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If Earth started rotating backwards, it might not be as catastrophic as it sounds

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  • Earth's rotation is largely responsible for the distribution of every desert, forest, and swamp on the planet.
  • If Earth stopped rotating, it would be a disaster, but if it were to rotate backwards, it might not be as catastrophic. 
  • Trade winds at the equator, which normally blow westward, would reverse — hurricanes would no longer travel from east to west across the Atlantic.
  • A few thousand years into the future, deserts would turn into forests— one simulation estimated that the deserts of the world would shrink from 42 million square kilometers to 31 million. 
  • Watch the video above to learn how the Earth would change if it reversed its rotation. 

The following is a transcript of the video. 

Stand on the equator and you'll be moving at 1,670 kilometers per hour — faster than the speed of sound! That's how quickly Earth rotates on its axis, from West to East. And that rotation is largely responsible for the distribution of every desert, forest, and swamp on the planet.

So, let's do a little experiment. Let's say we reverse Earth's rotation. What then? Well, you'll change a lot more than just the sunsets.

This may seem like a ridiculous scenario at first. But, scientists have actually run simulations for a backwards-spinning Earth, because it happens to be a great way to test how well we can model our planet.

So, let's pretend we have a big red button … and … presto! Now, as Earth slows down to reverse direction, everything would go flying to the east. So, the whole process will leave a huge mess.

But let's take a look at the equator, once Earth has gotten back up to speed. These are the trade winds, which normally blow westward due to Earth's rotation. So, on backwards Earth, they reverse. And that's where things get interesting. At first, changes would be relatively small. Hurricanes, for example, would no longer travel from east to west across the Atlantic. And westbound flights would suddenly be much shorter compared to eastbound.

Not so bad, right? Let's fast forward a few thousand years into the future.

Changes in overall rain patterns would turn Africa's Sahara Desert from this, to something more like this. In fact, one simulation estimated that the deserts of the world would shrink from 42 million square kilometers to 31 million. Providing new plant life, which would absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Potentially offsetting the extreme warming effects from climate change.

Wow, maybe we really should reverse Earth's rotation! But hold on. If the Trade Winds reverse direction, it means that other wind patterns change too. Including the Prevailing Westerlies that normally blow east across the northern Atlantic. And bring warm winds from the ocean to Northwest Europe, keeping winters mild. But on backwards Earth, the westerlies reverse. And instead, Europe is bombarded with cold winds from Russia.

As a result, scientists estimate winter temperatures would drop by up to 10 degrees Celsius! In fact, most of the North Atlantic would grow colder. Simulations show that the Gulf Stream — which normally transports warm tropic waters to the north — would reverse and shrink. In North America, the landscape would change drastically. For example, the iconic deserts of the American southwest would disappear and become the deserts of the southeast, instead.

And while you're packing up to move to the beautiful new green pastures of Arizona, take a look on the horizon and enjoy that peculiar sunset to the east.

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We went shopping at Vans and saw why it's suddenly wildly popular with teens

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VANS 1469

  • Vans' sales are through the roof. 
  • Vans has been making California skate culture a global phenomenon since the brand's inception in the 1960s, and it's currently hugely popular among teens.
  • Piper Jaffray's latest "Taking Stock With Teens" survey found that Vans had the fastest growth in popularity since the study started in 2000. 
  • Part of why the brand is so successful today is thanks to the popularity of athleisure and the resurgence of retro styles.
  • We recently visited a Vans store in New York City to better understand why the brand is so successful right now.

Vans is bringing California skate culture around the world. 

The brand is thriving after more than 50 years in business. Vans' American sales rose 34% in the most recent quarter, parent company VF Corp announced on Friday.

In Piper Jaffray's latest "Taking Stock With Teens" survey, the firm said that Vans saw the fastest growth in popularity of any brand it has studied since starting the survey in 2000. Vans is now the No. 2 favorite brand overall for footwear among teens, behind Nike, and it increased in popularity by a whopping 800 basis points year-over-year. It now holds a 19% share for favorite footwear among all teens, which Piper Jaffray says is the closest another brand has gotten to Nike in years.

Part of why the brand has found success as of late is that it is able to capitalize on two major trends happening right now: athleisure and a preference for vintage and retro styles.

"People are wearing athletic apparel now for all kinds of occasions — work, play, and school — without any intention of using them for athletic purposes," Matt Powell, a sports industry analyst at market research firm NPD Group, said to CNN Money. "There's a lengthy heritage around California lifestyle here. Most people who buy Vans don't have a clue about how to skateboard." 

Vans, rooted in 1960s skate culture, also appeals to younger shoppers who are embracing vintage styles. For example, clothes with visible logos are back in style — and that's something Vans sells a lot of. Vans' global president, Doug Palladini, told Business Insider's Dennis Green in 2017 that he sees a "multi-generational" appeal in Vans that makes it unique, adding that both parents and teens can wear it.

We visited a Vans store in New York City to see for ourselves why the brand is so successful right now. Here's what it was like:

SEE ALSO: Gucci has become hugely popular with teens and millennials. We visited a store and saw why they love it despite the high price tags.

We visited the Vans store in Union Square in Manhattan.



The layout was very straightforward — men's clothes were on the left, women's on the right, and shoes in the back. The store was pretty busy considering it was the middle of the day mid-week.



The brand's ties to skate culture were evident all over the store. Vintage-looking photos of skateboarders were all over the walls, and the "Off the Wall" slogan, rooted in skateboarding, was seen all over the store.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Turnout has reportedly spiked on the first day of early voting in Texas, as polls show Ted Cruz ahead of Democrat Beto O'Rourke

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Beto O'Rourke

  • Early voting began on Monday in Texas, the country's most populous red state, where 15.6 million people are registered to vote in the midterm elections next month. 
  • Some reports indicated on Monday that the state is seeing to higher-than-normal voter turnout, likely fueled by intense interest in the US Senate race between incumbent Republican Ted Cruz and Rep. Beto O'Rourke. 
  • Based on early voting turnout in recent midterm elections, about 3 million Texans are expected to cast their ballots before Election Day (and between 5 and 6 million in total). 

Early voting began on Monday in Texas, the country's most populous red state, where 15.6 million people are registered to vote in the midterm elections next month. 

Some reports indicated on Monday that the state is seeing to higher-than-normal voter turnout. The Houston Chronicle likened the nearly 2,000 people — many of whom camped out — outside an early voting location in Houston on Monday morning to a Black Friday shopping crowd. 

That group may have been energized by Rep. Beto O'Rourke, the El Paso Democrat challenging Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in a race that has attracted by far the most national attention of any contest in the state. O'Rourke showed up across the street from the Houston voting location on Monday morning to deliver words of encouragement to his supporters.

