Category: News

Former President Donald Trump infuriated many anti-abortion voters last week when he refused to commit to national abortion restrictions and seemed to blame them for Republican losses in the 2022 mid-term elections. Trump even criticized the six-week abortion ban signed by Florida Governor (and fellow Republican candidate) Ron DeSantis. So, not only is Trump balking at national restrictions but he is criticizing a state restriction. What are pro-life voters to do?

Politically, Trump may feel he does not need the pro-life vote as much as he did in his previous presidential runs. After all, he is so far ahead in all primary polls that absent an extremely unusual event he is all but the presumptive Republican nominee. He hasn’t even felt compelled to participate in any of the primary debates, skipping the first one to sit for a hugely popular interview with Tucker Carlson.

Trump has attempted to placate pro-life voters by repeating that he is the most pro-life president in American history and by touting that the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade on his watch and with his nominees. He is positioning himself as a moderator and dealmaker, promising to finally make peace on the abortion issue after 52 years of political warfare.

It is understandable that Trump may feel he has more wiggle room on the abortion issue this time. Pro-life voters are likely sufficiently angered by the rapid advance of Cultural Marxism and social chaos of the past three years under Biden that they are ready to jump at even the possibility of a return to more socially conservative values to the White House. If pro-life voters just stay home on election day, they may end up with something far worse than a generally friendly occupant in the White House.

But it doesn’t need to be this way. I strongly …read more

Source:: Los Angeles Daily News

Michelle Andrews | (TNS) KFF Health News

Rick Jaenisch went through treatment six times before his hepatitis C was cured in 2017. Each time his doctors recommended a different combination of drugs, his insurer denied the initial request before eventually approving it. This sometimes delayed his care for months, even after he developed end-stage liver disease and was awaiting a liver transplant.

“At that point, treatment should be very easy to access,” said Jaenisch, now 37 and the director of outreach and education at Open Biopharma Research and Training Institute, a nonprofit group in Carlsbad, California. “I’m the person that treatment should be ideal for.”

But it was never easy. Jaenisch was diagnosed in 1999 at age 12, after his dad took him to a San Diego hospital because Jaenisch showed him that his urine was brown, a sign there was blood in it. Doctors determined that he likely got the disease at birth from his mom, a former dental surgical assistant who learned she had the virus only after her son’s diagnosis.

People infected with the viral disease, which is typically passed through blood contact, are often outwardly fine for years. An estimated 40% of the more than 2 million people in the U.S. who are infected don’t even know they have it, while the virus may quietly be damaging their liver, causing scarring, liver failure, or liver cancer.

With several highly effective, lower-cost treatments now on the market, one might expect that nearly everyone who knows they have hepatitis C would get cured. But a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in June found that is far from the case. A proposal by the Biden administration to eliminate the disease in five years aims to change that.

Overall, the agency’s analysis found, during …read more

Source:: Los Angeles Daily News

Matt Vasilogambros | Stateline.org (TNS)

Despite a megadrought, states in the West have been able to avoid drastic cuts to their allocations of Colorado River water this year not only because of surprising storms but also thanks to generous financial incentives from all levels of government that have encouraged people to conserve.

The temporary Colorado River water-sharing agreement that Arizona, California and Nevada announced in May depends on an injection of $1.2 billion from the federal government. Some of the 30 tribal nations in the river basin also are getting federal dollars. The Gila River Indian Community, for example, will receive $233 million from the feds over the next three years, mostly to conserve water.

Fueled by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the feds will spend a total of $15.4 billion for drought resiliency programs over the coming years, mostly for large-scale projects for water storage and recycling but also to persuade people to use less water.

Water experts worry that paying people to conserve isn’t a long-term solution; states must make long-term investments and rethink water-sharing agreements if the Colorado River is to survive, they say.

But in the meantime, the money is helping to sustain the river basin. Conservation spurred by federal dollars has spared the seven Western states whose 40 million residents depend on the Colorado River’s water from painful cuts, said Michael Cohen, a senior researcher at the Pacific Institute, an Oakland, California-based water think tank. (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming comprise the upper basin, and Arizona, California and Nevada make up the lower basin.)

