The pre-tax money you contribute to your FSA must be used on eligible healthcare products and services, which can be as mundane as Advil and as unexpected as Felix Gray or Warby Parker glasses or an at-home Zeel massage.
FSA dollars work on a use-it-or-lose-it provision. If you don't use your FSA money by December 31 of each year (or March 15 of the new year for many), you lose it.
FSAstore.com makes it easy to spend that money before it's gone. They have over 4,000 items that are guaranteed to be covered by your FSA.
Fall is rolling in and it's almost time to use or lose your FSA dollars. Read on to learn more about what that means, and how you can avoid letting your money go to waste.
What is FSA?
Many employers offer access to Flexible Spending Accounts, which let you put away pre-tax dollars for eligible healthcare products and services (think everything from surgery and medical bills to thermometers and first-aid kits). Storing money in an FSA account is a great deal, provided that you spend it.
How does FSA work?
FSA operates on a use-it-or-lose-it provision; you must spend the money in your FSA account by the end of the year or risk losing it for good. Many employers offer either more flexibility with a two-and-a-half-month grace period (until March 15, 2019, rather than December 31, 2019) or let you roll $500 into the next year. They can't offer both.
FSA Store estimates that more than $400 million is forfeited every year in FSA funds because employees either miss or forget their spending deadlines (based on estimates using data from the 2017 FSA and HSA Consumer Research conducted by VISA). It's your money and it's pre-tax — it doesn't make sense not to use it.
You can use FSA dollars to pay for medical expenses that aren't covered by a health plan, like co-pays, deductibles, dental and vision care, or dependent daycare, though eligible expenses can vary based on the plan. But if it's nearing the end of the year and you haven't used your money to help meet your deductible or pay medical expenses, you have the option of spending it on supplies like over-the-counter medication.
What can you buy with your FSA money?
The nitty-gritty details depend on the plan your employer has in place, but you can skip the burden of research by shopping the selection at the FSA store. They do the homework for you and curate more than 4,000 products that are guaranteed to be covered. If they're somehow not, you get your money back.
And since the new Affordable Care Act required over-the-counter medications (like Advil and Benadryl) to come with a prescription from a doctor for FSA reimbursement, FSAstore created a Prescription Process that will contact your doctor for you, so you can get the information you need to complete the purchase.
A new multi-year study examined the impact of not having a job on one's sleep patterns.
Iakovos Hatzistavrou/AFP/Getty Images
New research published in the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that people who are unemployed are much more likely to have trouble falling asleep or suffer from disturbed sleep than those who are employed.
It’s important to prioritize rest and self-care if you are unemployed — you may also want to consider seeing a therapist or seeking mental health support.
Sleep doctors recommend creating a time in the day to address your worries, so that they don’t keep you up at night, according to CNBC Make It.
Researchers have also found that engaging in even moderate physical activity during the day improves one’s quality of sleep.
Doing a relaxing activity before bed like reading, drawing, or listening to a guided meditation can also help improve sleep.
If you're struggling, call the SAMHSA National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
Canadian authorities said they charged a driver for dangerous driving after they appeared to be sleeping while his Tesla Model S drove on Autopilot.
It's the latest in a long string of incidents involving abuse of the assisted-driving software.
In some cases, there have been accidents and deaths. Tesla maintains the software is not misleading.
"The people who misuse Autopilot, it's not because they're new to it and don't understand it," Elon Musk told Automotive News in July in response to criticism of the feature's name.
A driver in Canada is the latest to be caught appearing to abuse Tesla's Autopilot functionality.
Authorities in the Canadian province of Alberta say the driver of a Model S was charged with dangerous driving after being caught speeding with the front seats fully reclined and appearing to be asleep.
"The car appeared to be self-driving, travelling over 140 km/h [86 mph] with both front seats completely reclined & occupants appeared to be asleep," RCMP Alberta said on Twitter.
"Nobody was looking out the windshield to see where the car was going," a RCMP sergeant told CBC. "I've been in policing for over 23 years and the majority of that in traffic law enforcement, and I'm speechless.
The incident is the latest in a string of accidents and criminal charges to come from misuse of Tesla's assisted-driving software, which requires drivers remain attentive. The system will notify a driver to remain attentive if it detects they've been distracted, and will eventually pull the car over if no input is received, Tesla says.
Still, drivers have found plenty of simple ways to bypass the system's safety features. CEO Elon Musk's own comments about the software's current and future capabilities have also come under fire by consumer safety groups who call them misleading.
"The people who first use Autopilot are extremely paranoid about it. It's not like, 'If you just introduced a different name, I would have really treated it differently.' If something goes wrong with Autopilot, it's because someone is misusing it and using it directly contrary to how we've said it should be used."
We rounded up the latest news on commercial real-estate deals and trends.
Katie Warren/Business Insider
The coronavirus pandemic threw the real-estate world into disarray, as people emptied out of offices, hotels, and malls and worked from their homes. That disruption has transformed how people and companies finance, operate, and occupy real estate.
Some big firms have been rethinking office needs — and some commercial real-estate deals were put on ice as financing dries up. Coworking and flex-office firms are struggling under big rent obligations after years of rapid growth.
A surge in e-commerce, meanwhile, is fueling demand for warehouse and cold storage space as companies look for new ways to reach customers. And with the pandemic increasing the amount of food delivery and hurting restaurants' bottom lines, ghost kitchens see an opportunity to grow.
Still, companies like IBM and Facebook have been pushing ahead with plans for big office spaces, showing that it may be too soon to call and end to the office. Apple has been in talks to grow a Manhattan office that it leased earlier this year. And Amazon Music has just signed on for 40,000 square feet in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to use as production and recording space.
Here's the latest news on how real-estate markets are being upended, and how experts think these markets will play out in the long run.
In this Nov. 16, 2016, file photo, Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr., poses during an interview in his offices at the school in Lynchburg, Va.
Associated Press
Jerry Falwell Jr. resigned from his post as president of Liberty University on August 25.
In a Reuters report dated August 24, a former business associate of Falwell Jr. said he had a sexual affair with Falwell Jr. and his wife, Becki Tilley. A lawyer for the couple told Reuters that they "categorically [deny]" it.
The move comes after Falwell Jr. took an extended leave of absence in early August after posting an Instagram photo of himself and a woman with their pants unzipped. He later deleted the image.
News broke on September 17 that on August 30, less than a week after the Reuters report, Becki called 911 to report that Falwell Jr. was "intoxicated and bleeding." Medical responders found him with cuts on his face.
Falwell Jr.'s father, Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr., started the Christian university in 1971. He was a popular televangelist and the head of a conservative political lobbying group.
Jerry Falwell Jr. resigned as the president of Liberty University on August 25. Emergency calls obtained by and reported on by HuffPost reveal that five days later, his wife, Becki Tilley, called 911 to report that her husband was "intoxicated and bleeding." Per the report, medical responders found Falwell Jr. with cuts on his face; one responder noted that he had hit his head on a trash can.
At the beginning of the month, Falwell Jr. took a leave of absence from his post at the university days after he posted and later deleted an Instagram photo of himself and a woman with both of their pants unzipped and his arm around her. In a statement to a local Virginia radio station, Falwell Jr. said that the woman was his wife's assistant and the picture was a good-natured, but misleading, joke and apologized for it.
On August 24, Reuters published a report in which a business associate of Falwell Jr.'s claimed to have been involved in a three-way sexual affair with Falwell Jr. and his wife. Falwell denied the claim.
A representative from Liberty University did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment on this story.
Meet the Falwells.
Jerry Laymon Falwell Sr. was a Baptist preacher and educator who was deeply involved with conservative politics.
Reverend Jerry Falwell poses for a portrait circa 1980.
He was married to his wife Macel for close to 50 years. The couple had three children: Jerry Jr., Jonathan, and Jeannie.
Falwell Sr. was a founder of the conservative group Moral Majority.
Evangelist Jerry Falwell, founder of the "Moral Majority," greets GOP presidential candidate Ronald Reagan as he arrives to address the National Religious Broadcasters in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Bettmann/Getty Images
His Liberty University page describes the now-defunct lobbying group, founded in 1979, as "pro-life, pro-family, pro-Israel and favored a strong national defense."
In 1989, The New York Times called Moral Majority "the best-known institution of the religious right" and credits it with endorsing and helping President Ronald Reagan get elected. That same year, the group was dissolved. Falwell said he felt it had achieved its goal of making religious conservative voters more politically active.
Falwell Sr. founded Liberty University in 1971.
Students mingle on the campus lawn at Liberty University.
Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images
Before starting Liberty University, Falwell Sr. founded a Christian day school by the name of Lynchburg Christian Academy that served grades K-12.
On its website, the university says it has 100,000 enrolled students of which 30,000 are military members and less than 1,000 are international students.
It is one of the largest Christian universities in America, per USA Today.
Many university employees spoke fondly of him in a 2019 Politico story.
Jerry Falwell gestures while speaking at the Justice Sunday III rally on January 8, 2006 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sponsored by the Family Research Council, the rally was held one day before the start of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.
Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images
As a Liberty University employee told Politico, "Big Jerry hired people that were smart and capable and put them around himself. He made sure you knew you were appreciated. There was never an ego involved."
Beyond organizing religious conservatives, Falwell Sr. was also critical of Democrats, especially Bill Clinton.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton speaks during the funeral service of the late Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) at Ebenezer Baptist Church on July 30, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Alyssa Pointer-Pool/Getty Images
In May 1994, the LA Times reported that Falwell Sr. was selling disparaging videotapes against then-president Bill Clinton. Priced at $43, the tapes contained hefty allegations like sexual assault and murder and had testimonies from various Arkansas residents.
"Is that in a good Christian spirit? I think it's questionable," President Clinton said in a NYT report from the following month in which he said that Falwell Sr. didn't provide enough background about his accusers.
Falwell Sr. had a widely followed television show called "Old Time Gospel Hour."
TV evangelist and religious right leader the Reverend Jerry Falwell relaxes by the pool in the backyard of his Lynchburg, VA, home and reads the Bible. Falwell and the religious right were factors in the 1980 Presidential election.
Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
Falwell Sr. started "Old Time Gospel Hour" in 1956. It grew into a nationally syndicated TV and radio program that his son, Jonathan, eventually took over.
Falwell Sr. attracted media attention over the years for controversial comments on topics like sexual orientation, apartheid, feminism, and the 9/11 attacks.
Craig F. Walker / Getty Images
In 1983, Falwell Sr. told followers that "AIDS ... is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals."
Seventeen years later, he compared being gay to having a drug problem and said it was a choice in a PBS Frontline interview.
