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☆ There are currently zero members of the US House of Representatives
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US House currently has no duly-sworn members, and won't until a Speaker is chosen. It's the first time in a century that the House has been vacant for more than a day. Hours later, the chamber re-convened for the 118th Congress, ready to elect a new Speaker of the House and organize itself. The House is scheduled to reconvene at noon at Wednesday, with the first order of business being the election of a Speaker. asked former Republican Rep. Billy Long of Missouri, noting the role that members play in assisting their constituents with federal agencies.

☆ NHL roundup: Bruins win Winter Classic on late goal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

January 3 - Jake DeBrusk scored a pair of third-period goals to lead the Boston Bruins to a 2-1 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday afternoon in the NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park. Linus Ullmark (21-1-1) made 26 saves for Boston, holding off a late Pittsburgh flurry on which Evgeni Malkin beat him just after the final buzzer sounded. Kasperi Kapanen scored the lone goal for Pittsburgh, which is now on a five-game losing streak (0-3-2). Roy had gone 17 games without a goal before scoring his sixth and seventh of the season to put Vegas up 3-1. Flyers 4, Ducks 1Samuel Ersson made 28 saves to win his third straight start as visiting Philadelphia defeated Anaheim.

☆ Southwest Meltdown Shows Airlines Need Tighter Software Integration
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Southwest’s software wasn’t designed to solve problems of that scale, Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson said Thursday, forcing the airline to revert to manual scheduling. Unlike some large rivals with hub-and-spoke networks, Southwest planes hopscotch from city to city, which may have been another complicating factor. Mr. Alamzad said the most serious IT challenge airlines face stems from the applications developed in silos by vendors or the airlines themselves. Southwest recently completed an upgrade of its new reservation system and had been working through multiyear upgrades to systems used in its operations. Other carriers have given priority to upgrading customer-facing reservations platforms and flier loyalty programs over operations systems, Mr. Alamzad said.

☆ In 'Wildcat', Amazon fauna helps heal emotional wounds of war
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Rollo Ross | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Their triumphs and travails are at the heart of "Wildcat", a documentary filmed deep in the rainforest that premieres on Amazon's Prime Video on Friday. Then they get a call from a friend that an ocelot kitten was found by loggers and little Keanu helps Turner out of his grief. The documentary came about after Zwicker shot videos documenting Khan's upbringing, hoping it would help other conservationists return cats to the wild. Directors Trevor Frost and Melissa Lesh came on board to document the lives of Turner, Zwicker and their animals after receiving Keanu. With proceeds from the reported $20 million Amazon Studios paid for the documentary, Zwicker is building up her conservation program Hoja Nueva, while Turner has set up his own charity, Emerald Arch.

☆ ‘Wildcat’ Review: Finding Peace With Predators
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

The documentary “Wildcat” is about wildlife conservation the way Ernest Hemingway ’s “Big Two-Hearted River” was about fly-fishing. Both are, instead, about the balm of nature on the wounds of war. Directed by Melissa Lesh and Trevor Beck Frost , “Wildcat” is not a short story. It’s not: The story of Ms. Zwicker and her abusive, alcoholic but lovable father is not just background. It establishes her in the not-uncommon position of being a woman who thinks she can save a tormented man.

☆ Champagne makers celebrate record sales ahead of Christmas
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REIMS, France, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Champagne sales are expected to reach a new record this year, despite inflation that could have made consumers shun the expensive bubbly, producers said ahead of the start of year-end celebrations around the world. Champagne sales reached an all-time high last year at 5.7 billion euros ($6.05 billion), as the relaxation of pandemic-related curbs fuelled a surge in exports. "We will very likely beat this record again and 2022 will be the new champagne record in terms of turnover," David Chatillon, chairman of the Union of Champagne Houses (UMC), told Reuters in Reims, in eastern France, home to some of the most famous Champagne makers. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier 1 2 3Export sales were also expected to reach record highs. The war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia had little impact on Champagne sales as bottles were re-dispatched to meet strong demand from other markets, Chatillon said.

