USA News Today

By Porter Abbott In a landmark essay, presidential historian Ron Chernow warned against believing that the founding fathers lived in "a golden age of political discourse,... dispensing wisdom with gentle civility." They were nothing of the kind. They fought like cats, with a "verbal savagery" that "may have surpassed anything seen today." In other words, they were human beings. This is an important point. The founders may have been all white, all male and all propertied, but they differed among themselves so fiercely that they knew from their own belligerence why democracy was commonly considered the most fragile form of government. When John Adams wrote, "There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide," he wa...

Former President Donald Trump's lead over his rivals for the 2024 Iowa caucuses grew in the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll published Monday, while former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley rose to tie with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place. The poll found 43% of likely Republican caucusgoers plan to choose Trump as their first choice in the caucuses, up from 42% in the August Iowa Poll. Trump's share of supporters did not grow significantly between the two polls, but he gained a higher lead over his GOP competitors — rising from 23 to 27 percentage points ahead of DeSantis. While DeSantis kept hold of his second place spot, his position as the leading alternative to the former president flagged between the two polls. From August to October, DeSantis fell from 19% to 16% of respondents who picked him as their first choice. In the same period, Haley made a 10-percentage-point leap in the same category, matching DeSantis at 16% in the latest poll. Trump ha...

Oct 30, 2023 The City of Georgetown's utility customer self-service (CSS) billing portal has been upgraded with a new look and new features. Along with a modern look, the upgrade system includes more options for utility customers in the portal and is expected to improve workflow for customers and City staff. Georgetown utility customers with an online account do not need to make any changes to gain access to the new features. Those without accounts can sign up here. New features include: User-friendly Interface : The new billing portal features a new design that allows user to easily update information, set preferences, and manage services. Utility bills also have a new look. Mobile accessibility and quick, secure transactions : Customers can easily manage their payments. Quick pay options without needing to create a CSS account and making payments by text, Amazon Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and Venmo are now available. Customers can also change their billing due date, change ...

A SENIOR official in the Gujarat Chief Minister's Office resigned Friday over links between his son, who is a businessman associated with the BJP, and "conman" Kiran Patel, who is in J&K custody for posing as an official of the Prime Minister's Office. Hitesh Pandya, additional public relations officer in the Gujarat CMO, submitted his resignation Friday evening after nearly 22 years in the office where he served under five chief ministers, including Keshubhai Patel, Narendra Modi, Anandiben Patel, Vijay Rupani and Bhupendra Patel. Speaking to The Indian Express, 73-year-old Pandya said, "I have tendered my resignation to the Chief Minister (Bhupendra Patel). Nobody asked me to resign. I felt I should resign. I will wind up my pending work by March 31 and be relieved from the office." Earlier, speaking to this newspaper hours before his resignation, Pandya acknowledged that his 43-year-old son Amit had visited J&K this month along with ...

Oil States International (OIS) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.09 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.04 per share. This compares to loss of $0.04 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 125%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this energy services company would post earnings of $0.06 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.01, delivering a surprise of -83.33%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times. Oil States International , which belongs to the Zacks Oil and Gas - Mechanical and and Equipment industry, posted revenues of $194.29 million for the quarter ended September 2023, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.48%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $189.39 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's...

A top Google executive testified Thursday that the company's success is precarious and said its leadership fears their product could slide into irrelevance with younger internet users. Prabhakar Raghavan, Google's senior vice president for knowledge and information products, testified for the tech giant as it defends itself in the biggest antitrust trial in the last 25 years. The government has accused the company of illegally thwarting competitors from making inroads against its ubiquitous search engine. Raghavan downplayed Google's dominance and described it as a company beset by competitors on all sides. He said the company has been tagged with the disparaging moniker "Grandpa Google" among younger demographics who don't see it as an interesting product. "Grandpa Google knows the answers and will help you with homework," Raghavan said. "But when it comes to doing interesting things, they like to start elsewhere." Goog...

Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Pro phones are displayed during a Google product launch event in New York on October 4, 2023. (Photo by Ed JONES / AFP) (Photo by ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images) By Mark Gurman and Vlad Savov | Bloomberg Google is looking to challenge Apple Inc. head-on with new Pixel phones that are more iPhone-like than ever before. This year's Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are closer in price to Apple's counterparts, have similar flat-edged screens and can make payments with face identification. Alphabet Inc.'s Google introduced its new lineup Wednesday — including fresh watches and earbuds — and raised the starting price of its phones by $100 each. The Pixel 8 Pro matches the iPhone 15 Pro at $999, while the Pixel 8 costs the same as the iPhone 14 at $699. The new prices reflect the upgraded displays and cameras used in the latest devices, which are still "punching above our weight class," according to Google product manager...

