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☆ A New Year’s Resolution for Stemming Retail’s Returns Tsunami
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Alan Amling | Thomas Golds | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

So why haven’t retailers taken significant steps to improve the returns process and stop it from imploding their profitability? Photo illustration: Laura KammermannThe first step in solving the problem is to appoint an executive responsible for the end-to-end returns process. Researchers at the University of Tennessee have broken the returns process into five “pathways” to help returns executives better understand improvement opportunities. The best way to mitigate returns costs, of course, is to find ways to limit returns before they happen, in the pre-sale process. As goods move through the returns process, costs and waste increase dramatically.

☆ Kari Lake Gets Hearing on Claims of Arizona Election Misconduct
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Eliza Collins | Laura Kusisto | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Defeated Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is scheduled to receive a two-day court hearing beginning Wednesday to air some of her allegations that electoral improprieties caused her to lose the race, but a judge said she’ll have to prove there was intentional misconduct that affected the outcome. An Arizona judge on Monday dismissed most of Ms. Lake’s claims that illegal voting and misconduct cost her a victory, saying they weren’t proper or valid. But Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson said Ms. Lake should be given the opportunity to attempt to prove a pair of claims related to the malfunctioning of ballot printers and the handling of ballots.

☆ Britain is 'resolute' on nurses' pay, senior minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The British government is "resolute" it will not budge on nurses' pay, senior minister Oliver Dowden said on Sunday, ahead of a planned second nationwide walkout by the profession over an average pay offer of 4% while inflation runs at more than 10%. Its leader Pat Cullen said on Friday that unless ministers "start playing ball by taking part in meaningful negotiations" over pay, nurses would continue to take action. "Governments have had every chance to act but they have chosen to turn their backs on us," she said. Dowden said nurses' pay was recommended by an independent pay review body, which had determined that nurses would receive a minimum rise of 1,400 pounds, equating to about 4% on average. Britain is facing a wave of industrial action this winter, including rail and postal services as well as healthcare.

☆ New York and L.A. meet CDC criteria for masking in public. How much will masks help this winter?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Aria-Bendix-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Aria Bendix | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The Philadelphia school district announced Wednesday that students and staff will be required to wear masks indoors for two weeks in January in an effort to slow transmission after the holidays. The New York City Department of Education issued a letter this week strongly encouraging students and staff to wear a well-fitting mask indoors. After three years of Covid, however, experts recognized that few people are inclined to wear masks as often as they had previously while in public spaces. But Luby said he still wears a mask in public, even when others around him do not. “I find myself in that situation a lot — I’m the only person in the room wearing a mask," he said.

☆ State Battles on Abortion Access Are Ahead in the New Year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Laura Kusisto | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

State legislatures across the country are preparing to convene for the first time since the U.S. Supreme Court ended federal constitutional protections for abortion, with Republicans facing questions about whether to adopt new restrictions after the party’s tepid performance in the midterm elections. More than 20 states were expected to ban many or most abortions following the Supreme Court’s decision this summer in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. But in roughly half of those places, efforts to impose new restrictions have hit legal and political obstacles. Now, lawmakers are grappling with how to respond to an electoral season that saw voters signal resistance to sweeping prohibitions on abortion, including in some conservative-leaning states.

☆ Tesla drivers say they've faced more incidents of road rage since they started driving the electric cars
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla drivers say they've faced harassment since they started driving the EV, The Guardian reported. Tesla cars are equipped with multiple cameras that have publicly documented the incidents. He told the publication that he'd faced incidents of road rage eight times in November, alone. Three more drivers said the instances of road rage are often perpetuated by individuals driving pickup trucks. The channel, called Wham Baam Teslacam, also depicts instances of people cursing out Tesla drivers, vandalizing the cars, and chasing them down.

☆ Britain's Currys to avoid using Royal Mail 'for now' over strikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - British electricals retailer Currys (CURY.L) will not use Royal Mail as a delivery provider "for now" to reduce any impact from strike action, the company's chief executive officer Alex Baldock said on Sunday. Asked whether the report was true, Baldock said: "For now, yes. We plan for this sort of thing all the time and the relatively few, smaller parcels that we distribute through Royal Mail are pretty easily switchable to another provider." Postal workers have already staged walk outs and plan another wave of strikes later this month over pay and conditions, arguing that they want a rise that matches increasing prices and the cost of living. Reporting by Elizabeth Piper Editing by Raissa KasolowskyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Holdout Arizona County Certifies Midterms Results After Court Order
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Laura Kusisto | Eliza Collins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Cochise County, Ariz., elections officials voted Thursday to certify the results of the midterm elections following a court order, ending a gambit that had left the fate of tens of thousands of votes in the state uncertain. The county’s three-member board of supervisors voted 2-0 in favor of certification, shortly after an Arizona judge ordered them to certify the results immediately. One Republican member of the board didn’t participate in the vote.