For Love & Money is a biweekly column from Insider answering your relationship and money questions. Write to For Love & Money using this Google form. My family isn't shy about referencing our perceived income gaps and often makes snarky remarks about how I choose to spend my money. I never discuss what I make with my family, and I try to avoid money matters in general. Happy Holidays,For Love & Money

☆ GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw says it's 'crazy' that Republicans put forward 'two 25-year-olds to be our nominees' in the midterms: 'We lost races we easily should have won'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Dan Crenshaw critiqued some of the GOP candidates tapped to run for office in 2022. GOP voters nominated Karoline Leavitt, 25, and Bo Hines, 27, in two key House districts. However, in a recent Politico interview, GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas said that his party erred in nominating younger candidates in two of the most competitive House districts in the country. That's batshit crazy," the 38-year-old congressman told the publication of two young Republicans who won primaries to serve as their party's nominees. In New Hampshire's 1st Congressional district, Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas defeated 25-year-old former Trump White House assistant press secretary Karoline Leavitt 54%-46%.

☆ Traditional Marriage Gets Some Respect
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Daniel Frost | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

In the oral argument for Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), one exchange set off alarm bells among social conservatives. Justice Samuel Alito asked Solicitor General Donald Verrilli if the legalization of same-sex marriage could cause universities and colleges to lose their tax-exempt status if they didn’t recognize same-sex marriage—as Bob Jones University had for prohibiting interracial dating in the 1970s. Mr. Verrilli’s answer was ominous for institutions with traditional views on sex and marriage. “It is—it is going to be an issue.”Mr. Verrilli stumbled, but a simple one-word answer would’ve been enough: No. The hypothetical, which put opposition to interracial marriage on the same plane as opposition to same-sex marriage, was spurious.

☆ Free for a month, Ukraine's Kherson still toils to clear Russian traps
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

An elderly woman looks at damaged caused by overnight Russian shelling of a residential building on Dec. 1, 2022 in Kherson, Ukraine. Sunday marks exactly one month since Russia's troops withdrew from Kherson and its vicinity after an eight-month occupation, sparking jubilation across Ukraine. The regional administration said Saturday that shelling over the past month has killed 41 people, including a child, in Kherson, and 96 were hospitalized. When aid trucks arrived a month ago, war-weary and desperate residents flocked to the central Svoboda (Freedom) Square for food and supplies. Longer-term questions remain: Kherson sits in an agricultural region that produces crops as diverse as wheat, tomatoes, and watermelon — a regional symbol.

☆ 'Saturday Night Live': Steve Martin and Martin Short team up for hilarious 'Father of the Bride' skit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Chloe Melas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Steve Martin and Martin Short brought the funny as co-hosts of “Saturday Night Live” this weekend. NBC/Getty Images Martin plays an IRS agent in a Coneheads skit in February 1977. NBC/Getty Images Martin and Dan Aykroyd, second from left, play the Festrunk brothers — "two wild and crazy guys" — in September 1977. NBC/Getty Images Martin performs with The Dirt Band, which was the show's musical guest when he hosted in January 1978. Alan Singer/NBC/Getty Images Martin puts a spin on traditional Christmas lists in his "A Holiday Wish" skit in 1986.

☆ Russia appears to have restocked its supply of Iranian-made suicide drones as it unleashes fresh wave of attacks, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has unleashed a fresh wave of Iranian suicide drone attacks on Ukraine, suggesting a restock. This follows a three-week hiatus in the attacks, and it was suspected that their drone supply was low. It also appears that Russia has resolved issues that prevented the drones from working in cold weather. Reports suggested that Russia appeared to be running out of its supply of the deadly drones. The United Nations is looking into accusations that Iran supplied Russia with drones, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this week.

☆ Maxwell Frost: Gen Z congressman-elect says he was denied DC apartment over bad credit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sonnet Swire | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The congressman-elect set to become the first member of Generation Z to serve in Congress said Thursday his rental application for an apartment in Washington, DC, was denied because of his “really bad” credit. “Just applied to an apartment in DC where I told the guy that my credit was really bad. This ain’t meant for people who don’t already have money,” Maxwell Frost said in a tweet. Frost is not the only incoming member of Congress to have struggled to find housing in DC. Frost pointed out that once his congressional salary kicks in, he’ll be fine, adding that “we have to do better” for others.

