Good-quality headphones can be expensive, but they often go on sale.
We've rounded up the best headphone deals for October 2020.
We'll update this list regularly with the top deals.
Right now, the OnePlus Buds are on sale for $59 — that's $20 off their regular price.
A great pair of headphones can change the way you listen to music. Sure, the random earbuds that you have in your bottom drawer may do the job just fine for some, but if you want to hear nuanced details, well-rounded bass, or a sparkling high-end, you'll need something a little more versatile.
If you are in the market for a new pair of headphones, it's worth figuring out exactly what kind of headphones you want. The first step is to determine whether you want in-ear headphones, on-ear headphones, or over-ear headphones.
It's also worth looking into a few headphone brands. If you're an audiophile who wants the best-sounding headphones, companies like Sennheiser, Klipsch, and Shure are worth considering. If you want incredible noise-cancelling headphones or those that work great for day-to-day use, consider those from Sony or Bose. And, if you want plenty of bass and tight integration with your Apple products, look into headphones from Beats or Apple itself.
Once you've determined the type of headphones you want, you'll want to figure out what your budget is. These days, you can get solid headphones for under $100, but as with anything, you get what you pay for — and the more you're willing to spend, the better headphones you'll be able to get.
Of course, you don't necessarily have to spend as much as you normally would if you can find a great deal. And that's exactly why we put together this guide for the best headphone deals that you can take advantage of right now.
Here are the best headphone deals in October 2020:
Prices and links are current as of 10/26/2020. Added OnePlus Buds, JBL Tune, and JBL Club 700BT. Updated by Steven Cohen.
Over-ear headphone deals
Master and Dynamic
Over-ear headphones may not be the most portable headphones out there, but they generally sound a whole lot better than in-ear headphones, thanks to their larger drivers. They also boast long battery lives and plenty of padding for a comfortable fit. Some models even include smart features — like integration with your digital assistant, noise cancellation, and more.
Right now, you can snag Master & Dynamic's premium MW65 headphones for $112 off their full price at Amazon. This high-end model includes support for noise cancellation and Bluetooth wireless connectivity.
On-ear headphones are a good compromise between portability and sound-quality. Sure, you won't be able to fit them in your pocket, but they're light-weight enough to easily carry around in a bag or backpack without noticing much of a difference. Unlike over-ear headphones, on-ear headphones rest on your outer ear, but good ones don't do so uncomfortably.
The best deal on on-ear headphones right now is for the Beats Solo3 Wireless Club Collection headphones, which are around $97 off when you use the code BISOLO at checkout. For that price, you get a bass-forward, well-rounded frequency response, and tight integration with other Apple products. Here are all the best on-ear headphone deals out there right now.
Looking for something portable that you can easily put into your pocket? In-ear headphones are the way to go. We have technically split the in-ear headphones into two categories — so if you're looking for modern true wireless headphones, skip ahead to the next section. The deals below are for wired in-ear headphones, which connect through a cable to your listening device, and wireless in-ear headphones which connect via Bluetooth to your listening device. Unlike true wireless headphones, however, regular wireless in-ear headphones still feature wires to connect each earbud together.
When it comes to in-ear headphone discounts available now, the best deal is currently on the Jabra Elite 45e. The in-ear headphones currently $70 off their regular price.
Perhaps you want to avoid wires all together with a pair of true wireless headphones. These headphones feature separate earbuds that connect wirelessly to each other and to your listening device. A good example of true wireless headphones are Apple's AirPods Pro — which are on sale right now for $219. Though that's not the cheapest we've seen the AirPods Pro, the current $30 discount is still a solid deal.
When there are a lot of products in your beauty and makeup routine, it's easy to lose track of the one that you need.
Alleyoop, a new beauty and personal-care brand that specializes in multi-functional products, makes a four-in-one makeup pen that solves these problems.
The Pen Pal ($25) is a cleverly designed pen that contains eyeliner, highlighter, lip liner, and eyebrow pencil. I love carrying it when I travel because it combines my most commonly used products in one portable, space-saving tool.
Right now, Insider Reviews readers can save 10% on their order by using the promo code "INSIDER" at checkout.
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I live for efficient, cleverly designed products. If I can use a single product more than one way, then I can divert the saved time, money, and space to other things in my life.
Beauty is a prime area where I could do with more efficiency and clever design. I hate pawing through my makeup bag in order to find the product I need, and I hate repeating that process for the entirety of my routine. Whenever I'm on the go or I travel, I inevitably forget an important product because there are so many to keep track of and pack.
That's why a tool from a new beauty and personal-care brand called Alleyoop has been the most useful product in my bag as of late.
The Pen Pal ($25) puts four common makeup products in one compact, portable pen. The design idea it borrows isn't new — it looks and operates exactly like the retractable ballpoint multi-pens you might've used in school or the office. There are multiple spring-loaded cartridges housed in one pen, and when you want to use a particular color, you click down on that button. Click down on any of the other buttons in order to retract the current color.
The only difference is that instead of various pen colors, the Pen Pal holds various makeup pencils:
Eyeliner in black
Highlighter in a shimmery cool tone
Lip liner in mauve nude
Eyebrow Pencil in dark brown
Each of these highly pigmented formulas are paraben-free, vegan, and cruelty-free.
Why the Pen Pal is useful
While the Pen Pal is great for everyday use if you have limited bag or cabinet space, it's especially useful for travel and other situations where you're on the go. Since it holds four products in one, you have fewer products to mentally account for, pack, and make room for.
I usually go to the gym after work, and after the gym I often have dinner or drink plans. Every morning, I think ahead to all the clothing changes, skin-care products, and makeup products I'll need. Whether I'm in a rush or just have many other things on mind, I almost always forget a product I need. Sometimes it's a pair of socks, other times it's my eyebrow pencil. With the Pen Pal, I don't have to think about where my eyeliner, highlighter, lip liner, and eyebrow pencil are. One product is easier to remember to pack than four.
The Pen Pal also takes up less space (or, depending on what products you currently use, no more space) than four individual pencils. When you travel, you likely don't have a lot of space to work with, and you need to take advantage of opportunities for saved space whenever possible. I like that I can travel a little lighter with the Pen Pal and free up precious space in my purse or suitcase.
Again, this depends on what products you currently use, but the Pen Pal may also be more affordable than the total cost of the four makeup pencils bought individually. If you're trying to save money on beauty, the Pen Pal is cost-efficient in addition to being space-efficient.
The Pen Pal isn't perfect. At the time of this review, it only comes with the four shades above. Alleyoop says these are "universal shades that work with all skin tones" but they may not be ideal for your particular needs or preferences. As one example: I happen to have dark brown hair, so the eyebrow pencil was perfect for my brows, but it could be too dark for other hair types.
The Pen Pal also isn't refillable. Alleyoop does say that it's working on making refills so you only have to reload the pen instead of buying an entirely new pen.
Ideally, you would be able to choose from and mix and match pencil shades to create your perfect Pen Pal, then refill them with these shades whenever you run out of product.
Despite these limitations, I still found the Pen Pal convenient and useful enough to warrant carrying it around. Alleyoop makes other multi-functional products, such as a four-in-one makeup brush and all-in-one razor, but the Pen Pal has the most potential for both everyday and travel use.
The S&P 500's industrials sector had sunk by 3% as of 12:50 p.m. ET, with only energy stocks dragging more on the benchmark index.
The Dow Jones industrial average, which skews heavier toward industrial names than peer indexes, fell more than 800 points and was on pace for its worst day since early September.
The announcement drove a sharp sell-off of the involved companies' stocks that broadly pulled industrials into a hefty intraday loss. The corresponding S&P 500 sector sat 2.9% lower as of 12:50 p.m. ET, trailing only energy stocks in what's poised to be the worst day for stocks in a month. Within the industrials sector, aerospace and defense stocks fell more than 3%.
Boeing fell as much as 4.4%. Raytheon and Lockheed Martin fell 4.3% and 3.2% at their intraday lows.
The news disproportionately slammed the Dow Jones industrial average, which skews heavier toward industrials than peer indexes. The benchmark sank more than 800 points at intraday lows, on pace for its worst day since early September.
Zhao didn't specify the sanctions' timing or severity, saying only that the actions were "necessary measures to safeguard national sovereignty and security interests."
The Trump administration has previously pressured China through arms deals with Taiwan.
China similarly sanctioned Lockheed Martin after the US approved a $620 million deal with Taiwan involving upgraded surface-to-air missiles in July.
The sector's slide exacerbated an early market tumble. The chance of Congress enacting a stimulus deal before Election Day has all but disappeared after Democrats and the White House failed to reach an agreement over the weekend. And daily new coronavirus cases in the US surged past 80,000 on both Friday and Saturday, sparking fears of renewed lockdowns and harsh economic fallout.
Now read more markets coverage from Markets Insider and Business Insider:
NASDAQ-listed BlueCity is the owner of Blued, the first LBGTQ+-focused social network to go public
CEO Ma Baoli began his career as a policeman in China before creating his own social network in 2000 Launched in 2012, the Blued app has played an important role in encouraging LBGTQ+ acceptance in China and beyond
Ma says the global landscape for tech companies is becoming increasingly complicated
Ma Baoli made a splash this year after his company BlueCity, best known for its dating app Blued, which debuted on the NASDAQ at a market value of over $600 million, becoming the world's first LBGTQ+-focused social network to become a publicly listed company. The listing was another milestone in the career of the Chinese tech entrepreneur. Business Insider sat down with Ma to discuss his career, the success of Blued and his plans for the future.
