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☆ Fact Check-No evidence Trump distributed water to Floridians for Hurricane Idalia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

There is no evidence former U.S. President Donald Trump assisted Florida residents in preparation for Hurricane Idalia, despite online posts circulating a photo of Trump handing over a bottle of water. Hurricane Idalia plowed through Florida’s Gulf Coast on Aug. 30, causing floods and widespread power outages. Further, there are no news reports or photos to corroborate the claim that Trump aided Floridians in preparation for the hurricane. ET in a Truth Social post that said, in part: “Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by Hurricane Idalia” (here). Donald Trump was not photographed aiding Floridians preparing for Hurricane Idalia.

Persons: Donald Trump, Hurricane Idalia, Idalia, Trump, @Trump_History45, Donald J, William Shakespeare, Napoleon Bonaparte, Floridians, Read Organizations: Hurricane, Trump, Reuters Locations: Florida, Coast, United States

☆ A Hollywood-Detroit Crackup
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Holman W. Jenkins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Holman W. Jenkins Jr. is a member of the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Jenkins joined the Journal in May 1992 as a writer for the editorial page in New York. In February 1994, he moved to Hong Kong as editor of The Asian Wall Street Journal's editorial page. Mr. Jenkins won a 1997 Gerald Loeb Award for distinguished business and financial coverage. Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Jenkins received a bachelor's degree from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

Persons: Holman W, Jenkins, Mr, Gerald Loeb, William Smith Organizations: Street, William, William Smith Colleges, Northwestern University, University of Michigan Locations: New York, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Hobart

☆ Jimmy Buffett, Roguish Bard of Island Escapism, Is Dead at 76
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Bill Friskics-Warren | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

His claim to squandering his wealth notwithstanding, Mr. Buffett proved to be a shrewd manager of his considerable fortune; in 2023, Forbes estimated his net worth at $1 billion. Mr. Buffett was also an accomplished author, one of only six writers, along with the likes of Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck and William Styron, to top both The Times’s fiction and nonfiction best-seller lists. By the time he wrote “Tales from Margaritaville” (1989), the first of his three No. “I could wind up like a lot of my friends did, burned out or dead, or redirect the energy,” he told The Washington Post in 1989. It was fun — all that hard drinking, hard drugging.

Persons: Buffett, Anthony DeCurtis, Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Trump, Mr, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, William Styron, Margaritaville ”, “, ”, “ I’m, ” “ Organizations: Forbes, The New York Times, Washington Post Locations: Caribbean

☆ Maui Sees Off the Climate-Change Ambulance Chasers
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Holman W. Jenkins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ 36-year-old CEO took Philly cheesesteaks to Atlanta, sold over $2.3 million at one store in the last year—now he wants to help others do the same
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Frank Holland | In Frank-Holland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Big Dave's Cheesesteaks founder and CEO Derrick Hayes is cooking up what he hopes will be his most delicious offering yet: a chance to own a franchise. On Thursday, Hayes will begin accepting official applications to purchase a Big Dave's Cheesesteaks franchise. From water ice to cheesesteaksBig Dave's Cheesesteaks started as Big Dave's Water Ice, as Italian ice is known is Philadelphia, in a gas station in Dunwoody, Georgia, in 2014. Derrick Hayes Source: William SterlingAfter failing to gain traction selling frozen treats, Hayes switched to cheesesteaks. The two connected to discuss repairs to Big Dave's and community outreach during the pandemic.

Persons: Dave's, Derrick Hayes, Hayes, it's, Cheesesteaks, William Sterling, Eve, George Floyd, Pinky Cole, Big, Cole Organizations: The, Black Business, International Franchise Association, Slutty Locations: The West Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Dunwoody , Georgia, he's, Philly, Atlanta

☆ UK business optimism at 18-month high on hopes for rate hike pause
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Workers walk through the Canary Wharf financial district, ahead of a Bank of England decision on interest rate changes, in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. Contrasting with signs of an economic slowdown in other recent surveys, the Lloyds Bank Business Barometer measure of confidence jumped by 10 points in August to 41%, its highest since February 2022. "The bounce in economic optimism this month is the stand-out point," Hann-Ju Ho, senior economist at Lloyds Bank, said. The BoE raised rates for the 14th time in a row this month to counter an inflation rate running at almost 7%. Investors mostly expect the Bank Rate to peak this year at 5.75%, up from its current level of 5.25%.

