounting, sales, and marketing, as is common with acquisitions of this size.
"Everyone is concerned," one employee said. "Tech companies have been laying off right and left. VMware hasn't announced anything like that. I think they haven't announced this because after the deal is closed, I'm sure they will conduct layoffs."
Employees have witnessed the company tightening its belt during this uncertain economy, saying that VMware has restricted travel budgets and slowed hiring to cut costs.
"Like all other companies, we are not immune to macroeconomic effects. We've been thoughtful about managing the budget as everyone else," VMware's chief technology officer, Kit Colbert, told Insider. "Our real direction on this is being thoughtful on budget and where we want to invest."
Kit Colbert, VMware's CTO.VMware
Employees say the company saw plenty of turnover last year after the deal was announced, but now workers unhappy with the situation are stymied by the tech industry's mass layoffs and tighter job market.
"It's a bit scary," one employee said. "Most of the people who wanted to leave before this acquisition goes through do not want to be part of Broadcom" but face "a tough market situation."
The VMware spokesperson also pointed out that the company is still hiring and, despite the speculation, hasn't formally announced cuts. "While this is naturally a time of transition for VMware, we're seeing more and more people joining and contributing at the company. At this point in time, we have not conducted and are not planning a broad company restructuring. We are committed to ongoing management of our workforce in alignment with our business priorities," the spokesperson said.
The company announced Thursday that CFO Zane Rowe will leave the company June 9. Other departing executives, all of whom left late last year, include networking senior vice president, Tom Gillis; cloud senior vice president, Mark Lohmeyer; modern application platform business senior vice president, Ajay Patel; Carbon Black vice president of engineering, Kal De; global support senior vice president, Karen Egan; and head of cybersecurity strategy, Tom Kellermann.
Employees are also acutely aware that the current C-suite execs, including CEO Raghu Raghuram, could be eligible for large payouts of millions once the deal closes, including golden parachutes if they lose their jobs. For instance, Raghuram's full potential golden-parachute compensation totals $53 million, Broadcom disclosed in September. A VMware spokesperson noted that retention packages are "standard practice" in acquisitions.
"Even if he gets axed, if he's to be moved out of this merger, he will have a big package with him," one employee said of Raghuram.
Broadcom plans a $2 billion investment
Still, Broadcom says it has big plans for VMware. CEO Hock Tan is "very aligned with the VMware strategy," Colbert said. Tan recently announced that Broadcom would invest an incremental $2 billion each year, with half focused on research and development and the other half on VMware solutions. He also said he plans to further invest in VMware's partnerships.
Broadcom CEO Hock E. Tan.Lucas Jackson/Reuters
"We're pretty excited about it. Budgets are tight so it would be great to get additional money to invest in highest-priority initiatives such as generative AI," Colbert said about the form of AI that can chat and create images and is currently the talk of the tech industry.
VMware is thinking about how it can enhance its products and operations with AI capabilities, such as using language models to ask questions to documents, adding chat interfaces, and detecting system anomalies, he added.
It's worth pointing out that text and document management is not VMware's bread-and-butter offering. VMware is known for its software and services that manage data-center hardware and cloud services.
But the spokesperson said VMware is thinking about how to add AI to existing products and use it internally as well.
"We are evaluating how we can deliver smarter solutions to our customers by bringing generative AI to service products that we already build," a VMware spokesperson said. "Additionally, we are looking at ways to harness AI to make our day-to-day operations better. We are also taking a holistic approach that will take into consideration the responsible and ethical use of AI."
Customers are uncertain, too
Still, such lofty plans are not being communicated to many VMware workers, these employees say. They say leadership has given few specifics on what VMware will look like once it's absorbed.
"There hasn't been much discussion of that other than positive affirmations that the Broadcom acquisition would be a good thing for us but not really elaborating on it," an employee said. "There hasn't been a lot of specifics in how we would look or operate."
Some customers are particularly worried that Broadcom would raise VMware's product pricing, two employees said, although Tan addressed that in a November blog post by promising he wouldn't. "Nonetheless, I've continued to see questions in press reports about whether we intend to raise prices on VMware products. The answer is simple: No," he wrote.
