A royal expert claims that King Charles may distance himself from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. This could happen as some serious allegations against Markle's father have surfaced. The source reportedly that, as the allegations have attracted unwanted attention to the Royal Family, it might lead to the monarch making a serious decision.
WARNING: The article contains mention of child ******* .
In a conversation with Page Six, Kinsey Schofield revealed what could prompt King Charles to step away from the Sussexes' relationship. "This may give King Charles III the ammunition to take a firmer stance in distancing the monarchy from Harry and Meghan," she said, referring to the allegations against Thomas Markle Sr. that he reportedly possessed child ******* .
She claimed that she doesn't expect King Charles or the Royal Family to address the ongoing situation surrounding Markle's father. This is because she is aware that this matter is in relation to private individuals and not ******* ociated with the Royal Family. Therefore, they do not need to defend or explain themselves. "The Sussexes are private citizens, and perhaps it's time the Palace made that separation unmistakably clear," the royal expert added.
These remarks came amid reports that Markle's half-brother, Thomas Jr., told the police that he found "hundreds, if not thousands" of child ******* images from his father's home in the Philippines. After submitting the sworn statement, Thomas Jr. spoke to the police about the disturbing situation (via The Sun).

#royal #harry

Michael Douglas was thousands of miles away from Catherine Zeta-Jones when they first started dating, but apparently, another famous man was finding reasons to spend time with the actress.
The couple had to make long distance work after meeting in 1998 (@ Getty Images)
In his new memoir, One ***** of a Ride, Douglas recalls that Kobe Bryant, who lived above Zeta-Jones' home in Pacific Palisades, California, kept stopping by while the couple was trying to make their long-distance relationship work.
"Apparently Kobe kept finding excuses to stop by Catherine's house. I'm not sure how many times he 'lost his dog,' but it was a lot!" Douglas wrote.
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones got engaged in December 1999 and married on November 18, 2000 (@ Dusko Despotovic)

#zeta #jones #apparently

One month ago, the woman now known to America as Cornell’s Jane Doe was living in New York City among thousands of other aspirational twentysomethings, attempting to break into the hotel industry and build a new life, according to her attorney, Thomas Giuffra.
But that plan has been derailed since she filed a lawsuit against Cornell University and others, alleging she was raped at a frat house in 2024.
Instead, Giuffra said, Doe spent Wednesday taping up paper to obscure the windows of her parents’ home out of fear that a gunman could attack her, and reeling from a swatting episode that he said prompted police to swarm their home Tuesday night with weapons drawn.
Doe is increasingly scared for her own safety, Giuffra said in a phone interview with CNN on Wednesday as he detailed his client’s deteriorating mental state after an escalating series of violent threats.
Officers pointed weapons at Jane Doe’s boyfriend, her brother and her father after receiving a bogus tip that “someone was killing people in the house” on Tuesday evening, he said.

#jane #tuesday

Eric Trump thinks artificial intelligence, not a crypto-specific trend, will drive the next phase of digital ****** et growth.
Trump was speaking at the Token2049 conference in Singapore on Oct. 7. "The thing that's going to spawn the growth of digital ****** ets by far the quickest is actually the AI trade," he said.
TOKEN2049 bills itself as the world's largest crypto event. The two-day Singapore edition runs October 7 and 8 at Marina Bay Sands, with more than 300 speakers and 500 exhibitors listed on its official site.
Eric Trump, a son of President Donald Trump, co-founded World Liberty Financial. It is a Trump family-linked crypto project that issues USD1, a dollar-backed stablecoin.
A stablecoin is a crypto token built to hold a steady $1 value. He is also co-founder and chief strategy officer of American Bitcoin, a Nasdaq-listed company that mines Bitcoin and holds it as a reserve ****** et.