His 2007 Chicago Tribune obituary noted that he had previously referred to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was instrumental in fighting against apartheid in South Africa, as a "phony," and said that feminists "need a man in the house."
Shortly after 9/11, Falwell Sr. went on television to say that the attacks were God's punishment to the US for people supporting abortion access, LGBT folks, and secularity. President George W. Bush called his comments "inappropriate."
Jerry Falwell Jr. took over the reins for the university after his father's death in 2007.
Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., attends the school's commencement ceremonies in Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S., May 11, 2019.
Reuters/Jonathan Drake
Jerry Falwell Jr. attended both the school and university started by his father before studying law at the University of Virginia.
He's been married to his wide, Becki Tilley, for over 30 years. The couple has three children.
Falwell Jr. has two younger siblings, Jeannie and Jonathan Falwell.
Jeannie Falwell, daughter of Rev. Jerry Falwell speaks during the funeral for her father, Rev. Jerry Falwell, as her brother Jonathan applauds at the Thomas Road Baptist Church May 22, 2007 in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Steve Helber-Pool/Getty Images
Falwell Jr.'s sister, Jeannie, practices medicine with a focus on laparoscopic and robotic surgery. Like her brother, Jeannie is a graduate of LU. She was named the chief of surgery at the VA center in Richmond, Virginia.
Jonathan Falwell has led Thomas Road Baptist Church since his father's death. The youngest Falwell sibling also has a law degree.
He'd been involved with Thomas Road Baptist Church as a pastor since 2004 before being elected to senior pastor in 2007. He's married with four kids, per his church profile. He frequently tweets about church services.
According to insiders at LU, Falwell Jr.'s tenure at the school was very different from his father's.
Students attend a class at Liberty University's Center for Medical and Health Sciences.
Matt McClain/ The Washington Post via Getty Images
Reporter Brandon Ambrosino spoke to over two dozen people associated with the university for an in-depth Politico story about the culture at LU. They described the institution as more of an "estate hedge-fund" than an educational institution.
The story paints Falwell Jr. as an aggressive businessman and includes accounts of rampant nepotism and blurred lines between personal and university finances.
"Everybody is scared for their life. Everybody walks around in fear," university staff told Ambrosino.
Beyond business tactics, employees shared stories about Falwell Jr. engaging in inappropriate sexual conversations at work. They say he discussed his penis size and forwarded private pictures of his wife to multiple people.
LU brought students back to campus after spring break on March 23 during the coronavirus pandemic. Six days later, a student living off-campus tested positive for the coronavirus, and others showed symptoms of the virus.
In July, News & Advance reported that students returning to campus in the fall won't have to go through mandatory testing. A reopening plan on the school website emphasizes physical distancing and says that at-risk students who are back on campus will have special accommodations.
Falwell Jr. was an early supporter of President Trump's 2016 bid.
U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Jerry Falwell (R), President of Liberty University, pose for photos with members of gospel choir Lu Praise during a commencement at Liberty University May 13, 2017 in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Falwell Jr. spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention. "Most effective politicians were never career politicians," he said. He went on to call Trump "one of the greatest visionaries of our time."
In 2019, the Wall Street Journal reported that Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, had hired John Gauger in 2015 to sway online polls in Trump's favor. Gauger is the chief information officer at Liberty University and owns Red Finch Solutions, an IT consultancy firm. Cohen said Trump knew about the polls. Rudy Giuliani said Trump did not know about the polls.
On August 25, Falwell Jr. stepped down from his post as president of Liberty University.
Becki Tilley, wife of Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., stands up as her husband refers to her dress style, matching the school's nickname the "Flames," during commencement ceremonies in Lynchburg, Virginia, May 11, 2019.
Jonathan Drake/Reuters
In early August, he posted and deleted a picture of himself and a woman with their pants unzipped and his arm around her shoulder. He said the woman was his wife's assistant and the picture was taken in jest because she was pregnant and couldn't zip her pants so he wanted to show solidarity. He took a leave of absence; Jerry Prevo, a trustee on the school's board, took charge as the interim president.
On August 24, Aram Roston of Reuters published a report in which a Falwell Jr. business associate, Giancarlo Granda, said he had engaged in a seven-year-long sexual affair with Falwell Jr. and his wife that ended in 2018. In the report, Granda claimed that he would have sex with Becki while Falwell Jr. watched.
A lawyer for the couple told Reuters they "categorically denied" the claims. Falwell Jr. told Washington Examiner that Granda and Becki had an affair and the former was trying to blackmail the couple.
After a day of conflicting reports over whether he was leaving the university, news broke on August 25 that Falwell Jr. had resigned.
An electric toothbrush could help you brush better and more consistently than using a manual toothbrush.
If you want clean teeth and healthy gums without breaking your budget, you can't go wrong with the highly effective Oral-B Pro 1000 electric toothbrush.
If you're still a fan of the good old fashioned manual toothbrush, check out our guide to the best toothbrushes here.
This article was medically reviewed by Dr. André V. Ritter, DDS, MS, MBA, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care at the NYU College of Dentistry.
You've probably heard the saying, "You only need to brush and floss the teeth you want to keep." While the words are undeniably tongue-in-cheek, there's considerable truth to them. Proper oral care, which includes twice-daily brushing and once-daily flossing, is critical if you want to hang onto your choppers well into old age.
Do you really need an electric toothbrush?
Electric toothbrushes, as opposed to manual ones, use battery power to create gentle vibrations and movements of the bristles to clean teeth and remove plaque. According to the American Dental Association, both manual and electric toothbrushes are effective at removing plaque if properly wielded. The problem, however, comes with the "properly wielded" part. Many people fail to brush the full recommended two minutes, don't carefully work the brush around the entire set of teeth and the gum line, and don't brush gently but with speed. By contrast, a good electric toothbrush:
Oscillates thousands — even tens of thousands — of times per minute, as compared to the typical 300 strokes per minute when brushing manually
While anyone can choose to use an electric toothbrush, there are some people specifically who can benefit from them.
According to Dr. Ira Handschuh, a general and cosmetic dentist at The Dental Design Center in White Plains, New York, one example of patients who should use electric toothbrushes are those undergoing orthodontic care, especially since electric brushes can get to those hard to reach regions that manual brushes cannot. This applies equally to anyone with permanent retainers or other long-term dental fixtures. Dr. Handshuh also recommends that elderly patients, those who have had a stroke, or those with dexterity issues use an electric toothbrush.
Misconceptions about electric toothbrushes and proper practices
"It's a misconception that using an electric toothbrush will guarantee a healthy mouth," says Dr. Handschuh. "Brushing with both manual brushes and electric brushes can be challenging, and if not used properly, can lead to gum disease advancing, potential cavities, and other oral complications. I always take the time to review the proper brushing techniques with all my patients."
Regardless of what type of toothbrush you decide to wield, it's important to maintain proper techniques like brushing twice daily, reaching every part of your mouth including your gums and tongue, and not brushing too hard or too long.
If you do decide to go with an electric toothbrush, Dr. Handschuh recommends choosing one with soft bristles — never hard.
"I always stress that you should not put too much pressure on the gums, as that can cause the gums to recede with time and even wear away tooth structure," says Dr. Handschuh. "Many electric toothbrushes actually come with timers, so patients can monitor the length of time brushing, as well as pressure sensors to ensure patients do not damage teeth and gum tissue."
We want you to keep your teeth healthy and strong for a lifetime. That's why we've done the research to bring you a selection of electric toothbrushes that we feel are the best choices for most people. In addition to our own testing, we listened to actual product owners and received advice from dentists and dental hygienists when making our decisions. So go ahead and break out your favorite toothpaste. Healthy, clean teeth are on their way.
Updated on 9/16/2020 by Amir Ismael: Updated picks for best mid-priced and high-end toothbrushes. Added what else we've considered section.
The best overall
Oral-B
The Oral-B Pro 1000 is budget-friendly, highly effective, and compatible with a wide range of replacement brush heads.
The Oral-B Pro 1000 is a no-frills electric toothbrush, but it gets the job done, and it gets it done well. It comes with a CrossAction brush head that reaches into every nook and cranny between and within your teeth to scour away up to 300% more plaque than a manual toothbrush would remove.
If you prefer another type of brush head, however, there are plenty to choose from; the Oral-B Pro 1000 is compatible with nine different Oral-B heads, including whitening, sensitive, extra gum line cleaning, deep clean, orthodontic care, and floss action. Just twist and pull to switch out the brush head.
The toothbrush handle has an easily accessible on/off button, and the brush vibrates gently every 30 seconds to let you know it's time to move on to the next quadrant of your mouth. Press too hard, and the toothbrush will stop rotating — overly vigorous tooth brushing is a major cause of gum irritation. When you let up the pressure, the brush will automatically begin to spin once again.
Expect to recharge the Oral-B Pro 1000 about once per week. You'll see a flashing red light when the battery is getting low. The recharging base is very small, so there's no need to clear much counter space.
Pros: Great price, effective at removing plaque, many types of compatible brush heads
Cons: Not as fast or as powerful as some newer electric toothbrushes
The best mid-priced electric toothbrush
Colgate
The Hum by Colgate Toothbrush works great, costs less than other premium models, and has a sophisticated smartphone app for monitoring oral health.
The Hum by Colgate proves that not all worthwhile electric toothbrushes need to be expensive. Although it's not as customizable and in-depth as other top-tier options on the market, the Hum electric toothbrush features three pulse settings — normal, sensitive, and deep clean — and pairs with an app that helps monitor your progress and overall oral health.
The Hum by Colgate toothbrush comes with the charging stand and a travel case for $69.99. Alternatively, you can pick the battery-powered model, which comes with two AAA batteries and a travel case, for $49.99. The key difference between the two models is that the battery-powered version only has two pulse settings — normal and sensitive.
I was thoroughly impressed with the thoroughness of the Hum app. For your first use, you have to brush your teeth without any assistance. The purpose of this is to see how much coverage you get with your current brushing techniques and to show you where there is room for improvement. The average person only covers 60% of their mouth when they brush, but I was able to get 100%, admittedly from developing better brushing techniques from the other smart toothbrushes I've used.
Although you can open the app and track your progress while you brush, your results are still recorded if you don't have your phone nearby with a feature called offline brushing. This is a great feature because it can be hard to get used to grabbing your phone every single time you need to brush your teeth. — Amir Ismael
Pros: Affordable, easy to use, great design, can subscribe to brush heads, smart app connectivity
Cons: Not as many fancy settings as high-end ones
The best with a replaceable battery
Quip
The Quip is a sleek-looking toothbrush that's great for use at home or when traveling. It is affordable, yet it's very effective and more substantial than disposable options.