Business Insider: Your first job was as a policeman. How did this come about?
Ma Baoli: I had dreamt of being a policeman since I was a little boy. At the age of 19, I joined the police department in my hometown, Qinhuangdao, a coastal city in China's Hebei province. When I was 26 years old, I was promoted to deputy director, the youngest person to hold this position at our bureau.
I loved that job and am proud of it to this day. That is why I was very sad when I had to take off the police uniform that I had worn for so many years after making a decision to leave. But I knew I had to do it. Ever since I typed the word "gay" for the first time on my computer around 20 years ago, while hiding alone in my bedroom, my path was destined to be different.
Business Insider: How did you make the transition into the tech industry?
Ma Baoli: When the internet boom hit China in 1998, shortly after my graduation from police school, I started to search online for answers to the questions I'd been asking myself—Who am I? Why do I feel this way? Through the internet I discovered there are other people like me, and that homosexuality was not an illness or a disorder. I felt both a tremendous sense of relief and excitement. After all, I'm not alone in this world. After all, I am not sick. After all, love is gender blind.
The predecessor of Blued is the website Danlan.com, which I founded in 2000, and was one of China's first and most influential LGBTQ online forums. In 2012, when I saw the big shift from the PC internet to mobile internet was accelerating, I thought it was a great opportunity for us to use mobile technology to connect gay people and help them find love in China. That's why we launched the Blued app that year.
Business Insider: Since becoming CEO of a NASDAQ-listed company, what has changed for you?
Ma Baoli: Personally, I spend more time on strategy and management, as you can expect, as well as significant business decisions. I also need to attend the quarterly earnings call after our listing. Naturally, I am very glad that we have investors who share our vision and believe in our long-term value.
What has remained unchanged is our commitment to providing products and services that can best serve and strengthen the community. I still talk to the product team if I find anything that needs improvement; the initial impetus to help others find a community keeps me grounded and anchored.
Business Insider: How do you plan to expand the Blued app and its services in the future?
Ma Baoli: We will continue optimizing and diversifying our products and services for the LGBTQ+ community. We hope to refine and expand our current health services, and feel confident that they will eventually reach users around the world.
We also plan to serve different subgroups within the broader LGBTQ+ community, as seen in our recent acquisition of LESDO, a leading Lesbian social-networking app. This will help us to diversify both our business and revenue sources.
Business Insider: What has been the impact of growing restrictions on Chinese companies – in particular tech companies – in the US and other countries? How can you mitigate against this growing risk?
Ma Baoli: Despite the complicated macro environment, we remain optimistic about the company's overseas expansion prospects, and will continue our brand mission of empowering the LGBTQ community in every aspect of their daily lives.
At the same time, our staff are working closely with external consultancies and stakeholders to make sure that we are fully compliant with local laws and regulations in markets where we operate.
Business Insider: What impact do you think Blued has had for the LGBT community in China and beyond?
Ma Baoli: What makes us different is that we are more than just a social network, dating app or a live streaming platform. Our vision is to become the most reliable and celebrated service ecosystem for the global LGBTQ+ community. This is most apparent in our work to set up healthcare and family planning services for the underserved LGBTQ+ community.
Blued is a safe zone for people in the LGBTQ+ community to obtain public health information especially about HIV testing, prevention and education. Across BlueCity's platforms, the company counts more than 10 million page views in total of its HIV-related content. But it's more so about translating those clicks into action. For example, in China, we work with government departments and NGOs to enable our users to find the nearest HIV testing centers and discreetly book the services online.
Business Insider: What excites you most about operating in the tech industry?
Ma Baoli: Tech is an exciting space to be in because it can disseminate critical information at warp speed and has the power to influence social attitudes. Blued is a prime example of how tech has catalysed a broader embrace of the LGBTQ community.
Tech is the tool, the platform that enables and accelerates the transformation. However, your mission and vision still determines where you are heading towards. That's why "Tech for Good" has become a catch phrase these days, I think. Is your product really meeting the needs of the community? Is your business empowering the disadvantaged? Are you making the society more inclusive and diverse? Those are the questions we ask ourselves all the time.
As long as you stay committed to your mission and bring real benefits and values to the community, no matter how hard the business might be at first, the team, the users, the community and investors, will join you in the course.
Business Insider: What are the biggest challenges you face in the future, both business and personal?
Ma Baoli: Overall, an ongoing challenge is in creating a truly world-class platform that can provide for the yet-unmet needs of the global LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ acceptance varies greatly from market to market, which remains a challenge for our company. However, given the growing voice of and increasing support for LGBTQ people globally, we believe that we will continue to see greater recognition for the community and apps like ours.
Also, technology and data are becoming sources of tension globally. Given this increasingly complicated landscape for tech firms, winning over the trust of local governments and regulators is an ongoing effort, which is also key to our market expansion.
As for my personal life, it is challenging trying to strike a balance between life and work. I don't see it getting any easier after the listing. But the positive side is that I enjoy both. Time with great and passionate people, and time with my parents and son is time well spent. I am really grateful for what I have because not everyone has the same opportunity. That's what keeps us moving forward.
For making toast at home, there are two major types of toasters: toaster ovens and traditional pop-up toasters. In this guide, we are focusing on the more common pop-up toasters, which come in either two-slice or four-slice options. If you're looking for the larger but more versatile toaster oven, check out our guide here.
Which toaster is right for you depends on both the size of your family and the size of your kitchen. If you are single and living in a cozy studio apartment where countertop space is at a premium, a two-slice toaster will probably do the trick. A family of six in a suburban home? A four-slice toaster can clearly make your mornings easier.
Many modern toasters feature defrost settings, bagel settings, warming trays, and some are even considered smart. But all the bells and whistles in the world don't really matter if you don't end up with great toast. Ideally, a toaster should brown bread evenly, consistently, and fairly quickly. It should also be able to handle a variety of different bread or food products, be safe, look good, and fall within your budget.
The Cuisinart Countdown Four-Slice Toaster's seven browning settings ensure that you can take your toast however you like it — from a barely-there brown sheen right up to super crispy. But the versatile settings on this toaster are just the beginning of what makes it so much better than the competition.
The 1.5-inch wide slots allow you to toast a variety of items including artisanal bread that you slice yourself, English muffins, pastries, and bagel halves. Two sets of controls toast bread on different settings simultaneously. A bagel button reduces the heat on the uncut side of the bagel. It's also no problem if you want to pop a frozen waffle or other bread product right into the toaster. The defrost button will thaw out your bread before toasting it. Additionally, the reheat button expertly warms up forgotten toast, without further browning.
The blue LED screens inform you what setting you've selected and exactly how long you have to wait until your toast is ready.
The Cuisinart Countdown Toaster comes with a three-year warranty, so you're covered if you run into any problems. It may be pricier than that cheap toaster you bought in college all those years ago, but it is the most easy-to-use and fully featured toaster you can buy.
Pros: Great value, stylish, modern LED features, high-quality bagel function
Some say the Oster Jelly Bean Toaster resembles a Volkswagen Beetle. The tiny toasting machine weighs in at just 3.44 pounds and is only 7 inches wide, but don't let its cute appearance fool you.
It has many of the same features as our top pick, including seven browning settings, and bagel, defrost, warm, and cancel functions. It also offers wide slots and auto-adjusting bread guides that automatically center the food for an even browning. In test after test, the Oster Jelly Bean Toaster consistently produces evenly browned bread.
Why does it work so well? Oster uses something called Toast Logic in all of its toasters. This means that it adjusts the toasting time to compensate for the toaster's temperature and voltage input during the toasting cycle.
The Oster Jelly Bean is easy to use and easy to clean. The low-tech knobs are self-explanatory. The cord is almost two feet long, and since the toaster is so compact, you can move it around their kitchen or even store it in a cabinet. You just take out the removable crumb tray and wipe it with a damp cloth to clean it.
Pros: Affordable, stylish, consistent, versatile, easy to use, easy to clean
Cons: Although slots are wide, they are not very deep; no method to wrap or retract the long cord
The best high-end toaster
Williams Sonoma
The Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Toaster is unmatched in versatility and ease-of-use, and it's built to last so your investment is worth it.
Australian company Breville is renowned for producing top-notch small home appliances, and its Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Toaster has all the bells and whistles of our top pick — and then some.
A whopping twelve browning settings are accompanied by five other setting buttons including frozen, bagel, and cancel. Breville also offers two trademarked buttons: the "A Bit More" button allows users to instantly add a little extra toasting time, while the motorized "Lift & Look" button automatically raises and lowers the carriage so you can check the toasting progress without interrupting the toasting cycle.
We love the LED panel that illuminates according to the selected setting, and it also counts down how long is left in the toasting cycle. The beep that indicates the cycle is complete can be made louder or softer and is a more pleasing sound than the one our top pick makes. It is also virtually the only sound you will hear from this blissfully quiet appliance.
The Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Toaster is a solid machine that is built to last. Should something go awry, you're protected by a one-year warranty, and Breville is renowned for its customer service. It's been known to quickly send replacement units. The 36-inch cord is removable, but also has a neat storage space on the bottom of the unit. Unlike many other toasters, the Breville remains cool to the touch. To top it all off, the all-metal exterior looks sharp and cleans up easily with a damp cloth.
Pros: Stylish, solidly-made, consistent toasting, fun extra features
Cons: Expensive
The best for the design-obsessed
Williams Sonoma
The SMEG Two-Slice Toaster is retro-chic, but it's more than just looks. It also browns bread beautifully.
