Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of the accompanying video from professor Peter St. Onge. Small-business bankruptcies are up 61% on the year. It is a cackle-nomics miracle. The data comes from bankruptcy analyst Epiq, which reports that commercial filings for Chapter 11 bankruptcies soared to 4,553 so far this year. Meanwhile, total corporate bankruptcies are also rising, hitting the highest since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence, which is hitting especially hard in retail, with a parade of chains going under this year, including Red Lobster and its beloved endless shrimp. Never forget what they have taken from us. What’s causing it? Simple: Inflation, high interest costs, and COVID-19 loans. Inflation, of course, drives up business costs to the point they have to hike prices, which chases consumers out. High interest rates are well-known to strangle business. In fact, that’s why the Fed does them, to strangle household spending enough that federal spending has inflation all to itself. And then the COVID-19 loans: During the pandemic, the Small Business Administration pumped out 4 million loans—worth about $380 billion—in so-called economic-injury disaster loans. Note these were separate from the Paycheck Protection Program loans, where $800 billion were handed out to bribe voters into lockdowns. While many of the PPP loans were fraudulent—actually, most of them, according to NPR—96% of those loans were forgiven. Incidentally, one gang member recently killed in a Baltimore shootout had, it turned out, an outstanding PPP loan for a nanotech company. Not a joke. Thing is, those $380 billion in injury loans actually do have to be paid back. And it turns out a lot of companies can’t. Eighty percent are still outstanding—$300 billion—so, we’re probably just seeing the tip of the injury-loan bankruptcies. Alas, it’s not just small business. Inflation and high rates strangle everybody. According to the American Bankruptcy Institute, total corporate bankruptcies jumped 34% on the year, while corporate bankruptcies year-to-date just hit the highest level since 2010, when we were still crawling out of the 2008 crisis. By the way, that exceeds bankruptcies during the height of COVID-19. As you’d expect, the worst-hit were consumer discretionary spending—restaurants, hotels, clothing, and media. In other words, stuff you don’t need. Which is pretty much how recessions work. We’ve already had 17 restaurant chains go under so far this year, including Red Lobster, Rubio’s, Tijuana Flats, and even the World of Beer. Never forget what else they have taken from us. Finally, individual bankruptcies. These, too, are soaring: up 15% on the year. Concerningly, they’re actually rising faster for millennials in their 20s, who are carrying $1.1 trillion in debt despite being—what?—five years out of school. Here, the main culprit has been high interest rates: The average credit card is now charging over 22%, so the debt snowballs to where even minimum payments become a challenge. That debt becomes a ball and chain for life. So, what’s next? The good news—for bankruptcies, anyway—is that the Fed just panic-slashed rates, with current projections putting them cutting another 2 points in the next 12 months. The bad news, of course, is why they’re panic-slashing—namely, because recession is coming like a tidal wave. So, sure, interest costs will go down. But if consumers dry up—or lose their jobs—they’re not going to Red Lobster. A new episode of the Peter St. Onge podcast just dropped, rounding up all the week’s top stories. Check it out on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you enjoy your podcasts. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Small-Business, Personal Bankruptcies—Up, Up, and Away appeared first on The Daily Signal.

