DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ The States Where Middle-Income Earners Pay the Most in Taxes
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Cork Gaines | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

To determine the tax burden, WalletHub looked at the percentage of a resident's income in each state that goes to sales and excise taxes, property taxes, and income taxes. Hawai'i was ranked as the worst state for middle-income earners, with 13.62% of earnings going to state taxes. Middle-income New Yorkers pay 12.58% of their income toward state taxes, and residents of Illinois pay 12.57%. 5) are in the top half in terms of the highest tax burden despite not having a state income tax. AdvertisementHere are the 10 states where middle-income residents pay the highest percentage of their income on state taxes.

Persons: —, WalletHub Organizations: Service, Business, Hawai'i, Washington Locations: Alaska, York, Illinois, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, New Hampshire, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nevada, Florida

☆ 4 reasons to convince your boss to let you miss work to see the total solar eclipse
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The first total solar eclipse in the US since 2017 is sure to be astonishing, weather permitting. The US won't get to experience totality again for 20 yearsThe 2017 total solar eclipse at 100% totality. Advertisement"He said, 'Before you die, you owe it to yourself to see a total solar eclipse,'" Baron recalled Pasachoff saying to him 30 years ago. You might be able to spot it during the total solar eclipse. AdvertisementWatch safelyMake sure to protect your eyes by wearing solar eclipse glasses, or finding alternative ways to watch the eclipse without looking directly at the sun.

Persons: —, John Finney, David Baron, he's, Jay Pasachoff, Baron, Pasachoff, Fred Espenak, Eclipse, He's, Espenak, 12P, Pons, Brooks, a.k.a, Everest, humbling, Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah Organizations: Service, Business, US, Great Locations: Texas, Maine, Aruba, — Texas, Oklahoma , Arkansas, Illinois

☆ Inside the world of Wordle at the New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Saira Mueller | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

After the New York Times acquired Wordle from its creator, software engineer Josh Wardle, in January 2022, its player base grew to tens of millions. The New York Times assigned a dedicated editor for Wordle, Tracy Bennett, in November 2022. “You’re even going to be able to play Wordles that predate the New York Times acquisition, which is really fun,” Knight told CNN. What Wordle has done for the New York TimesAside from the editorial strategy, Wordle fits perfectly into the Times’ business plans. For Donna Cona, who has played it since before the Times acquisition, Wordle has become her go-to thing each morning.

Persons: Wordle, Josh Wardle, Everdeen Mason, “, ”, Jonathan Knight, Tracy Bennett, we’re, ” Bennett, “ I’ve, Bennett, Mason, ” Mason, it’s, — Bennett, Knight, “ You’re, ” Knight, “ We’re, —, ’, Donna Cona, I’m, …, Nanny, Cona, Malia Griggs ’, they’re, Malia, Jerrold Griggs —, ” Malia, Griggs ’, Malia it’s, ADIEU, Malia Griggs, “ I’m, Wordle “ Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Times, NYT, Louis, Cities, Fulham, Bournemouth, Bradford, New York, Sydney Melbourne New York, DC Locations: North, ”, Seattle, Aberdeen, Hinsdale, Angeles, Lansing, London, Coventry, Auckland, Wandsworth, Wantage, Vancouver, Wordle, New York City, Columbia , South Carolina, Washington, DC Vermont Wyoming, Hoquiam , Washington, Willowbrook , Illinois

☆ Biden Faces More Pressure From Environmentalists to Block Steel Merger
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Jim Tankersley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden is facing new pressure to block Nippon Steel’s acquisition of the iconic manufacturer U.S. Steel, this time from environmental groups that say the tie-up would set back America’s efforts to curb climate change. In interviews, environmental activists working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions say the merger would bring together two steel giants that are laggards on transitioning away from fossil fuels. Researchers at Industrious Labs, a nonprofit pushing to decarbonize steel and other heavy industries, drew on both companies’ public disclosures to calculate that Nippon and U.S. Steel are relatively high emitters of heat-trapping gases from steel production. Three U.S. Steel facilities — in Pennsylvania, Indiana and Illinois — combine to emit more greenhouse gases in a year than a comparable number of coal-fired power plants, the researchers estimate. Officials from Nippon and U.S. Steel say they are pursuing multiple strategies to decarbonize by 2050, including high-grade steel production in more efficient electric-powered furnaces and using hydrogen-injecting technology in blast furnaces, and that their merger will advance those efforts.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Nippon, U.S . Steel, U.S, Steel Locations: Pennsylvania , Indiana, Illinois

