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15 audiobooks that are perfect for new parents

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baby and mom

Having a new baby can be daunting, but luckily there are lots of people who have been there before and want to help.

There are lots of moms, dads, and doctors who have written books to help you cope with all of the sleepless nights and diaper duty. And even if you don't have time to read, you should know that you can find all of this expertise in audiobooks designed to give new parents the support and encouragement they need. That means you can listen while you're nursing, cooking, or driving your baby around the neighborhood hoping that they'll actually go to sleep.

Check out these audiobooks that cover all that is funny, frightening, and frustrating about being a new parent.

Your relationship can survive the stress of new parenting.

Caring for a new baby can put a strain on even the healthiest relationship. And it is perfectly normal for couples to go through some growing pains once children enter the picture. But before you give your partner the boot, listen to "How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids." Jancee Dunn narrates her book, which perfectly combines personal stories of saving her own relationship from the stress of parenting with expert advice from couples' therapists.



A bestselling author shares personal stories of pregnancy and parenting as a single mother.

Being a new mom is tough, particularly when you are doing it alone. In "Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year," bestselling author, Anne Lamott shares her deeply personal experiences of going through pregnancy and childbirth as a single mom at age 35. Lamott's stories of how friends and neighbors rallied around her to help her get through her son's first year will warm your heart.



This book tells you what no one else will about being a new mom.

In "The Sh!t No One Tells You," Dawn Dais keeps it all the way real about the stuff most people wouldn't dare tell an expectant mom. Dais believes the truth isn't so pretty. Yes, you will stare into your baby's beautiful eyes, but you'll also find your hands in a whole lot of poop.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

When Mark Cuban drives his 15-year-old daughter to school, he rolls down the windows and blasts hip-hop while she 'buries her head'

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Mark Cuban family

  • Mark Cuban is the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks and a "Shark Tank" star.
  • Cuban told Vanity Fair that, when he drives his 15-year-old daughter to school, he embarrasses her by rolling down the windows and blasting hip-hop music.
  • It might be a way of keeping his famous, wealthy family down to earth.

Mark Cuban and his 15-year-old daughter have different ideas of what it means to be cool.

For Cuban's daughter, Alexis, listening to hip-hop on the drive to school is cool. But Cuban wants his daughter to "own it."

As Cuban, billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks and "Shark Tank" star, told Vanity Fair in a video feature on his daily routine, "I'll roll down the windows and, if there's a good song, I'll just crank it up, and she buries her head."

It gets worse.

Cuban said that he recently came across a song about him, "Mark Cuban," by Lil Phag. (From the chorus: "Mark Cuban, always win never lose. Mark Cuban, I'm a shark, who are you?")

"Being the dad that I am," Cuban told Vanity Fair, "in the mornings I've got to just jam it out. So I drive my kids crazy."

Cuban is hardly the only celebrity dad to make his kids want to disappear. Soccer star David Beckham said on "The Late Late Late Show with James Corden" that he accompanied his son Brooklyn, now 19 years old, on his first date.

Meanwhile, Parenting.com reported that Will Smith frequently tries to kiss his son, Jaden, now 20 years old, in front of cameras.

Cuban didn't specify in the interview with Vanity Fair, but it's possible that the humiliation is just another way to keep his family down-to-earth.

As Cuban once said in an interview with Dallas-based news channel WFAA, his biggest fear is that his kids will "grow up to be entitled jerks." He went on: "I caught it with my oldest daughter. I'm like, 'You're not all that.'"

SEE ALSO: Mark Cuban is worth $3.9 billion — see how he earns and spends his massive fortune

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NOW WATCH: Why most people refuse to sell their lottery tickets for twice what they paid

Forget Portland and Seattle — people priced out of expensive California cities are buying homes in Idaho for 'Monopoly money'

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boise idaho

  • Californians priced out of Pacific border states are heading to Idaho, Arizona, and Nevada.
  • A recent Bloomberg story described the trend as an "echo boom" ignited by California's record housing prices, volatile politics, high taxes, and "constant threat of natural disaster."
  • It's driving up prices in places like Idaho's capital, Boise — the county it's in experienced an 18% jump in the median home price over last year, according to Bloomberg.

Idaho may be the new frontier for Californians.

In a new Bloomberg story, the reporters Prashant Gopal and Noah Buhayar describe an "echo boom" in which Californians are invading cities in landlocked states out west, like Boise, Idaho; Phoenix, Arizona; and Reno, Nevada.

The article said the move was ignited by California's record housing prices, volatile politics, high taxes, and "constant threat of natural disaster," like the recent wildfires in the state.

It wasn't long ago that people priced out of California were fleeing to Seattle and Portland, but prices — along with traffic and other frustrations— are rising there too. Earlier this year, Forbes named the roughly 700,000-person Boise metro area the fasting-growing US city, followed by Seattle.

"Eventually the laws of supply and demand are going to drive people to other parts of the country," Glenn Kelman, CEO of the real-estate firm Redfin, told Bloomberg. "Boise isn't five times worse than California as a place to live. But places in California are five times more expensive."

The median home price in California hit a record $600,000 in June, more than twice the national median. Bloomberg described Kelman as saying it was easy for homeowners relocating to places like Boise to feel as if they're spending "Monopoly money."

But frustrated locals feel that the Californians are driving up prices. The cost of a typical home in Ada County, which includes Boise, hit nearly $300,000 in September, an 18% jump from the previous year, Gopal and Buhayar reported. One new gated community sells homes with huge windows and "wine walls" to mostly out-of-state buyers, a sales agent told the news outlet.

Rent in these areas is also much cheaper. According to Zillow, the median rent in the Boise metro area is $1,400, compared with $2,300 in the Seattle metro area and $3,324 in the San Francisco metro area.

But the economic relief of moving to a down-home city is just one reason Idaho experienced a rise in popularity among Californians, who made up 85% of the state's total domestic immigration in 2016, Bloomberg reported, citing an analysis of US census data.

Boise has for years appeared on rankings of the best places to live by outlets like US News & World Report, Niche, and SmartAsset, touting spectacular outdoor attractions, a high quality of life, and safety, in addition to low taxes, affordable housing, and a strong job market.

Read the full article on Bloomberg »

SEE ALSO: San Francisco residents battle high housing costs, but they're still the only Californians who wouldn't tell young people to move

DON'T MISS: The Silicon Valley hometown of Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook is relying on millionaires to keep the economy booming — and it signals a huge problem

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NOW WATCH: 4 lottery winners who lost it all

$600 million developer startup Segment just snagged a key executive from Twilio as its first chief financial officer (TWLO)

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petersandy segment

  • Segment, a $600 million data infrastructure company, just hired its first chief financial officer.
  • Sandra Smith joined Segment from Twilio, where she spent five years helping grow the company from $50 million in revenue to $500 million.
  • At Segment, Smith is tasked with leading the company through its next stage of hypergrowth.

Some people like to start companies. Others like to run them once they're established. But for Sandra Smith, the newly hired chief financial officer at Segment, the real fun happens when a company starts scaling.

Smith joined Segment, a marketing data infrastructure startup, last month after five years as vice president of financial, planning and analysis at Twilio

While Twilio has since transformed into a $6 billion public company, Smith joined right after its Series B funding and helped transform it from a developer-centric, user-first cloud communication tool, to one which had a lot of success with large enterprise customers. During her time at Twilio, the company grew from $50 million in revenue to $500 million.

[This former Twitter exec thinks he's found the next Salesforce — and it just hit $109 million in funding]

Now, Smith is tasked with leading a similar shift at Segment, which was last valued at $600 million in a 2017 Series C led by Y Combinator and GV.

"I think Segment is really positioned very optimally in the sense that they have a product that has an amazing amount of credibility with the technologists who handle data inside a company," Smith told Business Insider.

One thing that drew her to Segment was its leadership team, Smith said, which is led by CEO Peter Reinhardt, the 28-year-old who left MIT to cofound Segment in 2011.

"We're going to have to go through a lot of change and a lot of adaptation as we grow and scale, and we need people who are going to be super adaptable. And there's a leadership team here that's thirsty for that," Smith said.

Reinhardt said that Segment intends to grow its staff from 300 to 400 employees in the next year, and expand its presence in Dublin, where it recently opened its European headquarters. In addition to adding staff, Segment is growing its clientele and now has 19,000 customers.

"Segment is growing a lot." Reinhardt said. "The operations requires a really strong senior leadership operational foundation there...and we took our time finding someone really fantastic who would scale and help drive the company's growth for many years to come."

When asked about how hiring a CFO could play into a "exit" such as an IPO or a sale, Reinhardt said the primary focus is on building a "long term, independent business."

[Square insiders and investors were blindsided by the departure of their 'beloved' CFO — and no one can agree on how bad it is for the $28 billion company's future]

Smith, who spent the first part of her career practicing law as a corporate attorney, also spent time at Akamai Technologies, which is now publicly traded with a market cap of $10 billion.

While she is still getting acquainted with Segment as a business, Smith said there is one thing that's stood out to her about life at Segment from the get-go. 

"There are plants absolutely everywhere," Smith said, adding that the founders incorporate plants in an effort to improve the air quality around the office. "It's just charming. It's such a warm environment because the plants are surrounding you. So it's quite homey."

