WJI's daily reads for Aug. 9, 2021

BGR: Apple's phone-scanning plans have privacy advocates freaked.

The Washington Post:  Cannabis legally grown in the United States is flowing into Mexico, where it's very popular.

“The demand here for American weed has exploded,” said one dealer in Mexico City, who estimated that 60 percent of the marijuana he sells now comes from California. The dealer spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of arrest. “It’s aspirational for many of my clients. They want to be seen smoking the best stuff, the stuff rappers brag about smoking.”

NOLA: New Orleans pardoned thousands convicted of marijuana possession. 

The New Orleans City Council on Thursday pardoned thousands of people who have been summoned to court for marijuana possession and plans automatic pardons for future recipients of the citations - historic steps aimed at bringing New Orleans as close to legalizing the drug as is possible. 

The unanimous vote represents an unprecedented blanket use of the council's little-known pardon authority, an exercise that members said will help thousands of people who have been penalized for small amounts of the illegal drug. 
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AP: New Oklahoma attorney general asks U.S. Supreme Court to reverse its own major tribal ruling.

Reuters: Big corporate bonuses in bankruptcies veering toward "entitlement."

Denouncing bonuses for high-ranking officers of companies that are in bankruptcy is not uncommon. But it often has little sway with judges, who must approve the incentive plans. In fact, what made the Mallinckrodt situation stand out was that creditors even bothered to challenge the payments in court. These days, corporate debtors tend to arrange a deal with their creditors behind the scenes in order to fend off a public fight when a bonus plan is presented publicly.
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Mallinckrodt’s bankruptcy was precipitated by widespread litigation accusing it of helping to fuel the national opioid epidemic, which has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans, by downplaying the risks of its drugs. But in April, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge John Dorsey in Delaware concluded that “mere allegations” of senior management misconduct in the years leading up to the bankruptcy was not enough to justify denying them bonuses.
Mallinckrodt said the bonuses were a matter of "appropriately compensating and incentivizing" the executives, in response to the objections. A representative for the company declined to comment.
Mallinckrodt is just one of many bankrupt companies - including OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma - that have sought and received court approval of executive bonus plans in recent years, even as many have opted to pay bonuses before they file for Chapter 11 protection.