The federal government has a long history of sending money when disasters such as a hurricane or earthquake hit, Cohen said. The drought is no different.

“It’s hugely important,” Cohen said. “This is an example …read more

Source:: Los Angeles Daily News

As I have said over the years, I am not at all concerned about a federal government shutdown. My worry is that it might open back up again.

A shutdown is an occasional phenomenon wherein hundreds of thousands of government bureaucrats have to stop not working for a few weeks.

Given past shutdowns, we are now at the point where government workers know they have the best of all worlds. They get to stay at home, get paid when the government opens, and not have to work for weeks. It is the trifecta for a bureaucrat.

It is important for politicians to pin the blame for any impending shutdown on the other side. The last standoff saw Pelosi shutting down the government because she refused to fund Trump’s border wall. You do not want to get into blinksmanship with Nancy Pelosi to see who is the first one to blink. She hasn’t been able to blink since 2011.

Maybe that is why Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell locks up.  Like blinking, if you negotiate and just stare, the other side folds and gives you what you want.

Biden takes a different tack. If you want money from government, you do not deal with him.  You have to go through his family CFO and Appropriations Chairman, Hunter Biden.

Perhaps we do not need all these old dudes in D.C. running up debt. They will not be around to pay for it. With politicians like Senators Mitch McConnell, John Fetterman and now Representative Lauren Boebert, many of our politicians are stroking out of late.

A shutdown makes us reorganize our financial priorities, and reminds taxpayers that Washington is awful at handling our money. All of this could have been avoided if Washington politicians didn’t have the budgeting skills of an Ole Miss frat boy.

Washington Congressmen are just grown-up …read more

Source:: Los Angeles Daily News

Biden became the first sitting US president to appear at a picket line when he joined United Auto Workers on the 12th day of its strike. Meanwhile, Trump is skipping a presidential debate to address union workers at a Detroit rally. The bid for union voters points to Michigan as a likely battleground in the 2024 presidential race.

Read the original article on Business Insider

…read more

Source:: Businessinsider

Two outside companies that Denver Public Schools hired to tutor students in an effort to make up for lost learning fell short of some targets that could have earned the companies extra pay.

Though one company fared better than the other, many students didn’t hit the academic benchmarks spelled out in the district’s contracts. Some students struggled with participation, and staffing was a challenge for the company that tutored students in person.

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“It was definitely a learning experience,” said Angelin Thompson, the director of expanded academic learning for DPS. “It’s great if you can do it with fidelity and if you have qualified tutors. There are just a lot of components that go into it that make it effective or ineffective.”

But because the contracts with the companies linked part of their payments to the achievement of certain …read more

Source:: The Denver Post

Social media influencer Nick Bencivengo wears a Champion sweatshirt in 2019. Champion became a cool streetwear brand in the late ’80s and early ’90s.

Jesse Grant/Getty

Champion has regained popularity among Gen Zers and millennials.
But the brand’s sales are falling behind, and HanesBrands is considering selling Champion.
Here’s how Champion became popular among athletes, college students, and hip-hop artists.

Champion’s red, white, and blue “C” logo is solidified in pop-culture history.

The brand has lasted more than 100 years, outfitting NBA athletes like Michael Jordan and hip-hop legends like 50 Cent.

But Champion’s sales have declined in recent years, and its popularity among American consumers is dwindling. Stephen Bratspies, CEO of parent company HanesBrands. told investors that the company expects the rest of the year to be strained for the brand.

“The combination of soft category dynamics and the near-term impact from our strategic brand-related actions continued to weigh on US Champion sales,” he said in an August earnings call.

In September, HanesBrands announced that it is considering selling Champion “to ensure HanesBrands is best positioned to grow and create value for shareholders.”

Champion is one of the oldest American sportswear brands, and it claims to have invented both the hoodie sweatshirt and the sports bra. So how did this iconic brand fall behind? Here’s how Champion became popular, why it lost its grip, and where it is today.

Champion became popular among college students and athletes
Champion sweatshirts are popular among college students.

Rick Friedman/Getty

Champion was founded in 1919 by the Feinbloom family as Knickerbocker Knitting Mills, based in Rochester, New York. The family later renamed the company Champion Knitting Mills Inc.