Another concern is that sales representatives will focus more on short-term deals rather than long-term ones, another employee said.
"If you're a sales rep, and you don't know if you're going to be here in three months or four months, do you really want to spend six months working on a $2 million deal or spend the six months working on five to six $150,000 deals?" that employee said. "The longer the transition just drags on, it's terrible for those people."
VMware says Broadcom will give customers 'more choice'
Despite workers' concerns, the company says this deal will provide VMware with more resources to expand and grow. Here's the full statement sent to Insider when asked if the two companies are a fit and what employees and customers can expect once the merger closes.
The Broadcom acquisition of VMware continues to move forward as expected, including the regulatory review process taking place across multiple jurisdictions, and we continue to expect the deal to close in Broadcom's fiscal year 2023.
Following the close of the deal, the combined Broadcom and VMware will offer customers more choice and flexibility in how they run, manage and secure their workloads in this increasingly complex multi-cloud era. This vision was a cornerstone of Broadcom's strategic rationale for pursuing the transaction.
We appreciate the interest in the future of VMware and will continue to keep customers and partners updated as the deal moves forward.
Meanwhile, we continue to operate as a standalone company, supporting our customers and partners, driving innovation, and delivering across all of our businesses, in line with our business goals and our transformation to a subscription and SaaS business.
Our multi-cloud technology strategy remains the same – to help customers accelerate innovation and navigate multi-cloud complexity through a cloud smart approach.
Got a tip? Contact this reporter via email at rmchan@insider.com, Signal at 646.376.6106, or Telegram at @rosaliechan. (PR pitches by email only, please.) Other types of secure messaging available upon request.
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Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday afternoon denounced the state House’s move to impeach him as an “illegal impeachment scheme.” He also called on supporters to attend the impeachment vote at the Texas Capitol.
Speaking briefly at a press conference a day before the anticipated House vote, Paxton said House members were “showcasing their absolute contempt for the electoral process” and “inflicting lasting damage” on their chamber, which is controlled by the GOP and whose speaker is also a Republican.
“The corrupt politicians in the Texas House are demonstrating that blind loyalty to Speaker Dade Phelan is more important than upholding their oath of office,” Paxton said in a calm tone as he read from prepared remarks. “They are determined to ignore the law. They have denied me the opportunity to present the evidence which contradicts their politically motivated narrative.”
The Republican-led House General Investigating Committee went public with its monthslong investigation into the attorney general earlier this week. It had authorized the probe after Paxton asked the Legislature to use taxpayer money to pay the $3.3 million lawsuit settlement between him and four of his former deputies, who said they were improperly fired after telling federal and state investigators they believed Paxton had accepted bribes and engaged in other misconduct.
During a hearing Wednesday, investigators told the committee’s three Republicans and two Democrats about allegations that Paxton had repeatedly abused his office to help a friend and political donor, Austin real estate investor Nate Paul. They largely relied on claims made by four former senior employees who filed a whistleblower lawsuit in 2022 arguing that Paxton improperly fired them after they reported concerns about Paxton’s actions to federal and state investigators.
The committee investigators said Paxton may have committed at least three felonies in an effort to help Paul with various legal troubles. These included spending $72,000 in staff labor on tasks that benefited the developer, providing Paul with an internal FBI file related to an investigation into Paul, and hiring an outside lawyer for $25,000 to conduct work that primarily benefited Paul.
Committee investigators also discussed criminal charges that have been pending against Paxton since 2015, when a Collin County grand jury indicted him on two counts of felony securities fraud related to private business deals in 2011. According to those charges, Paxton solicited investors into Servergy Inc. without disclosing that the McKinney tech company was paying him to promote its stock.
All of those allegations were known publicly during the 2022 election, when Paxton defeated Democrat Rochelle Garza by nearly 10 percentage points.
Paxton portrayed himself as a champion of conservative values and repeatedly invoked the numerous ways he’s challenged Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration. He said these efforts would fall apart without him in office.