SEE ALSO: Investors used to balk at startups for software developers — but after Microsoft bought GitHub for $7.5 billion, they’re all in

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NOW WATCH: 'Game of Thrones' star Maisie Williams has left Arya Stark behind to help fight nepotism in the arts industries

How this cheese factory in Puerto Rico increased sales by about 20% in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria

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  • Cheese and dairy factory, Indulac, is the industry leader in queso blanco cheese and UHT milk in Puerto Rico.
  • Headquartered in San Juan, the factory lost power and shut down after Hurricane Maria hit in September 2017 — but not for long.
  • After three days, employees worked overtime to get the cheese factory running on generators and keep up with increased demand.
  • In the video above, the company's president, Francisco Oramas, explains how their 100% Puerto Rican staff was integral in helping Indulac recover after the storm.

Headquartered in San Juan, Indulac is the industry leader in queso blanco cheese and UHT milk in Puerto Rico. But they've been making all kinds of dairy products for more than 66 years.

Before Hurricane Maria, Indulac's 87 employees were producing 10,000 blocks of their specialty Queso Blanco de País and nearly 10,000 gallons of UHT milk per week. But when Hurricane Maria hit, the factory lost power and production came to a halt. 

Indulac made a quick recovery thanks to its loyal employees. After three days, employees worked to get the factory running on generators.

Their UHT milk is pasteurized, so it doesn't need to be refrigerated until it's open. Since Maria knocked out electricity across the island, demand for Indulac's non-refridgerated milk exploded. It was the only factory in Puerto Rico equipped to keep up with demand and sales increased by about 20% after the storm.

Employees worked overtime for a month after Maria and they produced three times the amount of UHT milk in October 2017 compared to October the year before. Indulac also hired 10 additional employees to help with production. 

In the video above, the company's president, Francisco Oramas, explains how their 100% Puerto Rican staff was integral in helping Indulac recover after the storm.

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I traveled the world for 6 months with only a carry-on suitcase, and there are 5 things I wouldn't bother packing again

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Sweden 488

  • In March, I left New York to travel around the world as Business Insider's international correspondent. In more than six months, I have so far visited 12 countries.
  • Though I only brought a carry-on suitcase and a backpack, I packed it with everything I thought I would need for the trip. I created a very meticulous packing list.
  • Now having returned home to reset and reflect, it's clear that there were a few items I could have left behind.

As Business Insider's international correspondent, I've spent the past six months traveling through Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Greece, Israel, and Russia, among other places.

When I started planning my round-the-world trip, there was no shortage of packing lists to draw from. But most packing lists were laughably small.

My trip had a wide range of scenarios to plan for, and that's before I included the copious photo and video equipment I had to carry with me to document it all. My trip spanned from Beijing's frosty early spring to Israel's oppressively hot summer and situations ranging from boardroom meetings with executives at Chinese tech startups to hiking China's Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (the mountains the 2009 film Avatar was based on).

If you haven't, I'd encourage you to check out my packing list before reading this. 

TL;DR, I brought a lot. Too much, in fact. Even a month into my trip, it was clear that there were things that I just wasn't going to use, weren't right for traveling long-term, or were taking up valuable real estate. 

Here's what they are: 

packing suitcase

Overboard Dry Tube Bag 

I have a lot of expensive camera equipment and I planned on doing some adventure-type activities. I figured it would be take away some stress to have a bag that would keep all my equipment bone-dry. The main problem is that I just didn't use it. Usually, I was in a situation where my backpack was protective enough, like hiking along a beach. The few times I was in much more dangerous waters (i.e. kayaking), it just didn't make sense to carry my camera on me. 

Before committing to bringing a piece of gear, have a definite use-case for when you are going to need it. 

Anker Nylon Braided USB Cable with Lightning Connector

This is the last time I get fooled by one of these fancy "nylon braided" USB cables. They're supposed to be unbreakable and yet they break faster than any cable I've ever bought. Seriously, before you get fooled by these, click out of that Amazon tab and just pick up one of the regular ones. You won't regret it.

Monster Inspiration headphones 

I listen to a lot of music, particularly when I'm editing photos or writing. I figured having a good pair of headphones — particularly ones that could block out sound — would be essential. I was wrong.

I'm sure I would feel differently if I was only going on a one or two-week vacation, but when you are traveling for an extended period of time, every square inch of packing space counts. Carrying around a set of bulky over-the-ear headphones was a pain. They were heavy and took up valuable space in my backpack.

To top it all off, I found myself using standard iPhone earbuds far more often because they were easier to take out and put away. Next time, I'll just bring the earbuds.

Hanes ComfortSoft Boxer Briefs

I brought these boxers as extra pairs to go along with the ExOfficio Give-N-Go boxers and the Uniqlo AIRism boxers, which were more or less built for travel  — and it showed. They were both lightweight, durable, odor-blocking, and could be washed and dried in a matter of hours.

While the standard Hanes are comfortable, they ended up being bulky and unnecessary. Next time, I think I'll just grab an extra Uniqlo AIRism and ditch the cotton boxers.

Marrone Scurro Creme

I probably should've seen this one coming. I packed a very expensive pair of boots (Fracap M120 Ripple Sole Scarponcino Boots) that I intended to serve a pretty ridiculous dual purpose: heavy duty enough that I can hike in them, while snazzy enough that they can pass at a business meeting.

They came with a tube of leather cream to care for them, which I assumed I would use at some point. I did not. It stayed in my toiletry bag and never left. 

SEE ALSO: I'm taking a trip around the world with only a carry-on suitcase — here's everything I packed

SEE ALSO: I traveled the world for 6 months, and here's the single best app I couldn't live without

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How retailers and brands can reach and appeal to the next generation of consumers

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smart home voice assistant benefits

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here.

Generation Z, also known as iGen or Centennials, is arguably the most pivotal generation to the future of retail. By 2026, the majority of Gen Zers will reach adulthood, and their spending power will reach new heights. Retailers and brands need to start establishing relationships with Gen Zers now to ensure success in the years to come. 

But Gen Zers, who we define as those born between 1996 and 2010, are different from older generations, and understanding their characteristics and preferences is essential to capturing their attention — and their dollars. Though members of older generations have grown accustomed to using the internet, Gen Zers are the first consumers to have grown up wholly in the digital era. They're tech-savvy, heavy internet users, and mobile-first — and, most importantly, they have high standards for how they spend their time online. Retailers and brands — which have spent more than a decade trying to catch up to millennials' interests and habits after ignoring them and the digital revolution for too long — must leverage Gen Z's tendency to be online at all times, and make sure to meet the generation's heightened digital expectations.

In a new report, Business Insider Intelligence explores Gen Z's current shopping habits — both online and in-store — and how those habits might evolve over time. It looks at their spending power, both now and in the years to come, and the drivers that lead them to complete a purchase. It also assesses Gen Zers' unique traits, and the ways that retailers and brands can leverage those characteristics to make them loyal customers.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

  • Gen Zers are young and only beginning to flex their muscles as consumers, but they're already an extremely valuable generation to retailers and brands. They hold billions in spending power right now, which will skyrocket as they get older.
  • Gen Z currently likes shopping at physical stores, but retailers will need to capitalize on Gen Zers’ interests in retail innovations and their digital expertise to keep them coming back through adulthood.
  • These young consumers have higher expectations for their online shopping experiences than any generation before them. Most won’t use slow-loading websites and apps, or hard-to-navigate ones.
  • Quality is more likely to be a driver of loyalty for Gen Z, and it also provides motivation to complete a purchase. A retailer or brand trying to connect with Gen Z should look to curate an image of quality in a way that resonates with the young generation.

In full, the report:

  • Explores the current and future spending power of Gen Z. 
  • Examines Gen Zers' interest in brick-and-mortar shopping, and identifies how retailers and brands can capitalize on it.
  • Provides insight into the generation's digital expectations, and analyzes what they mean for selling to Gen Zers online.
  • Discusses the influence of quality and social media on Gen Z's purchase behavior, and considers potential courses of action for retailers and brands.

Subscribe to an All-Access pass to Business Insider Intelligence and gain immediate access to:

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How much a pint of beer costs around the world

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oktoberfest bavarian beer germany

  • The price of a pint of beer varies from city to city.
  • Deutsche Bank analyzed the price of beer in 50 cities worldwide and found Dubai was the most expensive, with the average pint costing $12.
  • New York City and San Francisco were close behind, while the least expensive beer can be found in Manila at just $1.50 a pint.

If you're looking to save money on beer while you're traveling abroad, you might want to avoid some of these cities.

Deutsche Bank recently released its annual "Mapping the World's Prices" series, which compares the cost of everything from iPhones to sneakers in 50 cities around the world.

According to the report, the most expensive beer in the world is found in Dubai, where an average pint will run you $12. 

The next-costliest city was Oslo, Norway, where an average pint costs $10.30. And two cities in the United States, New York City and San Francisco, cracked the $7 mark for an average beer.

Meanwhile, the city with the lowest average price for beer was Manila, Philippines, where you'll only spend $1.50 for a cold one. Prague, Czech Republic, was close behind, with an average price of $1.60.

Check out the full list below, and see other lists from the "Mapping the World's Prices" series here.