Quip is one of the many new companies looking to disrupt traditional industries — electric toothbrushes, in this case. You can argue that it doesn't do anything different than other similar products, but it's hard to find an electric toothbrush this good-looking.
The plastic version has a nicely contoured handle that's easy to hold and slim enough to fit inside a travel Dopp kit. It takes a single AAA battery, so there's no need to carry around a charging station. There's only one mode, so it's a no-brainer to use. There are no rotating heads, but the sonic vibrations are more effective than brushing manually, and a 2-minute timer (four 30-second pulses, with a short pause in between) ensures you get the recommended brushing time (it's accepted by the American Dental Association).
I use a silver metal version of the Quip, which is similar to the plastic model in terms of usage. Admittedly, it doesn't feel that much different than the Oral-B manual toothbrush that I also use, but the vibrating bristles make brushing my teeth feel cleaner in less time. However, it's definitely nowhere as powerful as my old trusty Oral-B electric toothbrush (which I've stopped using because I can't find the charging base).
Senior reporter Connie Chen said in her review, "Quip solved my two biggest problems with teeth brushing: making sure I was brushing long enough and replacing my toothbrush regularly. It keeps me honest, and I just let my mind wander for the four minutes a day I spend maintaining my oral hygiene."
Yes, most budget electric toothbrushes will seem less solid and effective than a premium model, but you're also not spending $50-$100 for a complex tool. The whole concept around Quip is to get people to brush more (and to sign up for its $5 three-month refill plan).
The Quip isn't innovative by any means, but for people who don't brush regularly or replace their toothbrush often enough, the Quip is a nice (and stylish) solution to those problems. With that said, Quip can get costly if you opt for the metal or special editions and you add-on the extras.
Insider Reviews senior reporter Connie Chen compared the Quip to other similar electric toothbrush startups. See how it compares. — Les Shu
Pros: Low price, great for travel, sleek design, replaceable head and battery, comfortable to use
Cons: Not the most powerful, no adjustable settings, plastic version has limited color options
If you like to incorporate technology into every part of your life and want to take a super serious approach to dental care, the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart 9700 might be the perfect toothbrush for you.
At $300, the DiamondClean Smart 9700 is expensive, but before you immediately write it off as being out of your budget, it is not your average electric toothbrush and there is real value in paying so much for the device.
The DiamondClean Smart 9700 features five cleaning modes — Clean, White+, Deep Clean+, Gum Health, and Tongue Care — all of which can be used at three different intensities.
The 9700 comes with the toothbrush, the wireless charging base, the optional wireless charging glass, the USB charging travel case, six replacement toothbrush heads, and a tongue scrubber. The included replacement heads are worth more than $60 separately and partly accounts for the steep price tags. It's worth noting that any electric toothbrush you buy will eventually require replacement heads. The 9700 is good because it will get you accustomed to replacing your brush heads on time — not having them on-hand won't be an excuse.
As a smart toothbrush, the 9700 connects to the Sonicare app via Bluetooth. In the app, you can set goals like teeth whitening, gum health, fresh breath, or plaque removal. While brushing your teeth, the app will guide you through each session to help you cover all areas of your mouth and meet your goals. Most people don't brush their teeth systematically — their method usually consists of going all over the place and hoping they hit every part.
With the app, you won't have to worry about not brushing long enough or missing a spot. Most toothbrushes pulse when it's time to move on to the next part of your mouth (so does the 9700), but having the additional visual representation of your teeth and brushing coverage in the app makes it more effective. If you do miss a spot, the app will give you a few extra seconds to go back and clean them. The toothbrush and app will also help you correct all of the things you might be doing wrong like brushing too hard or too fast with the built-in pressure and motion sensors.
Another feature that makes this toothbrush smart is its ability to automatically detect what type of brush head is on. If you switch to a whitening head, it will automatically set to the White+ setting.
Immediately after the first use with the DiamondClean Smart 9700, I could tell that my teeth were cleaner than they had ever been with any other toothbrush. I didn't feel any remaining grit on my teeth or along my gumline. After using the 9700 for over a month, I saw results in whitening my teeth.
The toothbrush and app have made it much easier to maintain good dental health. You know how your dentist reminds you to brush twice daily and to floss regularly every time you go for a scheduled cleaning? Well, the app does it daily, so you won't have to wait six months for your next appointment to get that reminder.
Overall, the DiamondClean Smart 9700 is worth the money. Yes, it's expensive, but so are dental bills. Considering you only get one set of teeth, this toothbrush is a good way to prevent or improve existing dental issues. If there's something frivolous of equal value that you want to buy, consider buying this instead. — Amir Ismael
Pros: Protective pressure and motion sensors, five cleaning modes, connects to app for comprehensive monitoring, comes with multiple replacement heads
Cons: All of the features come with a high price tag
The best for kids
Philips
Getting your children to brush properly twice per day can be a struggle, but with the fun Philips Sonicare for Kids, they might actually beg to brush their teeth.
Kids and good oral hygiene are typically not a natural combo. Most kids are either reluctant to brush or do a poor job at cleaning their teeth. The Philips Sonicare for Kids makes brushing fun, however, turning a routine task almost into a video game, thanks to the free Bluetooth-compatible app that encourages and rewards good brushing techniques.
Like all Sonicare toothbrushes, the kids' brush uses patented sonic technology for up to 75% more effective removal of plaque and debris than a manual toothbrush. It has a built-in two-minute timer and alerts the child to switch quadrants every 30 seconds while brushing. There are two speed settings, and the brush comes with eight stickers to customize the handle.
But where the fun really starts is with the free app that not only teaches kids about the whys and hows of good oral hygiene, it also turns brushing into a game. Your child will get to adopt a "Sparkly," a cute little creature that gives brushing tips while your child "brushes" the Sparkly's teeth. The app also tracks performance, making it easy to reward good hygiene. Just set your smartphone or tablet where your child can watch while brushing.
Over and over, buyers comment that their kids went from being brushing-resistant to actually wanting to brush their teeth. Many state that their child's dental appointments are much, much better since switching to the Sonicare.
The Philips Sonicare for Kids is recommended for ages three and up if the child is using the brush on their own. Younger children should have assistance from an adult, however.
Pros: App makes brushing fun, brush head is sized for children's mouths, very effective at removing plaque and debris from teeth and gum line
Cons: Your child will eventually outgrow the cutesy app
According to dental health website AsktheDentist, sonic toothbrushes, which oscillate at astonishing rates — up to 31,000 strokes per minute at full speed — are more effective at reaching and removing plaque between the teeth and beneath the gum line, making a sonic toothbrush the best bet for anyone with gum issues, those who are lackadaisical about flossing, and the majority of people over age 40. Of course, in the oral hygiene field, sonic toothbrush generally means Sonicare, by far the biggest name in the industry.
And out of the many Sonicare models available, the best bet for gum trouble is the Philips Sonicare 2 Series Plaque Control toothbrush. Like all Sonicare brushes, the sonic cleaning action drives fluid between the teeth and under the gum line to break up and remove more plaque than regular toothbrushes, yet the brush is gentle enough to use on orthodontics, implants, veneers, and sensitive teeth. The slim, angled neck makes it easy to reach way back in your mouth, and the timer lets you know when two minutes are up. In fact, the brush automatically turns itself off.
The Philips Sonicare 2 Series Plaque Control even eases you into the sonic brush experience by slowly increasing the power over the brush's first 14 uses, giving you plenty of time to adjust to the ultra-oscillating speed.
A negative, however, is the high price of the replacement heads. Still, if you want a sonic toothbrush that's powerful on plaque, yet gentle on your gums, and you don't need a lot of bells and whistles, this is a great choice.
As a top-tier smart toothbrush, the Oral-B iO Series 8 was compared to the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart 9700. It has a similar smart app that helps you track things like coverage, pressure, and brush time. The toothbrush comes with a charging stand, a travel case, and two replacement brushes.
The iO Series 8 also has a color display that greets you and displays the current settings. It's a nice touch, but it doesn't improve the performance. Although it's $50 cheaper than the 9700, it still fell short as the best state-of-the-art toothbrush for a few key reasons.
The Oral-B iO has six cleaning modes — Daily Clean, Whitening, Gum Care, Sensitive, Intense, and Super Sensitive — but the 9700's five modes and three sensitivities allowed for more personalization.
Another thing that disappointed me was the lack of toothbrush covers. I was able to pick up a six-pack on Amazon for $7, but for $250, you'd expect at least one to be included.
Considering the cost of replacement brush heads, plus the extra accessories you get like a charging case and fancy wireless charging glass, the $300 DiamondClean 9700 is a better buy. I would recommend the Oral-B iO Series 8 to anyone who really can't spare the extra $50 but still wants a high-end toothbrush, as well as anyone who prefers the round style of the Oral-B heads.
As our previous pick for the best mid-priced electric toothbrush, the Goby Electric toothbrush is still a worthwhile consideration if you don't need or want connectivity to a smart app.
Insider Reviews deputy editor Malarie Gokey said, "I usually use a Philips Sonicare electric toothbrush, which costs more than $100, so I was blown away by the $65-$80 price tag of the Goby toothbrush. Equally surprising was just how good it was. I love the two different speed settings and how the moving bristles polish away stains on my teeth and any tartar or plaque that builds up."
She also appreciated the affordable brush head replacements. At $6, they're much cheaper than replacements for brands like Philips Sonicare and Oral-B.
Adding a whitening toothpaste to your oral hygiene routine is a great way to keep your smile shining and your teeth clean and healthy. These are our picks for the best whitening toothpastes you can buy.
Fortunately, if you want white teeth, you don't have to say goodbye to coffee, soda, sweets, tea, wine, or smoking because there are many teeth whitening kits to choose from (though, we still recommend that you kick the smoking habit for obvious reasons). Here are the best teeth whitening kits.
There's plenty to be said for the classic manual toothbrush: It can't run out of batteries and it's compact, lightweight, and portable. These are the best manual toothbrushes that will leave your whole mouth clean and fresh.
Used in tandem with brushing, flossing, and avoiding salt water taffy before bed, a good mouthwash can play a pivotal role in your oral health and hygiene regimen. These are the best mouthwashes.
Brushing your teeth at least twice a day is essential to good oral hygiene and long-lasting, healthy, white teeth. To get the most out of your daily brushing, you need the best toothpaste you can get. Here are our top picks.
The American Dental Association recommends brushing for two minutes twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and flossing at least once a day because dental floss is very effective at removing plaque and food from between your teeth. Here are the best dental flosses to promote oral health.
