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☆ Ted Lerner Built His Fortune With an Early Bet on Malls
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( James R. Hagerty | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ted Lerner greeted fans at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Washington Nationals baseball stadium in 2006. After grinding his way through George Washington University’s law school, Ted Lerner decided he would rather sell houses. It was the early 1950s, and he was willing to put in 18-hour days. Home builders liked his imaginative techniques. One November, he decorated a model home like a giant Christmas present.

☆ Tom Brady Wasn’t the Last Link to the Montreal Expos After All
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Tom Brady’s recent retirement from the NFL was accompanied by a widely repeated bit of trivia—and not about football. Brady, who was drafted by the Montreal Expos as a catcher in the 1995 amateur baseball draft, was said to have been the final former Expos player or draft pick still active in professional sports. The Expos moved from Montreal to become the Washington Nationals ahead of the 2005 MLB season and are increasingly a totem of bygone days in baseball, their famous bubble logo a symbol of nostalgia.

☆ Ted Lerner, Washington Nationals Owner and Real-Estate Developer, Dies at 97
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ted Lerner , the billionaire real-estate developer whose family bought the Washington Nationals in 2006, has died, the team announced Monday. He was 97 years old. A Nationals spokesperson said Mr. Lerner died Sunday of complications from pneumonia at his home in Chevy Chase, Md.

☆ How to access American Airlines Admirals Club airport lounges
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Jason Stauffer | Elizabeth Gravier | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Below, CNBC Select details of the ways you can access American Airlines' network of Admirals Club lounges. American Airlines lounge locationsAmerican Airlines offers a network of nearly 50 Admirals Club lounges across 32 airports worldwide. How to access American Airlines loungesTo access any American Airlines lounge you'll need to be flying either with American Airlines, a Oneworld alliance partner or JetBlue. Members of the U.S. military traveling in uniform have access to most Admirals Club lounges when traveling on a same-day American Airlines flight. With an annual Admirals Club membership you'll also have access to Alaska Airlines lounges, Qantas lounges and other partner lounges.

☆ How the market is rating the risk of debt ceiling default and a divided, dysfunctional Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

That would be the worst-case outcome, of course, but even the best case will probably see the sort of brinksmanship that occurred in the 2011 debt ceiling crisis." From the Senate, Mitch McConnell recently said it's an issue for Biden and the House GOP to work out. Kevin Brady , the former top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, dismissed talk of debt default as "fear mongering." Narrowness of GOP House majority does matterJPMorgan also referred to the path for a political agreement as being "narrow." In 2013, the Federal Reserve ran a simulation of a debt default by the U.S. government.

Employees of American Airlines help check in passengers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on January 11, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. American Airlines ' fourth-quarter profit beat analysts' expectations as strong travel demand and high fares buoyed results during a turbulent holiday season. Quarterly revenue of $13.19 billion was up 16.6% from the same period in 2019, before the pandemic stymied travel. American earlier this month raised its revenue and profit estimates for its fourth quarter. Airline executives at Delta and United were similarly upbeat about 2023 bookings despite concerns about layoffs at major U.S. companies and economic weakness.

☆ FAA says contractor unintentionally deleted files before outage disrupted thousands of flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

"A preliminary FAA review of last week's outage of the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system determined that contract personnel unintentionally deleted files while working to correct synchronization between the live primary database and a backup database," the FAA said. The FAA reiterated that it hasn't found evidence of a cyberattack or "malicious intent" and that it is still investigating what occurred. Lawmakers from both parties demanded answers about technology vulnerabilities in the U.S. aviation system. Airline executives complained about inadequate funding and staffing for the FAA. "Hopefully this will be the call to our political leaders in Washington that we need to do better."

The White House said some material was found in a locked garage at Biden's home and an adjacent room, and pledged to cooperate. "People know I take classified documents and classified material seriously," he added. Biden's attorneys said they have found fewer than a dozen classified documents and turned over the relevant papers after finding them. Trump resisted doing so until an August FBI search turned up about 100 classified documents, raising questions about whether Trump or his staff obstructed the investigation. "People know I take classified documents, classified material seriously," Biden told reporters on Thursday.

☆ Aging, outdated technology leaves air travel at risk of meltdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

As early as 2012, the FAA decided it wanted to replace aging legacy voice switches used in air traffic control communications with new, internet-based communications technology. Trying to integrate old systems with newer ones — always in real time, because the global aviation industry never sleeps — can also create its own opportunities for catastrophic mistakes. Many more things can go wrong than you might expect — highlighting the sheer complexity of the aviation industry, and underscoring how there isn’t a quick easy fix for IT-related travel disruptions. But it has had lasting effects on FAA technology. That bureaucratic myopia is its own cause of today’s technological malaise in the aviation industry.