In Texas, early voting is more popular than lining up for the ballot box on Ellison Day — in 2016, 73.5% of votes were cast before Election Day. In the 2014 midterms, 54.1% of votes were cast early.

The state has added more than 1.6 million registered voters to its rolls since the 2014 midterms, but Texas has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the country — it ranked 47th in the US in 2016.

In the last four midterm elections (which attract even fewer voters than presidential years), between 33.6% and 38% of registered voters cast their ballots. If that type of rate holds constant, between 5.2 and 5.9 million Texans will vote in November's elections, and about 3 million will cast their ballots early.

O'Rourke, who's raised more money than any Senate candidate in history — and a shocking $38 million in the third quarter — has for months attracted widespread national attention with video clips of him defending the free speech rights of NFL players and skateboarding in a parking lot going viral online. 

Unlike Cruz, O'Rourke has banned donations from corporate political action committees, making the size of his campaign war chest even more impressive.

But recent polls have Cruz ahead of O'Rourke by between five and nine points — an indication of how difficult it is for a progressive to win statewide office in Texas. 

Early voting also began on Monday in Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Washington, DC. Texans can cast their ballots until November 2 and on Election Day, which is November 6.

SEE ALSO: Texas Democrat Beto O'Rourke raised more money than any Senate candidate ever this quarter, but may still lose against Ted Cruz

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The 75 most candid photos of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince William, and Kate Middleton from 2017 and 2018

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Prince Harry Meghan Markle Australia

The past two years have been huge for the royal family.

With engagements and weddings, two pregnancies and a birth, the family has grown and found news reasons to celebrate even as the usual packed schedule of events and foreign trips continues.

For people constantly in the public eye, the royals are unsurprisingly great at shaking the right hands, smiling at the right moments, and generally keeping it all together to make sure they get things done.

But every now and again, even watching from a distance, we get a bit more than that. Away from the setpiece events, these are photos of the royals laughing, gawping, eye-rolling, and generally acting like normal folk.

Here are the best from 2017 and of 2018 so far.

In January 2017 Prince William made a solo venture to Centre Point, a homelessness charity in London. Here he plays a game with a young woman being helped by the charity (he has to guess the name on the note — which says "David Beckham").



It's not all relaxed though — here's all three royals making a run for it at a sports event in east London in February.



Prince William had more fun and games trying to put up a tent blindfolded in Abergevenny, Wales, while launching a children's award scheme.



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People are threatening to boycott Ryanair after the airline failed to remove a white man who shouted racist insults at an elderly black woman on one of its flights (RYAAY)

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  • Ryanair is getting slammed for failing to remove a white man who hurled racist insults at an elderly black woman on board one of its flights.
  • Video capturing the October 19th incident has gone viral with members of the public chastising the lack of reaction on the part of the airline.
  • "We are aware of this video and have reported this matter to Essex Police," Ryanair said in a statement.

Irish ultra-low-cost airline Ryanair is under fire after its crew failed to remove a white man who hurled racist insults at an elderly black woman while boarding one of its flights from Barcelona, Spain to London. 

The incident, which took place on October 19, was captured on video by a fellow passenger David Lawrence and has now gone viral with more than five million views on Facebook and another 600,000 on YouTube. 

It's unclear what, if anything, triggered the tirade. However, the video shows the man seated in a window seat of the Boeing 737 hurling a series of vile racist and sexist insults toward the woman in the aisle seat.

According to the caption posted with the video, Lawrence claims the incident was a result of the man not wanting to sit next to the woman. 

The woman was eventually moved to another seat by a Ryanair crew member while the man was allowed to remain in his seat. 

Ryanair has remained quiet during the whole incident, only releasing a short one-sentence statement, "We are aware of this video and have reported this matter to Essex Police."

The reaction to the tirade on social media was swift and overwhelmingly critical of Ryanair, even spawning the hashtags RyanairRacism and BoycottRyanair.  

Other have also pledged to boycott the airline. 

 

SEE ALSO: The 10 best airlines to fly in North America

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Outrageous photos show how the 'Rich Kids of Instagram' spend their parents' fortunes

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  • The Rich Kids of Instagram (now known as The Rich Kids of The Internet) is a curated Instagram feed showing young adults of modest means.
  • They drive Ferraris, spend their vacations on yachts, and tote Louis Vuitton everything.
  • We found 50 of the most outlandish photos of their charmed lives.

 

The Rich Kids of Instagram (now known as The Rich Kids of The Internet) is a blog and Instagram account that has been showing us for five years just how much money some people have. 

We're not jealous, though!

Here are 50 of the most outlandish photos from the feed. Keep reading to see how these wealthy young adults spend their (or perhaps, their family's) fortune:

SEE ALSO: Maseratis, cheetahs, and private jets: How the 'Rich Kids of Instagram' are spending their summers

The Rich Kids of Instagram don't mind spending a lot of money on traveling, by the looks of their social posts. A helicopter tour of this Icelandic glacier costs $850.

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Source: Norðurflug Helicopter Tours



Lounging on a bed in a private plane is a serious luxury — with a serious price tag. Renting a Boeing Business Jet will cost you $20,000 per hour.

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Source:Private Fly



Meanwhile, renting a private helicopter like this one is a comparative steal at $5,000 an hour.

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Source:AirCharter Guide



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The Trump administration is trying to make it easier for states to undermine Obamacare on their own, and it could reshape the US healthcare landscape

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  • The Trump administration released new rules around the use of Obamacare's state innovation waivers on Monday.
  • The Department of Health and Human Services and Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services argued that the regulations would help states create rules that would drive down costs and provide flexibility for consumers.
  • The changes appear to be part of the Trump administration's ongoing campaign to reshape the healthcare system without repealing Obamacare.

The Trump administration on Monday released new rules that could allow states to offer less generous health insurance plans through their Obamacare markets to drive down costs for consumers. But health policy experts warned that the changes could help undermine some of Obamacare's key protections.

The Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services issued new guidance on the use of the Affordable Care Act's Section 1332 waivers that would give state governments more flexibility in offering plans that do not comply with the ACA's basic coverage requirements.

According to health policy experts, the guidance would make it easier for states to undermine key parts of Obamacare and weaken protections for sicker Americans.

Since the failure of the GOP's Obamacare repeal and replace efforts in 2017, the waivers have become a key approach in the Trump administration's attempts to roll back parts of the ACA.

"Now, states will have a clearer sense of how they can take the lead on making available more insurance options, within the bounds of the Affordable Care Act, that are fiscally sustainable, private sector-driven, and consumer-friendly," HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement.

Larry Levitt, senior vice president at the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, said the new waiver guidance is further evidence that the Trump administration is attempting to chip away at the ACA.

"Republicans couldn’t repeal and replace the ACA last year, but this guidance gives states the flexibility to shift the law in much the same way," Levitt told Business Insider via email.

