DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Israel pounds Beirut and Gaza after rockets hit Israel's north
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Israel struck what it said were Hezbollah arms facilities in southern Beirut on Saturday after the Lebanese armed group fired rockets into northern Israel and a spokesman said a drone was launched at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's holiday home. On Saturday, Israeli planes dropped leaflets over southern Gaza with a picture of Sinwar and the message: "Hamas will no longer rule Gaza". In Beirut's southern suburbs, Israel carried out heavy strikes on several locations, leaving thick plumes of smoke hanging over the city into the evening. The strikes targeted "a number of Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and a Hezbollah intelligence headquarters command center", Israel's military said. The United States would like to see Israel scale back some of its strikes in and around Beirut, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, Iran's, Yahya Sinwar, Beit Lahiya, Hassan Nasrallah, Lloyd Austin Organizations: Israel, U.S . Defense Locations: Hireyk, Dahieh, Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanese, Israel, Iranian, Gaza, Beit, Israeli, Iran, United States, U.S

☆ Chief, the networking group for executive women, has laid off staff
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-20 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Chief, a networking and growth organization for executive women, has cut staff. AdvertisementChief, a networking organization for women in executive positions, has cut staff across the company in a restructuring effort. Chief describes itself as the nation's largest network of senior executive women. In April 2023, Chief laid off 14% of its staff during what the founders called in an email to staff a "challenging macroeconomic environment," TechCrunch reported at the time. "Our vision remains the same — to build the most powerful network of executive women and maximize their leadership impact," the spokesperson said.

Persons: —, Carolyn Childers, Lindsay Kaplan, CapitalG Organizations: BI, Service, Business, TechCrunch Locations: London

☆ King Charles arrives in an Australia with mixed feelings about the monarchy
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-19 | by ( Hannah Peart | Hannah Peart Is An Intern In The Nbc News London Bureau. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

LONDON — King Charles III has expressed “deep love and affection” for Australia, a former part of the British Empire. Charles, 75, is Britain’s first reigning monarch to visit Australia in 13 years. The royal visit to Australia includes a Monday reception at Parliament House in Canberra, the capital, where the king will meet with Albanese. King Charles and Queen Camilla are greeted upon their arrival at Sydney International Airport on Friday. King Charles is projected on the Sydney Opera House ahead of his official visit on Friday.

Persons: Charles III, ”, Charles, Queen Camilla, Queen Elizabeth II, Charles ’, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, King Charles, Saeed Khan, Queensland Premier Steven Miles, Western Australia Premier Roger Cook, South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas, Chris Minns, Jeremy Rockliff, Bev McArthur, —, “, ” Nathan Hansford, Nathan Ross, Queen Camilla “, ” Charles, Daisy McAndrew, David Gray, Eric Abetz, ” McArthur Organizations: Commonwealth, House, Tasmania —, Sydney International Airport, Getty, Queensland Premier, Western Australia Premier, South Australia Premier, New South Wales, Tasmania, Australian Monarchist League, Australian Republic Movement, ARM, NBC News, Sydney Opera House, Sydney Opera Locations: Australia, British, Sydney, Samoa, Britain, Canada, Canberra, South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, AFP, New, U.S, Commonwealth, Tasmanian, Caribbean, Barbados

☆ Your election questions, answered
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-19 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +26 min

They ranged from questions about the Electoral College to specific inquiries about why ballots in some counties look the way they do. We’ll add answers to new questions weekly until the election and also send them out to the What Matters newsletter audience. CNN did not project that President Joe Biden would win the 2020 election until four days after Election Day. -- Linda in WashingtonThere were a lot of questions about the Electoral College, which should frustrate people on both sides of the aisle. I’m not including the election of 1800, even though it resulted in a tie in the Electoral College.