THE CENTER SQUARE—The U.S. House passed a bill last week to deport and make inadmissible criminal foreign nationals convicted of domestic violence and sex-related offenses, including sex crimes against children. It passed with bipartisan support but with the majority of Democrats, 158, voting against it. The bill would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act “to provide that aliens who have been convicted of or who have committed sex offenses or domestic violence are inadmissible and deportable.” This includes stalking, child abuse, child neglect, child abandonment, violation of protective orders, including credible threats of violence, repeated harassment, and conspiracy to commit a sex offense as grounds for deportation, according to the bill language. It also includes crimes defined in the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006: child sex offenders, sexual predators, child sex traffickers, using minors in a sexual performance, soliciting a minor to practice prostitution, producing or distributing child pornography, transporting with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, among others. The greatest number of Democrats by state who voted against it are 36 from California, 13 from New York, 12 from Illinois, and nine from Texas, according to an analysis of the vote by The Center Square. In Massachusetts and Maryland, where violent offenders are being arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, eight and seven Democrats, respectively, voted against deporting such offenders. These Democrats voted against some current practices of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers who, under the Biden-Harris administration, are arresting sex offenders thousands of miles from the border in major cities. In Boston, Baltimore, and New York, for example, ICE ERO agents are arresting foreign nationals who illegally entered the country after being previously deported and who were convicted of crimes in other states. In Massachusetts, ICE ERO Boston officers recently arrested a Brazilian national charged with indecent assault and battery against a Nantucket resident over age 14. They also arrested a Salvadoran national charged with numerous sex crimes against a child on Nantucket Island, including child rape and indecent assault and battery. They also recently arrested a Guatemalan national convicted of molesting a Missouri minor. He was previously deported, illegally reentered the country, and has an extensive criminal history, according to ICE. In another case, they arrested a Guatemalan national charged with raping a Massachusetts resident. This is after he was convicted of assault and battery on a family or household member and arraigned on two counts of rape and indecent assault and battery on a person over 14. ICE said, “He posed a significant threat to the members of our community.” In another case, they arrested an 18-year-old Haitian national charged with indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 in Massachusetts. In Maryland, ICE ERO Baltimore officers apprehended a Mexican national in Gaithersburg convicted of sex crimes against a minor. He illegally entered the U.S. at an unknown date and location and has an extensive criminal history. They also arrested a sex offender from Honduras who was convicted of sex crimes against a minor. He was previously deported and has an extensive criminal record. They also arrested a Honduran national illegally in the U.S. who was convicted of raping a Maryland resident. His “landmark arrest” was the 153rd noncitizen sex offender arrested in Maryland this fiscal year, ICE reported. ICE ERO New York officers recently arrested a Honduran man and sex offender who was previously deported four times. He was most recently convicted by a court in Philadelphia for unlawful sexual contact with a minor, indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old, among other charges. He also has an extensive criminal history. Several House Democrats said they voted against the bill because it would hurt victims. Others said it was a political bill in an election year and attacked its author, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. Others claimed the bill didn’t close a loophole in the law that Mace and others claim it does. Despite their claims, ICE field office directors repeatedly argue it is necessary to deport sex offenders. In their press releases, they repeatedly describe the violent crimes committed against Americans and against migrants, including children. Their focus as law enforcement is “on prioritizing public safety by apprehending and removing egregious noncitizen offenders” who present a “significant threat to our youngest residents and the community as a whole.” ICE agents will “relentlessly pursue heinous predators who prey on our children and remove them from the United States,” they maintain. The 158 Democrats voting against the bill “shows the American people they care more about illegal aliens than our women and children,” Mace said. Originally published by The Center Square The post 158 House Democrats Vote Against Deporting Sex Offenders appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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A Tennessee woman who tried to hire hitmen to kill the wife of a man she met on a dating website — and who reportedly was jilted by news of his engagement — learned her fate Wednesday.Melody Sasser, 48, was arrested in June 2023 over allegations of a murder-for-hire plot. As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Sasser pleaded guilty to using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire.'I hope you both fall off a cliff and die.'U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan sentenced Sasser to eight years and four months in federal prison. Following her time behind bars, she will be on supervised release for three years. Sasser, of Knoxville, also was ordered to pay $5,389 in restitution to the victim.What's the background?In 2020, Sasser met David Wallace on Match.com, according to People magazine. Sasser and Wallace both were from Knoxville and were “hiking friends,” according to the criminal complaint. Wallace said