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SEE ALSO: The ultimate guide to traveling around the world, from how to pack your suitcase to how much you'll be paying for a beer

DON'T MISS: 15 maps that show how much things cost around the world

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 4 lottery winners who lost it all


Megyn Kelly didn't appear on her NBC show 2 days after defending blackface, and NBC put on a months-old rerun instead

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megyn Kelly

  • Megyn Kelly wasn't presenting her usual NBC "Megyn Kelly Today" breakfast show on Thursday.
  • Instead NBC aired an old episode of her show which was broadcast on Friday August 31.
  • The presenter defended using blackface as a Halloween costume on her Tuesday show.
  • But she was forced to apologised when she was slammed by NBC colleaguesand people online, for the comments.
  • CNN reported on Thursday that Kelly may never return.

Megyn Kelly wasn't hosting her NBC breakfast show on Thursday, after she defended using blackface for Halloween costumes.

On Thursday morning an NBC spokesperson told Business Insider:"Given the circumstances, Megyn Kelly "Today" will be on tape the rest of the week."

Instead the network aired the beginning of a months-old rerun on Thursday October 25, giving viewers the opening segments of the Friday August 31 episode instead.

In a report on Thursday morning, CNN said a source told them Kelly could be gone from the show for good. CNN also reported a statement from NBC saying that Kelly's show would be pre-taped on Friday as well.

However, Entertainment Weekly quoted a "Today" source on Thursday, who told them Kelly would stay on as host until December. 

It follows Kelly sparking a firestorm of criticism by arguing that there are non-racist ways to paint your skin black while dressing up. Many say wearing blackface is a racist act regardless of the circumstances.

NBC was not immediately able to comment on the re-run when contacted by Business Insider.

In an on-air discussion Tuesday, Kelly said: "But what is racist? You truly do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface at Halloween or a black person who puts on white face for Halloween," to guests Melissa Rivers, Jenna Bush Hager, and Jacob Soboroff.

"That was OK when I was a kid, as long as you were dressing like a character," she added.

Here's a video of her comments, shared on Twitter by ShareBlue Media writer Tommy Christopher : 

After Tuesday's show, Kelly was inundated with criticism and backlash on Twitter, and apologized on her show on Wednesday morning

She said: "I want to begin with two words: I'm sorry."

Here's her full apology posted on the "Today" show's Twitter page:

CNN reporter Tom Kludt said she sent an email to her colleagues which said: "I realize now that that such behaviour is indeed wrong and I am sorry. The history of blackface in our culture is abhorrent, the wounds too deep."  

On Thursday, Deadline reported that Kelly's management, Creative Artists Agency (CAA). had split with the TV presenter, and rumours she would be a no-show on Thursday's "Today" program. 

CAA also manages stars like Ryan Gosling, JJ Abrams, and 50 Cent.

CNN reported on Thursday that she is scheduled to participate in NBC's midterm election coverage in November, it is not know whether she will be kept on by NBC for it.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales: There's going to be an 'enormous backlash' against Donald Trump's lies

Here's everything we know about the troubling disappearance and death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi

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Jamal Khashoggi

  • Saudi officials said on Friday that the journalist Jamal Khashoggi died in an altercation inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
  • Khashoggi, 59, who was often critical of the Saudi government, entered the consulate on October 2 and had not been seen since.
  • Saudi Arabia previously said, without evidence, that Khashoggi left the consulate, and officials had rejected assertions that he was killed.
  • US President Donald Trump shifted from expressing concern about the case to defending Saudi leadership in the two weeks following Khashoggi's disappearance.
  • Last week, Trump said that stopping arms sales to the Saudis as punishment for Khashoggi's disappearance would be a "tough pill to swallow."
  • On October 15, he said Saudi Arabia's King Salman denied any involvement, and the president suggested that "rogue killers" could be responsible. The next day, Trump said criticism of Saudi Arabia was another case of "guilty until proven innocent." And last Wednesday, he said he'd contacted Turkish officials and requested audio and video related to the case, "if it exists."
  • US intelligence may have known before Khashoggi's disappearance about a Saudi plot to capture him, The Washington Post reported earlier this month.
  • On October 11, The Post reported that the Turkish government told US officials it had audio and video recordings suggesting that a team of Saudis "interrogated, tortured, and then murdered" Khashoggi.
  • CNN reported on October 15 that Saudi Arabia was preparing to release a report saying Khashoggi was killed as part of a botched interrogation.
  • The Associated Press on October 16 quoted a high-level Turkish official as saying police who entered the consulate found "certain evidence" that Khashoggi was killed there.
  • The Wall Street Journal reported on October 16 that Turkish officials shared with the US and Saudi Arabia details of an audio recording said to illustrate that Khashoggi was beaten, drugged, and ultimately killed in the Saudi consul general's office minutes after entering the consulate.
  • A bipartisan group of senators has invoked a law requiring Trump to investigate Khashoggi's disappearance.
  • US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo went to Saudi Arabia on October 16 to discuss the case with the Saudis, who he said pledged to conduct "a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation."
  • The US received a $100 million payment from Saudi Arabia on the same day Pompeo arrived in Riyadh to discuss Khashoggi's disappearance. The State Department said there was no connection.
  • Pompeo on Thursday said he told Trump the US should give the Saudis "a few more days" to complete an investigation.
  • When asked by reporters on Thursday whether he believes Khashoggi is dead, Trump said, "It certainly looks that way to me," adding that there would be "very severe" consequences if investigations into Khashoggi's disappearance conclude the Saudis are responsible.
  • Late Thursday, ABC News cited a senior Turkish official as saying the Turkish government let Pompeo listen to audio and view a transcript offering evidence that Khashoggi was killed. Pompeo promptly denied ever hearing or seeing such a recording, and Ankara's top diplomat subsequently denied supplying any audio to the secretary of state.
  • A Turkish official said on Friday that investigators were looking into the possibility that Khashoggi's remains were taken to a nearby forest or to another city in the country.
  • After more than two weeks of denials, the Saudi government on Friday released a statement acknowledging Khashoggi's death. It said he died in a fistfight in the consulate, adding that 18 people had been arrested.
  • Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Sunday told Fox News that Khashoggi was killed as a result of a "rogue operation," adding that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had no prior knowledge of the incident. The foreign minister described Khashoggi's death as a "murder."
  • The Post on Monday quoted a diplomat as saying the Saudis sought to use a body double to cover up the killing but ultimately decided the double was too "flawed."
  • After the Saudis acknowledged Khashoggi's death, Trump largely continued to stand by them, saying he found their explanation about how he died credible and offering his support to the crown prince — though he told reporters on Monday that he wasn't satisfied with what he'd heard from the Saudis about Khashoggi's death.
  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday contradicted Saudi Arabia's narrative on Khashoggi's death, describing it as a premeditated act. The Turkish leader said Khashoggi was the victim of a "savage" and "planned" murder and called for the 18 men arrested by the Saudis to be brought to Turkey to stand trial, adding that Khashoggi's body had not been found.
  • Trump on Tuesday described Khashoggi's killing as one of the worst cover-ups in history and said he'd leave any ramifications against the Saudis up to Congress.
  • Pompeo on Tuesday said the US would take "appropriate actions" against people it's identified as connected to Khashoggi's killing, including revoking visas and possible economic sanctions.
  • CIA Director Gina Haspel reportedly heard audio of the killing while visiting Turkey this week.
  • Saudi Arabia's official press agency on Thursday quoted a prosecutor with knowledge of Turkey's investigation into Khashoggi's fate, who said evidence indicates his killing was premeditated.

Jamal Khashoggi's death has captured the world's attention.

Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist, was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in early October.

The Saudi government on Friday evening acknowledged his death, claiming he died during an altercation in the consulate. The Saudis had given conflicting accounts about the case over the nearly three weeks that Khashoggi's disappearance remained a mystery.

The 59-year-old journalist entered the consulate on October 2 to obtain documents necessary to marry his Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz.

Cengiz has said she waited for Khashoggi outside the consulate for roughly 11 hours but he never came out. She tweeted earlier this month: "Jamal is not dead. I cannot believe that he has been killed."

Here's a timeline of the events surrounding Khashoggi's disappearance and death.

Who is Jamal Khashoggi?

Khashoggi, a prominent journalist who was often critical of the Saudi government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, wrote for The Washington Post's global opinion section.

Karen Attiah, Khashoggi's editor at The Post, told CNN on October 7: "We're still hoping for the best, but of course this news, if true, has us all completely devastated. This is an attack on us as well at The Washington Post."

Khashoggi had a long, complicated career.

He went from interviewing a young Osama bin Laden in the 1980s to becoming one of the top journalists in his country to living in self-imposed exile.

Khashoggi was at one point an adviser to senior officials in the Saudi government and worked for top news outlets in the country. He was long seen as close to the ruling elite there.

But last year, Khashoggi had a falling out with the government over Prince Mohammed's controversial tactics as he has worked to consolidate his power, including arresting powerful business executives and members of the royal family.

The Saudi royal family also barred Khashoggi from writing after he was critical of US President Donald Trump, and it drove Khashoggi to leave Saudi Arabia for the US in the summer of 2017.

In recent months, Khashoggi reportedly told colleagues he had feared for his life.

After leaving Saudi Arabia, Khashoggi divided his time between London, Istanbul, and Virginia. He was a US resident with a green card, but not a citizen.

The Post last Wednesday published an op-ed article Khashoggi filed shortly before his disappearance.

In it, Khashoggi called for a free press in the Arab world. Attiah, who edited the article, wrote a note at the top.

"I received this column from Jamal Khashoggi's translator and assistant the day after Jamal was reported missing in Istanbul," Attiah said. "The Post held off publishing it because we hoped Jamal would come back to us so that he and I could edit it together. Now I have to accept: That is not going to happen. This is the last piece of his I will edit for The Post."