#Trump #Crypto #token2049 #Growth

Kohl's is rolling out steep discounts for customers as it struggles to turn around its sales.
The department store chain revealed in its most recent earnings report that its comparable sales decreased 0.9% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, while recent Placer.ai data showed overall visits to Kohl's stores declined 1.4%.
Kohl's CEO Michael Bender said on the August earnings call that the company is "operating in a challenging macroeconomic environment" where customers are "experiencing persistent financial pressures from inflation in their everyday expenses, like gas and food."
Against this backdrop, Kohl's has taken several steps to make its merchandise more affordable. It introduced Deal Bar and Toy Towers in stores earlier this year, featuring products priced below $10. It also priced thousands of back-to-school items under $25 in July.
In its latest effort to win over price-conscious customers, Kohl's has made its annual Kohl's Deal Days savings event more generous this year.

#year #deal #recent #placer

Students at Cornell University began what was billed as a seven-hour sit-in on Wednesday in solidarity with "Jane Doe," the former student who alleges she was drugged and raped by multiple members of a fraternity on its Ithaca, N.Y., campus in October 2024.
"Seven hours for the seven hours she endured," a coalition of Cornell student groups said in an Instagram post announcing the demonstration. "Seven hours of solidarity. Seven hours demanding change."
About 80 students gathered in a campus dining hall named for Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison on Wednesday afternoon, according to NBC News. The protest was part of "Zero Day," which organizers described as an "economic blackout calling on students to disrupt business as usual by not attending class or spending on campus."
A Cornell University student sits with a sign during a campus-wide sit-in on Oct. 7.
The sit-in comes two days after thousands of people took part in a campus rally protesting Cornell's handling of Jane Doe's allegations. Demonstrators held signs accusing the school of protecting the alleged rapists and demanding accountability.

#hours #student #university

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Communications Commission is considering a request by a conservative group to loosen rules on political robocalls, including those with artificial intelligence-generated voices, before November's midterm elections.
Federal law currently bans most robocalls to cellphones unless the caller gets consent beforehand. The petition calls for a waiver that would allow political groups to use artificial or prerecorded voices in unsolicited wireless calls.
The Republican-led FCC advanced the request for public comment and could rule on it as soon as late October.
Consumer advocacy groups warn the proposed change could trigger a surge of unwanted, partisan and potentially misleading automated calls in the critical final days of the election, which will determine which party controls Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump's term.
The potential perils became evident two years ago during the presidential primary season when thousands of voters in New Hampshire received a robocall with an AI-generated voice of then-President Joe Biden. The call suggested voters should forgo casting a ballot in the primary and "save" their votes for the general election.

#federal #robocalls #artificial #generated

Tanya Young Williams filed for divorce from former NBA player Jayson Williams in New York on Monday, Oct. 5, according to court records obtained by TMZ.
She is also accusing her estranged husband of owing "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in child support. Tanya made that claim in comments to the outlet, which did not publish an exact balance or a current response from Williams.
The filing comes 17 years after Tanya first sought a divorce in February 2009. That proceeding never produced a finalized divorce, TMZ reported.
Tanya, who appeared on Basketball Wives LA, married Williams in 2000. They have two daughters, Tryumph and Whizdom.
Tanya told TMZ that Williams provided no financial support for their daughters while he was incarcerated from 2010 to 2012. She said payments began after the couple reached a settlement in 2015 and stopped about two years later.

#divorce

A woman claims she's cracked the code on identifying people you need to stay away from. In a TikTok video, Sid (sidandlisten) explained that her extensive experience watching true crime documentaries, along with her background in managing a YouTube channel that focused on true crime at one point, has given her insights into the types of people to be cautious of when dating.
"If you are dating someone and they have dead eyes, like, they. They. It doesn't express anything, and they just kind of look at you like this without moving their eyes or anything like that, and, like, there's just, like, no movement. There's no movement at all," Sid said. As she mentioned this, she stared blankly into the camera in an effort to show what the expression would look like in person.
Sid then highlighted another thing people should look out for when dating: pursed lips. "And they purse their lips like this when they're talking, and their eyes are really dead. Run!," Sid said in her video's conclusion.
Sid's video has gained more than 2 million views, with thousands of people liking, commenting, sharing, and saving it. Speaking of the comments, some people appear to agree with Sid, primarily because of their personal experience.
One person wrote, "this is 100% True. my grandma used to always tell my mum "you can tell a person by their eyes", needless to say I didn't heed this information and ended up in a relationship where I was almost part of the next true crime series…(run before they start planning to skin you alive folks LOL…)" Another person said, "girl I can see it. I used to avoid people I would meet and had an empty look in their eyes 20 even 30 years ago… you can just tell when someone is basically possessed…"

