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☆ The politics of religion as Trump sells Bibles and Biden is criticized over Easter eggs
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump is literally selling religion to his followers in the form of commemorative Bibles, while President Joe Biden is being criticized by Republicans for allegedly disrespecting the Easter holiday. The version of the Bible Trump is selling also includes the US Constitution and other founding documents. “The Biden White House has betrayed the central tenet of Easter—which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. More than 30% of Americans might qualify as sympathetic to Christian nationalism when it is defined within the idea that America was meant by God to be a Christian nation. People sympathetic to Christian nationalism are also more likely to condone the idea that political violence may be justified.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Trump, ”, CNN CNN’s AJ Willingham, Jemar Tisby, Willingham, “, ” Tisby, Sen, Raphael Warnock, CNN’s Dana Bash, Warnock, Feedback Sen, CNN Biden, Wilton Cardinal Gregory, Gregory, ’, ” Gregory, “ The, Jesus Christ, Mike Johnson, Easter, ” Johnson, Johnson, MAGA, Robert Jones Organizations: CNN, Bible Trump, Georgia Democrat, Ebenezer Baptist Church, “ The Biden White, Conservative, Pew Research Center, PRRI, ”, Republican Party Locations: Ebenezer, Atlanta, Washington, America, Massachusetts, Oregon, North Dakota, Mississippi

☆ Americans have racked up a trillion dollars in credit card debt. That’s actually okay
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Washington, DC CNN —Americans racked up a record amount of credit card debt in 2023, soaring past a trillion dollars. “Consumers still have a lot of money left over to be able to spend, so the credit card data is often misinterpreted,” Russell Price, chief economist at Ameriprise Financial, told CNN. According to a LendingTree analysis of more than 350,000 credit reports, the average unpaid credit card balance was $6,864 in the fourth quarter. Overall, US household debt (including credit card balances) rose to a new high of $17.5 trillion in the fourth quarter, up 1.2% from the prior three-month period. So, while there certainly isn’t a shortage of economic hurdles bedeviling people’s budget — and credit card debt has surged — the big picture indicates that, so far, Americans (and their economy) remain healthy.

Persons: ” Russell Price, Price, haven’t, market’s, ” Gregory Daco, ” Lara Rhame, Laura, Jensen Huang, Christine Lagarde, Virgin, Michael Barr, Raphael Bostic, Susan Collins, John Williams, Papa, Austan Goolsbee, Loretta Mester, fuboTV, Christopher Waller, Mary Daly, Adriana Kugler Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, DC CNN, Workers, New York Fed, Consumers, Ameriprise, CNN, Federal Reserve Bank of New, . New York Fed, Employers, Soaring, FS Investments, Nvidia, Huawei, AMD, Microsoft, Broadcom, US Commerce Department, Central Bank, eBay, Smucker, Urban Outfitters, Global, Board, TJX, Monster Beverage, Baidu, HP, Paramount Global, Anheuser, Busch Inbev, Dell Technologies, Papa John’s, US Labor Department, National Association of Realtors, P, China’s National Bureau, Statistics, Pearson, P Global, Institute for Supply Management, University of Michigan Locations: Washington, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, ., EY, Santa Clara, Singapore, Shenzhen, China, Beijing, CAVA

☆ Joy Gregory’s new book shines a light on overlooked Black women photographers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Suyin Haynes | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The genesis of photographer Joy Gregory’s latest project, “Shining Lights,” began 40 years ago, at a Valentine’s Day party in London. After the party and as they became friends, Mercer suggested the pair collaborate on a book about women’s photography. Courtesy the artist/MACKThe idea then, for a book surveying the work of Black women’s photography in Britain in the 1980s and 1990s, lay dormant for several decades. The result is “Shining Lights: Black Women Photographers in 1980s–90s Britain,” a new photography book edited by Gregory and co-published by Autograph and Mack. “I think as women, it wasn’t open, and I think being of color, it definitely wasn’t open.”In the book, Black “refers to the whole gamut of color, which was really about difference,” says Gregory.

