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‘Trump just kicked over the chess board’: GOP faces an election with more pain
Now, millions of struggling voters — including in key swing states — will probably not see any more enhanced unemployment benefits or direct stimulus checks before the election. Layoffs, especially in the airline industry, could continue to mount. And some of the remaining 40 percent of small businesses that initially closed during Covid-19 lockdowns but managed to hang on could shut for good. “Trump wants stimulus and it’s more in his political interests than anyone else, particularly given where the race stands at the moment,” said Jeremy Lawson, chief economist at Aberdeen Standard Investments. “And another $2 trillion or so would clearly have had a significant impact. The failure to extend stimulus is clearly playing a role in the reduced speed of the recovery the last couple of months...
Indie Venues Devastated After Trump Kills Stimulus Talks: ‘This Is Real. We Need Help’
“It’s devastatingly horrible news,” says Stephen Chilton with the Rebel Lounge in Phoenix. “More venues are going to close — I think the reason we haven’t seen even more venues shut down is because everyone is holding out hope that Save Our Stages passes. I’m not sure how much longer people can hold on — there’s rent, there’s debt obligations and there’s a lot of costs. It’s already been six months with zero revenue.” The news came as a major disappointment for two major independent arts associations who were encouraged last week when Pelosi announced that the Save Our Stages Act would be included in the $2.2 trillion Heroes Act. Save Our Stages would have provided up to $18 million to any independent music ...
Daymond John Launches Black Entrepreneurs Day; 25K In Business Grants Available
Source: JLN Photography/WENN.com / WENN One of the culture’s biggest entrepreneurs is giving back to the people. Daymond John is looking to make history with a new initiative. As spotted on TMZ the founder of FUBU is trying to empower people of color in a major way. Today (Tuesday, October 6) the Queens native announced that he is launching the inaugural Black Entrepreneurs Day. He took to social media to make the formal unveiling. “Excited to announce the first ever ‘Black Entrepreneurs Day’ – a celebration of black business, presented by @Chase For Business 🙌🏾 .@blackentrepreneursday is sure to inspire and educate across all ages and levels of success as we come together to celebrate Black business 🙏🏾” he wrote. The goal is to...
Why Trump lost his battle against the trade deficit
The monthly deficit in U.S. goods trade with all other countries set a record high in August at more than $83 billion. Trump has blamed the trade deficit on bad trade deals negotiated by his predecessors and unfair trade practices by other countries, but most economists disagree with that explanation. “We have almost an $800 billion a year trade deficit with other nations,” Trump said in November 2017, after returning from his first trip to Asia as president. “Unacceptable. We are going to start whittling that down and as fast as possible.” In those 2017 comments, Trump seemed to be referring to just the goods trade deficit while ignoring the surplus the U.S. enjoys in services trade. The combined goods and services deficit in 2017 was $514 billion, reflecting a nea...
Queen Is Ready to Rule the U.K. Albums Chart
If Live Around The World holds its position when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published Friday, it will mark the Queen’s 10th U.K. No. 1 album, and Lambert’s first. Another iconic British rock band is at No. 2 on the Official Chart Update as Oasis’ sophomore album (What’s The Story?) Morning Glory (Big Brother) flies high following its vinyl reissue. On an Official U.K. Chart Update stuffed with new releases, Bon Jovi is chasing a 16th U.K. Top 5 album with 2020 (EMI) arriving at No. 3, while former Pink Floyd vocalist and bass player Roger Waters could bag a fourth solo Top 10 as his live album Us + Them (Sony Music CG) starts at No. 4. Rounding out the Top is CMFT (Roadrunner), the first solo album from Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor. Meanwhile, K-pop girl group Blackpink bow at No....
Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’ Surges to Biggest Streaming Week Ever After Viral TikTok Video
The TikTok video in question has “Dreams” soundtracking a man in a hoodie (Nathan Apodaca) seemingly being pulled on a skateboard, as he drinks from a bottle of Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice and sings along with Stevie Nicks’ lead vocal. The video became so popular, it moved the band’s own Mick Fleetwood to recreate the clip. “Dreams” also sold 7,000 downloads in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 1 (up 584%) – its best sales week since the week ending July 24, 2011, when it sold 9,000. “Dreams” makes moves on the Billboard charts (dated Oct. 10), too, as it re-enters at a new peak of No. 9 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, climbs 19-1 on Rock Digital Song Sales, and rises 7-3 on Rock Streaming Songs. (Billboard‘s charts dated Oct. 10 will refresh to Billboard‘s w...