She added that Khashoggi's article "perfectly captures his commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world."

What Saudi Arabia has said about Khashoggi's disappearance

Saudi officials initially claimed that Khashoggi left the consulate, and they maintained that story for roughly 17 days.

"Mr. Khashoggi visited the consulate to request paperwork related to his marital status and exited shortly thereafter," an unnamed Saudi official told The New York Times earlier this month.

The Saudi government previously denied allegations that Khashoggi was killed, describing them as "baseless."

Prince Mohammed earlier this month told Bloomberg News that Turkish authorities were welcome to search the consulate. "We have nothing to hide," he said.

"He's a Saudi citizen, and we are very keen to know what happened to him," he added. "And we will continue our dialogue with the Turkish government to see what happened to Jamal there."

When asked whether there were any charges against Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed said, "Actually, we need to know where Jamal is first."

The Saudi ambassador to the US told The Post on October 8 that it would be "impossible" for consulate employees to kill Khashoggi and cover up his death "and we wouldn't know about it."

The Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV network on October 11 aired a report claiming that 15 men said to be involved in Khashoggi's disappearance weren't sent to Istanbul for the purpose of capturing or killing him but were just tourists.

Turkish media reported that the men arrived at Istanbul's airport on October 2, the day Khashoggi went missing, and left Turkey later that night.

Last Friday, Saudi Arabia said Khashoggi died in a fistfight in the consulate, a claim that has been met with a great deal of skepticism.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Sunday told Fox News that Khashoggi was killed as a result of a "rogue operation," claiming that Prince Mohammed had no prior knowledge of the incident. He described Khashoggi's death as a "murder."

But a Reuters report on Monday suggested the operation was run via Skype by a top aide to the crown prince.

Saudi Arabia's official press agency on Thursday quoted a prosecutor with knowledge of Turkey's investigation into Khashoggi's fate, who said evidence indicates his killing was premeditated. This marks yet another shift in Saudi Arabia's narrative about what happened to the journalist. 

"Information from the Turkish authorities indicates that the act of the suspects in the Khashoggi case was premeditated," Saudi Arabia's public prosector said in a statement in the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

Days before it acknowledged Khashoggi's death, Saudi Arabia was said to be preparing a report claiming he was killed as part of a botched interrogation

Citing two sources, CNN reported on October 15 that Saudi Arabia was preparing a report claiming Khashoggi was killed as part of a botched interrogation.

One source told CNN that the report was likely to say the operation was conducted without clearance or transparency and vow to hold those involved accountable.

The Saudi government said last Friday that 18 Saudi officials were detained in connection with Khashoggi's death.

A Daily Beast report on October 16 suggested that the Saudis planned to scapegoat an unnamed two-star general and claim that he botched a plan to interrogate Khashoggi and accidentally killed him.

The Times published a related report last Thursday that said the Saudis planned to blame a general with ties to Prince Mohammed. The Times identified the general as Ahmed al-Assiri, who was promoted to intelligence by the crown prince late last year after having worked as the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

What Turkey has said about Khashoggi's disappearance

Turkish officials have consistently accused the Saudis of brutally killing Khashoggi.

A high-level Turkish official told The Associated Press on October 16 that police who entered the consulate found "certain evidence" that Khashoggi was killed there.

Turkey has been putting a great deal of pressure on Saudi Arabia to be more transparent. On October 8, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded Saudi officials provide proof that Khashoggi left the consulate.

"Do you not have cameras and everything of the sort?" Erdogan said. "They have all of them. Then why do you not prove this? You need to prove it."

Throughout the investigation, there have been somewhat conflicting messages from Turkey on Khashoggi's disappearance as details of what might have happened to him have been gradually leaked to media outlets.

In a report on October 9, The Times described a senior official as saying Turkey had concluded Khashoggi was killed "on orders from the highest levels" of the Saudi royal court.

But Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Erdogan, said on October 10 that "the Saudi state is not blamed here," suggesting that "a deep state" was responsible for Khashoggi's disappearance.

On October 11, Erdogan increased pressure on Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi's disappearance.

"We cannot remain silent to such an incident," Erdogan was quoted by Turkish media as telling reporters, according to The Post.

"How is it possible for a consulate, an embassy not to have security camera systems? Is it possible for the Saudi Arabian consulate where the incident occurred not to have camera systems?" he continued.

"If a bird flew, if a mosquito appeared, these systems would catch them," he said, adding that he believed that the Saudis "would have the most advanced of systems."

Erdogan on Tuesday contradicted Saudi Arabia's narrative of Khashoggi's death, describing it as a premeditated act. The Turkish leader said Khashoggi was the victim of a "savage" and "planned" murder.

"We have strong evidence in our hands that shows the murder wasn't accidental but was instead the outcome of a planned operation," Erdogan said.

Erdogan also called for the 18 men the Saudis arrested in connection with Khashoggi's death to be brought to Turkey to stand trial.

The Turkish president said Khashoggi's body had not been found, pushing back on reports suggesting otherwise.

What we know about the investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance and death

There appears to be video footage of Khashoggi entering the consulate. Turkish officials have said that some footage from it mysteriously disappeared.

Local police were examining video footage from security cameras in the area, and on October 15 police entered the consulate to investigate for the first time. Erdogan said on October 16 that investigators found some surfaces that had been newly painted over.

Turkish officials allege that the Saudi government sent a 15-man team to Istanbul via private jets to kill Khashoggi at the consulate. The AP described Turkish media as saying the team included "Saudi royal guards, intelligence officers, soldiers, and an autopsy expert."

Turkish media published what it claimed were videos of Saudi intelligence officers entering and leaving Turkey via Istanbul's airport.

Citing an unnamed US official, The Post reported on October 7 that Turkish investigators believed Khashoggi was killed and his body most likely dismembered, placed in boxes, and flown out of the country. But some reports suggest Khashoggi's body may have been dissolved with acid.

The senior official who spoke to The Times said Turkish officials believed the team used a bone saw to dismember Khashoggi's body.

The Guardian reported earlier this month that officials were looking for a black van with diplomatic number plates that was seen departing the consulate roughly two hours after Khashoggi went in. They also thought Khashoggi's Apple Watch could provide clues about what happened to him, though experts have cast doubt on that claim.

A Post report published on October 11 described several unnamed Turkish and US officials as saying the Turkish government told US officials it had audio and video recordings suggesting that a team of Saudis killed Khashoggi.

The newspaper quoted one official as saying the audio recording indicated that Khashoggi was "interrogated, tortured, and then murdered," adding that both Khashoggi's voice and the voices of men speaking Arabic could be heard on the recording.

The recording "lays out what happened to Jamal after he entered," The Post's source said.

The Wall Street Journal reported on October 16 that Turkish officials shared with the US and Saudi Arabia details of an audio recording said to illustrate how Khashoggi was beaten, drugged, and ultimately killed in the Saudi consul general's office minutes after entering the consulate.

The Journal described people familiar with the matter as saying the recording included a voice that could be heard urging the consul to leave the room, as well as a voice of a person Turkish officials identified as a forensic specialist urging people nearby to listen to music as he dismembered the body.

In a Times report last Wednesday, a senior Turkish official described audio recordings suggesting that Khashoggi's fingers were cut off shortly after he arrived at the consul and that he was eventually beheaded.

A Turkish official on Friday said investigators were looking into the possibility that Khashoggi's remains were taken to a nearby forest or to another city in the country.

On Monday, CNN reported that surveillance footage suggested the Saudis involved in the operation had a man wear Khashoggi's clothing, a fake beard, and glasses around Istanbul in an attempt to act as a body double.

The Post quoted a diplomat familiar with the deliberations as saying the Saudis decided not to move forward with the story because the double appeared too "flawed" in the footage.

khashoggi body double cctv

Saudi officials who spoke with The Associated Press acknowledged a body double was used, but said it was part of a plan to kidnap rather than kill him. 

Meanwhile, CIA Director Gina Haspel heard audio of the killing while visiting Turkey this week, according to reports from Reuters and The Washington Post on Thursday.

What Trump and the White House have said about the Khashoggi case

The White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, issued a statement on Friday after the Saudi government acknowledged Khashoggi's death:

"The United States acknowledges the announcement from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that its investigation into the fate of Jamal Khashoggi is progressing and that it has taken action against the suspects it has identified thus far.

"We will continue to closely follow the international investigations into this tragic incident and advocate for justice that is timely, transparent, and in accordance with all due process. We are saddened to hear confirmation of Mr. Khashoggi's death, and we offer our deepest condolences to his family, fiancée, and friends."

Trump initially expressed concern about the Khashoggi case, then shifted to defending Saudi leaders while exhibiting a reluctance to punish them.

On October 8, he told reporters that he was "concerned about" Khashoggi's disappearance.

"I don't like hearing about it. Hopefully that will sort itself out,"Trump said. "Right now nobody knows anything about it, but there's some pretty bad stories going around. I do not like it."

During an interview with "Fox & Friends" on October 11, Trump said that "we're probably getting closer than you might think" to finding out what happened to Khashoggi.

"We have investigators over there, and we're working with Turkey, and frankly we're working with Saudi Arabia," Trump said. "We want to find out what happened. He went in, and it doesn't look like he came out. It certainly doesn't look like he's around."

