<ul class="summary-list"><li>A close friend of <keyword id="2599781" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Jared-Kushner" source="Orion">Jared Kushner</keyword>'s has been charged with cyberstalking his now ex-wife.</li><li>Kenneth Kurson, a former editor of the Observer, was pardoned by Trump this year for related charges.</li><li>The Manhattan district attorney said Kurson used spyware to access his wife's Gmail and Facebook.</li></ul><p>A close friend of Jared Kushner's who was <a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-regarding-executive-grants-clemency-012021/">pardoned</a> earlier this year by President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump" source="Orion">Donald Trump</keyword> was charged with spying on his wife's email and Facebook messages.</p><p>The Manhattan district attorney's office <a href="https://www.manhattanda.org/d-a-vance-presidential-pardonee-ken-kurson-charged-with-cybercrime-felonies/">said on Wednesday</a> that from September 2015 to March 2016, Kenneth Kurson, 52, monitored the digital activity of his wife at the time. He was charged with eavesdropping and computer trespass. He was arrested on Wednesday, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/ken-kurson-kushner-friend-charged-trump-pardon/2021/08/18/d670ef70-ffac-11eb-a664-4f6de3e17ff0_story.html">The Washington Post</a> and <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-family-friend-associate-ken-kurson-arrested-cyber/story?id=79507632">ABC News reported</a>.</p><p>Kurson, the Observer's former editor-in-chief, used spyware to monitor his wife's keystrokes and access her Facebook and Gmail from his office in midtown Manhattan, the DA's statement said.</p><p>A complaint said his now ex-wife, who was not named in the DA's statement, had told authorities that Kurson "terrorized her through email and social <keyword id="6354777" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Media" source="Orion">media</keyword> causing her problems at work and in her social life," The Post reported.</p><p>Kurson's lawyer did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.</p><p>On January 20, Trump pardoned Kurson <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/individual-charged-cyberstalking-three-victims">for earlier, related charges</a> of cyberstalking three unnamed people, one of whom Kurson believed was responsible for the breakdown of his marriage.</p><p>Kurson has close ties with Trumpworld. He co-authored Rudy Giuliani's 2002 bestseller "Leadership," and, <a href="https://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/04/new-york-observer-hits-reset-again-names-ken-kurson-new-editor/?mtrref=en.wikipedia.org&amp;gwh=32553E419F5ECBE395C7EB0B4404F950&amp;gwt=pay&amp;assetType=PAYWALLType=PAYWALL">according to The New York Times</a>, he was appointed to his news-editor role in 2013 by Kushner, then the Observer Media Group's owner.</p><p>Kurson, who worked on one of Trump's speeches, was vetted for a role on the board of the National Endowment for the Humanities in the Trump administration - which led to the FBI's cyberstalking investigation, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/26/business/ken-kurson-jared-kushner.html">The Times reported</a>.</p><p><a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-regarding-executive-grants-clemency-012021/">Trump's pardon</a> on the last day of his presidency noted Kurson's charity and community work and said Kurson's ex-wife had called for an end to the investigation.</p><p>But as soon as Kurson was pardoned at the federal level, the Manhattan DA opened an investigation at the state level.</p><p>"We will not accept <keyword id="1291096" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Presidential-pardons" source="Orion">presidential pardons</keyword> as get-out-of-jail-free cards for the well-connected in <keyword id="6355838" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-york" source="Orion">New York</keyword>," Manhattan DA <keyword id="9547823" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cy-vance" source="Orion">Cy Vance</keyword> Jr. said in the Wednesday statement.</p><p>"As alleged in the complaint, Mr. Kurson launched a campaign of cybercrime, manipulation, and abuse from his perch at the New York Observer, and now the people of New York will hold him accountable," Vance said, using the former name of the Observer Media Group's flagship newspaper.</p><p>Eavesdropping and computer trespass are Class E felonies that can lead to up to four years of probation.</p>

A close friend of Jared Kushner's who was pardoned by Trump has been charged over claims he used spyware to monitor his then-wife's online activity