☆ Judicial Nominations Present Opportunity for Biden After Democrats Retain Senate
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Laura Kusisto | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

President Biden has already seen 85 of his judicial nominees confirmed. President Biden is primed to make federal judicial appointments a continuing priority during his next two years in office after Democrats retained a narrow Senate majority in the midterm elections. Mr. Biden took office following four years in which former President Donald Trump left a significant conservative mark on the federal judiciary, placing judges in roughly 230 life-tenured positions, the most in a single term since the Jimmy Carter administration. That included three Supreme Court justices and 54 judges for the powerful U.S. appeals courts.

☆ Humans to live and work on the moon within the decade, NASA official said
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

NASA expects humans to live and work on the moon by 2030, an official said. NASA launched an unmanned spacecraft to the moon last week, considered a key preliminary step. NASA successfully launched its powerful new Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket last week, sending the Orion spacecraft on its way towards the moon. An illustration of the Orion spacecraft circling the moon. NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B on Monday, Aug. 29, 2022.

☆ Employers List Wide Salary Ranges in Ways That Sidestep Pay Transparency Law
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Watch: Artemis I Launch Tests NASA’s Mission to Return Humans to the Moon NASA has launched Artemis I, a test flight that will help the space agency prepare for a return to the moon for the first time in decades. WSJ explains the challenges behind this historic mission, and why it’s a critical step in eventually getting humans to Mars. Photo Illustration: Laura Kammermann

☆ Georgia Judge Allows Saturday Voting in U.S. Senate Runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Laura Kusisto | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A Georgia judge ruled Friday that county elections officials can offer voting on the Saturday following Thanksgiving in the runoff election for a U.S. Senate seat, a victory for Democrats who had challenged the state’s guidance that disallowed it. The lawsuit filed by the state’s Democratic Party and Sen. Raphael Warnock ’s re-election campaign centered on a provision of state law that says counties can provide voting on certain Saturdays in primaries and general elections, but makes an exception if that Saturday follows a statutory holiday. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger had issued guidance saying that meant counties shouldn’t offer voting on the Saturday following the Thanksgiving holiday.

☆ The Tech Sector Is Taking a Beating. Here’s Why.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Tech Companies Were Thriving, Now They’re Laying Off Thousands. Here’s Why.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Georgia’s Abortion Ban After Six Weeks Is Blocked
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | Laura Kusisto | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A Georgia judge permanently blocked enforcement of the state’s ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, ruling that it was clearly unlawful at the time the state legislature passed it in 2019. Judge Robert McBurney of the Superior Court of Fulton County noted Tuesday that there has been a sea change in abortion law because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June that overturned Roe v. Wade and ended federal constitutional protections for abortion. But the judge said that if Georgia wants to impose an abortion ban, the legislature would need to revisit the issue and pass a new law.

☆ Zelensky in Kherson: Ukrainian President Visits Liberated City
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Trump-Backed Election Skeptics: Where They Stand in Key Midterm Races In the key swing states of Arizona, Nevada, Michigan and Pennsylvania, candidates who made false claims about the 2020 election ran for positions that can exert great influence over election administration. Here’s a look at some of the results of those midterm races, and what it means for future elections. Illustration: Laura Kammermann

☆ Sen. Ed Markey hits back at Elon Musk after his response to questions about impersonation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Ed Markey chastised Twitter's owner Elon Musk Sunday for his response to Markey's request for answers about the platform's new verification and impersonation policies. In response, Musk wrote back to Markey in a tweet Sunday and said, "Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody?" Or Congress will," Markey wrote in a tweet Sunday. The account received a blue verified checkmark, even though Markey already has two legitimate verified accounts. The exchange between Musk and Markey on Twitter is not the first time the pair has gone head-to-head.