Trump added in the interview that US-Saudi relations were "excellent."

There is reason to doubt the president's claim that the US had investigators in Turkey. FBI guidelines say it can investigate in other countries only if they request assistance. Foreign Policy reported on October 11 that it seemed Turkey had so far not done that.

Days after his "Fox & Friends" interview, Trump also refused to tell reporters whether he'd sent the FBI to investigate.

In an interview with Fox News on October 10, the president seemed reluctant to guarantee repercussions against the Saudis — especially in terms of US arms sales to the country — if it turned out that they harmed Khashoggi.

"I think that would be hurting us," he said of stopping arms sales to Saudi Arabia. "We have jobs. We have a lot of things happening in this country ... Part of that is what we're doing with our defense systems, and everybody is wanting them, and frankly I think that that would be a very, very tough pill to swallow for our country."

During the interview, Trump said that it was "looking a little bit like" Saudi Arabia was responsible for Khashoggi's disappearance but that "we're going to have to see."

In a "60 Minutes" interview that aired on October 14, Trump said that "we would be very upset and angry" if it turned out the Saudis were involved in Khashoggi's disappearance, adding that the Saudis "deny it every way you can imagine."

The president also reiterated concerns about the economic impact of reducing arms sales to the Saudis.

"I tell you what I don't want to do: Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon ... I don't want to hurt jobs. I don't want to lose an order like that," he said. "There are other ways of punishing, to use a word that's a pretty harsh word, but it's true."

Trump last Wednesday said he'd contacted Turkish officials and requested audio and video related to the case, "if it exists."

"I'm not sure yet that it exists," Trump said. "Probably does. Possibly does."

When asked whether he had sent the FBI to investigate, Trump said, "Why would I tell you?"

Trump stressed the fact that Khashoggi was not a US citizen and boasted about billions of dollars in planned US arms sales to the Saudis.

When asked by reporters on Thursday whether he believes Khashoggi is dead, Trump said, "It certainly looks that way to me."

The president also said there would be "very severe" consequences if investigations into Khashoggi's disappearance conclude the Saudis are responsible.

"We're waiting for the results of about — there are three different investigations, and we should be able to get to the bottom fairly soon," Trump said at the time, adding that he plans to make a "very strong statement" once they've concluded.

After the Saudis acknowledged Khashoggi's death, Trump said he found their explanation about how he died credible and offered his support to the crown prince.

In an interview with The Post published Saturday, Trump described the crown prince as "a strong person, he has very good control."

"He's seen as a person who can keep things under check," Trump added. "I mean that in a positive way."

Trump also said he didn't think Prince Mohammed should be replaced, describing the controversial 33-year-old as Saudi Arabia's best option. The president expressed some doubts to The Post, however, saying that "obviously there's been deception, and there's been lies."

The president told reporters on Monday that he wasn't satisfied with what he'd heard from the Saudis about Khashoggi's death, adding, "We're going to get to the bottom of it."

Trump on Tuesday described Khashoggi's killing as one of the worst cover-ups in history.

"They had a very bad original concept," Trump said. "It was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups. Very simple. Bad deal. Should have never been thought of."

Additionally, the president said he'd leave any ramifications against the Saudis up to Congress.

Vice President Mike Pence tweeted about the case earlier this month.

"Deeply troubled to hear reports about Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi. If true, this is a tragic day," he said. "Violence against journalists across the globe is a threat to freedom of the press & human rights. The free world deserves answers."

Khashoggi's fiancée has called on Trump to do more

Cengiz urged Trump in an op-ed article for The Post, published on October 9, to "shed light" on his disappearance.

"At this time, I implore President Trump and first lady Melania Trump to help shed light on Jamal's disappearance," Cengiz wrote.

She added that she and Khashoggi "were in the middle of making wedding plans, life plans," when he disappeared.

On October 10, Trump said that he had spoken with the Saudi government about Khashoggi and that he was working closely with the Turkish government to get to the bottom of what happened. He would not say whether he believed the Saudis were responsible for the journalist's disappearance.

The president also said he invited Cengiz to the White House.

Cengiz wrote in an op-ed article for The Times published on October 13: "In recent days, I saw reports about President Trump wanting to invite me to the White House. If he makes a genuine contribution to the efforts to reveal what happened inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul that day, I will consider accepting his invitation."

The Trump administration has had a close relationship with the Saudis, and US-Turkey relations have been strained in recent months over the imprisonment of an American pastor, though he was released on October 12.

Trump had suggested 'rogue killers' could be behind Khashoggi's disappearance

After a phone call with Saudi Arabia's King Salman on October 15, Trump suggested, without evidence, that "rogue killers" could be behind Khashoggi's disappearance and said the king flatly denied any involvement.

"It sounded to me like maybe these could be rogue killers," Trump said. "Who knows?"

Last Tuesday, Trump escalated his defense of the Saudis, suggesting in an interview with the AP that the criticism leveled against the government was another instance of "guilty until proven innocent."

"Here we go again with, you know, you're guilty until proven innocent," he said. "I don't like that. We just went through that with Justice Kavanaugh, and he was innocent all the way as far as I'm concerned."

In an interview with Fox Business that aired that evening, Trump said it "would be bad" if it turned out that the Saudis were behind Khashoggi's disappearance, but he emphasized the US-Saudi relationship.

"Saudi Arabia's our partner, our ally against Iran," Trump said. "They've been a great ally to me."

Pompeo went to Saudi Arabia to discuss the case with the king

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in Riyadh last Tuesday morning to discuss the Khashoggi case with King Salman.

A State Department spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, told The Times that Pompeo"thanked the king for his commitment to supporting a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation of Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance."

Mike Pompeo

Later in the day, Pompeo met with Prince Mohammed for roughly 35 to 40 minutes.

"We are strong and old allies," the crown prince told reporters as he met with Pompeo. "We face our challenges together."

After his meetings, Pompeo said the Saudi leadership "strongly denied any knowledge of what took place in their consulate in Istanbul."

"We had direct and candid conversations," Pompeo said. "I emphasized the importance of conducting a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation, and the Saudi leadership pledged to deliver precisely on that."

The secretary of state said he believed there was a "serious commitment to determine all the facts and ensure accountability, including accountability for Saudi Arabia's senior leaders or senior officials."

Pompeo added: "We're going to give them the space to complete the investigation of this incident."

The US received a $100 million payment from Saudi Arabia that day. The timing of the payment raises questions, but the State Department said it had no connection to Pompeo's visit.

After returning to the US, Pompeo said he told Trump the US "ought to give" the Saudis "a few more days" to complete an investigation before deciding "how or if the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi."

"There are lots of stories out there about what has happened," Pompeo said at the White House. "We are going to allow the process to move forward."

Last Thursday, ABC News cited a senior Turkish official as saying the Turks let Pompeo listen to audio and view a transcript offering evidence that Khashoggi was killed. Pompeo promptly denied ever hearing or seeing such a recording, and Ankara's top diplomat subsequently denied supplying any audio to the secretary of state.

Pompeo on Tuesday said the US would take "appropriate actions" against people it's identified as connected to Khashoggi's killing. 

"We have identified at least some of the individuals responsible, including those in the intelligence services, the Royal Court, the foreign ministry, and other Saudi ministries who we suspect to have been involved in Mr. Khashoggi's death," Pompeo said. 

The secretary of state said the repercussions will include revoking visas as well as possible economic sanctinos. 

The US intelligence community reportedly knew about a Saudi plot to capture Khashoggi

A Post report on October 10 said US intelligence intercepts showed that Prince Mohammed sought to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia and detain him there.

The newspaper said the intercepts of Saudi officials discussing the plan were described by US officials familiar with the intelligence.

Under a directive signed in 2015, the US intelligence community has a "duty to warn" people — including those who are not US citizens — who it believes are at risk of being kidnapped, seriously hurt, or killed. This directive was a central aspect of the conversation about the US's response to Khashoggi's disappearance.

The White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider. A representative for the National Security Council declined to comment.

But a State Department spokesman, Robert Palladino, told reporters that the US government did not have prior knowledge of a Saudi plot to capture or harm Khashoggi.

"Although I cannot comment on intelligence matters, I can say definitively the United States had no advanced knowledge of Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance," he said.

Trump is under mounting pressure to address the situation more forcefully

Senators on both sides of the aisle had expressed serious concerns about Khashoggi's disappearance.

And those who commented on Friday about the Saudi government's announcement of Khashoggi's death expressed doubt about the Saudis' explanation.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he believed the Saudis were"buying time and buying cover."

Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, said: "The announcement that Jamal Khashoggi was killed while brawling with a team of more than a dozen dispatched from Saudi Arabia is not credible. If Khashoggi was fighting inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, he was fighting for his life with people sent to capture or kill him.

"The Kingdom and all involved in this brutal murder must be held accountable, and if the Trump Administration will not take the lead, Congress must."

Nearly two dozen senators sent a letter to Trump on October 10 invoking the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act of 2016.

The letter — written by Sens. Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Bob Menendez, its ranking Democrat — gave the White House 120 days to "determine whether a foreign person is responsible for an extrajudicial killing, torture, or other gross violation of internationally recognized human rights against an individual exercising freedom of expression."

At the end of 120 days, the letter said, Trump is to report back to the committee on the investigation's findings and how his administration plans to respond.

