NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ready Capital Corporation RC (the "Company") announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.25 per share of common stock and Operating Partnership unit for the quarter ended December 31, 2024. This dividend is payable on January 31, 2025, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 31, 2024. Additionally, the Company announced that its Board of Directors declared quarterly cash dividends on its 6.25% Series C Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (the "Series C Preferred Stock"), and its 6.50% Series E Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (the "Series E Preferred Stock"). The Company declared a dividend of $0.390625 per share of Series C Preferred Stock payable on January 15, 2025, to Series C Preferred stockholders of record as of the close of business on December 31, 2024. The Company declared a dividend of $0.40625 per share of Series E Preferred Stock payable on January 31, 2025, to Series E Preferred stockholders of record as of the close of business on December 31, 2024. About Ready Capital Corporation Ready Capital Corporation RC is a multi-strategy real estate finance company that originates, acquires, finances and services lower-to-middle-market investor and owner occupied commercial real estate loans. The Company specializes in loans backed by commercial real estate, including agency multifamily, investor, construction, and bridge as well as U.S. Small Business Administration loans under its Section 7(a) program. Headquartered in New York, New York, the Company employs approximately 350 professionals nationwide. Contact Investor Relations 212-257-4666 InvestorRelations@readycapital.com Media Relations PR@readycapital.com © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Canada Post strike update: Union 'frustrated' with proposals, but postal service says it has yet to see formal response

A Department of Justice (DoJ) investigation aimed at finding leakers during Donald Trump’s first presidency resulted in invasive searches of congressional staffers’ phone and email records, often without specific cause or the prior approval of the attorney general, a report published on Tuesday has found. In findings that may trigger concerns of how Trump’s incoming administration will behave, the department’s inspector general concluded that DoJ lawyers overreached their authority in their inquiries aimed at discovering who was leaking classified information in 2017, in the early phases of the president-elect’s first stint in the White House. The phone records of two Congress members and 43 staffers – including 21 Democrats and 20 Republicans, along with two holding non-partisan roles – were sought in an aggressive effort to find the source of leaks following the firing of James Comey, the former FBI director, who was ousted by Trump. Although Michael Horowitz’s 96-page report did not identify those whose records had been searched, CNN reported that they included Kash Patel, whom Trump has nominated to be the next FBI director. Patel was a staff member of the House of Representatives’ intelligence committee at the time of the DoJ leak inquiry. Others included the then House member, and recently elected Democratic senator, Adam Schiff – branded as an “enemy within” by Trump in his successful recent presidential election campaign – and Eric Swalwell, another Democratic representative. DoJ prosecutors also sought the records of journalists from the New York Times, Washington Post and CNN as part of the investigation. The subpoenaing of reporters’ records during the first Trump administration has been previously reported and was described as “simply, simply wrong” by Joe Biden in 2021, leading to the DoJ announcing it would no longer seek a legal process to find out journalists’ sources. Since his first presidency, Trump has pledged to jail reporters who do not divulge their sources on stories he considers to have national security implications – a threat now carrying greater weight with his imminent return to the White House. Horowitz said many of the congressional records had been obtained without just cause and, as such, put Congress’s constitutional oversight function of the executive branch at risk. “[D]ozens of congressional staffers became part of the subject pool in a federal criminal investigation for doing nothing more than performing constitutionally authorized oversight of the executive branch,” he wrote. “We believe that using compulsory process to obtain such records when based solely on the close proximity in time between access to the classified information and subsequent publication of the information – which was the case with most of the process issued for non-content communications records of congressional staff in the investigations we examined – risks chilling Congress’s ability to conduct oversight of the executive branch.” The report said DoJ prosecutors did not take into account important constitutional principles governing the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches. The subpoenas requested records of whom staff had spoken to and for how long, rather than the content of their conversations. However, even such limited requests amounted to an encroachment on Congress’s constitutional powers, the report suggested. It stated: “Even non-content communications records – such as those predominantly sought here – can reveal the fact of sensitive communications of members of Congress and staffers, including with executive branch whistleblowers and with interest groups engaging in First Amendment activity.” Criticism of the department for over-zealousness during Trump’s first administration seems ironic given his insistent claims that it was weaponised against him after he left office to press criminal charges that he has dismissed as a political witch-hunt and which he has demanded be purged. It may also foreshadow developments in his forthcoming presidency after he nominated a staunch loyalist, Pam Bondi, as attorney general, after his original pick, Matt Gaetz, stepped aside amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to bring the DoJ under direct White House control, in contrast with the quasi-independent status it has held since the Watergate era. He has also spoken of using it to pursue his political opponents and enemies.