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, spoke out on Friday about the Trump administration's partial ban on TikTok.
"I've said this before, but a US TikTok ban would be quite bad for Instagram, Facebook, and the internet more broadly," Mosseri tweeted.
While the ban may have a short-term benefit for Instagram — particularly after the introduction of its TikTok competitor, Reels, last month — the long-term costs outweigh those gains.
Following Mosseri's tweets, acting TikTok chief Vanessa Pappas urged Instagram to support TikTok in fighting the ban.
Instagram boss Adam Mosseri has slammed the Trump administration's partial TikTok ban, saying it's harmful to the internet in general.
"I've said this before, but a US TikTok ban would be quite bad for Instagram, Facebook, and the internet more broadly," Mosseri tweeted on Friday.
He noted that most of Instagram's users are based outside of the US, which is also the company's biggest potential growth area. The long term cost of "countries making aggressive demands and banning us over the next decade outweigh slowing down one competitor today."
TikTok told Business Insider in a statement that it would challenge the order, which it says "threatens to deprive the American people and small businesses across the US of a significant platform for both a voice and livelihoods."
Following Mosseri's tweets, acting TikTok chief Vanessa Pappas urged Instagram to support TikTok in fighting the ban.
Mosseri's comments on TikTok mirror his earlier statements on a possible ban, saying it sets a dangerous precedent that would be bad for Instagram in the long term.
"If we move to a place where countries start to silo internet within them, and we can't operate in that way, I think that it's much more problematic than any short-term benefit," Mosseri said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" earlier this month. "I'm actually not enjoying this at all, although some people think it's going to be very good for us."
Instagram and TikTok are direct competitors, particularly after Instagram's introduction of Reels, a short-form video feature Instagram added last month.
It wasn't that long ago that the phrase "how to curve text in MS Paint" became a popular internet meme. The joke was that it was impossible. Microsoft Paint never did have the ability to curve text boxes.
But the truth is, the basic Microsoft application isn't the only graphics app that doesn't support curved text. Many photo editing and graphic-creation apps still can't make a situate a row of text in a rounded shape.
Despite being way more advanced and highly popular free graphic design software, Canva is among those that lack this tool. The popular web app for creating graphics for business pages and social media posts offers no button, tool, or present to curve text.
However, there is a workaround that is perfect despite being tedious if you're trying to do something like a circular logo.
If you frequently use Canva or are just looking to create curved text, here's how to do it.
How to curve text in Canva
1. Open a new Canva file.
2. Create two concentric circles, making one slightly smaller than the other and each a different color.
3. Position the smaller circle precisely in the center of the larger one. The smaller circle will be centered when two perpendicular lines appear across the shape as you drag it.
Creating two different circles with contrasting colors will help you with spacing.
Melanie Weir/Business Insider
4. Select both of these shapes by clicking outside them before dragging your mouse over the entirety of both figures.
5. Select the lock button in the top right corner of the screen to keep the circles from shifting as you complete the next step.
Locking the circles will help ensure that your shapes don't move while you attempt to line up text.
Melanie Weir/Business Insider
6. Create text boxes and type out each letter of the text you want to curve, making sure the text boxes themselves are just large enough for the one letter. To do this quicker, you can create the text box for the first letter, then copy and paste that box each time you need a new one preserving font presets.
7. Drag the first letter to the outside of the circle, in the space between the outer edges of each of them.
8. Use the circular arrow icon underneath each text box to rotate it until the bottom of the letter sits as level as possible on the smaller circle's outer edge. You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to make smaller, more precise adjustments to a letter's position once you have it close to where you want it.
9. Repeat this step until all the letters are in place.
Rotate each letter until they all rest on the edges of the smallest circle.
Melanie Weir/Business Insider
10. Make any necessary micro-adjustments to the spacing, curve, and placement of the letters to look as unified as possible.
11. Click and drag across the letters, the same way you did with the circles.
12. Select the three dots on the right side of the toolbar across the top of your workspace. Click "Group" to make the letters all one unit to move around the page as you please.
Once your images are grouped, you can click and drag them as a singular new curved text image wherever you want.
Melanie Weir/Business Insider
13. You can ungroup the letters at any time by pressing the same button, which changes to say "Ungroup" after you've grouped the items.
Eating at home instead of getting takeout has gotten a lot easier with the rise of the meal kits.
But with so many options to choose from, it can be hard to know exactly which plan or subscription is right for you.
We put Blue Apron and HelloFresh head to head to determine which meal kit wins our hearts and our bellies. In this case, it was simply too close to call.
HelloFresh is ideal for simplicity, speed, and convenience, while Blue Apron is better for cooks who want to get creative and explore new flavors.
If ever there was a cure to your Seamless obsession, it's another kind of delivery — the meal kit delivery. Here to save you from the never-ending rotation of takeout, these meal kits are re-introducing you to your kitchen in all its wonder. As it turns out, your stove is just as important as your microwave.
But just as it can be a challenge to pick your favorite take-out restaurant, it can be difficult to pick your favorite meal kit delivery service. We've taste-tested plenty of brands to put together our comprehensive buying guide, which you can check out here, but we're also helping narrow down your decision-making process with comparison pieces like this. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.
Both Blue Apron and HelloFresh are veritable giants on the meal kit scene. They've been around for years, and have built up a loyal base of followers thanks to their tasty recipes, wide selections, and ability to cater to various dietary restrictions. Both feature solid produce and protein options and are fantastic for a date night activity.
But there are certainly some aspects in which Blue Apron and HelloFresh begin to differentiate themselves from one another, and that's really how you'll be making your decision. Here are our thoughts after testing both.
If we're thinking in terms of pure convenience, HelloFresh is a bit easier to use than Blue Apron. While both are extremely convenient, HelloFresh is more focused on providing meals that are truly no fuss, and as a result, can be ready in just a matter of minutes.
Blue Apron, on the other hand, sometimes requires just a bit more prep work or expertise — as a tradeoff, however, you may find Blue Apron's meals a bit more complex and interesting.
I've found many of HelloFresh's recipes to be a bit more straightforward and easy to follow, which is ideal for the beginner chef. If you're just looking to dip your toe into culinary waters and are beginning to make your way around four burners and an oven, then HelloFresh certainly seems a bit less intimidating.
While both Blue Apron and HelloFresh's directions are very clear, it often seems as though HelloFresh's recipes simply require fewer steps. Not only is that ideal for the beginner chef, but it's also well-suited for folks who perhaps are in a bit more of a rush. And if your main draw to a meal kit is convenience through and through, then HelloFresh is the way to go.
What Blue Apron may lack in convenience, it makes up for in creativity. The meal kit service is looking to put a bit of a gourmet spin on home cooking, and consequently, if you're looking to expand your horizons a bit, you'll be able to do so with Blue Apron.
I appreciate the internationally-inspired meals like Mushroom Tempura Rice Bowl or Crispy za'atar Chicken Tenders, which have the capacity to introduce cooks not only to new flavors but perhaps new techniques as well. Indeed, it's not all that often that you'll find meal kits making use of ingredients like fregola sarda, but Blue Apron could make it a staple in your kitchen.
For slightly more experienced chefs, Blue Apron is an ideal way to begin to expand horizons and check out different flavor combinations in a relatively risk-free environment. I've also had a number of friends adapt Blue Apron recipes to their own needs, something that seems more unique to this particular meal kit service than any other that I've tried.
HelloFresh has recently become something of a meal kit behemoth, acquiring a number of smaller meal kit services including Green Chef. As a result, HelloFresh now offers a wide range of menus, including pescatarian, paleo, and vegetarian options.
While Blue Apron also offers some menus that are catered specifically toward these various dietary restrictions, they're not quite as well-curated as those of HelloFresh. As a result, if you're really looking to satisfy very specific dining or cooking habits, you may have a slightly easier time picking out your weekly menu through HelloFresh.
While Blue Apron also caters to different needs, it's a bit more difficult to actually narrow down your search by way of specific filters, so HelloFresh is a clear winner in this category.
Perhaps the deciding factor when it comes to picking a meal kit, taste is inevitably a subjective metric. I will say that given the variety of meals that I've been able to experience through HelloFresh with its many different menu options, there is more room for exploration through this service.
However, it's not always the case that all recipes are equally delicious. I've found that some HelloFresh meals are much more interesting than others and that there's more variation in terms of the level of quality.
Blue Apron, on the other hand, seems a bit more reliable in terms of quality. Though there may be a slightly lesser range of options available, I know that all options will be equally delicious.
The best way to compare meal kit prices is by meal and serving.
Blue Apron costs $9.99 per serving and offers free shipping if you opt for three recipes that feed two people a week. This totals to $59.94 for one week. HelloFresh will cost you $8.99 per serving for three recipes that feed two people a week but will also tack on an additional $6.99 for shipping. This totals to $60.93 for one week's worth of meals. If we're going by this math, Blue Apron wins this one by a single dollar.
However, there are ongoing introductory deals that'll drop the cost down a bit, though the deals might change over time. Currently, Blue Apron is giving new users $50 off their first two orders (so $25 off each order); just sign up for a new account and the discount would be applied at checkout.
Over at Hello Fresh, new email subscribers can take $15 off their orders by providing an email for news and updates, and new users can save $80 on their first four boxes and get free shipping as well. Both are ongoing deals, but they cannot be combined.
Depending on how many recipes and servings are in each order for either service, these discounts mean the prices will ultimately differ greatly, so we're calling this one a draw.
The choice between HelloFresh and Blue Apron ultimately comes down to convenience and your desire for new flavor profiles. If your priority is a quick, convenient, and delicious dinner, then HelloFresh becomes the obvious winner.
On the other hand, if you're looking to do a bit more exploration with your cooking and are eager to try out new techniques, then Blue Apron is the one for you. Either way, you'll be doing yourself a favor by giving takeout a day off.
U.S. Senator Collins talks with reporters after announcing she will vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh during speech on Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington
Thomson Reuters
Following a Republican wave in 2014, Democrats are looking to regain control of the Senate in 2020.
The Senate is currently comprised of 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and two independents who generally caucus with the Democratic Party.
While the House has passed numerous bills since the Democrats gained a majority, nearly all of the bills have withered in the Senate.
If the Senate is flipped, the Democrats will have more power and ability to pass legislation and stymie President Donald Trump's agenda.
As the November elections fast approach, approximately 10 incumbent senators are at risk of being ousted.