"We request that you make a determination on the imposition of sanctions pursuant to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act with respect to any foreign person responsible for such a violation related to Mr. Khashoggi," the senators wrote. "Our expectation is that in making your determination you will consider any relevant information, including with respect to the highest ranking officials in the Government of Saudi Arabia."

The letter paves the way for sanctions to be imposed on Saudi Arabia and puts pressure on Trump to investigate Khashoggi's disappearance.

Speaking with reporters about the letter, Corker said, "It's the forcing mechanism to ensure that we use all the resources available to get the bottom of this, and if in fact at the very highest levels of Saudi Arabia they have been involved in doing this, that appropriate steps will be taken to sanction them."

Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a top Senate Republican, called for the crown prince to step away from the world stage, describing him as "toxic" in an appearance on "Fox & Friends" last Thursday.

Other Republican senators, including Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and Ben Sasse, have also been deeply critical of Saudi Arabia and the US's relationship with it in the wake of Khashoggi's disappearance.

"It's time to rethink America's relationship with the Saudi Kingdom," Paul wrote in an op-ed article for Fox News last week.

"We can start by cutting the Saudis off," he added. "We should not send one more dime, one more soldier, one more adviser, or one more arms deal to the kingdom."

Senators also don't seem to buy the Saudi government's explanation for Khashoggi's death.

"To say that I am skeptical of the new Saudi narrative about Mr. Khashoggi is an understatement,"Graham said on Friday, adding, "It's hard to find this latest 'explanation' as credible."

The UN has called for an independent investigation into the Khashoggi case

Meanwhile, UN experts have called for an independent and international investigation into the case.

"We are concerned that the disappearance of Mr. Khashoggi is directly linked to his criticism of Saudi policies in recent years,"they said in a statement on October 9. "We reiterate our repeated calls on the Saudi authorities to open the space for the exercise of fundamental rights, including the right to life and of expression and dissent."

SEE ALSO: The meteoric rise of Saudi's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is now suspected of ordering the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi

READ MORE: Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance is an 'embarrassing' 'crisis' for Trump and 'one of the roughest foreign-policy challenges' he's faced yet, experts say

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NOW WATCH: Trump approved the largest weapons deal in US history — here's what Saudi Arabia is buying

Former Fed Chair Janet Yellen just joined the chorus of warnings about $1.6 trillion 'leveraged loan' market

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janet yellen

  • Former Fed chair Janet Yellen told the Financial Times she is concerned about increasingly lax standards in the market, now valued at about $1.6 trillion. 
  • "I am worried about the systemic risks associated with these loans," she said.
  • After Trump took office, his appointees told the banking sector that they were going to be less strict about loan leverage.

Former Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen said she is concerned about increasingly lax standards in the market for leveraged loans, the Financial Times reported

Yellen echoes warnings from the Fed, the Bank of England, the Reserve Bank of Australia about the corner of the debt market that, according to the Institute of International Finance, has ballooned to $1.6 trillion.

"I am worried about the systemic risks associated with these loans," the former central banker said in an interview with the FT.

"There has been a huge deterioration in standards; covenants have been loosened in leveraged lending."

Central banks are starting to worry that the corporate world may have taken on too much debt, and that the stock of risky debt overhanging the global economy might start to behave the way subprime mortgages did before 2008.

The Bank of England recently suggested that leveraged loans might become a bigger problem than subprime mortgages were:

"The Committee is concerned by the rapid growth of leveraged lending, including to UK businesses," the BOE's Financial Policy Committee said earlier in October.

"The global leveraged loan market is larger than — and growing as quickly as — the US subprime mortgage market was in 2006."

In the UK, leveraged loans to British companies have hit a record, at about £40 billion ($52 billion) in 2018 alone, according to the Bank of England. Compare that figure to before the crisis, when new issuances of such loans only totalled £30 billion ($39 billion).

In 2013, the "issuance" of new leveraged loans peaked at $607 billion globally. But regulators under President Obama frowned publicly upon excess leverage, and the market declined through 2015 to a low of $423 billion. After President Trump took office, however, his appointees told the banking sector that they were going to be less strict about loan leverage. In 2017, new loan issuance went back up, to $650 billion — a new record.

Put simply, leveraged loans are given to troubled companies who can't get access to cheaper credit via a normal loan from a bank or by raising an investment-grade corporate bond.

SEE ALSO: $1.6 trillion in risky corporate debt ballooned after the Trump administration reversed an Obama-era policy discouraging high leverage

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Elon Musk says Tesla's plan to not raise more cash 'may change' (TSLA)

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Elon Musk appeared to soften his previous tone regarding tapping fresh capital on Tesla’s third-quarter earnings conference call Wednesday evening.

"We do not intend to raise equity or debt, at least that is not our intention right now," the CEO said in response to a question from Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas. "That may change in the future, but the current operating plan is to pay off our debts and not to refinance them, but to pay them off and reduce the debt load and overall leverage of the company."

While not a total reversal of course, it is a striking difference to his comments earlier this year, when he said "I specifically don't want to" in regards to a cash infusion.

Tesla's free cash flow increased to $881 million in the third quarter, with net income hitting $312 million, it reported Wednesday. That's despite repaying $82.5 million worth of loans, and the company says it expects the trend to "remain at least flat in spite of our plan to repay $230 million of convertible notes in cash during Q4."

Still, Wall Street analysts are worried Tesla's balance sheet could still be under pressure as the company seeks to pay off its $9.6 billion in long-term debt.

"Financing needs are likely satiated for the next 6 to 9 months, but we remain cautious on liquidity as management needs to execute on its plans to retire and not refinance its debt," Cowen analyst Jeff Osborne said in a note to clients. He raised his price target to $250 following the earnings report.

Adam Jonas, the Morgan Stanley analyst concerned about a need for a capital raise on the call, also remains cautious given Musk's answer.

"We continue to question sustainability," he told clients Thursday, adding that the bank expects roughly $500 million of free cash flow for the fourth quarter.

Shares of Tesla were set to gain roughly 10% at the opening bell Thursday following the earnings report. 

More from Tesla's third-quarter earnings:

SEE ALSO: Tesla reports surprise profit in 'truly historic' quarter

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ALBERT EDWARDS: Investors are ignoring the 'most underrated risk' in markets — one that could spark an imminent blow-up

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  • Societe Generale's notoriously bearish strategist Albert Edwards says that investors are ignoring the "most underrated risk" in markets right now.
  • Edwarsds says no one seems to be expecting a hard landing in China, but the risk is much higher than most people believe.
  • You just need to look carefully at the data to see how troubled China looks.

China's slowing economy is being overlooked by investors worldwide as the potential source of a major global economic bust in the near future, according to one of the most famously bearish strategists in the industry.

Writing to clients on Thursday, Societe Generale strategist Albert Edwards argued that a "hard landing" in the Chinese economy could be considered the "most underrated risk of complacent markets."

Edwards, who is well known on Wall Street for his doom-laden predictions for the markets, argues that China's ability to navigate the 2008 crisis fairly unscathed has blinded investors, and made them ignore signs that a crash may be imment.

"China'’s policymakers are regarded as having had a very ‘good’ crisis in 2008," he wrote to clients. "Since then, naysayers, such as myself, have been consistently wrong in projecting that policymakers would lose control and that a grotesque credit bubble would burst and lay the economy low."

He continued: "Once again fears are mounting about the Chinese economy slowing rapidly, but few fear a bust."

His basic argument is that while Chinese stocks are selling off amid fears of a slowing economy, the market simply expects a moderate and managable slowdown, rather than a hard landing. This, he says, is misplaced when you look at the actual data.

Edwards has long warned clients to be particularly vigilant about economic developments in China, and said that recent data coming out of the world's second-largest economy should be of much greater worry to the markets than it seems to be right now.

Among the most worrying signs from China is that it has now dropped into current account deficit after years of surpluses.

"The swing," Edwards says, is "likely to be permanent."

This will, in turn, "increase the fragility of the renminbi at a time when economic growth is slowing sharply, led by the industrial (secondary) sector."

"And with export growth to the US only temporarily buoyed to avoid tariff hikes, this slowdown is likely to intensify," he added.

Signs are already there that this is happening, particularly when looking at the country's job market.

"Most worrying of all for Chinese policymakers is that the economy has slowed to the point that employment has begun to fall, most visibly in the slump in the latest employment component of the PMIs," he wrote.

"The shedding of manufacturing jobs has been apparent for a few years now (ie sub 50), but if the services sector is also now shedding labour again, then that is really serious for policymakers," he added, pointing to the chart below:

Screen Shot 2018 10 25 at 12.28.25

Edwards compares what he thinks may be going on in China right now to the aftermath of the 2001 bubble in tech stocks, which prompted a recession in the US economy.

In that aftermath, the Federal Reserve, and then Chairman Alan Greenspan, were seen to have had a "good crisis"— and were effectively credited with stopping the crash from having an even worse impact. 

"Alan Greenspan and the Fed were seen by investors to have had a good crisis, and together with Greenspan’s mythical equity market put, investors became overcomplacent," Edwards said.

"The bust, when it came, was worse, precisely because over-confidence in policymakers’ ability to control events led to excessive risk and debt being taken on," he added, referring to the 2008 crisis.

Don't be surprised if the same happens in China.

