Good morning! Today marks the 243rd anniversary of the day Benedict Arnold agreed to surrender West Point to the British. A year later, he burned a Connecticut town to the ground, and for that, we still burn him in effigy today.
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New Poll Shows Biden Down, Trump Up
The latest YouGov poll, which has shown President Biden solidly ahead of Donald Trump since February, now has them in a dead heat, with Biden falling and Trump rising.
Biden’s lead evaporated over the last few weeks of summer, with his approval rating slipping to 38%. Just 34% approve of his handling of the economy.
Age is also an issue, with 77% saying Biden’s age is a problem, compared to 64% who say the same about Trump.
Airbnb Gets Tough on Pricing, Partying
Airbnb is cracking down on fake listings and hidden cleaning fees while adding new filters to give guests more insight into what they’re renting — and from whom.
The moves, announced Wednesday, are part of an effort to rebuild trust in the company. Price transparency has been a major issue, with some hosts lowering rent but tacking on high service fees.
The company also hired an executive — a mother of teenagers — to oversee Airbnb’s worldwide ban on parties by using AI to help identify people seeking someone else’s house to wreck. Partying has been reduced by 55% in the last two years.
Utah Tops Ranking of Happiest States
The happiest state in America is Utah, according to a new ranking by WalletHub, which used 30 key metrics from “happiness research” to rank all 50 states.
The metrics include sub-categories like “share of adult depression” and “adequate sleep rate,” but essentially break down into three broad areas: emotional and physical well-being, work environment, and community environment.
➤ The House Judiciary Committee held a lengthy, fiery hearing with Attorney General Merrick Garland, touching on various controversies involving Hunter Biden, Donald Trump, and the Justice Department. (More)
➤ With a government shutdown looming in 10 days, House Republicans are at odds with each other over a potential temporary spending measure to keep the government open. (More)
➤ The White House announced the launch of the “American Climate Corps” for 20,000 young Americans to work on energy and environmental projects. They’ll be paid for the work. (More)
➤ CNN weekend ratings dropped to the worst in its history in the profitable 25-to-54-year-old demographic, according to the most recent Nielsen ratings. The news network totals just 55,000 viewers in that demo. (More)
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➤ Shohei Ohtani, the two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels, had elbow surgery Tuesday and plans to be available as a hitter by opening day next year. However, he won’t return to the mound to pitch again until 2025. (More)
➤ Gymnast Simone Biles clinched a spot on her sixth world championship team, becoming the oldest U.S. woman to compete in the world championships in over 50 years. (See Video)
➤ The Tampa Bay Rays have reached a deal to build a new $1.2 billion domed stadium in downtown St. Petersburg, ending speculation that the team might relocate to another city. (More)
Market Report 9/20/23
▼
NASDAQ Natl. Assoc. of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations
13,469.13
–1.53%
▼
SPX S&P 500
4,402.20
–0.94%
▼
DJI Dow Jones Industrial Average
34,440.88
–0.22%
▼
BTC Bitcoin
$27,092.0
–0.56%
▼
CART Instacart
$30.05
–10.83%
➤ Big Stock Move: Instacart shares gave back the gain from its debut on the Nasdaq Tuesday, dropping almost 11% to $30.10, essentially the price it set initially for its IPO. (More)
➤ The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady but indicated it expects to hike rates one more time before the year ends. Rates are expected to stay relatively high through next year. (More)
➤ Walmart opened its first-ever pet services center, including veterinary care, inside its store in Dallas, Georgia, about an hour outside Atlanta. The company plans to open more Walmart Pet Centers around the country. (More)
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➤ Genetically modified silkworms have successfully synthesized spider silk, producing fibers six times tougher than Kevlar. Scientists say the technique could be used to mass-produce an alternative to nylon. (More)
➤Scientists using an “occulter” to block the sun’s brightness from the European Space Agency’s Extreme Ultraviolet Imager has recorded a never-before-seen image of the sun’s faint ultraviolet halo. (See Video)
➤ Researchers found evidence of wooden logs cut by stone tools half a million years ago and used to build a structure, transforming their understanding of stone-age people previously believed to be nomadic wanderers. (More)
➤Americans plan to continue cutting back their spending through the holiday season, a new CNBC poll shows. Over 90% of adults reduced spending over the last six months, and 76% say that will continue through the holidays. (More)
➤ A little over half of U.S. adults say they support the striking auto workers, according to a new poll from Morning Consult, which found that 54% of adults supported the strike, with 28% unsure and 18% opposed. (More)
➤ A new Pew Research poll shows that only 4% of U.S. adults feel the political system is working well and just 16% of the public says they trust the federal government. (More)
➤ The tallest steer in the world lives in Cheshire, Mass., and stands 6-feet-1 inches tall, says the Guinness Book of World Records. The steer eats 30 pounds of food a day, washed down with 35-40 gallons of water. (See Photos)
➤ A painting from artist Bob Ross’ first episode of his popular TV show “The Joy of Painting” has sold for more than $9.8 million at auction. (See Painting)
➤ Henry Diltz, who accidentally became one of the first rock music photographers, won a lifetime achievement award for his iconic work on more than 250 album covers and in Life Magazine. (See Photos)