<ul class="summary-list"><li>In his last hours in office, President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> issued more than 140 <keyword id="90070" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="pardons">pardons</keyword> and commutations.</li><li>Many went to nonviolent drug offenders, but Trump also gave clemency to some surprising figures.</li><li>The list included a friend of Jared Kushner, a snake smuggler, and a former Google executive.</li></ul><p>President Donald Trump issued 143 pardons and commutations in his final hours in office, none of which went to Joe Exotic.</p><p>Exotic and his lawyer Eric Love were hoping for a pardon - <a href="https://www.insider.com/joe-exotic-has-limo-waiting-near-prison-pardon-trump-2021-1">Love was said to be waiting outside the prison holding the "Tiger King" star with a limo</a> on standby (after several hours, he drove away). Exotic is serving a 22-year sentence on more than a dozen charges of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder.</p><p>But, surprisingly, the exotic-animal world <em>was</em> still represented on the president's list. Robert Bowker pleaded guilty to trafficking in wildlife 30 years ago, after he was caught transporting 22 snakes to the Miami Serpentarium, an act for which he was offered 22 American alligators. Bowker was sentenced to probation and has spent much of the past few decades working in conservation. Trump granted him a full pardon.</p><p>Trump also looked to pardon fellow politicians, including former Rep. Rick Renzi of Arizona, who was <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2021/01/19/former-arizona-rep-rick-renzi-pardoned-trump-land-swap-case/4184460001/">convicted in 2013</a> of extortion, bribery, insurance fraud, money laundering, and racketeering in connection with the development of a mine outside Phoenix.</p><p>Renzi was released from prison in 2017. In a statement Wednesday, he said: "After almost 14 years of fighting for my innocence, it took a real man of action and courage in President Trump to finally relieve me of the horrific deceit of being wrongly convicted by a Department of Justice that engaged in witness tampering, illegal wiretapping, and gross prosecutorial misconduct."</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-charges-ex-editor-of-kushner-owned-newspaper-with-cyberstalking-2020-10">Ken Kurson</a>, who in 2018 was nominated to be on the board of the National Endowment for the Humanities, was also granted a pardon in an ongoing cyberstalking case.</p><p>As the FBI began vetting the former New York Observer editor for the NEH role, it was revealed that he'd been accused of harassing and stalking two doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital, one of whom he was said to have blamed for the dissolution of his marriage in 2015.</p><p>A criminal complaint was filed that alleged Kurson had created false online personas to harass the women and that he had at one time contacted the women's employer to falsely accuse them of "improper contact with a minor," <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/20/jared-kushner-friend-ken-kurson-in-plea-negotiations-for-stalking-case.html">according to CNBC</a>.</p><p>Kurson is known to be a close friend of Jared Kushner and is connected to him through his work at the Observer, the newspaper Kushner once owned.</p><p>According to The New York Times, Kurson also <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/11/business/media/ken-kurson-trump-administration.html">helped write a campaign speech for Trump in 2016</a> and in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Rudolph-W-Giuliani/dp/0786868414">was a coauthor on Rudy Giuliani's 2002 book, "Leadership."</a></p><p>Also pardoned in the latest round was a former Google executive, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anthony-levandowski-waymo-uber-sentencing-2020-8">Anthony Levandowski</a>, whose clemency was supported by several entrepreneurial heavyweights, including the venture capitalist Peter Thiel, the Creative Artists Agency cofounder Michael Ovitz, and the Oculus cofounder Palmer Luckey.</p><p>Levandowski, who founded Google's self-driving-car initiative, became embroiled in a civil lawsuit after he was accused of sharing trade secrets with Uber. In March he pleaded guilty to one charge of secret theft and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.</p><p>More than a dozen of the pardons went to people who had been convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. In some cases, those convictions go back to the late 1980s and early 1990s. Many of the names given to Trump were vetted by Cut50, a bipartisan criminal-justice-reform group.</p><p>Alice Johnson, who was granted clemency by Trump in 2018 after being convicted of drug trafficking in 1996, was part of Cut50's efforts. (<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/us/politics/trump-alice-johnson-pardon.html">Trump granted Johnson a full pardon</a> in 2020 after she spoke at the Republican National Convention on his behalf.)</p><p>One particularly striking commutation that Johnson fought for was that of Ferrell Damon Scott, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute marijuana in 2007 and, under the <a href="https://law.stanford.edu/stanford-justice-advocacy-project/three-strikes-basics/">Three Strikes Law</a> policy, was given a life sentence. The commutation was supported by the acting US Attorney Sam Sheldon, who said he "strongly does not believe" that Scott deserved a life sentence.</p>