Persons: Joy Gregory’s, ”, Joy, Araba Mercer, Mercer, “, ” Gregory, Gregory, Mercer —, Sheba, Jennie Baptiste's, Wale Adeyemi, MACK, Black, Maxine Walker’s, Mack, Walker, Mona Hatoum, Turner, Ingrid Pollard, Maxine Walker, Jacqueline Moran Daubercies, Maria Pedro, callouts, Eileen Perrier's, “ That’s, ” Joy Gregory, Maria Kheirkhah's, Mumtaz Karimjee, Virginia, Karimjee, Ronan Mckenzie, MACK “, haven’t, Taous Dahmani Organizations: CNN, Royal College of Art, Women Photographers, Facebook Locations: London, Sheba, Britain, Ghana, Kingston , Jamaica

A New York City woman who died Sunday from cancer has raised enough money to erase millions of dollars in medical debt with a posthumous plea for help. The posts included a link to a fundraising campaign started through the nonprofit RIP Medical Debt. It had raised about $140,000 by Friday afternoon, or enough to buy around $14 million in medical debt. RIP Medical Debt erases debt purchased from hospitals, other health care providers and the secondary debt market. They were inspired by a video they saw of North Carolina churchgoers burning about $3 million in medical debt.

Persons: Casey McIntyre, McIntyre, ” “, Andrew Rose Gregory, Gregory, Casey, ”, Daniel Lempert, Grace, “ Casey, ” Gregory Organizations: York City, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, North, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: York, U.S, Brooklyn, North Carolina

NEW YORK (AP) — On the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's First Folio, rare originals are being displayed and publishers are offering collectors editions of Shakespeare's plays, including one that sells for $1,500. The British Museum is collaborating with Rizzoli Books in New York on “Shakespeare’s First Folio: 400th Anniversary Facsimile Edition,” contained within a slipcase cover. Besides Doran's introduction, the Folio Society release includes a foreword by Dame Judi Dench. “In an era when everything seems disposable, I feel like there's a good market for fine editions of classic books,” says Folio Society publishing director Tom Walker. “You can buy a Ben Jonson folio for a few thousand dollars; a Shakespeare folio will cost you millions.

Persons: Shakespeare's, Mr, William Shakespeares, Shakespeare, “ Macbeth, ”, ” Gregory Doran, Adrian Edwards, George R.R, Martin's, Dame Judi Dench, Neil Packer, “, Tom Walker, Chris Laoutaris, Ben Jonson, Benjamin Jonson ”, Henry, Emily Folger, Sir George Grey, ” Laoutaris, ’, James Shapiro Organizations: Royal Shakespeare Company, British Museum, New York Public Library, British, Rizzoli Books, Folio Society, Folio, Shakespeare Institute, Avon, Columbia University Locations: New York, London, playwright's, Stratford, British, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, France

☆ After a robust third quarter, US economic growth will likely slow. That's good for the prospect of rate cuts next year.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The central bank also doesn’t have any incentive to restrict the economy through elevated interest rates if inflation is already under control. The US central bank has raised interest rates 11 times since March 2022 to their highest level in 22 years. The US Commerce Department reports new home sales in September. The US Commerce Department reports third-quarter gross domestic product along with September figures on new durable-goods orders. The US Labor Department reports the number of new applications for jobless benefits in the week ended October 21.

Persons: Jerome Powell, ” Gregory Daco, ” Diane Swonk, Donald Trump, Colin Kaepernick’s, Bud Light’s, Elliott Gotkine, ”, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, “, Satya Nadella, ” Sundar Pichai, , Sherwin, Williams, Clark, General, Hess, Rowe Price Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, DC CNN, The Commerce Department, Federal Reserve, Treasury, KPMG, BlackRock, America, Nike, Yale School of Management, Microsoft, ” Disney, Sonnenfeld, Tottenham Hotspur, Whirlpool, Verizon, General Electric, Barclays, 3M, General Motors, Spotify, Quest Diagnostics, Mobile, Boeing, General Dynamics, Old Dominion, Hilton, Meta, IBM, US Commerce Department, Mastercard, Merck, Comcast, UPS, Myers Squibb, Northrop Grumman, Valero, The Hershey Company, Amazon, Intel, European Central Bank, US Labor Department, National Association of Realtors, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Colgate, Palmolive, Phillips, University of Michigan Locations: Washington, EY, Israel, United States, United Kingdom, London, Gaza, Kimberly, Haliburton, Old, Bristol, AbbVie

Storm clouds are growing over the U.S. economy as the third quarter winds down this week. There is the ongoing strike by United Auto Workers members against the major car manufacturers. There is the rising price of oil with the international benchmark Brent crude now sitting above $93 a barrel. Aiding the economy’s escape from a downturn has been an unusual set of circumstances that include falling inflation, rising wages and some leftover stimulus from the COVID pandemic. “Such a shutdown could leave a visible mark on the economy,” Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY Parthenon, said last week.

