Be sure to check those PlayStation 5 prices and pet adoption details, they top the holiday scam list Monster growth in online sales this holiday season will trigger an explosion of duplicitous deals, fake websites, phony emails and outright shopping scams. More than ever, online buyers better beware. Instead of standing in line to snag deals on Black Friday, many consumers will be hitting their laptops and iPhones to spend $10.3 billion online, up 39% from a year ago, according to forecasts from Adobe Analytics. And on the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend, dubbed Cyber Monday, sales online could surge to $12.7 billion. Overall, online holiday spending is expected to hit $189 billion from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, up a projected 33%, according to Adobe, which estimates that two holiday seasons of growth could happen in one.
Judge Andrew P. Napolitano: Court packing Since the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the determination of President Donald Trump to fill her Supreme Court seat before Election Day with the traditionalist Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the concept of court packing has reared its head. The phrase “court packing” is a derogatory reference to legislation that alters the number of seats on the Supreme Court to alter its perceived ideological makeup. The origins of modern court packing are from the depression era when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sought to expand the court from nine to 15 by adding a new justice for every sitting justice who declined to retire upon reaching his 70th birthday. FDR offered the plan in the spring of 1937, shortly after he was inaugurated to his second term.
Coronavirus: US cases ‘may have topped 20 million’ Image copyright Reuters At least 20 million people in the US may already have been infected with Covid-19, according to the latest estimate by health officials. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says the true number of cases is likely to be 10 times higher than the reported figure. It comes as the state of Texas halted its reopening as infections and hospitalisations surged. The US has recorded 2.4m confirmed infections and 122,370 deaths. Jacksonville Vacation Condos Jacksonville Property ManagementAbout UsVacation GuideContact Us Hours Mon - Fri: 9AM - 5:30PM Sat, Sun: 8AM - 3PM Vacation Property Management Services in Greater Jacksonville
Google Pay positions itself as Apple Pay, PayPal and Venmo alternative Google, which hasn't gained as much traction with consumers as Apple for getting people to use their phones for payments at retailers, is switching gears. Yes, you can still use Google Pay on your phone at retailers, but now Google wants us to think of Google Pay as a better alternative to Venmo, Cash and PayPal, apps people use to pay each other (rent, music lessons, etc.) and split bills with friends. "People are sending more money to each other, more frequently," says Brian Lau, an analyst with eMarketer. "That's expected to continue." Google announced a sweeping number of changes to Google Pay Wednesday, turning the "tap to pay" app into something larger. It's a way to keep track of your finances, potentially interact with businesses for loyalty offers and it takes clear aim at a "social payment" app like Venmo, which routinely shares personal information with marketing companies.
The Incredible Story of Africa's Lost-and-Found Elephant Shrew After seeing photos of these tiny mammals, it's easy to imagine why they could have been presumed missing for the last 50 years or so. They are unbelievably small, incredibly fast and strongly inclined to stay underground during the sunniest, hottest parts of the day. (Can you blame them?) Photo Courtesy: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty Images To complicate matters even more, the believed natural habitat of the elephant shrew has been continuously shrinking since the last Ice Age. These shrews thrive in sparsely forested areas, and climate change and various natural disasters (including droughts) have systematically altered the landscape of the African continent, resulting in growing expanses of land made up of savannahs, flood plains and deserts.
LeBron James secures $100m for media company Image copyright Reuters LeBron James and his business partner have secured $100m (£90m) in investments for their media company which aims to empower black audiences. SpringHill Entertainment, is headed by the basketball player and his business partner, CEO Maverick Carter. Serena Williams is among those on the board. It describes itself as a media company with an unapologetic agenda that will give a voice to creators and consumers.
Facebook bans 'Roger Stone disinformation network' Image copyright Reuters Facebook has removed a disinformation network it says was linked to "Roger Stone and his associates". Mr Stone was a long-time political strategist and is an ally of US President Donald Trump. Dow closes above 30,000 for first time on news that Biden transition will begin and signs of progress for COVID vaccines Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins was honored with a moment of silence Tuesday at The New York Stock Exchange. Dinkins died Monday. He was 93. Miami officer facing discipline for wearing Trump 2020 face mask at early voting site A Miami police officer has been accused of intimidating voters at an early polling place, where he was pictured in uniform wearing a Trump 2020 face mask. The Miami police chief and mayor both called the officer's actions "unacceptable," and the officer faces disciplinary action. Steve Simeonidis, the chairman of the Miami-Dade Democrats, tweeted a photo of the officer on Tuesday as he was at a polling place inside the Stephen P. Clark Government Center in Miami. The photo shows the officer in full uniform — including his badge and gun — wearing a coronavirus face mask that appears to say "No more bullsh**" underneath the "Trump 2020" logo. Simeonidis called the incident "city-funded voter intimidation," and said the officer should be suspended immediately.
Coronavirus: New York imposes quarantine on eight US states Media playback is unsupported on your device New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have asked people travelling from states where Covid-19 cases are rising to go into self-isolation for 14 days. New Jersey's Phil Murphy said people in the three states had been "through hell and back" and did not want "another round" of virus infections. Some southern and western states have been reporting record numbers of cases. The University of Washington predicts 180,000 US deaths by October - or 146,000 if 95% of Americans wear masks.
Coronavirus: United Airlines to furlough up to 36,000 staff Image copyright Getty Images United Airlines says up to 36,000 of its workers could be furloughed due to the coronavirus pandemic. That amounts to almost half of the company's total US-based frontline workforce. “Throughout this crisis, we have been honest and direct with you about our need to right-size our workforce to match travel demand,” it said. The carrier said it expects capacity for this month to be down 75% compared to July last year. Will Trump ever concede to Biden? Approving the transition may be as close as he gets to that, aides say In an annual Thanksgiving tradition, President Donald Trump offered a reprieve to a pair of meaty turkeys at the White House. (Nov. 24) AP Entertainment WASHINGTON – When President Donald Trump signed off this week on formally allowing President-elect Joe Biden's transition to move forward, it was a decision he arrived at after a series of embarrassing setbacks in his efforts to challenge the results of the Nov. 3 election. Though Trump made clear he intends to keep up his election legal battle, it was a turning point after conversations over the weekend with top aides about how he could approve a transition without conceding the race. Trump faced dwindling prospects for overturning the election through the courts, a point driven home by a decision in Pennsylvania over the weekend in which a federal judge dismissed one of his campaign's lawsuits as a "Frankenstein's Monster."