The brand found its first major customer base on college campuses. Champion provided sports uniforms for Wentworth Military Academy in the ’20s, and claims it invented the …read more

Source:: Businessinsider

Emergency SNAP benefits ended over six months ago, and millions of Americans are still struggling.

Ekaterina Goncharova/Getty Images

Over half of Americans on SNAP benefits are eating less, a new report found.
More Americans are skipping meals six months after the end of pandemic SNAP expansions.
A government shutdown could worsen food insecurity issues, the Biden administration predicts.

Many Americans are eating less and attending food pantries more frequently six months after the end of pandemic-era Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamp, expansions.

Research from software company Propel shows that over half of Americans who use the EBT app Providers reported eating less in September. This compares to around 32% in January 2023, before the expanded SNAP benefits expired — which allowed SNAP-qualifying households to receive up to an additional $95 each month, or an amount that would bring total benefits to the maximum quantity.

Propel analyzed a random sample of nearly 2,600 Providers users from September 1 through September 14. The report showed four food insecurity indicators remained elevated — 39% reported skipping meals, up from 29% in January — while around 30% said they visited a food pantry or relied on family or friends for meals.

SNAP benefits aren’t cutting it for most families, as nearly four in five surveyed households spent over $100 on food in addition to their allotment, the report said.

Food prices are still stubbornly high, meaning many families are having to cut back on food purchases to just the essentials. The Consumer Price Index for food may increase as much as 6% year-over-year in 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted — and 7% for restaurant purchases. Even though inflation on the whole has slowed this year, food prices may not drastically come down anytime soon.

As many as 16 million …read more

Source:: Businessinsider

By Melissa Clark, The New York Times

There’s a time-honored technique for roasting bell peppers. This recipe isn’t it.

The tried-and-true method produces lissome, velvety peppers with a concentrated, sweet flavor. But it’s also a pain.

Charring the whole peppers over an open flame, then steaming, cooling, peeling, seeding and deveining them, is time-consuming and messy, and it leaves sooty flecks of pepper skin clinging to everything they touch and even some things they don’t. I’m happy to occasionally trot out the whole process when I’m making something special, but it’s a lot of hoops to clear on any given Tuesday.

Here, then, is my Tuesday night pepper hack, with a streamlined yet effective technique that gives great results any day of the week. Any week peppers are in season, that is.

Not peeling the peppers saves you the most time here. I’ve learned that if you slice them thin and roast them long enough, they collapse into tender strands that caramelize at the edges — and taste so good you’ll never even notice the skin.

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Source:: The Denver Post

Peter Sblendorio | New York Daily News

Colin Kaepernick reached out to the Jets about a spot on their practice squad following fellow quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending Achilles tear, according to a letter shared by rapper J. Cole.

Kaepernick allegedly sent the letter to general manager Joe Douglas on Sept. 21, contending his “sole mission” would be to help prepare the Jets defense in practice, with his mobility mimicking that of upcoming opponents in Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson and Jalen Hurts.

“In a perfect world for the Jets, Zach Wilson finds his stride and shows that he is able to lead this championship caliber team that you’ve put together to the Super Bowl,” reads the letter, which J. Cole posted to Instagram. “I believe a confident Zach Wilson has the tools to do this. However, in the event that this is not the case, I would love to offer you a risk-free contingency plan.”

Kaepernick, 35, hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2016 season. That year, the then-San Francisco 49ers star knelt during the national anthem before games to protest racial injustice in America.

The letter to the Jets says Kaepernick never retired and has maintained a weekday training program the past six years. He worked out for the Las Vegas Raiders last season but didn’t sign a contract.

“Worst case scenario, you see what I have to offer and you’re not that impressed,” the letter reads. “Best case scenario, you realize you have a real weapon at your disposal in the event you ever need to use it.”

Rodgers, whom the Jets acquired in the offseason from the Green Bay Packers, played four snaps in Week 1 before suffering the injury. Wilson, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft, has thrown two touchdowns against four interceptions since stepping …read more

Source:: Los Angeles Daily News

Our experts answer readers’ credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here’s how we assess credit cards). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.