Wedding barn operators can challenge provisions in Wisconsin law requiring them to secure a liquor license, a judge ruled Friday. Trempealeau County Circuit Court Judge Rian Radtke denied the state Department of Revenue's motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The conservative law firm Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, on behalf of two wedding barn operators, filed the lawsuit in May seeking to block provisions in the law, which Gov. Tony Evers signed late last year . The lawsuit targets measures regulating private event venues that were pushed by several major lobbying groups including the Tavern League of Wisconsin. WILL deputy counsel Lucas Vebber said Radtke's order marks "a good day for our clients." "Our case moves forward and they get to have their day in court to protect the businesses that they've built for years," Vebber said. "They're very happy about that." The lawsuit was filed by the owners of Monarch Valley Weddings and Farmview Event Barn against the state Department of Revenue and DOR Secretary David Casey and challenges provisions in the law that are due to take effect in 2026. In their motion to dismiss the case, attorneys representing the state wrote that the provisions "are rationally related to the legitimate objectives of promoting and regulating the responsible consumption of alcohol and decreasing the incidence of drunk driving on our roads and highways." "In short, the challenged laws are likely to decrease the number of events where free alcohol is served on rented premises in rural areas, thereby reducing alcohol-related safety concerns," they said. "This is quintessentially the exercise of police power to protect the public." Attorneys for WILL argue the changes violate business owners' constitutional right to equal protection and their right to earn a living. Private event venues like wedding barns rent out the facilities for parties, with the renter responsible for purchasing and providing alcohol to guests. However, provisions in the law add wedding barns to the list of spaces defined as a "public place." Attorneys for WILL say the change essentially gives the owners of such businesses three options: getting a liquor license, which comes with a cost and could also require modifications to their zoning permits; operating as a "no sale event venue," which drastically limits the number of events they can host; or no longer allowing alcohol at events. The "no sale event venue" permit allows the venue to operate as it has in the past, with patrons providing their own alcohol, but it also limits the number of such events to one per month and no more than six in a year. The changes were opposed by many in the wedding barn industry, though several groups, including the Tavern League, largely supported the effort as a means to hold private event venues to the same standards as other establishments where liquor is served. Despite passing the state Assembly in June 2023, legislation meant to overhaul the state's alcohol industry sat idle for months in the state Senate until Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, last November bypassed the committee process by adding the text of the proposal as an amendment to a separate measure. The measure ultimately passed the Senate with bipartisan support and opposition, with opponents objecting especially to the potential impact on wedding barn operators. Evers signed the bill into law in December.

The undefeated Vernon Panthers will look to ground some northern birds in the semifinals at the 2024 Tsumura Basketball Invitational Girls High School Basketball tournament in the Fraser Valley. The Panthers will face the Duchess Park Condors of Prince George at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13. Dave Tetreault's crew advanced to the Select 16 semifinals by freezing the South Delta Sun Devils 63-54 in a Thursday quarterfinal. The Sun Devils led 14-1 before the Panthers got going, tying the game at the half, then taking their own 13-point lead late in the third quarter. But South Delta clawed back to pull ahead 54-52, only to see the Panthers end the game on an 11-0 run. Paige Leahy led VSS with 19 points, Chloe Collins added 15, and Adie Janke had 14. Collins and Janke nailed key three-point shots in the final quarter for the Cats. The Panthers will next face the smothering defence of the Condors, who defeated Langley's Walnut Grove Gators 88-27 in their quarterfinal. Duchess Park held the Gators to just 11 first-half points. In the Super 16 bracket, the Kelowna Owls were bounced from the championship side, falling 62-56 to Langley's Brookswood Bobcats. The Owls held Grade 10 phee-nom Jordyn Nohn to just 17 points. Nohr erupted for 52 points in the Bobcats' opening round game. Mavleen Chahal led the Owls with 25 points while Ava Thiessen scored all 12 of her points from the three-point line. On the consolation side, the Okanagan Mission Huskies of Kelowna evened their tournament record at 1-1 with a 56-50 win over the Sa-Hali Sabres of Kamloops. The Huskies face the Semiahmoo Thunderbirds of Surrey at 11:45 a.m. The Owls will take on the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers of Surrey at 4:30 p.m. For schedule and scores, .Religious ceremony marks council’s 15th anniversary

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Rethinking Telecommunications with Satellite-Cellphone ConnectivityPAY ATTENTION: Follow our WhatsApp channel to never miss out on the news that matters to you! Outgoing US President Joe Biden on Tuesday branded his successor Donald Trump's economic plans a "disaster," in a speech hailing his own legacy. Biden said Trump's threats to slap huge tariffs on imports were a "major mistake" and challenged Trump to build on what he said were the successes of his own administration. The lame-duck president's speech comes after Trump won a second term largely on the back of US voters' anger at high costs of living under Democrats. "I pray to God the president-elect throws away Project 2025. I think it'd be an economic disaster for us and the region," Biden said at the Brookings Institution in Washington, referring to a conservative blueprint for a second Trump administration. Coughing frequently because of a cold, Biden said US consumers would pay the price for the tariffs that Trump has vowed to slap on US neighbors Mexico and Canada and on Asia-Pacific rival China. Read also Most markets down as traders assess crises in S.Korea, France Together they are the three biggest US trading partners. PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app! "I believe this approach is a major mistake," Biden added. At a separate event Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Trump's tariffs could "derail the progress that we've made on inflation, and have adverse consequences on growth." She warned at the Wall Street Journal's CEO Council Summit that sweeping tariffs could raise prices significantly for US consumers and pile pressure on companies which rely on imports. Shadow president The White House touted Biden's speech as a "major address on his economic legacy" as the 82-year-old looks to the history books with fewer than six weeks left in office. Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race against Trump in July due to concerns about his age and passed the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Trump comfortably defeated at the November polls. Trump's inauguration is not until January 20, but he has already become something of a shadow president, making pronouncements on the economy and foreign policy and being feted by world leaders. Read also South Korea stocks drop, won stable as Asian markets fluctuate Biden has kept a relatively low profile, but he came out swinging in defense of his own record before an audience of economists. He contrasted his "middle-out, bottom-up economic playbook" with what he called Trump's failed promise of "trickle-down economics" in which tax cuts for the wealthy are supposed to boost incomes. Biden also touted achievements including the US economy's recovery from the Covid pandemic and his huge investments in green technology and industry. "President-elect Trump is receiving the strongest economy in modern history," said Biden. But the departing president said he regretted not signing his name to Covid stimulus checks sent out to Americans, like Trump had done. Biden ended his speech with a broader plea for US leadership in a troubled world, even as Trump has repeatedly signaled his intention to take a more isolationist stance. "If we do not lead the world, what nation leads the world?" he said. PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy! Source: AFP

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