Founded in 1948, SMEG is a family-run Italian business that makes eye-catching, high-end appliances. When it launched in 2014, the SMEG Two-Slice 50's style toaster nabbed a Good Design award given by a Chicago museum, and the following year, it picked up two more prestigious design awards.
The toaster comes in several colors, including red, black, cream, pastel blue, pink, pastel green, and chrome. Its sturdy powder-coated steel body looks great and cleans easily. The backlit chrome knob and chrome base add to the sophisticated design, while the stainless steel ball lever knob is a perfectly-placed accent.
While the SMEG Two-Slice Toaster may look old-fashioned, it is a thoroughly modern machine. It comes with many of the features found on today's other highly-regarded toasters, including six browning levels and bagel, defrost, reheat, and cancel settings. The removable crumb tray is extra wide and pops out easily with the push of a button.
Pros: Super stylish, sturdy, fast and consistent toasting, excellent bagel function.
Cons: Expensive, the unit warms up quickly, unattractive and unmanageable cord
Cuisinart has been a leader in kitchen appliances for nearly five decades, so it should be no surprise that its toasters are nearing perfection at this point. My family has had this toaster for well over a decade, and after having survived the careless, clumsy mitts of my younger brother (who I'm sure has knocked it off the counter more than once) it's still going strong as can be without even the slightest hint of trouble. Granted, it's a simple appliance.
Still, I have owned other toasters within a similar price range and had terrible experiences with inedibly burnt bagel halves on one side and under-toasted ones on the other. But I suppose what I like most about this toaster is its sleek design, which keeps the kitchen looking clean and sleek as well.
Other toasters with busy interfaces tend to make kitchen counters look somewhat cluttered, but I barely even notice this toaster is there, which, apart from perfectly golden toast, of course, is exactly what I want from a toaster — or any appliance for that matter. — Owen Burke
Pros: Sleek design, fast and consistent toasting, simple features
Cons: Some reviewers complain about uneven toasting, though I haven't experienced it with mine
Rose Kirk, senior vice president and chief corporate social responsibility officer for Verizon, said more companies are rethinking their purpose in society.
Verizon
Verizon is investing $44 million in an upskilling program to help Americans unemployed by the coronavirus pandemic, as well as Americans looking for better jobs.
People who are Black or Latinx (a gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina), unemployed, or without a four-year-degree will be given priority admissions.
The upskilling program is part of Citizen Verizon, Verizon's recently unveiled responsible business plan.
Rose Kirk, senior vice president and chief corporate social responsibility officer for Verizon, told Business Insider that the company has a duty to help the labor force.
Last week, Verizon announced it is investing $44 million in an upskilling program to help Americans unemployed by the coronavirus pandemic, and those looking for better jobs.
People who are Black or Latinx (a gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina), unemployed, or without a four-year-degree will be given priority admissions into the program that will train students to get jobs like junior cloud practitioner, junior web developer, IT help desk technician, and digital marketing analyst.
Rose Kirk, senior vice president and chief corporate social responsibility officer for Verizon, told Business Insider that the company has a duty to help the labor force.
"I think what's important about this program and this $44 million investment for us is that it really is all about understanding that we have an obligation to prepare individuals for future jobs," she said.
The upskilling program is part of Citizen Verizon, Verizon's new responsible business plan that includes a goal of preparing 500,000 people for jobs of the future by 2030.
The move to upskill half a million people comes as more corporate executives focus on stakeholder capitalism, the idea that companies exist to not only benefit their shareholders, but their workforces and society.
Amazon, PwC, IBM, and AT&T have launched major upskilling programs to retrain their workforces or attract new talent in recent years. And digital upskilling has increased during the pandemic as millions of Americans look for in-demand jobs, Reuters reported.
Business leaders, she said, have a responsibility to care for their workers and communities.
"We have to care about enabling individuals to compete for jobs, to be successful, to have economic opportunity as society continues to move us forward," she said.
Vincent Lacey asking Census questions to a homeowner in Los Angeles.
Vincent Lacey
Vincent Lacey is an actor based in Los Angeles who is working as an enumerator going door to door for the 2020 Census.
At first, Lacey says working for the Census was straightforward. But by October, many people were tired or annoyed by visits from Census workers, and he would often be threatened or cursed at.
When people refused the five-to-10-minute interview, the Census system would just send another worker to their home to try again until data collection ended on October 15, so Lacey did his best to collect responses at each home.
Lacey says he took pride in his work to make sure every resident and family is counted in the Census, as the data can make a big impact over the next 10 years.
As I approached the property, a sign stared back at me. It had a picture of a gun pointed directly at my face and read, "NEVER MIND THE DOG. BEWARE OF OWNER." I took a deep breath. I mean, I get the humor. No one wants to be the unsolicited visitor, especially in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.
In this line of work, it's best to assume the worst and hope to be pleasantly surprised. Still, in the past three months working for the US Census, I've been threatened, cursed at, and kicked off more front porches than I'd like to admit.
As a writer/actor/comedian who finds most corporate environments repugnant, I've had a lot of jobs in my life. Outside of my artistic pursuits, I've worked with several nonprofits in leadership and recruiting, and I was in the middle of pursuing a certificate at UCLA this year when the pandemic hit.
Working for a mission-driven enterprise with a flexible schedule seemed like a great fit. The Census doesn't have many strict qualification requirements, but the best way to think of the job is like a sales position: After some brief online training, you are thrown into the field to sink or swim. Performance is everything.
The job as a Census worker is fairly straightforward
If no one answered, Lacey would leave an official Notice of Visit (NOV) form on the door.
Vincent Lacey
My title is "enumerator" — as in, enumerate the details of non-responders to the 2020 Census. Each morning a list of addresses is beamed into my government-issued iPhone, and my job is to visit these households, ask the Census questions, and collect the answers on the iPhone.
The questions are all demographic: name, age, relationship status of the household members, etc. If I'm lucky, I get a willing participant and the whole interaction lasts five to 10 minutes. If no one is home, I leave an official Notice of Visit (NOV) form with a code to respond online or by phone. I hope this encourages at least some people to fill out their Census.
The pay rate in my home base of Los Angeles is $25 per hour, with a 10% differential after 6 p.m. and "premium pay" of just over $31 per hour for working on Sundays. There are bonuses for achieving a certain number of completed interviews per hour, plus reimbursement for mileage. This might sound like a lot of money; being that I live in LA, it's fair but not luxurious.
When I first started working for the Census in the first week of August, it was smooth sailing
In the beginning, Lacey says many people were happy to answer the Census questions.
Vincent Lacey
Some people were even eager to speak with me. Because of my high completion rate, I was invited to join traveling teams that mandate seven-day work weeks with guaranteed overtime. It's not glamorous to be on my feet for 10 hours at a time, but I get to see other parts of the country on a $61 per diem and explore places I've never seen, like Las Vegas.
But as time went on, the job got harder. By October, most people were tired of Census visits. They claim they already filled it out, or that I'm the fifth enumerator who has come to their door this week. I often see a crumpled NOV in a hallway and feel an odd pang of rejection. Is there a term for being ghosted when you can tell someone is home but won't answer the door?
Many days I was a Census ninja. I can't count the number of times I followed a delivery driver into a locked building, or attempted to code-break the keypad to a gated community. As long as we weren't breaking any laws, supervisors told us to find a way in by any means necessary. But getting in still didn't guarantee success. If my target declined the interview, I was forced to click "refused" in the proprietary government app (read: not user-friendly), knowing this will only send someone else to try again tomorrow. It's just how the system worked.
If I couldn't find a respondent at home, that same system might prompt me to find a proxy, usually a neighbor, to gather information about the address. As you may imagine, this was not a popular tactic. With concerns of data privacy and just before another contentious presidential election, I felt like an intruder.
It's also challenging finding myself in the middle of a rural area with high fences and significant distance between addresses. People choose to live this way for a reason — away from others, away from "government," away from me.
Some days feel like a giant door slammed in my face
Despite the negative interactions, Lacey does his best to make sure every resident gets counted in the Census.
Vincent Lacey
There are good days, too. When you work with the public, people find a way to surprise you, like the building manager who spent hours helping me determine occupancy in her apartment complex, or the power company field manager who was happy to commiserate with me over a beer (I accepted the conversation, not the beverage).
I visited one older gentleman who claimed to have the same name as a rock star around his age. He was living his first year as a widow, and we had a surprisingly personal conversation, surrounded by mementos of his marriage. He tried to give me a $5 bill (again for the record: refused) on my way out the door. It was weird, but touching.
Some of my favorite interactions started with resistance but ended successfully
On one occasion, a resident arrived home just as I was leaving a notice behind his screen door. He chewed me out over the annoying pieces of paper, and I waited before replying, "I understand. That must be frustrating. I kind of hate leaving them." He laughed, we did the interview, and he even gave me a fist bump at the end. Really, I think he just wanted someone to listen.
Back at the property with the menacing sign, I made my way to the front door. I saw in my iPhone notes that this address has been attempted multiple times already with no luck. I happened to catch a break when a kind-looking couple answered. Neither of them was fluent in English, but with my mediocre Spanish and some gesturing, we got through my questions.
I felt a bit proud — I'm making sure a family gets counted, and that's important. Even though it might feel annoying to answer a Census worker, the data we collect can make a big impact, from determining Congressional representatives to providing funds for social programs. We all have to live with these Census numbers for the next 10 years.
As I climbed back into my car, I gave the couple a thumbs up, and they smiled back. One successful interview down, many more to go.
