Congressional investigators are launching an inquiry into a handful of companies that landed government contracts related to COVID-19, calling the deals "suspicious" because the companies lacked experience and, in some cases, had political connections to the Trump administration. In a letter obtained by NPR, the chairman of the bipartisan Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis , Rep. James E. Clyburn, D-S.C., asked a roster of administration officials to account for how and why they selected particular companies to provide Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE. Many of the contracts were made without competition at the height of the coronavirus crisis. Seven letters also went out to individual companies asking for information related to those contracts. "The Administration awarded contracts to inexperienced suppliers," Clyburn wrote in a letter addressed to the heads of the Departments of Health and Human Services, Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs. "More than 445

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Copyright 2020 WABE 90.1. To see more, visit WABE 90.1 .

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Air Force combat veteran MJ Hegar will face Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornyn after winning her Democratic primary in Texas, while Maine's Democratic Speaker of the House Sara Gideon has secured the right to challenge her state's vulnerable Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November. Meanwhile, Ronny Jackson, President Trump's former physician, will be the Republican nominee to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Mac Thornberry in northern Texas. It was a primary night that also resulted in a humiliating defeat for Jeff Sessions, the former attorney general who was forced out by the president in 2018. He lost to former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville, a political neophyte who nonetheless enjoyed Trump's backing (see story here ). In Texas, Hegar got the nod over Black state senator Royce West in a close race for the Democratic nomination in a state that has long been red, but that analysts say is in a state of political flux due to changing demographics. Even so,

When Jocelyn discovered that her dying hospital patient was watching Amazing Facts on TV, she knew that God had miraculously opened the door of salvation to a hurting, frightened soul. Millions are facing a hopeless future without Jesus. You can bring these lost people to the Lord through your compassionate gifts. The messages you help send out may be the last words they hear. Thank you for caring!

Thomas was looking for answers to his Bible questions when friends led him to Amazing Facts. After watching our evangelistic series presented in New York City, his life was launched in a new direction. When you invest in Amazing Facts evangelism, you guide people to lasting truth. On September 20, we will present “Prophecy Odyssey” in the influential city of New York. Your gifts help win souls and are the best and most lasting investment you could ever make. Thank you for bringing truth to the world!

Richard was in a quandary. After discovering Bible truth, this Pentecostal pastor had to decide between keeping or leaving his church. Through Bible workers and evangelists that you raised up, the Holy Spirit helped him to overcome every obstacle and follow Jesus! Richard even planted a new Sabbath-keeping church in his village. You can remove more roadblocks to truth when you support Amazing Facts’ evangelistic and training work in hard-to-reach places like Africa and the Philippines. Your gifts move mountains and spread truth around the world. Thank you for caring!

John was overwhelmed by shame. He couldn’t shake his addictions and felt alone and helpless. But through your gifts, he heard God calling to his heart. Watching Amazing Facts on TV, John was drawn back to God and church, where he found the courage and strength to finally break free of sinful habits. You can call to more despairing hearts when you support God’s work through Amazing Facts evangelistic media. Your gifts lead the broken into the healing arms of our loving heavenly Father. Thank you for sharing!

Bob didn’t feel right about the ecstatic gibberish he was hearing in church. When he stumbled across the Amazing Facts website, the truths he heard changed his life. The devil uses counterfeits to deceive many who are looking for trustworthy answers to their Bible questions. However, God can use you and your gifts to uncover Satan’s deceptions and uphold essential truth. Thank you for being a beacon of light in this dark world!

Joe was terrified by his church’s teaching about hellfire. But after reading a free booklet about hell that he heard about at the end of an Amazing Facts broadcast, a calm flooded his heart. Will you help more people like Joe find peace in knowing what the Bible teaches about hell? Your gifts will provide the truth about what happens at death and reveal God’s love. Thank you!

Peri-menopause and menopause are still woefully understood phases of a woman's life. Here's a couple of recent Ask MetaFilter questions that delve into various aspects of these natural biological processes:

1. If hormones mess with you, what was peri/menopause like?

2. Menopause woes

In addition, here's the menopause tag for AskMetaFilter, and don't forget to see the Related Tags sidebar!

Photo by Lisa Zins, via Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/lisazins/)

DirtyOldTown has the most appropriate question for this time of year: What's your favorite scary movie. No, this is not about real life or the US Presidential election, just plain ol' Halloween!

Come on over for November's LinkMe thread! Share a link you think would make a good post and put it on someone's radar so they can make that post!

Photo by Bart Everson, via Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/editor/)

Today is a very good day to dig into a few fantasy stories about strangers joining forces to save each other, so come check out brainwane's latest links to several awesome stories!

As of November 1, 2024 ... the Metafilter Community Foundation exists as an officially registered Delaware nonprofit non-stock corporation.. Yay! In Metatalk, 1adam12 has a Quick Nonprofit Update from the Interim Board. (Also of site interest, some thoughts from warriorqueen on Seeking community in the face of the US election.)