Trump's last-minute pardons include a guy who shared Google's trade secrets with Uber, a snake smuggler, and a man charged with cyberstalking a doctor

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55aaa23d2acae7b7188b79e7-1821-1366/10828176_10153150978179253_8109227175069199242_o (1).jpg" alt="Chipotle" data-mce-source="Chipotle Mexican Grill Facebook" /><p class="source"><span>Chipotle Mexican Grill Facebook</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>When Chipotle reports earnings July 21, everyone will be watching. </p><p>For the past decade, Chipotle's growth has been unstoppable. </p><p>But shares have fallen 9% since reaching an all-time high in January.</p><p>Many investors fear the burrito chain's $21 billion valuation might be too high and that it is nearing saturation. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chipotle-is-raising-its-prices-2014-4">Chipotle has also raised prices</a>, citing commodity costs, at a time when consumers are concerned about value. </p><p>Chipotle's traffic comparisons, expansion plans, and profit growth - which the company will report in a few days- determine whether the shares will go back to an upward trajectory. </p><p>Ken Kurson at Esquire <a href="http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/chipotle-business-0914">makes a compelling case</a> for why Chipotle's growth is unsustainable. </p><p>"Next time you're in a Chipotle, look past the attractive design and friendly employees," <a href="http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/chipotle-business-0914">Kurson writes</a>. "Would you buy that location (which almost certainly doesn't even own its real estate) for $12 million?"</p><p>Two key ingredients, beef and avocados, have proved especially costly. At the same time, the jobs market is recovering and fast food workers are striking for better benefits and pay. If business costs continue to rise, Chipotle's profits will suffer. </p><p>Chipotle's success is largely dependent on its "food with integrity" values, <a href="http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/chipotle-business-0914">according to Kurson</a>. So far, customers have been willing to shell out more for burritos that are higher-quality than many fast food competitors.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53ce6d076da811241a12a158-943-633/screen shot 2014-07-22 at 9.53.05 am.png" alt="chipotle " data-mce-source="Chipotle" data-link="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151839071954253&amp;set=pb.124149619252.-2207520000.1406037168.&amp;type=3&amp;theater" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151839071954253&amp;set=pb.124149619252.-2207520000.1406037168.&amp;type=3&amp;theater">Chipotle</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>But as Chipotle expands, it runs the risk that new customers won't be as perceptive.</p><p>"Will customers at airports and military bases and mall food courts-all cited as growth areas by the company-care as much about food with integrity?" Kurson asks. </p><p>Chipotle has 1,600 locations, with plans for more expansion.</p><p>Kurson argues that in order to live up to its high share value, the company would have to open considerably more locations. This could result in cannibalization - visitors stop frequenting one Chipotle in order to go to a closer one. The company could also have trouble finding customers  willing to shell out for its burritos. </p><p>Kurson reassures readers not to think that Chipotle is in trouble or going out of business. </p><p>"Bottom line: This is a great company with great food and a bright future," he writes. "But the stock is way ahead of itself."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/zara-dominating-beating-competition-fashion-industry-2015-7">The one reason Zara is dominating the fashion industry right now</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="RtMWI0djra013JV4Ff9AoHoTLKMzvgNg" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'RtMWI0djra013JV4Ff9AoHoTLKMzvgNg',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Chipotle is about to reveal key clues about its future