Good credit can help you qualify for loans and borrow money at lower rates, but those aren’t the only advantages. Maintaining a high credit score can also help you get approved for the very best credit cards, as cards that require excellent credit tend to offer high-end benefits and lavish rewards.

Best Credit Cards for Excellent Credit 

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card – Product Name Only: Best value

The Platinum Card® from American Express – Product Name Only: Best for luxury travel benefits

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card – Product Name Only: Best mid-tier travel card

Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card – Product Name Only: Best for cash back rewards (with qualifying banking relationship)

Discover it® Miles – Product Name Only: Best for 0% APR

Wyndham Rewards® Earner Business Card – Product Name Only: Best for gas

Your credit score is only one of several factors that determine whether your credit card application will be approved. Having a low credit score doesn’t automatically disqualify you, but you’re most likely to be approved if you have an excellent credit score (a FICO score above 800) or a very good credit score (between 740 and 799).

Read on to see our selection of credit cards tailored to those with FICO’s highest ratings.

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance …read more

Source:: Businessinsider

Eric Trump (L) Donald Trump (center) and Donald Trump, Jr. (R)

Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

Trump’s lawyers were back on Wednesday before the NY judge who on Tuesday “dissolved” Trump Org.
One asked the judge if the LLCs that own the Trumps’ homes are covered under the dissolution.
“I’m not prepared to make a ruling at this time,” the judge answered.

Lawyers for Donald Trump asked for clarity on Wednesday from the Manhattan judge who dissolved the Trump Organization in a stunning ruling the day before.

That clarity was not forthcoming. But concern – including over the fate of the Trump residences that are held as LLCs under the Trump Org umbrella – was present in abundance.

Would all the defendants’ homes need to be sold? Are they even covered under the ruling?

All New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron would say was, in essence, check back with me later. Also: he’s happy and available to sit down with everyone to “work things out.”

“I’m not prepared to make a ruling at this time,” Engoron told Trump’s lawyers with a slight smile, shifting the focus of the hearing instead on more mundane matters of pre-trial logistics.

New York Attorney General Letitia James won a staggering victory Tuesday night in her $250 million fraud lawsuit against Trump, his golf and real-estate empire, his two eldest sons, and two longstanding executives.

Just five days before the scheduled trial is set to start, Engoron decided early – based on three years of pre-trial investigation and litigation – that Trump had committed years of fraud by inflating his worth to banks and insurers, by adding as much as $3.6 billion in fictional value to his annual net worth.

Experts are calling it “the corporate death penalty,” as it orders the cancellation of the New York state “certificates” that allow Trump Organization and …read more

Source:: Businessinsider

iPhone designer Jony Ive, left, is reportedly talking to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman about making an AI hardware device.

RCA; Kevin Dietsch at Getty Images

iPhone designer Jony Ive and ChatGPT-head Sam Altman may be building an AI product together
Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank, is also looped into their conversations, The Information reported.
It’s not yet clear what the device could look like and what the leaders’ involvement would entail.

Apple might have taken the smartphone spotlight with its recent iPhone 15 announcement, but a new AI-centered device backed by OpenAI’s ChatGPT could one day steal the show — and it could happen with one of the fathers of Apple’s iconic device.

Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, is reportedly in talks with Jony Ive, the designer of the iPhone, about building a new AI hardware product, two sources familiar with the matter told The Information.

The potential AI product is still shrouded in mystery. Details have yet to be revealed around what the device could look like, or if OpenAI would make the product itself, according to the report.

Masayoshi Son, the CEO of SoftBank — a major tech investor — also has been kept in the loop on the conversations about the product after he announced earlier this month that he was considering investing in OpenAI, the report says. It’s not clear what role Son would play in the product’s development.

OpenAI and SoftBank didn’t immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment before publication. Ive couldn’t be reached.

The announcement of the potential AI hardware product comes as tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon race to build AI technology in an effort to beat OpenAI’s conversational AI chatbot ChatGPT.

Since ChatGPT came out last November, people have used the bot to …read more

Source:: Businessinsider

She gave a speech about asylum reforms in Washington DC yesterday (Picture: Getty/PA)

Suella Braverman has drawn criticism after claiming some asylum seekers ‘pretend to be gay’ to get ‘special treatment’.