So far, Idaho has been the only state to enact a so-called “ abortion trafficking ” law. Yet even as legal questions linger in the Idaho case, other states like Tennessee are moving forward with implementing their own versions. Photos You Should See View All 22 Images“This bill is simply a parental rights bill,” said Republican Rep. Jason Zachary, who is sponsoring the proposal. Tennessee law bans abortion throughout all stages of pregnancy but contains exemptions for very narrow instances for saving the life of a mother. On the eastern side of the state, a clinic has relocated to Virginia after operating along the Tennessee border for years.

Persons: Roe, Wade, ”, Jason Zachary, Zachary, John Ray Clemmons, Bill Lee Organizations: GOP, Supreme, Republican, quizzed, Democratic, Republican Gov, Centers for Disease Control, Guttmacher Institute Locations: Tenn, Tennessee, U.S, Idaho, Missouri, Oklahoma, Memphis, Nashville, Carbondale , Illinois, Virginia

☆ House lawmakers press Apple CEO on reports Jon Stewart’s show was canceled over China concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Liam Reilly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Did Apple and Jon Stewart part ways over China? The letter also asked Apple to make a public commitment that content potentially viewed as critical of the Chinese Communist Party would be welcome on the company’s services. “If these reports are accurate, it potentially speaks to broader concerns about indirect Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence over the creative expression of American artists and companies on CCP-related topics,” the committee said in the letter. Representatives for Apple and Stewart did not immediately respond to CNN requests for comment. China represents nearly a fifth of Apple’s sales and is by far the company’s fastest-growing region.

Persons: Jon Stewart, Tim Cook, Jon Stewart ”, —, Mike Gallagher, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois —, Apple, Stewart Organizations: CNN, Chinese Communist Party, Wednesday, Apple, Wisconsin Republican, Communist Party, CCP, Xi Locations: China, Wisconsin, Illinois, People’s Republic of China

☆ Senators warn Biden that a defense pact with 'authoritarian' Saudi Arabia in exchange for normalizing ties with Israel hurts American interests
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

20 senators are warning President Biden against a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia. The US is considering a defense pact to entice Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel. The New York Times reported last month that the Biden administration is considering a security agreement with Saudi Arabia "resembling those with Japan or South Korea." While saying they share the White House's goal of restoring ties between its two Middle Eastern allies, the senators argue that a defense pact with Saudi Arabia would upend decades of US policy. The effort to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia was kickstarted during the Trump administration, despite Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordering the killing of an American citizen, Jamal Khashoggi, according to a US intelligence assessment.

Persons: Biden, —, Washington's, Chris Murphy of, John Fetterman of, Dick Durbin, Trump, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jamal Khashoggi, Axios, Jared Kushner Organizations: Service, The New York Times, Illinois Locations: Saudi Arabia, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Riyadh, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Saudi, American

☆ Here's what you should know about the new pay disclosure laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —New York State is the latest jurisdiction to implement a pay disclosure law that requires employers to list salary ranges for open roles. “We’re seeing a patchwork [of different pay disclosure requirements], which makes it hard for multistate employers to navigate,” said Monica Snyder Perl, a partner at Fisher Phillips. Some laws require employers to disclose ranges just for base pay, but others mandate that information about compensation and benefits be included as well. The impact of the lawsAll the pay disclosure laws are relatively new. Leniency may continue until employers and regulators work out their questions about each jurisdiction’s pay disclosure rules, which are still being interpreted by employment lawyers and, in some cases, being amended by legislators.