The U.S. Senate is currently comprised of 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and two independents who caucus with Democrats and primarily vote along Democratic party lines. For the Democrats to gain a majority in the Senate, the party needs to win at least four seats. If Joe Biden is elected as president, Kamala Harris would become the president of the Senate and would hold the tie-breaking vote in the Democrats' favor.
While the House of Representatives has passed numerous bills in Congress, very few have passed in the Senate since the House became majority-Democratic following the 2018 midterm election. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has declined to bring many bills to the floor.
A Democratic Senate would also give the Democratic Party complete control of the legislative branch for the first time since the 111th Congress under President Barack Obama's first term.
Conversely, it is imperative for the Republican Party to maintain a hold of the Senate if they wish to continue the agenda of President Donald Trump, should he be elected to a second term. If the Senate majority falls to the Democrats, it will become increasingly easy for Democrats to stymie the work of President Trump and the Republican Party.
Here are 10 of the senators most at risk of losing their seats:
Susan Collins — Maine
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 01: U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill February 1, 2011 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Sen. Susan Collins is facing off against State House Speaker Sara Gideon in Maine.
Collins has historicallypositioned herself as an independent, moderate, conservative-leaning senator. She has been a proponent of LGBT rights and abortion access, and was ranked in 2019 as the most bipartisan member of the U.S. Senate by the Lugar Center at Georgetown University.
Collins was highly popular for much of her career but has seen her favorability decline since Trump's election in 2016. President Trump's brand of politics lacks bipartisan support in congress, making it increasingly difficult for Collins to toe the bipartisan line as she would in the past.
A September Quinnipiac University survey showed that Gideon currently holds a 12 percentage point lead in the polls over Collins in a 54%-42% split among likely voters. Gideon's lead appears to be increasing as polling from August by Quinnipiac University had Gideon up by just 4 points.
"The tide has turned on Senator Susan Collins, who was so popular in Maine that she won nearly 70 percent of the vote the last time she ran. Likely voters are sending the message that there's no 'middle of the road' when it comes to President Trump, who is deeply unpopular in the state," said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Mary Snow.
Doug Jones — Alabama
Doug Jones shakes hands with supporters after his surprise win.
Sen. Doug Jones is squaring this November against former Auburn University football coach and Republican, Tommy Tuberville.
Jones was elected in a 2017 special election following the resignation of Republican incumbent Sen. Jeff Sessions to become attorney general. Jones faced off against Judge Roy Moore, a former Alabama Supreme Court Justice.
Moore was accused of sexual assault by eight women when they were in their teenage years and was previously expelled from the Alabama Supreme Court on two separate occasions, which proved to be easy fodder for Democrats to use against Moore in the election. Still, Jones only defeated Moore by 1.5% percentage points in a 49.9%-48.4% split of the vote, according to The New York Times.
Tuberville was endorsed by President Donald Trump, which helped him defeat his predecessor, Jeff Sessions, in the 2020 GOP primary. As the head football coach at Auburn University from 1999-2008, Tuberville led the team to 85 wins and 40 losses.
According to a Decision Desk HQ election forecast, there is an 80.9% chance that Tuberville will defeat Jones. With less than two months remaining until the November election, Jones is winning just 35% of likely voters, according to a Morning Consult poll released at the beginning of September. The survey shows that 52% of likely voters support Tuberville.
Lindsey Graham — South Carolina
Lindsey Graham.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Sen. Lindsey Graham is locked in a dead heat with Democrat Jamie Harrison in South Carolina, according to a recent poll from Quinnipiac University.
Graham has been in the Senate since 2003 and was preceded by Sen. Strom Thurmond. He is the current chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Harrison, his challenger, is a former state senator and the former chairman of South Carolina's Democratic Party.
According to the Post and Courier, Graham has been outraised by Harrison over the past two fundraising quarters.
A mid-September Quinnipiac University poll shows the two candidates tied 50%-50% amongst likely voters. Harrison's campaign is fueled by his unique campaign style and charisma.
Additionally, Fox News extensively blamed Graham for encouraging President Donald Trump's interviews with esteemed journalist Bob Woodward. The interviews included an exchange which showcased the president's cover-up of the by the Saudi Arabian government's murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
"A victor by almost 16 points back in 2014, Senator Graham stares down the first real test of his Senate tenure. Outspent and accused by some of being a Trump apologist, he is in a precarious tie," said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.
Thom Tillis — North Carolina
In this March 2, 2020, file photo Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., speaks during a campaign rally for President Donald Trump in Charlotte, N.C.
Associated Press
First-term incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis and Democrat Cal Cunningham are currently vying for a Senate seat in North Carolina.
Tillis, who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014, is the former speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives and currently sits on the Judiciary and Armed Services Committees.
Cunningham is a U.S. Army veteran and North Carolina state legislator. He's gained support through his plans to increase healthcare access, combatting climate change, and investing in the country's educational system.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is currently facing off against U.S. Marine Corps veteran Amy McGrath in Kentucky.
Sen. McConnell has been a member of the U.S. Senate since 1985. Before his time in the Senate, he was the Jefferson County Judge/Executive. McGrath is a veteran with previous congressional aspirations, having failed to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018.
While she has the support of many in the state, McGrath has drawn ire from her Democratic peers from confusing messaging about Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and McConnell's ability to assist with President Trump's agenda.
Federal election filings show the race between McConnell and McGrath is the most expensive senate race of 2020. McGrath has raised close to $47 million for her campaign, while McConnell has raised $36.7 million. Each candidate has a little over $16 million left to spend on the election.
"After 36 years in the Senate, Majority Leader McConnell appears to have a comfortable path to six more years in Washington in one of the most expensive Senate races to date," said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.
David Perdue — Georgia
Georgia Republican Senate Candidate David Perdue
David Goldman/AP
First-term Sen. David Perdue is facing Democrat Jon Ossoff for a Senate seat in Georgia.
Perdue, the former CEO of Reebok as well as the former CEO and chairman of Dollar General, was first elected in 2014 in a Republican wave year.
Ossoff is a business owner and investigative journalist who previously ran for a highly-contested House seat in a special election against Karen Handel. After narrowly losing to Handel in 2017, Ossoff set his sights on the Senate where he won this year's highly-competitive Democratic primary.
In late July of 2020, Perdue's campaign ran a blatantly anti-Semitic ad against Ossoff which enlarged his nose and placed him next to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and insisted the two were trying to "buy Georgia." Perdue and his campaign denied any affiliation with the creation of the ad and insisted that it was created by an outside vendor.
The suburbs of Atlanta have recently begun trending more blue, leading experts to believe that Georgia is become much more at play for Democrats than previously expected. In a recorded call from April with "Women for Trump" obtained by CNN, Perdue noted the state's ongoing political shift.
"Here's the reality: The state of Georgia is in play," said Perdue. "The Democrats have made it that way."
The most recent September survey of 800 likely voters from Fabrizio Ward & Hart Research, a Republican-leaning polling group,shows Ossoff with a 1 percentage point advantage over Perdue. A mid-September forecast by Decision Desk HQ has Perdue with a 56.9% chance of defeating Ossoff.
Martha McSally — Arizona
U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) speaks during a Senate Armed Subcommittee hearing on preventing sexual assault where she spoke about her experience of being sexually assaulted in the military on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 6, 2019.
Joshua Roberts/Reuters
Sen. Martha McSally is fighting for her political life in a special election against Democrat Mark Kelly.
McSally joined the Senate in 2019 following the passing of longtime congressman, Sen. John McCain. She first ran for a Senate seat in the 2018 election to fill the seat of outgoing Sen. Jeff Flake, but lost to Democratic nominee Kyrsten Sinema by 2.4 percentage points.
McSally's Democratic challenger, Mark Kelly, is an astronaut and the husband of former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who was shot in the head in 2011 in Tucson.
While McSally is an accomplished fundraiser, she was outraised by Kelly in the second quarter of 2020. According to federal campaign filings, Kelly has outraised McSally by $15 million during his campaign. In an attempt to fundraise, McSally drew the ire of some by asking her supporters to "fast a meal" and donate the money to her instead.
Joni Ernst — Iowa
Senator Joni Ernst rehearses the Republican response to Obama's State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Thomson Reuters
First-term incumbent Sen. Joni Ernst matches up against Democrat Theresa Greenfield in Iowa.
Ernst was originally elected in 2014 amid a GOP wave in Congress. She is a veteran of the Iowa Army National Guard and gained a national following during her first Senate run with advertisements promising to "make 'em squeal" in Washington. Her challenger, Greenfield, is real estate developer and urban planner making her first official run as a political candidate.
Sen. Ernst recently drew negative attention by announcing her skepticism of the 190,000 reported COVID-19 deaths in the United States. She said she thought there may be fewer than 10,000 deaths, a suggestion for which she privately apologized to the Iowa Medical Society, but has yet to publicly retract.
According to an election forecast from Decision Desk HQ in mid-September, Ernst has a 56.3% chance of staying in Congress for a second term. A recent survey of likely voters by Fabrizio Ward and Hart Research Associates, a Conservative-leaning pollster,has Ernst up by five percentage points in the polls over Greenfield.
Cory Gardner – Colorado
New U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner reacts after picking number one in office lottery for new House members in Washington in this file photo
Thomson Reuters
First-term incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner squares off against Democrat and former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper.
Before joining the Senate, Gardner spent time in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as the Colorado House. During his time in the Senate, he has had a heavy focus on energy policy and public lands — two of the state's most pressing issues.
Gardner's challenger, Hickenlooper, is the former mayor of Denver and spent eight years as the governor of Colorado. While popular during his time in office, Hickenlooper drew little interest or support during a failed run for the Democratic presidential nomination, which came to a halt in 2019. Despite having joined the Senate race later than most, Hickenlooper won the Democratic primary by 17.4 percentage points of the vote.
An early-September survey of likely voters by Fabrizio Ward and Hart Research Associates, a Conservative-leaning polling group,shows Hickenlooper with a five percentage point lead over Gardner of the survey's 51%-46% split. Forecasting by Decision Desk HQ has Hickenlooper with 78.2% chance of defeating Gardner in November.
Alaska
Daniel Sullivan (R-AK) (R) speaks as Sen. John Thune (R-SD) (L) listens during a news briefing after the Republican weekly policy luncheon July 12, 2016 at the Capitol in Washington, DC.
Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan is vying to hold onto his Senate seat against independent candidate Dr.Al Gross.
Sullivan was elected in 2014 amidst a Republican wave in the Senate. He formerly worked as a clerk in several state and federal courts and is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He is an active member of the US Marine Corps Reserves and currently sits on the committees on Veteran Affairs; Environment and Public Works; Armed Services; and Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Gross is an orthopedic surgeon, fisherman, and affordable healthcare advocate. While running as an independent, Gross would caucus with the Democratic Party if elected. Gross' campaign has focused on admonishing Sen. Sullivan for failing to protect the US Postal Service and for failing to support anti-climate change initiatives.