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5536b062ecad047f01514ef6-803-602/chipotle-burrito-53.png" border="0" alt="chipotle burrito"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://instagram.com/p/m0piMbhiCf/">Chipotle Instagram</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Chipotle's shares <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chipotle-q1-earnings-report-2015-4">are crashing</a> on news that the company's sales missed expectations.</p><p>For the past decade, Chipotle's growth has been unstoppable. </p><p>The burrito chain has a market value of $19 billion, and more than 1,600 locations. The stock price has increased nearly 45% in the past year. </p><p>But Ken Kurson at Esquire <a href="http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/chipotle-business-0914">makes a compelling case</a> for why Chipotle's growth is unsustainable. </p><p>"Next time you're in a Chipotle, look past the attractive design and friendly employees," <a href="http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/chipotle-business-0914">Kurson writes</a>. "Would you buy that location (which almost certainly doesn't even own its real estate) for $12 million?"</p><p>Here are a few reasons he says the growth could stop. </p><p><strong>1. Food and labor costs are rising.</strong> Earlier this year, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chipotle-is-raising-its-prices-2014-4">Chipotle raised prices</a>, citing commodity costs. Two key ingredients, beef and avocados, have proved especially costly. At the same time, the jobs market is recovering and fast food workers are striking for better benefits and pay. If business costs continue to rise, Chipotle's profits will suffer. </p><p><strong>2. The reason for Chipotle's success is "fragile."</strong> Chipotle's success is largely dependent on its "food with integrity" values, <a href="http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/chipotle-business-0914">according to Kurson</a>. So far, customers have been willing to shell out more for burritos that are higher-quality than many fast food competitors. But as Chipotle expands, it runs the risk that new customers won't be as perceptive. "<span>Will customers at airports and military bases and mall food courts-all cited as growth areas by the company-care as much about food with integrity?" Kurson asks. </span></p><p><span><strong>3. The company risks saturation.</strong> Chipotle has 1,600 locations, with plans for more expansion. Kurson argues that in order to live up to its high share value, the company would have to open considerably more locations. This could result in cannibalization - visitors stop frequenting one Chipotle in order to go to a closer one. The company could also have trouble finding customers  willing to shell out for its burritos. </span></p><p><span>Kurson reassures readers not to think that Chipotle is in trouble or going out of business. </span></p><p><span>"<span>Bottom line: This is a great company with great food and a bright future," he writes. "But the stock is way ahead of itself."</span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chipotle-secret-menu-quesarito-2015-4">There is a secret menu at Chipotle - here's what to order</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="NtaGI4cjo2qNqRf5ILuI8lAViUYtqgFr" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'NtaGI4cjo2qNqRf5ILuI8lAViUYtqgFr',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Chipotle's impressive growth could come to a screeching halt

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53ebd22a6bb3f7b9551c3b50-843-632/chipotle-17.png?maxX=480" border="0" alt="chipotle " width="480"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151839071954253&amp;set=pb.124149619252.-2207520000.1406037168.&amp;type=3&amp;theater">Chipotle</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div>For the past decade, Chipotle's growth has been unstoppable. </p>
<p>The burrito chain has a market value of $19 billion, and more than 1,600 locations. The stock price has increased nearly 70% in the past year. </p>
<p>But Ken Kurson at Esquire <a href="http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/chipotle-business-0914">makes a compelling case</a> for why Chipotle's growth is unsustainable. </p>
<p>"Next time you're in a Chipotle, look past the attractive design and friendly employees," <a href="http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/chipotle-business-0914">Kurson writes</a>. "Would you buy that location (which almost certainly doesn't even own its real estate) for $12 million?"</p>
<p>Here are a few reasons he says the bubble could burst. </p>
<p><strong>1. Food and labor costs are rising.</strong> Earlier this year, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chipotle-is-raising-its-prices-2014-4">Chipotle raised prices</a>, citing commodity costs. Two key ingredients, beef and avocados, have proved especially costly. At the same time, the jobs market is recovering and fast food workers are striking for better benefits and pay. If business costs continue to rise, Chipotle's profits will suffer. </p>
<p><strong>2. The reason for Chipotle's success is "fragile."</strong> Chipotle's success is largely dependent on its "food with integrity" values, <a href="http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/chipotle-business-0914">according to Kurson</a>. So far, customers have been willing to shell out more for burritos that are higher-quality than many fast food competitors. But as Chipotle expands, it runs the risk that new customers won't be as perceptive. "<span>Will customers at airports and military bases and mall food courts-all cited as growth areas by the company-care as much about food with integrity?" Kurson asks. </span></p>
<p><span><strong>3. The company risks saturation.</strong> Chipotle has 1,600 locations, with plans for more expansion. Kurson argues that in order to live up to its high share value, the company would have to open considerably more locations. This could result in cannibalization - visitors stop frequenting one Chipotle in order to go to a closer one. The company could also have trouble finding customers  willing to shell out for its burritos. </span></p>
<p><span>Kurson reassures readers not to think that Chipotle is in trouble or going out of business. </span></p>
<p><span>"<span>Bottom line: This is a great company with great food and a bright future," he writes. "But the stock is way ahead of itself."</span></span></p>