Persons: Bob Doll, ” Gregory Daco, ” Daco, ” Wells Organizations: United Auto Workers, Brent, Crossmark Advisors, Federal Reserve, ”, Fed Locations: U.S

☆ The Fed’s preferred inflation measure stayed high in July — and consumers are continuing to spend
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Minneapolis CNN —US inflation may have remained elevated in July, but consumers just wanted to have some fun. It’s the strongest monthly spending gain since January; however, underlying data indicates this type of activity may be on borrowed time. The Personal Consumption Expenditures index showed that prices increased 0.2% on a monthly basis and 3.3% annually. Economists were expecting monthly increases of 0.2% for the headline and core indexes and 3.3% and 4.2%, respectively, for the annual numbers. Even when adjusted for inflation, spending surged in July, rising by 0.6% from the month before.

Persons: ” Eugenio Alemán, Raymond James, “, ” Gregory Daco, EY, Jerome Powell, ” Powell, Wells, Shannon Seery, Wells Fargo, ” Seery, ” Daco, Powell, Jackson, ” Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, New Commerce Department, Federal, Commerce Department, Amazon’s, PCE, CNN, “, of Labor Statistics Locations: Minneapolis, Jackson Hole , Wyoming

Obviously, this is not a story about Washington, D.C., where Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s unsuccessful — and still ongoing — attempt to become speaker will go down in history. Gregory said he was joking around with state Rep. Tim O’Neal, a member of the Republican leadership, about tapping Rozzi to be speaker. State Democrats, however, list Rozzi as a Democratic speaker on their official website. House Republicans told NBC News they are not looking to work with Democrats to elect a more center-right speaker to govern their new majority. Gregory said the Pennsylvania election was "not really apples to apples" with the ongoing battle for control of the U.S. House.

☆ This company wants to make air travel sustainable
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Clare Duffy Cnn Business Video John General | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Already, some of the world’s biggest airlines are signing on to Air Company’s vision. Jet Blue Ventures, the airline’s investment arm, also invested directly in Air Company’s $30 million Series A funding round earlier this year. Air Company's carbon-neutral, CO2-derived fuel was successfully used in August 2022 during a test flight in partnership with the US Air Force. Air Company“How we think about what the company does is trying to solve humanity’s toughest problems,” Gregory Constantine, co-founder and CEO of Air Company, told CNN in an interview last month. But Air Company’s production process starts by pulling harmful carbon emissions out of the air.

☆ UK economy: Rishi Sunak only has unpleasant choices as prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

There’s little appetite for government spending cuts after years of austerity in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis. Plus, failing to help households deal with surging living costs could prove politically devastating and further weigh on the economy. Finance minister Jeremy Hunt got the ball rolling last week when he reversed £32 billion ($37 billion) in tax cuts that formed the bedrock of Truss’ plan to boost growth. Risk of a ‘doom loop’Investors and economists expect that the government will announce a mixture of tax increases and spending cuts shortly. No one wants to repeat the errors of the brief Truss era, when her gamble that unfunded tax cuts would jumpstart growth backfired spectacularly.

☆ Alice, the first all-electric passenger airplane, takes flight
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN Business —The world’s first all-electric passenger aircraft has successfully taken to the sky. Israeli company Eviation Aircraft successfully launched the Alice on Tuesday morning from Washington’s Grant County International Airport. The zero-emission plane traveled at an altitude of 3,500 feet for its eight-minute inaugural flight. Three different versions of the Alice are in protoype stages: a “commuter” variant, an executive version, and one specialized for cargo. The executive design has six passenger seats for a more spacious flight, and the cargo plane holds 450 cubic feet of volume.

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