Persons: Toby Melville, " Hann, Ju Ho, BoE, William Schomberg, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Bank of, REUTERS, Bank of England, Lloyds Bank, Lloyds, Thomson Locations: Bank of England, London, Britain, Ukraine

☆ UK consumers slow pace of borrowing as costs mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - British consumers increased their borrowing by less than expected in July in a possible sign of caution among households as borrowing costs rise, Bank of England data showed on Wednesday. Unsecured lending to consumers rose by 1.191 billion pounds ($1.51 billion) in net terms, less than the 1.3-billion-pound increase which was the median forecast in a Reuters poll of economists, and down from the 1.637 billion pounds rise in June. The pace of growth in consumer credit over the 12 months to July slowed to 7.3%, the slowest increase since December last year. The BoE has raised interest rates 14 times in a row since December 2021 to tackle an inflation rate which was running at almost 7% in July. ($1 = 0.7913 pounds)Reporting by William Schomberg; editing by David Milliken and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: BoE, William Schomberg, David Milliken, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Bank of, Thomson

☆ Prigozhin’s Death Leaves Putin Weaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Holman W. Jenkins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Is It Time to Wear a Mask Again?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Dani Blum | More About Dani Blum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As new Covid variants gain traction, reinfections become more common and cases climb in certain areas, a few schools and businesses are reinstating mask requirements. Here’s a refresher on where, when and how to mask. When should you wear a mask inside? Everyone’s risk tolerance varies, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said. “Certainly every time you add another person to the room, particularly people who are within three to five feet of you, that increases your chance of getting infected, exponentially,” Dr. Pekosz added.

Persons: reinfections, ”, Andrew Pekosz, William Schaffner, Pekosz Organizations: Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

☆ Opinion | Favorite Songs and Prose, Reimagined
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The internet is the great battlefield of that war, with some very fine people on both sides. We have come to dedicate a large portion of our field of attention to websites and apps as the final resting place for our opinions that they may live forever. It is not altogether fitting or proper that we should do this. And, among the nonsense, we can no longer enjoy the love we make — in case we accidentally procreate — with abortion newly struck down. The brave women, living in dread, who struggle in fear, have old men to blame for it, and deserve nothing less than to have us now act.

Persons: William Shakespeare, Joel Watson Organizations: Joel Watson San, Gettysburg Locations: Joel Watson San Diego, Queens

☆ BoE's Broadbent: Rates may have to stay high 'for some time yet'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Bank of England's Deputy Governor, Monetary Policy, Ben Broadbent speaks at a press conference at the Bank of England, London, Britain, May 11, 2023. The BoE said earlier this month that borrowing costs were likely to stay high for some time as it raised rates for the 14th time in a row. Investors expect another increase in the BoE's Bank Rate to 5.5% from its current level of 5.25% on Sept. 21, after the next scheduled meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee. Broadbent said the BoE's stance on interest rates would respond to "the evidence on spare capacity, and to indicators of domestic inflation, as and when it comes through." The chair of the Federal Reserve, Jay Powell, told the Jackson Hole gathering of central bankers on Friday that the Fed may need to interest rates further.

Persons: Ben Broadbent, Henry Nicholls, JACKSON, Broadbent, BoE, Jay Powell, Jackson, William Schomberg, Paul Sandle, Christina Fincher Organizations: of England's, Monetary, Bank of England, REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, , Wyoming, United States, Ukraine, BoE's, Russia

☆ Why Our EV Policies Are So Extremely Stupid
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Holman W. Jenkins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Opinion: Trump indictment in Georgia on RICO charges sets a dangerous precedent
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Opinion David Orentlicher | Eve Hanan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Eve Hanan Courtesy Eve HananNot surprisingly, there are other criminal laws that are straightforward and appropriate to invoke against Trump. But Willis doesn’t stop there, and her invocation of RICO charges in particular raises concerns. To justify her RICO charges against Trump, Willis must point to particular acts by the former president that advanced the alleged criminal enterprise. But criminal law is designed to punish individual, not collective, guilt. By using RICO, Willis has given the defendants a potential prison sentence of five to 20 years.

Persons: David Orentlicher, Jack, Lulu Lehman, William S, Eve Hanan, Donald Trump’s, Trump, David Orentlicher R, Marsh Starks, Fani Willis, Jack Smith, He’s, Smith, Willis, Willis doesn’t, Young Thug, Jeffery Lamar Williams, Williams, Willis ’ Organizations: Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Democrat, Nevada Assembly, CNN, UNLV, Services, Trump, White, America News Network, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Las Vegas, Nevada, Georgia, Fulton County, Arizona , Georgia, Michigan, Nevada , New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Miami, New York, “ Georgia

☆ William Shatner, Star Trek's Captain Kirk, takes on an AI chatbot
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Rollo Ross | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLOS ANGELES, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Legendary "Star Trek" actor William Shatner has been spending time exploring the new frontier of artificial intelligence. The actor best known for playing Captain Kirk on "Star Trek" talked with ProtoBot, a device that combines holographic visuals with conversational AI, and grappled with philosophical and ethical questions about the technology. Can ProtoBot understand sentience? The ProtoBot device was developed by hologram technology provider Proto Inc with conversational AI developer CodeBaby. It will be released on Sept. 8 and available free to owners of Proto M or Proto Epic hologram units.

