🏛️ Federal Officials & Conflicts of Interest

Image: Getty

• When these judges participated in such cases, roughly two-thirds of their rulings on contested motions came down in favor of their family’s financial interests.
• They were appointed by nearly every president, from Lyndon B. Johnson to Donald Trump.

✋ But wait, there’s more… On Monday, the presidents of the Federal Reserve banks of Boston and Dallas announced their retirements after new financial disclosures showed they were active traders in stocks and other investments - often to the tune of millions of dollars - while also helping to set monetary policy.

• One of the presidents directly linked the trading controversy to his retirement, while the other cited his declining health. Earlier this month, both officials said they would sell their stocks to avoid any conflicts of interest.

👁️ Looking ahead… At a press conference last week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank is taking concerns about officials’ trading “very seriously” and would undertake a formal review of the ethics rules that allowed such activity.

• After being alerted to their violations by the WSJ, 56 of the judges began the process of notifying parties across 329 lawsuits that they should have recused themselves, meaning new judges might be assigned and previous rulings could be upended.

Dude, Where’s My Bar ?

‘Twas a few nights before the big Thanksgiving party and all through the house, not a creature was stirring – except for the hostess, who was tossing and turning like a mouse.

The reason for her restlessness was serious indeed. All the guests were arriving tomorrow and the party had no place to store its mead.

But hours before daybreak, when wolves were still howling at the moon, our main character, the hostess, bolted out of her room.

She had suddenly remembered this awesome online store, a welcoming and customer-friendly place named Bellacor. It has more than 200,000 options of lighting, furniture, and decor – plus a price-match guarantee and free shipping on orders of $25 or more.

“I don’t have the space for a full bar,” she typed, “where can my guests get drinks ?” The first result came back: a kitchen sink.

“Where can my guests get alcoholic drinks ?” she tried again. This time, the result that came back was a 10 out of 10. 👇

With champagne gold wine glass racks, mirrored shelves, dedicated bottle storage, and locking casters for easy movement, this Allie Bar Cart was well above par. Our hostess then said, “Dude, I found my bar.”

*Get 20% off the Allie Bar Cart with code: DONUT20 – see site for details*

Make your holiday decor a big hit with Bellacor.

GIF: YouTube

• For an in-depth look at the debt ceiling, why it was instituted, and how it’s been used over the years, check out our past coverage.

🏛️ What’s at stake ?… The U.S. has never defaulted on its debt before. Thus, economists have to rely on forecasts and guesswork when trying to estimate the fallout of doing so.

• Still, most experts agree that such a default would bring about a financial crisis that could trigger a broad market sell-off amid a spike in interest rates.
• At the same time, Congress faces a deadline of midnight on Thursday to pass a new funding bill and avoid a government shutdown (an issue that's separate from the U.S. potentially defaulting on its debt).

🚫 Motion denied… On Monday, GOP senators blocked a House-approved bill that would have funded the federal government and provided billions of dollars in hurricane relief since it also included a provision to suspend the debt ceiling.

• According to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Republicans previously favored lifting the debt ceiling on a bipartisan basis but now oppose the measure since Democrats are pursuing a $3.5 trillion spending and tax bill against the GOP’s wishes.

👁️ Looking ahead… Stay tuned. Historically, both parties have raised the debt ceiling dozens of times.

🧠 Remember, Remember, The Month of September

Image: SciTechDaily

• While scientists already knew the hallmark feature of Alzheimer’s - the build-up of toxic protein deposits within the brain, called beta-amyloid - what they didn’t know is where the amyloid came from or why it ended up in the brain... until now.

🔬 Of mice and men… In a peer-reviewed study published in PLOS Biology, a team of researchers discovered beta-amyloid is formed outside the brain and shuttled throughout the bloodstream by lipoproteins.

• Those lipoproteins tend to leak, allowing the toxic beta-amyloid to reach the brain and start to accumulate.
• In mice, this led to higher amyloid production levels and more inflammation in the brain, which suggests a possible causal link to the onset of Alzheimer’s.

📝 The bottom line… “While further studies are now needed, this finding shows the abundance of these toxic protein deposits in the blood could potentially be addressed through a person’s diet and some drugs that could specifically target lipoprotein amyloid, therefore reducing their risk or slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease,” said lead study author and Curtin researcher John Mamo.

Image: Daily Post LA

There’s only a few things more inconvenient than a tire blowout – unless your name is David McDonald.

• Homeless since 2016, David was on his motor scooter when the tire blew. Before running into the store for a new inner tube, he asked a passerby named Kim Cornier if she would keep an eye on his things.
• As the two got to chatting, Kim realized she had to do whatever she could to help David get back on his feet.

🙌 Lending a hand… Kim initially invited David to set up camp in her family’s backyard, purchasing him a tent, new air mattress, and bedding. Then, she took it one step further.

• Kim started a GoFundMe page for her friend and raised over $18,000 for David to purchase his very own tiny home, which will be ready to move into before the winter.

Including the upcoming "No Time to Die," how many films feature Daniel Craig as James Bond ? (Bonus points for naming all of them)

A) 4
B) 5
C) 6
D) 7

(keep scrolling for the answer)

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B) 5

• "Casino Royale"
• "Quantum of Solace"
• "Skyfall"
• "Spectre"
• "No Time to Die" (upcoming)