SEE ALSO: BAML: There are 2 different $3 trillion risks hanging over markets — but there's only one that should really scare investors

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NOW WATCH: This company spent 10 years developing a product that allows humans to scale walls like a gecko

2 simple rules for the ketogenic diet that a Harvard cardiologist, a Cleveland Clinic diet expert, and a scientist who's been keto for 6 years all agree on

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eggs and avocado

  • The ketogenic diet is a popular weight-loss strategy, but you don't have to stick to it forever to see benefits.
  • Even nutrition researchers who may not endorse the keto diet say there's a right and wrong way to go about it.
  • If you try out the diet, make sure to get enough fat, and don't cycle in and out of the plan.
  • Consuming too much protein can be bad for your kidneys, so keto-ers should also incorporate fresh foods like veggies and drink plenty of water.

If you're thinking of going keto, you can forget bread, beans, bananas, and nearly every other sweet treat. 

The ketogenic diet is an exacting, tough-to-follow formula for rapid weight loss. The regimen essentially tricks your body into thinking it's starving by depriving it of nearly all carbohydrates. The goal is to trigger a metabolic state called ketosis, in which the body burns fat for energy instead of storing it up in reserve. 

Typically, people on the keto diet rely on fat for 70-80% of their caloric needs. They consume no more than 20-50 grams of carbohydrates a day, which means they're limited to about an apple's worth of sugars and starches, if that. Avoiding carbs is essential for maintaining ketosis — if you mess up the ratio, you'll quickly kick yourself out of the fat-burning state and your body will start burning carbohydrates again, and storing more of the fat you eat as reserves.

The diet has gained popularity from Hollywood to Silicon Valley, with celebrities and venture capitalists alike marveling at how going keto controls their appetite, seems to sharpen mental focus, and trims waistlines. 

But keto has its critics. Some doctors say they're seeing more patients dealing with painful kidney stones, and they worry that some dieters may not drink enough water or are consuming too much protein, which acidifies urine. 

Still, even nutritionists who are cautious about extreme low-carb diets are starting to agree that going keto can be a winning formula for managing Type 2 diabetes and controlling epileptic seizures. New evidence also suggests that the high-fat plan may improve certain cancer treatments and could help keep our brains healthy, though more research on those topics is needed.

[Read More: Silicon Valley's favorite high-fat diet is beloved by everyone from venture capitalists to LeBron James — here's how it works]

We've rounded up some of the clearest advice on keto from a skeptical Harvard cardiologist, a keto evangelist who's been on the diet for six years, and a physician from the Cleveland Clinic.

Here's what to know if you're considering this high-fat regimen.

butter wrap

The keto diet is not for everyone

Many people should never consider going on a ketogenic diet.

David Harper, a cancer researcher and physiology professor, has been on the plan for six years. But he tells anyone who wants to try it to talk to a doctor first. 

"Should we put everybody on a ketogenic diet? I don't think so," Harper said. "Because about a quarter of the people probably don't need it."

People who should be especially cautious about keto include those with history of kidney or liver issues, as well as pregnant women. Others that should never follow the eating regimen have rare disorders that make it difficult to metabolize ketones, which are the chemicals your liver makes when it burns fat for fuel. 

People's magnesium levels can also plummet on the keto diet, and the plan can mess up the diverse garden of gut microbes that help us stay healthy if dieters aren't careful. 

So if you do go keto, make sure to get enough fiber from leafy greens and low-starch veggies to keep things running smoothly. And drink lots of water. 

"You can't do this halfway. You have to be all in," Harper said. For himself, that means sticking to limited quantities of meat, making most of his meals at home, and enjoying plenty of butter and cheese. 

[Read More: A cancer researcher who's been on the keto diet for 6 years explains how he does it]

Some doctors — even those who might may prescribe the diet to some of their patients — acknowledge it isn't the right plan for everyone, including themselves.

"If I eat no carbs, I will lose too much weight, and it won't be good for me," Cleveland Clinic doctor Mark Hyman said during a recent question and answer session. "I need a little bit, that's my metabolism."

But Hyman maintains that many of his patients thrive on the plan.

Ketosis can act like a miracle drug for certain conditions

The most surefire benefits of the keto diet have to do with reducing epileptic seizures, inflammation, and "hyper-excitability" of nerve cells, as Harper put it. 

Children with tough-to-control seizures can see great improvements by going on a keto regimen for several months to two or three years. After that, they may go back to a more traditional diet and still see fewer seizures thanks to their keto stint.

"It's changing something fundamental at the cellular level, which is pretty cool," as Harper said. 

The diet can also help people with obesity in a similar way, serving as a re-set button for those who are severely overweight. 

"If you're 300 pounds, if you're diabetic, it can be very effective to get your systems unstuck from the metabolic crises it's in, and put it in healthier state," Hyman said.

He added, "there's great evidence that you can reverse up to 60% of Type 2 diabetes in a year." 

You don't have to stay keto for life, but waffling back and forth isn't good for your health

Other doctors maintain a cautious approach to extreme diets like keto, largely because they're so hard to maintain.

One 2017 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggested yo-yo dieting has deadly consequences, and it can lead to serious health problems, including more deaths, heart attacks, and strokes

Sara Seidelmann, a cardiologist and nutrition researcher at Harvard Medical School, recently co-authored a somewhat controversial roundup of studies examining people's diet patterns and death rates around the world. She found that people who ate a moderate amount of carbohydrates, especially those who consumed more whole grains and vegetables, tended to live the longest. People who stuck to low-carb diets (which are often meat-heavy) or high-carb diets (those who consume little more than white rice) had shorter average lifespans.

Her big takeaway was that the quality of a diet mattered much more than how many carbs people ate.

"Try to make choices like that fill your plate with plants," she said.

That includes "whole foods and whole grains, things that you can recognize," she added. 

But Seidelmann also recognizes that a keto stint can be a successful weight-loss strategy as long as people don't eat too much low-quality processed food or red meat. Once the desired goal is achieved, though, she believes healthy, plant-based carbohydrates like whole grains and beans should be incorporated into meals again.

"Once that phase of dieting is over, it may be really worth taking a long pause and thinking about, what are the healthy choices that you can make for your whole life?" she said.

All three experts agree it's more important to stick to a diet that's healthy, rather than one that'll cause energy crashes.

"The first thing you want to do, and I think we're all agreeing now, is get sugar out of your diet," Harper said.  He also doesn't endorse shifting back and forth between high- and low-carb plans. In fact, he thinks it's dangerous and puts unneeded stress on the body. 

"There's a metabolic conversion that happens each time you do that," he said. "When you start adding high-carb calories onto that again, it's already biasing your body to store fat, because it thinks you've been in a fasting state."

Whether you decide keto's a good plan for you or not, experts maintain any healthy plan should include plenty of fresh produce, limited doses of meat, and whatever fat-to-carb ratio you can maintain in good health. 

SEE ALSO: 11 science-backed ways to lose weight without going on a diet

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NOW WATCH: The extreme dieting regimen that self-help guru Tim Ferriss uses to stay lean

'Tesla may have crossed the line to become self-funding': Here's what Wall Street is saying about Tesla's surprise profit (TSLA)

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elon musk

Tesla on Wednesday posted a surprise third-quarter profit thanks to strong revenue generated by its Model 3 sedan. 

The electric-car maker earned $2.90 a share, well above the $0.15 loss per share expected by Wall Street analysts. It generated $6.8 billion in sales, beating the $6.3 billion that was anticipated.

The Model 3 sedan was a huge driver for the quarter.

"Q3 2018 was a truly historic quarter for Tesla," the company said in a press release. "Model 3 was the best-selling car in the US in terms of revenue and the 5th best-selling car in terms of volume."

The high price of Model 3 helped increase Tesla's gross automotive margin, which resulted in an $881 million free cash flow and $3 billion cash in total for the quarter, the electric-auto maker said. Tesla admitted that its Model 3 weekly average production fell short of its target.

Nearly every analyst was impressed by Tesla's ability to generate a profit. But they have mixed opinions about Tesla's sustainability in the long term. 

Here's what Wall Street is saying about the quarter:

Goldman Sachs

Price target: $225

Rating: Sell

"With strong results showing better execution and positive FCF, TSLA was able to deliver above its targets in the quarter," said David Tamberrino at Goldman Sachs.

"However, we believe the goals the company is putting forward now likely have less potential for upside surprise (targeting another quarter of positive FCF and a long-term Model 3 margins of 25%) and we question if we are going to see much better results than the company delivered. Further, we believe the strength the company saw this quarter was aided by higher priced Model 3 variants and believe the eventual $35,000 price point on this vehicle may make it more difficult for TSLA to see similar tailwinds."



Morgan Stanley

Price target: $291

Rating: Equal-weight

“While we acknowledge the significance of Tesla’s very strong 3Q result, we do not believe investors will assume the company is fully self-sufficient without a more sustained period of execution,” said Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas.

"There is a wide range of complex events that could influence the ultimate direction of Tesla’s stock price," Jonas added.

“The confluence of economic, competitive, regulatory, political, and technological forces may potentially challenge Tesla’s status as a stand-alone entity. Whether this results in a positive or negative outcome for existing shareholders vs. the current share price is much harder to determine at this time.”  



RBC Capital Markets

Price target: $325 (from $315)

Rating: Sector Perform

"TSLA may have crossed the line to become self-funding," said RBC analyst Joseph Spak."But is it sustainable? Near-term probably yes. Longer-term more questions."