“The House is poised to do exactly what Joe Biden has been hoping to accomplish since his first day in office: sabotage our work, my work, as attorney general of Texas,” Paxton said, speaking in front of 15 staffers at the attorney general’s office in downtown Austin and flanked by two banners reading “Liberty and justice for Texas.”
He left the room without taking questions, ignoring several shouted by reporters.
Chris Hilton, chief of general litigation for the attorney general’s office, came to the lectern next, saying the allegations against Paxton have long been public, and voters decided to reelect him last year anyway.
“There's no precedent in Texas history for an illegal, one-sided sham investigation like this one,” Hilton said.
The House plans to take up the impeachment debate at 1 p.m. Saturday, according to a memo from the House General Investigating Committee. The committee proposed allocating four hours of debate, evenly divided between supporters and opponents of impeachment, with 40 minutes for opening arguments by committee members and 20 minutes for closing statements.
A simple majority is needed to send the matter to a trial before the Texas Senate. If the House votes to impeach Paxton, the memo said, the House would conduct the trial in the Senate through a group of House members called “managers.”
Paxton called on his supporters to “peacefully” voice their opinions at the Capitol during the proceedings on Saturday. And hardline conservative groups have leapt to his defense. Donald Trump Jr., Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi and Stephen Miller, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, have all expressed support in recent days.
Appearing on the far-right television network Newsmax, Paxton told U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, that "liberal Republicans" were working with Democrats to remove him from office for pushing a conservative agenda. Gaetz asked Paxton if he was confident that he had enough votes in the House to block an impeachment. Paxton said no.
"They thought I was gonna lose my election to [George P.] Bush and they became very disturbed when I won," Paxton said about his primary challenger from last May. "They concocted this plan, I think months and months ago, maybe right after my reelection, thinking that the voters were not not smart enough to figure this out."
On Friday, Defend Texas Liberty sent mass text messages urging supporters to contact their representatives and condemn the investigation. “Don’t let them team up with Democrats to steal your vote,” read one text message.
Democrats, meanwhile, have also urged their voters to show up at the Capitol on Saturday. In a mass text message sent by the Travis County Democratic Party, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, called the proceedings "a serious moment for our state, and a chance to show accountability."
James Barragán, Alex Nguyen and William Melhado contributed reporting.
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Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday afternoon denounced the state House’s move to impeach him as an “illegal impeachment scheme.” He also called on supporters to attend the impeachment vote at the Texas Capitol.
Speaking briefly at a press conference a day before the anticipated House vote, Paxton said House members were “showcasing their absolute contempt for the electoral process” and “inflicting lasting damage” on their chamber, which is controlled by the GOP and whose speaker is also a Republican.
“The corrupt politicians in the Texas House are demonstrating that blind loyalty to Speaker Dade Phelan is more important than upholding their oath of office,” Paxton said in a calm tone as he read from prepared remarks. “They are determined to ignore the law. They have denied me the opportunity to present the evidence which contradicts their politically motivated narrative.”
Paxton portrayed himself as a champion of conservative values and repeatedly invoked the numerous ways he’s challenged Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration. He said these efforts would fall apart without him in office.
“The House is poised to do exactly what Joe Biden has been hoping to accomplish since his first day in office: sabotage our work, my work, as attorney general of Texas,” Paxton said, speaking in front of 15 staffers at the attorney general’s office in downtown Austin and flanked by two banners reading “Liberty and justice for Texas.”
He left the room without taking questions, ignoring several shouted by reporters.
Chris Hilton, chief of general litigation for the attorney general’s office, came to the lectern next, saying the allegations against Paxton have long been public, and voters decided to reelect him last year anyway.
“There's no precedent in Texas history for an illegal, one-sided sham investigation like this one,” Hilton said.
The House plans to take up the impeachment debate at 1 p.m. Saturday, according to a memo from the House General Investigating Committee.
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Broadcom's $61 billion acquisition of VMware is expected to close this fall.
Employees in VMware's end-user computing and cybersecurity units speculate they could get spun out.
VMware had a small round of layoffs in January, and workers expect larger ones when the deal closes.