Persons: William Shatner, Shepard, Mike Blake, Captain Kirk, ProtoBot, Shatner, Raffi Kryszek, We're, Rollo Ross, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Lawmakers, Thomson Locations: Van Horn , Texas, U.S

But signs of a slowdown are mounting, highlighting the BoE's dilemma as it continues to grapple with inflation. But the BoE looks set to keep on raising rates with inflation still more than three times its 2% target. Below are key readings of Britain's economy that the BoE will assess before its next scheduled announcement on interest rates on Sept. 21. But many analysts expect the lagged impact of the BoE's rate rises to hit spending soon, adding to the drag on the economy. Many economists think the delayed impact of higher interest rates and still elevated inflation will hit growth in the coming months.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, BoE, Andrew Bailey, GfK, Sumanta Sen, Devika Organizations: REUTERS, Bank, Bank of England, Brexit, P, CIPS, Nationwide, Halifax, Reuters Graphics LABOUR, Employers, European Union, Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: Britain

☆ Factory slump and cost-of-living squeeze puts UK economy on course to shrink
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The BoE said earlier this month it only saw inflation falling below 4% from the second quarter of 2024. The PMI survey recorded the slowest growth in output prices since February 2021. Manufacturers - who make up 10% of Britain's economy - reported the biggest fall in output prices since February 2016, echoing wider weakness in the sector. "Companies are reporting reduced orders for goods and services as demand is increasingly hit by the cost-of-living crisis, higher interest rates, export losses and concerns about the economic outlook," Williamson said. Manufacturers said this fall appeared to be an attempt to reduce the need for working capital at a time of rising interest rates.

Persons: Carl Recine, BoE, Queen, Chris Williamson, Sterling, James Smith, P's Williamson, Williamson, David Milliken, William Schomberg, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, PMI, P, P Global Market Intelligence, Bank of England, ING, Manufacturers, Thomson Locations: Altrincham, Britain

☆ Trump and Election Denial
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Holman W. Jenkins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Net borrowing, excluding state-owned banks, stood at 4.3 billion pounds ($5.49 billion) last month, less than the median forecast of 5.0 billion pounds in a Reuters poll of economists. In the first four months of the financial year, borrowing stood at 56.6 billion pounds. "As inflation slows, it's vital that we don’t alter our course and continue to act responsibly with the public finances," Hunt said in a statement after the data. Interest costs rose by 1.5 billion pounds compared with July last year to 7.7 billion pounds, the highest for July since records began in April 1997. The public finances were boosted by inflows of self-assessed income tax receipts which are typically strong in July, which stood at 11.8 billion pounds, 2.5 billion pounds more than in July last year.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Jessica Taylor, Handout, Hunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss's, Ruth Gregory, Gregory, Gabriella Dickens, William Schomberg, Sachin Ravikumar, Andrew Heavens, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, Bank of England, Conservative Party, Treasury, Capital Economics, Senior, National Statistics, Britain's, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Asking prices for UK homes drop sharply - Rightmove
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Toby Melville/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Asking prices for homes in Britain fell sharply this month as rising mortgage costs caused sellers to lower their expectations of what they can get for their properties, an industry survey showed on Monday. Website Rightmove said average asking prices for homes dropped by 1.9%, the biggest monthly fall for August since 2018 and twice as steep as the usual summertime fall. Mortgage lenders Nationwide and Halifax both previously reported falls in selling prices in July. Rightmove's survey also showed the number of home sales was down 15% compared with 2019, before the pandemic. Average asking prices for homes were 2% below their peak in May but, reflecting the surge in demand during the pandemic, remained 19% higher than in August 2019, Rightmove said.

