Mike Litt is U.S. PIRG's Consumer Campaign Director. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. America's credit reporting system is broken. We saw the latest evidence of this last week, when news broke that Equifax sent lenders millions of incorrect credit scores, some of which were off by at least 25 points, for consumers applying for auto loans, mortgages and credit cards. US consumers have long complained about mistakes on their credit reports and credit bureaus' failure to fix those errors . Far too often, people are penalized for mistakes that the credit bureaus or data furnishers made, and irrelevant information — such as a job loss or illness — that doesn't predict credit default . This can keep people from getting mortgages, good interest rates on auto loans or credit cards or even a job. We've passed the tipping point for an overhaul, but it's clear that we can't rely on the credit bureaus to reform themselves. The … [Read more...] about Opinion: It’s not just Equifax. The whole credit reporting system needs an overhaul
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BBC ‘don’t want to question anything’ as Sue Cook slams ‘shameful’ reporting
Sue Cook slams BBC's 'shameful' reporting 'Woke boxes ticked' SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info The former BBC Crimewatch presenter slammed the broadcaster for not being the “absolute national institution” that it used to be in the past. Speaking to Nigel Farage , she argued the corporation “do not seem to want to question anything” and claimed Covid news coverage from its reporters during the pandemic had her feeling they“did not seem to want to find out the truth and were so frightened about being contrary to the narrative”. She recognised the broadcaster still produces “some good dramas”, also lavishing praise on its world service but criticised its persistence in having “all the woke boxes ticked”. Related articles … [Read more...] about BBC ‘don’t want to question anything’ as Sue Cook slams ‘shameful’ reporting
ESPN reporter comes out as transgender
close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for August 10 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Mechelle Voepel, a reporter with ESPN since 1996, has announced that she is transgender and will be transitioning from female to male and also changing her name. Voepel’s decision to transition at this time was made in advance of receiving the Gowdy Award next month at the Naismith Hall of Fame . ESPN’s longtime employee announced the name change and transition in a series of tweets Tuesday. The reporter’s new name is M.A. Voepel. "In sports media, we’re lucky to tell stories of others’ journeys. We have our own, too. Part of mine is being transgender, and I’m transitioning to male," Voepel tweeted. "Byline now M.A. Voepel, pronouns he/him. Please feel free to call me Voepel, MV, Michael, Mike; I’m good with them all." CLICK HERE FOR … [Read more...] about ESPN reporter comes out as transgender
Philadelphia triple shooting targeting Popeyes employees may have been caused by argument over girl: report
close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for August 10 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! The Philadelphia triple shooting resulting in the death of a 19-year-old Popeyes restaurant employee may have been sparked by an argument over a girl, a report says. Police who responded to the incident Monday night after the restaurant closed in the northern part of the city also found two other employees suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to Fox29 Philadelphia. They are now reported to be in stable condition. Law enforcement sources told the station that an argument over a girl may have led to the shooting and that investigators believe the victims knew their attackers, possibly having worked with them in the past. Descriptions of suspects were not immediately available. The Philadelphia Police Department did not respond to a request … [Read more...] about Philadelphia triple shooting targeting Popeyes employees may have been caused by argument over girl: report
Google down for thousands of users in mass outage as ‘explosion’ reported at data centre
Google have apologised after tens of thousands of internet users were left unable to use their services when a software update caused a mass outage. Monitoring service Downdetector, which tracks outages by collating status reports, said there were more than 40,000 incidents of people reporting issues with the world's largest search engine early on Tuesday (August 9). The issues saw a error message displayed to many users which read: "The server encountered an error and could not complete your request". Google later issued an apology for the widespread problems which they said had now been fixed, and explained that they had been caused by a software update on their systems. Monitoring service Downdetector said there were more than 40,000 incidents of people reporting issues A spokesperson told The Mirror: “We’re aware of a software update issue that briefly affected availability of Google Search and Maps, and we apologise for the inconvenience. "We worked to quickly … [Read more...] about Google down for thousands of users in mass outage as ‘explosion’ reported at data centre
Twitter down as thousands of affected Brit users report issues with site