Her controversial comments follow a trip to the US and a speech she made on Tuesday where she called for the UN’s asylum framework to be reformed.

During the speech she said while there are many countries where being gay or a woman is ‘incredibly tough’, ‘being a victim of discrimination shouldn’t necessarily qualify you for asylum protection in the UK’.

Ms Braverman said there are ‘many instances’ where people pretend to be gay to receive ‘preferential treatment’, saying that is not ‘fair’ or ‘right’.

According to Home Office data, sexual orientation formed part of the basis for an asylum claim in 1% of all applications in 2021.

That was 77% fewer than in 2019, when sexual orientation made up 5% of all applications, and 7% in 2017.

In an interview with ITV News due to air in full later this evening, Ms Braverman was asked about Elton John and his foundation’s response to her speech.

He warned she risked ‘further legitimising hate and violence’ against LGBTQ people and called for ‘more compassion’.

Suella Braverman has been criticised for her comments (Picture: PA)

The Bibby Stockholm barge was brought in to house asylum seekers but has been controversial (Picture: EPA)

When asked by Robert Peston about Sir Elton’s response to her speech, she replied: ‘Well, I have huge admiration for Elton John, but what I would say is that we need to be, again, honest about what’s actually happening on the ground.

‘And as I said in my speech, we need to be clear about what constitutes persecution.

‘Persecution is where people are being …read more

Source:: Metro News

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have postponed the remaining dates of their 2023 tour, including stops at Pechanga Arena in San Diego on Dec. 2 and Kia Forum in Inglewood on Dec. 4 and 6.

Earlier this month, Springsteen had postponed several shows, citing that he was being treated for symptoms of peptic ulcer disease and doctors advised that The Boss give it a rest. On Wednesday, Sept. 27, he announced that while his condition has improved, he needs further treatment through the end of the year and will be postponing the remaining dates of the tour.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bruce Springsteen (@springsteen)

“Thanks to all my friends and fans for your good wishes, encouragement and support. I’m on the mend and can’t wait to see you all next year,” Springsteen said in a statement that was posted to his official social media pages.

Rescheduled dates will be announced next week, the statement continued, and will take place in all of the originally scheduled venues. All tickets for postponed shows will be valid for the newly announced dates. When the 2024 dates are announced, fans that are unable to attend and who purchased their tickets through official ticketing companies will have 30 days to request a refund.

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Source:: Los Angeles Daily News

Afternoon tea aboard an ultra-luxury Seabourn Cruises ship is just one example of living the highest high life on the high seas.

Taking place every day in an elegant lounge with a grand piano and panoramic windows, this tasteful and tasty event is as much a signature of the upper-crust cruise line as the Bernardaud French porcelain used for the cups of aromatic tea and three-plate towers of sumptuous savory and sweet selections served by staff up on their English tea culture.

A sumptuous selection of sweet and savory satisfies at Seabourn’s daily afternoon tea. (Photo by David Dickstein)

There’s no grand entrance of parading waiters carrying trays and teapots to classical music and cheering patrons — leave that to the British-bred Cunard cruise line — but Seabourn does offer something that its sister Carnival Corporation brand doesn’t at afternoon tea: a sand clock on the table so that the infused leaves are steeped to your preferred strength.

Classy as all this sounds, the most impressive aspect about Seabourn’s mid-afternoon tradition, and this is indicative of the cruise line, itself, is a crew so attentive that when a guest was observed using his cloth napkin to wipe a smudge off his eyeglasses, within seconds an assistant waiter silently placed an individually wrapped lens cleaner on the table. His smooth and discreet gesture was followed by another — that of bringing a second fresh apple-cinnamon scone, with clotted cream and strawberry jam, of course, to another guest. “I was just about to ask you for another one of those,” the passenger told the mind-reading waiter whose smile lit up the room through my spotless eyeglasses.

Such random acts of kindness seem to be less random the loftier the cruise category, as it should be when spending perhaps five times more than normal for an ultra-luxury cruise. …read more

Source:: Los Angeles Daily News