As Broadcom works to close its acquisition of VMware sometime later this year, some VMware employees say they're unsure about the future of the units they work in, if big layoffs will hit after the deal closes, or if customers will abandon them.
Broadcom and VMware announced the $61 billion deal last year and recently pushed back the deadline as it undergoes regulatory scrutiny. It's expected to close by the end of August or around Thanksgiving, VMware said in a recent SEC filing.
Insider spoke with one former and four current VMware employees about the changes they expect to face once they are owned by the chipmaker Broadcom. Their concerns can be summed up in a word: trepidation.
That's primarily because VMware is considered a "strange fit" for Broadcom, as Broadcom is, at its core, a hardware company while VMware is focused on software, one employee said.
Another employee said that staff members were excited about VMware spinning out as an independent company in 2021, but their excitement was tempered when news of the Broadcom deal came out.
"People are not at all happy. This is not a good acquisition," that employee said.
A VMware spokesperson said in a statement that after the deal closes, VMware customers will obtain "more choice and flexibility" in managing their IT needs, especially across multiple cloud-computing services. "This vision was a cornerstone of Broadcom's strategic rationale for pursuing the transaction." (See VMware's full statement below.)
The future of 2 of VMware's business units
Employees in the end-user-computing unit and the security unit — which includes the $2.1 billion acquisition of Carbon Black in 2019 — told Insider they were unsure if their units will be permanently folded into Broadcom, sold, or potentially spun out into stand-alone companies.
Carbon Black, a product that monitors cloud and on-premises tech for security threats, was supposed to be integrated into VMware's other flagship products within a year or two after VMware bought the company.
VMware's former COO Sanjay Poonen, left, and Carbon Black's former CEO Patrick Morley, who both left the company in 2021.VMware
But it's "kind of been in limbo," one employee said, adding that Carbon Black's operations haven't really been absorbed into the greater company yet; it still has separate Salesforce and support accounts from the rest of the company. "I think it's safe to say that it has been a slower process than we anticipated," that employee said.
Since Broadcom already owns the security company Symantec, employees have been speculating that Broadcom could spin out Carbon Black or sell it, three employees said.
"To me the writing is on the wall. They might sell off Carbon Black because they have Symantec, which is a duplicate," one employee said.
Similarly, employees say they're unsure about the future of the end-user-computing unit, which makes products for cloud-based workstations and for managing desktops and mobile devices and has some overlap with products Broadcom already offers.
At a team meeting, Robert Ruelas, VMware's head of end-user computing, admitted EUC isn't important for Broadcom and dodged a question on if EUC was staying with VMware, a former employee said.
In addition, there could be a culture clash, as VMware is more remote-friendly — especially in this business unit that makes products specifically for mobile users — while Broadcom is requiring workers to return to the office.
"One of the things that bothers a lot of EUC, especially their salespeople, is how do you square that you're coming in here and talking about customers and users who are demanding to work remotely and work from home?" an employee said.
Workers expect layoffs after the deal closes
Employees say they are nervous about potential layoffs once the deal closes.
VMware had a small round of layoffs in January, two employees said, and it regularly conducts annual layoffs around the close of its fiscal year in January. But they said this year the layoffs were smaller, and VMware has not announced a big workforce cut. As of February, VMware employed over 38,000 people.
In response to questions about the small layoff, the VMware spokesperson said, "We also continue to monitor the current macroeconomic uncertainty and the industry dynamics, and we reassess our needs annually against our multi-cloud and SaaS transformation goals."
Workers expect more staff to be cut once the deal closes, particularly on teams where there would be overlap like HR, accounting, sales, and marketing, as is common with acquisitions of this size.
"Everyone is concerned," one employee said. "Tech companies have been laying off right and left. VMware hasn't announced anything like that. I think they haven't announced this because after the deal is closed, I'm sure they will conduct layoffs."
Employees have witnessed the company tightening its belt during this uncertain economy, saying that VMware has restricted travel budgets and slowed hiring to cut costs.
"Like all other companies, we are not immune to macroeconomic effects. We've been thoughtful about managing the budget as everyone else," VMware's chief technology officer, Kit Colbert, told Insider. "Our real direction on this is being thoughtful on budget and where we want to invest."