Persons: I’ve, Debbie, Ariel Edwards, Levy, Read, they’ve, Will, Trump, Dennis, Donald Trump, don’t, faithless, Sen, Bernie Sanders of, Ron Paul of Texas, Jeanette, Elon Musk, –, Democrats –, Elena, you’re, that’s, you’ve, Harris, Kamala Harris, CNN’s KFile, it’s, Ron, CNN’s Tami Luhby, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, George W, Bush, Jennifer Agiesta, what’s, we’re, hasn’t, noncitizens, Critics, doesn’t, Sheila, Nicole Unzicker, Unzicker, Terry I’m, Harvey Let’s, Doug Sosnik’s, Patricia, Al Gore, Rutherford B, Hayes, Samuel Tilden, Tilden, John F, Kennedy, Richard Nixon, James Garfield, Winfield Hancock, I’m, Sandra, Jack Smith, Julie Organizations: CNN, Electoral College, Washington, Puerto Rican, Social Security, Electoral, Library of Congress, Elon, Democrats, Trump, Colorado Presidents, Security, Federal, Republican, Heritage Foundation, Dominion, Senate, White, Democratic, Lumina Foundation, Supreme, eventual, Michigan Trump, Gallup Locations: Florida, Madison, Chad, Virginia, Michigan, Puerto Rico, Guam, Minnesota, Washington, DC, Puerto, Congress, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Pennsylvania, Colorado, South Carolina, United States, California, Harris, Georgia, North Carolina, . Pennsylvania, Missouri, North Dakota, California , Maryland, Vermont, Washington ,, Ohio, Butler County, Texas, New York, It’s, today’s America, New Hampshire

☆ An accounting manager struggled with work-life balance at PwC, Walmart, and Google. Leaving the Bay Area is what finally changed the tide.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-19 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

He chose a work-life balance over salary but his goal of starting a family was still out of reach. It took him 11 years and multiple strategic career moves, but he finally achieved the work-life balance he'd always wanted. AdvertisementAfter PwC, he took a position with Walmart's eCommerce division, which offered greater work-life balance but a major salary reduction. Still, Manalac felt his decision was well worth it because of the drastic improvements in work-life balance. If you work in Big Tech or finance and would like to share your work-life balance story, email Tess Martinelli at tmartinelli@businessinsider.com

Persons: Mike Manalac, Manalac, —, He's, he'd, PwC, Walmart's, San, It's, Tess Martinelli Organizations: Service, Google, Walmart, Business, Baltimore —, Bay, Big Tech Locations: Area, Chicago, Baltimore, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Bay, Nob, Michigan, Maryland, Big, tmartinelli

☆ Pro-Trump group funded by Musk struggles with outreach targets
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Four people involved in the group's outreach told Reuters that managers warned canvassers they are missing targets and needed to raise the number of would-be voters they contact. Another person briefed on the matter said America PAC was struggling to find sufficient people to conduct audits in other states. Musk, ranked by Forbes as the world's richest person, so far has supplied at least $75 million to America PAC, according to federal disclosures, making the group a crucial part of Trump's bid to regain the White House. In Nevada, it isn't clear whether Young's audit has concluded, reached any findings or prompted any change in America PAC's outreach. America PAC recently updated its website to prominently display advertisements seeking canvassers.

Persons: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, canvassers, Alysia McMillan, McMillan, We're, we've, Trump, Chris Young, Young didn't, Kamala Harris, carmaker Tesla, Musk, We've Organizations: PAC Town Hall, America PAC, Republican, PAC, Election, Reuters, Wisconsin, Senior, Trump, Democratic, Forbes, SpaceX, Lone Locations: Folsom , Pennsylvania, U.S, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, America

☆ A historically Black community grapples with lasting impacts after Baltimore bridge collapse
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-18 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

For their working-class, historically Black neighborhood, it was a lifeline to the outside world, a source of both pride and convenience. She doesn’t want to leave Turner Station, where her grandparents put down roots many decades ago. The federal government provided nearby housing only for white workers, so Black families started their own community in nearby Turner Station. He said Turner Station residents have expressed concern about potential damage to buildings from the seismic impact of the collapse. Meanwhile, Turner Station residents will be doing what they’ve done for generations: coming together and fighting for their community.

