Month: November 2025

A political scandal involves unethical behavior of government officials and is typically the result of public outrage, pressure to resign, and increased calls for reforms. They affect both the political system and society at large, influencing citizens’ trust in politicians, their view of the overall integrity of the system, and the extent to which they feel their democracy is functioning. Moreover, the emergence of a scandal often triggers long-lasting changes in governance and policy-making.

However, while political scandals have many negative impacts, they also serve a valuable democratic function. In the long term, they help people see how power can be misused and remind citizens why transparency is important. In the short term, they can spark a variety of reactions ranging from partisan loyalty softening damage to major voter swings.

Politicians often engage in scandalization through violations of moral or political norms, such as corruption, tax evasion, and provocative utterances. They can be exposed by media coverage of their behavior, or they may deliberately stage a scandal to manipulate the agenda or smear rivals. Media coverage of a scandal can also be influenced by the political context, including how the scandal is framed and the extent to which it is discussed.

Recent events have highlighted a growing problem of ethical misconduct in the executive branch. A number of scholars have studied the causes and consequences of this phenomenon, including the role of polarization in driving political scandals. A new study by Wioletta Dziuda and William G. Howell reveals that the effects of scandals depend largely on the level of polarization within the political system. The findings suggest that researchers should focus less on the misbehavior itself and more on how it is framed in the media and the degree to which it influences the political climate.

Starting a business costs money, and securing startup funding is one of the first financial choices most new business owners make. The type of funding you choose can affect your equity stake in the company, and may impact your cash flow. There are many sources of startup funding, from grants and angel investors to venture capital and small business loans. The best source of funding for your startup depends on the stage of your business and the needs of your product.

Early-stage startups often use seed funding to develop their products and gain traction in the market. Seed funds can come from the founders themselves, their friends and family, or other close connections. Unlike later rounds of funding, seed investments do not require an equity share in the company and can be negotiated on terms such as SAFE or convertible notes.

Once a startup has proven that their product has traction and is poised for growth, they can move on to Series A funding. The money raised in this round can help a startup meet a number of important milestones, including building a stronger team, developing prototypes and conducting market research. During this phase, it is common for startups to negotiate a higher valuation and give up a larger share of their equity in exchange for the additional funds.

As startups move on to later stages of funding, they typically find themselves in more competitive and demanding environments. They must be able to convince investors that their technology has the potential to generate significant revenue and compete with established competitors. During this time, it is common for startups to experience multiple rejections from investors, and even a single “no” can be demoralizing. However, it is crucial that founders remain confident and focus on the fact that each rejection has less to do with their startup and more to do with the investor’s specific context or concerns.

When a country imposes tariffs, it passes some or all of the cost to the consumers that buy those goods. The higher prices can also discourage investment and reduce economic growth. Ultimately, trade wars hurt everybody.

In a trade war, the countries that import the most experience losses in economic output as they struggle with increased costs of doing business. Countries that export may experience gains in economic output, but only if their products can reach foreign markets. In other words, the global division of labor is disrupted.

We have seen this play out with the United States’ recent tariff escalation. First, it impacted steel and aluminum, followed by a wide array of consumer goods that the United States imports from China. These companies have incurred higher input costs and have lost sales both domestically, in the United States, and in third countries where their goods are subject to Chinese tariffs.

Then the European Union stepped in, threatening to retaliate with its own hefty tariffs. This threatens to cause the kind of global economic disruption that has historically resulted when nations escalate trade disputes.

Join The Conference Board President & CEO Steve Odland and his guests, David Young, president of the Committee for Economic Development and senior director at The Conference Board Economy, Strategy & Finance Center, and Erin McLaughlin, senior economist at The Conference Board, as they discuss the numerous ways that countries wield protectionist policies in trade wars.

The crypto market is the primary place where buying and selling cryptocurrencies occurs. Cryptocurrencies are traded against other cryptocurrencies and, in some cases, fiat currencies like EUR and USD. The most popular cryptocurrencies include Bitcoin, Ether, and Ripple.

Cryptocurrency prices are often volatile. This volatility offers opportunities for profit, but can also increase risk exposure and make it challenging to trade. To reduce risk, consider using a reputable crypto exchange, dollar-cost averaging into positions, and only allocating speculative capital you can afford to lose.

Most cryptocurrencies are created through a process called mining. In order to create new coins, miners verify transactions on a shared ledger known as the blockchain. Some cryptocurrencies increase their supply over time, while others have a fixed total supply (e.g. Bitcoin).

Investing in a cryptocurrency involves many of the same considerations as investing in traditional stocks. It is important to research fundamentals such as real-world adoption potential, technical specifications, community engagement, transparency and experience of the team, and competitive advantages over rival cryptocurrencies.

Cryptocurrency markets are decentralized, meaning that there is no central authority overseeing transactions. This provides a range of benefits, including increased security and reduced censorship, but also increases the risk of fraud and market manipulation. To combat this, a variety of anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism initiatives have been established.

Corporate earnings – or profits – are the amount of money that a publicly-traded company makes over a period. This metric is important for investors because it allows them to assess a company’s financial health and determine how much value they can place on a share. In the simplest sense, profits are calculated as company revenues minus company expenses. Generally, companies reinvest their profits or pass them onto shareholders in the form of dividends or buybacks. Consequently, growing profits are a positive sign that a company is thriving and able to grow its business.

Earnings reports are released four times a year, and are closely monitored by Wall Street. They often provide insight into future growth plans and financial performance. Companies also use these reports to shape market perceptions and influence investor expectations. As a result, earnings surprises (the difference between actual results and analysts’ estimates) can cause significant market volatility.