WASHINGTON — Republican Kris Kobach has won the race to serve as Kansas's attorney general, NBC News projected Thursday. As the state's attorney general, Kobach will have the power to prosecute voter fraud and enforce other election laws. He told the Associated Press in October that “there’s no question” voter fraud occurred in 2020 and that Americans will never know “how many fraudulent ballots were cast." As the vice chair of Trump's election commission, he was charged with investigating claims of voter fraud in the 2016 election. The panel found no major evidence of voter fraud and the committee was dissolved in 2018.

Laura Kelly has won re-election to a second term, NBC News projects, defeating Republican challenger Derek Schmidt. Kelly was the only Democratic governor running for re-election in a state won by Donald Trump in 2020. Any path to victory for Kelly was always going to rely almost entirely on her ability to appeal to Republican voters. In Kansas, registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats nearly 2 to 1 (Republicans make up 44% of registered voters, Democrats 26%, and unaffiliated voters 29%). Her ads during the race focused heavily on how she had done just that during her four years in office.

☆ Abortion-Rights Supporters Prevail in Midterm Ballot Measures
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Laura Kusisto | Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Abortion-rights supporters in Detroit, Michigan, on Tuesday as the state voted to end a 1931 ban on the procedure. Voters passed measures guaranteeing abortion access in California, Michigan and Vermont, while an antiabortion proposal in Republican-leaning Kentucky was trailing early Wednesday. The midterm elections provided the first national temperature-taking on voter attitudes toward abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in late June, ending federal constitutional protections for the procedure. The decision returned abortion policy to the states, creating a host of new battlegrounds.

Share this -Link copiedWisconsin Senate race too close to call Wisconsin's Senate race between GOP Sen. Ron Johnson and Democrat Mandela Barnes is too close to call, NBC News says. Vance wins Ohio Senate race, defeating Democrat Tim Ryan, NBC News projects COLUMBUS, Ohio — J.D. Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance is leading The Senate race in Ohio is too early to call, NBC News says, but Republican candidate J.D. Share this -Link copiedGeorgia Senate race too close to call Georgia's Senate race is too close to call about three hours after polls closed at 7 p.m.

The first election to put abortion rights to the test after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade appears unlikely to reshape the map of abortion access — at least not overnight. States that protect abortion access Mixed results New protections Existing protections Results pending States that restrict abortion access Results pending New restrictions likely Mixed results Existing restrictionsResults pending in races affecting abortion Arizona Montana Nebraska PennsylvaniaMany of the most competitive state-level races with consequences for abortion were too close to call on Wednesday. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel, both Democrats who pledged to protect abortion rights, won re-election. But two candidates for the State Supreme Court who were backed by anti-abortion groups did not win their races. Mr. Cooper, a Democrat, opposes abortion restrictions, and Republicans failed to secure a supermajority in the Legislature that would have allowed them to override his veto.

☆ Live Results: Kansas votes in congressional and state elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Walt Hickey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Polls close in the state at 7 p.m. local time. Given the state has multiple timezones, the first polls close at 8 p.m. EST and the last polls close at 9 p.m. EST. It symobilizes the 2022 Election. Polls close in the state at 7 p.m. local time. Given the state has multiple timezones, the first polls close at 8 p.m. EST and the last polls close at 9 p.m. EST.

The polls will close over a seven-hour period on Tuesday, starting at 6 p.m. Eastern time in parts of Indiana and Kentucky and ending at 1 a.m. in western Alaska. Here is a guide to when the first polls close in each state, and what races to watch at each point. Show times in: Eastern Central Mountain Pacific Alaska HawaiiPolls open First polls closing First polls closed6 p.m. P.T. Not all polls in each state close at the same time, and polls in some areas may close earlier than shown if all registered voters in that polling district have already voted. There is also an unexpectedly competitive Senate race in Utah between Senator Mike Lee, a Republican, and Evan McMullin, an independent candidate.

☆ Abortion Features Prominently in Midterm Elections After Demise of Roe v. Wade
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Laura Kusisto | Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Supreme Court’s elimination of legal protections for abortion has prompted months of speculation about how the ruling would affect the political landscape. Voters will provide some answers in Tuesday’s midterm elections, where the issue is in play across state ballots. The high court’s decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade empowered voters and politicians to make decisions about abortion policy in ways not seen in 50 years. In a range of states, races for governor, the legislature and the courts could help determine where and to what extent the procedure is available.

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