Vincent Lacey is a freelance writer and comedian/actor in LA. Connect with him on LinkedIn or Instagram.
New Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can get three months of the premium streaming tier for free. This paid tier opens up streaming access to over 60 million songs over the free tier.
Starting October 29, current subscribers can upgrade to the Family Plan free for three months, opening up access for up to six accounts.
Amazon says that Music Unlimited allows subscribers to stream over 60 million songs, which is a huge step up over the two million songs that the company offers to all Prime members through its free Prime Music service. It matches the claim that Apple makes for its $10 Apple Music streaming service. However, Spotify tops its rivals with an estimated 50 million songs, according to Business of Apps.
With this offer, new subscribers are ostensibly getting a $30 service for free. Better still, you can cancel the service at any time. So if you want to listen to music for free for 3 months, and cancel before spending any money — you have that option.
However, if you enjoyed the three-month offer and want to continue, it will cost you $8 a month or $10 per month for non-Prime members.
Already an Amazon Music Unlimited subscriber? Don't worry. Starting October 29, current subscribers can upgrade to the Family Plan free for three months, opening up access for up to six accounts. A Family plan normally costs $15 per month, for Prime and non-Prime members, with support for six people.
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Viana Ferguson, a former Facebook content moderator, said during a panel hosted by the nonprofit the Real Facebook Oversight Board that users have become more vocal about the "violence they are willing to execute" toward people.
Ferguson said there would "definitely" be calls for violence after the election, regardless of the winner.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will appear before Congress on Wednesday to address a law that shields social-media companies from being held liable for the content of users' post.
"We've applied lessons from previous elections, hired experts, and built new teams with experience across different areas to prepare for various scenarios," a Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider.
Are you an insider with information to share? Email aakhtar@businessinsider using a nonwork device.
A person who was responsible for looking at some of the most hateful content on Facebook said she was sure there would be calls for violence after the US election — regardless of the winner.
Viana Ferguson, a former content moderator, joined the nonprofit the Real Facebook Oversight Board to discuss rising racism and hate speech on Facebook. Ferguson, who worked as a Facebook content moderator from 2016 to 2019, said through tears that users have become more vocal about the "violence they are willing to execute" toward people.
Content moderators are typically outside contractors who review flagged content on the site to determine whether it should be removed. They review posts that can be violent, pornographic, racist, and otherwise hateful.
"There's going to be a wave of hate speech. It's definitely going to be more violent," Ferguson said during the panel on Monday. "It's going to happen; it doesn't matter who wins. Facebook needs to be prepared for that."
Facebook has announced some actions it has taken to curb calls for violence on Election Day, including removing "thousands" of groups that could incite civil unrest. Nick Clegg, Facebook's head of global affairs, declined to share specific policies in September but said the company planned to "restrict the circulation of content" that could prompt civil unrest.
"We've applied lessons from previous elections, hired experts, and built new teams with experience across different areas to prepare for various scenarios," a Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in an interview with Axios that false information about the election could spread on Facebook and acknowledged there could be "civil unrest" after Election Day.
"I just think we need to be doing everything that we can to reduce the chances of violence or civil unrest in the wake of this election," Zuckerberg said.
One other former content moderator joined Ferguson during the panel — in addition to a current worker who spoke anonymously — to discuss the difficulty in removing racist and hateful posts because of loopholes in Facebook's guidelines.
Facebook has come under scrutiny for its treatments of content moderators. Moderators have gone back to physical workspaces during the coronavirus pandemic, even as Facebook employees work remote. The company agreed to pay $52 million to current and former content moderators who developed mental-health conditions on the job, The Verge reported.
Zuckerberg will appear before Congress on Wednesday to address Section 230, a 1996 law that shields social-media companies from being held liable for the content of users' posts. Lawmakers say the measure disincentives firms from moderating hate speech.
Are you an insider with information to share? Email aakhtar@businessinsider using a nonwork device.
Lordstown Motors surged as much as 19% after shares began trading publicly on Monday.
The company, which trades under the ticker RIDE, completed a reverse merger with a special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, last week and is set to receive $675 million in proceeds from the deal.
Electric truck manufacturer Lordstown Motors rallied as much as 19% in its Monday trading debut before paring some gains.
Shares leaped as high as $21.75 before cutting gains roughly in half. The stock, which trades with the ticker RIDE, changed hands 7.8% higher at $19.63 as of 3:10 p.m. ET.
The company is the latest vehicle startup to enter the public market through a reverse merger with a special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. Lordstown combined with blank-check firm DiamondPeak Holdings Corp. last week. The merged entity joins Nikola and Hyliion Holdings in the expanding electric-vehicle-maker-turned-SPAC-target space, with Canoo and Fisker set to join in the near future.
Lordstown is expected to raise $675 million through the SPAC takeover and use the funds for bringing its Endurance pickup truck to market. Production is slated to begin in the second half of 2021, with deliveries beginning in the summer. The company has said it has 40,000 preorders for the truck, which could bring in $2 billion in revenue.
Lordstown enjoyed time in the national spotlight last month when President Donald Trump highlighted the pickup model outside the White House. The president praised Lordstown for its purchasing of General Motors' old production facility and bringing jobs to northeast Ohio.
The company's public debut combines Wall Street's years-long obsession with electric vehicle companies with its more recent frenzy over SPAC deals. More than $59 billion has been raised across 160 SPAC deals in 2020 so far, according to SPACInsider.com. That handily exceeds the $13.6 billion raised across 59 mergers in all of 2019.
Now read more markets coverage from Markets Insider and Business Insider:
The billionaire investor Bill Gross is embroiled in a contentious legal battle with his Laguna Beach, California, neighbors, according to a new report from the Los Angeles Times.
The dispute stems from a $1 million outdoor sculpture, around which Gross and his partner, Amy Schwartz, have installed netting to protect it from the elements. Their neighbor Mark Towfiq filed a complaint with the city, alleging the netting blocked his view.
The complaint sparked a quarrel between the neighbors, with Towfiq and his wife filing a temporary restraining order alleging Gross and Schwartz blared the "Gilligan's Island" theme song at all hours to get them to drop the issue.
Gross and Schwartz allege in a suit of their own that their neighbors are obsessed with them and have spied on the couple.
Representatives for Gross and Towfiq did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
The billionaire bond investor Bill Gross and his tech-entrepreneur neighbor are embroiled in a legal battle over a $1 million sculpture.
According to a report from the Los Angeles Times' Laurence Darmiento, the Pimco founder and his partner, the former professional tennis player Amy Schwartz, have been accused by their neighbor Mark Towfiq of harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The disagreement stems from a 22-foot-long sculpture on Gross' property in Laguna Beach, California. The sculpture, created by the artist Dale Chihuly, consists of dozens of blue glass stems that reach nearly 10 feet high. It was installed by Gross as a gift to Schwartz in 2019 and cost $1 million, according to the Times.
Schwartz told the Times the glass pieces "are like my babies" and that she and her mother pray to them.
But after the sculpture sustained thousands of dollars in damage, Gross and Schwartz installed netting around it to protect it from the elements, which Towfiq and his wife said blocked their view. The couple filed a complaint with the city of Laguna Beach, which led to the city inspecting the property and informing Gross that he lacked the proper permits, the Times reported.
The issue has now sparked a bitter quarrel between the neighbors. According to the Times, Towfiq and his wife allege that Gross and Schwartz have been blaring the "Gilligan's Island" theme song, among other music, at all hours of the day and night, including turning the music on remotely when they're not at home, in attempt to get them to drop the issue.
Gross and Schwartz allege in a lawsuit of their own that their neighbors are obsessed with them and have spied on the couple while they swim and pointed security cameras at their house, according to the Times.
Towfiq has been granted a temporary restraining order, and a hearing has been set for November 2 to determine whether it will be converted to a civil-harassment order, the Times reported.
Representatives for Gross and Towfiq did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Gross has been involved in legal disputes in the past. In 2016, his ex-wife Sue Gross filed for divorce, which resulted in a high-profile and contentious legal battle that stretched over the course of several years. And in 2014, Gross was fired from Pimco, leading him to file a suit alleging wrongful termination and breach of contract. The suit resulted in an $81 million settlement in 2017.
The 26-year-old in North Carolina was diagnosed with COVID-19 in May, and subsequently suffered a stroke that led to bleeding in her brain and blood clots in her heart that caused the cardiac arrest, the Winston-Salem Journal's Richard Craver reported.
The conditions left her unable to fully use her arms and legs, and she was put on a ventilator for more than two months. She also suffered kidney and liver failure.
Doctors "thought that we should take her off of life support because she had no hope for life," Hairston's mom, Stacey Peatross said, according to Rasheeda Kabba, who covered the story for multiple local outlets. "They thought she would be a vegetable. She wouldn't have any quality of life at all."
They were wrong. After family, friends, and strangers prayed for her, Hairston began improving. She entered rehab for more than a month, where she relearned basic activities of daily living, like eating and getting dressed.
On Tuesday, she walked out of the hospital to continue rehab at home. She had been in medical care for 137 days. "My faith in God and the fact that I wanted to walk again" allowed her to survive, Hairston said.
Tweet Embed: //twitter.com/mims/statuses/1318705331069997056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Calling Tionna Hairston a survivor may be one of the great understatements of 2020. https://t.co/R4x0zRtFFD
While she's not fully recovered — she walks with a walker and has some memory loss — her doctors praised her recovery and the lessons it can teach others.