Persons: Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key, Minor, she’s, ruefully, ”, Courtney Speed, shouldn’t, “ We’ve, Turner, Speed’s Barber, “, ” Henrietta, Johns Hopkins, Robert Curbeam, Kweisi Mfume, Calvin Hill, “ It’s, Mfume, he’s, ” Mfume, Marquis Neal, Linwood Jackson, Jackson, ” Vernon Banks, There’s Gloria Nelson, there’s, Rashad Singletary, ” Singletary, God, He’s, nodded Organizations: Turner, Black steelworkers Turner, Black steelworkers, Bethlehem Steel, Turner Station, NASA, . Rep, NAACP, NFL, Democrat, ” Residents, football, Mount, Mount Olive Baptist Church Locations: Black, Turner, Baltimore’s, Baltimore, Southern, Congress, Baltimore County, Vietnam, Bethlehem, Avondale, Mount Olive

Donald Trump overcharged Secret Service agents protecting him and his family for rooms at his hotel in Washington while he was president, a new report from House Democrats alleges. The report points specifically to Nov. 28, 2017, when the Secret Service paid $600 apiece for several rooms for agents guarding Trump’s son Eric and his wife, Lara. On the same night, records show, more than 80 rooms were rented out at the Trump hotel at less than $600 a night. Craft booked rooms at the Trump hotel on 20 nights over the 11-month period, spending close to $30,000. But emails the committee obtained from the State Department show she insisted she stay at the Trump hotel.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Trump's, —, Trump’s, Eric, Lara, Kelly Craft, Craft, Albert Pirro, Jeanine Pirro, Pirro, “, Mazars Organizations: Secret, Democrats, Trump International, NBC News, Trump, Trump Corporation of jacking, Secret Service, Democratic, Trump Cabinet, United Nations, State Department, Fox News, Trump Corporation, Republicans Locations: Washington, Trump's Washington, Canada, Craft, Maryland, Doral, Florida

☆ Olympic snowboarder wanted for running murderous drug trafficking operation, FBI says
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-18 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Patrick-Smith-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Patrick Smith | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A former Olympic snowboarder has been charged with running a drug smuggling operation that allegedly shipped huge amounts of narcotics across borders and killed four people, the FBI said Thursday. He was previously charged with running a continuing criminal enterprise, murder, and conspiring to possess, distribute, and export cocaine. "The cocaine trafficking organization’s operatives would store the cocaine in stash houses, before delivering it to the transportation network couriers for transportation to Canada using long-haul semi-trucks," prosecutors said. Wedding, top left, is pictured alongside 15 other defendants during a press conference at the FBI offices in Los Angeles on Thursday. "As alleged in the indictment, an Olympic athlete-turned-drug lord is now charged with leading a transnational organized crime group that engaged in cocaine trafficking and murder, including of innocent civilians," Estrada said.

Persons: Ryan James Wedding, Martin Estrada, Estrada, El, Andrew Clark, Damian Dovarganes, Clark, Matthew Allen Organizations: Olympic, FBI, U.S, Prosecutors, Drug, Administration, LAPD Locations: Canada, Salt Lake City, Mexico, California, Americas, Los Angeles , Michigan, Miami, Ontario, Los Angeles, cryptocurrency

Nearly all of those jurisdictions provide multiple vote reports (updates to the vote count) on election night and in the following days. In the November 2020 election, NBC News received over 88,000 updates to its vote totals across 542 different races. ET that night, NBC News received just over four updates per second, on average. Since 2018, the NEP has received vote count data from Edison Research, a firm that specializes in collecting election data. What makes election results in this country trustworthy, however, are the countless fail-safes that detect and correct such mistakes.