Persons: Toby Melville, Rightmove, William Schomberg, Suban Abdulla Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of England, Nationwide, Halifax, Homes, Thomson Locations: Bristol, Britain

☆ UK jobs market lost some of its heat in July - survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Britain's labour market is losing some of its inflationary heat with vacancies and advertised starting salaries falling in July for the first time this year, according to a survey published on Monday. Job search website Adzuna also said the number of job-seekers per vacancy rose slightly in July but the overall state of the labour market remained tight. The Bank of England is looking closely at the labour market as it considers how much further it needs to raise interest rates to smother high inflation. Adzuna said employers were becoming more secretive about pay rates as the labour market cooled with over half of adverts not disclosing salary details for the first time. Writing by William Schomberg, Editing by Kylie MacLellanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Adzuna, Andrew Hunter, William Schomberg, Kylie MacLellan Organizations: The Bank of England, Thomson

☆ A Proud Boy who was supposed to be sentenced for his role in the Capitol riot is now missing, FBI says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Associated Press | Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Authorities say a Proud Boy found guilty for his role in the Capitol riot has disappeared. Worrell was on house arrest since a judge ruled that his rights were violated in prison. Over 1,000 people have been charged in connection to the Capitol riot. The US attorney's office for Washington, DC, encouraged the public to share any information about his whereabouts. Phone numbers listed for Worrell and the woman named as his custodian during his house arrest were not functional.

Persons: Worrell, Christopher Worrell, Joe Biden's, William Shipley, Donald Trump, instate Organizations: Service, Boys, Capitol, Congress, Prosecutors, US, DC Department of Corrections, Department of, DOJ Locations: Wall, Silicon, Naples , Florida, Washington, Florida, DC

☆ Which arm gets the Covid-19 booster may make a difference, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —When you go to get your newly updated Covid-19 booster this fall, you might want to choose the arm the vaccine goes in carefully. The immune response may be stronger if your booster goes in the same arm as your last Covid-19 shot, according to a study published August 11 in the journal eBioMedicine. The immune response may be stronger if a Covid-19 booster goes in the same arm as your last shot, a new study suggests. Two weeks after the booster, the number of “killer T cells” was significantly higher in those who had both shots in the same arm, according to the study. This study made Schaffner think about this fall, when he will get vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, and influenza as well as a Covid-19 booster.

Persons: Martina Sester, Scott Olson, Laura Ziegler, “, ”, William Schaffner, Schaffner Organizations: CNN, of Infection, Saarland University Hospital, Saarland University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, American Cancer Society, National Institutes of Health Locations: Germany, Nashville

Official data showed sales volumes last month were 1.2% lower than in June. Food stores sales volumes fell by a monthly 2.6% while non-food stores sales volumes fell by 1.7%. However, July's data represented only the second time that sales volumes fell on a month-to-month basis so far in 2023, suggesting resilience in consumer demand. Market research firm GfK reported last month that consumer confidence fell in July for the first time since January. Retail sales volumes were 3.2% lower than a year earlier, the ONS said, compared with economists' forecasts for a 2.1% decline.

Persons: Sterling, Heather Bovill, Ruth Gregory, GfK, Samuel Tombs, BoE, Tombs, Spencer, James Davey, Kate Holton, Susan Fenton Organizations: Reuters, Office, National Statistics, Department, Bank of England, Capital Economics, Macroeconomics, Thomson

☆ UK PM Sunak commits to triple-lock pension policy despite inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was committed to the government's mechanism for increasing state pensions even though it is likely to cost billions of pounds more than usual given high inflation. The pension triple lock is a government promise to raise publicly funded pensions by the level of earnings, inflation or 2.5%, whichever is highest. "Of course the government is committed to its policy on the triple lock," Sunak told ITV News on Wednesday when asked whether he would stick to the pledge despite the rate of inflation. "When I set out that target people said 'oh that's very easy he’s not ambitious enough'," he told ITV. "I thought it was an ambitious target, but it's right to be ambitious for our country."

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, William Schomberg, Kylie MacLellan Organizations: British, ITV News, Bank of, ITV, Thomson Locations: that's

The ONS said falling gas and electricity prices were the biggest driver behind the drop in inflation, while food price inflation also eased. Despite the drop in the headline figure, Britain retains one of the highest rates of price growth in Western Europe, with only Iceland and Austria suffering higher inflation. The BoE is watching core inflation - which strips out volatile food and energy prices - and consumer services prices closely. Services inflation picked up to 7.4% from 7.2% in June. Financial markets on Wednesday showed a roughly two-thirds chance that the BoE's Bank Rate will hit 6% in February, up from 5.25% now.

Persons: Phil Noble, BoE, Sterling, Ruth Gregory, Jeremy Hunt, Andy Bruce, William Schomberg Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of, National Statistics, U.S, ONS, Bank, Capital Economics, Financial, Manufacturers, Thomson Locations: Altrincham, Britain, Bank of England, Western Europe, Iceland, Austria, BoE's

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