A recent survey from Public Policy Polling shows the two candidates tied amongst Alaska voters, with 14% of respondents undecided. According to Decision Desk HQ, Sullivan has a 69.1% chance at retaining his Senate seat against Gross.
We're hiring: BI is looking for an energy reporter/editor to help shape our coverage. It's a sweet gig with a ton of opportunity to make a mark on a fresh beat for our newsroom.
Well, well, well … it looks like people are finally returning from vacation.
With summer over, crisp, 60-degree weather swept through New York this week, animating me with spooky Halloween vibes. (My accidental pumpkin, harvested several weeks ago, is showing no signs of decay. Thanks for asking).
Let's get to it.
Lightsource BP's floating installation at the Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir, Britain
That might be the worst thing you've read this week, but at least it's not totally inaccurate. BP is on track to be a very different energy company by 2030, with a massive portfolio of renewables.
What else: BP revealed tons of other details this week during BP Week, an annual event for analysts and investors.
Oil demand is set to plateau this decade and then decline, even under a "business-as-usual" scenario, the company said. Remarkably, that's a decade earlier than the company's forecast from last year.
In fact, it's possible that peak oil demand is behind us, under a scenario where governments take more aggressive action on climate change, BP said.
Amazon, which operates a major shipping business, has a mixed environmental record.
Earlier this year, employees put their jobs at risk to publicly criticize the company's climate practices.
The company provides support to oil and gas companies.
It's within that context that the tech giant announced a $2 billion low-carbon venture fund in June — one of the largest in the clean-energy industry — to help it become a net-zero emissions company by 2040.
(For comparison, Apple and Facebook say they will be net-zero across their entire supply chains by 2030, though these companies aren't in the business of shipping.)
First bets: Amazon announced on Thursday the startups receiving the fund's first and highly anticipated investments.
Exxon is facing questions from the government of Singapore about whether it misused its performance review process to cut workers after the price of oil crashed.
What employees say: "We are all extremely anxious and worried about our job security," said one worker.
Exxon, one of Singapore's largest foreign investors, is considered a prestigious employer in the country, the employee said.
Losing your job through a performance-based cut is a ding on your resume, she said, and it will make it harder to find new employment.
Exxon's response: "The performance review process provides a fair and consistent approach to managing employees with lower relative or lower absolute performance," Casey Norton, an Exxon spokesperson, said. "This is an annual process which has been in place for many years."
Former workers say the company is taking advantage of Ivory Coast's weak governance and feeble unions to pay them less.
This practice is not uncommon among global corporations based in the West, according to Joe Drexler, an international labor expert and adjunct professor at the University of Denver.
Have a tip about Schlumberger? Reach out to me at bjones@businessinsider.com or shoot me a text at 646-768-1657.
5 big stories we didn't cover
Oil update. "The International Energy Agency revised down its 2020 global oil demand forecast to 91.7 million barrels per day on expectations of a 'treacherous' path ahead," BI's Shalini Nagarajan reports.
Another SPAC IPO. EV-charging-network startup, ChargePoint, is "nearing a deal to go public through a reverse merger with Switchback Energy Acquisition Corp," per Reuters.
Big FERC move. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission passed an order this week that allows small energy sources that are distributed across the grid, such as rooftop solar panels, to participate in wholesale energy markets, per pv magazine.
The climate pledges keep rolling in. New Zealeand's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, committed to achieving 100% renewable energy by 2030 should her party be reelected in October, per Axios.
That's it! Have a great weekend.
- Benji
Ps. We left our apartments! Here are a few members of our team enjoying beverages in Prospect Park this week.
Some of BI's healthcare/energy/cannabis team. From left to right: Yeji Jesse Lee, Blake Dodge, Benji Jones, and Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer.
Members of the Air Force's 352nd Special Operations Wing conduct cold-weather training with Norwegian troops near Banak Air Base, December 10, 2019.
US Army/Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Pena
The US military is increasing its activity in the Arctic, and the Air Force, which already has a major presence in the region, is shifting its focus to operating there.
That is a welcome development for Air Force Special Operations Command, whose airmen are already picking up new techniques and practices to operate at high latitudes.
As military activity in the Arctic increases, the US Air Force expects to play major role, and its special operators are already adapting to the region's challenging conditions.
US Air Force Special Operations Command is "several years into improving our operations in the high north," Lt. Gen. James Slife, head of the command, said at a press conference this week during the Air Force Association's annual conference.
US-based operators are training in Alaska, and special-operations airmen stationed in Europe are spending more time in the high north. "We have been actually putting a fair bit of time and effort into this," Slife said.
A Special Tactics operator guards an F-22 Raptor with the 3rd Wing as it refuels during Emerald Warrior at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, January 30, 2020.
US Air Force/Staff Sgt. Ridge Shan
During an exercise in Alaska in January, Special Tactics airmen practiced setting up a forward area refueling point — a fuel station for aircraft behind enemy lines — for F-22s in extreme cold weather, the first such exercise with fifth-generation fighters.
This month, members of the UK-based 352nd Special Operations Wing went to Norway for training. While they've worked closely with Norway for years, "this is the first time we have everyone together here at this base ... and this type of tight integration," the head of air operations for Norwegian Special Operations Command said in a release.
Slife said his command has been working to lighten its footprint to conduct expeditionary operations in the Arctic.
"What we've found is that we got to change some of our aircraft maintenance practices to ensure that we're able to reliably generate air power in that extremely harsh environment," Slife added. "We've invested in protective clothing for both aircrew and maintainers and ground support personnel."
A Norwegian soldier backs his snowmobile into a CV-22B Osprey from the 352nd Special Operation Wing during training in northern Norway, March 8, 2020
US Army/Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Pena
The work has yielded "some pretty exciting innovation," Slife said.
"We've got some young sergeants that are faced with tactical problems when they're operating in snow that is well up the side of the aircraft when they land their V-22," Slife added. "They need to get the snowmobile out, so they developed some innovative inserts into the cabin of the aircraft that allow us to just drive the snowmobiles straight on and off the back."
The high latitudes also pose unique challenges for communications, affecting both aircraft and warships. Slife said his command has invested in "technologies that will help us reliably communicate" in that part of the world.
"There are oftentimes challenges with being able to communicate beyond line of sight in that environment, and so we just have to go back and relearn some lessons ... or explor[e] new waveforms and new frequency bands that allow us to communicate at long distance at those high latitudes," Slife said, adding that there has been "some good progress."
Train people and harden resources
Members of the US Air Force's 352nd Special Operations Wing load snowmobiles during training in northern Norway, December 10, 2019.
The head of US Northern Command, which oversees military operations in North America, and of North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, is usually an Air Force general, reflecting the centrality of aerospace defense in the region.
The Air Force underscored its shifting focus this summer by releasing its first Arctic Strategy ever, declaring that the "Arctic's increasing strategic importance, coupled with the services' significant regional investment, requires the Department to have a unified, deliberate, and forward-looking approach."
Beyond its strategic value, Alaska provides unique training opportunities. Eielson Air Force Base is home to Arctic Survival School, called "Cool School," which for 60 years has trained airmen to survive long enough to be rescued.
An Arctic Survival School instructor, left, monitors a pilot during an F-35A survival kit test, in Fairbanks, Alaska, November 5, 2019.
US Air Force/Senior Airman Beaux Hebert
Arctic-specific skills will only grow in importance as military, commercial, and civilian activity in the region increases.
"Training is key to being able to operate in the Arctic. We need both our personnel and our material to be ready," Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett said at a July event announcing the strategy.
"We work to train our people and to harden our resources ... so that [they] can stand that harsh environment. We have to work to pass on that training and education, and we have to build things in hardened ways so that we can operate there," added Barrett, who previously served as US ambassador to Finland.
Air Force Special Operations Command was "really excited" to hear from Barrett about that new strategy, Slife said.
"We're excited to see the Air Force's interest in operating in the high north, because it's very complimentary to the stuff that we've been working on, and we look forward to doing more in the future," Slife added.
Investors should take advantage of the recent sell-off and buy AMD ahead of a compelling growth opportunity in 2021, Bank of America said in a note on Friday.
AMD is poised to take market share in the semiconductor space as Intel continues to struggle with manufacturing, according to the note.
Bank of America's $100 price target for AMD represents potential upside of 31% from Thursday's close.
Detailed below are five reasons Bank of America calls AMD a "top compute pick."
AMD has a compelling growth opportunity in 2021 that could lead to more market share gains as it capitalizes off of rival Intel's manufacturing woes, according to Bank of America.
In a note published on Friday, the bank highlighted AMD as a fundamentally solid tech stock that investors should consider buying, especially after an 18% sell-off from its September 1 highs.
Bank of America rates AMD as a "Buy" with a $100 price target, representing potential upside of 31% from Thursday's close.
Detailed below are five reasons Bank of America calls AMD a "top compute pick."
AMD has a high standard to beat in its upcoming Q3 & Q4 earnings report: itself.
In the second half of 2019, AMD posted year-over-year sales growth of 28%. Not even a global pandemic may be enough to stop AMD from beating that figure this year, according to Bank of America, who estimates AMD's second half of 2020 sales to surge more than 30% year over year, followed by another year of 20% growth in 2021.
The growth should continue as AMD benefits from work from home PC demand, upcoming game console launches, and server share gains, BofA said.
2. "Game console launches should be positive for sentiment."
Sony and Microsoft's upcoming next-generation video game consoles will both utilize processor chips from AMD. According to Bank of America, AMD could have $100 to $110 worth of chips in each console, nearly double from the previous generation's $65 to $70 of AMD content. On top of that, AMD has exposure to the growing trend in cloud gaming, spearheaded by Google Stadia, Microsoft xCloud, and Sony's PS Now, BofA said.
Unlike Intel, "AMD is providing customers with a 7nm/5nm roadmap across servers and PC that is meeting all deadlines and well-engaged with TSMC/foundry ecosystem," according to the note.
And while Nvidia's proposed acquisition of Arm Holdings will present competition to AMD, "we continue to believe it's [Nvidia/Arm Holdings] overwhelmed by AMD's ability to gain share in a $50 billion total addressable market across servers and PCs exposed by Intel," Bank of America explained.
AMD's net-cash position and expanding gross margins represents solid financial management, which "positions AMD well to consider diversifying M&A into complementary AI, smart NIC, 5G or programmable chips at some point," according to the bank.