Profits are measured in many ways, but one of the most popular is earnings per share (EPS). This metric divides net income by the total number of outstanding shares, providing a clear picture of a company’s profitability per share. It can also be compared to competitors’ EPS to evaluate market share. Other important metrics include revenue, operating margins, and forward guidance.

Although there are a variety of factors that can affect a company’s profitability, earnings tend to move in tandem with overall economic activity. For this reason, growing profits are a positive sign that the economy is strengthening and can help fuel further gains in stock prices.

Daily update is a feature that can be configured to send a notification each day at a pre-scheduled time. This allows your Action to continue providing value even if the user doesn’t invoke it again. It’s important to note that daily updates only appear as notifications on users’ devices and can not be triggered by voice or spoken commands.

To configure an Action for daily updates, first open the Settings panel of your Action in the Assistant app. Click Intents and then add a new intent that’s labelled Daily updates. In the next step, select the System scene that you want to use for your daily updates subscription flow.

When you’re ready to test your action, invoke it on an Android phone logged in with the same Google account you used to build the Action and tap the update button. Check your device’s Assistant notifications around the scheduled time of each daily update to see how the feature works.

Before prompting users to register for daily updates, make sure your Action provides enough value that subscribing to it is worth their while. Be sure to show the registration prompt right after you’ve demonstrated what your Action can do for them, and avoid repeating the offer in other contexts.

A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies it wouldn’t normally be allowed to for the safety and protection of citizens. States of emergency can be declared before, during or after a natural disaster, civil unrest, armed conflict, medical pandemic or epidemic or biosecurity risk.

The power to declare a state of emergency lies with the head of government at both the local and national level. It gives elected leaders the tools they need to respond quickly, provide necessary support and help citizens get back to normal as quickly as possible.

Under the State of Emergency Act, a Governor can request that the President declare that a “major disaster or emergency exists” which will then activate an array of federal programs to assist in response and recovery efforts. This includes Federal assistance for infrastructure, economic and other losses.

The Governor can also request that the President declare that a state of emergency exists, which enables them to make emergency regulations ‘necessary or expedient’ to restore law and order and end the emergency. These can include reducing freedom of movement, suppression of secrecy of correspondence and other restrictions to prevent terrorism or internal disturbances. However, basic rights such as the right to life, prohibition of torture and the right to a fair trial can’t be suspended.

In the United Kingdom, a Minister of the Crown, acting on the advice of the Privy Council has the power to introduce emergency regulations under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 for thirty days. This period can be extended by Parliament.

A news alert is an immediate notice that informs audiences of developing events. They often highlight important facts, such as the five Ws (who, what, where, when and why), to help audiences grasp a situation quickly. Breaking news alerts are often disseminated across TV, radio and web platforms for maximum reach. They are typically followed by continuous updates that re-broadcast vital information as it becomes available.

Creating an impactful media alert is no easy feat, especially when competing with thousands of other announcements that come across journalists’ desks every day. The key is to grab a reporter’s attention with a powerful headline that answers the “what,” “when” and “where” questions.

An eye-catching headline is important, but it’s also essential to include contact information. Reporters are always following up on news advisories and releases, so be sure to include the name, phone number and email address of one person who can answer any questions a reporter may have about an event.

The best way to distribute your media advisory is to send it to your local news editors, but don’t forget about distributing it to national outlets as well. It’s a good idea to send your media alerts to the news desks of those editors who have covered community activism in the past as these reporters will be more likely to cover an afterschool story. If a local politician or other dignitary is attending an event, mention that in your media advisory as it will provide a compelling reason to attend.

A front-page article or picture usually contains the biggest news stories of the day in the country that a newspaper is circulated in. It may also tease other stories inside the edition. Reddit describes itself as “the front page of the Internet”.

Front-page also refers to a prominent position on a newspaper’s front page. The term is often used in reference to a particular journalist or publication, such as one who has written a number of front-page Watergate articles, or one who has uncovered prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib.

Three Jane Does who were sex trafficked as minors sued Backpage in federal court, alleging that the website facilitated their sex trafficking because of its business and editorial practices, its advertising policy, and its design. The court agreed that Backpage substantially contributed to the ads involving Jane Does 1 through 3, but held that it was protected by CDA Section 230.

Fitzgibbon Media launched a multimedia campaign to support the Jane Does’ lawsuit against Backpage, enlisting celebrities, politicians, journalists, and other prominent individuals and organizations. In August 2013, a federal judge enjoined New Jersey’s law attempting to legislate Backpage out of existence, finding that it was preempted by Section 230 and violated the First Amendment.

World news is the jargon used by newspapers and other media for coverage of a subject that affects many countries or a global issue. It is a distinct field from national news, the focus of the news media of belligerent countries in war or international summits, but often overlaps with it and with other topics of global concern such as climate change.

Journalists that specialize in world news are called foreign journalists (or sometimes simply correspondents), and they work either full-time at a newspaper or for a news agency (such as Reuters, AFP, BBC, AP, and Wolff). Reporters who produce articles on a freelance basis for several news outlets at once are known as stringers.

A former FBI agent joins us to discuss the security failures that led to a massive jewelry heist in the Louvre. Plus, we explore Coiba Island in Panama—once a brutal prison, now home to sharks and whales. And trace samples from a Triassic dinosaur and the suspect in a Rembrandt theft show how technology is helping solve crimes. We also hear from Sudanese-American poet Geoffrey Kelly about the crisis in Darfur, where he says there are signs of a genocide happening again.