Persons: Edison, ” Organizations: NBC News, NBC, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Edison Research Locations: Washington, New England, Clark County , Nevada, Las Vegas, Maricopa County , Arizona, Phoenix, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

☆ The Girl Scouts could soon triple membership fees
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-18 | by ( Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Girl Scouts of the USA plans to raise prices, but not for their famous cookies. Membership dues are the Girl Scout’s largest source of revenue, generating $38 million in 2023 from its nearly 2 million total members. You are going to run yourselves out of business.”Bertram was a Girl Scout herself, just like every girl in her family. Part of the problem is that Girl Scout membership has fallen in recent years, leadership said in a video to members in September. GSUSA will continue to provide financial aid to “reduce barriers” to any girl who wants to be a Girl Scout, a spokesperson said.

Persons: ”, “, Sally Bertram, ” Bertram, Bertram, it’s, Diane Tipton, Bonnie Barczykowski, Bertran, ” Bertran, we’re, ” Tipton, Kelly Goldsmith, Goldsmith, GSUSA, can’t Organizations: CNN, The Girl Scouts, USA, Girl Scouts, Girl Scouts of, Girl Scout, National Council, Boy Scouts, Vanderbilt University, Scout Locations: Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, Tennessee, New York City

CNN —Texas death row inmate Robert Roberson sat praying in a cell Thursday night, just feet from the execution chamber where he was set to die by lethal injection for the “shaken baby” death of his toddler. Just over 90 minutes before Roberson’s execution was set to begin, the House committee was able to secure a temporary restraining order against the state, pausing the execution. Roberson’s case is called into questionAdvocates for Roberson insist the diagnosis that his daughter died from shaken baby syndrome is inaccurate and has been discredited. Shaken baby syndrome is accepted as a valid diagnosis by the American Academy of Pediatrics and supported by child abuse pediatricians who spoke with CNN. Since 1992, courts in at least 17 states and the US Army have exonerated 32 people convicted in shaken baby syndrome cases, according to the National Registry of Exonerations.

Persons: Robert Roberson, Nikki, Roberson, God, “, ”, Amanda Hernandez, Robert Roberson –, Gretchen Sween, Joe Moody, Jeff Leach, Jennifer Roberson, Robert, “ It’s, Brian Wharton, Wharton, ” Wharton, “ We’ve, ” Roberson, –, Moody, Leach, Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, pediatricians, Nikki Curtis, Nikki “, Dr, Sandeep Narang, Antoinette Laskey Organizations: CNN, Texas Supreme, Texas House, Texas Department, Criminal, Texas, US, Appeals, Criminal Justice, Division, Texans, Huntsville Unit, Texas Capitol, Texas Gov, American Academy of Pediatrics, US Army, National Registry, American Academy of Pediatrics ’, Child Locations: Texas, Palestine , Texas

Vice President Kamala Harris will make campaign stops in Milwaukee, La Crosse and Green Bay, Wisconsin on Thursday as she continues to campaign across Blue Wall states, according to a campaign official. The vice president will then travel to La Crosse where she will hold a rally at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in an effort to engage young voters. Harris will wrap up her day with a rally in Green Bay, alongside Wisconsin leaders. Trump won the presidency in 2016 by stunning Democrat Hillary Clinton to win all three states by a combined margin of about 80,000 votes. President Joe Biden won back the White House in 2020 by recapturing all three states by a combined margin of around 260,000 votes.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Harris, Harris ’, Donald Trump –, Trump, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Read, CNN’s Ronald Brownstein Organizations: Blue Wall, University of Wisconsin -, University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, White House Locations: Milwaukee, La Crosse, Green Bay , Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Green Bay, Badger, Wisconsin , Michigan, Pennsylvania