Kit Colbert, VMware's CTO.VMware
Employees say the company saw plenty of turnover last year after the deal was announced, but now workers unhappy with the situation are stymied by the tech industry's mass layoffs and tighter job market.
"It's a bit scary," one employee said. "Most of the people who wanted to leave before this acquisition goes through do not want to be part of Broadcom" but face "a tough market situation."
The VMware spokesperson also pointed out that the company is still hiring and, despite the speculation, hasn't formally announced cuts. "While this is naturally a time of transition for VMware, we're seeing more and more people joining and contributing at the company. At this point in time, we have not conducted and are not planning a broad company restructuring. We are committed to ongoing management of our workforce in alignment with our business priorities," the spokesperson said.
Departing executives, all of whom left late last year, include networking senior vice president, Tom Gillis; cloud senior vice president, Mark Lohmeyer; modern application platform business senior vice president, Ajay Patel; Carbon Black vice president of engineering, Kal De; global support senior vice president, Karen Egan; and head of cybersecurity strategy, Tom Kellermann.
Employees are also acutely aware that the current C-suite execs, including CEO Raghu Raghuram, could be eligible for large payouts of millions once the deal closes, including golden parachutes if they lose their jobs. For instance, Raghuram's full potential golden-parachute compensation totals $53 million, Broadcom disclosed in September. A VMware spokesperson noted that retention packages are "standard practice" in acquisitions.
"Even if he gets axed, if he's to be moved out of this merger, he will have a big package with him," one employee said of Raghuram.
Broadcom plans a $2 billion investment
Still, Broadcom says it has big plans for VMware. CEO Hock Tan is "very aligned with the VMware strategy," Colbert said. Tan recently announced that Broadcom would invest an incremental $2 billion each year, with half focused on research and development and the other half on VMware solutions. He also said he plans to further invest in VMware's partnerships.
Broadcom CEO Hock E. Tan.Lucas Jackson/Reuters
"We're pretty excited about it. Budgets are tight so it would be great to get additional money to invest in highest-priority initiatives such as generative AI," Colbert said about the form of AI that can chat and create images and is currently the talk of the tech industry.
VMware is thinking about how it can enhance its products and operations with AI capabilities, such as using language models to ask questions to documents, adding chat interfaces, and detecting system anomalies, he added.
It's worth pointing out that text and document management is not VMware's bread-and-butter offering. VMware is known for its software and services that manage data-center hardware and cloud services.
But the spokesperson said VMware is thinking about how to add AI to existing products and use it internally as well.
"We are evaluating how we can deliver smarter solutions to our customers by bringing generative AI to service products that we already build," a VMware spokesperson said. "Additionally, we are looking at ways to harness AI to make our day-to-day operations better. We are also taking a holistic approach that will take into consideration the responsible and ethical use of AI."
Customers are uncertain, too
Still, such lofty plans are not being communicated to many VMware workers, these employees say. They say leadership has given few specifics on what VMware will look like once it's absorbed.
"There hasn't been much discussion of that other than positive affirmations that the Broadcom acquisition would be a good thing for us but not really elaborating on it," an employee said. "There hasn't been a lot of specifics in how we would look or operate."
Some customers are particularly worried that Broadcom would raise VMware's product pricing, two employees said, although Tan addressed that in a November blog post by promising he wouldn't. "Nonetheless, I've continued to see questions in press reports about whether we intend to raise prices on VMware products. The answer is simple: No," he wrote.
Another concern is that sales representatives will focus more on short-term deals rather than long-term ones, another employee said.
"If you're a sales rep, and you don't know if you're going to be here in three months or four months, do you really want to spend six months working on a $2 million deal or spend the six months working on five to six $150,000 deals?" that employee said. "The longer the transition just drags on, it's terrible for those people."
VMware says Broadcom will give customers 'more choice'
Despite workers' concerns, the company says this deal will provide VMware with more resources to expand and grow. Here's the full statement sent to Insider when asked if the two companies are a fit and what employees and customers can expect once the merger closes.