#like #people #dating

McDonald's is facing a federal lawsuit that alleges its AI-enhanced pricing tool violates antitrust laws because it shares nonpublic data with franchisees who might be competing in the same market.
The lawsuit, which was filed Friday in Illinois, said McDonald's pricing tool uses artificial intelligence to collect data that competing franchises wouldn't normally share, like store-level sales. The Chicago-based burger giant has said it makes the tool available to U.S. franchisees to help them set prices at their individual restaurants.
The lawsuit also blames the pricing system for raising McDonald's U.S. prices.
"McDonald's has built and for years deployed its own information-sharing pricing platform, which draws on data from its millions of daily transactions to set menu prices across thousands of U.S. restaurants," the lawsuit states. "The result is algorithmic price-fixing aimed at customers who are already stretched thin."
McDonald's said Tuesday that the lawsuit is "filled with inaccuracies" and it would vigorously defend itself.

#restaurants

Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across France on Tuesday, as unions and teachers joined high school students who for days have been demanding better learning conditions in protests punctuated by violent confrontations.
Students have blocked the entrances to hundreds of high schools for 15- to 17-year-olds since late September, complaining of missing teachers, overloaded timetables, dilapidated classrooms and buildings that cannot cope with rising temperatures.
Unions, rights groups and the children have accused the authorities of using disproportionate force -- a police stun grenade tore the hand off one teenager on Monday and another youngster had his teeth knocked out last week after police fired a grenade launcher at his head.
"I'm afraid for my future," Selma, 15, told AFP without giving her surname, among the thousands marching in the country's second largest city of Marseille.
The unrest has erupted with just months to go before the 2027 election to choose a successor to centrist President Emmanuel Macron, with far-right veteran candidate Marine Le Pen riding high in the polls despite a graft conviction.

#students #teachers #tens

At the end of 2025, Warren Buffett stepped down from his longtime position as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA)(NYSE: BRKB). Over the 61 years he ran the company, the stock produced incredible returns for shareholders, rising by more than six million percent. Over the same span, the S&P 500 index (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) gained 46,000%.
Clearly, Buffett earned the nickname the "Oracle of Omaha." But can you still benefit from his investment wisdom now that the 96-year-old investor is no longer with Berkshire Hathaway? You sure can!
Missed AI's "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 14x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our ******* ysts, we're only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
Buffett's investment approach is deceptively simple to explain. He liked to buy well-run businesses while they were attractively priced. Then he liked to hold for the long term, so he could benefit from the growth of the businesses in which he invested. That's something that any investor can do. And while all investment approaches go in and out of favor over time, this one has clearly proven itself to be a long-term winner.
That said, Buffett was also highly selective. He once described investing as a baseball game where they don't call ******* and strikes. His point was that you don't have to swing at every pitch, even though you should have a diversified portfolio. The Motley Fool recommends 50 stocks as a good portfolio size, but there are thousands of investments you could choose from. Once again, Buffett's advice is very good: Be selective.

#hathaway #once #investor

Sean "Diddy" Combs is headed back into solitary confinement, a day after a report described a prison life of massages, smuggled liquor, and contraband phones.
Staff at FCI Fort Dix are returning Combs to the facility's Special Housing Unit, according to TMZ, which was told the move came in direct response to this week's NBC News reporting on his alleged perks. Sources described the placement as typical procedure while prison officials run an investigation.
The report in question drew on four men who spent time in Combs' unit at the New Jersey prison. They said the mogul had other inmates making his bed, doing his laundry, and cleaning his toilet before he used it.
Sources also revealed to NBC News that inmates cooked for him on makeshift heating elements, turning out curry chicken, pizza and empanadas, and that others gave him Chinese-style massages. Thousands of dollars a month allegedly flowed into their commissary accounts.
COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.