Here's a rundown of some of the key changes in the waiver guidance:

  • Preference for private plans: The Obama administration designed the waivers with the intention of states attempting their own version of a public option, or government-provided healthcare plan. The new guidance makes it clear that the Trump administration favors plans that use private insurance plans, rather than public plans like Medicaid buy-in.
  • Allows the expanded use of non-ACA compliant plans: Currently, insurance plans offered on the Obamacare exchanges — where people without coverage from a job or a government program like Medicare can get their coverage — must abide by a stringent set of rules. The plans must cover people with preexisting conditions, must charge those people the same rate as healthier people, and cover 10 essential health benefits (basic types of care like prescription drugs and maternity care).
    • The new wavier rules would allow states to set up programs that offer plans that don't abide by the ACA rules as long as there is one ACA-compliant option. The non-compliant plans would likely be cheaper, but also would provide fewer protections in the event people enrolled in the plan get sick.
    • Dan Meuse, a health policy expert at Princeton University, tweeted that the guidance "suggests that states will be encouraged to expand plans that don't cover preexisting conditions — even using subsidies to pay for them — as long as one comprehensive plan is offered (regardless of cost)."
  • Expand the definition of what counts as coverage: Currently Section 1332 wavier requests must show that the same number of people will be covered when the waiver is implemented as prior to implementation. As it stands now, only people who have a plan that covers the ACA's essentials health benefits (EHBs) count towards that coverage number. The new guidance would expand the definition of who is covered to include people on short-term, limited duration plans that do not cover EHBs as long as they had the chance to buy a compliant plan.

    "States would have to project that at least as many people would be covered, but they could be covered under skimpier insurance," Levitt said.
  • Would allow people to use subsidies to purchase non-ACA compliant plans: Currently, ACA premium subsidies can only be used on plans that comply with all ACA rules. The new guidance could allow states to let people use subsidies to buy less generous plans like short-term, limited-duration health insurance.
  • States can enact a wavier without legislative approval: Previously, any waiver had to be adopted by the state's legislature for the federal government to approve the waiver. Now, in some circumstances an executive order from the governor can be enough.
  • Changes the name of the waivers: Previously, Section 1332 waivers were known as "State Innovation Waivers." The Trump administration renamed them "State Relief and Empowerment Waivers."

Only eight Section 1332 waivers have been approved by the federal government, and most have focused on supporting the current Obamacare market through reinsurance programs — rather than offering alternative plans. But Levitt said the new rules could change that.

"It's hard to overstate how much flexibility states will have under the Trump administration's new guidance for ACA waivers," he said. "This will likely widen the gap between red states and blue states for access, affordability, regulation, and protections for pre-existing conditions."

SEE ALSO: Republicans tried to kill Obamacare. Now they're trying to embrace its most popular feature in a defining fight of the midterms.

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The rich are richer than they've ever been — and it's reflected in the private help they hire for their families, from stewards for their yachts to separate nannies for each kid

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  • The needs of wealthy families have evolved drastically since the 1960s because "there's never been wealth like there is now," according to Seth Norman Greenberg, vice president of domestic staffing firm Pavillion Agency.
  • In the 1960s, wealthy families had one or maybe two homes, and now they tend to have four or five, Greenberg told Business Insider.
  • Certain domestic positions including chambermaids, lady's maids, and butlers have become obsolete, while others such as personal assistants and estate managers have grown in popularity, he said.
  • More and more people are looking to hire stewards for their yachts and private planes.

 

Wealthy families have always hired staff to run their households, but the types of staff they require have shifted and evolved over the years. 

Business Insider spoke to Seth Norman Greenberg, vice president of domestic staffing firm Pavillion Agency, which matches wealthy families to household staff including nannies, housekeepers, private chefs, personal assistants, baby nurses, and more.

His uncle started the company in 1962, and since then, the needs of wealthy families when it comes to household staff have changed dramatically, Greenberg says. 

"There's never been wealth like there is now," he told Business Insider. "Leading up to the 60s, maybe even the 70s, most wealthy families had a primary property. They possibly had a second home. But now, I'm seeing families that have four, five homes, a yacht, a plane. I mean, the wealth is growing and people are living a life not tied to one property as in years past."

mansion

To keep all these properties running smoothly, these families need an estate manager at each one.

Estate managers do "whatever needs to get done, hiring staff, firing staff, scheduling staff, ensuring staff gets paid, any vendors, any service providers... [they] ensure that everyone is doing their jobs," Greenberg said. 

Another position that's emerged since the 60s is the personal assistant, who helps run the home and staff, Greenberg said. Some of the personal assistant's responsibilities could overlap with those of an estate manager.

And these days, families are looking for college-educated nannies — and not necessarily just one of them.

"Most of the nannies that we're meeting here have some form of education post-high school," Greenberg said. "Some of them have master's degrees. And what I'm seeing is, if families have children, they're hiring three separate nannies for each child." 

On top of that, more and more people are requesting stewards and stewardesses for their yachts and private planes, he said. 

Other positions, some of which might call to mind the British period TV drama "Downton Abbey," set in the early 20th century, have fallen out of fashion over the years.

"A chambermaid, parlor maid, lady's maid — those have gone away, in a sense, from their literal definitions," Greenberg said.

downton abbey mary anna

A lady's maid had many different duties in the past, Greenberg explained.

"A lady's maid was in charge of being the gatekeeper with the lady of the house, always ensuring that the lady of the house is looking her best, is feeling her best, and is representing her best," he said. "That involves her ensuring that the silver in the family is taken care of well, the china is taken care of well, that the Mrs.' clothes are taken care of well."

The lady's maid may have also paid some of the tradesmen and kept track of items they'd sent out to the laundry.

"A lot of those things evolved into a laundress now, or a personal assistant who would handle a lot of those things," Greenberg said.

Other positions that have fallen out of fashion include the valet, the gentlemen's equivalent of a lady's maid, Greenberg said. A kitchen helper, typically a position where someone plucked the chickens, peeled the potatoes, and generally assisted the chef, has turned into a sous-chef.

baby and mother

And wet nurses, who traditionally breastfed someone else's child, are "pretty much obsolete," Greenberg said. But more and more families are hiring baby nurses and paying them up to $800 a day to care for their newborns and teach them to sleep through the night. 

SEE ALSO: The 25 richest American families, ranked

DON'T MISS: Rich families are paying baby nurses up to $800 a day to work 22-hour shifts and teach their babies to sleep through the night

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Lindsey Graham has transformed from a 'RINO' to an icon of the right

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GettyImages WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 04: Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) (C) leaves a secure meeting space inside the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center after reviewing the FBI report about alleged sexual assaults by Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh October 04, 2018 in Washington, DC. Kavanaugh's confirmation process was halted for less than a week so that FBI investigators could look into allegations by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a California professor who has accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her during a party in 1982 when they were high school students in suburban Maryland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

  • South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is campaigning for Republicans on a 12-state tour at the request of President Donald Trump.
  • Graham's status has been elevated since he vigorously defended Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh his the tumultuous confirmation hearings.
  • Campaigning against Democratic colleagues is a first for Graham, who has typically stayed on the sidelines during election cycles.

