Story of the Week (DR):

Lachlan Murdoch Secures Control of Fox and News Corp, Ending Succession Fight

Lachlan Murdoch is confirmed as Rupert Murdoch’s successor, gaining control over the family’s media empire (which includes Fox Corporation and News Corp).

Prudence MacLeod, Elisabeth Murdoch, and James Murdoch—three of Rupert’s older children—will each receive about US$1.1 billion. They will sell their holdings in Fox and News Corp and give up beneficial/trust rights in those companies.

Apart from full siblings Elisabeth and James Murdoch, Lachlan has three half-siblings, an elder half-sister Prudence, and two younger sisters by his father's third marriage, Grace and Chloe.

A new family trust will be set up benefiting Lachlan and Rupert’s younger daughters, Grace and Chloe. That trust will hold controlling voting shares in Fox and News Corp.

The three older siblings will no longer be beneficiaries in the trust(s) connected to Fox and News Corp. They also give up any voting rights held via those trusts.

Rupert Murdoch, despite handing over the control structure, retains a role as Chairman Emeritus.

The new trust arrangement secures Lachlan’s control over the companies through 2050.

One of Rupert Murdoch’s concerns was the possibility that the more moderate siblings (Prudence, Elisabeth, James) could shift the political or editorial leanings of Fox/News Corp after he’s gone. The new structure is designed to prevent that.

Senators Call for Hearings About JPMorgan’s Ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Democrats want CEO Jamie Dimon to testify about keeping Epstein as a client until 2013

Epstein had dozens of accounts at JPMorgan’s private bank and communicated often with bank executives, connecting them to his wealthy contacts, ties The Wall Street Journal first reported in 2023 to be deeper than understood. Epstein was a JPMorgan client before and after he was convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008 and forced to register as a sex offender.

Trump Epstein letter and drawing from ‘birthday book’ released

Eric Trump removed from the ALT5 board of directors after discussion with the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Trump’s second son, Eric Trump, was removed from the ALT5 board of directors. According to the SEC filing, the change was made after discussion with the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, therefore, the change was in order to comply with Nasdaq’s listing rules.

It is still unclear which of the Nasdaq rules caused Eric Trump to be removed. The closest reason would be the rule that requires a majority of board members at listed companies to be independent. However, if Trump didn’t qualify as independent, other members would have also been removed, which was not the case.

after discussion with The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC … and in order to comply with Nasdaq’s listing rules.”

He is now a board observer: While he was originally announced as a full board member, Eric Trump has been reassigned to observer status — meaning he can attend meetings but doesn’t have voting power.

Larry Ellison's $100 billion day reminds us why David Ellison could buy Paramount

Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, recently saw his net worth jump by around US$100 billion in a single day due to a spike in Oracle’s stock.

Larry’s wealth was a key factor enabling his son, David Ellison, to acquire Paramount.

David Ellison’s position is less pressured because his father’s vast wealth gives him a kind of “cushion” — meaning that even if some deals don’t go well, he can withstand the backlash more than many media owners could.

Paramount Skydance Prepares Ellison-Backed Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery

The majority of the planned bid for Warner will be made up of cash

A Key to Larry Ellison’s Wealth Creation: Years of Oracle Stock Buybacks

Oracle has used aggressive stock buybacks over the past 15 years as a major lever to boost shareholder value—and especially to amplify Larry Ellison’s personal wealth.

Oracle has aggressively repurchased its own shares over roughly the last 15 years — reducing its outstanding share count by nearly 45%.

Because Larry Ellison held roughly the same number of shares, his ownership percentage rose from ~23% to around 41% without buying more stock.

This buyback strategy significantly boosted the value of Ellison’s stake — Barron’s estimates that without the buybacks, his stake might have been worth only $215 billion instead of the current ~$387 billion.

Ellison didn’t need to purchase additional Oracle shares to increase the value of his investment—he benefited from the shrinking pool of shares and the company’s rising valuation.

Vanguard Tries To Get Investors Interested In Proxy Voting MM

Vanguard’s trying to get millions of its fund investors involved in big corporate decisions—but so far, most people are still tuning out. That’s left folks wondering who really holds sway at America’s largest companies.

Vanguard’s campaign faces a classic case of 'rational apathy', where most index fund investors skip shareholder votes because it feels like a hassle with little impact on their own wallets.

Even though Vanguard’s Voting Choice program doubled participation to 82,000 people and tripled the dollar value voted to $9 billion, that’s tiny compared to the company’s 50 million investors and $11 trillion in assets.

Studies from Duke, Florida, and Columbia universities show just how overwhelming the sheer number of ballot measures can be—making most people pick broad voting policies, like mainstream or anti-ESG, instead of poring over each decision.

While reformers hope wider voting can democratize the system, the early results point the other way: individuals often skip votes or side with management, letting company leaders keep their grip. In fact, last year’s Tesla shareholder votes would have failed if Vanguard’s index funds had voted like individuals.

Financial Services Committee Examines the Shareholder Proposal Process and Proxy Advisory Firms