#shop

M*A*S*H star Alan Alda recently sat down with CBS Sunday Morning's Dr. Jon LaPook, revealing a nightmarish story from his childhood. When the actor was seven, he battled polio, and like tens of thousands of other Americans during the 1950s and 60s, the now-eliminated virus left Alda with serious symptoms at the time.
Alda explained, "I had polio before there was a vaccine. It was pretty hard to experience." He continued, contextualizing the experience, "My father had just gotten a huge part, his first big part, playing George Gershwin in the biopic of Gershwin. And about a week after he started shooting, I got polio." Of course, Alda was referring to Robert Alda, the vaudeville, Broadway, and alter, film star.
And here's where the story takes an even scarier turn. "He and my mother had to administer the treatment, which was almost scalding hot packs of wool on every limb. So they're practically torturing their kid. I remember thinking it was hard on them. There's a little bit of empathy. But I knew it was hard for them." Despite the harsh treatments, Alda was, as he described, "All stiff and I couldn't walk. I was affected in every limb but one arm."
If you're wondering what Carol Burnett has to do with the M*A*S*H star's scalding wool treatment, he shared, "She lived about two blocks away while I was in my house with polio. I would stand on the bed and look out the window and see kids playing, and I was waiting for the time I'd be out there playing with them."
Photo credit: Tammie Arroyo/AFF/SB / MEGA

#star

Sean "Diddy" Combs is reportedly spending thousands of dollars monthly to live a pampered life at Fort Dix federal prison.
According to NBC News, who spoke with four former inmates who were once in the same unit as the 56-year-old, Diddy has allegedly been paying inmates to cook, clean, and even give him massages. The former inmates claim he accessed contraband phones, antidepressants, and alcohol.
"This is not some normal s**t you see in jail. This is some rich ***** ," a former prisoner told NBC News. "It looks crazy, but again, it's Diddy."
"Pretty much the day he arrived, the party started," said another inmate source.
COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.

#according

Nestled between two mountain ranges at the crook of central California's coastline sits a valley known as the "salad bowl of the world".
Farm workers stoop over neatly lined rows of crops off Highway 101 to harvest more than half of the nation's supply of lettuce and nearly a third of its strawberries. The soil here is so rich that author John Steinbeck made the Salinas valley the promised land in his literary depictions of people chasing the American dream: immigrants, farm workers, westward-moving hopefuls, hungering for a better life.
It's a story that continues to capture the American imagination: Netflix has adapted Steinbeck's 1952 blockbuster novel, East of Eden, into a limited series starring Florence Pugh, released 1 October.
"This will be a valley of great richness one day," Steinbeck wrote of the farmland in East of Eden. "And happy people will live here, thousands and thousands."
But Steinbeck also understood just how difficult it can be to achieve that elusive American dream. Even after some his characters found their way to Salinas and other parts of California's agricultural valley, many remained stuck in low-paying jobs, making barely enough to scrape by, let alone own their own land.

#american #workers

Ana de Armas brought dazzling high-fashion glamour to Paris as she attended the prestigious La Légion d'Honneur ceremony. The actress captivated onlookers by stepping out in an archival Louis Vuitton creation by Nicolas Ghesquière. Styled by Samantha McMillen, her shimmering look seamlessly blended rock-and-roll glam with classic French sophistication.
Ana de Armas selected a striking black sequin micro minidress from the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2015 runway collection. Designed by creative director Nicolas Ghesquière, the archival garment featured a high rounded collar and structured shoulders.
Intricate lace-like sequin patterns covered the entire fabric, shimmering with every slight movement. Fitted long sleeves balanced the ultra-short hemline that barely skimmed her thighs. Thousands of delicate black sequins caught the room's warm lights, creating a dramatic metallic sheen.
Her expert beauty team complemented the bold dress with effortless styling choices. Stylist Samantha McMillen chose the vintage piece, while Owen Gould styled Ana's brunette hair in soft waves. Makeup artist Charlotte Prevel completed the look with a luminous complexion, subtle liner, and nude gloss.
The actress posed indoors before stepping out to the official Paris event. Standing near a tall glass door, she looked straight into the camera lens with calm confidence. Her reflection behind her showed off the snug fit and detailed craftsmanship from every angle.