The Broadcom acquisition of VMware continues to move forward as expected, including the regulatory review process taking place across multiple jurisdictions, and we continue to expect the deal to close in Broadcom's fiscal year 2023.
Following the close of the deal, the combined Broadcom and VMware will offer customers more choice and flexibility in how they run, manage and secure their workloads in this increasingly complex multi-cloud era. This vision was a cornerstone of Broadcom's strategic rationale for pursuing the transaction.
We appreciate the interest in the future of VMware and will continue to keep customers and partners updated as the deal moves forward.
Meanwhile, we continue to operate as a standalone company, supporting our customers and partners, driving innovation, and delivering across all of our businesses, in line with our business goals and our transformation to a subscription and SaaS business.
Our multi-cloud technology strategy remains the same – to help customers accelerate innovation and navigate multi-cloud complexity through a cloud smart approach.
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The number of contracts to purchase pre-owned homes was unchanged in April. The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) said its Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), a forward-looking indicator of existing home sales, remained at the March level of 78.9. The index had seen some improvement over the first three months of the year but is now down 20.3 percent on an annual basis.
NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun attributed the lackluster sales during what is usually residential real estate’s most active season is due in part to ongoing inventory restraints. He added, “Affordability challenges certainly remain and continue to hold back contract signings, but a sizeable increase in housing inventory will be critical to get more Americans moving.”
While three of the four major regions saw an uptick in new sales contracts, those changes were negated by a sizeable decline in the fourth. The PHSI in the Northeast fell 11.3 percent from March to 59.1 and was 21.8 percent lower than the prior April. The Midwest’s index improved 3.6 percent to 78.4 which was down 21.4 percent on an annual basis.
Pending sales in the South rose 0.1 percent to 99.6 in April while sinking by 16.7 percent year-over-year. A 4.7 percent increase in the West took that PHSI to 62.2, a 26.0 percent decline from April 2022.
The Pending Home Sales Index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes which are usually finalized within one or two months. The PHSI was benchmarked at 100 in 2001, a number equal to the average level of contract activity during that year.
Yun noted that the South’s April reading was only a fraction of a point below the benchmark level. “Minor monthly variations in regional activity are typical,” he said. “However, cumulative results over many years clearly point towards a much greater number of home sales in the South. The South’s pending home sales activity is similar to that of 2001, but the Midwest’s activity has decreased by 22 percent in that same period, and the Northeast and West regions are both about 40 percent lower than they were in 2001.”
Existing-Home Sales for May will be reported on June 22.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, a member of the league finance committee, expressed guarded optimism about the completion of the deal.
“There’s certain criteria that has to be met, and that’s just the way it is. It’s not there yet, but it doesn’t mean that it can’t get there. It’s complicated. Put it that way. I could explain it to you, and it wouldn’t tell you anything,” Irsay said.
Neither Snyder nor his wife, Tanya, came to Minnesota for the meeting. The league’s preference, Irsay said, is to have the deal approved prior to the start of the regular season. Irsay indicated the amount of money at stake and the amount of investors involved in Harris’ group — which includes Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson — has lengthened the approval process.
“We’re working hard. Everyone wants to get it done, and it’s seeing that it just complies with league policy. It’s a complicated deal, so we’re trying to just work through it and we’re hopeful we can get it done. It’s going to take probably several more weeks of discussions before we see if we can reach the goal line,” Irsay said.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he wasn’t concerned about the viability of the bid from Harris, who owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils with partner David Blitzer, as long as it’s properly structured.
“Which it will be,” Jones said. “It’s too important for them to have the right structure coming in, because they’ll benefit by the way it’s been structured for everybody else in the past.”
There’s no timeline in place for a vote.
“These are outstandingly qualified owners,” Jones said. “That always rules the day on getting it cleared with the NFL.”
“Dan is a personal friend,’’ Stephen Jones said. “I hope at the end of the day, things end up where he and his family are happy with the situation.
“I know the league, the staff up there, the league and the committees involved with the sale, will do a great job of vetting and making sure if there is going to be a new partner, that new partner will be a great partner.’’
Staff writer David Moore contributed to this post.
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