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Editorial: Loan fraud? Who cares – it’s only taxpayer money

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:40:24 GMT

Fiscal responsibility has never been a hallmark of the current administration — and President Joe Biden isn’t much concerned about changing course. Now the White House stands by as federal bureaucrats let billions in COVID aid go up in flames.During the pandemic, Congress approved the $500 billion Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. Its mission was to provide loans of up to $2 million through the Small Business Administration to help businesses cover non-payroll expenses incurred during shutdowns. The loans — more than 4 million — were to be repaid.Like many similar COVID initiatives, the EIDL program was infested with fraud. According to Reason magazine, an estimated $136 billion — one-third of the money distributed — was sent to scammers. The statute instructed the SBA to refer all delinquent loans to the Treasury Department, “which has the authority to take steps the SBA cannot, like garnishing wages and foreclosing on property, in order to encourage repayment,” Reason reports...

Nikki Haley will launch a $10M ad campaign to try to overtake Ron DeSantis in the GOP primary

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:40:24 GMT

By STEVE PEOPLES (AP National Political Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Nikki Haley ‘s presidential campaign will reserve $10 million in television, radio and digital advertising across Iowa and New Hampshire beginning in the first week of December, a massive investment designed to give the former United Nations ambassador an advantage over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a critical moment in the GOP nomination fight.Details of the advertising plans, which represent the Haley campaign’s first official advertising reservation, were obtained by The Associated Press ahead of a public announcement expected Monday. Haley’s planned investment, as of now, is more than five times larger than DeSantis’ current advertising reserves for the same time period, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact.Haley’s move comes as she fights to emerge as the clear alternative to former President Donald Trump to represent the GOP against President Joe Biden next fall. DeSantis stands as Haley’s strongest competi...

‘In the Court of the Crimson King’ rock doc a one-note wonder

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:40:24 GMT

Can you call your film “In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50” and not play a chunky part of the tune you use as your title or show the band playing it on stage? You can if you’re Toby Amies (“Directors Talk: Nicolas Winding Refn”).In 1969, Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield released the album “In the Court of the Crimson King” from Island Records and made rock music history. The pioneer “prog” rock album’s semi-eponymous track was a mind-blowing mix of rock n’ roll and incantatory classical music sound with multiple choral crescendos, guitars, drums, an organ, a flute and a mellotron.The film is a mostly dull take on the practices and insanely disciplined methods of Fripp, the only founding member left in the band. In an opening interview with Amies, whom Fripp loves to ridicule and abuse, Fripp heaves a sigh of despair. It is his trademark expression. No one can live up to Fripp’s expectations, including F...

How retirees can break into consulting

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:40:24 GMT

Many older adults choose to trade in the regular hours of 9 to 5 when they retire to delve into a much more personally guided passion: consulting.Generally speaking, consulting is a term loosely given to providing business advice and sharing expertise without working directly for a company. Consultants lend their knowledge and flair for problem-solving to guide companies on topics such as marketing, operational improvement and even staffing, according to My Consulting Offer.Consultants do not often work for the company they are assisting, but may be brought in on a contractual basis for a set period of time. The Balance: Money advises that consultants typically can earn more per hour than they would if they were actual staff members on payroll.Consulting may attract seniors considering retirement because of the flexibility it provides. Retirees unsure about how to get started in the field of consulting can consider this rundown of what it takes to pursue this option.Knowledge of key...

Ravens suffer 4th-quarter collapse in stunning 33-31 loss to Browns on last-second field goal: ‘We were supposed to win’

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:40:24 GMT

A game between the NFL’s two best defenses turned into a shootout. The Ravens fizzled in the fourth quarter, while the Browns popped.The Ravens led by 14 early in the fourth quarter Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium and looked poised for their fifth straight win. But Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson led two scoring drives in the final 11:34, Lamar Jackson threw a pick-six and Baltimore lost, 33-31, for the first time in over a month.“We did not play well enough,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We did not play the kind of winning football that we need to play to win a game like that.”The Browns trailed 31-30 — because of a missed extra point attempt after Greg Newsome II’s pick-six with 8:16 left — with about five minutes remaining when they regained possession as Jackson and the Ravens’ offense continued to flounder. After overcoming a shoulder injury and struggling for much of the season and Sunday’s game, Watson looked like ...