#armas #nicolas #samantha

Brooke Eby, the TikTok star known for sharing her journey with ALS (or Lou Gehrig's disease), has passed away at the age of 37. Eby was diagnosed with the illness in March 2022, though her symptoms started four years prior, and she began posting videos on TikTok just months after. She soon gained hundreds of thousands of fans on TikTok and Instagram.
The ALS Network shared the news of Eby's death on October 1st, with a statement remembering her for the ways she built community and helped create connections through her videos and other work.
Per reporting by People, Sheri Strahl, President and CEO of ALS Network, said of Eby: "Brooke changed the way people see ALS, but she also changed the way people living with ALS find and support one another[…] Brooke changed the way people see ALS, but she also changed the way people living with ALS find and support one another."
Brooke did that by approaching ALS in a comedic and light-hearted way in her videos. She reportedly began posting on TikTok to help make the process of telling others about the diagnosis easier. As she explained in an essay written for People, "Everyone was a lot more comfortable with my situation when I was laughing, and that came back around to make me feel more comfortable too."
Her content wasn't only meant for a laugh, though. Eby also made educational videos to raise awareness about her disease (much like Michiel Vandeweert did), its progression, and how everyone with it is affected in different ways. She also wanted people to know that this disease didn't discriminate by gender, age, or any other demographic, and it could affect anyone.

#brooke #videos #though

Hollywood icon Judi Dench is speaking out against retail giant Petco over alleged mistreatment of birds.
The 91-year-old Oscar winner sprang into action after watching a PETA investigation depicting disturbing conditions at a "mass breeding factory in Petco's supply chain."
Page Six Hollywood reported Friday, October 2, that Dench did not mince words in a letter to Petco CEO Joel Anderson.
"The footage revealed that thousands of parakeets were confined to cramped, filthy cages with no opportunity to fly, explore, or engage in the natural behaviors that make them who they are," Dench wrote in part, per the outlet. "Some birds suffered severe injuries, including a bird who had lost an eye and a chick whose wing had shriveled, blackened, and fallen off."
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

#petco #peta #page

Chris Pratt honored Kevin Feige at the Will Rogers Foundation's Pioneer of the Year dinner in Beverly Hills on Sept. 30
Pratt joked he auditioned thousands of times for Marvel roles before Feige saw the potential in him for Guardians of the Galaxy
He said, "Kevin and James [Gunn] and the team at Marvel Studios saw something in me that I desperately wanted to believe was there myself..."
Chris Pratt is grateful to Kevin Feige for giving him a big break.
The Terminal List star, 47, paid tribute to Feige, 53, who was named Pioneer of the Year by the Will Rogers Foundation at a dinner in Beverly Hills on Sept. 30 by recounting how the Marvel Studios president gave him the opportunity that helped launch his career in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

#feige #kevin #chris #hills

A social media baking influencer has gone viral for breaking her granite countertop with chocolate in a comical fail moment.
The woman, known on Instagram and TikTok as Lily P Crumbs, did this by banging an 11-pound chocolate bar against her stone countertop, resulting in a hilarious viral video.
Alex George is a cooking and baking influencer, known on social media as Lily P Crumbs. Her content mostly focuses on recipes for sweet treats, such as cookies, cakes, brownies and such, and her videos have gone viral a few times before this incident.
However, George's most recent viral moment came from something that was not a recipe at all. On July 22nd, she posted a video of herself breaking her granite countertop with an 11-pound chocolate bar.
In over two months, the video racked up 10.3 million views on Instagram, 6.7 million views on TikTok, and hundreds of thousands of likes and thousands of comments on both platforms.