☆ Young voters propelled Raphael Warnock to victory in the Georgia Senate runoff, but the work to boost their political engagement continues: 'We're not stopping here'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sen. Raphael Warnock's runoff victory was driven in large part by his support among young voters. But young voters — with Gen Z and younger millennials flexing their political power — emerged as a critical demographic in the Georgia Senate race. Looking at the Georgia Senate runoff results, what actually happened to get more young voters to the polls? Heightened voter engagementVoters of Tomorrow, a Gen Z-led voter-engagement nonprofit organization, sent 2.5 million calls and texts to young Georgia voters urging them to participate. But it will take continued engagement with young voters to ensure robust participation in the future, especially in non-presidential election cycles.

☆ First Gen Z congressman, Maxwell Frost, says he was denied an apartment in DC over bad credit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Kayla Gallagher | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Gen Z Congressman Maxwell Frost tweeted Thursday he got denied from a DC apartment for bad credit. "Just applied to an apartment in DC where I told the guy that my credit was really bad. He's not alone: Credit card balances have been on the rise, especially for Gen Z, as the cost of living keeps soaring. But as Insider's Kevin L. Matthews II reported, there's a "credit gap" between Black and white borrowers, further powering the racial wealth gap. That can further the gap in homeownership rates between Americans of color and white Americans.

Wellington, the pint-size capital of New Zealand, easily invites comparisons. You might think of San Francisco when you see its vertiginous streets and colorful clapboard homes; the city’s obsession with coffee, craft beer and sustainable living has obvious parallels with Seattle; and its blustery weather (it is the world’s windiest city) makes it deserving of Chicago’s nickname. As locals often remind one another, you can’t beat Wellington on a good day, when the water sparkles, the sky is impossibly blue and the coasts, forests and hills are at their most enjoyable. Go between December and March to maximize your chances of a beautiful day in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, the city’s name in the Indigenous Maori language (New Zealand is known as Aotearoa).

☆ First Gen Z'er elected to Congress Maxwell Frost says he's struggling to rent an apartment in D.C.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Voters in Florida's 10th congressional district elected 25-year-old Maxwell Frost to the U.S. House of Representatives in November, making him the first member of Gen Z elected to Congress. Soon to be 26, Frost is on the older end of Gen Z, but his rental dilemma already demonstrates his relatability to his young constituents. And among Gen Zers who've been able to, 32% are spending half their monthly income on housing, Credit Karma found. Ocasio-Cortez remains the youngest woman in Congress, but Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) replaced her as the youngest member during his tenure. Cawthorn will maintain the title of youngest person elected to Congress, but Frost will become the youngest sitting member when he's sworn in in January.

☆ Ukraine faces 'significant' power shortages after Russian attacks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Serhii Smolientsev/File PhotoKYIV, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Ukraine enforced new emergency power cuts on Thursday as it tried to repair energy infrastructure damaged in Russian air strikes which the national grid operator said had caused significant supply shortages. Russia pummelled power facilities across Ukraine in the latest big wave of attacks on Monday at a time of the year when energy consumption usually rises because winter is setting in. DTEK, Ukraine's largest private power producer, said there were now emergency power cuts in the capital Kyiv and the Kyiv region, in the southern region of Odesa and in Dnipro in central Ukraine. Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February, has increased attacks on energy facilities in recent weeks, saying strikes on vital infrastructure are militarily legitimate. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned of an "apocalypse" scenario for the capital this winter if Russian air strikes on infrastructure continue.

But first: The results from five counties will help tell us if Democrat Raphael Warnock is on track to win tonight’s Senate runoff in Georgia. Warnock got 56.9% of the vote in Cobb when he won the Jan. 2021 runoff, and he got just under that last November (56.8%). And in Gwinnett, Warnock got 60.6% of the vote in the 2021 runoff, compared with 58.9% last month against Walker. In rural Chattooga — one of NBC News’ “County to County” counties — Warnock got just 20.5% when he won the 2021 runoff, and he got less than that in the November general election (19.8%). Data Download: The number of the day is … $7.79 billionThat’s how much money was spent on political television, radio and digital ads this entire cycle (starting the day after the 2021 Georgia Senate runoff through today’s runoff), per AdImpact.

