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☆ There is a growing shadow campaign to defend Joe Biden from House Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Three new "war rooms" have sprung up in the past two weeks to combat the House Republican investigations, each backed by multimillion-dollar dark money budgets and some of the best-known operatives in the Democratic Party. Every White House has faced congressional investigations. The White House itself has been preparing for months for the barrage of inquiries, adding both legal and public relations firepower to the White House Counsel’s Office, which is quarterbacking its effort, and encouraging federal agencies to take similar moves. And the White House prefers to stay above the political fray, anyway. I also think it’s the story of Joe Biden as an empathetic father.”

Conservative-led governments in oil-producing Alberta and Saskatchewan are demanding Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government cede more power on issues from climate policy to gun control. Provinces already manage non-renewable natural resources, while the federal government has some jurisdiction over the environment. Alberta's proposed legislation "undermines the authority and duty of the sovereign nations that entered into treaty," Treaty 8 First Nations Grand Chief Arthur Noskey said in the statement. First Nations only agreed in treaties to share their land to "the depth of a plow," said Chief Bobby Cameron of Saskatchewan's Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, meaning agreements did not cover oil or minerals deeper underground. The backlash against Alberta and Saskatchewan sovereignty mirrors Indigenous opposition to Quebec's attempt to secede from Canada in a 1995 referendum which it narrowly lost.

"There's a lot of anger about paid sick leave among the membership" who kept goods flowing during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Seth Harris, a professor at Northeastern University. Labor unions have criticized the railroads' sick leave and attendance policies and the lack of paid sick days for short-term illness. There are no paid sick days under the tentative deal. Unions asked for 15 paid sick days and the railroads settled on one personal day. Railroads have slashed labor and other costs to bolster profits and are fiercely opposed to adding paid sick time that would require them to hire more staff.

Train and engine service members of the transportation division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) narrowly voted to reject the deal. Three other unions that rejected the deal have already agreed to extend a strike deadline until early December. Labor unions have criticized the railroads’ sick leave and attendance policies and the lack of paid sick days for short-term illness. Beginning on Dec. 9, SMART-TD would be allowed to go on strike or the rail carriers would be permitted to lock out workers, unless Congress intervenes. The Biden administration helped avert a service cutoff by hosting last-minute contract talks in September at the Labor Department that led to a tentative contract deal.

☆ Global investors are bullish again on China as Beijing switches to damage control
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A key index of Chinese stocks in New York jumped 15% during the same period. Some investment banks even upgraded their China growth forecasts following the policy changes. They want to correct the market’s perception of China’s economic outlook, as President Xi Jinping interacts with global leaders at G20,” it said. “I don’t think the long-term appetite for China and Hong Kong shares will return so quickly. The Nasdaq Golden China Index, a popular index tracking Chinese companies in New York, has plunged more than 33% so far in 2022.

☆ NHL roundup: Flames hold off Kings 6-5
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY SportsNovember 15 - Tyler Toffoli and Elias Lindholm each had a goal and two assists for the Calgary Flames in a 6-5 win against the visiting Los Angeles Kings on Monday night. Adam Ruzicka had a goal and an assist, and Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves for the Flames, who have won two in a row. Jonathan Huberdeau, Andrew Mangiapane and Brett Ritchie also scored for Calgary, and Nazem Kadri registered two assists. Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kemp added Los Angeles' other goals, and Drew Doughty logged two assists. Jordan Binnington had 45 saves and Pavel Buchnevich added two assists for the Blues, who have won three straight.

☆ NHL roundup: Spencer Knight, Panthers blank Hurricanes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Nov 9, 2022; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight (30) watches the puck on the shot of Carolina Hurricanes right wing Stefan Noesen (23) during the third period at FLA Live Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY SportsNovember 10 - Spencer Knight made 40 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 on Wednesday in Sunrise, Fla. The 40 stops were a season-high for the 21-year-old goalie, and when Carolina pushed back in the third period, Knight was particularly sharp, stopping 18 shots in the final stanza. Nick Cousins, Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett scored for Florida, which has won back-to-back games despite missing Matthew Tkachuk because of a suspension. Jason Zucker, Brock McGinn and Jeff Petry each scored during a three-goal second period and Jake Guentzel tallied into an empty net in the third for the Penguins.

☆ Judy Blume’s ‘Forever’ is being made into a TV series for Netflix
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A beloved teen novel is getting a Netflix adaptation. The streaming giant announced Thursday that Judy Blume’s popular 1975 novel “Forever” is being “reimagined” by writer/producer Mara Brock Akil for “a new generation.”“It’s an epic love story of two Black teens exploring romance and their identities through the awkward journey of being each other’s firsts,” according to a press release. Akil is best known for creating hits like “Girlfriends,” “The Game,” “Being Mary Jane” and “Love Is.”“Judy Blume’s ability to capture the real emotions we experience during the various rites of passage of our youth influenced my life choices and writing voice. I’m honored to reimagine one of my favorite books, ‘Forever,’” Akil said in a statement. The series does not yet have a target premiere date.