First, people should know "20-somethings can get very sick from COVID and COVID complications," Dr. James McLean, director of the Novant rehabilitation hospital in Winston-Salem, told Craver. "It's not just older folks."
The other lesson is that Hairston "demonstrated that human spirit, that little flame inside that keeps us going, shows us that people can overcome things that we could never imagine."
Other young COVID-19 patients have suffered strokes and neurological issues
Doctors have been concerned to see strokes in young people with no prior history of strokes and, in some cases, mild or even asymptomatic COVID.
In May, five young New Yorkers with COVID-19 were admitted to the hospital with life-threatening "large-vessel" strokes, or those caused by a blood clot that travels from the body into an artery in the brain, Business Insider's Aylin Woodward previously reported.
Doctors don't yet understand exactly how COVID-19 influences stroke risk, but it may have to do with blood clots, which have appeared in other parts of coronavirus patients' bodies, like the lungs and legs.
"My worry is that we have millions of people with COVID-19 now. And if in a year's time we have 10 million recovered people, and those people have cognitive deficits ... then that's going to affect their ability to work and their ability to go about activities of daily living," Adrian Owen, a neuroscientist at Western University in Canada, told Reuters.
He never got the drug, but recovered, and doctors don't know why.
After returning home, Goldsmith told Insider he cherished simple moments like snuggling with the family while watching TV. "It's the little things that you hope for, and I would say 'you dream about,'" Michael said, "but after going through the coma, I don't know for sure that was the case."
Editor's note: This story was updated to remove medical information provided by another media outlet that Business Insider was unable to verify.
Whether you're looking to boost your communication skills or just want to join a fun class in your free time, taking a comedy course can improve your personal and professional life.
Below are some classes that can up your funniness and joke-crafting chops, from virtual improv and satire writing workshops, to courses on using humor to foster healthy work environments.
Luckily, you don't have to be the next Kate McKinnon to benefit from a few comedy-focused classes. If you just want something fun to do after work, you can sign up for a virtual improv, stand-up, or comedy writing class that can also help you make new remote friends. (Nothing breaks the ice like a "yes, and" exercise!)
You can also enroll in or audit classes that mesh humor with important career skills, whether you want to market your wittiest ideas better or foster a more collaborative office environment as a manager.
Whichever route you take, feeling more confident about your joke-telling abilities can change how you present ideas at work and connect with new people. But most importantly, it's bound to make you happier, at a time when you could probably use a mood boost the most.
10 affordable online comedy classes:
Ultimate Beginner's Class to Learning Stand-Up Comedy
Always wanted to try stand-up but been a little scared to? Besides this course being fully remote, it'll cover the core pieces of stand-up, from crafting a good set to preparing for your first "live" (read: video) performance. And because it's taught by a professional stand-up comic, you'll also explore the thing you probably fear the most: bombing. You'll get tips on how to get through a failed set, deal with hecklers, and even host comedy shows yourself.
If you're going to take a class that teaches you stand-up skills and comedy scriptwriting, who better to teach it than Judd Apatow? Besides being the creative force behind Bridesmaids, 40-Year-Old-Virgin, Knocked Up, and way too many other movies to list, he also came from surprisingly humble beginnings: his first real exposure to stand-up was as a comedy club dishwasher when he was 15. In this course, Apatow shares his life story before doing a deep dive into writing, performing, and structuring work that will genuinely make people laugh.
The legendary Upright Citizens Brigade's alum list could go on forever: Amy Poehler, Donald Glover, Aubrey Plaza, Ed Helms. If you've always dreamed of taking a class but couldn't because of where you live, you can now take full advantage of their online courses here. Offerings range from improv and stand-up to sketch-writing and character performance. Note: As always, UCB spots fill up quickly, so keep an eye out for more classes if these are no longer available.
Remotely Humorous: Build Joyful and Resilient Virtual Teams With Humor
When it comes to being a great leader, a sense of humor may not be the first important quality you think of. But according to this course's instructors (who are also both Stanford lecturers), levity can transform a workplace. With a curriculum that's co-written by some of the internet's funniest voices, this class equips you with the skills to lighten up any Zoom meeting. Ultimately, you'll leave with a greater knowledge of how to connect your teammates in a meaningful way, and, best of all, make work way more fun for everyone. You can read more about this class here.
Going Viral: Write, Film & Make Content People Share
Whether you yearn to be a TikTok star or just want to write snappier social media copy, this 70-minute class is a crash-course in channeling your comedic voice. Taught by internet star, author and podcast host Matt Bellassai, this video gives you quick, practical advice on how to write sharper headlines, come up with stronger tweets, and develop a signature style of humor that still feels authentic and, most importantly, funny.
Like UCB, The Second City is another iconic comedian training ground with a long list of famous former students. And, like UCB, if you've wanted to take a class but don't live in a Second City-city, you can access all their virtual courses right here. One that can be especially fun if you want a low-commitment, good time is their "Improv Escape," which is basically a more relaxed version of an improv class designed to help you unwind while flexing your comedic muscles. (They also have a similar version if you prefer stand-up.)
Taught by David Nihill, author of "Do You Talk Funny?", this class concentrates more on the public speaking aspect of comedy. Through over three hours of videos, you'll learn how to grab an audience from the start (even if your presentation topic isn't meant to be funny) and make your speech stick to people's minds, whether you're talking through a slideshow at work or giving a wedding toast.
Whether you're already an avid Reductress reader or just wish you could write satirical stories as well as they do, this one-off remote class teaches you how to craft a hilarious headline, structure an article or list, and zhush up the jokes so your punchline has maximum impact. It's especially great if you're obsessed with topical or political comedy and want to find the humor in even the bleakest news stories.
If you're constantly sharing links from The Onion with your friends, this audiobook is perfect for you. Written and narrated by the founder of The Onion, this book teaches you about "funny filters" and other joke-writing hacks to speed up your comedic process. You'll also learn how to get through writer's block or just those moments where you feel like nothing you say is funny.
"Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations With Today's Top Comedy Writers" by Mike Sacks
Sometimes the best way to learn how to do something is to ask the experts. This book features interviews from some of the biggest names in comedy, from Amy Poehler and Bill Hader to Mel Brooks and Patton Oswalt. Whether you're looking for juicy behind-the-scenes stories or insight on which sketches really grab people's attention, this book is worht a read.
One of the biggest focuses for wealth management firms in the last few years is how to best bring in fresh financial advisor talent.
Around one-third of the industry, or some 111,500 advisors, will retire within the next decade, the industry research firm Cerulli Associates said in a February report. Meanwhile, traditional wealth managers are grappling with how to better attract and keep younger people through their rigorous advisor training programs.
Maintaining a strong pipeline of talent is a matter of survival for the profession that's aging and already under pressure from purely digital startups. And it's key to holding onto client assets that would otherwise fly out the door with exiting advisors.
Adding to the industry's urgency are big growth plans. Wall Street firms and beyond are expanding or adding financial planning and money-management services as stock-picking and investing advice alone is largely being automated out.
Here's the latest on how the industry is adapting to its many pressures, from hiring plans to tech revamps.
Some people seem to think that being strong means being able to do anything and everything. But the truth is that mentally strong people are essentialists. They don't feel the need to try to be all things to all people. Instead, they put their time and energy into the things that matter most.
They say no to things that might distract them from their goals, and they refuse to waste their valuable energy on things that don't really matter. Here are seven things mentally strong people don't waste time doing.
1. Worrying about what others think
Worrying about other people's opinions and fearing their judgment will impact every aspect of your life, from what you wear to how you parent your kids. It can cause you to avoid taking risks and doing things where you might get criticized or rejected — like applying for a new job or speaking up to someone who hurt you.
Mentally strong people don't make it their job to make other people happy. They're confident in who they are, and they ensure that their priorities are in line with their values. They focus their efforts on reaching goals and doing their best, regardless of what other people think.
2. Overthinking things
You won't catch a mentally strong person stuck in analysis paralysis. They refuse to overthink things. Instead, they evaluate their options and take action.
They know the risks they take and that the choices they make won't always be perfect. But they have confidence that they'll be okay no matter what happens.
3. Beating themselves up
Mentally strong people accept full responsibility for their actions. But they don't engage in toxic self-blame.
They refuse to beat themselves up for their mistakes, because they know that harsh self-criticism isn't effective. Instead, they know that self-compassion is the key to doing better, and so they choose to speak to forgive themselves when they mess up.
4. Wishing things were different
Wishful thinking can stir up painful emotions, such as resentment and regret. Whether you wish you had parents who treated you differently, or you wish your boss had never given you that extra project, you might get stuck dwelling on situations you can't change, and miss out on new opportunities.
Mentally strong people don't waste their precious time wishing they had been dealt a different hand. Instead, they put their energy into doing the best they can in any situation.
5. Feeling sorry for themselves
Mentally strong people aren't afraid of being sad, but they refuse to become helpless and hopeless. Rather than waste time hosting pity parties, they find healthy ways to cope with their discomfort — such as going for a walk or problem-solving with a friend.
Even when things are bad, they recognize what they have to be grateful for. They stay focused on what they have to give, instead of insisting that they deserve more.
6. Complaining to people who can't help
It can be tempting to complain about people you don't like or situations you find unfair. But complaining to those around you doesn't do anyone any good. Contrary to popular belief, venting doesn't release your feelings of anger and frustration — it fuels them.
According to the authors of a 2007 study published in The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice, "Psychological research has shown virtually no support for the beneficial effects of venting, and instead suggests that venting increases the likelihood of anger expression and its negative consequences."