☆ Police officers to receive Congressional Gold Medals for Jan. 6
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

To recognize the hundreds of officers who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6, the medals will be placed in four locations — at U.S. Capitol Police headquarters, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Capitol and the Smithsonian Institution. Awarding the medals will be among House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s last ceremonial acts as she prepares to step down from leadership. Officers suffered physical wounds, including brain injuries and other lifelong effects, and many struggled to work afterward because they were so traumatized. Two police officers died by suicide in the days that immediately followed, and a third officer, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, collapsed and later died after one of the rioters sprayed him with a chemical. The Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress can bestow, has been handed out by the legislative branch since 1776.

☆ Russia appears to have run out of the deadly Iranian-made drones it's been using to terrorize Ukraine, Western officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia appears to be out of Iranian-made drones, Western officials said Tuesday. US officials had warned over the summer that Iran was preparing to send drones to Russia, and then the weapons first saw battlefield action in early September. A Russian drone, considered by Ukrainian authorities to be an Iranian-made Shahed-136, over Kyiv on October 17, 2022. These 440-pound weapons are relatively slow, fly at low altitudes, and carry a small explosive payload, according to Western intelligence. It's not immediately clear how many Iranian-made drones Russia had in it's arsenal.

☆ Warnock gains early voting edge as both candidates barnstorm Georgia in final day before Senate runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Sahil-Kapur-Headshot.Jpg | Sahil Kapur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

An early vote that topped 1.85 million showed other positive signs for Warnock, with Democrats enjoying a 13-point edge — larger than the party’s 8-point lead in November’s early vote, according to TargetSmart’s model. But Walker is widely expected to win more of the votes cast on Election Day. Residents wait in line to vote early outside a polling station on Nov. 29 in Atlanta. Walker “needs to win Election Day by double digits,” said Cody Hall, an adviser to Kemp, who said the Republican candidate will have to outperform his advantage from November's Election Day. “But I would just caution everyone that base Republican voters in the last couple of cycles have liked turning out on Election Day.

Broadly, indexes were suffering as data showed U.S. services industry activity unexpectedly picked up in November, with employment rebounding, offering more evidence of underlying momentum in the economy. In other economic data this week, investors will also monitor weekly jobless claims, producer prices and the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey for more clues on the health of the U.S. economy. It was weighed by U.S. natural gas futures slumping more than 8% on Monday, as the outlook dimmed due to forecasts for milder weather and the delayed restart of the Freeport liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant. EQT Corp (EQT.N), one of the largest U.S. natural gas producers, led declines with a 7.1% drop. Although bank profits are typically boosted by rising interest rates, they are also sensitive to concerns about bad loans or slowing loan growth amid an economic downturn.

Data showed U.S. services industry activity unexpectedly picked up in November, with employment rebounding, offering more evidence of underlying momentum in the economy. "Right now it's more of an issue of watching the Fed and they are going to need to tighten and longer than needed." Investors see an 89% chance that the U.S. central bank will increase interest rates by 50 basis points next week, with the rates peaking in May 2023. All major Wall Street indexes notched a second straight week of gains last week, with the S&P 500 rising 1.13%, the Dow gaining 0.24% and the Nasdaq climbing 2.1%. The S&P index recorded four new 52-week highs and one new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 54 new highs and 39 new lows.

☆ Russia has stopped using its Iranian suicide drones because they don't work in the cold, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has stopped using Iranian-made suicide drones due to cold weather, a Ukrainian official said. Russia started to use the Iranian drones in October, as part of a new playbook that targeted power distribution and other critical infrastructure from afar. A composite image showing an Iranian drone in the sky and the aftermath of a strike on Kyiv on October 17, 2022. And it reported that Iran and Russia had reached an agreement for Russia to start producing the drones itself. Multiple reports have also said that Iran has been training Russia on how to use the drones and other weapons.

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