"He knows Lindsey Graham," quipped a woman to her friend after meeting Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul during a campaign event last week for Senate candidate Patrick Morrisey in St. Mary's, West Virginia.

Katie Arrington, a GOP candidate for a US House seat in South Carolina, called the South Carolina senator "the voice of the Republican Party" upon introducing him at her own rally on Sunday.

During the first two years of the Trump administration and increasingly over the past few months, Graham has become one of the most popular Republicans among the GOP base in the current political climate, shedding his reputation as a "RINO," a term used by far-right conservatives to denote that a party member is a "Republican In Name Only."

Graham has stayed close with President Donald Trump, despite the two having regular public fights in the early days of the 2016 presidential campaign season, which culminated in Trump reading Graham's personal cell phone number on live television.

Graham and Trump now play golf together on a regular basis. The president has in the past called Graham right after he appeared on television to tell him he "did great." Now, Graham is embarking on a 12-state tour to boost Republican campaigns on behalf of the Republican National Committee and at Trump's request.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel called Graham "a key ally in confirming Justice Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court" in announcing the multi-state swing to stump for Republicans.

Graham's stature rose after the Brett Kavanaugh hearings

To call Graham a key ally would be an understatement. Graham dramatically altered the narrative and tone of the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings by becoming the first Republican senator to drop the outside counsel brought in to probe Kavanaugh, then an embattled nominee whose confirmation hanged by a thread.

When Republicans convened for their conference meeting after the Kavanaugh hearing concluded, Graham received a standing ovation from his GOP colleagues. Multiple senators told Business Insider that Graham's performance had fired the up and changed the overall tone.

And the praise echoed from the smallest circles in Graham's home state all the way to other foes, like conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh.

"Lindsey was the hero of the Republican Party yesterday and of conservatives everywhere," Rick Tate, a South Carolina GOP chairman in Pickens County, told the Charleston Post and Courier.

"Conservatives will not forget Lindsey standing up for Kavanaugh yesterday," Tate added. "It will be in the minds of conservatives as long as Lindsey is in public office. It will be one of the hallmarks of his career."

Limbaugh suggested that Graham has changed his personality since the death of John McCain, his friend and fellow Republican senator.

"I will say that since McCain has passed away, Lindsey Graham seems more like the guy I knew back in the nineties," Limbaugh said on October 9. "That's all I'll say."

'I've never campaigned against a colleague in my life. That's about to change'

And Graham's tour, during which he will serve as the GOP's campaign pit bull, is a major break in tradition for him after 15 years in the Senate. 

"I've never campaigned against a colleague in my life. That's about to change," Graham said on Fox News Sunday earlier this month. "I'm going to go throughout this country and let people in these purple states, red states, where Trump won know what I thought, know what I think about this process."

Several of the states on Graham's 12-state tour include red states where his Democratic colleagues in the Senate are facing tough re-election battles, such as Florida, Missouri, Indiana, Montana, and Ohio. Notably not on the list is West Virginia, home to Joe Manchin, the only Democratic senator to vote for Kavanaugh.

Manchin is dealing with his own race where other lawmakers, officials, and conservative personalities are swinging through to assist in unseating him, though limited polling in the state suggests he is maintaining a healthy lead. Still, Manchin said he does not like the idea of colleagues gunning for one another during campaign season.

"I've never campaigned against a Republican in the center, I've never given money to a Democrat that's running against a Republican in the Senate for incumbents," he told Business Insider. "I don't think it should be done. I used to hear that's the way it was done before. It's an unwritten rule — you don't do that."

SEE ALSO: Republican Patrick Morrisey is betting that bipartisanship is dead in his Senate race against Democrat Joe Manchin in deep-red West Virginia

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I went to the opening concert of the BTS World Tour, and it was beyond anything I’ve seen before — and then I got kicked out

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  • Hailing from South Korea, BTS is one of the biggest bands in the world.
  • Their latest single “IDOL” had the biggest YouTube 24-hour debut of all time.
  • I was lucky enough to get a ticket to the opening concert of the group’s “Love Yourself’ world tour, which kicked off in Seoul, and it was truly crazy.
  • Getting a ticket itself was a scary experience: I was scammed and even blackmailed by fans into trying to give up my ticket.
  • Outside the stadium, many had been camping for days to get hold of merchandise. And inside, I was booted out for snapping several photos.
  • The overall experience made me realize how protective and obsessive fans can be about their favorite K-pop idols.

 

Forget “Gangnam Style” and PSY: the boys from BTS are the undisputed kings of K-pop.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have heard about Bangtan Sonyeondan, also known as the Bangtan Boys or BTS. Debuting in 2013, the South Korean group has been all over the internet in recent years, breaking record after record in the global music industry.

Anything they touch goes viral — including appearances on The Ellen Show.

Their latest single “IDOL” raked over 45 million views on YouTube in its first 24 hours of release, earning the largest first-day debut in YouTube’s history by knocking off Taylor Swift’s 2017 single “Look What You Made Me Do,” which earned 43.2 million views in 24 hours. “IDOL” also has an alternative version that features Nicki Minaj.

The group’s album “Love Yourself: Tear” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart in May, making it the highest-charting album in US history for a K-pop act.

BTS owes their success to their die-hard fan base, dubbed the “Army,” which stays busy on social media, spreading the BTS message around the world and generating  millions of clicks, views, and BTS-related retweets.

The group’s “Love Yourself” world tour kicked off in Seoul in August and will pass through the US, Europe, and Japan through February. All of the tour dates are currently sold out.

I was lucky enough to get a ticket to the opening night on August 25 in Seoul. But as I found out, BTS fans will employ whatever means possible to get their hands on tickets — including blackmail.

Here’s how I got a ticket, the scene outside the stadium, and how my experience of the concert unfortunately lasted for less than 20 minutes.

SEE ALSO: South Korean boy band BTS beat out Taylor Swift for the biggest video debut in YouTube's history

With tickets having sold out in seconds, I resorted to going online to find resale ones. They were of course selling for several times face value, but I thought to myself, “But this BTS,” and convinced myself to go.

The plan was this: buy two tickets, and sell off the second to pay for the first. I received the first one after a day. But the second ticket never came. The vendor suddenly went silent and refused to return my messages or send my ticket. She then invented every excuse in the book: a funeral, no internet data, no text message credit, school, phone being confiscated by a teacher…

Considering I had all her private details, I told her I would report her to the police if she didn’t send it. Considering she was (probably) a high-school student, she freaked out and finally sent the ticket. I documented the whole saga here).

