The Pfizer/Allergan deal continues to dominate the financial world, with Pfizer’s CEO defending the merger and Washington searching for ways to reform the corporate tax code and prevent future tax-motivated corporate inversions – NYTimes
All is not little yellow smiley faces at Yahoo, which finds itself mired in a “crisis of morale” as CEO Marissa Mayer’s turnaround plan has slowed – WSJ
The ex-Rabobank employees recently found guilty of Libor rigging are seeking a new trial, accusing the DOJ of failing to prove their case – Law360
NY AG Eric Schneiderman’s jumping on the spoofing crackdown train, just weeks after the U.S.’s first spoofing trial in Chicago saw a quick and decisive DOJ win – NYTimes and Bloomberg
Bill Ackman and Pershing Square are just about literally doubling down on their Valeant bet, even as the pharmaceutical company continues to receive increased scrutiny – NYTimes and Bloomberg
Meanwhile, another well-known activist investor, Carl Icahn, has taken a 7.1% stake in Xerox, immediately pledging to approach its board to improve “operational performance and pursu[e] strategic alternatives.” Xerox shares jumped on the news in after-hours trading last night – NYTimes and WSJ
BNY Mellon has warned the Supreme Court in its opposition briefing that overturning a Second Circuit opinion that refused to allow a group of pension funds to sue over BNY Mellon’s trust oversight has consequences far beyond the $30 billion at issue in those trusts—rather, such a decision that “retroactively changed the terms of contracts governing trillions of dollars worth of investments” could “throw the RMBS market into chaos” – Law360
How about this for some exciting correspondence: Fed Chair Yellen to long-time consumer rights advocate Ralph Nader defending 7 years of near-zero interest rates – Bloomberg
New evidence developed by an international team of scientists suggests that the shift from hunting & gathering to agriculture in Europe (about 8500 years ago) had a profound effect on people’s DNA—leading to “widespread changes . . . [in] height, digestion, immune system and skin color” – NYTimes
A good piece of science writing is just about the best thing around. This one on Einstein’s theory of general relativity—100 years old tomorrow(!)—adds in some of the flavor of 1915 and certainly fits the bill. Enjoy – NYTimes