5. "$90 billion growth stock owned by one 1 in 6 fund managers."
"Our ownership analysis suggest AMD stock is owned by only 16% of US active fund managers, well below the 25% average of similarly-sized semi stocks," BofA concluded.
Shares of AMD are up 67% year-to-date as of Thursday's close.
Gmail add-ons help you access all of your work applications from one central location.
Alys Tomlinson/Getty Images
You can install Gmail add-ons to integrate your accounts and streamline your workflow with programs like Zoom and Slack.
In the G Suite Marketplace, accessible through Gmail's settings menu, you can browse add-ons by category or popularity, or search for a specific add-on.
Gmail add-ons are just what they sound like: additions of existing third-party technology to the software that can make it work better for you, or help you integrate other software that you may already use — especially for work. Popular incorporated apps include Zoom, Slack, and Asana.
Regular add-ons don't appear on the Gmail mobile app, but you can still access that add-on's information through its external application. For example, the calendar app on your phone will still remember events that are integrated into it through your gmail account.
Even still, it's relatively easy to get add-ons in Gmail — here's how.
How to install Gmail add-ons in a web browser
1. Log into your Gmail account on a desktop web browser.
2. On the main page of your Gmail account, you'll see a sidebar on the right side with icons running down it — these are all your add-ons. Any new add-ons you install will display here.
At the bottom, you'll see a Plus "+" button. Click that to get to the add-ons menu.
Click the Plus "+" button in the right side panel.
Melanie Weir/Business Insider
Note: If you don't see the side panel, it's probably hidden. Look in the bottom right corner of your screen for a small gray tab with an arrow "<" symbol on it — click on it to bring out the add-ons menu.
If you don't see the add-on sidebar right away, click the < button at the bottom right of the screen to bring it up.
Melanie Weir/Business Insider
3. In the pop-up window, you can either search for the particular add-on you want, or click the menu icon in the top left corner to browse by popularity or category.
Search for the add-on you want, or use the menu in the top left to browse.
Melanie Weir/Business Insider
4. Once you find the one you want, click on it, then click "Install" to begin the process. Then follow the on-screen instructions to finish adding your new Gmail add-on application.
The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index jumped more than expected in a preliminary September reading as Americans' views of the US economic recovery improved.
The gauge rose to 78.9 from 74.1 to hit its highest point in six months. Still, the index sits roughly 22 points from its pre-pandemic high.
The month's gains were primarily driven by improved sentiments toward the economy's future prospects, Richard Curtin, chief economist for the university's Surveys of Consumers, said.
The September reading is "consistent with an unchanged flat trend" that could be thrown off by the US presidential election's outcome or delays in rolling out a coronavirus vaccine, Curtin added.
Americans are growing increasingly optimistic toward the US economy's future as reopenings continue and new COVID-19 infections fall.
The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index gained to 78.9 in September from 74.1, according to a Friday release. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected the gauge to reach 75. The preliminary reading for this month is the highest since March, though the metric is still 22 points below the pre-pandemic high posted in February.
The university's gauge of current economic conditions jumped to 87.5 from 82.9. The Index of Consumer Expectations rose to 73.5 from 68.5, also hitting its highest since March.
September survey data shows the upcoming US presidential election beginning to have an impact on Americans' expectations for future economic prospects, Richard Curtin, chief economist for the university's Surveys of Consumers, said in the report. The month's gains were primarily driven by improvements to consumers' economic outlooks. Democrats' view of economic prospects improved, while Republicans' outlook weakened.
With the sentiment index steadily swinging higher, Curtin sees non-economic factors playing a bigger role in shaping the rebound's pace.
"Over the next several months, there are two factors that could cause volatile shifts and steep losses in consumer confidence: how the election is decided and the delays in obtaining vaccinations," the economist said.
The sentiment reading is markedly more encouraging than other indicators updated this week. New US jobless claims fell slightly to 860,000 last week, according to data published Thursday by the Labor Department. The drop missed the economist estimate of 850,000 and signaled a slowdown in hiring through the month.
Retail sales also missed expectations, rising just 0.6% in August. The reading suggests economic aid issued in March's CARES Act has mostly dried up. With Congress making little headway in passing a new bill, consumer spending gauges may flash their first losses in months come October.
A final reading of the sentiment survey will be released on October 2. The Friday release included responses received up to September 14.
The Wedbush analyst Dan Ives raised his price target for Tesla shares to $475 from $380 on Thursday, citing stronger-than-expected deliveries in China.
The new target implies a 12% gain from the automaker's Thursday closing price of $423.43.
China is a "key market" for Tesla that could make up 40% of global sales as early as 2022, Ives said.
The analyst also cited the automaker's Battery Day next Tuesday as a "linchpin event" for his higher valuation target.
Tesla deliveries in China are tracking higher than anticipated over the third quarter, leading Wedbush to lift its price target for the electric-car maker.
The analyst Dan Ives raised the firm's target to $475 from $380 on Thursday, implying a 12% rally from the company's closing price of $423.43. China is a "key market" for Tesla moving forward, Ives said, as the automaker's Gigafactory in Shanghai stands to raise Model 3 margins above those in the US and Europe.
"Pent-up demand" and recent price cuts are fueling "increased market share vs domestic competitors as the Giga 3 success story continues to play out," the analyst added.
Wedbush said it sees "clear momentum" for Tesla sales in China through the rest of the year. The firm raised its third-quarter deliveries estimate accordingly, to 130,000 vehicles from 124,000. The new target would mark a 34% improvement from the year-ago period and set Tesla up to reach 470,000 total deliveries in 2020.
Ives also projected that China deliveries would make up 40% of Tesla's order book as early as 2022.
For investors seeking a near-term boost to the automaker's share price, Tesla's Battery Day next Tuesday will be a "linchpin event" for a loftier valuation, Wedbush said. The company is expected to unveil new battery-cell technology and a power unit able to drive for 1 million miles.
The new cells are also set to reduce production costs; doing so "would give Tesla much more financial flexibility" to price its models competitively with legacy automakers, Ives said.
Tesla closed at $423.43 per share on Thursday, up 406% year-to-date.
Now read more markets coverage from Markets Insider and Business Insider:
Rent the Runway announced plans to discontinue its unlimited subscription, just one month after the company permanently closed all its brick-and-mortar stores.
The new plans will allow customers to have access to the same options, but receive "the same or more items as they did before," according to CEO Jennifer Hyman.
The unlimited subscription will be around until next year, but will not take any new sign-ups after this week.
On Thursday, Rent the Runway announced it would be ending its unlimited subscription, according to an open letter penned by CEO Jennifer Hyman on the company's sister website, The Shift.
Hyman said the reason for the change is to "stabilize [RTR's] revenue stream," and that talks of ending the unlimited subscription had been happening for about 18 months, long before the coronavirus pandemic.
While the unlimited plan is being phased out, the company will still have the 1 Swap and 2 Swap subscriptions available, but they've being renamed the 4 item plan and 8 item plan, respectively.
There will also be a new $199 per month, 16 item plan, which includes access to the company's entire inventory.
Hyman said the new subscription models will help customers save money while still having access to the same inventory.
"Even prior to COVID-19, most of our Unlimited Swap members — 70% — were renting fewer than 8 items per month," Hyman wrote. "With our new subscription structure, these members can opt into a lower-priced plan and receive the same or more items as they did before."
In a different statement to fashion and luxury website Glossy, Hyman said "Our new membership structure brings our community's most requested features to life — including customization, flexibility, and increased focus on sustainability — and will have most of our customers paying less for their memberships while receiving the same or more items per month."
Users with the unlimited subscription will be able to use their subscription until next year and will then be encouraged to switch to one of the new plans. For anyone looking to take advantage of the unlimited plan until it's phased out, the company will allow customers to sign up for an unlimited subscription until next week.
The sunsetting of the unlimited plan is yet another big change this year for Rent the Runway. Last month, the company announced it would be permanently closing all of its brick-and-mortar stores in cities like New York and Chicago.
In May, Bloomberg reported the company raising funding at a $750 million valuation, losing its unicorn status and previous $1 billion valuation.
It's important to clean dogs' paws to avoid parasites, infections, allergies, and more. For dogs who are sensitive to handling, this can be a stressful process.
The MudBuster is a cup lined with soft silicone bristles that makes cleaning my dog's paws easier and more efficient. It's available in three sizes and colors with prices starting at $12.
I use the MudBuster to clean my dog's paws after winter walks through salt and de-icing chemicals, after playtime in the yard, and to regularly rinse his feet to help keep his allergies at bay.
If your dogs are anything like mine, they hate having their paws touched. When my German shepherd Silas comes in from playing in our perpetually muddy yard, he becomes very anxious and hangs his head low as I clean off his muddy paws.
In the past, cleaning his paws meant dirtying towel after towel as I tried to wrangle him. Now that we have a Dexas MudBuster Gentle Paw Washer, cleaning his paws is so much easier — for him and for me.
Other than the fact that it's important for my floors that Silas' paws stay clean, it's important for him as well. "Dog paws can be magnets for intestinal parasites, viruses, and other little nasties as they play in the dog park or even just walk through a field, the yard, or any place dogs [go to the bathroom]. This can lead to an intestinal infection with worms or even parvo when they lick or chew their paws. What better reason to wash your dogs' paws regularly," said Dr. Jason Nicholas, BVMS, of Preventative Vet.
In Silas' case, he is prone to allergies, especially in the summer and fall, and regularly cleaning his paws is our best defense against them. It also saves us from buying costly allergy medication. Dr. Nichols also emphasized the importance of clean paws for dogs with allergies like Silas. "Keeping them clean can decrease the allergen load, which can irritate the skin or even be ingested by licking or chewing on their paws," he said.
With the MudBuster, I'm more likely to clean Silas' paws, and it gets his paws cleaner than I get them with a towel.
The MudBuster looks like a cup but has soft silicone bristles inside to gently clean a dog's paws. When you're ready to use it, fill it with warm or cool water. Then, put your dog's paws in the MudBuster one at a time, gently twisting the container and moving it up and down.
Every dog will react to this product differently, so it's a good idea to introduce it to them without water in case they try to kick it off. It's also worth noting that there are techniques for making your dog more comfortable being handled. Silas hates to have his paws touched, but he tolerates the MudBuster pretty well.
If you're dealing with extremely dirty paws, you'll want to change out the water between paws, or clean all four and then do a second pass with clean water. If your dog stands on a towel while you're cleaning their paws, you'll barely even need to dry them when you're done.