BERLIN — President Joe Biden is leaving Washington for Germany on Thursday morning in what will be one of the last opportunities to outline his vision for foreign policy before the election next month. After landing in Berlin, Biden will be greeted with full military honors Friday before receiving the country's highest Order of Merit from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, his office said. After years of refusing U.S. prodding to trade the Russian, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris separately convinced Scholz earlier this year. On Wednesday, Biden announced a $425 million aid package for Ukraine that includes air-to-ground munitions and armored vehicles, and promised more defense systems and supplies in the months to come. The White House said Biden will now travel to Angola in early December.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Frank, Walter Steinmeier, ”, Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Evan Gershkovich, Marine Paul Whelan, Kamala Harris, Hurricane Milton Organizations: BERLIN, Merit, Marine, White, Ukraine, Russia, Wednesday Locations: Washington, Germany, Berlin, U.S, Russia, Russian, France, Britain, Ukraine, Angola, Hurricane

☆ Meta fires employees for spending food allowances on personal items like acne pads and wine glasses
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-17 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Meta fired around two dozen employees from its Los Angeles office for misusing company meal credits for things like laundry detergent, wine glasses and acne treatment pads, a source familiar with the company confirmed to CNN. Many of the social media giant’s corporate offices feature elaborate food services to provide employees with meals as a perk. Meta’s two-year-old office near New York City’s Penn Station, for example, features a cafeteria that feels like an upscale food court, with various stalls all free for staff. An internal investigation found that some LA-based employees used the meal funds to purchase things other than food instead, or had meals delivered to their homes, the source said. Meta’s median total annual compensation for individual employees (other than CEO Mark Zuckerberg) is $379,050, the company said in a regulatory filing earlier this year.

Persons: Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, Tracy Clayton, ” Meta, Jane Manchun Wong, Zuckerberg Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, Financial Times, Meta, ”, Reality Labs Locations: New York, Los Angeles, “, Instagram

Meta terminated some employees who abused a Grubhub perk, a source confirmed to BI. AdvertisementMeta recently fired some employees for misusing a Grubhub meal perk, according to a person familiar with the situation. Roughly two dozen employees were terminated for abusing the company's meal credit system, this person said. This episode has been discussed at length in recent days by some Meta employees on Blind, an online workforce forum. Business Insider reviewed these Blind discussions, including screenshots of some discussions that took place in a section of the app only accessible to Meta employees.

Persons: Meta, — Organizations: BI, Service, Meta, FT, Business, Reality Labs Locations: Los Angeles

Learn moreWhile Amazon Prime Day may not live rent-free in your head, it does for me. Multi-day battery lifeCheck mark icon A check mark. Comes with additional fill if you prefer a firmer pillowCheck mark icon A check mark. With Amazon Prime Big Deal Days out of the way for 2024, the next Amazon Prime-member exclusive deal event isn't until Prime Day 2025. You don't necessarily need to be an Amazon Prime member to score any of the discounts above or the deals on Amazon's deals page.

Persons: Dolby, It's Organizations: Business, Amazon, Deal, Coop Home, Amazon Fire, Amazon Apple, Keurig's Express, Amazon Prime

☆ ‘We are fed up’: Ballot drop boxes are dividing neighbors in Wisconsin
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-16 | by ( Casey Tolan | Sara Murray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Still, that’s far lower than the 528 drop boxes that the commission was aware of in 2020. PoolNick Ramos, the executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a voting rights group that has pushed for more drop boxes, said he was discouraged by the number of municipalities that had decided not to use drop boxes this election. “Drop boxes are safe, they are reliable and secure.”Changing legal statusFor years, ballot drop boxes were legal in Wisconsin with little controversy or attention, and in 2020, they became a key tactic for municipalities to encourage safe voting during the coronavirus pandemic. A conservative group filed a lawsuit to ban drop boxes in Wisconsin, and the state Supreme Court’s conservative majority sided with them in 2022, banning drop boxes except ones inside clerks’ offices. In Milwaukee, most drop boxes are in front of libraries, and in Madison, the state capital and a Democratic stronghold, officials decided to locate almost all of their drop boxes in front of fire stations.

