Iowa Never Locked Down. Its Economy Is Struggling Anyway.
There are no restrictions keeping Denver Foote from carrying on with her work at the salon where she styles hair. But Ms. Foote is picking up only two shifts a week, and is often sent home early because there are so few customers. No lockdown stood in the way of the city’s Oktoberfest, but the celebration was canceled. “We could have done it, absolutely,” said Mindy Toyne, whose company has produced the event for 17 years. But the experience of states like Iowa shows the economy is far from back to normal even in Republican-led states that have imposed few business restrictions.
Source:New York Times
October 22, 2020 19:18 UTC
Ghislaine Maxwell’s 2016 Testimony Offers Few Answers on Jeffrey Epstein
Ghislaine Maxwell fought for months to keep sealed the deposition she gave in a now-settled defamation lawsuit filed against her by a woman who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse. This week, a Manhattan federal court rejected her pleas and made public hundreds of pages of documents Thursday morning. The transcript of the April 2016 deposition details more than nine hours of combative questioning and elusive answers. “You are asking me to speculate, and I won’t speculate,” she said. Throughout the 465-page deposition, Ms. Maxwell said she never recruited girls for or “saw any inappropriate underage activities with Jeffrey ever.”
Source:Wall Street Journal
October 22, 2020 19:18 UTC
The administration’s pandemic plan centers on protecting seniors. Seniors keep dying.
At an event last week centered on “protecting America’s seniors,” he insisted that his administration would protect seniors while letting younger people go about their lives. In his interview this week, Atlas reiterated that promise, a promise that comes about eight months into the pandemic. It’s unquestionably true that the number of cases in long-term care facilities early in the pandemic spurred a lot of early deaths. Notice that, after hitting a nadir in June, the number of cases rose again — as they did nationally. Since June, the number of deaths each week has averaged more than 1,800, at no point dropping below 1,250.
Source:Washington Post
October 22, 2020 19:13 UTC
Deadly O.C. ‘street takeovers’ in Costa Mesa and Anaheim kill one, injure two
Hundreds of cars descended on two Orange County cities overnight in a series of raucous “street takeovers,” leaving one man dead and a teenager injured in a melee, authorities said Thursday. Costa Mesa officials said they were tipped off to the raucous gathering by Anaheim authorities, who had dealt with a similar street takeover an hour earlier. So-called street takeovers involve street racers or members of car clubs taking over a stretch of road or an intersection to perform burnouts and other driving stunts. A street takeover in February in Fountain Valley included fireworks and led to an officer-involved shooting. Anaheim police are now responding to calls about car clubs and street takeovers on a weekly basis, he said.
Source:Los Angeles Times
October 22, 2020 19:00 UTC
Tax Tips & Moves To Make In The Next 60 Days: What Forbes Subscribers Are Reading
Coming soon...right after the election will be a premium Forbes tax newsletter, Tax Tactics, to help Americans—and particularly investors, retirement savers and entrepreneurs—navigate one of the most challenging tax landscapes in decades. Bad news, you can’t deduct home office expenses and you might find two states want to tax your income. Massive stimulus spending is driving up the national debt and sooner or later, tax rates must rise to pay for it. Good news if your loan was for less than $50,000: this month the Small Business Administration released a streamlined forgiveness application form you can use. Meanwhile, some small businesses are also grappling with new Covid tax credits for employee retention, sick leave and family leave.
Source:Forbes
October 22, 2020 18:45 UTC
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes continues to progress with time
The regression was almost inevitable after Patrick Mahomes put up record-setting numbers during his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs' starting quarterback, highlighted by nearly 5,100 yards passing and 50 touchdown throws. He's doing a great job there,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said this week, "and I'm really proud of the progress he's made in so many areas. “It seems like every year we're getting a new scheme or a new way defenses are going about playing us,” Mahomes said. “The definition of a great quarterback to me — one of the definitions — is that there's no way to play them,” said Broncos coach Vic Fangio, who nevertheless gets the unenviable task Sunday. You've got to mix it up because the great quarterbacks are too good, and this quarterback is definitely great.”
Source:Fox News
October 22, 2020 18:45 UTC
Major Energy Companies Bet Big on Hydrogen
As the oil-and-gas industry struggles to secure its place in a world shifting away from fossil fuels, major energy companies are making a grab for the rising hydrogen market. Hydrogen is expected to play a vital role in slashing emissions in a number of highly polluting industries that now face strict climate targets. The fuel, which burns clean when mixed with oxygen in a fuel cell, can power households, factories, cars, ships and planes.