"We are confident that a thorough review will show that these documents were inadvertently misplaced," White House lawyer Richard Sauber said in a statement. The White House on Monday disclosed that classified documents from Biden's vice presidential days were discovered in November at a think tank in Washington. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst 1 2 3 4 5"The fact that they called for special counsel for Trump's handling of classified documents, I don't see how they cannot appoint a special counsel with respect to Biden," said Representative James Comer, who will head the House Oversight Committee. Garland named a special counsel, Jack Smith, in November to oversee Justice Department investigations related to Trump, including the Republican former president's handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. "As I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents, classified material seriously.

The software that failed and forced the Federal Aviation Administration to ground thousands of flights on Wednesday is 30 years old and not scheduled to be updated for another six years, according to a senior government official. This system was installed in 1993 and runs the Notice to Air Missions system, or NOTAM, which sends pilots vital information they need to fly, the official said. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., was busy Wednesday after an FAA outage canceled and delayed flights. ET “to allow the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information” as it worked to restore the NOTAM system. The FAA lifted the ground stop around 8:50 a.m., and normal air traffic operations began resuming gradually.

"At this time, we do not believe the cause is related to the FAA outage experienced earlier today." Share this -Link copiedNearly half of Southwest flights delayed just weeks after mass cancellations Nearly half of Southwest Airlines flights were delayed as of about 11:15 a.m. Share this -Link copiedMore than 540 Delta flights delayed, 14 canceled More than 540 Delta flights were delayed as of 9:13 a.m. ET, the airline had three flights canceled and 208 flights delayed, amounting to 21% of its overall flights, according to FlightAware. Alaska Airlines had 11 flights canceled and 149 flights delayed, also amounting to 21% of its overall flights, FlightAware noted as of 8:53 a.m.

☆ Massive winter storm threatens holiday travel for millions of Americans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Tyler Clifford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

In its wake, the cyclone could spawn snowfalls of a half inch an hour and winds of more than 50 mph (80 kph) in the Upper Midwest and interior Northeast, the weather service said. "This will lead to dangerous, to at times impossible, land and air travel leading up to the holiday weekend," the agency said on its website. Temperatures in parts of the Southern Plains and Southeast could stay below freezing -- 30-plus degrees less than normal -- for multiple days, the weather service predicted. The weather service also warned of freezing rain in parts of Oregon and Washington in the Northwest, where the storm originated, late Thursday. That would be the biggest daily drop in output since the freeze of February 2021 when a winter storm cut gas supplies from Texas and forced the Texas electric grid operator to impose rolling power outages.

In 2019, Cambodia supplied 8,571 of the 33,818 research monkeys imported to the U.S., or 25%. In 2021, the number of monkeys from Cambodia more than doubled to 18,870, making up nearly 60% of the 31,844 research monkeys brought to America. Earlier this year, long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques were listed as endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The decades long effort by animal rights groups to derail the monkey trade has made some impact. The incident shined a rare spotlight on the monkey trade, which largely goes on outside the view of the public.

☆ What the pro-business tax agenda is chasing in a changing Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Cheryl Winokur Munk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Main Street could find itself stuck in gridlock next year in terms of advancing pro-business tax objectives. For House Republicans, legislative priorities are likely to include extending business-friendly provisions of The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed by the Trump Administration in 2017. Even so, a divided Congress means that major pro-business legislative changes will be difficult to enact. Rather, tax and policy professionals expect House Republicans to focus on a number of positioning moves next year — ones that will establish their pro-business agenda ahead of the 2024 presidential election. "There are a host of provisions in the tax code that businesses would like to see changed or revised," said Rochelle Hodes, a principal in Crowe's Washington National Tax office.

☆ These 16 US airports are reportedly testing facial recognition technology on passengers that could roll out nationwide next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The TSA could expand facial recognition identification tech across the nation next year, WaPo reported. Facial recognition tech was first tested at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in August 2020 before expanding to airports in Arizona, Indiana, and Miami, the spokesperson said. "While we are informed the preliminary results are encouraging, TSA continues to monitor these pilots to ensure there is no inherent bias in the technology," the TSA spokesperson said. If all goes to plan, the TSA expects to produce facial recognition tech later this year and will begin to deploy it at additional airports sometime right before 2024, another TSA spokesperson told Insider. Here are the 16 US airports reportedly piloting facial recognition technology, per the Washington Post:

☆ The TSA's facial recognition technology, which is currently being used at 16 major domestic airports, may go nationwide next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The TSA may expand its facial recognition identification system nationwide next year, WaPo reported. Facial recognition is currently used in 16 domestic airports for identifying passengers. The TSA has used various biometric technologies since the 9/11 terror attacks. In addition to the TSA, facial recognition technology is currently utilized by other agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which uses the tech to track migrants. Its use by law enforcement is even illegal in some cities, including San Francisco as, in some cases, racially-biased facial recognition scans have led to false arrests and even jail time for a Black man who was misidentified.