When you're finished, just dump out the dirty water and rinse the MudBuster with clean water. If your dog's paws were especially dirty or you've been using the MudBuster for a while, you can also take it apart to clean it more thoroughly. Simply take off the lid, pull the silicone bristles out, and clean each piece with soap and water.
The MudBuster isn't only for cleaning muddy paws. When we take Silas on walks in the winter, the roads and sidewalks are always covered with salt and de-icing chemicals, which dry his pads out. We've even dealt with cracked and bleeding paw pads in the past (read more about how to care for dry and cracked paw pads here). Now, we always use the MudBuster after winter walks.
The MudBuster comes in three sizes. Silas is a 95-pound German shepherd, and we use the large size for him. MudBuster recommends the medium for medium breeds such as Australian shepherds, boxers, and English bulldogs, and the small for breeds like dachshunds, Pomeranians, and Yorkies. All three sizes are available in blue, green, or pink.
The MudBuster has made paw cleaning less stressful for me and my dog
The MudBuster never ceases to amaze me, first and most importantly because Silas actually lets me clean his feet with it. When I used to clean his feet with a towel, he jerked and squirmed, and corralling a 95-pound dog isn't easy.
Now that I use the MudBuster, I can still tell that Silas isn't completely comfortable, but he doesn't try to wrestle away from me. It makes coming in from outside less stressful for both of us.
The other way the MudBuster amazes me is simply how well it works. Even when I don't think his paws are that dirty, the water is always very brown, and there's often sediment left at the bottom of the container.
The bottom line
If you have a dog that likes to spend time outside, the MudBuster is a worthwhile investment. Even if your dog doesn't mind having their paws touched, this product still makes cleaning them easier and does a better job than a damp cloth.
As Dr. Nichols said, neglecting your dog's paws leaves them vulnerable to parasites, viruses, damage from foreign objects, and more. By keeping their paws clean, you're also protecting your family and keeping your home clean. If this is something you struggle to keep up with, the MudBuster will make this arduous task easier and more convenient.
McDonald's launched its spicy chicken McNuggets on Wednesday.
Irene Jiang/Business Insider
Hello and happy Friday!
Welcome back to another week of Insider Retail, Business Insider's weekly round-up of everything that's happening in restaurants and retail. If you haven't already subscribed, click here to get me, Shoshy Ciment, and my colleague, Kate Taylor, in your inbox every Friday.
McDonald's partnership with rapper Travis Scott is a massive win for the chain. Even though the collaboration doesn't include any new menu items, McDonald's said it was facing item shortages due to the meal's popularity.
McDonald's also wants employees to learn Travis Scott catchphrases that customers will use to order the meal, such as "the Fornite guy burger" and "You know why I am here" (while playing Scott' music).
Amazon is hiring 133,000 new full-time and part-time employees in the US and Canada, in part driven by a pandemic-era boost in sales.
While this latest hiring spree is big, the largest confirmed workforce increase for the company occured between between 2016 and 2017. Áine and Hayley tracked Amazon's workforce growth via two charts, which highlight the chain's explosive growth.
Kamil Sattar is a dropshipper and e-commerce mentor.
Kamil Sattar
This week, Catherine dug into the lucrative world of drop shipping, a type of fulfillment method where the seller acts as an intermediary between the customer and the supplier and does not hold any inventory. She spoke to Kamil Sattar, a drop shipper that has already made $1.7 million in sales on Shopify this year.
Wendy's spicy nuggets versus McDonald's new spicy nuggets.
Irene Jiang/Business Insider
McDonald's launched its spicy chicken McNuggets on Wednesday. Naturally, Irene had to see if the new menu item was a worthy challenger to spicy nuggets at Wendy's, which were brought back last year.
Her verdict? Wendy's is still the "reigning champion of spicy nuggets," beating out McDonald's when it comes to spice, flavor, and price.
Target is experiencing "one of the fastest rebuilds of a Target store ever" in the Minneapolis store that was destroyed in mid-November during racial protests.
Kraft Heinz has a new strategy for managing its food brands.
Just like adults, kids need a dedicated place where they can tackle important tasks like using Play-Doh, solving puzzles, having a snack, and doing homework.
The Mutable All-In-One Children's Play Table is the best kids' table because its many inserts and accessories make it perfect for playtime, mealtime, and all other times.
When kids have a size- and design-appropriate table where they can work on an art project, enjoy a meal, complete a homework assignment, or just hang out with siblings or friends, they will make the best use of their time and will enjoy activities much more than they would while perched on a booster seat or relegated to the floor.
Today we're talking about tables that can genuinely be used as tables. You won't find water tables or sand tables here, but rather solid, reliable pieces of furniture that are suitable for years of use during meals, for everyday art and play sessions, and for elementary school homework when they're not at their desk.
Whether you're looking for a table that will perch in the corner of a playroom or bedroom or one that will be on prominent display in highly trafficked areas of your home, you'll surely find a suitable choice on this list. There are kids' tables from across the price spectrum and even a great outdoor option.
Prices and links are current as of 9/18/20. Added slide with products we are currently testing for an update to this guide as well as links to related guides.
Italian design firm Mukako's unique Mutable All-in-One Children's Play Table is actually four tables in one. This durable, handsome piece can be adjusted to four different height settings, ranging from 17.7 inches high — an elevation perfect for toddlers — all the way to 23 inches — suited to kids well into their elementary school years. The chairs are also adjustable.
In its most basic configuration, the Mutable is a simple three-legged table with a solid top that's perfect for eating, art, and other things that get messy, as the smooth surface wipes clean easily.
That smooth cover can also be removed and replaced with four different double-sided game board inserts, which feature cutouts that accommodate puzzles, a surface designed to work with Lego bricks, and both blackboard and whiteboard surfaces.
Perhaps best of all, the middle of the table can be opened completely revealing a hole into which kids can slide toys, art materials, and other items when playtime is done. Don't worry, they fall into a collection bag for easy out-of-the way storage.
Pros: Grows and adapts with kids, sturdy wooden construction, available in multiple colors
We got a Step2 Naturally Playful Kids Picnic Table when our son was about 16 months old, and the thing sat outside for the next two years, enduring rain, snow, sun, cold, and heat, yet every time I'd spray it off with a hose and give a wipe down with paper towels and cleaning solution, the table looked as good as new.
Made from durable molded plastic and rated to support 300 pounds in total, this table is nothing if not tough. The bench seats a large enough for three small kids on a side but are ideal when used by two children at once, and the surface of the table offers enough room for snacking or shared play activities.
When the sun is out, the included umbrella blocks an impressive 97.5% of the sunshine's UVA and UVB rays.
Pros: Reliably resists damage, minimal assembly required, sun umbrella included
Cons: Textured surface requires extra time for cleaning
The best kids' dining table
Wayfair
The KidKraft Farmhouse Table and Chairs look like furniture an adult would be happy to use themselves, only the set happens to be kid-sized.
With the KidKraft Farmhouse Table and its matching four chairs set up for a holiday dinner, the kids won't feel like they're being demoted when they are sent to their own little seats away from the grownups. This handsome furniture has a pecan veneer that looks like genuine hardwood, and the table and chairs have simple, crisp lines that will complement many different interior designs.
And of course, the Farmhouse table need not be relegated to holiday meal usage but can be an everyday spot for snacks or meals. At just under 4 square feet, the tabletop is a good size for play projects as well as eating, offering plenty of room for a kid to spread out a puzzle, art materials, and more.
Just note that lovely as that pecan veneer looks, it does scratch rather easily, so tell the kids to be careful and/or be ready for it to show some wear and tear on the sooner side.
Pros: Styled to match full-size furniture, five-piece set, chairs can support adult weight
Cons: Surfaces scratch easily
The best folding kids' table
Lifetime
The Lifetime Kids Folding Table is there when you need it, ready for meals, arts and crafts, homework, and more. And when not needed, it's under the bed, in the closet, or on a garage shelf.
Let's not pretend the Lifetime Kids Folding Table is the most elegant piece of furniture ever created. But it is a table with a high-density polyethylene tabletop supported by four tubular powder-coated steel legs that lock securely in place during use. When folded flat, the table measures just a few inches deep, and at 24-by-24-inch square, it can be tucked away just about anywhere.
And speaking of anywhere, you can let the kids use the Lifetime Kids Folding Table just about anywhere and for anything, including outdoors and for messy projects. Its plastic components are UV-protected and easy to wipe clean, while the metal legs and locking mechanisms are rust-resistant.
If you're looking for performance, go ahead and get this table. It will be the best $40 you've spent in a long time.
Pros: Folds down flat for storage, durable construction, great low price
The Tot Tutors Kids Plastic Table and Chairs are easy to assemble, using a snap together system that an adult can easily handle. Once assembled, the furniture is lightweight enough to be moved from place to place without effort, so you can let the kids use the table for an outdoor tea party and for indoor play or snacks.
Designed for smaller kids 3 years and up, it comes in two color varieties, a classic "primary" colors set and a brighter "vibrant" colors set. All four chairs are always of different colors no matter which table color you choose.
Pros: Very affordable, available in multiple colors, easy to assemble
Cons: Lightweight, not as stable as pricier tables
What we're looking forward to
Delta Children
We are currently testing a variety of kids' tables for an update to this guide, including the following:
We spoke to an an occupational therapist and an interior designer who specializes in children's spaces to find out what to look for when shopping for kids' desks. We have selected a variety of desks for every type of child, home setting, learning needs, and budget.
Sandbox play helps improve fine motor skills as children dig, dump, and sift sand. We researched and tested large sandboxes for multiple kids, wooden sandboxes, indoor sandboxes, and sand and water tables to find the best ones you can buy.
Children learn by playing, and educational toys encourage the development of essential skills like creativity, thinking outside the box, and problem-solving. STEM toys, especially the ones in this guide, enhance divergent and innovative thinking, help children develop hand-eye coordination, and better promote spatial skills.
There's something wonderfully old-fashioned and nostalgic about wooden toys. Whether you need to keep a toddler entertained, want to improve your older child's focus, or are looking for a wooden game the entire family can enjoy, there's a wooden toy for everyone.
Going to the beach is always tons of fun, but sitting there in the sun can get dull after the first hour or two. A selection of great beach toys ensures your waterside outing is exciting and enjoyable all day long.
Helping a child improve fine motor skills will improve their prowess at writing, dressing, building, eating, and just about everything else. These fine motor toys make that process fun.
STEM toys are not only enjoyable to play with, but can teach skills that will help kids excel in careers later in life. ManySTEM toys lead to development of more than one ability, honing skills in mathematics, logic, problem-solving, and more.