That's why mentally strong people don't waste time complaining to people who can't help. Instead, they address concerns to people who have the power to fix the situation. Whether they complain to a manager or express their worries to a friend, they don't waste their breath on people who aren't able to help resolve the issue.
7. Rehashing things they can't change
Replaying conversations in your head or ruminating on mistakes will keep you stuck in a place of pain, and can interfere with your ability to move forward.
Rather than waste time rehashing things they can't change, mentally strong people focus on managing their emotions. When they're able to fix a situation, they take proactive and positive action, such practicing yoga or spending time in nature. If not, they accept what they cannot change, and focus on making the best of every situation.
Sometimes, these bad habits can become second-nature, making them hard to change. But becoming more aware of the unhealthy habits that are draining your mental strength is the first step in giving them up. It takes hard work and dedication, but with practice, you can learn to reserve your time and energy for the things that matter most in life.
The LSAT is designed to test for skills necessary to succeed in law school, from logical reasoning to persuasive writing.
The best online LSAT prep courses can cost a student anywhere from $0 to $1,700, and each one offers different levels of hands-on instruction, tutoring, and advice.
We've outlined six of the best LSAT prep programs below, including key details like price, how many full-length exams students have access to, and if they offer score-increase guarantees.
The LSAT is designed to assess the skills needed most to succeed in law school, including critical reading, analytical reasoning, logical reasoning, and persuasive writing skills, to name a few. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC), the creators and administrators of the LSAT, use data from a survey of faculty at about 90 ABA-approved law schools to determine the most impactful skills and then hone each year's LSAT to best measure them.
So, spending 20 hours per week in a library re-learning algebra or interpreting graphs would be a poor use of a prospective law student's time. Instead, students must strengthen reflexes and modes of thought like deductive and inductive reasoning and organizing evidence into a sharply written argument.
Prospective law students can find free preparation tools online, or pay up to $1,600 for a course that lends structure and advantages such as one-on-one tutoring and support from top LSAT scorers. Most programs, like Princeton Review and LSAT Max, offer money-back guarantees for a certain score improvement (with conditions attached).
Business Insider
The prep course you choose will depend upon variables such as budget, schedule, as well as what your starting score and goal score are. Below, you'll find a few of the most popular LSAT prep options available online, and a short rundown of what you can expect to pay and receive from each.
Read on to learn about the 6 best LSAT prep programs:
The most popular, according to the company, is the LSAT 165+, which guarantees you (under certain conditions) an LSAT score of 165, which should make you competitive for a top 25 law school. LSAT 165+ comes with 84 hours of instruction by an LSAT expert, 150 hours of online drills and explanations, six full-length practice LSAT tests, and more than 8,000 LSAT exam-style questions. You can find out more info here.
LSAT Max
LSATMax
Price range: $800 - $1,300
LSAT Max offers three programs with more than 100 hours of video detailing test-taking strategies and techniques. Additionally, students have access to weekly office hours, four textbooks, and analytics to determine weaknesses and maximize prep time. Lifetime access, a money-back guarantee of a higher score, and the ability to simulate an actual digital LSAT test also help set this program apart.
Its three program tiers are LSAT Max Pro for $800, which grants access to 20 out of the 90 prep tests; LSATMax Premium, which runs $1,000 and includes all 90 prep tests, plus a subscription to the Economist; and LSATMax Intensive for $1,300 that's the same as Premium, but with the added benefit of three hours of private tutoring.
Blueprint
Blueprint
Price range: $700 - $1,500
Blueprint offers three options for its LSAT program: a three-month plan for $699, a six-month plan for $999, and a 12-month plan for $1,499. The six- and 12-month plans also come with score-increase guarantees. You have the option to pay month-to-month, but you'll actually end up paying more ($249/month) than all three of its options that are billed upfront.
Students receive unlimited access to live online review sessions with LSAT instructors six days per week, a personalized study plan, and smart homework that adapts to their skill level. Especially key, the programs also come with access to 85 actual LSAT exams and more than 8,500 real LSAT questions with explanations, which Blueprint says is the same content found in LSAC's LSAT Prep Plus. Students also receive automated scoring on the practice exams with explanations of right and wrong answers.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy
Price range: Free
For those on a tight budget, Khan Academy, which was founded to bring education to anyone with internet access, has an entirely free prep program. The company reportedly collaborated with the makers of the LSAT to offer students access to thousands of official practice questions from real tests.
Students are able to complete problem sets, timed practice tests, instructional videos, and get access to strategies, tips, and more. The program is also designed to help you determine your strengths and weaknesses in order to create a custom practice plan that takes your goal score, schedule, and starting skill strengths into account.
Magoosh
Magoosh/Facebook
Price range: $130 - $249
Magoosh offers two LSAT prep options that run three months. The starter program costs $129, while the premium version for $229 includes more LSAT practice questions and logic games. There's also one 12-month LSAT Premium option for $619 that's often discounted to $149. The latter is essentially the same as the three-month premium version, but offers longer access to materials.
Magoosh's 12-month plan comes with eight full tests, which includes more than 7,000 LSAT questions with video explanations. It also includes more than 200 Logic Game explanations, timed practice tests on an official LSAT test day interface, email assistance from tutors, and access to the official LSAC Prep Plus. The premium programs also come with a guarantee of an LSAT score increase of 5 points or you get your money back (minus the LSAC $99 subscription that's included in the price).
Kaplan
Kaplan
Price range: $700 - $1,600
Kaplan offers three currently discounted LSAT programs: self-paced for $700 (originally $799), live online lecture for $1200 (originally $1,299), and a live online small class starting at $1,600 (originally $1,699). The difference between the live online small class and the live online lecture is that the "small class" option doesn't exceed 10 students.
Kaplan's live online courses include eight four-hour sessions, two proctored practice exams, more than 80 LSAT exams with self-proctoring tools, and LSAT prep books. With an upgrade to Kaplan's Live Online PLUS, you'll also get three hours of one-on-one coaching.
We rounded up the best sales and deals happening online today, with savings at Girlfriend Collective, Lo and Sons, and more.
Deals in this story are subject to change throughout the day. The prices listed reflect the deal at the time of publication. For even more deals and savings across the web, check out Business Insider Coupons.
Feel better buying your athletic wear when buying from the Girlfriend Collective — not only is it all made from recycled materials, but it's all 20% off right now. We've tested out the brand's leggings and shirts and loved them; it's not just hype. Sitewide sales aren't common for the Girlfriend Collective, so take advantage of it while it lasts. The sale ends November 1.
If you've been looking for a new tote or bag to carry your things, look no further than the Lo and Sons Early Bird sale. Wallets, purses, totes, backpacks, and more are all included in the 40% off sale, so don't miss out on this chance to upgrade to some luxury carry. We've reviewed many of their popular bags to help you find which is the best for you.
Treat yourself or your partner this month by using code SPOOKY to get up to 60% off select items from Ella Paradis. Ella Paradis has a huge selection of toys and accessories to choose from, so you're sure to find something just for you — at a discount. Read our guide to the best sex toys here.
Winter is coming and right now you can prep for your outdoor activities at a discount. Backcountry is holding a No Reservations sale in which you can shop gear, apparel, and footwear up to 60% off right now. Since most of these items are clearance, stock is limited, so act fast.
It's no secret that we love M.Gemi shoes, though they can run on the pricier side. Right now, the Corsa Collection is discounted when you use code CORSA75 to get $75 off. The collection features both sleek, neutral colors and loud animal prints for you to choose from.
Get more than half off your The North Face Outlet past-season online order
Sitewide sales from The North Face are few and far between, so this past-season outlet sale is a great chance to get some great gear at less than half the price. To help you get started, we've also highlighted some of the best deals from the sale.
Insider Reviews readers can take 20% off any Leesa Hybrid or Legend mattress with our exclusive discount code INSIDER. This is the lowest price Leesa has ever offered on these mattresses, and it applies to all sizes of each mattress. For what it's worth, we ranked the Leesa Hybrid as the top pick in our best mattress buying guide for its comfort and support.
There isn't a member of the Insider Picks team who doesn't love underwear from MeUndies. Right now, you can save up to 15% off your first order with our exclusive promo code is INSIDER15. This offer excludes packs and membership.
Although the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the US, some travelers are booking vacation plans with an eye toward safety and risk mitigation.
We interviewed experts including doctors, travel industry professionals, representatives from Airbnb, major hotel brands, the aviation industry, and more for guidance on risks and best practices.
If you decide to hit the road, we also compiled regional locations within the US that are well-suited to outdoor activities with socially-distant lodging.
Though the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the country, most states have lifted many of the restrictions put in place during lockdowns and many of us are eagerly wondering: is it safe to travel right now? With the holidays just around the corner, that question is more relevant than ever.
The answer depends on many variables, namely, how you plan to do so, where you want to go, the rates of infection in your chosen destination, and your anticipated behavior once you arrive.
For example, driving your own car and renting a house where you're the only inhabitant is quite different from entering a crowded airport, boarding a plane, and checking-in to a large resort.
Ultimately, resuming travel without a vaccine will come down to the level of risk that makes you feel comfortable. And it's sure going to look a lot different.
Insider Reviews reached out to experts including infectious disease and ER doctors, cleaning specialists, travel industry professionals, and representatives from major rental cars, hotels, Airbnb, and transportation organizations, to reveal both the risks and best practices associated with various forms of travel during a pandemic.