#viral #Media

Choosing the right mortgage lender could save you thousands of dollars. Shopping for one should be one the first steps you take when buying a house.
Comparing lenders and lining up preapprovals early gives you some benchmarks to work from, and when your real estate agent recommends lenders, you'll have a better sense of whether they're offering a good deal. Plus, having preapprovals in hand lets buyers and agents know you're serious.
Real estate agents typically have a roster of recommended lenders, often built on years of repeat business. "Choosing a lender is not just about obtaining financing," says Matthew Martinez, a California real estate broker. "It is about choosing one of the most important members of the transaction team."
Agents vet lenders to add to their networks, and they know what separates a good one from a bad one. Here are the four questions they say you should ask any lender you're considering.
A lender may offer a special program based on your profession, income or location that can make the mortgage more affordable.

#agents #estate #good #know

FleetCor and CEO Ronald Clarke agreed to a $100 million payment resolving Federal Trade Commission litigation. The settlement follows years of court action over hidden charges involving commercial fuel cards. Harm reached tens of thousands among small-business customers seeking lower operating costs. Regulators say promised savings disappeared beneath undisclosed billing practices.
Federal regulators accused FleetCor, which now operates as Corpay, of imposing unauthorized fees totaling hundreds of millions. Investigators found improper late penalties despite timely remittance or company barriers that prevented payment. Officials cited misleading claims about gas savings, fraud controls, plus card-related expenses. Those practices harmed operators across the United States, according to a 2019 complaint.
Regulators found FleetCor often waited several billing cycles before adding many charges. Delayed timing made extra costs harder for customers to notice. Invoices omitted fee disclosures, pushing account holders toward separate management reports. Even those documents obscured some amounts among unrelated details or excluded them entirely.
"FleetCor deceived its small business customers by promising fuel savings that never materialized," Christopher Mufarrige said. He directs FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. Agency officials also criticized hidden and unauthorized charges. Settlement terms channel restitution toward harmed account holders.
In 2023, one federal district court granted summary judgment to the FTC on every count. Its ruling found hidden charges and false representations involving savings, fees, plus fraud-control features. Permanent injunction terms barred FleetCor from billing without informed consent alongside clear disclosures. That order also prohibited deceptive fuel-card claims or hiding material information behind hyperlinks.

#fleetcor #savings

At the start of September, the global network of transportation partners that retail giant Amazon relies upon to process an average of between 15 and 17.2 million delivery orders per day was suddenly thrust into public attention.
A cargo plane operated by 21 Air ran off the runway at Miami International in a major accident that killed five people traveling in a van on a nearby road.
Since the Sept. 6 crash, Amazon suspended its operations with 21 Air, pending an ongoing investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The retail platform said it made the choice after it "spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances."
While operating with an unblemished safety record, another of Amazon's network of thousands of transportation partners ended up in the limelight this week when it filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Florida court, Tampa Bay Business Journal reported.
Launched out of Winter Haven in Polk County in 2005, CLJ Transporting is a cargo carrier and dedicated Amazon Freight Partner that had been running deliveries for Amazon within a 200-mile radius of Davenport in the central part of the state for more than a decade.

#amazon #network

For decades, CVS seemed like the perfect business. It was convenient, sold a mix of products people wanted, and everyone was forced to go there (or to one of its rivals) when they needed to pick up a prescription.
Now, however, the company has been fighting a war on many fronts. Consumers can order much of what made the chain convenient for delivery, and various online services, including Amazon, now fill prescriptions.
"At the rear of the store, business at pharmacy counters is being squeezed by stingier drug reimbursement rates and pharmacist wages. In the aisles, sales of everything from greeting cards to cosmetics are feeling the effects of cut-price competition," according to the Financial Times.
It's an evolving situation that has caused CVS rival Rite Aid to shut down all its stores, while CVS and Walgreens have closed thousands of locations between them.
"The whole drugstore four-wall economic model is collapsing on itself, in my opinion," said Josh ****** s, a portfolio manager at Janus Henderson Investors, told the Financial Times.