Idles, 24kGoldn Rule U.K. Charts
Meanwhile, Machine Gun Kelly scores a career high with his pop-punk album Tickets To My Downfall (Bad Boy/Interscope), which opens at No. 3. Of MGK’s previous four albums, just one cracked the Top 40 (2017’s Bloom peaked at No. 37). Following Michael Kiwanuka’s Mercury Prize win with KIWANUKA (Polydor), the album fires up on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. The winning album enjoyed a 4,537% week-on-week rise in physical and digital sales, according to the BPI, powering the 2019 album to a No. 4 return, just two places below its peak position. Rounding out the Top 5 is the Deftones’ Ohms (Reprise), new at No. 5. It’s the veteran rockers’ third Top 10 album. Over on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, 24kGoldn extends his chart reign into a second week with “Mood” (RECORDS/Black Butter) featuri...
24kGoldn Strikes Chart Gold In Australia With ‘Mood’
Elsewhere on the weekly chart, Canadian singer-songwriter Tate McRae bags a Top 10 as “You Broke Me First” rises 14-10.Travis Scott “Franchise,” his team up with Young Thug and British rapper M.I.A., cracks the Top 40 on debut. It’s new at No. 31. There’s a surprise reentry in the Top 40 for Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 classic “Dreams,” which is enjoying chart spikes around the globe following a viral video on TikTok. It returns to the ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart at No. 39. Over on the national albums survey, Australian-Japanese artist Joji scores his first No. 1 with Nectar, which features guest slots with the likes of Benee, Lil Yachty and Diplo. Joji is the first artist part of the hip-hop collective 88rising to have a chart-leader in Australia. Machine Gun Kelly’s move from rap to pop-punk appe...
Epic scale of Western wildfires grows as a single fire surpasses 1M acres
“If that’s not proof point, testament, to climate change, then I don’t know what is,” Newsom said. The August Complex began as dozens of fires ignited by lightning in the Mendocino National Forest in mid-August and became California’s largest fire on record in September. As of Monday, it covered nearly 1,566 square miles (4,055 square kilometers). Since the beginning of the year, more than 8,200 California wildfires have scorched “well over 4 million acres” or 6,250 square miles, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Sunday in a statement. There have been 31 deaths and nearly 8,700 buildings have been destroyed, the governor said. Numerous studies have linked bigger wildfires in America to climate change from the burning of coal, oil and gas. Scientists...
Sony Music Suing Musicians for Allowing Attorney to Use Album Artwork
Sony wishes to sue Lyon and Collins for selling unauthorized, “pirate” versions of their own albums on websites. Last week, UMG made a similar move, countersuing musicians including Joe Ely and Syd Straw for distributing their own music in an unauthorized way. But that’s not all! Most spectacularly, Sony aims to hold the musicians liable for secondary copyright infringement because the musicians’ attorney, Evan Cohen, is apparently using album artwork to recruit other clients. As a letter to the judge puts it, “[B]oth Lyon and Collins appear to have authorized their attorney, Evan Cohen, to distribute and display SME’s copyrighted album artwork on Mr. Cohen’s website, so that Mr. Cohen can advertise his business centered on preparing termination notices.” Here’...
Korean Supermodel Irene Kim Launches Capsule Collaboration Project With TikTok
The combination of TikTok’s playful world and Irene’s vibrant aesthetics are said to encourage individuality and carry the important message of spreading positivity, especially during 2020’s difficult times. The #GoodFriendChallenge was created to capture the spirit of friendship and invite users to co-create with friends and share viral-worthy moments. The challenge has so far seen more than 65 major TikTok creators take part, as well as K-pop stars, models and influencers like Eric Nam, Red Velvet’s Seulgi, Jessica Jung, CLC’s Sorn, Holland V, Heize, Nayoung Kim, Hojung Lee, and Lia Kim. The challenge has garnered more than 37.9 million views and 10,000 videos since its launch. The 15-second track, titled “Good Vibes,” was composed by R&B star Jooyoung, $un and Mins...
Phoebe Bridgers Launches Saddest Factory Label With Dead Oceans: Exclusive
That dream comes to fruition today with the launch of Bridgers’ own Dead Oceans imprint, Saddest Factory. The name is a tongue-in-cheek mispronunciation of the word “satisfactory” — which also happens to be a term used frequently in record deals — that was originally made on Twitter by her former Sloppy Jane bandmate Haley Dahl. “It’s always been a dream of mine to have a label, because I’m also such a music fan,” says Bridgers. She says she has been essentially pitching artists to Dead Oceans for years, and finally decided to ask Secretly for a label of her own when indie band Bright Eyes announced their signing to Dead Oceans in February — a deal that came together after Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst and Bridgers formed the indie-rock du...