3 Reasons Chipotle Could Be Headed For A Bubble

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/559abb4beab8eaef697254a9-909-681/chipotle-burrito-15.jpg" border="0" alt="Chipotle Burrito"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/b-duss/">Flickr/b-duss</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Investors might be falling out of love with Chipotle. </p><p>The longtime darling of the restaurant industry has enjoyed several years of robust double-digit revenue growth and a soaring stock price to match. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Shares skyrocketed to $727 in February of this year, up 1,516% since Chipotle's IPO in 2006. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">But investors are slowly turning away from the chain, writes Jack Willoughby at </span><a href="http://online.barrons.com/articles/chipotle-losing-its-spice-1435895009">Barron's</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p><p>The company's stock price has fallen 16% to $609 since February, and investors expect it to drop another 15% to 20% to below $500 this year, Willoughby writes.</p><p>Investors could be spooked by a number of challenges confronting Chipotle this year.</p><p>The company<span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> is </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">battling </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-chipotle-stopped-serving-pork-2015-1">pork shortages</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, rising labor and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chipotles-steak-and-barbacoa-burrito-cost-2015-2">beef costs</a>, and an <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chipotles-gmo-ban-criticisms-2015-5">unexpected backlash</a> following its decision to remove GMOs from its menu.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/559ac2a7eab8ea74107254a7-1087-494/screen shot 2015-07-06 at 2.01.35 pm.png" border="0" alt="Chipotle"><p class="source"><span>Yahoo Finance</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Chipotle is also opening restaurants at pace that could threaten sales at its existing locations, according to Charles Lieberman, chief investment officer at Advisors Capital Management.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"They're opening 200 new units a year," Lieberman told Barron's. "It's very hard to find that many good locations and sustain such a rapid expansion without cannibalizing existing units or accepting less-attractive locations."</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Chipotle also runs the risk of expanding into areas where its "food with integrity" isn't as highly valued, argues </span><a href="http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/a29571/chipotle-business-0914/">Ken Kurson at Esquire</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>"</span><span>Will customers at airports and military bases and mall food courts - all cited as growth areas by the company - care as much about food with integrity?" Kurson asks.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/559ac03f69bedd397b4b5c43-1200-600/chipotle-86.jpg" border="0" alt="Chipotle "><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/chipotle-restaurant-workers-fill-orders-for-customers-on-news-photo/471371516">Getty Images/Joe Raedle </a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></p><p><span>Despite its falling stock price, Chipotle is still a successful business with strong double-digit sales growth year over year.</span></p><p>On average, Chipotle's revenue has grown 22%  annually for the last five years.</p><p>But Wall Street expects that growth to drop to 17% this year, following two quarters that narrowly missed analysts' expectations, Willoughby notes. </p><p>A Chipotle spokesman told Business Insider that the company doesn't comment on opinions or speculation regarding its stock price.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/prevent-blisters-jogging-running-shoes-sneakers-athletic-shoelace-hole-2015-5">Someone figured out the purpose of the extra shoelace hole on your running shoes - and it will blow your mind</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="lyNnMwdToPHeoBdqEnriXIBVrqyIR6er" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'lyNnMwdToPHeoBdqEnriXIBVrqyIR6er',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Investors' obsession with Chipotle might finally be dwindling

