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☆ 12 million student-loan borrowers could benefit from Biden's debt cancellation in the districts of the House Republicans who urged the Supreme Court to strike the relief down
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

128 House Republicans filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court opposing student-debt relief. New data found that nearly 12 million borrowers in their districts would benefit from the relief. On Friday, the department unveiled data showing the breakdown of student-loan borrowers who applied, and were deemed eligible, for President Joe Biden's up to $20,000 in debt relief by congressional district. Over the past few weeks, 128 House Republican lawmakers filed an amicus curiae brief to the Supreme Court ahead of oral arguments on February 28 urging it to strike down Biden's debt relief. As the Education Department has previously said, over 40 million borrowers in total would qualify for Biden's debt relief, and of the 26 million borrowers who applied for the relief before the online application closed in October, 16 million of them had been fully approved.

☆ Bird flu spreads to new countries, threatens non-stop 'war' on poultry
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Argentina found the virus in wild birds, while dead swans in Uruguay tested positive. The United States, Britain, France and Japan are among countries that have suffered record losses of poultry over the past year, leaving some farmers feeling helpless. Poultry in the Northern Hemisphere were previously considered to be most at risk when wild birds are active during spring migration. Some experts suspect climate change may be contributing to the global spread by altering wild birds' habitats and migratory paths. Farmers are trying unusual tactics to protect poultry, with some using machines that make loud noises to scare off wild birds, experts said.

Following Wednesday's trade, Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust will own 625 shares of EMR, increasing its weighting in the portfolio to about 1.79% from 1.65%. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

☆ Bird flu spreads to new countries, threatens non-stop "war" on poultry
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The United States, Britain, France and Japan are among countries that have suffered record losses of poultry over the past year, leaving some farmers feeling helpless. Poultry in the Northern Hemisphere were previously considered to be most at risk when wild birds are active during spring migration. Some experts suspect climate change may be contributing to the global spread by altering wild birds' habitats and migratory paths. Farmers are trying unusual tactics to protect poultry, with some using machines that make loud noises to scare off wild birds, experts said. Berkowitz said he is bracing for March and April when migration season will pose an even greater risk to poultry.

☆ Iowa now has its own version of a 'Don't Say Gay' bill, requiring parental consent for nicknames that don't match a kid's 'biological sex'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Yelena Dzhanova | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Iowa lawmakers are considering a bill to limit gender identity and expression in the classroom. The bill is similar to Florida's "Don't Say Gay" legislation, which forbids discussion of gender expression, identity, and sexual orientation in kindergarten classrooms through third grade. The text of the "Don't Say Gay" bill specifies that such discussions are not "age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students." The Iowa law would prohibit the discussion of gender identity from kindergarten through third grade. Limits on gender expression in the classroom can create a culture of fear, she said.

☆ This is the best place to be sitting if your plane is about to crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Plane crashes are extremely rare. Data from past crashes and crash tests show that the back of the plane is probably the safest. In the rare case that a plane goes down, some research indicates that the safest place to be sitting is in a middle seat near the back of a plane. A 2015 analysis by Time magazine of the Federal Aviation Administration's aircraft accident database looked at 17 plane crashes with seat charts that could be analyzed. Middle of the plane, middle seat: 39% — about one in 2.5 passengers.

☆ A disappointing quarter sends newest position Emerson Electric to the penalty box
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Emerson Electric (EMR) reported disappointing quarterly results on Wednesday, pushing shares of the technology and engineering company down 5% and forcing a downgrade on our newest holding. As a result, we are putting Emerson Electric in the "penalty box" and downgrading shares to a 2 rating from a 1. A penalty box means the stock has one quarter to show improvement — and should it fail to do so, it gets booted from the portfolio. Geographically, sales growth was driven by the Americas, which was up 13% versus the year-ago period. On the other hand, the earnings-per-share guide, which along with underlying sales growth is in line with the guidance previously provided, came in a penny short at the midpoint.

☆ Can you file for unemployment if you're getting severance or freelancing? Here’s what to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Jennifer Liu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Who qualifies for unemployment benefits? You're eligible to receive unemployment insurance if you lose your job through no fault of your own, which includes being laid off. The average weekly unemployment benefit was around $385 as of the third quarter of 2022, but it can vary widely. Should you file for unemployment if you're getting severance? Some states will let you apply for and receive unemployment benefits even if you're getting severance pay, whereas others say severance money could lower your benefit amount or make you ineligible at that time.

☆ Supreme Court challenges to Biden student loan plan hinge on overreach, financial harm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The law is a product of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and an earlier version of it provided relief to federal student loan borrowers impacted by the attacks. However, the states counter that the Heroes Act allows the Education secretary only to modify the federal student loan system to keep certain borrowers from being in a worse-off position with their loans because of a national emergency. In other words, higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz said, the states are asserting that Biden is using Covid as an excuse to pass his plan. The states also argue that Biden's plan would cause financial harm to their states, including a loss of profits for the companies that service federal student loans. The attorneys also denied the claim that the Biden administration was overstepping its authority, laying out the White House's argument that it is acting within the law under the Heroes Act of 2003.