☆ NHL roundup: Devils top Flames, run win streak to 7 games
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The Devils have won seven straight -- their longest winning streak since winning eight straight from Feb. 6-22, 2011. Golden Knights 4, Maple Leafs 3 (OT)Reilly Smith scored his second goal of the game 23 seconds into overtime and visiting Vegas defeated Toronto. Oilers left winger Evander Kane was stable and transported to a local hospital for a procedure following a serious left wrist laceration in the second period. After Jason Robertson gave Dallas a 1-0 lead at 3:06 of the second period, Winnipeg scored four straight goals in the frame. Dallas, which had outscored its opponents 18-6 during a three-game winning streak entering play Tuesday, seemed shellshocked following the results of the second period.

☆ Big brands set to miss plastic sustainability targets
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Joe Brock | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the United Nations Environment Programme also revealed that some companies - including Coca-Cola (KO.N) and Pepsi - are using more virgin plastic despite a pledge to reduce its use. Dozens of major brands have in recent years set targets to increase plastic recycling and reduce the use of single-use packaging in partnership with the Ellen MacAurthur Foundation, as part of efforts to burnish their green credentials. The headline pledge was that 100% of plastic packaging would be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, but this goal will "almost certainly be missed by most organisations", the environmental group's report said. Greenpeace said the report is evidence that voluntary corporate targets have failed and called on the U.N. to forge a treaty that forces governments and companies to use less single-use plastic packaging. "This underlines the need for governments to ensure that the global plastic treaty ... delivers major reductions in plastic production and use," said Graham Forbes, Greenpeace’s USA Global Plastics Project Leader.

☆ NHL roundup: Christian Dvorak's hat trick carries Canadiens to victory
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY SportsOctober 30 - Christian Dvorak scored a third-period hat trick as the visiting Montreal Canadiens rallied past the St. Louis Blues 7-4 on Saturday night. Rangers 6, Stars 3Zac Jones scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period to help New York notch a victory over host Dallas. Red Wings 2, Wild 1Lucas Raymond scored his first two goals of the season and host Detroit downed the Wild. Capitals 3, Predators 0Darcy Kuemper made 34 saves for his first shutout of the season and visiting Washington defeated Nashville. Mikael Backlund scored a short-handed goal, and Brett Ritchie also scored for Calgary, which had a two-game winning streak snapped.

☆ Issa Rae's best career advice: Don't be afraid of being labeled a 'difficult' person to work with
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Even right before her TV show "Insecure" premiered in 2016, Rae was "scared of being seen as difficult" to work with, she said at the Indeed FutureWorks 2022 conference earlier this month. In response, she sought guidance from other Black women she admired in the entertainment industry: Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, Debbie Allen and Mara Brock Akil. At the Indeed conference, Rae called it "the best career advice" she ever received. "I don't care how settled I may feel in my career, I don't care how much praise I get," she said. The advice Rae received from her career idols helped, she added: "I take away the fear of being labeled as [difficult].

☆ No U.S.-born Black players expected on World Series rosters
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The Houston Astros celebrate winning the American League Championship Series to advance to the World Series at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 23. In 1979 alone, Willie Stargell and Dave Parker were among 10 Black players on the “We Are Family” Pittsburgh Pirates champions. “It’s been a story that’s been ongoing since the late 1980s, the decline of Black baseball players,” he said. Hall wasn’t on the Phillies’ roster for any of the first three rounds this postseason and isn’t expected to be on the World Series roster. Many Afro Latino players embrace Black identity, yet perhaps not for the same reasons that Black U.S. players do.

☆ Movie theaters want more from Netflix, but the streaming giant isn't ready to budge on its release model
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Should theatrical releases be next? That could help bring in more box office revenue and attract filmmakers with the prestige that can come with theatrical releases. Netflix executives have stood firm by their decision to show "Glass Onion" in just 600 theaters for one week. "We're in the business of entertaining our members with Netflix movies on Netflix," Sarandos said during the call. He said that Netflix has brought films to festivals and gave them limited runs in theaters because filmmakers have demanded it.

☆ Inflation hits fast food chains
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailInflation hits fast food chainsNBC’s Sam Brock joins Shep Smith to report on how inflation is impacting fast food restaurants and the customers who eat there.

☆ Stanford students call for accountability after second alleged rape reported in two months
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Stanford University officials must do more to prevent sexual violence, support victims and hold perpetrators accountable, sexual violence prevention advocates on campus said this week, in the wake of the second alleged rape reported in as many months at the school. Student activists have also planned a protest for Friday afternoon, sponsored by the group Sexual Violence Free Stanford. The group also sponsored the resolution passed Thursday, along with two executive members of the Associated Students of Stanford University, which represents the student body. "Sexual violence is a very challenging issue that we and all universities have been working aggressively to address," Mostofi said. Thirteen percent of all students experience sexual assault, according to RAINN, which characterizes sexual assault on campuses as "pervasive."