Dear Abby: Restaurant choice becomes political spat

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:40:24 GMT

Dear Abby: My father-in-law and I are just cut from different cloth. We are political opposites, although we do get along for the most part. On a family vacation (we were visiting them), we were going out for dinner.My wife and I knew he was going to take us to a restaurant we both have ethical issues with. I handed him a 10% off coupon for a different nearby restaurant and said, “Here’s another option for dinner.” When he responded that he thought we’d go to the first place, I said, “Sorry. I have some moral issues with it and won’t eat there. Is there somewhere else we can go?” He then blew up at me, saying things like, “If you’re not paying, what difference does it make?” and “Since you’re our guest, it’s rude of you to refuse.” My wife agreed that he was out of line. What do you think? Was it rude of us as their guests? Or rude of him as a host to not accommodate us? — Not Going There in Ne...

Donald Trump Jr. returning to stand as defense looks to undercut New York civil fraud claims

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:40:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Foiled in their longshot bid for an early verdict, Donald Trump’s lawyers will start calling witnesses of their own Monday in the New York civil fraud trial that threatens the former president’s real estate empire.First up: Donald Trump Jr., who’ll be returning to the witness stand two weeks after state lawyers quizzed him during a major stretch of the trial that also featured testimony from his father and siblings Eric and Ivanka Trump.Trump’s oldest son, a Trump Organization executive vice president, originally testified on Nov. 1 and 2. He said he never worked on the annual financial statements at the heart of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit. He said he relied on the company’s longtime finance chief and outside accounts to verify their accuracy.James alleges Donald Trump, his company and executives including Eric and Donald Jr. exaggerated his wealth by billions of dollars on financial statements given to banks, insurers and others. The documents ...

Los Angeles motorists urged to take public transport after massive fire closes interstate

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:40:24 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles motorists should expect traffic snarls during the Monday commute as crews assess how much damage was caused by a raging fire over the weekend that closed a major elevated interstate near downtown, officials said.Hazardous materials teams were clearing burned material from underneath Interstate 10 to make way for engineers who will ensure the columns and deck of the highway can support the 300,000 vehicles that typically travel that route daily, Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a news conference Sunday.“Remember, this is an investigation as to the cause of how this occurred, as well as a hazmat and structural engineering question,” Newsom said. “Can you open a few lanes? Can you retrofit the columns? Is the bridge deck intact to allow for a few lanes to remain open again?”Newsom said answering those questions would be a “24-7 operation,” but officials couldn’t yet offer a timeline for when the highway might reopen.Commuters were urged to work from home or take...

International students have returned to US colleges, fueled by a surge from India

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:40:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — International students attended U.S. universities in surging numbers last year, rebounding from a pandemic slump with the help of a 35% jump in students coming from India, according to a study released Monday.Overall, the number of international students in the U.S. grew by 12% in the 2022-23 academic year, the largest single-year increase in more than 40 years, according to findings from the State Department and the nonprofit Institute of International Education. More than 1 million students came from abroad, the most since the 2019-20 school year.“This reinforces that the U.S. remains the destination of choice for international students wishing to study abroad, as it has been for more than a century,” said Allan E. Goodman, CEO of the Institute of International Education.American colleges enrolled nearly 269,000 students from India, more than ever and second only to China. Most came for graduate programs, often in science, technology and business.“The U.S. mainta...

Biden sees hopeful signs for his reelection in Democrats’ 2023 wins. Others in his party are worried

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:40:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Surrounded by dozens of Democratic donors at a glass art gallery space in Chicago last week, President Joe Biden urged them to look beyond negative poll numbers and feel assured their donations were not being wasted.Then Biden joked to the crowd: “I could still screw up.”The attendees at his campaign fundraiser laughed. Yet many Democrats are fearful there is a serious disconnect between the popularity of Biden’s agenda and the man himself, as the president’s approval ratings remain stubbornly low and voters continue to register concerns about his age. Some of those worries were tempered by the results of Tuesday’s election, when Democrats romped to victory in Kentucky, Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Inside the White House, the Democrats’ big night was a bright spot in an otherwise dim week as it grapples with the response to two wars and tries to minimize the president’s flagging poll numbers. Just 38% of adults approve of Biden’s job performance, according to a...