Ben Thompson returns to the show and there’s no sports talk because there’s no sports. Instead: temperature scales, Joe Rogan and Spotify, and Dithering.

John Gruber is joined by Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak to discuss the news from WWDC 2020: the Mac’s transition to Apple silicon, MacOS 11 Big Sur, iOS and iPadOS 14, and more.

Special guest Matthew Panzarino joins the show to talk about WWDC 2020.

Dan Frommer returns to the show for more analysis of WWDC 2020, including App Clips and the Mac's transition to Apple silicon.

Adam Lisagor returns to the show. Topics include the cinematic and presentation style of Apple’s WWDC keynote, some post-production details on The Talk Show’s WWDC episode, the tribulations of producing professional videos during COVID-19, and the new sounds of MacOS 11 Big Sur.

Nilay Patel returns to the show to discuss this week’s House antitrust hearing featuring testimony from Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, and Mark Zuckerberg.

Rene Ritchie returns to the show. Topics include Phil Schiller advancing to Apple Fellow, Microsoft’s simmering spat with Apple over Xbox Game Pass and the App Store’s ban on game streaming services, and Epic’s sizzling spat with Apple over, well, the entire concept of iOS as we know it.

Special guest Anil Dash joins the show. Topics include the 25th anniversary of Windows 95, and the parallels between the cyber era of computing and today’s App Store controversies.

John Moltz returns to the show. Poodles are great dogs. Windows stinks worse than ever. Everyone should watch “Ted Lasso”.

Peter Kafka returns to the show to discuss the news from Apple’s “Time Flies” event — new Apple Watches, new non-Pro iPads, and particularly the Apple One services bundle.

Special guest Michael Simmons joins the show. Topics include the release of iOS 14, widgets and home screen customization, pricing models for indie apps in the App Store era, and, of course, flying robot cameras.

Special guest “Underscore” David Smith joins the show to talk about iOS 14 widgets, WatchOS complications, sleep tracking, and his App Store chart-topping hit Widgetsmith.

MG Siegler returns to the show to talk about Apple Watch, the future of premium TV and movies, and a preview of next week’s “Hi, Speed” Apple event.

Another election. A different result. Let’s talk around it.

Nilay Patel returns to the show and we have nothing to talk about. You know, other than the M1 Macs and entire iPhone 12 lineup.

Matthew Panzarino joins the show to talk about Apple's new AirPods Max headphones and the future of the Mac on Apple Silicon.

As per holiday tradition at The Talk Show, a brief chat about *Star Wars: The Mandalorian*, with a cavalcade of special guests, including, but not necessarily limited to, Guy English and John Siracusa.

Mike Monteiro returns to the show to talk about the Capitol insurrection and riot, Twitter and Facebook permanently banning Donald Trump, the shutdown of Parler, the fate of liberal democracy, and Mike’s new book, “The Collected Angers”.

John Moltz returns to the show to give stock market investment advice.

The state of the Mac, with special guest John Siracusa.

Craig Mod joins the show to talk about writing, designing, filmmaking, what makes for good software, and building a successful membership program to support independent art. And: pizza toast.

Glenn Fleishman returns to the show to talk about last week’s “Spring Loaded” product announcements from Apple: subscription podcasts, AirTags, Apple TV, colorful Apple Silicon iMacs, and the M1 iPad Pros.

Marco Arment returns to the show to talk about the new Apple TV remote control. (Also, the new M1 iMacs and iPad Pros.)

Special guests Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak join me to discuss the news from WWDC 2021: the all-new multitasking interface in iPadOS 15, on-device Siri, new privacy controls in Safari and Mail, MacOS 12 Monterey, and more.

Matthew Panzarino returns to the show. Topics include: Apple’s new MagSafe Battery Pack, the Amnesty-International-Led exposé of NSO Group’s state-sponsored phone hacking, Safari 15’s controversial new UI and Apple’s response, and a look back at year one of Apple silicon for Macs. Also: pizza.

Special guest: John Moltz. Special topics: Playdate preorders, MagSafe battery packs, iPad keyboard covers, Facebook and NSO Group, Safari 15 betas, and “Loki”.

Christina Warren returns to the show to discuss Apple’s controversial child safety initiatives, the tumultuous summer of Safari 15 beta UI designs, and a bit more on MagSafe battery packs.

MG Siegler returns to the show to talk about last week’s surprise announcement from Apple settling a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of U.S. App Store developers, and the various reactions to it. Also, a bit on App Store payment processing, and some speculation on who might succeed Tim Cook.

Rene Ritchie returns to the show for a recap of this week’s “California Streaming” Apple Event: the iPhones 13, Apple Watch Series 7, and new iPads. Also, last week’s decision in the Apple v. Epic lawsuit.

Matthew Panzarino returns to the show to talk about the new iPhones 13 and their camera systems.