There are a lot of ways to gain fame, but how do you know when you've really made it? For some, it's when strangers begin to recognize them on the street. For others, it's based on Instagram followers or magazine covers. Or maybe it's when a musician can singlehandedly boost the economy with their tour. But there is one metric of fame I admire above all others: when a celebrity becomes more famous than the noun they share their name with.  My understanding of this criterion for fame began in fourth grade when I was making a science presentation about the states of water. I needed a picture of water in its solid form, so I typed "ice cube" into Google, but the images that popped up were not of frozen water in the cubical form. They weren't of water at all. Instead, they were of American rapper, producer and actor O'Shea Jackson Sr., better known as Ice Cube. As a fourth grader straight outta Ohio, I wasn't big into the 90s rap scene, and ...

Press Release | The Washington Post The Washington Post has announced Philip Rucker will serve as the next National editor, a critical leadership role in the newsroom. Starting in September, Rucker will lead a staff of more than 150 journalists who deliver agenda-setting news, investigative and feature coverage of the country on a wide range of topics, including national politics, the federal government, national security, criminal justice, immigration, race, health and science. In his new position, Rucker will build on the department's vibrant and award-winning work, which was recognized with two Pulitzer Prizes this year. He will also spearhead The Post's first-class coverage of the 2024 election and ongoing challenges to the democratic system. "We are thrilled Phil will be The Post's next National editor. He is an exceptional leader and keen editor with a gift for mobilizing ambitious journalism," said Sally...

A man followed his former lover and assaulted her because she no longer wanted to continue their affair, a court has heard. On September 1 at the Invercargill District Court, a jury found Glen Nathan Chapman, 47, guilty of assault and assault with intent to injure. The offending occurred on February 1 while the victim was driving in Gore. She had messaged the defendant and said she did not want their relationship to continue. Chapman replied, "pull over". The woman noticed the defendant following in his car and pulled into a driveway. Chapman parked and got out of his vehicle. He reached through the victim's open window and forcefully removed her necklace. The jury was satisfied that soon after, Chapman punched the woman in the back of the head twice. He was assessed at a low likelihood of reoffending, a probation report said, but he continued to claim his innocence. Judge Duncan Harvey said the situation was aggravated by the injuries the woman suffered a...

Vanguard Investments Canada Inc. (VAB, VSB, VSC, VLB, VCB, VGV, VRIF, VRE and VDY) TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vanguard Investments Canada Inc. today announced the final October 2023 cash distributions for certain Vanguard ETFs, listed below, that trade on Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). Unitholders of record on November 01, 2023 will receive cash distributions payable on November 08, 2023. Details of the "per unit" distribution amounts are as follows: Vanguard ETF ® TSX Ticker Symbol Distribution per Unit ($) CUSIP ISIN Payment Frequency Vanguard Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETF VAB 0.061395 92203E101 CA92203E1016 Monthly Vanguard Canadian Short-Term Bond Index ETF VSB 0.052269 92203G106 CA92203G1063 Monthly Vanguard Canadian Short-Term Corporate Bond Index ETF VSC 0.067119 92203N101 CA92203N1015 Monthly Vanguard Canadian Long-Term Bond Index ETF VLB 0.069232 92211H104 CA92211H1047 Monthly Vanguard Canadian Corporate Bond Index ETF VCB 0.075566 92210P107 CA9221...

CNN  —  Around the country, politicians are waging high-stakes battles over new congressional lines that could influence which party controls the US House of Representatives after the 2024 election. In North Carolina, the Republicans who control the state legislature are crafting district lines that could flip as many as four Democratic-held seats. Democrats, meanwhile, could pick up seats in legal skirmishes now playing out in New York, Louisiana, Georgia and other states. In all, the fate of anywhere from 14 to 18 House seats across nearly a dozen states could turn on the results of these fights. Republicans currently hold just a five-seat edge in the US House. That razor-edge majority has been underscored in recent weeks by the GOP's chaotic struggle to elect a new speaker. "Given that the majority is so narrow, every outcome matters to the fight for Ho...