Persons: Fisher Phillips, ”, Monica Snyder, headcount, Perl, Washington ” —, it’s, “, ” Perl Organizations: New, New York CNN — New, New York CNN — New York State, New York, New York State, Evergreen State, Colorado —, Society for Human Resource Management Locations: New York, New York CNN — New York, New York State, New York City, Ithaca, Westchester County, Washington State, Washington, Kansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, California

☆ These are the states in America that are the least prepared for extreme weather
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Scott Cohn | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Some states are in good shape to handle whatever the climate throws at them, but these are the states most at risk. 2023 Infrastructure score: 228 out of 390 points (Top States grade: B) Climate Extremes Index: 21.16% Properties at risk: 45.2% Renewable energy: 10.6%9. 2023 Infrastructure score: 165 out of 390 points (Top States grade: D) Climate Extremes Index: 8.7% Properties at risk: 2.8% Renewable energy: 12%8. Connecticut is home to the nation's first "green bank," which uses public dollars to leverage private investment in renewable energy. 2023 Infrastructure score: 227 out of 390 points (Top States grade: B) Climate Extremes Index: 21.16% Properties at risk: 61% Renewable energy: 12.5%1.

Persons: Jeremy Porter, York Snow, Joed Viera, Kelly Giddens, Daniel Hinton, Jessica Mcgowan, wades, Tim Boyle, Tony Evers, Scott Olson, Josh Edelson, Gavin Newsom, —, Marcellus, Tom Wolf, Josh Shapiro, Ida, Brendan McDermid, Hurricane Ida, Richard Bunting, Alex Hamilton, Hurricane Irene, Mark Wilson, Joe Biden's, Ted Shaffrey, Hurricane Nicole, Paul Hennessy, Marco Bello Organizations: Street Foundation, CNBC, Business, First, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, U.S, Department of Energy, Afp, Getty, National Weather Service, Micron Technology, Alabama, University of Alabama, Illinois —, Badger State, Gov, Carolina, Carolinas, AFP, EQT Corp, Bloomberg, Reuters, Garden, State, Anadolu Agency, Sunshine State, Farmers Insurance, AAA Locations: States, York, Buffalo , New York, Empire, New York, Syracuse, Alabama TUSCALOOSA, AL, Cedar, Tuscaloosa , Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Gulf, Wisconsin, Prairie du Chien , WI, Hurricane, Charleston , South Carolina, Florida, Georgetown , South Carolina, South Carolina, California, Oroville, Oroville , California, , California, Pennsylvania, Washington Township , Pennsylvania, U.S, Jersey, Oakwood, Elizabeth , New Jersey, Garden State , New Jersey, New Jersey, Delaware, Lewes , Delaware, Rhode, Connecticut, New Haven , Connecticut, Wilbur, , Florida, Louisiana, Kenner , Louisiana

☆ Auto insurance is up by more than 15% this year in some states. Here's how to keep your premium down
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Sarah O'Brien | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Miniseries | E+ | Getty ImagesAs with many line items in your household budget, your auto insurance probably costs more this year than in 2022. While auto insurance tends to eat up a small share of a person's income — about 3% for the average person, according to the Bankrate study — you may be able to reduce it even further. "If you're working from home now, I'd definitely let your insurance company know you're not commuting to work," said Brian Moody, executive editor of Kelley Blue Book. If you were to increase your deductible to $500 from $250, it could reduce your coverage cost by 15% to 30%, Friedlander said. "Auto insurance is extremely competitive and companies want your business to grow their market share," Friedlander said.

☆ Nikole Hannah-Jones makes a case for reparations with ‘The 1619 Project’ series
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Candice Williams | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The fight for reparations has been going on for centuries in federal and state governments. “I don’t think there’s anything else that can be done besides a federal program, direct payments to Black American descendants of U.S. slavery,” Darity said. “Every time there is a local or state reparations bill that’s moving forward, it just further legitimizes the larger federal effort,” she said. “So I definitely am an advocate of both.”The subject of state reparations and the return of land are discussed in the series, along with the idea that reparations should be more than just a cash payout. If the federal government were to ever issue reparations, Darity surmised that Black Americans might begin to feel a sense of equality.