#business #amazon #walgreens

Updated Sept. 17, 2026 4:53 pm ET
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1006 ET – U.S. pending home sales fell 3.5% week-over-week to their lowest level in almost three years, Redfin says. Declining homebuying demand is giving buyers breathing room. It means less competition and more room to negotiate for the house hunters who are still shopping. New listings fell slightly, -0.5%, from a week earlier, but they’re still up 1.5% year-over-year, and there are still hundreds of thousands more home sellers than buyers in the market. More homes on the market equals less pressure on buyers to rush into a decision or pay more than they want. Home-sale prices are holding steady. The median home-sale price rose 2% year-over-year. That stability means prices aren’t soaring, and that sellers aren’t in immediate danger of home values dropping. (chris.wackwsj.com)

#still #fell #means

CAIRO (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied Friday in a government-organized show of defiance after months of war, pledging their readiness to take up arms in the biggest such demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked in February.
Iran's government has sought to rally the people and stress national unity, even as the economy worsens under a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and new U.S. sanctions. On Friday, it claimed another attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway it has sought to control since the start of the war.
Estimates varied of the number of people volunteering to receive limited military training and defend the country in an effort described as "Janfaday-e Iran," or the "ones who sacrifice their lives for Iran." They marched through downtown Tehran in combat uniform, carrying flags, as onlookers cheered.
For days, state media have encouraged Iranians to join the campaign, saying training with **** ault rifles would begin soon. The volunteers would be an additional layer of security to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and the Basij militia, which has played a key role in quashing anti-government protests.
Tehran's Guard chief, Gen. Hassan Hassanzadeh, told the state broadcaster that over 600,000 people had registered to participate, with over 1 million expected to take part in the training. On Friday morning, the broadcaster estimated over 300,000 people were on the streets.

#government #training #since

Auxier ******* et Management, an investment advisory firm, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. The letter can be downloaded here. Following a strong rebound from the first-quarter decline, the S&P 500 gained 15.2% as accelerating capital spending toward artificial intelligence infrastructure drove significant gains across technology hardware companies. Semiconductor and data-center-related businesses benefited from supply constraints and strong demand, while enterprise software remained under pressure as investors reassessed AI disruption risks and compressed valuations. In the quarter, Auxier Focus Fund's Investor Class gained 8.82% and 10.70% for the six months ended June 30, 2026. Despite strong earnings growth across the broader market, Auxier highlighted concerns around rising margin debt, increased leverage, and elevated capital flows into high-growth technology areas that could amplify future volatility. The firm continues to focus on identifying enduring businesses with strong competitive advantages, resilient cash flows, and sustainable long-term growth potential. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Auxier ******* et Management highlighted UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) as a material contributor. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) is a multinational health benefits company based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. On September 14, 2026, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) closed at $383.55 per share. Over the past month, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) declined 4.38%, while its shares gained 10.86% over the past 52 weeks. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has a market capitalization of $344.27 billion with a 52-week trading range between $255.97 and $461.62.
Auxier ******* et Management stated the following regarding UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Leads the Way in Reshaping the Insurance Industry with AI UnitedHealth Group is among the companies that have successfully integrated AI into various parts of their operations. One of the most significant benefits has been in administrative functions, where AI has helped save tens of thousands of hours through increased automation and efficiency. As an example, automated transcription of patient encounters has contributed to lower levels of clinician burnout. Management reports that they are generating about $2 of value for every $1 spent on AI due to reductions in manual labor. We like this measured approach to implementing AI where it can provide clear operational benefits and attractive returns, which has been a key strategy of current CEO Stephen Hemsley. UnitedHealth's success in AI use highlights the technology's potential on the user side where companies can benefit without the high upfront cost of building the infrastructure. Cigna Group is projecting $200 million in

