WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small today announced a more than $46 million investment in projects supporting America’s veteran, underserved, and beginning farmers and ranchers to help aspiring producers enter the business and improve their skills and knowledge to sustain their operations for years to come.
Life
There are 3,880 posts filed in Life (this is page 195 of 388).
USDA Announces New Cadre of Tribal College Liaisons and Applications for Summer 2025 Tribal Policy Interns
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announces a first-ever regional cadre of USDA Tribal College Liaisons. Three new liaisons serve regions where Tribal colleges are located (Central Plains, Southwest, and Rocky Mountain regions). The liaisons share information on USDA programs and services with Tribal college students, Tribal Nations, Native American farmers, and local communities. In addition, applications are now open for Summer 2025 USDA Tribal Food and Agriculture Policy Internships.
My Favorite Projector Just Hit Its Lowest Price Ever During October Prime Day
October Prime Day is in full swing, and there are a plethora of deals available right now. There are too many Amazon devices seeing their lowest price ever to count, the PlayStation 5 Slim is still in stock at its lowest price, and you can get actually a good quality pair of headphones at a steep discount.
Another deal I’m excited about is the Yaber K2s, my favorite smart projector, which hit a new record-low price of $322.49 (originally $599.99) after a $25 on-page coupon and 5% promo code.
The Yaber K2s is a modern-day practical projector geared to smartphones and streaming apps like Netflix. I’ve had the Yaber K2s projector for some months now, and I’ve been surprised by how easy it is to set up and use. It has an auto-focus feature that finds the best focus depending on the distance to the screen, meaning you don’t have to mess around with the lens at all. The operating system is Android TV, which feels like using a Roku TV. You have access to the Android app store with over 9,000 apps, including Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, Disney+, HBO Max, and others. You can also easily tap any NFC device, like your phone, to stream media into the projector.
The K2s has a 1,920 by 1,080 resolution with 4K output support for eligible media (like Netflix if you have the premium subscription plan). The brightness is not the best, with 800 ANSI, so it’s better suited for nighttime or low-light rooms. Unless you plan on using it for a big crowd outdoors, the two 10W JBL speakers are sufficient for most activities. The image contrast of 2000:1 is impressive—I can see the shadows and dark images in scenes without trouble—but the image does lean a bit bluer than normal, so if you’re a stickler for accurate color, beware.
Another good choice
The Best Amazon Prime Day Deals Right Now
Apple AirPods Pro 2 ANC Earbuds With USB-C Charging Case
—
$168.99
(List Price $249.00)
Apple iPad 10.2″ 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (2021 Release)
—
$199.00
(List Price $329.00)
TP-Link Tapo C120 2K QHD Security Camera
—
$24.99
(List Price $39.99)
65″ Hisense U6 Series 4K Mini-LED ULED Smart TV (2024 Model)
—
$597.99
(List Price $799.99)
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds (Black)
—
$229.00
(List Price $299.00)
Geekom A8 Ryzen 9 2TB SSD 32GB RAM Mini Desktop
—
$721.00
(List Price $849.00)
Fire TV Stick 4K Max Streaming Player With Remote (2023 Model)
—
$34.99
(List Price $59.99)
Deals are selected by our commerce team
The Best PC Gaming Deals Right Now During October Prime Day
If you missed out on Prime Day savings in July, don’t sweat it. Amazon is back with its October Prime Day, and I’ve scoured through the options to find some solid deals for PC gamers. Whether you’re looking for parts to upgrade your system, want an entirely new system, or need more gear for your setup, I’ve gathered up deals that’ll help you get the job done. And with other retailers jumping on Amazon’s bandwagon, I’ve found a few deals elsewhere that blend in nicely with Amazon’s.
Asus ProArt GeForce RTX 4070 Super OC Edition
It’s been hard to spot considerable savings on graphics cards since 2020, but this discount gets you a classy and potent RTX 4070 Super for 10% off. It’s overclocked out of the box as well, letting you get even more performance out of your new component. It’s now listed at $619.99 (was $689.99) at Amazon.
XFX Speedster QICK319 RX 7800 XT Core
AMD’s graphics processors are no slouch for the money, especially when it comes to traditional rasterization (i.e., not using ray-tracing and AI-powered resolution scaling techniques). And this deal on the XFX Speedster QICK319 RX 7800 XT Core offers some serious value. It gets you a high-performance card with plenty of VRAM to handle modern AAA games and high resolutions all for a little over $400.
Asus ProArt GeForce RTX 4060 OC Edition
This Asus version of the RTX 4060 may not be the most affordable, but many of the cards hitting the $299 base price do so with small, two-fan designs. Asus’s model offers a three-fan cooling system, a stylish design, and factory overclocking. While those normally come with a tidy uptick in price, this discount brings it satisfyingly close to that $299 mark.