When I received the ticket, the next plan was the resell it. I was bombarded by private messages from BTS fans who posed as potential customers, and then told me if I didn’t give the ticket to them for cheaper, they’d report me to the police for scalping. For the record, ticket reselling online is entirely legal. It’s just that you cannot resell outside concert venues.

Eventually, I was able to sell the ticket for no profit, but was already curious as to how the concert would unfold.



There was already euphoria in the air as I arrived at Sports Complex Station located in Jamsil, Seoul, early in the afternoon of August 25, the day of the opening gig for BTS’ “Love Yourself” World Tour. The station was packed, and the exit was decorated with a massive poster of BTS member Jungkook to celebrate his birthday on September 1.

Note: These banners are paid for by BTS Army fans — not just in Korea but around the world.



Outside the station, I literally could not move. The concert was going to take place at the Olympic Stadium located hundreds of meters in front of me. I’ve been to many concerts at this stadium including Lady Gaga, but cannot remember seeing this many people — and so early in the day.



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Why hurricanes hardly ever hit Europe and the West Coast of the US

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You don't have to live far inland to avoid hurricanes. Just move to Europe or the western coast of the United States. These areas rarely see full-on hurricanes. But that may soon change. As Hurricane Willa strengthens into a Category 5 storm and barrels its way towards the western coast of Mexico, watch the video above to find out why hurricanes rarely hit certain parts of the world.

Following is a transcript of the video.

Europe hasn't had a hurricane reach its shore in over 50 years. Now don't get the wrong idea. Hurricane season still brings a hefty dose of wind and rain. But Europe has something that North America doesn't, when it comes to protection against hurricanes. Location.

Hurricanes usually form off the coast of West Africa, where warm water near the Equator and high humidity create columns of rapidly rising rotating air. It's the perfect recipe for a storm. Now the more warm, moist air that the system picks up, the stronger it becomes. That's why a tropical storms can quickly grow into a full on hurricane as it marches across the Atlantic. Now normally hurricanes are propelled on a westward track by the trade winds, caused by the Earth's rotation. That's why Europe as well as the West Coast of the US, rarely experience full on hurricanes. But that's not the whole story.

After all, since the year 2000, remnants of around 30 hurricanes have reached Europe. For comparison,  over the same time frame. By the time these remnants make landfall, they've went from a hurricane force, to a tropical storm or weaker. And that's where Europe's location comes into play. In order for a hurricane to head towards Europe, something crucial has to happen. It has to travel really far North by about 200 miles. Once a storm system reaches 30 degrees north, it encounters the subtropical jet stream. Which moves in the opposite direction of the trade winds. And therefore, blows the storm East But because the storm is now farther North, the waters underneath are colder by up to about five to 10 degrees Celsius. Which means less energy available to feed the storm. And as a result, it starts to die down by the time it's headed for Europe. Even though it's no longer a hurricane, it still packs a punch when it hits shore.

In fact, most of these hurricane remnants will combine with other nearby cyclones and weather fronts, that create high winds and rain that mainly hit Ireland and Great Britain. But have been known to reach as far as Greece or even farther in Northern Russia. Typical damages include power outages, flooding, and occasionally casualties. Most recently the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia made landfall in Ireland and Scotland in 2017. About 50,000 households in Northern Ireland lost power. Three deaths were reported and downed trees closed many of the public roads and highways. This was the worst storm that Ireland had seen in 50 years. And it may be a sign of what's to come.

As global surface temperatures rise, it will also increase the sea surface temperatures in the Northern Atlantic. Which researchers estimate could contribute to an increase in the number of hurricane force storms that reach Europe. Some experts predict that by the end of the 21st century, Europe could experience, on average, 13 powerful storms each year during hurricane season. Compared to the two per year it sees now.

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9 things about the keto diet I wish I'd known before starting it

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Keto

  • The high-fat, low-carb keto diet can be great for shedding weight, but it presents distinct challenges.
  • Jennifer Still writes that though the keto diet has been a "godsend" for her, there are several things she wishes she'd known before starting.

Having been overweight for years, I've tried every diet in the proverbial book in the hopes of shedding pounds and getting healthy.

Like with many people, any success I found in dieting was usually short-lived, and I always ended up frustrated and right back where I started — that is, until I discovered the keto diet four years ago.

While following a diet high in fat, moderate in protein, and very low in carbohydrates has been a godsend for me, it has come with its fair share of difficulties.

Here are a few things I wish I'd known before I started the keto diet:

SEE ALSO: 10 surprisingly filling foods you can eat on the keto diet

A lot of people really won't get it.

The idea that you can eat a large amount of fatty foods — bacon, steak, whole milk, cheeses, etc. — and not only lose weight but increase energy tends to surprise people.  

You’ll soon lose count of the number of people who insist that you “need” carbs to live. Ignore them, and as the saying goes, KCKO (keep calm and keto on).



You still need to count calories.

You may lose more weight more quickly on keto than on other diets, but you can’t eat with abandon just because you’re cutting out carbs.

Calories still count, so it’s important to determine your BMR (base metabolic rate), which shows how many calories your body burns on a daily basis by simply existing, as well as the deficit you should be eating at in order to lose weight.



Going "off plan" for even a day could make you gain weight.

It’s pretty disheartening to wake up a few pounds heavier than you were the day before just because you had to have a “cheat meal” at McDonald’s.

While this change is may just be water weight that you can shed after going back to keto for a day or two (keto flushes water from your system), some people will find that such an interruption is not worth the trouble.



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Fox News host Tucker Carlson slams 'false' outrage over the alleged murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi

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tucker carlson

  • Conservative Fox News host Tucker Carlson has repeatedly called the international — and bipartisan — uproar over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's alleged murder by Saudi officials a politically motivated "stunt."
  • Carlson accused the media and American politicians of selective outrage over the Saudi government's latest human rights violation.

Conservative Fox News host Tucker Carlson has repeatedly called the international — and bipartisan — uproar over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's alleged murder by Saudi officials a politically motivated and hypocritical "stunt" by the American "ruling class."

Carlson accused the media and American politicians of selective outrage over the Saudi government's latest human rights violation, pointing out that the regime regularly violates the rights of its own citizens and is currently engaged in a brutal war in Yemen — actions that he said are not condemned by the very same US leaders. Carlson also criticized the mainstream press for supporting US strikes on Syria in 2017 and 2018, which he said were advocated for by the Saudi government. 

"The whole game is people who have no basis for moral superiority sort of impose their moral superiority on you," Carlson said during an appearance at Politicon, a two-day conference of pundits and politicians. "The outrage is so false."