Source:Wall Street Journal
October 22, 2020 18:45 UTC
Rep. Paul Gosar calls for defunding NPR over lack of Hunter Biden laptop coverage
Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., called for defunding National Public Radio after the outlet said it would not cover the Hunter Biden laptop story because it was a waste of time. #DefundNPR,” Gosar wrote on Twitter, joining a chorus of voices calling for the radio to lose its public funding. NPR SLAMMED FOR DISMISSING HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP COVERAGE AS A WASTE OF TIMENPR public editor Kelly McBride published an inquiry on the radio's website on Thursday from a listener who didn’t understand why the story has been ignored. “Someone please explain why NPR has apparently not reported on the Joe Biden, Hunter Biden story in the last week or so that Joe did know about Hunter's business connections in Europe that Joe had previously denied having knowledge?” listener Carolyn Abbott asked. RATCLIFFE SAYS HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP, EMAILS 'NOT PART OF SOME RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN'“Intelligence officials warn that Russia has been working overtime to keep the story of Hunter Biden in the spotlight,” NPR continued.
Source:Fox News
October 22, 2020 18:45 UTC
With Billions at Stake, New York Sues Trump Over ‘Anarchist’ Label
If the Trump administration follows through on its threats, New York City could lose critical federal funding for the transit system, the health department and the Police Department, James E. Johnson, the city’s corporation counsel, said on Thursday. Earlier this month, the Federal Transit Administration effectively barred the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the city’s subway and buses, from applying for federal funding to cover some coronavirus-related expenses. A notice on Oct. 8 said the agency would consider applications pursuant to Mr. Trump’s directive on “anarchist jurisdictions.”The transit agency has a staggering budget hole after the pandemic wiped out its operating revenues. The cities began to prepare their lawsuit after seeing the federal notice regarding transit funding, Mr. Johnson said. The Justice Department and the White House declined requests for comment on the lawsuit.
Source:New York Times
October 22, 2020 18:38 UTC
Old Man Winter arrives early
(CNN) Winter is creeping in early as two separate systems bring snow and ice from Washington to Wisconsin. Nearly five million Americans will be under a winter storm warning, winter storm watch or winter weather advisory over the next 48 hours, and that number is likely to increase as the second system spreads east. Then another round of heavy snow will drop into the Northern Rockies and move across the Upper Midwest through the weekend. A cold front arrives late tonight, with freezing temps possible across NW OK by Sat AM. The record for all of October is 8.2 inches -- set in 1991.
Source:CNN
October 22, 2020 18:33 UTC
Voters won't have to wear masks in most states, but those who refuse may face special rules
Many states will be offering voters free masks at polling places, as well as requiring poll workers to wear masks. Police officers and a poll worker talk with four voters who refused to wear masks during early voting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Monday. While there's no official list of states with current mask mandates, the AARP counts 33 states and Washington, DC, that require masks. 'We expect them to be very cooperative'Election officials around the country said they anticipate the vast majority of voters will wear masks, and played down the potential of conflicts over the rules. While early voting has already started in more than 30 states , there have not been widespread reports of voters refusing to wear masks so far.
Source:CNN
October 22, 2020 18:33 UTC
Declassified Files Reveal a Possible Spy in Poland—Named James Bond
In 1964, a British diplomat arrived in the capital, then vanished, thwarting the minders ordered to shadow his every movement. Dark-haired and inconspicuous, the suspected agent had all the makings of a discreet operative except for one glaring giveaway. If not, why would a secretary be sneaking up to military bases, before later disappearing from Polish soil? If so, what kind of spy keeps the name James Bond? “I mean, come on,” said Marzena Kruk, director of Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance, which held the files.
Source:Wall Street Journal
October 22, 2020 18:33 UTC
Fact check: Trump falsely claims, again, that Oprah had him on the final week of her show
But Trump also makes a lot of false claims about trivial subjects nobody much cares about. One of the very strangest is about "The Oprah Winfrey Show." For at least seven years, Trump has been claiming that he was so important to Oprah that she had him on her popular daytime talk show in its final week. Trump did not appear on the final week of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which : This is false. Trump did not appear on the final week of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which ended on May 25, 2011 .
Source:CNN
October 22, 2020 18:22 UTC
Move aside, sourdough: Your next cooking project is candy bars for Halloween
Homemade PayDay bars, made with chewy caramelized milk syrup coated in roasted salted peanuts. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)For the more adventurous, there are my homemade Butterfinger Bites. I promise that these are the perfect introduction to candy making. With any luck, we just might make homemade candy the sourdough of the coming holiday season. The Recipes:AdvertisementHomemade PayDay Bars Time 1 hour 30 minutes Yields Makes about 6 dozen pieces
Source:Los Angeles Times
October 22, 2020 18:11 UTC
Jho Low’s Beverly Hills Hotel Sold to New York Lodging Investor
A low-profile New York City-based hotel investor is the mystery buyer of the Beverly Hills hotel that the U.S. government sold in August, after seizing it from the fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low. EOS Investors LLC, a three-year old firm that owns and manages about 20 hotels, won the bidding process and on Thursday completed its purchase of the Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills hotel, according to the firm and the auction’s broker. A sales representative had said previously that the winning bid for the hotel was $100 million,...
Source:Wall Street Journal
October 22, 2020 18:11 UTC