Persons: Donald Trump, Dale Schmidt, Trump, Nick Ramos, “ We’re, ” Ramos, “ It’s, Joe Biden, Doug Diny, Diny, ”, “, I’ve, Jeff Mandell, Nancy Stenzel, Robin Vos, Scott Fitzgerald, Vos –, Janet Protasiewicz, Protasiewicz, Dylan Brogan, Schmidt, ” Schmidt, Eric Hovde, “ We’ve, ” Hovde, Catherine Engelbrecht, ” Engelbrecht, Mandell Organizations: CNN, Wisconsin county, “, Trump, Commission, Madison, Wisconsin Democracy, Wausau, Republican, City Hall, Department of Justice, Council, State Assembly, GOP, Democratic, USA, Conservative, US, Washington Post, WIRED Locations: Wisconsin, Dodge County, Milwaukee, Dodge County , Wisconsin, Juneau , Wisconsin, Wausau, ”, Hall, Madison, Kenosha

☆ Winning the $100,000 Big Data Bowl could land you a job in the NFL: 'Anyone who knows ball or can code has a chance'
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-16 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

One of the National Football League's toughest competitions doesn't take place anywhere near a football field. For the seventh year in a row, data scientists and analytics buffs will be invited to test their mettle against each other in the league's Big Data Bowl, powered by Amazon Web Services. The competition's goal is to distill the copious amounts of data collected from every player during every NFL game into stats and insights that the league and its teams can learn from. The Big Data Bowl was first introduced by the NFL in 2018 and quickly became a fertile proving ground for teams to find bright minds to add to their front offices. This year's competition challenges participants to use data collected before the ball is snapped to help predict what an offense or defense is going to do during a given play.

Persons: Mike Lopez Organizations: National Football, Amazon Web Services, NFL, CNBC

☆ Elon Musk's xAI is on a hiring spree for 'AI tutors'
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-16 | by ( Helen Li | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk's AI startup xAI is hiring AI Tutors for data annotation to train language algorithms. xAI partners closely with X, formerly known as Twitter, which sees user decline and ad pullbacks. AdvertisementElon Musk's new AI company is on a hiring spree for a new type of data annotator. Last week, xAI listed multiple job postings for "AI Tutors." Multiple AI Tutors started their jobs in August and September, according to a LinkedIn analysis by Business Insider.

Persons: Elon, —, Musk, it's, X, xAI, Jensen Huang, Colossus Organizations: Service, Business, SpaceX, Tesla, Disney, Apple, Nvidia, NPR, Forbes Locations: Memphis, Brazil, San Francisco

☆ Why your drug store is closing
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-16 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

What is going on with America’s drug stores? Meanwhile, increased competition and failed growth strategies, like acquiring primary care providers, continue to have reverberating impacts on drug stores. Shifting trendsDrug store chains are struggling because of lower reimbursement rates for prescription drugs, according to analysts who cover the industry. A customer walks to a Walgreens store in Wheeling, Ill., Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. Dollar General’s growth has also hurt drug store chains in rural areas.

Persons: Tim Wentworth, “, ” Wentworth, Elizabeth Anderson, PBMs, ” Anderson, Nam, VIllageMD, Brendan Smialowski Organizations: New, New York CNN, CVS, Walgreens, Wall Street, IRI, CNN, Amazon, Walmart, Costco, American Medical Association Locations: New York, Wheeling , Ill, VillageMD, Washington ,, AFP

CNN —A record number of early votes have been cast in Georgia on Tuesday as residents headed to the polls in a critical battleground state that is grappling with the fallout from Hurricane Helene and controversial election administration changes that have spurred a flurry of lawsuits. More than 300,000 ballots were cast Tuesday, Gabe Sterling of the Georgia secretary of state’s office said on X. Georgia election officials say absentee ballots went out by the US Postal Service as scheduled and were not impacted by the storm. It’s also possible that the state could continue to see high numbers of early votes given that Georgia law now mandates two Saturdays of early voting and allows for two Sundays of early voting if a county desires. Legal fights continueMeanwhile, state judges are scrutinizing a number of new rules passed by the Trump-backed Republican majority on the State Election Board that Democrats warn could inject post-election “chaos” into the Georgia.