Twitter has gone down leaving thousands of Brits unable to access the social media platform. The Downdetector website registered a spike in reports about the site going down at around 6.43pm today. More than 12,000 outages were reported within the first hour of the app going down. Some Brits said they could not open Twitter , while others complained about it being slow. The site appeared to come back online at around 7.40pm. Twitter Support tweeted: "Twitter may not be loading for some of you –– we're working on a fix to get you back to your timelines ASAP." One person wrote on Downdetector: "Twitter's down in Birmingham, won't load anything and takes a year to send a tweet." Another comment said: "Twitter down East UK." A third Twitter user wrote: "Slow, slow in Edinburgh." It comes after the social media platform went down last month, leaving more than 22,000 users without access to the site. A spike in outage reports took place at around 6.43pm today … [Read more...] about Twitter down as thousands of affected Brit users report issues with site
Jury acquits social worker of failing to report Fairview High School quarterback sexual assault allegations
A Boulder County jury found a social worker not guilty Wednesday of failing to alert authorities to reports of a sexual assault involving Fairview High School’s star quarterback in 2018. Marilyn Lori, 47, was acquitted of failing to report child abuse in connection with a student who visited her office in 2018 and said she told Lori about being sexually assaulted by a fellow student, football standout Aidan Atkinson, about a month earlier. Prosecutors argued Lori was required by law to report the conversation. Her defense attorney, James Merson, argued that the student did not clearly tell Lori about the assault and so Lori was not required to report. Lori testified on her own behalf Wednesday and said the student said nothing about a sexual assault during their conversation. The jury deliberated for about two hours before delivering its verdict Wednesday, on the second day of the misdemeanor trial. On the stand, Lori described the student as being resistant to talking … [Read more...] about Jury acquits social worker of failing to report Fairview High School quarterback sexual assault allegations
48% of patients don’t report their cancer symptoms to their doctor – ‘Red flag’ signs
Gloria Hunniford talks about her daughter's battle with cancer SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info There are around 200 forms of cancer worldwide. Of these, the four most common in the UK are lung , breast , bowel , and prostate cancer . While some of these cancers are deadlier or more prevalent than others, they all share the same theme, time. The less time taken for diagnosis, the less time the patient spends in treatment, and the more time they have with their friends and family. However, new research from Cancer Research UK (CRUK) suggests around half – 48 percent – of patients displaying red flag symptoms aren’t reporting it within six months of appearing. The conclusion was reached following a survey conducted by … [Read more...] about 48% of patients don’t report their cancer symptoms to their doctor – ‘Red flag’ signs
Russia targets reporter with raid, probe over war criticism
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 Russian authorities on Wednesday raided the home of a former state TV journalist who quit after making an on-air protest against Moscow’s war in Ukraine, and launched a criminal case against her on the charge of spreading false information about the Russian armed forces, her lawyer said on social media. The case against Marina Ovsyannikova was launched under a law, enacted after the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, that penalizes statements against the military, lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov said. A conviction is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Zakhvatov told the independent news site Meduza that the case is likely linked to a protest Ovsyannikova staged last month, holding a banner that said “(Russian President Vladimir) Putin is a killer, his soldiers are fascists.” He said on Telegram that after the raid Ovsyannikova is expected to be brought into the Investigative Committee … [Read more...] about Russia targets reporter with raid, probe over war criticism
Phone bills are about to go up for some in Texas. Here’s why.
Some Texans can expect their phone bills to go up starting this month after the Public Utility Commission of Texas adopted a rate hike in July. The commission, which regulates the state’s electric, telecommunication, and water and sewer utilities, voted to increase the Texas Universal Service Fund surcharge, which telecommunication companies are required to pay to help maintain and operate cellphone services in rural parts of the state. The surcharge, which is based on the cost those companies pay to provide long-distance service within the state, will go up from 3.3% to 24%. Telecom companies typically pass those costs on to customers, according to the Universal Service Fund fact sheet . The new rate took effect Aug. 1 and will have varying effects on Texans’ phone bills. According to the Houston Chronicle , Texans with typical individual cellphone plans will have to pay a few dollars more each month. The increase will be higher for those with family plans and those who pay … [Read more...] about Phone bills are about to go up for some in Texas. Here’s why.