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) cut its full-year 2026 identical-sales forecast excluding fuel to 0.2%–0.8% from 1%–2%, reflecting a sharper-than-expected slowdown in consumer demand. Second-quarter identical sales rose just 0.2%, down from 3.4% a year earlier and below the 0.9% ****** yst estimate.
The weakness reflects pressure on middle- and lower-income consumers, while a Cyclospora outbreak reduced quarterly identical sales by roughly 35 basis points and Medicare prescription-drug pricing changes created an approximately 140-basis-point headwind for pharmacy revenue. Importantly, Kroger maintained its full-year adjusted FIFO operating-profit forecast of $5.0 billion–$5.2 billion and delivered adjusted EPS of $1.09, ahead of the $1.06 consensus.
The strongest bullish argument is that The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is currently protecting earnings despite the deterioration in sales momentum. Second-quarter adjusted EPS increased 5% year over year to $1.09, while adjusted FIFO operating profit was $1.076 billion. Kroger's gross margin rate actually increased by 13 basis points, although the overall gross-margin percentage was 22.4% versus 22.5% a year earlier, suggesting that pricing, sourcing, and cost-management initiatives are helping offset weaker volumes. The company's higher-margin businesses are also becoming increasingly important: adjusted e-commerce sales grew 20% in the quarter, and Kroger Precision Marketing profit increased 24%. That mix shift gives Kroger an earnings lever even when supermarket traffic and comparable sales are weak.
There is also evidence that management is actively responding to the competitive pressure rather than simply accepting slower growth. CEO Greg Foran has been pursuing tighter sourcing, simpler operations and lower prices, with Reuters reporting plans to cut prices across thousands of products to regain shoppers from Walmart, Costco and Aldi. The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)'s balance sheet provides room to fund that strategy: its net debt-to-adjusted-EBITDA ratio was 1.91x, below its stated target range of 2.30x–2.50x, while the company repurchased $1.0 billion of shares in the second quarter and $1.2 billion year to date. It also raised its dividend 11%, marking the 20th consecutive year of increases. If sales stabilize while e-commerce, retail media and cost efficiencies continue expanding, the unchanged $5.0 billion–$5.2 billion operating-profit forecast could prove more important to valuation than the reduced top-line outlook.

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Auxier ****** et Management, an investment advisory firm, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. The letter can be downloaded here. Following a strong rebound from the first-quarter decline, the S&P 500 gained 15.2% as accelerating capital spending toward artificial intelligence infrastructure drove significant gains across technology hardware companies. Semiconductor and data-center-related businesses benefited from supply constraints and strong demand, while enterprise software remained under pressure as investors reassessed AI disruption risks and compressed valuations. In the quarter, Auxier Focus Fund's Investor Class gained 8.82% and 10.70% for the six months ended June 30, 2026. Despite strong earnings growth across the broader market, Auxier highlighted concerns around rising margin debt, increased leverage, and elevated capital flows into high-growth technology areas that could amplify future volatility. The firm continues to focus on identifying enduring businesses with strong competitive advantages, resilient cash flows, and sustainable long-term growth potential. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Auxier ****** et Management highlighted UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) as a material contributor. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) is a multinational health benefits company based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. On September 14, 2026, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) closed at $383.55 per share. Over the past month, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) declined 4.38%, while its shares gained 10.86% over the past 52 weeks. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has a market capitalization of $344.27 billion with a 52-week trading range between $255.97 and $461.62.
Auxier ****** et Management stated the following regarding UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Leads the Way in Reshaping the Insurance Industry with AI UnitedHealth Group is among the companies that have successfully integrated AI into various parts of their operations. One of the most significant benefits has been in administrative functions, where AI has helped save tens of thousands of hours through increased automation and efficiency. As an example, automated transcription of patient encounters has contributed to lower levels of clinician burnout. Management reports that they are generating about $2 of value for every $1 spent on AI due to reductions in manual labor. We like this measured approach to implementing AI where it can provide clear operational benefits and attractive returns, which has been a key strategy of current CEO Stephen Hemsley. UnitedHealth's success in AI use highlights the technology's potential on the user side where companies can benefit without the high upfront cost of building the infrastructure. Cigna Group is projecting $200 million in me