The provocative host said the Saudis' alleged torture and murder of a journalist shouldn't shock anyone — and slammed the "mindless ruling class" for turning Khashoggi's alleged murder into "the most important story in the world." He pointed to media personalities and liberal politicians who have argued that President Donald Trump's attacks on the media encouraged the Saudis to so boldly kill a prominent journalist. 

"Spare us the theatrics now," Carlson said during his Friday night primetime show on Fox News, calling the response "false posturing." "This is a stunt, it's an international incident hyped and manufactured for domestic political goals."

Saudi Arabia said on Friday that Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post and a US green card holder, was killed during a fist fight inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have said the official Saudi explanation for the journalist's disappearance isn't credible and that Khashoggi's alleged murder crosses a red line. 

While Carlson has long criticized the Saudi government, he has rarely called out Trump for working so closely with a regime Carlson calls a "a primitive, evil theocracy."

Carlson didn't explain why it benefits some of Trump's biggest Republican boosters in Congress to call Khashoggi's apparent murder an especially grave affront to American values. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and close confidant of the president's, has aggressively pushed the administration to punish the Saudis, telling Fox News that he would "sanction the hell out of them," and that he thinks Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman should be removed from power. 

"We deal with bad people all the time, but this is in our face," said Graham, who is a longtime supporter of the US's close relationship with the Saudi Arabian government. 

Republican Sen. Rand Paul, a critic of the Middle Eastern nation, told Fox News last week that Khashoggi's death is more reason to dramatically rethink the US's relationship with the country. 

"Saudi Arabia is not our friend," Paul said. "This latest episode with killing the journalist is just proof that we need to not be arming them." 

The Kentucky Republican is one of the few in his party who views the oil-rich nation as an adversary, accuses it of sponsoring terrorism, and advocates for the US to stop selling arms to the country's military. 

 

SEE ALSO: Top Republican slams Trump's 'clampdown' on intelligence about missing journalist Khashoggi and calls on him to take a stand

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Trump is already backtracking on his promise for a 'very major tax cut' before the midterms

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donald trump

  • President Donald Trump said Republicans would roll out a middle class tax cut plan before the midterm elections.
  • The suggestion reportedly took GOP leaders by surprise.
  • Such an effort would be unlikely given that Congress is in recess through Election Day.

President Donald Trump dropped a shocking piece of news during a visit to Nevada on Saturday: Republicans, he said, were aiming to roll out another tax cut for the middle class by the midterm election on November 6.

"We are looking at putting in a very major tax cut for middle-income people," Trump said. "And if we do that, it'll be sometime just prior, I would say, to November."

The suggestion took everyone in Washington by surprise — even GOP leaders.

The likelihood of any major tax legislation passing, or even getting introduced, in the two weeks before the midterm elections is far-fetched at best and most likely impossible.

For one thing, Congress is not even in session until after Election Day, as most members are out on the campaign trail.

And any plan would likely get blowback from lawmakers — even Republicans — who were concerned that the GOP tax law passed in December (the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA) went through a rushed process and expanded the federal deficit by too much.

Finally, in order to pass any more tax cuts the GOP would need to get a handful of Democrats on board with the plan to avoid a filibuster, which would be highly unlikely. 

Amid the confusion, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin clarified in an interview with The New York Times that the administration and GOP leaders were were merely working on a plan for another middle class tax cut that would be released, but not passed, by the midterms.

Then on Monday, Trump told reporters that the tax cut plan would actually be a resolution that would aim to give middle income earners another 10% tax cut on top of the reductions from the TCJA. It was not clear whether Trump was referring to a symbolic resolution or actual legislation.

While the ambition for the new tax plan is quickly being dialed back, the goal is likely the same: to drum up support for GOP candidates prior to the midterms.

The previously implemented GOP tax law still polls poorly, and Republican groups have largely stopped advertising around the cuts. Rolling out another tax cut just before the election could energize the base in an attempt to drive up Republican turnout.

SEE ALSO: One of Republicans' biggest promises about their tax law is coming apart at the seams

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Michael Avenatti must pay nearly $5 million to an ex-colleague as his law firm is evicted from its California offices

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Michael Avenatti

  • Michael Avenatti was fined $4.85 million on Monday for failing to pay a former colleague at his California law firm.
  • Avenatti, the attorney for porn star Stormy Daniels, didn't fight back in court against the charges. 
  • This comes on the same day that Avenatti's firm was evicted from its Orange County offices for falling four months behind on rent.

Michael Avenatti, the attorney for porn star Stormy Daniels, was fined $4.85 million on Monday for failing to pay a former colleague at his California law firm on the same day that his firm was evicted from its Orange County offices in a separate trial.

A Los Angeles court ruled that the firm, Eagan Avenatti, owes Jason Frank and others, including the Internal Revenue Service, millions of dollars. Frank, Avenatti's former colleague, also won a $10 million judgment against the firm in a bankruptcy court case in May. 

Avenatti told The Los Angeles Times on Monday that he no longer owns Eagan Avenatti, even though he recently told a bankruptcy court judge that his other firm, Avenatti & Associates, had taken on full equity of Eagan Avenatti. He also told reporters on Monday that Frank instead owed him millions for "fraud" he committed. Avenatti hasn't pursued any legal case against Frank's alleged wrongdoing. 

"Any judgment issued against me will be deducted from the over $12 million that Jason Frank owes me and my law firm Avenatti & Associates as a result of his fraud," Avenatti told The Times. 

Avenatti didn't appear in court or file any opposing briefs in the case. 

In the trail involving his firm's office space, the building owner held that Avenatti did not pay $213,254 in rent over the last four months for its suite in an office building at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. 

Avenatti says that he deducted the cost of repairs to the office from his rent, even though his contract stipulates that tenants are not allowed to reduce their rent by making unapproved repairs. Avenatti's landlord told The Times that the firm paid its $52,235 July rent, but that the check bounced. 

SEE ALSO: Fox News host Tucker Carlson slams 'false' outrage over the alleged murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi

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APPLY NOW: Insider Inc. is hiring associate editors, video producers, interns, and more

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Insider Inc NYC

Insider Inc. has a number of editorial openings across both Business Insider and INSIDER. If you're interested in joining a fast-paced, growing newsroom, apply at the links provided below. Unless otherwise stated, positions are located in our New York City headquarters.

Editorial internships

Full-time positions

For a constantly updated list of openings, see our careers page.

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We shopped at Costco and Sam's Club to see which is better — and there's a clear reason why you should join one over the other (COST, WMT)

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SamsClub 6836

  • Costco and Sam's Club are similar membership-based warehouse stores that offer a wide variety of products and services, from eye exams to photo printing.
  • The only significant difference between the stores is the cost of membership, with Sam's Club costing $15 less annually than Costco.
  • I went to a Costco and Sam's Club in New York and found that the cost and quality were comparable enough that the deciding factor between the two stores might just be how close you live to each one.