☆ Biden revamp of Democratic primary faces final vote at DNC convention
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The move, another clear sign Biden intends to run for re-election in 2024, would force any potential Democratic primary challenger to square off with Biden in a series of matchups largely of his choosing. Just a simple majority of the members need to approve it, but two states, Georgia and New Hampshire, are not playing along and have been given to June to comply. GRANITE STATEBiden's push to move New Hampshire down the primary calendar has struck a nerve with both Republicans and Democrats in the Granite State. New Hampshire Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan sat out the White House congressional ball in December amid anger over the potential changes. In Georgia, Democrats want to move up the calendar but need Republicans who control state government to agree.

☆ U.S. awarding $800 million to improve roads, cut traffic deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The Biden administration will announce Wednesday it is awarding $800 million to redesign roads, improve sidewalks and make other upgrades to address the sharp increase in U.S. traffic deaths. Traffic deaths jumped 10.5% to 42,915 in 2021, the highest number killed on American roads since 2005. After declining for decades, traffic deaths jumped sharply after COVID-19 lockdowns expired in 2020 and more drivers engaged in unsafe behavior. Other projects include mid-block crosswalks, rumble strips, narrower lanes and backplates with reflective borders to improve traffic signal visibility. The United States has 4 million miles of roads and nearly 300 million vehicles that travel more than 3 trillion miles annually.

☆ Police charge second teenager in Iowa school shooting that killed 2
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

DES MOINES, Iowa — Authorities on Friday charged a second teenager with murder in the shooting deaths of two students at a Des Moines educational program. Bravon Michael Tukes, 19, of Des Moines, faces two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of criminal gang participation. Police said evidence shows Tukes communicated with Walls before and immediately after the shooting and drove the vehicle in which Walls allegedly fled. Police say the shooting was premeditated and that Walls, who was on supervised release for a weapons charge last year, cut off an ankle monitor 16 minutes beforehand. Classes at the education program, which works with Des Moines Public Schools to help students who haven’t succeeded in traditional schools, were cancelled this week.

☆ Real estate agents say they can’t imagine working without ChatGPT now
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

This made it so much easier.”Johannes is among the real estate agents experimenting with ChatGPT since it was released publicly in late November. Miami real estate broker Andres Asion. Serge Reda, a commercial real estate executive and adjunct professor at the Fordham Real Estate Institute, said some use cases for ChatGPT are better than others. While ChatGPT has generated a wave of interest among realtors, incorporating artificial intelligence in the real estate market isn’t entirely new. Although it’s too early to say if the tool will become a mainstay in real estate, realtor Johannes believes AI in general will transform his industry and others.

The new rules adopted by both GOP-led chambers effectively shield members and their staff from public records requests, making investigations into any potential wrongdoing far more difficult. The exemptions from public records laws and the ability to destroy emails after 90 days apply to both chambers. Because the chambers adopted the changes via rule changes, not legislation, Republicans were able to bypass the need for Democratic Gov. Legislatures having the ability to shield themselves from public records laws is not unheard of. Minnesota, Iowa, Oklahoma and Massachusetts also have laws in place effectively exempting state legislators from public records requests, according to record request nonprofit MuckRock, though it remains exceedingly common for lawmakers in states where such exemptions don't explicitly exist to avoid complying with public records laws.

☆ At least 3 dead in Yakima, Washington, shooting as search for suspect continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

At least three people were killed early Tuesday in a “random” shooting at a convenience store in Yakima, Washington, and a search for a suspect is ongoing, police said. There were also eyewitnesses who have given us information.”Police identified the suspect as Jarid Haddock, 21, of Yakima County. Police Chief Matt Murray during a briefing at the scene of a shooting in Yakima, Wash., early morning Tuesday. The suspect then stepped inside the Circle K where two customers were and began shooting, according to the chief. The suspect also shot a person outside the convenience store, Murray said.

☆ Iowa Shooting at Youth Program Leaves Two Students Dead, Organization’s President Wounded
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Talal Ansari | Ginger Adams Otis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Law enforcement officers enter the Starts Right Here building on Monday in Des Moines, Iowa. Two students at an Iowa education center for at-risk youth died Monday in what authorities said was a targeted shooting that also left the organization’s president seriously wounded. Two male students, 18 years old and 16 years old, were fatally shot when a suspect identified by Des Moines, Iowa, police as Preston Walls, 18, pulled out a 9mm handgun and began firing at them just before 1 p.m. local time, authorities said.