We also interviewed travel agents and tour operators, to find out how they're advising and planning travel for clients later this year and in 2021. And if you do book a trip that is ultimately postponed or canceled, it's important to understand your cancellation policies and consider options for the best travel insurance.
Of course, this is an evolving situation and it's crucial to follow guidelines and advice set forth by organizations such as the CDC and WHO, and practice safety measures no matter where you go, including wearing a mask, washing your hands, and maintaining social distancing. You should also consider whether you're leaving or traveling to a hotspot, so as not to contribute to infection spikes.
Below, our experts address popular questions and concerns around each mode of travel, and major brands share their updated cleaning policies, so you may make fully informed decisions about where to go. And if you need ideas on socially-distant locations, we've got some inspiration for that, too.
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Is it safe to travel for the holidays?
If you're considering visiting family or taking an end of year vacation for the holidays, there are key risks to consider before you hit book. Unfortunately, there's no one-size-fits-all answer to this question and it will largely depend on several other factors, including how you plan to travel, where you stay, and your own individual risk factors, as well as those of anyone you plan to visit.
"There will always be some risk of exposure to infections when traveling over the holidays, but there are simple things people can do to make it as safe as possible," says Dr. Roy Benaroch, who specializes in pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. "Families will have to weigh their own personal risks."
If you're on the fence about traveling over the holidays and its optional, the safest option is still to avoid travel right now. "If it's possible to defer or avoid taking a trip, that is still the safest option," says Dr. Nate Favini, medical lead of the preventative primary care practice Forward, which combines virtual and in-person care with offices around the country. "I would expect that many people are going to want to travel for the holidays and it's likely that coronavirus transmission and cases will pick up again."
If you do weigh the risks and decide to travel over the holidays, you should always wear a mask properly over your nose and mouth, and review which types work best to make sure yours falls into the category. Other precautions to take are to social distance whenever possible, and wash your hands frequently. Read on below to further weigh the risks associated with different types of travel and accommodations.
If you're among the many urban dwellers without a car of your own, you might be wondering if rental cars are safe to drive in a pandemic. For guidance, we talked to several experts, including Dr. Thomas Russo, chief of the division of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo.
"Remember that most of the transmission of the coronavirus is respiratory — it's not through inanimate objects," says Dr. Russo. "When you're in a rental car, the greatest risk is if you happen to be in the car with someone else and they could be infected."
When it comes to the car itself, the risk is reasonably low. "Even if there's an area you touch that wasn't properly wiped down and might have been contaminated, as long as you don't touch your mouth, nose, and face, and have good hand hygiene in between, you should still be protected," Dr. Russo says.
Additionally, rental car companies are taking rigorous new cleaning measures under recommendations from various health authorities to sanitize key high-touch areas.
Many regular travelers are long-time hotel devotees who adore a beautiful property or sprawling resort filled with high-end amenities and services. But even these frequent hotel guests are likely concerned that staying in one risks exposure to the virus.
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After all, checking-into a hotel means mingling with other guests and staff in common spaces like the lobby, elevators, pool decks, spas, and golf courses. When it's time to eat, there are busy restaurants to consider, and that's all assuming your own guest room is clean and sanitized.
In the latter, objects and furnishings are shared and reused by visitors, sometimes with only hours in between. So, is it safe to stay in a hotel right now?
Dr. Russo says the answer is highly individual. "If it's a trip that is important and necessary, I feel relatively safe using the proper protective measures like wearing a mask, distancing, disinfecting, and hand hygiene."
We also asked him about the worst-case scenario, in which an infected person stayed in your room hours before you. If the housekeeping crew cleaned and sanitized according to guidelines, would you escape risk?
"The answer is probably yes," Dr. Russo says. But, "that's not an ideal scenario." You'd be better off specifically requesting a room no one has stayed in for a day or two."
He also adds, "Wear a mask during the check-in process, going in the elevator up to your room, or even the stairwell. I'm a big fan of mask use because this magical six-foot zone is based on probability. The closer you are to someone, and the longer you're close to someone that's infectious, the more likely you are to get infected."
Most major hotel chains have announced wide-reaching new cleaning policies made in combination with health experts. These policies also focus on social-distancing and contact-free transactions such as virtual check-in and out, digital keys, limited dining, and more.
Dr. Robert Quigley, who serves as the senior vice president and regional medical director of global medical travel risk management company International SOS, spent four days and four nights transforming an Upper East Side hotel into a utilitarian home base for health care workers on the front lines.
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"We came in and converted what was a very high end, very luxurious hotel into a laboratory with the objective to protect the health and safety of the employees that were willing to come in and work."
Now, that work is being replicated in hotels for regular guests, placing technology at the forefront. In addition to adhering to strict CDC guidelines on health and safety, some brands including InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG), Loews, and Best Western are adopting American Hotel & Lodging Association's (AHLA) StaySafe campaign to help facilitate everything from how to conduct a contactless check-in to a new set of cleaning standards and protocols.
Additionally, Marriott Bonvoy hotels rolled out the Marriott Global Cleanliness Council, focusing on treating high-touch surface areas with hospital-grade disinfectants, providing disinfecting wipes in each guest room, and reducing person-to-person contact by removing furniture and installing hand-sanitizing stations. More than 3,200 Marriott hotels will now allow guests to use their phones to check-in, access their rooms, make requests, and order room service without contact.
Similarly, Four Seasons worked with experts at Johns Hopkins Medicine International on its new Lead With Care program for cleanliness and safety. The program promises that restaurants and bars will operate with reduced capacity to allow for social distancing, and the hotel will leverage technology for safety, by way of its Four Seasons app and chat.
Just as some people have always preferred hotels, others choose Airbnbs to enjoy more space in residential-style houses or apartments that are well-suited for longer vacations, or family and group stays.
These days, they may seem especially attractive given the fact that you are often booking an entire home that is protected from interaction with any others. However, cleaning practice vary by property, where everything from kitchen utensils to bed linens were used by previous guests.
Airbnb has, however, announced rigorous new procedures including a program known as the Cleaning Protocol, which includes guidelines on personal protective equipment for hosts or cleaners, as well as only using disinfectants approved by regulatory authorities. Additionally, these listings are required to maintain waiting periods after a guest checks out before entering to clean.
As a second measure, hosts may instead opt into a new feature called Booking Buffer, which enforces a longer vacancy period of 72 hours between stays so guests may feel more secure knowing there has been no activity other than cleaning the property.
And third, hosts can also choose to do neither of those things.
Airbnb
Dr. Russo estimates that staying in a private Airbnb is likely to be safer than booking a hotel, given there is generally less direct person-to-person contact. But he also encourages taking extra preventative measures such as running "utensils and dishware through the dishwasher when you get there" and laundering bed linens and towels "so you have control of what you want to be washed and cleaned." He also suggests running a disinfecting wipe over all flat surfaces, phones, TV remotes, door handles, bathroom faucets, and toilet handles.
Of course, that also means you're now cleaning the home for which you already paid a lofty cleaning fee.
After breaking down the risks of both hotels and vacation rentals such as Airbnb or Vrbo, no matter the type of lodging you pick, the main factors to consider are the likelihood you'll encounter other people, the number and length of such encounters, and whether the location and region are experiencing high rates of infection.
"When booking any type of lodging, consider how many people you'll be surrounded by, when was the last time someone stayed in that accommodation, and how is the state or city doing in regards to flattening the curve," said Dr. Neil Brown, K Health's chief diagnosis officer.
With either choice, be aware of high-touch areas and flat surfaces that might facilitate virus transmission. If possible, book accommodations with a significant margin of time since the last guest stayed in the same space.
The doctors we spoke with agreed private vacation rentals, however, are likely safer than hotels because they come with fewer person-to-person interactions.
"While there is no question hotels are working diligently to keep their hotels clean and sanitized, Airbnb has a huge advantage given that the renter is generally the only one occupying the property," said Dr. Brown. "With Airbnb's new Enhanced Cleaning Initiative, the company provides a better option than public hotel spaces … Double-check to see if the host is participating in the program," he said.
Dr. Russo "absolutely agree[s]" that staying in a private Airbnb, especially one that allows no-contact check-in, such as through a lockbox, is the safer option.
But both doctors recommend seriously evaluating the risks versus rewards with either choice, with Dr. Brown noting, "Personally, I would do my best to avoid traveling altogether, but if it is necessary, I would feel more comfortable staying at an Airbnb after doing my own disinfecting upon arrival."
In comparison to renting a car or booking lodging, air travel seems like a larger gamble. Entering an airport, waiting in long lines, and sitting next to strangers of unknown backgrounds, for a prolonged period, in a closed setting, all seems about as high-risk as it can get right now.
To help determine is flying is safe, we turned to a diverse panel of experts including an infectious disease doctor, an ER doctor, a pilot, a medical advisor for an aviation trade association, and the founders of popular flight deal platforms to discuss the risks of flying during COVID-19, and precautions to mitigate those risks.
First the good news: airports are trying various tactics to minimize contact between people, promote social distancing, and conducting temperature checks. Additionally, airplanes are designed to clean and filter air quickly according to Dr. David Powell, a medical advisor for a trade group that represents most of the world's major passenger airlines and cargo carriers. "Customers sit facing forward and not toward each other, seat backs provide a barrier, and the limited movement of passengers once seated adds to the onboard protection. Moreover, airflow is less conducive to droplet spread than other indoor environments: flow rates are high, directed in a controlled manner (from ceiling to floor), to limit mixing, and the use of High Efficiency Particulate Air filters ensures that the air supply is pure."
