NEW YORK >> Former Congressman Harold Ford Jr. will not be a contributor on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program until allegations of misconduct against him are resolved. “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski announced Friday that Ford and MSNBC agreed he would not appear until resolving accusations that led to his firing by Morgan Stanley on Thursday. Ford has denied the allegations and says he plans legal action against the reporter making the claim and Morgan Stanley for improper termination.

Out-of-town buyers don’t pay tax

NEW YORK >> New York collects sales tax on even the smallest items, but it probably won’t collect a cent in taxes on a nearly half-billion-dollar painting by Leonardo da Vinci. That’s because the state’s laws are structured so that out-of-town buyers don’t get hit with big tax bills. One expert says if the city taxes them, its status as a global center for art sales might be jeopardized.

Japan’s economy grows 2.5 percent

TOKYO >> Japan’s economy is gaining momentum, expanding at a 2.5 percent annual pace in July-September. The figure reported Friday was revised upward from an earlier estimate of 1.4 percent growth due to higher business investment and rising inventories.

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ON THE MOVE

>> Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert has hired Andrew Kim as an associate in the firm’s Family Law and Estate Planning & Probate groups.

Kim was recently a summer associate at the firm working with litigation and transactional matters. His experience also includes an externship with Judge R. Mark Browning in Family Court.

>> Maui Grown Therapies has elected Dr. James B. Peake to its Science & Medical Advisory Board. Peake was U.S. secretary of veterans affairs from December 2007 through January 2009.

He is a retired Army lieutenant general with more than 38 years of service including 40th surgeon general of the U.S. Army and commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School.

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