America's obsession with Chipotle might finally be dwindling

The untold story of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner's quest to become a media mogul

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/531515c4ecad047b7b31191a-1200-924/eric-schneiderman-6.jpg?maxX=800" border="0" alt="Eric Schneiderman" width="800" /><p class="source"><span>Associated Press</span></p></div><p></p></div></p>
<p>Damien LaVera, a spokesman for New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman told Business Insider he didn't ask the New York Observer to correct <a href="http://observer.com/2014/02/the-politics-and-power-of-a-g-schneiderman/">a controversial story it published about Schneiderman last Tuesday</a>. However, LaVera said there were no shortage of mistakes in the story. </p>
<p>"It would be virtually impossible to request a correction on a 7,000 word story that is littered with factual errors from the opening anecdote all the way down to the very last quote," LaVera said in an email Friday. </p>
<p>The Observer's 7,247 word profile of Schneiderman, which accused him of "a pattern of political opportunism," <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/observer-denies-attorney-general-profile-is-donald-trumps-re">drew an almost immediate backlash</a> because the attorney general is currently <a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/08/25/n-y-attorney-general-suing-trumps-school-for-fraud/?iid=EL">suing Donald Trump's investment program</a>, Trump University, for allegedly defrauding students. Trump is the father-in-law of Observer publisher Jared Kushner. A lengthy segment of the Observer profile discussed Schneiderman's suit and quoted extensively from Trump and <a href="http://www.98percentapproval.com/">98percentapproval.com</a>, a website <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/08/25/donald-trump-responds-to-lawsuit-with-website-smearing-new-yorks-attorney-general/">launched by Trump</a> to tell his side of the story. </p>
<p>Observer editor-in-chief Ken Kurson, who worked on the profile <a href="http://observer.com/2014/02/the-process-of-reporting-the-observers-story-on-eric-schneiderman/">responded to the paper's critics with a column</a> Friday in which he noted Schneiderman's office had not disputed the facts in the story.</p>
<p><span>"<span>With all the coverage, all the ludicrous suggestions that the </span><em>Observer</em><span>'s publisher or his father in law 'ordered up' a story, no one has challenged the reporting. And the Attorney General's office hasn't asked anything be corrected," Kurson wrote. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>However, LaVera insisted to Business Insider it would not have made sense to ask for the story to be corrected. </span></span></p>
<p><span></span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">"Asking for a correction to this story would be about as effective as asking Mr. Trump to correct the facts on his anti-Schneiderman website," said LaVera.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span>Kurson declined to comment on this story. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The two issues noted by LaVera include an anecdote at the beginning of the story about a breakfast attended by Schneiderman and attorney Steve Cohen. Initially, the story said Cohen once "worked for" Schneiderman when it was published online. He did not. Later on, the story was later changed to note Cohen "helped" Schneiderman when he first took office. The second issue noted by LaVera was a quote from <span>Citizens Budget Commission President <span>Carol Kellermann. In the quote, Kellermann criticized Schneiderman for deciding how to spend a portion of the $613 million New York received from JPMorgan Chase over the company's actions during the financial crisis. </span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span><span><span>"Funds paid in settlement of litigation with the state, unless intended to compensate for specific losses, should be used as determined through the normal budget and appropriation process," Kellermann said. </span></span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span><span>However, Schneiderman's lawsuit against JPMorgan <a href="http://www.ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/press-releases/2012/jpmcomplaint.pdf">cited the specific losses of customers</a> who purchased residential mortgage-backed securities from the firm. <br /></span></span></span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Disclosure: Hunter Walker worked for the New York Observer from late 2011 until early 2013. </span></em></p>

NY Attorney General's Office Says Controversial Observer Article Was 'Littered With Factual Errors'