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But while these features help reduce risks, they do not eliminate them. Commercial airplane travel still means flying in a confined space with other people. Another passenger's droplet can easily invade your personal space even with no one in the middle seat beside you.
Says Dr. Russo, "Once you're on the flight, you've been dealt a hand. Hopefully, everyone around you isn't infected, but you just don't know for sure. A longer flight is going to be a greater risk even though the air is handled pretty well because it's a close space, exposed to other individuals, and the time of exposure is longer."
If you must fly, wear your best mask, sanitize all surfaces, and try to avoid eating, drinking, or using the lavatory.
Trains offer another way to approach getting from point A to point B, for both regional and long-distance routes. For travelers who prefer to stick closer to the ground and avoid planes, or for those who would rather nap, read, and take in the sights over managing navigation and traffic, trains offer a solid alternate option.
And while you'll have more space to spread out than in an airplane, traveling by train still generally involves interfacing with many people — so, is train travel safe?
Like other facets of travel, the answer depends on your set of circumstances. However, there are ways to minimize risk.
Dr. Paz, VP of medical at the digital primary care provider K Health says, "By maintaining social distance from others, using face coverings, and frequent hand washing, you can drastically decrease your chances of contracting COVID."
It also helps to know that Amtrak has rolled out a host of new safety measures meant to facilitate safe travel that includes requiring masks, sanitizing surfaces, and limiting ticket sales on reserved services to allow for social distancing. Individuals traveling alone can now enjoy an empty seat guaranteed next to them.
Amtrak has also enhanced cleaning protocols at the station, with added measures for social distancing, and are repromoting their "private room" seating options on long haul routes. These come in a variety of sizes to accommodate solo travelers, couples, and groups of families or friends. A standard room features two seats that can be converted into beds and come with complimentary Wi-Fi, charging outlets and an expansive window for taking in the views. It's not unlike a moving hotel, both in terms of amenities and also potential risk exposure. It costs about the same as a flight, sometimes more.
But unlike planes, which have advanced airflow and filtration systems, trains are far more basic. Though, they're certainly roomier, and private, if you splurge for such accommodations.
How travel agents and tour operators advise clients to book travel
While many travelers previously booked travel independently, some are returning to travel agents. These seasoned professionals have spent years in the business and are well-equipped to help clients identify viable locations with vetted, flexible policies. They may also have better insights into new practices at specific hotels to help determine how clean and safe they will be, and whether facilities and amenities may be impacted.
Their advice is to plan now, travel later (most of their clients are looking to travel between March and May of 2021), book refundable options, be aware of cleaning policies, try to travel domestically or close to home, opt for socially distant places, take advantage of deals, and assess your own comfort level with risk before booking.
Socially distant travel: safe vacations during COVID-19
As noted by various experts, no matter your destination, your risk of infection largely depends on factors such as whether you'll encounter other people, the intensity of such encounters, and if the location is experiencing high rates of infection.
While nothing can be guaranteed safe 100 percent safe, if you heed expert advice, take necessary precautions, and make informed decisions led by CDC and WHO guidance, you may be able to explore the world again soon.
If you find yourself in such a position, consider these locations within the United States that are well-suited to outdoor activities, offer socially-distant-friendly lodging, and remove the need for international travel.
Great speakers can make listening to music far more enjoyable — and speakers have been getting a whole lot better over the past few years. These days, even relatively inexpensive speakers can deliver well-rounded bass response, a well-tuned mid-range, and plenty of clarity and detail in the high end.
Of course, if you're in the market for a new speaker or speakers, you'll want to think about exactly what kind of speaker best matches your needs. There are a number of different types of speakers, and they can all serve drastically different purposes.
If you want something to take to the beach or use on the go, then a portable Bluetooth speaker is probably your best option. If you're looking to enhance your TV-viewing experience, then home theater speakers or a soundbar will do the job. If you want to bring a digital assistant into your home, then consider a smart speaker. If you just want speakers around the house to listen to music on, then perhaps it's worth considering bookshelf speakers. And, last but not least, if you want a more immersive computing experience, then consider buying a pair of computer speakers.
It's also a good idea to take the brand into consideration when purchasing speakers. Depending on the type of speaker you end up buying, you'll want to seek out different brands. For example, if you're buying a smart speaker, then it's definitely worth looking at options from companies like Amazon, Google, and Apple. Vizio and Samsung, meanwhile, are both safe bets for soundbars. If you're setting up a surround sound system, then brands like Klipsch and Focal will be a better fit for your needs.
Last but not least, you'll want to think about your budget — and your budget might again depend on the type of speakers you're looking for. You can get decent Bluetooth and smart speakers for under $150 – but that probably won't be enough if you're looking for a soundbar or multiple home theater speakers.
Thankfully, you may be able to stay on budget and save some cash thanks to these awesome deals. After combing through the web, we've rounded up the best speaker deals out there for a variety of needs.
Prices and links are current as of 10/26/2020. Added JBL PartyBox 100, Sony Core Series, and Polk Signature Series. Updated by Steven Cohen.
Best Bluetooth speaker deals
Amazon
Portable Bluetooth speakers make it easy to take your music on the road with you. Many of them are water-resistant, meaning you can use them near the pool or at the beach, and while they're usually not as great-sounding as more expensive home theater speakers or soundbars, they'll definitely get the party started at your next BBQ.
If you're looking to enhance the sound quality in your living room without going all out for a full-sized surround sound system, then it's worth considering a soundbar. Soundbars range in price and audio quality, but the best of them allow for full-bodied audio in a relatively compact package. Some models even include wireless subwoofers and separate satellite speakers for more immersive performance.
One of the best soundbar deal available right now is for the Samsung HW-Q950T. This premium model is currently available for $200 off its original price and provides a whopping 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos experience with separate satellite speakers, a wireless subwoofer, and Alexa support.
Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple's Siri have gotten a whole lot smarter over the past few years, and they can now help you with a huge range of tasks, including controlling smart home devices, finding out information from the web, and more. There are often deals on smart speakers too – so you might be able to pick one up at a super low price.
One of the best smart speaker deal you can snag right now is for the Amazon Echo Dot, which is $10 off its original price. It should be noted, however, that a new fourth-generation Echo Dot is now available for $50.
Soundbars are great, but if you truly want the most immersive movie-watching or gaming experience, it's worth looking into home theater speakers. Home theater speakers can be set up as a simple pair of stereo speakers next to your TV, or a full surround sound system. It should be noted, however, that home theater speakers typically require a separate AV receiver for power and processing, which can make purchasing a full system very pricey.
Thankfully, there are some great deals on home theater speakers available right now, including Klikpsch's Reference Premiere Series speaker, which is $58 off its regular price.
Want to avoid having to use headphones all the time when you're at your computer? A great pair of computer speakers can make for a better PC gaming experience, or simply make listening to music and podcasts more enjoyable. Sometimes, computer speakers even come with a small subwoofer to help enhance bass performance.
The best deal on computer speakers right now is for the Klipsch R-51PM, which are $113 off right now at Amazon. The stereo speaker pair includes support for wired connections and Bluetooth, offering a powerful desktop audio solution. Thanks to their impressive audio playback and connectivity options, the Klipsch R-51PM are our current pick for the best computer speakers.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi fiercely criticized the Trump administration for not including a national virus-testing and -tracing strategy in its stimulus proposal.
"We cannot accept the Administration's refusal to crush the virus, honor our heroes or put money in the pockets of the American people," she said in a Monday letter to colleagues.
Democrats are seeking $2.2 trillion in additional spending, while the White House has offered nearly $1.9 trillion.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi assailed the Trump administration on Monday for resisting a national virus-testing and -tracing strategy in a coronavirus relief package, citing the lack of one in a letter to House Democrats.
"We must come to agreement as soon as possible," Pelosi said. "But we cannot accept the Administration's refusal to crush the virus, honor our heroes or put money in the pockets of the American people."
The California Democrat blasted White House chief of staff Mark Meadows for saying "we're not going to control the pandemic" in a CNN interview on Sunday.
Stimulus negotiations are deadlocked, with both sides clashing on virus testing, as well as federal unemployment benefits and aid to state and local governments, among other measures. Democrats are seeking $2.2 trillion in additional spending, while the White House has offered nearly $1.9 trillion.
National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said earlier on Monday that stimulus talks had "certainly slowed down."
"We are close, but there are still important policy issues that separate us," he said.
Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke again on Monday afternoon, and there were few indications of progress on a deal.
"We continue to eagerly await the Administration's acceptance of our health language," Drew Hammill, Pelosi's spokesperson, wrote on Twitter.
He added that further headway could be made if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell signed on to a broad relief package. "The Speaker remains optimistic that an agreement can be reached before the election," he said.
But McConnell and Senate Republicans do not support a colossal spending bill, and the window for passing relief legislation before the election is rapidly closing. Sen. Richard Shelby, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told reporters on Capitol Hill Monday it was "about midnight."
For now, Shelby said odds were "very, very slim" that lawmakers would approve a deal with eight days until Election Day. Congress could pass an aid bill during a "lame duck" session, but it's highly uncertain whether it will take action.
Many economists and Federal Reserve officials are pressing Congress to approve a rescue package to prop up an economy that's showing signs of weakening. Millions of Americans are still out of work and receiving unemployment benefits.
No federal relief has gone out the door since the spring, and many programs such as the $600 federal unemployment benefit expired several months ago.
Stocks fell sharply on Monday as virus cases surged in the US and anxiety mounted over the lack of a stimulus deal. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 650 points, or 2.3%.
