Vox Media Purchases Preet Bharara’s Cafe Studios

Vox Media looks to bolster its podcasting arm with the acquisition of Cafe Studios, a podcast company co-founded by Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Financial terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed. However, Bharara and executive producer and head of content Tamara Sepper will join Vox Media under the new agreement.

Cafe Studios’ podcasts typically revolve around law and policy and how they intersect with technology, politics and business. Bharara hosts the flagship podcast, Stay Tuned With Preet. The company also operates a subscription program that offers members exclusive podcasts, newsletters, articles and live events.

The Cafe Studios acquisition marks a trend of expansion deals Vox Media has been striking in the last three years. Vox Media made headlines in late 2019 buying New York Media, publisher of New York Magazine and other digital outlets like the Cut and Vulture. The conglomerate also purchased Epic, a production studio, and the commenting platform Coral.

Vox Media’s podcasts number more than 200. Among them are Pivot, Decoder and Today, Explained. Their portfolio of news sites include Curbed, Eater, Polygon, Recode, SB Nation, The Verge, Vox.com among others

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Officer Near Minneapolis Kills Motorist, and a Crowd Confronts the Police

A young man pulled over for a traffic violation was shot in Brooklyn Center, near where an officer is on trial in the death of George Floyd.

By Azi Paybarah

‘Making Japan proud’: Tiger Woods congratulates Hideki Matsuyama for history-making Masters win

Hideki Matsuyama made history Sunday, becoming the first Japanese male golfer to win a major championship by wrapping up the 2021 Masters title.

His history-making win earned kudos from the biggest name in the golf world: Tiger Woods. 

"Making Japan proud Hideki," Woods wrote on his verified Twitter account. "Congratulations on such a huge accomplishment for you and your country. This historical @TheMasters win will impact the entire golf world." 

Woods, who was absent from the 2021 tournament as he continues his recovery from a February car crash, has captured the green jacket five times, most recently in 2019, the most recent Masters to be played in its traditional April timeslot. That title marked Woods' first major in nearly 11 years, and 15th major title overall. 

Making Japan proud Hideki. Congratulations on such a huge accomplishment for you and your country. This historical @TheMasters win will impact the entire golf world.

Woods himself made Masters history when he won his first green jacket in 1997. That victory, the first major win of his career, made Woods the first African-American winner at Augusta National. 

China Fines Alibaba $2.8 Bln For Anti-monopoly Violations

Alibaba Group was fined 18.23 billion yuan or about $2.79 billion by Chinese regulators as a result of an anti-monopoly investigation.

The fine amounts to about 4% of the company’s 2019 domestic revenue.

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said Alibaba abused its dominant market position for several years. The tech giant restricted competition by stopping some sellers using other platforms.

Billionaire Jack Ma’s Alibaba reportedly accepted the penalty imposed by the country’s anti-monopoly regulator.

The tech giant reportedly said that it was not aware of any further anti-monopoly investigations by Chinese regulators, though it indicated that Alibaba and its competitors would remain under review in China over mergers and acquisitions.

In December 2020, China’s central bank ordered Ant Group to rectify its operations and comply with regulatory requirements.

Ant Group, formerly known as Ant Financial and Alipay, is an affiliate company of Alibaba Group.

In November 2020, Ant’s planned $37 billion initial public offering in Shanghai and Hong Kong, which was supposed to be the world’s largest IPO, was suspended, citing that the company might not meet listing qualifications or disclosure requirement.

Herald afternoon quiz: April 12

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Biden to name former NSA deputy director to lead CISA: report

Fox News Flash top headlines for April 11

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com.

John C. Inglis, the former deputy director of the National Security Agency, is expected to be tapped by President Biden to head the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency, according to a report late Sunday.

The Washington Post reported that the post is a White House position. The paper said Inglis, who spent eight years in the position at the NSA,  is expected to be confirmed with ease. The position was created at the end of last year and will likely have to face growing security threats posed by foreign actors.

The expected Monday announcement comes weeks after reports surfaced that suspected Russian hackers gained access to government email accounts, including one belonging to former acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, the Associated Press reported. The accounts were accessed by what is known as the SolarWinds intrusion.

An inquiry by the AP found new details about the breach at DHS and other agencies, including the Energy Department, where hackers accessed top officials’ schedules. At least nine federal agencies were hacked, along with dozens of private-sector companies.

The Associated Press contributed to this report