Persons: Hurricane Helene, Gabe Sterling, Sterling, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, “, ”, Brad Raffensperger, It’s, Raffensperger, ” Raffensperger, Robert McBurney, McBurney, they'll, Harris, Fay Ainsworth, we’ve, Joseph Henry King Jr, Kareem Rosshandler, Jill Stein, “ We’ve, ” Rosshandler, Mounira Elsamra Organizations: CNN, Republican, Corine, US Postal Service, Biden, Trump, Peach State, Legal, Board, Democrats, GOP, Green Party, Israel, Electoral College Locations: Georgia, Hurricane, Atlanta, Corine Canada, Southeast . Georgia, Trump’s crosshairs, Peach, Fulton County

☆ In the competitive world of pharma, companies need to focus on worker well-being to retain top talent, says Ferring's HR exec
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Julia Hood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

She said that Ferring has grown more intentional about focusing on worker well-being, which is particularly important for the highly competitive field of healthcare. What are the benefits for companies focused on worker well-being? We've defined well-being in a holistic way, so it's not just about physical well-being; it's also about mental well-being and financial well-being. What advice do you have for other companies that are just getting started thinking about DEI and worker well-being initiatives? What policies demonstrate your focus on worker well-being?

Persons: —, Johnson, JP Morgan, Ferring, We've, it's, I've, we've, you've Organizations: Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Service, gastroenterology, Johnson, American Express, Pharma, pharma Locations: Swiss, Switzerland

☆ Election prediction markets are in a sprint to prove themselves as forecasting and investing tools
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"Things were going okay before the election contracts, but since we put them on the platform there's been a lot more interest," Sanders said. The election contracts on each site are binary, and they pay out $1 if the correct outcome is chosen and $0 for the incorrect outcome. A fifth arena, Polymarket, is a blockchain-based prediction platform that is not open to U.S. customers. If they prove to be accurate over time, the prediction markets may also serve non-traders such as consultants and fundraisers who want to glean more insight into the election. Concerns More ominously, critics of the election markets have raised alarm that they could be moved by one or two big traders for possibly nefarious purposes.

Persons: politicos, Kalshi, Steven Sanders, Sanders, John Phillips, Phillips, Tarek Mansour, Bob Elliott, Ray, Elliott, Polymarket, Nikki Haley, Michelle Obama, Matt Thompson, Thompson, Koleman Strumpf, Cantrell Dumas, Dumas, PredictIt's Phillips, Strumpf, Mansour, We've Organizations: Wall, Interactive, Futures Trading Commission, CFTC, Kalshi, Funds, Bridgewater Associates, South Carolina Gov, Republican, Little Harbor Advisors, Wake Forest University, Better, CNBC, Wake Locations: Iowa, Winston, Salem, N.C, Susquehanna

☆ What to know about early voting in Georgia and North Carolina
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Sara Murray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Two critical battleground states – Georgia and North Carolina – are kicking off early in-person voting this week. In Georgia, voters can head to the ballot box beginning on Tuesday and in North Carolina, early in-person voting begins on Thursday. “I don’t want to discourage people from using drop boxes by any means, but I can see why people would think it’s easier to show up in person.”Meanwhile, the opportunities to vote early in-person have expanded: Georgia law mandates two Saturdays of early voting and allows for two Sundays of early voting if a county desires. When it comes to early voting sites, the 25 western counties most impacted by Helene had planned for 80 early voting sites. “In this day and age, everyone’s taking selfies, even people in the boomer generation like me,” Phillips from Common Cause North Carolina said.

Persons: Hurricane Helene, ”, Kristin Nabers, Larry David, –, Donald Trump, Helene, “, Bob Phillips, I’m, ” Karen Brinson Bell, Brinson Bell, ” Phillips, That’s, CNN’s Tierney Sneed Organizations: CNN, State, Carolina, State Board, North Carolina State Board Locations: Georgia, North Carolina, Hurricane, Both Georgia

Search resuls for: "Offices"

25 mentions found