☆ Iowa Shooting Leaves Two Students Dead, Employee Wounded
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Talal Ansari | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Law enforcement officers enter the Starts Right Here building on Monday in Des Moines, Iowa. Two students were killed and an employee was wounded Monday during a shooting at an Iowa education center for at-risk youth, authorities said. Des Moines, Iowa, police responded to reports of gunfire at the Starts Right Here education program just before 1 p.m. local time.

☆ Two students and adult fatally shot at Iowa school program
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Tyler Clifford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 23 (Reuters) - Two students were killed on Monday and an adult was seriously wounded in a "targeted" shooting at a nonprofit educational center for at-risk youth in Des Moines, Iowa, local police said. The students died at a hospital, while a staff member of Starts Right Here, a learning facility for young people, was in surgery, Sargent Paul Parizek said at a press conference. Parizek said the police department works closely with the program, which was designed to help underserved students who have a variety of "troubles and challenges." Des Moines Public Schools interim Superintendent Matt Smith said the district partnered with Starts Right Here to help "re-engage students." "We are saddened to learn of another act of gun violence, especially one that impacts an organization that works closely with some of our students," Smith said in a statement.

☆ Small-town nursing homes closing amid staffing crunch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Tony Leys | Kaiser Health News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

In Iowa, 13 of the 15 nursing homes that closed in 2022 were in rural areas, according to the Iowa Health Care Association. “We’ve had more nursing homes go bankrupt in the last year than in the last 10 years combined,” she said. Nationally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported recently that 129 nursing homes had closed in 2022. In Iowa, Medicaid pays nursing homes about $215 per day per resident, according to the Iowa Health Care Association. Willett said a recent survey found that 72% of Iowa’s remaining nursing homes were freezing or limiting admissions below their capacity.

☆ CNH Industrial union workers end strike at two U.S. plants with deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 22 (Reuters) - Members of two local unions at CNH Industrial NV (CNHI.MI) factories in Wisconsin and Iowa reached an agreement over a new labor contract on Saturday, ending a strike that has been ongoing since last May, the United Auto Workers union said. The contract, which was voted on as an improved "last, best, and final offer" by CNH Industrial workers, included wage increases, shift premium increases, classification upgrades and as other improvements, the UAW said in a statement. The UAW, which represents more than 1,000 hourly workers at the two plants, did not disclose details of the vote. More than 1,000 union members in Racine, Wisconsin, and Burlington, Iowa, walked off their equipment-making jobs in May after a six-year contract expired at the facilities. The agreement came after the local unions had this month rejected a tentative contract.

☆ Most Abortion Bans Include Exceptions. In Practice, Few Are Granted.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Amy Schoenfeld Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

But abortion-rights advocates say legal exceptions do nothing but make abortion bans appear more reasonable than they really are. One shows states with abortion bans with exceptions for rape or incest and the other shows states without those exceptions. One shows states with abortion bans with exceptions for fatal birth defects and the other shows states without those exceptions. One shows states with abortion bans with exceptions for patients with severe health risks and the other shows states without those exceptions. One shows states with abortion bans with exceptions for the life of the patient and the other shows states without those exceptions.

Bills to block the app on state devices in California, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont have also been proposed. University of IdahoSchool’s policy: TikTok must be removed from university equipment "regardless of funding source," according to the school's help page. South Dakota University SystemSchool’s policy: The South Dakota Board of Regents, which governs six universities including Black Hills State University, University of South Dakota, Northern State University, Dakota State University, South Dakota State University and South Dakota Mines, told employees they could not use, download or access TikTok on university devices. University of Texas — AustinSchool’s policy: On Dec. 16, university officials announced that TikTok would be banned on state-issued devices. Texas Tech UniversitySchool’s policy: University employees are prohibited from using TikTok on school-issued devices and official university TikTok accounts must be deactivated.

Florida could soon become the 26th state to allow individuals to carry concealed loaded guns anywhere without permits — a growing trend that has alarmed gun safety groups. “Constitutional carry” and “permitless carry” laws eliminate the requirement. Permitless carry laws get rid of that requirement. “Permitless carry causes harm, and there is data to prove it,” said Shannon Watts, a board member at the gun violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety. She pointed to multiple studies showing that states that have implemented permitless carry have had upticks in both gun violence and police shootings.

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☆ Biden's student loan forgiveness plan is 'unlawful,' two professors say, but legal challenges carry 'dangerous implications'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Although they call President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan "unlawful," two university law professors are urging the Supreme Court to reject the legal challenges that have been brought against it. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear two of those legal challenges. The law professors say it's supposed to be the party most affected by a policy that challenges it in the courts. But the law professors say that, in that case, MOHELA should have brought the legal challenge, not the states. "Missouri is not the proper party to pursue relief for MOHELA's lost loan servicing fees," Baude and Bray wrote.

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