☆ Virginia McLaurin, who famously danced with the Obamas in White House visit, dies at 113
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

— Virginia McLaurin, the centenarian who danced excitedly with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama during a 2016 White House visit, has died. “We know you’re up there dancing.”McLaurin visited the White House for a Black History Month reception in February 2016, when she was 106. “I thought I would never live to get in the White House,” she said. Shortly after the White House visit, Menkart suggested they contact the mayor’s office and the Washington Post, which interviewed her and published a story. According to the Obama White House archives, she was a foster grandparent and a mentor to special-needs students, helping children with reading and social skills.

☆ 'Mattress Mack' turned $5,000 in savings into a Texas furniture empire known for generous promotions, and recently won $75 million in the largest payout in sports-betting history
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Over time, McIngvale continued making million-dollar sports bets. During the 2019 World Series, McIngvale travelled the country by private jets to place bets on Astros winning at betting sites in three different states. When the Houston Astros lost to the Washington Nationals, McIngvale lost at least $11.6 million in wagers. He has also made bets on Houston sports teams playing in the NFL playoffs, the Kentucky Derby, and the Superbowl. McIngvale signs a basketball used during the 2019 NBA Playoffs between Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors.

☆ Houston Astros beat Phillies 4-1 to clinch World Series
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY SportsNov 5 (Reuters) - Yordan Alvarez crushed a three-run homer to power the Houston Astros past the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 on Saturday, claiming their second World Series title in six years and first since a sign-stealing scandal in 2017 tarnished their crown. After falling behind 2-1 in the best-of-seven series the Astros roared back with three straight wins, including just the second no-hitter in World Series history in Game Four. In 2019 the Astros had also returned home with a 3-2 series lead but dropped both games to the Washington Nationals. Baker, who earlier this year became the 12th manager to register 2,000 wins, filled the one hole on his resume winning his first World Series as a manager. "I tried not to dwell on it, but tried to have faith and perseverance and knowing that with the right team and the right personnel and right everything that this is going to happen.

CNN —The Houston Astros won the franchise’s second World Series title on Saturday after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in Game 6 at Minute Maid Park. After falling behind 2-1 through the first three games of the World Series, Houston evened up the series after throwing a combined no-hitter in Game 4. Party!”The Houston Astros celebrate their World Series win against the Philadelphia Phillies in Houston, Texas, on Saturday, November 5. Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos/Getty Images The Houston Astros celebrate their win in Game 5 of the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, November 4. The Phillies hit five home runs in the game, tying a World Series record, and they won 7-0 to take a 2-1 series lead over the Houston Astros.

☆ U.S. FAA will waive some JetBlue minimum flight requirements
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Friday it would partially approve a request by JetBlue Airways (JBLU.O) to waive minimum flight requirements at New York-area airports John F. Kennedy International and Newark Liberty International. The decision allows JetBlue to hold on to valuable flight rights at some of the most congested U.S. airports. JetBlue sought the waiver in July, saying its "workforce and flight operations are under extraordinary strain, leaving little margin for operational challenges caused by airport construction, (air traffic control) delays and weather," the FAA said. The relief, which runs retroactively through Oct. 29, will allow JetBlue to hold on to some slots, which are takeoff and landing authorizations. Delta had asked the FAA to waive minimum slot requirements because of issues including New York airport construction, significant crew sick time, severe weather and air traffic control delays and cancellations.

CNN —The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Houston Astros in dramatic fashion Friday night to take Game 1 of the World Series 6-5 in extras. “The way we fought back in that game after being down 5-0, that is a Phillies win right there,” Realmuto said. Verlander, a likely future hall of famer, remains winless as a starter in the World Series in his stellar career. The Astros’ only previous World Series win came when they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017. A Phillies series win would give the franchise its third World Series title, with its last coming back in 2008.

CNN —The 2022 World Series is a classic case of overwhelming favorite against plucky underdog. The Astros’ only previous World Series win came when they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017. “It is the World Series, it’s a big stage, but they have been loose the entire time through this whole process. The Philadelphia Phillies last won the World Series in 2008. Further back in 1929, the Philadelphia Athletics’ World Series win was followed by the Wall Street Crash.

☆ Biden knows there are limits on American power, but they're nowhere to be found in his first major security strategy
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Gil Barndollar | Defense Priorities | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This month, the Biden administration released its long-delayed National Security Strategy. The brief moment of post-Cold War American hyperpower is long gone, a victim of both natural power dynamics and three decades of incessant American foreign policy hubris and error. Six months before the assault on Ukraine began, the Biden administration admitted the limits of American power in another land that defeated Russian invaders: Afghanistan. The saving grace of the National Security Strategy may be its meaninglessness. The Biden administration's actual emerging national security strategy could be far better than the document lets on.

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