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5213e8f36bb3f74f70000006-1200-924/roger-ailes-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Roger Ailes" /><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch</p></div><p></p></div></div>Gabriel Sherman's new book about Fox News chief Roger Ailes - "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Loudest-Voice-Room-News/dp/0812992857" target="_blank">The Loudest Voice in the Room</a>" - built up a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/roger-ailes-book-details-gabe-sherman-fox-news-2014-1" target="_blank">huge buzz in the media world leading up to its release</a>.</p>
<p>So far, the book's sales haven't measured up to the buzz. </p>
<p>As of Jan. 19, according to Nielsen BookScan, "The Loudest Voice in the Room" sold only 3,000 books, an industry source with knowledge of the numbers told Business Insider. For comparison, Robert Gates' "Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War," sold about 80,000 copies. (Both titles were released on Jan. 14, though Sherman's book's <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/random-house-moves-up-publication-date-of-ailes-bio_b209804" target="_blank">release date was moved up</a> a week due to increased buzz.)</p>
<p>Other sources provide similar looks at the book's performance. The <a href="http://books.usatoday.com/usatodaybooks.pdf" target="_blank">USA Today</a> has the book at No. 122. <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/nielsen/HardcoverNonfiction.html" target="_blank">Publisher's Weekly</a>, which is based partially off Nielsen BookScan, does not have the book in its top 25 of hardcover non-fiction. As of Monday afternoon, "Loudest Voice" ranked No. 421 in the Amazon Best Sellers rank.</p>
<p>The one notable exception is The New York Times non-fiction best-sellers list, <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/loudest-voice-in-the-room-to-debut-at-9-on-nyt-best-sellers-list_b211086" target="_blank">on which "Loudest Voice" debuted at No. 9.</a> (Gates' "Duty" came in at No. 1, at 80,000 copies, which signals a weak overall sales week.)</p>
<p>From experience, New York Observer <a href="http://observer.com/2014/01/dueling-ailes-bios-and-the-new-york-times-bestseller-list/" target="_blank">executive editor Ken Kurson theorizes why the Times' list is different</a>. He says that in promoting "Leadership," his 2002 book with Rudy Giuliani, he learned that the Times' methodology doesn't reflect the "political reality":</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">We kept getting booked at small, independent bookstores like Bookends in Ridgewood, NJ, and Books &amp; Books in Coral Gables, Fla. We loved it. But we noticed that we sold a lot more books at a big box than at an independent bookstore signing. It was my job to manage these logistics, so I would ask Miramax, 'Why do you keep scheduling us into independent bookstores, when we sold 1500 books at the Staten Island Costco?'</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">We were always told by Miramax's able and knowledgeable publishing industry pros that it's because the <em>New York Times</em> over-samples adorable little stores and under-samples chains, and especially non-bookstores that sell a lot of books, like Costco and BJ's.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">In other words, they over-sample the places where liberals shop, and under-sample the places where conservatives shop. So that might help explain why liberals who view Mr. Ailes as a sort of evil Svengali have propelled Sherman's book to No. 9."</p>
<p>The Times' methodology is closely guarded. Kurson goes on to contrast with to the USA Today list, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/06/04/about-usa-todays-best-selling-book-list/2389075/" target="_blank">which details its methodology</a> and is "<span>thought to better reflect the middle-America patterns." The USA Today list measures a number of different retail outlets - <span>bookstore chains, independent bookstores, mass merchandisers and online retailers. It also details its list of contributors.</span></span></p>
<p><span>Overall, the Nielsen and USA Today numbers provide a good study between the buzz leading up to a media-centric book's release - you can <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=gabe+sherman+roger+ailes+book&amp;rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS503US503&amp;oq=gabe+sherman+roger+ailes+book&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57.4444j0j7&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;espv=210&amp;es_sm=91&amp;ie=UTF-8#q=gabriel+sherman+roger+ailes+book&amp;tbm=nws" target="_blank">see the extent of the attention here</a> - and its early results.</span></p>

New York Observer Says The NYT 'Bestseller' List Wildly Skews Sales Of New Roger Ailes Book