He added: "While Tesla is a very innovative and disruptive company with strong growth ahead via disrupting large addressable markets, it is also a classic story stock that is difficult to value given that the investment decision is often qualitative rather than quantitative. Thus, near- to medium-term performance is likely to be determined by expectations and delivering on targets. While we are positive on the long-term opportunity, the stock appears to fairly balance medium-term assumptions with execution risk."

"To that end, we believe that Tesla is essentially learning how to become a manufacturing company on the fly. While we don’t have meaningful reason to doubt that Tesla can eventually achieve its targets, doing so in a timely manner without some growing pains could prove challenging. Failure to hit near-term objectives may not impact the long-term view but could hold back the stock or provide a more favorable risk/reward entry point."



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Everything you need to know about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's 12-year relationship — and current divorce battle

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brad pitt angelina jolie Although Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are no longer together, for 12 years they made history as one of Hollywood’s most iconic couples.

Here's a timeline of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's long relationship. 

2003-2004: Pitt and Jolie met while on the set of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."

At the time of filming, Pitt was married to Jennifer Aniston and Jolie had recently filed for divorce from Billy Bob Thornton.

As per People's reports, in a 2006 interview, Jolie confirmed to Vogue that they began developing feelings for each other. She said, "... I think we found this strange friendship and partnership that kind of just suddenly happened. I think a few months in I realized, 'God, I can't wait to get to work.'"

She added, "It took until, really, the end of the shoot for us, I think, to realize that it might mean something more than we'd earlier allowed ourselves to believe. And both knowing that the reality of that was a big thing, something that was going to take a lot of serious consideration."



January 2005: Pitt and Aniston announced they were separating.

After months of rumors that Pitt and Jolie had an affair on the set of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," Pitt and Aniston released a statement about their separation to People, saying, "For those who follow these sorts of things, we would like to explain that our separation is not the result of any of the speculation reported by the tabloid media."



March 2005: Aniston officially filed for divorce from Pitt.

Shortly after the initial announcement, People reported that Aniston officially filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

All the dates, deadlines, and rules you need to know before voting in the 2018 Midterm Elections

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voting vote election day

  • With the 2018 midterm elections just two weeks away, now is the perfect time to make a plan to vote to make sure your Election Day goes off without a hitch.
  • Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2018, but you can vote early or absentee in most states.
  • Experimental research studies show that people who make a plan in advance are much more likely to vote.
  • Here's everything you need to know about your state's voter registration deadlines, when your ballot is due if you'll be voting absentee, and when the polls open and close in your state.

With the 2018 midterm elections just 2 weeks away, now is the perfect time to start planning when and how you'll vote, whether you plan to head to the polls in person on November 6 or send in an absentee ballot before then.

A 2010 experimental study found that voter turnout was up to 9% higher among people who made a plan to vote before Election Day compared to those who did not.

Since every state has different requirements and deadlines, informing yourself about voting in your state to make sure you won't be blindsided by unexpected poll closing hours or registration deadlines will pay off when Election Day comes around.

Here's everything you need to know about your state's voter registration deadlines, when your ballot is due if you'll be voting absentee, and when the polls open and close in your state, if you plan to vote in person.

Registration deadlines by state:

While voter registration deadlines have passed in most states, there's still time to register if you live in Washington, North Carolina, or one of the 16 states, plus the District of Columbia, that allows voters to register on Election Day.

Since North Dakota has no voter registration, you don't need to do anything advance besides bring an ID to the polls.



Deadlines to apply for an absentee ballot by state:

If you're registered to vote but will be away from your polling place on Election Day, there's still time to request and send in an absentee ballot.

While states all have different requirements for receiving a ballot, most military service members, US citizens living abroad, college students, or people who will otherwise be away from their polling place for another reason, including a disability or religious conflict, are eligible to vote absentee in the November 6 election.

All states allow voters to request ballots by mail, but only some permit in-person requests. Virginia is the only state where voters can apply for an absentee ballot online.



Deadlines to send in your absentee ballot by state:

While most states require that your absentee ballot be postmarked or received by your election official by Election Day, some will count your ballot as long as it arrives within up to 10 days of Election Day.

If you request a ballot but don't receive it in time to mail in back by your state's deadline, you can fill out the Federal Absentee Write-in Ballot as a backup.

In the meantime, you can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot lookup tool for information on all the federal, state, and local elections and/or ballot initiatives that you can vote on this fall.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A broken water main at JFK International Airport wreaked havoc on bathrooms at one of its most important terminals

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JFK Airport Terminal 5

  • A water main break at JFK International Airport on Thursday morning stopped travelers from using the restrooms in Terminal 5, according to multiple outlets. 
  • A contractor working on the TWA Hotel outside of Terminal 5 struck a water main. 
  • JFK Airport's official Twitter page said the water main break  "impacted water pressure inside the terminal," adding that "flight activity has not been disrupted." 
  • One traveler told NBC 4 New York, "Every bathroom is closed in this building with thousands of people who just got off a plane. No restaurants are serving anything fresh."

A water main break at JFK International Airport on Thursday morning stopped travelers from using the restrooms in Terminal 5.

"A contractor was working outside Terminal 5 and struck a water main," Port Authority of New York and New Jersey senior public information office Alana Calmi told Business Insider in an interview.  

According to Calmi, the break occurred Thursday morning around 8:30 am. 

Fortunately, "it didn't flood the terminal or anything like that," Calmi added.

At 9:09 a.m., JFK Airport's official Twitter account announced, "Terminal 5 was a water main break. Please contact your airlines for flight status." 

About 20 minutes later, the airport's Twitter account gave an update that said the water break was outside the terminal but, "has impacted water pressure inside the terminal," adding that "flight activity has not been disrupted." 

By 9:38 a.m., the same Twitter account announced that the water main break "has been resolved and water pressure inside the terminal is in the process of being restored."   

The water main break disrupted the airport experience for some travelers. 

NBC 4 New York reported Jeremy King, a traveler who "recently landed" at the airport, said, "Every bathroom is closed in this building with thousands of people who just got off a plane. No restaurants are serving anything fresh."

The New York Daily News reported the break caused water pressure to drop, "grounding all the bathrooms."

"Their bathrooms were never fully closed, just reduced water pressure," Calmi told Business Insider. "Everything was fully operational by Noon." 

JetBlue, Terminal 5's main tenants, confirmed that all services were back to normal by the afternoon.

"Water pressure has been restored at JFK terminal 5 and all services are back to normal following a water main break at the nearby TWA Hotel construction site," an airline spokesperson told Business Insider in an email. 

Regardless, some took to social media on Thursday to voice their frustrations at the situation experienced at JFK International Airport on Thursday. 

 

SEE ALSO: American Airlines passengers were forced to deplane a flight at Miami airport after a 'security concern'

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An Iowa teacher is under investigation after wearing blackface to dress up as a 'Napoleon Dynamite' character for a Halloween party

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LaFawnduh

  • Megan Luloff, a teacher at Walcott Elementary School, outside of Davenport, Iowa, is being investigated by her district. 
  • She was photographed at a Halloween party wearing blackface to dress up as the character LaFawnduh from the movie "Napoleon Dynamite," according to reports.
  • Photos appear to show that Luloff darkened her face, neck, arms, and legs for the costume.

A first-grade teacher in Iowa is under investigation by her district after she was pictured at a Halloween party wearing blackface.

Megan Luloff, a teacher at Walcott Elementary School, outside of Davenport, wore blackface to dress up as the character LaFawnduh from the movie "Napoleon Dynamite," according to The Quad City Times.

She and others had dressed as the cast of the film for a party at the Walcott American Legion on Friday night.

Along with blackface, she wore a wig, leopard-print blouse, white pants, and heels for the LaFawnduh costume.

Photos appear to show that Luloff darkened her face, neck, arms, and legs for the costume.

Superintendent Art Tate announced the incident was under investigation.

"The wearing of blackface is never appropriate in any circumstance by any person," Tate told the Times.

Linda Hayes, vice president for the district's school board, said Luloff's actions were "in very poor taste, not to mention totally out of line with regard to professionalism."

"I cannot clearly articulate how offensive and appalling it is to people of color," she told the Times.

Luloff has not commented on the incident.

The investigation comes after Megyn Kelly defended blackface during a segment on her NBC show earlier this week. She has since apologized for the comments and is reportedly departing NBC.

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This talented dad uses Post-Its to create mini pieces of art for his daughter's lunch every day

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lego batman post it

Rob Biddulph is a pretty normal parent — he leaves notes in his daughter Poppy's lunch every day to make her smile. Except most parents aren't able to draw miniature works of art on their notes.

Five years ago, when Poppy was four years old and nervous about eating lunch at school, her dad decided to draw her a little Post-It note to make her feel better — and 900 Post-Its later, they're still making her smile.

Keep scrolling to see some of Biddulph's most jaw-dropping works.

Every day, kids all over the world open their lunch boxes at school. Some are lucky enough to get a sweet note or an extra snack — but Poppy is a bit luckier than most of her peers.

Of course, Poppy's not the only kid with artistic parents — check out this mom who turns her sons' brown paper bag lunches into hilarious doodles.



Her dad, Rob Biddulph, is an illustrator — and on the side, he creates Post-Its for Poppy's lunch every day that are essentially works of art in their own right.

It's hard to believe this amount of detail fits onto a Post-It.



Sometimes they are literally works of art, like this miniature Monet painting, "Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies."

Biddulph has done an entire series of artists, ranging from Monet to Picasso to Keith Haring.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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