Costco and Sam's Club are membership-based warehouse stores selling groceries, clothing, furniture, and, well, lots of other stuff. Both stores offer eye and ear exams, a pharmacy, one-hour photo services, and a food court at affordable prices. Even the return policies are similar, with bothstores accepting most items with or without a receipt.

After visiting both stores in succession, I found there was really only one major difference between them: the cost of membership. Costco charges $60 annually for a basic membership and $120 for an executive membership, while Sam's Club charges $45 annually for a basic membership and $100 for a premium membership.

According to a grocery-store ranking from Consumer Reports, the higher membership costs at Costco might be worth it — it ranked higher than Sam's Club in cleanliness, meat and produce quality, customer service, store-brand quality, and prices of organic items.

To see for myself which store offers a better deal, I went to Costco and Sam's Club stores in Westchester County, New York. This is what I found:

SEE ALSO: How to shop at Costco without a membership

First, I went to Costco. I got there about five minutes after it opened, and I was surprised by how many people were there so early. Even though it's a members-only store, no one was at the door checking for memberships.



At the front of the store was a one-hour photo station.



There were rows of TVs ranging in price from $500 to $2,000.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Save up to $100 during Adidas' buy more, save more sale — and more of today's best deals from around the web

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TheInsider Picksteam writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Since you don't have all day to scour the web for noteworthy sales and discounts, we rounded up the best bargains for you to shop in one convenient place.

Adidas

1. Save up to $100 on your order at Adidas

Adidas has great items on sale all the time, but with its current sale, the more you buy, the more you'll save. Right now, you can save $20 off orders of $100, $50 off orders of $175, and $100 off orders of $300 when you use the promo code "BMSM18" at checkout. The discount applies to new arrivals and sale styles with select exclusions.

Shop the Adidas sale now.

Nordstrom Rack

2. Save an extra 25% on clearance items at Nordstrom Rack

Nordstrom Rack is known for deals on past-season and overstocked items passed along from Nordstrom. Now, the discount site is having a sale of its own. Until November 12, you can automatically save an extra 25% on previously discounted clearance items. In total, you'll save up to 75% on clothes, shoes, accessories, and more for everyone in your family.

Shop the Nordstrom Rack clearance sale now.

91e2VYMbCML._SL1500_

3. Save $35 on a Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Camera Kit

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 is a modern take on an old-school way to capture life's moments instantly. The kit includes the camera, film, a carrying case, and a photo album. Right now, you can save $35 on it at B&H Photo and Video.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Camera Kit, $59.99 (Originally $94.99) [You save $35]

Timberland 1978 Hiker

4. Save an extra 25% on sale styles at Timberland

Timberland is one of the most popular boot makers around and a tried-and-true American company. Its line of products also extends into apparel, with everything from heavy winter outwear and sweaters to button-up shirts and chinos. Right now, Timberland is having a huge sale on footwear and apparel for men, women, and children. You can save an extra 25% on already reduced winter sale styles. Discounts are automatically taken off at checkout, so shopping is easy.

Shop the Timberland sale now.

reioutlet

5. Save up to 30% on outdoor gear and apparel at REI

REI is the one-stop shop for all outdoor camping and hiking gear, and right now is the best time to save big. Now through November 19, you can save up to 30% on a huge selection of products. The sale includes clothing, outerwear, footwear, essential camping gear, and more.

Shop the REI sale now.

active wow charcoal teeth

6. Save on the best-selling teeth whitener on Amazon

First impressions are everything, and a nice smile can be the difference between making yours positive or negative. As the best selling teeth whitener or Amazon, Active Wow Charcoal Powder is a great way to brighten your smile. Instead of spending hundreds on fancy teeth whitening systems, you can get Active Wow on sale for $19.99 on Amazon. An Insider Picks reporter put this powder to the test, and you can read her full review here.

Active Wow Teeth Whitening Charcoal Powder, $18.59 (Originally $29.99)[You save $10]

Happy Socks

7. Save 30% on socks and underwear at Happy Socks

If boring blue argyle or solid black socks no longer pique your interest, Happy Socks makes some of the best and most colorful alternatives. In celebration of Singles' Day,  the brand is having a huge sale with 30% off and free shipping on socks and underwear.

Shop the Happy Socks sale now.

Patagonia

8. Save up to 50% on winter apparel and gear at Patagonia

Patagonia is known for its well-made, eco-friendly clothes, but the company rarely holds big sales. Now through November 20, you can save up to 50% on past season apparel and gear during the brand's fall sale. If you've been eyeing any items for men, women, or kids, you should check to see if they're discounted.

Shop sale items at Patagonia now.

BEAR Mattress

9. Save $200 on the all-new Bear Hybrid Mattress

Bear revolutionized the way we sleep by creating a mattress that supports every body type and sleeping style. The startup's newest mattresses, the Bear Hybrid Mattress, is an even more luxurious take on the traditional mattress that combines foam and coil technologies. As part of the company's Veteran's Day sale, you can save $200 on orders of $1,200 or more using the promo code "VET200" or $100 on orders of $500 or more using the promo code "VET100" at checkout.

Shop the Bear Hybrid Mattress in queen, king, and California king sizes now.

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Florida is in chaos as thousands of ballots remain uncounted, and the outcome of the state's key elections could remain unclear for weeks

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President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

  • Since Tuesday, Florida, Georgia, and Arizona have become mired in controversy over uncounted votes.
  • But nowhere is the chaos more dramatic than in Florida, where two major South Florida counties — Broward and Palm Beach — have yet to count thousands of votes.
  • Several races, including the Senate and gubernatorial contests, are approaching the 0.5-percentage-point margin that would trigger an automatic recount.

Since Tuesday, Florida, Georgia, and Arizona have become mired in controversy over uncounted votes.

But nowhere is the chaos more dramatic than in Florida, where two major Democratic-leaning South Florida counties — Broward and Palm Beach — are still tallying thousands of votes as the margin between the Senate and gubernatorial candidates approaches the recount threshold:

  • Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson has not conceded to his Republican challenger, Gov. Rick Scott, though Scott declared victory on Tuesday night.
  • In the governor's race, Andrew Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, conceded on Tuesday night. But since then, the Republican Ron DeSantis' lead has fallen to a margin of 0.44 percentage points, just below the automatic recount threshold. On Thursday, Gillum's campaign indicated it was "ready for any outcome, including a state-mandated recount."

Republicans are charging that elections officials in the two counties have a record of "incompetence and irregularities in vote tabulations" and pointing to a recent court ruling that Brenda Snipes, the Broward County elections supervisor, oversaw the illegal destruction of votes in a 2016 congressional contest. The office is under state monitoring.

