Two factors that make mathematics easy difficult for you

WASHINGTON — Back at the Capitol for his second inaugural in 1997, Bill Clinton delivered a blunt appeal to the hardened Republican majorities confronting him in Congress. “The American people returned to office a president of one party and a Congress of another,” Mr. Clinton told the lawmakers and the crowd gathered at the Capitol. “Surely they did not do this to advance the politics of petty bickering and extreme partisanship they plainly deplore.” Less than two years later, House Republicans impeached Mr. Clinton, suggesting his words were not exactly taken to heart. With varying degrees of success, presidents have used their inaugural addresses to appeal to the lawmakers they need to enact their agendas. President Biden was no exception on Wednesday, though he was less direct than Mr. Clinton. “To restore the soul and secure the future of America requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy: Unity,” Mr. Biden said in remarks with … [Read more...] about Biden’s Calls for Unity Are Already Being Tested in Congress

c *We may receive a referral fee from some of the companies featured in this article. This is not a financial advice article. Refer to a professional for financial advice. (Ad) When it comes to protecting your retirement account against market volatility and inflation, a gold-based IRA may be one of the best options at your disposal. Also referred to as a precious metals IRA, a gold IRA is a self-directed retirement account that allows you to invest in precious metals such as physical gold, silver, and platinum. Unlike a traditional IRA account, which can easily be setup by most investors, setting up a gold IRA account is a little more complicated and involves a few moving parts. That's why many people rely on the best gold IRA companies to facilitate the process for them. We’ve reviewed the best gold ira companies in the industry to help you find the right gold IRA investment firm. We rated each gold ira provider below on a variety of factors including reputation, annual … [Read more...] about 10 Best Gold IRA Companies for Precious Metals Investing in 2023

Some The Masked Singer fans are sure they know the identity of Phoenix after an 'obvious' clue - but others are convinced it's someone else. Phoenix took to the stage tonight to sing a brand new track as three celebrities joined the panel this weekend to help them guess who is behind each of the masks. It comes after comedienne and TV star Katherine Ryan's exit from the show last weekend, as she was revealed to be Pigeon, leaving the judges and viewers stunned. As things turned to this week, it was clear that Phoenix was keen to make an impression as they wowed with their performance - but fans are now convinced they know who is behind the mask. Fans of The Masked Singer are convinced they know who Phoenix is after a telling clue on the ITV show this evening as the remaining contestants sang one more time ( Image: ITV) Clues for Phoenix have so far been quite difficult to work out. However, it seems like whoever they are, they are use to reinventing themselves and … [Read more...] about Masked Singer’s Phoenix leaves ITV viewers divided between pop star and actor

HOUSTON — The United States is winding up a particularly devastating week, one of the very worst since the coronavirus pandemic began nine months ago. On Friday, a national single-day record was set, with more than 226,000 new cases. It was one of many data points that illustrated the depth and spread of a virus that has killed more than 278,000 people in this country, more than the entire population of Lubbock, Texas, or Modesto, Calif., or Jersey City, N.J. “It’s just an astonishing number,” said Caitlin Rivers, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “We’re in the middle of this really severe wave and I think as we go through the day to day of this pandemic, it can be easy to lose sight of how massive and deep the tragedy is.” In California, where daily case reports have tripled in the last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new round of regional stay-at-home orders to address a mounting crisis over intensive-care beds. Some counties in the Bay … [Read more...] about The Virus Is Devastating the U.S., and Leaving an Uneven Toll

Senator Cory Booker , a New Jersey Democrat, said there are two ways the United States can tackle security concerns surrounding the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok. Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress have raised concerns about TikTok, and the possibility that China's government could access users' data and utilize the platform to manipulate or promote propaganda. While speaking with CBS News' Face the Nation , Booker was asked if espionage is something Americans will just have to live with? Booker responded, "No, absolutely not." "There's two ways to approach this," Booker said, speaking about the social media app TikTok . "One, the proactive step of banning it on government devices is something that the United States federal government is doing, states, and even localities are doing." "But the other way to go about this is going directly to the company. They are now working with U.S. intelligence folks to try to make sure that the proper precautions … [Read more...] about TikTok problem can be addressed in these two ways, Senator Booker says

The number of households being forced onto prepayment meters has rocketed over the past few months - but what are your rights? With standard credit meters, you pay for energy after you've used it but with prepayment meters, you have to pay in advance and the cost of energy is usually more expensive. Citizens Advice revealed that around 600,000 people were switched onto a prepayment meter last year and warned that a further 160,000 people could be put on them before the end of the winter if nothing changes. Your supplier has to follow licence conditions set by Ofgem , as well as the Government laws and regulations, and if they do not follow them then they can face repercussions from the regulator. If you are being threatened with a prepayment installation then you will need to know your rights. Sadly, suppliers are allowed to force a prepayment meter onto you if you are in energy debt as they are often installed as part of a plan to repay the debt you owe to the energy … [Read more...] about Can your energy company force you to have a prepayment meter? Your rights explained

Since mid-2022, both public and private institutions have been sounding the alarm over the threat drones can pose to people, venues and critical infrastructure. In a little-watched and lowly-reported-on hearing from November 2022, the FBI joined the chorus with the loudest alarm yet: Director Christopher Wray, in testimony to the Senate over domestic threats, revealed that the bureau is investigating several incidents of drones being used with homemade explosives or IEDs inside the U.S. Of course, we don't know when or where these incidents may have occurred, as FBI Director Wray didn't share details of these active investigations. However, we do know that drones have been used to threaten critical assets in the U.S. like power infrastructure as far back as at least 2020; a 2021 report revealed that a Pennsylvania substation had a malicious drone-based incident . Though the attempt failed, it is believed the goal was to disrupt operations or otherwise cause a power outage, … [Read more...] about Confronting Drone Threats: Why New Technology Requires Action