☆ Singapore central bank tightens policy, Q3 GDP tops forecast
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), at a scheduled policy meeting, said it will re-centre the mid-point of the exchange rate policy band known as the Nominal Effective Exchange Rate, or S$NEER. The Singapore dollar was up about 0.3% to S$1.1429 per U.S. dollar after the policy decision. The MAS manages monetary policy through exchange rate settings, rather than interest rates, as trade flows dwarf its economy. The core inflation rate — the central bank's favoured price measure - rose to 5.1% in August on a year-on-year basis. "Q3 GDP obviously benefitted from domestic and border restrictions being eased," said Song Seng Wun, an economist at CIMB Private Banking.

☆ Stanford University apologizes for limiting Jewish student admissions in the 1950s
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Stanford University apologized Wednesday for limiting Jewish student admissions during the 1950s — a practice that the school long denied had taken place. Stanford had targeted specific high schools known to have significant populations of Jewish students, allowing the school to still "claim that the university did not impose a quota on Jewish students," the report said. It said that despite "decades of denials," a 1953 memo, dubbed the "Glover Memo," clearly reported Snyder's "intentions to act against Jewish students." "However, the report articulates how this effort to suppress Jewish enrollments had long-lasting effects and dissuaded some Jewish students from applying to Stanford in later years. “This is what we want for all members of the Stanford community,” she said, according to the outlet.

☆ Stanford investigating report of a rape in basement of a university building
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-09 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Stanford University is investigating after a woman reported having been raped in the basement of a campus building Friday, the school announced Saturday, marking the second report of a rape on the elite Northern California campus in as many months. The alert indicates that the woman had made a report not with police but instead with a "mandated reporter," who then notified campus police. The university defines mandatory reporters as certain employees or people affiliated with the university, including contractors and volunteers, who are legally obligated to report specific crimes. Friday's reported assault follows another rape alleged to have occurred in a campus bathroom in August, according to an alert from that time. A spokesperson for the university did not respond to a question about whether the reported assaults Friday and in August might be connected.

☆ Ship captains held by Indonesian navy decry bribes and betrayal
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Joe Brock | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

Most of the captains were freed after a few weeks once ship owners made unofficial payments to navy intermediaries of between $300,000 and $400,000, the people said. The Indonesian navy has said it never requests or receives money to release vessels. Ledoux, 57, questioned why more wasn't being done by ship owners and governments to raise awareness of the issue. An Indonesian navy spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters has not seen what evidence was presented at the trial to prove the ship was in Indonesian waters.

Leopatrizi | E+ | Getty ImagesAs part of President Joe Biden's historic student loan forgiveness plan, up to 8 million people could get automatic debt relief, according to the White House. Those who will get automatic loan cancellation are those for whom the U.S. Department of Education already has income data on file and can therefore verify eligibility without waiting for an application. Who qualifies for the automatic loan cancellation? Review your recent tax returns to confirm your income fell below those thresholds in 2020 or 2021 (either will work). The Education Department will be considering people's so-called adjusted gross income, or AGI, which may be different than your gross salary.

With ongoing stock market volatility, high inflation and interest rate hikes, many wonder if we're heading for a prolonged economic downturn. "I think we have to be defensive," said certified financial planner Ivory Johnson, founder of Delancey Wealth Management in Washington, D.C. While it's impossible to predict exactly what will happen, financial advisors are preparing clients for whatever may be on the horizon. But Johnson has already warned clients about the possibility of more volatility, pointing to the Fed's rate hikes. There may be 'good opportunities'While Baker doesn't suggest major changes, there may be "good opportunities" — such as real estate — amid relatively high inflation due to yield and appreciation, he said.

☆ What’s that bag of white stuff? Some Uber drivers worry they’re drug mules
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Covers Tech For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +15 min

And a sheriff’s office in Tampa sent a crystalized substance to a Florida state lab for testing after an Uber Connect driver turned it over in April. Uber said that using its services for illegal activity is expressly prohibited, and that it takes reports of drug deliveries via Uber Connect very seriously. Some Uber Connect drivers have gone to the police with suspicions about packages they are assigned to deliver. “You’re almost certainly getting arrested in that situation.”Richman said it’s difficult to generalize about how much trouble an Uber Connect driver could get in. Uber said it was always looking for ways to improve Uber Connect, and drivers said they have several suggestions for changes.

☆ Walmart's leading position in grocery provides 'bupkus' in profit. Analysts say the retailer needs to do more to succeed in the high-margin furniture space.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Walmart became the largest food retailer in the US in 2001 with grocery sales raking in $56 billion. Today the retailer mixes sales of high-margin items like electronics and furniture with those same groceries. But times have changed, particularly for the value-conscious customers Walmart caters to. While net-profit margins for furniture items sold in the US can be as high as 50% to 60%, according to analysts, that total usually hovers around 1% to 3% for grocery items. He did not specify how much Walmart earned in revenue or profits from furniture sales in 2021.

☆ Market rout has muni bonds looking attractive. How to add them to your portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"Uncertainty around how high interest rates will go has driven redemptions in muni bond funds," he explained. Whenever we have a chance to add to muni bonds now, we do so." For instance, you can go to Fidelity Investments' website and access more than 50,000 municipal bonds as new issues or through dealers on the secondary market. Here are five Morningstar five-star rated muni bond funds. "Many closed-end bond funds are trading at prices that are below their net asset value," he said.

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