<p><span class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><span><span data-post-image="" class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54903bebecad041e13ab5531-521-390/mohammed-islam-7.png" border="0" alt="Mohammed Islam"><span class="source"><span>Photo courtesy of Mohammed Islam</span></span><span class="caption">Mohammed Islam.</span></img></span><p></p></span></span>A New York City high school student&#xa0;<a href="http://nymag.com/news/articles/reasonstoloveny/2014/mohammed-islam-stock-trading/">featured in New York magazine's "Reasons to Love New York" issue</a> for making millions trading the stock market <a href="http://observer.com/2014/12/exclusive-new-york-mags-boy-genius-investor-made-it-all-up/#.VI-TKmmOjuo.twitter">admitted to the New York Observer on Monday night</a> that he made it all up.</p>
<p><a href="http://nymag.com/news/articles/reasonstoloveny/2014/mohammed-islam-stock-trading/">New York magazine's Jessica Pressler reported</a>&#xa0;that Stuyvesant High School senior Mohammed Islam, 17, was rumored to have made $72 million from trading the market. The article also said Islam went on record saying his net worth was in the "high eight figures" and that he had already purchased a BMW and rented a Manhattan apartment. Islam's buddy&#xa0;<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Damir Tulemaganbetov, who was also featured in the article, perpetuated the story.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The story was widely picked up in the media. The two high schoolers were also scheduled to appear on CNBC's "Halftime Report."&#xa0;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">After speaking to numerous folks who know Islam and reaching the pair on the phone while en route to CNBC's studios (only Tulemaganbetov would speak to us), Business Insider concluded that <a href="http://nymag.com/news/articles/reasonstoloveny/2014/mohammed-islam-stock-trading/">it was a rumor spun out of control.</a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Soon after, CNBC's Scott Wapner <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/102269980">got Islam to acknowledge he was not worth $72 million</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">On Monday, Islam and Tulemaganbetov finally came clean in an interview with the <a href="http://observer.com/2014/12/exclusive-new-york-mags-boy-genius-investor-made-it-all-up/#.VI-TKmmOjuo.twitter">New York Observer's Ken Kurson</a> alongside the crisis public relations firm&#xa0;<span>5WPR and attorney Ed Mermelstein of Rheem, Bell &amp; Mermelstein.&#xa0;</span><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span>Islam admitted that he made up being worth eight figures and that he never actually traded the stock market, other than through simulated trades.&#xa0;</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span><span>Islam also told The Observer that his parents were mad at him when the New York magazine article came out.&#xa0;</span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span><span>"Honestly, my dad wanted to disown me. My mom basically said she'd never talk to me. Their morals are that if I lie about it and don't own up to it then they can no longer trust me. … They knew it was false and they basically wanted to kill me and I haven't spoken to them since," Islam said. &#xa0;</span><span><br /></span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span><span>Both high schoolers said they were sorry.&#xa0;</span></span></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a href="https://instagram.com/p/woGr-zmwyK/" target="_top">Breakfast with my brother</a></p>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A photo posted by Damir Tulemaganbetov (@dmuratti) on Dec 12, 2014 at 4:02am PST</p>
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You Searched For "ken kurson" and got 11 results

A close friend of Jared Kushner's who was pardoned by Trump has been charged over claims he used spyware to monitor his then-wife's online activity

Mia Jankowicz

Trump's last-minute pardons include a guy who shared Google's trade secrets with Uber, a snake smuggler, and a man charged with cyberstalking a doctor

Julie Gerstein

Chipotle is about to reveal key clues about its future

Ashley Lutz

Chipotle's impressive growth could come to a screeching halt

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3 Reasons Chipotle Could Be Headed For A Bubble

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Investors' obsession with Chipotle might finally be dwindling

Hayley Peterson

America's obsession with Chipotle might finally be dwindling

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The untold story of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner's quest to become a media mogul

Nathan McAlone,Maxwell Tani

NY Attorney General's Office Says Controversial Observer Article Was 'Littered With Factual Errors'

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New York Observer Says The NYT 'Bestseller' List Wildly Skews Sales Of New Roger Ailes Book

Brett LoGiurato

The High School Trader Rumored To Have Made $72 Million Admits He Made The Whole Thing Up

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