Author: Press Room

Bath & Body Works ‘Ku Klux Klan’ candle Bath & Body Works apologized after customers claimed a winter themed “snowed in” candle looked like Ku Klux Klan hoods. The retailer said it was unintentional and pulled the candles from shelves. “At Bath and Body Works, we are committed to listening to our teams and customers, and committed to fixing any mistakes we make-even those that are unintentional like this one,” a spokesperson said to CNN. “We apologize to anyone we’ve offended and are swiftly working to have this item removed and are evaluating our process going forward.” Commenters online called…

Topline Vice President Kamala Harris rolled out new economic proposals Monday aimed at Black men, adding to the economic plans she’s already released as the nominee has already called for an “opportunity economy” focused on the middle class and released proposals that include lowering grocery and prescription drug prices and addressing the housing crisis. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a church service at Koinonia Christian Center in … [+] Greenville, N.C., on Oct. 13.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Key Facts “Opportunity Agenda” For Black Men: The Harris campaign rolled out proposals Monday aimed at garnering support…

By Masha Borak Vietnam wants to enable all of its taxpayers to log into the country’s online taxation platforms with their electronic identification by 2025. By 2030, the country also aims to conduct 90 percent of administrative tax procedures electronically, the government says. To digitize the tax system, tax payers will receive a tax identification which will also improve administrative services and the country’s population database, according to the General Department of Taxation. More than 61 million people in Vietnam can already use their national digital identity VneID to log into the eTax Mobile application and personal tax portal iCanhan,…

By Michael Snyder The health of the economy has been a major determining factor in many past presidential elections, and the health of the economy is certainly going to have an enormous influence on the outcome of the upcoming presidential election.  In fact, according to a poll that was just released by Rasmussen the economy is the number one issue by a wide margin for voters in the ultra-important swing state of Pennsylvania.  Unfortunately for the Democrats, most Americans are not pleased with how the economy is performing, and it appears that conditions are now taking another turn for the…

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed evidence Sunday that showed the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror organization operating near United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) posts, using them as human shields. The IDF has come under criticism internationally, including from the United States, for recent incidents in which UNIFIL “peacekeeping” soldiers have been injured during Israeli attacks on Hezbollah positions. Critics of Israel accuse the IDF of deliberately targeting UNIFIL; the IDF has countered that Hezbollah terrorists have deliberately placed UNIFIL soldiers in harm’s way and that the IDF communicates with, and warns, UNIFIL about danger. Israel has been warning since…

Tensions are rising between President Joe Biden’s administration and Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign, with Biden’s senior staffers being labeled as too “in their feelings” to fully support Harris after he was pushed out of the race, inside sources revealed to Axios. Biden and Harris have struggled to remain on the same page since she announced that she would be taking his place at the top of the Democrat ticket in July, with Biden holding an impromptu press conference just as Harris was about to hold an event in Michigan on Friday, “ensuring” that she would get less live coverage. …

(Bloomberg) — Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said recent economic data signals policymakers can approach subsequent interest-rate reductions with less urgency than they applied at their gathering last month.Most Read from Bloomberg“I view the totality of the data as saying monetary policy should proceed with more caution on the pace of rate cuts than was needed at the September meeting,” Waller said in prepared remarks on Monday at a conference at the Hoover Institution in Stanford, California.He added that if current economic conditions continue, “we can proceed with moving policy toward a neutral stance at a deliberate pace.” A neutral…

Goldman Sachs upgraded its China growth forecast over the weekend, citing recent stimulus measures and new commentary from government officials that showed an openness to spend more aggressively to revive its economy.The bank raised its full-year China GDP forecast to 4.9% from 4.7% and also upped its 2025 growth prediction to 4.7% from 4.3%. Beijing has previously said it’s aiming for an annual growth target of “around 5%.””The latest round of China stimulus clearly indicates that policymakers have made a turn on cyclical policy management and increased their focus on the economy,” Goldman Sachs’ chief China economist Hui Shan said…

DALLAS, Ga. (AP) — In a small Republican stronghold on the outskirts of Atlanta-area suburbs, voters donned their MAGA merch for a town hall in support of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — many unaware that she does, in fact, have an opponent.Democrat Shawn Harris, a retired Army General and farmer, faces an uphill battle in Georgia’s 14th District. Ahead of the start of early voting Tuesday, Harris criticized Greene for her extreme rhetoric and being inattentive to the district stretching to the state’s northwest corner.But many are drawn to Greene’s national political presence. At the Oct. 2 town hall…

For months, there’s been speculation about Social Security’s 2025 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). And at long last, seniors have an answer.On Oct. 10, the Social Security Administration announced that benefits would be rising by 2.5% in the new year. That’s in line with recent projections. But it might also read like a disappointment compared to recent COLAs.Image source: Getty Images.In 2024, Social Security benefits rose by 3.2% at the start of the year. In 2023, they rose 8.7%. So it’s easy to see why a 2.5% raise pales in comparison — at least at first glance.But actually, a 2.5% COLA for…