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Dr Pepper ends Pepsi’s reign as second-most popular soda, making soda industry a three-brand race
National, The Street

Dr Pepper ends Pepsi’s reign as second-most popular soda, making soda industry a three-brand race

By Rebecca Mezistrano, Ross Kohan AND Daniel Kuhn | The Street While Coca-Cola still holds the top spot when it comes to America’s biggest soda brand, there is officially a battle for the number two spot. After decades of it being just a two-brand race, Dr Pepper has emerged as a contender as is now tied with Pepsi as America’s No.2 soda. Coke is in no danger of losing its top spot with a commanding 19.2 percent share of the soda market, according to Beverage Digest. Pepsi and Dr Pepper both own an 8.3 percent share,. Sprite and Diet Coke rounded out the top five - both brands fall under the Coca-Cola umbrella. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE STREET
‘Laptop from hell’ among evidence facing Hunter Biden in gun trial
Approved, Fox News, National

‘Laptop from hell’ among evidence facing Hunter Biden in gun trial

By Anders Hagstrom, Kyle Morris, Brianna Herlihy, Michael Lee and Emma Colton | Fox News Prosecutors presented evidence that Hunter Biden attempted to buy and smoked crack in the days after he purchased the gun. Prosecutors shared a text message exchange from October 13, 2018 that featured Biden sending a message to Hallie Biden indicating that he was "waiting for a dealer named Mookie." The next day, two days after the gun purchase, prosecutors presented evidence that Biden sent another text message to Hallie Biden that said he was recently sleeping on a car while smoking crack. READ MORE UPDATES AT FOXNEWS.COM
Biden’s edict on Southern Border is an Election Year stunt, Republicans say
Approved, National, The Daily Signal

Biden’s edict on Southern Border is an Election Year stunt, Republicans say

By Virginia Allen  | The Daily Signal President Joe Biden signed an executive order Tuesday giving himself the authority to close the border when the seven-day average of daily border crossings between ports of entry exceeds 2,500.  The order is set to take effect immediately, since the daily threshold has already been met. The border will only reopen if crossings between ports fall to a seven-day daily average of 1,500 or less.  Biden is drawing on the authority in Title 8 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to temporarily close the border.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DAILY SIGNAL
Another airline is getting sued for a political reason
Approved, National, The Street

Another airline is getting sued for a political reason

By Veronika Bondarenko | The Street When it comes to letting their flight attendants and other workers express their political views, airlines are often in a tough spot between encouraging personal expression and avoiding the kind of arguments that broke out last month when a JetBlue Airways  (JBLU)  passenger was accused of “causing a disturbance” and had his return ticket canceled after bringing up an attendant’s “Free Palestine” pin. As the story started picking up steam, JetBlue quickly changed its policy to ban all political displays on the uniform worn by its staff. While it previously allowed flight attendants to put on one pin of their choosing, the airline felt that this was necessary in an election year and a time when tensions run high around ...
Air Force dangles big bucks, expands eligibility for retention bonuses
Air Force Times, Approved, National

Air Force dangles big bucks, expands eligibility for retention bonuses

By Courtney Mabeus-Brown | Air Force Times Thinking about reenlisting? Eligible airmen in critical jobs can now nab bonuses of up to $180,000, up from $100,000 in previous years, for agreeing to stay in the service. Seventy-three career fields are eligible for selective retention bonuses in fiscal year 2024, up from 51 the previous year, the Air Force said in a recent release. The new list adds airmen like air traffic controllers, cyber defense superintendents and aerospace physiologists, and is retroactively effective as of Oct. 1, 2023. How much money someone can receive depends on how long they opt to stay in uniform and their experience level. Airmen are capped at earning up to $360,000 in selective retention bonuses over the course of their career, and can elect to take the m...
Tech glitch may have overcharged Walmart shoppers at self-checkout
Approved, National, The Street

Tech glitch may have overcharged Walmart shoppers at self-checkout

By Patricia Battle | The Street If you’ve recently used a self-checkout kiosk at Walmart  (WMT) , and felt like your bill was abnormally high, (even amid inflation) then you were probably right. The retail giant has just admitted that it may have overcharged shoppers who opted to use self-checkout machines in March at 1,600 stores across the nation due to a technical issue, according to documents that were seen by Bloomberg News. The documents reveal that the issue began on March 19, and that some customers were even undercharged for items across all categories such as food, apparel, etc. The source of the malfunction was due to an “internal system failure” that halted price data from being updated at self-checkout kiosks. Walmart’s tech staff were still...
Opening statements expected today in Hunter Biden federal gun trial
Approved, National, THE HILL

Opening statements expected today in Hunter Biden federal gun trial

By ELLA LEE AND ZACH SCHONFELD  | The Hill Twelve jurors and four alternates were selected in the first of what could be two federal criminal trials involving Hunter Biden, the son of President Biden, according to The Associated Press.  The panel of Delaware residents was selected after just one day, where prospective jurors were questioned over their views on gun rights, political prosecutions and whether the defendant’s father could influence their ability to be fair and impartial.  Hunter Biden will stand trial on federal gun charges involving his purchase of a firearm in 2018. Federal prosecutors contend the president’s son made false statements regarding his use of illegal drugs when obtaining the gun and then unlawfully possessed it for 11 days.   He has pleaded...
Fauci says he was always open to China lab-leak theory for coronavirus, blames others for Covid-era bungles
Approved, National, The Washington Times

Fauci says he was always open to China lab-leak theory for coronavirus, blames others for Covid-era bungles

By Stephen Dinan | The Washington Times Dr. Anthony Fauci on Monday said he never tried to squelch lab-leak theories about the origins of the coronavirus, distanced himself from a senior adviser who bragged about defying transparency laws and rebuffed Republicans who said he should have spoken out against the 6-foot social distancing rule. Dr. Fauci, the face of America’s response to the pandemic, admitted in public testimony to Congress that there was no basis for the 6-foot rule, but he said it wasn’t his place to clear that up. He said that was a decision for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “It was their decision to make — and they made it,” Dr. Fauci told a House subcommittee investigating the pandemic. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Trump says trial, conviction ‘very hard’ on wife Melania
Approved, National, THE HILL

Trump says trial, conviction ‘very hard’ on wife Melania

By NICK ROBERTSON | The Hill Former President Trump said Sunday that his weeks-long criminal hush money trial in New York City and conviction Thursday have been “very hard” on his wife, Melania, amid testimony recounting his alleged infidelity. Trump was convicted Thursday of 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents, the first time a former president was ever convicted of a crime. He has appealed the ruling. The charges were connected to hush money payments made in the weeks before the 2016 election intended to cover up alleged past affairs between Trump and an adult film star, which he has denied. The alleged affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels occurred in 2006, just a year after Trump had married Melania and months after the birth of their son, Ba...
What Are NIH Officials Hiding?: Fauci to Testify on America’s Response to COVID-19
Approved, National, The Daily Signal

What Are NIH Officials Hiding?: Fauci to Testify on America’s Response to COVID-19

By Robert Moffit and Mary McCloskey  | The Daily Signal Expect fireworks. On Monday, Dr. Anthony Fauci is scheduled to testify under oath before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic to account for his performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci, former director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, appeared before the select subcommittee earlier this year for a closed-door, 14-hour transcribed interview conducted over two days. Needless to say, congressional investigators have a lot of ground to cover Monday, ranging from Fauci’s advice on mask mandates to his oversight of coronavirus research grants and response to the Chinese origins of the global pandemic. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DAILY SIGNAL