Sasser had helped him on a hike along the Appalachian Trail.However, in the fall of 2022, Wallace allegedly informed Sasser that he had gotten engaged and was moving with his fiancée to Prattville, Alabama — roughly 330 miles from Knoxville.Sasser reportedly responded by saying, “I hope you both fall off a cliff and die.” Not long after, Wallace's wife allegedly told police that her vehicle had been keyed and that she had started receiving threatening phone calls. Sasser used an app to disguise her voice, according to the complaint. Wallace's wife — identified only by the initials JW — said she suffered trauma from the ordeal. Court docs said she moved out of her home and into a hotel because of the threats, bought a gun, and had her husband search every room of their home to ensure there were no intruders.In January 2023, Sasser used a dark web-hosted site known as the "Online Killers Market" to hire hitmen to murder Wallace’s wife, according to court documents. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Tennessee said in a press release, "In exchange for the anticipated murder of the victim, Sasser used the internet to transmit nearly $10,000 in cryptocurrency to the would-be assassins."Sasser also requested that the murder appear “to seem random or accident[al]" or to "plant drugs" on the victim, according to the release. Sasser reportedly stressed that she did "not want a long investigation."Sasser became impatient two months after she paid for the assassination attempt.“I have waited for 2 months and 11 days and the job is not completed. 2 weeks ago you said it was been worked on and would be done in a week. The job is still not done. Does it need to be assigned to someone else? Will it be done? What is the delay? When will it be done?” Sasser reportedly wrote in a message to the administrator of the online assassin website. The U.S. Attorney’s Office release stated, “In her communications with the site, Sasser provided photographs and location information of the victim.” The New York Post reported that Sasser tracked the couple’s locations using an exercise app called Strava that allows users to upload the mileage and routes of their past runs. Ultimately, the murder-for-hire scheme was unsuccessful.Sasser was arrested following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations Knoxville and Homeland Security Investigations Birmingham with the assistance of the Knoxville Police Department and the Prattville Police Department in Alabama. During a search of her home, law enforcement uncovered a journal listing several other hitman websites, a handwritten account of communications with the Online Killers Market, and a stack of U.S. currency with a note attached highlighting a Bitcoin address.Federal prosecutor Anne-Marie Svolto told the judge during the sentencing hearing that the journal “was a hidden rage that she kept secret for months," WBIR-TV reported.Sasser's attorney, Jeff Whitt, told the judge that his client suffered a "breakdown of massive proportion," and she was deeply remorseful for her actions. "She wants [the victim] to be able to move on with her life," Whitt said.Like Blaze News? Circumvent the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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I haven't found many effective ways to incorporate generative AI into my daily life, but that's not to say there aren't interesting use cases for the technology. For instance, we recently happened upon a free AI web app called AirFry.AI that does one thing really well. As the name suggests, this free tool is an AI assistant that helps you cook food in your air fryer. While air fryers are popular in part because they are so easy to use, they can require some trial and error when it comes to cooking times and temperatures for food. As such, you might end up scouring the web to find out how long to cook fries or chicken wings, and if you've ever visited a recipe site, you know how far you have to scroll for the information you need. AirFry.AI is a useful and free AI tool. Image source: AirFry.AI AirFry.AI removes all of the hassle and tells you precisely what you need to know. Input the food you're trying to cook, choose between °C and °F, and click the "Air Fry" button. When I searched for "frozen tater tots," this was the answer: "Cook frozen tater tots in an air fryer at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through cooking. Enjoy your crispy tater tots!" No long-winded videos or lengthy stories about the author's great-great-grandmother's original tater tots from the 1800s. Just a simple, precise answer. You can also click on the toggle at the top of the page to switch to recipes. These responses are often longer and more detailed, providing a list of ingredients and a numbered set of instructions. When I searched for "garlic chicken wings," AirFry.AI told me how much of each spice to include as well as instructions for mixing, marinating, preheating, and cooking. Obviously, you could use ChatGPT or any other generative AI chatbot for similar purposes, but having it all set up ahead of time makes it less overwhelming. Don't Miss: Today’s deals: $449 Apple Watch Ultra, first deal on iPhone 16 Pro official Apple cases, $179 Roomba, more The post Free AI web app tells you the temperature and time to air fry any food appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2024: Get $410+ free Today’s deals: $449 Apple Watch Ultra, first deal on iPhone 16 Pro official Apple cases, $179 Roomba, more Today’s deals: $199 iPad 9, $99 TP-Link WiFi 7 router, $400 off Narwal Freo X Ultra robot vacuum, more Today’s deals: $100 off Sihoo Doro C300 Pro office chair, Rare Nintendo Switch OLED sale, Anker chargers, more

The United States has requested that Israel take measures to protect American citizens in Lebanon amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, raising concerns about the need for potential evacuation, Axios reported.

The Republican Governor's Association says it will no longer financially back the campaign of Republican nominee for governor of North Carolina, Mark Robinson, following revelations he made a series of inflammatory comments on a pornography website's message board.