SK Hynix Platinum P41 SSD (1TB)
SK Hynix makes some of the best PCIe SSDs, and the Platinum P41 is an exceptional drive, not only for its performance and efficiency but also for its value. While it’s normally $90 for a 1TB drive, which is already competitive, this discount brings it to a killer $76 price.
AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D
No, this isn’t one of the latest CPUs on the market. But AMD’s 3D V-cache proved a big improvement for gaming performance when it was introduced. And this deal lets you snag a quite potent chip that includes that 3D V-cache for under $200. The Ryzen 7 5700X3D is also compatible with a huge range of systems running on earlier Ryzen processors using the AM4 socket, which means there are quite a few systems out there that could get a massive upgrade in performance by swapping out just this one component.
Seagate BarraCuda 8TB Internal Hard Drive
SSDs are great for fast storage, but they are expensive when it comes to the amount of storage you get. If you want a library of music, movies, or lesser-played games, a hard drive is the way to go, and this deal will let you get one with 8TB of storage for just over $100.
Samsung 990 Pro PCIe SSD w/ Heatsink (2TB)
Load up your operating system and gaming library onto this ripping-fast SSD, and you’ll enjoy faster operation and loading times. Samsung has long been responsible for some of the very best SSDs, and the 990 Pro is one of its latest and greatest with rear speeds up to 7,450Mb/s. It comes with a heatsink to help it sustain its speed as well.
Asus ROG Strix G16 (16GB DDR5, 1TB SSD)
The Asus ROG Strix G16 is a stylish and potent gaming laptop, and with this deal, it’s also an economical one. For your money, you’re getting a desktop-class CPU (Intel Core i7-13650HX) that’s not likely to struggle with much you throw at it and an RTX 4060 that can tackle many of the latest games while offering the performance boosts of DLSS 3.0. You can snag it for $1,099.99 (was $1399.99) at Amazon.
Gigabyte Aorus 16X (32GB DDR5, 1TB SSD)
The Gigabyte Aorus 16X packs in a lot for gaming on the go. Between its Intel Core i7-14650HX and Nvidia RTX 4060, it should handle a diverse range of games. It has plenty of memory and storage as well. And with a 2560 x 1600 display running at a 165Hz refresh rate, it can provide sharp and smooth visuals for your games of choice. This machine is currently $1,329.99 (previously $1599.00) at Amazon.
BenQ X300G
When a monitor doesn’t cut it, the BenQ X300G provides a way to enjoy a massive screen for gaming all from a small projector. This little projector is easy to set up, and provides a bright and sharp 4K picture. It also has a neat trick for competitive gaming, letting you switch to 1080p/240Hz mode when you need speed more than anything. It’s currently $1299.99 (previously $1499.99) at Amazon.
MSI MPG 341CQPX
Get immersed in your favorite games with the MSI MPG 341CQPX, now $779.99 down from $899.99. This 34-inch ultra-wide monitor curves nicely around your field of view while offering sharp visuals and a stunning QD-OLED panel. I’ve had the pleasure of testing it, and it’s exceptional to play on. Its 240Hz refresh rate especially helps in competitive games.
Audeze Penrose
New headsets may come and go, but audio quality doesn’t fade so quickly, and the Audeze Penrose offers exceptional sound with its planar magnetic drivers. It also works wireless with many platforms and supports Bluetooth for a secondary connection that can function simultaneously. Thanks to its modest age, it can also see a massive $100 discount, which places it nicely at $199.
Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 (G80SD)
If you’ve been waiting for a killer display, the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 might be it. Samsung has cut $350 off the price tag during Amazon’s sale event. This will get you a sizable 4K OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate. And with OLED’s ultra-fast pixel response, you’ll be seeing in-game action more precisely than ever.
The Best Amazon Prime Day Deals Right Now
Apple AirPods Pro 2 ANC Earbuds With USB-C Charging Case
—
$168.99
(List Price $249.00)
Apple iPad 10.2″ 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (2021 Release)
—
$199.00
(List Price $329.00)
TP-Link Tapo C120 2K QHD Security Camera
—
$24.99
(List Price $39.99)
65″ Hisense U6 Series 4K Mini-LED ULED Smart TV (2024 Model)
—
$597.99
(List Price $799.99)
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds (Black)
—
$229.00
(List Price $299.00)
Geekom A8 Ryzen 9 2TB SSD 32GB RAM Mini Desktop
—
$721.00
(List Price $849.00)
Fire TV Stick 4K Max Streaming Player With Remote (2023 Model)
—
$34.99
(List Price $59.99)
Deals are selected by our commerce team
USDA Announces Actions to Lower Food Prices, Bring Fairness to Farmers, and Promote More Competitive Food Supply Chains
WASHINGTON, October 08, 2024 — Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced multiple steps to deliver on the President’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy to promote fair and competitive markets for American farmers and ranchers, and lower food prices for American families.