The justices will weigh a claim brought by Geraldine Tyler, a 93-year-old whose property in Minnesota was seized by Hennepin County because she owed $15,000 in property taxes and related costs. The state says that under Minnesota law it “provides ample opportunity for property owners to protect their interests” before a property is seized. The state’s lawyers point out that owners have three years to pay the taxes and have an opportunity to repurchase the seized property. The case was brought by the Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative legal group that often brings property rights cases. The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, is often sympathetic to property rights claims.

☆ 2 climate activists got kicked out of the world's biggest Earth-science conference for protesting, and one says the association is 'silencing scientists'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Two climate scientists were kicked out of a major science conference in Chicago on Thursday. They told Insider the American Geophysical Union told them they'd be arrested if they returned. "I interpreted that as basically a threat — which I don't know if it was a hollow threat or not — to try and get us fired," Abramoff told Insider. "AGU Fall Meeting year after year provides a wide-open space for debate and discussion around all issues in Earth and space science. "I love the AGU fall meeting, and I'm really grateful that the AGU exists," Kalmus said.

☆ Homebuyers canceled a record 60,000 purchase contracts last month because they're waiting for mortgage rates and home prices to fall
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Nearly 18% of pending home sales nationwide were canceled in October, the most since 2013. High inflation and mortgage rates have kept buyers at bay, even as the market begins to cool. Developers are turning to build-to-rent buyers to offload new supply as demand wanes. Rising home prices have been a chief scourge for homebuyers and homebuilders alike throughout the pandemic. "Professional rental companies in some ways bring more efficiency and they might help solve affordability problems because of very high mortgage rates right now," Tomasz Piskorski, a professor of real estate at Columbia Business School, told Insider in November.

☆ GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger says House Republicans will have a 'totally nonfunctional majority' in 2023 and McCarthy as speaker will be 'the equivalent of the dog who caught the car'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rep. Adam Kinzinger said House Republicans will have a "totally nonfunctional majority" in 2023. But despite their newfound House majority, the GOP will have a razor-thin edge, with the party currently holding a 219-211 advantage with just a handful of races left to call. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., arrives to speak with journalists after winning the House Speaker nomination at a House GOP leadership meeting on Capitol Hill on November 15, 2022. Because probably Kevin McCarthy has yet to promise him anything, and secondarily, he wants to be more famous than Marjorie Taylor Greene," he added. "Kevin McCarthy is going to have trouble."

☆ $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot is now the largest prize in history—here are the top 5 so far
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot finally found a winner on Tuesday morning, after technical difficulties delayed the drawing that had been scheduled to take place on Monday. The massive prize marked the fifth time in the past five years that a lottery jackpot has crossed the billion-dollar threshold — and this one was a world record. That one was also a Powerball drawing that reached $1.586 billion and was split between three winning tickets. $1.59 billion (Powerball)This Powerball drawing from Jan. 13, 2016, for which three winning tickets were sold, held the record as history's biggest lottery prize for more than six years, until this week's Powerball drawing dropped it down a spot. $1.34 billion (Mega Millions)The first billion-dollar jackpot of 2022 topped $1.3 billion before it found a winner in July.

☆ Live Results: The House of Representatives is up for grabs, follow the latest vote counts and results here
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Each of the 435 seats in the US House of Representatives is up for grabs this Election Day. Democrats currently hold a narrow majority in the chamber — 220 seats compared to the Republicans' 212 seats. Apportionment led to six states — Oregon, Montana, Texas, Colorado, Florida, and North Carolina— gaining additional districts. Republicans need to flip just five seats to gain control of the House. If they gain control of the chamber, House Republicans have pledged to impeach President Joe Biden and launch an investigation into his son, Hunter Biden, along with an investigation into the US military's withdrawal from Afghanistan.

LDC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group focused on reshaping perceptions of U.S. Latinos through data and economic research. In 2020, Latino consumption was measured at $1.84 trillion. Three-quarters of the Latino population were concentrated in just 10 states in 2020: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Texas. According to the report, Latino growth staved off a decline in the population and labor force in three states — New Jersey, New York and Illinois — from 2010 to 2018. As a result, Latino real GDP contracted a small amount in 2020, by 0.8% compared to 4.4% for non-Latinos.

Search resuls for: "Illinois —"

18 mentions found