Snipes has not released the total number of ballots yet to be counted. She said Thursday that mail-in and provisional ballots were being counted as quickly as possible but that her office had been slowed by their volume.

The battle over the future of Florida — and the Senate — could continue for weeks as recounts and lawsuits commence:

  • As of Friday morning, Scott led Nelson by about 15,000 votes, and DeSantis led Gillum by about 36,000 votes.
  • All of Florida's 67 counties have until noon on Saturday to send their unofficial vote counts to Florida's Division of Elections.
  • As of Thursday evening, ballots collected in Broward County showed that almost 25,000 people voted in the governor's race but not in the Senate race. Democrats have blamed the fact that Senate box appeared in a corner of the ballot beneath the instructions, saying many voters missed it.
  • Florida's secretary of state, a Scott appointee, is tasked with overseeing state-mandated recounts.
  • Six races could have recounts: US Senate, governor, state agriculture commissioner, a state Senate race, and two state House races.
  • Machine recounts must be completed by 3 p.m. on Thursday. The state will allow three more days for manual recounts if the margin between two candidates is less than 0.25 percentage points.

Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum with his wife, RJ, won the Democratic nomination for governor on Tuesday.

GOP spreads unproven accusations of fraud

There is no evidence that the votes being counted in Broward County are illegitimate, but that has not prevented Scott and his allies, including President Donald Trump, from making those claims.

On Thursday, Scott and Senate Republicans filed a lawsuit demanding the recount be halted.

Both Scott and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio have implied that Broward County election officials are committing fraud by miscounting or creating votes.

"Every Floridian should be concerned there may be a rampant fraud happening in Palm Beach and Broward counties," Scott said Thursday. "Their goal is to keep mysteriously finding more votes until the election turns out the way they want."

Read more:Gun-control activist Lucy McBath, whose son was killed in a 2012 shooting, wins congressional seat once held by Newt Gingrich

Rudy Giuliani, the president's lawyer, alleged in a series of tweets that the county was "creating" votes and that a person would have to be "naive, even simple minded not to recognize" that Democrats regularly engage in voter fraud.

No widespread voter fraud has been uncovered in American elections in recent years, despite several investigations. Trump's commission to investigate voter fraud in the 2016 elections found no wrongdoing, and after it was disbanded last January, one of its members slammed the White House for making false claims to support Trump's unsubstantiated ones.

"Law Enforcement is looking into another big corruption scandal having to do with Election Fraud in #Broward and Palm Beach," Trump tweeted on Thursday. "Florida voted for Rick Scott!"

On Friday morning, Trump told reporters that Snipes had a "horrible history," adding, "What's going on in Florida is a disgrace."

"You mean they are just now finding votes in Florida and Georgia — but the Election was on Tuesday?" he tweeted later in the morning. "Let's blame the Russians and demand an immediate apology from President Putin!"

Meanwhile, Sean Hannity, the Fox News host and informal Trump adviser, said in an interview with Scott on his program on Thursday evening that "somebody needs to go to jail" as a result of the delayed vote counts in Broward County because Scott "won this race hands down."

"It is obviously corrupt," Hannity said. "Obviously, laws were broken. Obviously, there are shenanigans here."

Several lawmakers have also weighed in, with Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar urging a recount.

On Thursday, Rubio tweeted a video purporting to show Broward County election officials transporting ballots in private cars, fanning the flames of the conspiracy theories.

SEE ALSO: Gun control activist Lucy McBath, whose son was killed in a 2012 shooting, wins congressional seat once held by Newt Gingrich

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A woman who sells 6-figure engagement rings through Instagram says there's a big misconception about the 4 C's of buying diamonds

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Nicole Wegman Ring concierge

  • Nicole Wegman started Ring Concierge, a fine jewelry business specializing in bespoke engagement rings, in 2013 by posting and selling diamonds on Instagram.
  • The biggest misconception Wegman sees when people buy diamonds is understanding the four C's: cut, clarity, color, and carat weight. She said most people want a colorless diamond without inclusions.
  • Wegman likes to suggest prioritizing carat weight in the budget over color and clarity.

There's a lot to consider when buying an engagement ring. That's part of the reason Nicole Wegman started Ring Concierge on Instagram in 2013 — to create bespoke engagement rings for women, by women. 

Now, Wegman and her NYC-based team of six sell hundreds of engagement rings a year. The fin-jewelry business specializes in custom engagement rings that start at $10,000 and can go into the six figures. For comparison, the average cost of an engagement ring in the US is $6,000, Wegman told Business Insider. 

Wegman said the biggest decision behind each ring is, unsurprisingly, the diamond itself — but that people come in with certain misconceptions, too.

"The biggest misconception is, people will come in and say, 'I did research online and I read about the four C's and I think I need to have a colorless diamond with barely any inclusion,'" Wegman said.

Read more:Millennial attitudes are forcing a massive change in the diamond industry

The four C's refer to a diamond's cut, clarity, color, and carat weight. Diamond clarity reflects a lack of blemishes or inclusions, which many stones naturally have. The GIA International Diamond Grading System assigns grades that range from flawless to obvious inclusions, which affects the stone's value.

"In reality, I always suggest dropping lower in color and clarity and allocating a bit more of the budget toward carat weight," she continued.  

Good vibes only 💎👁

A post shared by #Diamonds #Jewelry (@ringconcierge) on Aug 19, 2018 at 6:15pm PDT on

Part of the Ring Concierge experience is a one-on-one meeting with Wegman and her team, whether that is in person or remotely. Wegman sees clients that come in and request a specific grade of diamond with a set budget. But when they try on the diamond they think they want, she said they are often times underwhelmed.

"They say 'this isn't as big as I thought it was going to be.' And I'm like, 'you know what, for the same price you can get a three-carat diamond if you're just a little more flexible with color and clarity,'" Wegman said. 

Creating a ring that suits the client's tastes — and their lifestyle

Once a diamond is chosen, Wegman works with clients to understand how the ring will be worn to create a setting that is fashionable, durable, and timeless — but also lifestyle-appropriate.

"Let's say they want the thinnest possible ring covered in diamonds ... but they have three kids, they go to the gym every day, and they never take their ring off. That's probably not the best decision," Wegman said. "That's too delicate a ring for your lifestyle. So, we'll think of ways to get them that look they want, but cater towards the way they are going to be wearing it."

Wegman added: "We like to get clients the most bang for their buck without sacrificing the look of the ring. So, we like to find ways to drop down on the paperwork a little bit, not have it impact the diamond visually, and then just get them a large carat weight — which, ultimately, the women want."

SEE ALSO: Meet the Clear Cut, a couple who's selling thousands of dollars worth of diamonds through their Instagram DMs

DON'T MISS: There are over a quadrillion tons of diamonds lurking 100 miles below the Earth's surface, according to scientists

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