The Status of Student Loan Forgiveness Just Changed Again (Again)
On Wednesday, in what seemed to be a modest victory for the Biden administration, a federal judge allowed a temporary restraining order against the new student loan forgiveness plan to expire. That ruling would allow the administration to proceed with finalizing the rule, potentially bringing relief to tens of millions of Americans burdened by student debt—just weeks before the November election.
This promising news was short-lived: On Thursday, a U.S. district judge in St Louis temporarily blocked the student loan forgiveness plan, yet again. Here’s what to know about this hurdle, and the uncertain path ahead for student loan forgiveness.
What this news means for you
The current legal whiplash stems from a lawsuit filed in September by seven Republican-led states to stop the Biden administration’s new student loan forgiveness rule. Backing up even further, that rule was an attempt to work around the Supreme Court’s previous ruling against Biden’s original sweeping student loan forgiveness plan.
On Wednesday, a federal judge in Georgia ruled that a temporary restraining order—one that halted the program—to expire. The expiration of the restraining order marks a promising step forward for the program, which aims to provide narrower, more targeted debt relief than its predecessor.
On Thursday, the Missouri court intervened to halt the program before it takes effect. The St Louis-based judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the “mass canceling” of student loans and forgiving principal or interest under the plan, pending the outcome of that Republican-led lawsuit.
Without these obstacles, Wednesday’s ruling would allow Biden-Harris administration to move forward with debt relief as the November election approaches. The proposed plan offers partial or full debt relief to borrowers in these circumstances:
-
Borrowers who owe more than they did at the start of repayment
-
Those who entered repayment on their undergraduate loans on or before July 1, 2005
-
Those who entered repayment on their graduate loans on or before July 1, 2000
-
People who are already eligible for student loan forgiveness under one of the government’s existing programs but just haven’t yet applied
-
Students from “low-financial value” programs
The bottom line: The path ahead remains uncertain. Wednesday’s news represented a step towards limited loan forgiveness, but as always, the administration faces a complex legal landscape. The coming weeks will likely determine whether this new, more targeted approach can withstand the scrutiny of the courts and deliver the promised relief to student loan borrowers.
This article was originally published on Oct. 3, 2024 and updated on Oct. 4 to reflect the latest ruling.
You Can Get Free Pizza Hut Throughout October
If you read books as a kid in exchange for the promise of pizza, you are in luck: Pizza Hut is giving away free personal pan pizzas throughout October (which is also National Book Month) to encourage readers of all ages. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the pizza chain’s Book It! program, which since 1984 has been motivating students from pre-kindergarten to 6th grade to read with the promise of a pizza prize.
While you don’t have to enroll in Book It! or prove you read anything to be eligible for free pizza from Pizza Hut, you could follow the spirit of the challenge by ordering your personal pan pizza as a reward for completing a book. Here’s how to claim your Pizza Hut Book It! pizza.
How to get a free Pizza Hut pizza
To get your free personal pan pizza, you’ll need to place an $8 minimum online order via Pizza Hut’s website or the Pizza Hut app and enter the code BOOKIT40 at check out. You’ll be redirected back to select your toppings, after which the pizza will be added to your cart at no charge. The Book It! promo code is valid through 10/30 or until 1 million pizzas are redeemed.
You can also order the Book It! bundle, which comes with two large one-topping pizzas and an order of breadsticks—a portion of the proceeds will be returned to the Book It! program.
Amazon Fire Tablets Are up to 58% Off Ahead of October Prime Day
One of Amazon’s big sales events, October Prime Day, is not until October 8, but a bunch of sales are already active. Early Prime Day deals include bargains on Kindles, Fire Stick devices, smart speakers, and Blink cameras. But if you’re looking for tablets to stream media and do everyday tasks, Amazon’s Fire tablets are also on sale, discounted up to 58% off. Here are my favorite Fire tablet deals you can find right now, all of which are either matching or breaking record-low prices, according to price-checking tools.
7” display, read and watch, under $80 with 10-hour battery life, 32 GB, Black
Amazon Fire 7 tablet 32 GB (newest model)
$49.99
at Amazon
$79.99
Save $30.00
Save $30.00
$49.99
at Amazon
$79.99
Save $30.00
Save $30.00
8” HD Display, 64 GB, 30% faster processor, designed for portable entertainment, (2022 release), Bla
Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet
$54.99
at Amazon
$129.99
Save $75.00
Save $75.00
$54.99
at Amazon
$129.99
Save $75.00
Save $75.00
8” HD Display, 30% faster processor, 3GB RAM, wireless charging, Gray
Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus tablet 32 GB (2022 release)
$64.99
at Amazon
$119.99
Save $55.00
Save $55.00
$64.99
at Amazon
$119.99
Save $55.00
Save $55.00
64 GB, Black, Ad-Supported + Amazon Standing Case (Black)
Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet
$69.98
at Amazon
$164.98
Save $95.00
Save $95.00
$69.98
at Amazon
$164.98
Save $95.00
Save $95.00
(newest model) built for relaxation, 10.1″ vibrant Full HD screen, octa-core processor, 3 GB RAM.
Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet 32 GB
$74.99
at Amazon
$139.99
Save $65.00
Save $65.00
$74.99
at Amazon
$139.99
Save $65.00
Save $65.00
32 GB, Black, Ad-Supported + Case with Stand (Black)
Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet and Case Bundle
$109.98
at Amazon
$174.98
Save $65.00
Save $65.00
$109.98
at Amazon
$174.98
Save $65.00
Save $65.00
Powerful octa-core tablet with brilliant display, 14-hour battery life, and lightweight design.
Amazon Fire Max 11
$139.99
at Amazon
$229.99
Save $90.00
Save $90.00
$139.99
at Amazon
$229.99
Save $90.00
Save $90.00
The best Fire tablet is $90 off
The Amazon Fire Max 11 is Amazon’s biggest and baddest Fire tablet, currently $139.99 (originally $229.99), the lowest price since its 2023 release. It has an 11-inch screen with 2,000 by 1,200 pixels of resolution. This is the 64 GB version and gets you about eight hours of juice depending on your usage and settings. It got an “excellent” review from PCMag for its modern design, vibrant display, and good processor performance for its price.
The Fire HD 10 is 46% off
Also reaching a record-low price is the Fire HD 10, currently at $74.99 (originally $139.99). This tablet came out in 2023 with an “excellent” review from PCMag for its affordable price, decent display of 1,920 by 1,200 pixels, good build quality, and its Alexa Echo Show mode (turns it into a pseudo smart screen display). The Fire HD 10 drops the storage capacity by half compared to the Fire Max 11, but it’s also about half the price, a good value for your money at its current price. The battery is also great, giving you around 10 hours of performance.
The Fire HD 8 tablet is just $54.99
If you’re looking for a tablet on a budget, the Fire HD 8 tablet for $54.99 (originally $129.99) is a great pick. It came out in 2022 with a “good” review from PCMag for its vibrant screen, 10-hour battery life, and light weight (11.9 oz). This is the upgrade from the budget Fire 7 tablet, with a larger 8-inch screen and sharper display.
My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: This Robot, Stick Vacuum, and Mop Combo
I’ve been using robot vacuums for years, and no matter which robot vacuum I’m testing at the moment, I always end up using my stick vacuum when I need to more thoroughly clean my house. Yeedi’s C12 Combo addresses the reality that no matter how cool you think your robot vacuum is, you’ll very likely still need a stick vacuum to get a deeper clean on occasion. Right now, the Yeedi C12 Combo is $649.99 (originally $899), its lowest price since its recent release in September, according to price-checking tools.
The Yeedi C12 Combo offers the cleaning trifecta: a robot vacuum, a stick vacuum, and a mop all in one product with a single docking station. The robot vacuum is similar to the Yeedi C12 Pro Plus with a few improvements—mainly having a 10,000Pa suction power. This makes it the most powerful robot vacuum out of the budget C12 series from Yeedi and in general, a strong suction power compared to other top models. You can expect about a five-hour run time before needing to charge it.
The stick vacuum has a headlight that helps you spot debris on your floor, and it doubles as a mop with a 340ml water tank, giving you a mopping area of up to 200 square feet with a single refill, which isn’t very much (about the same volume as a water bottle). To mop my three-bedroom and two-bathroom home, I had to refill it seven times, but the mop feature is meant more as a quick solution for cleaning up spills that you wouldn’t want to wait for the robot vacuum to get to. You get a crevice, an extension wand, and two types of dusting brush-head accessories with the stick vacuum.
There is a single cleaning base for both devices that charges and auto-empties the devices as soon as you dock them. The base doesn’t use dust bags; you just need to empty it once it’s full. The C12 Combo is great for someone who needs a compact all-in-one cleaning station and tools for one discounted price.
USDA Offers Resources, Adds Flexibilities to Disaster Assistance Programs to Help Hurricane Helene-Impacted Farmers, Foresters and Communities
WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2024 – In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which devastated communities, homes, farms and businesses across parts of the Southeast, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has deployed staff to assist with response and recovery efforts. USDA is also putting in place contingency plans and program flexibilities to ensure farmers, and foresters and communities are able to get the support they need. USDA is sharing information today to help impacted people learn about resources that may be available to them.