Congress managed to agree on at least one thing: Avoiding a government shutdown

As lawmakers continue to argue over both coronavirus stimulus and a new Supreme Court nominee, Congress has managed to agree on at least one thing: avoiding a government shutdown.

The Senate on Wednesday passed a continuing resolution, or short-term bill, that will fund the government through December 11, just ahead of the annual fiscal year deadline that comes at the end of September. The legislation advanced 84-10, and will allow government agencies to continue using federal funds until Congress passes a full spending bill for the 2021 fiscal year that begins October 1. The House passed the measure 359-57 last …

The false hope of reopening is killing small businesses

Navy Pier is one of Chicago’s main attractions. Home to more than 70 businesses, the complex on the shore of Lake Michigan is normally filled with crowds on a summer day.

“Navy Pier is rocking, there’s people everywhere, there’s excitement, there’s fireworks, it’s a good time at Navy Pier,” said Stephanie Hart, the owner of Brown Sugar Bakery, which has two locations, one on the South Side of Chicago and the other at Navy Pier. This year, she says, “it just wasn’t the same.”

The pier shut down when the pandemic hit in March, and then reopened in June. According …

How the Show ‘Alone’ Sparked a Solo Trip and a Tough Realization

This article is part of a series on resilience in troubled times — what we can learn about it from history and personal experiences.

When I realized March wasn’t going to end like it started, I developed two obsessions. The first was drinking water out of an empty antique whiskey bottle. I liked the feel of the bottle in my hand and it stopped me from drinking actual whiskey in the middle of the day like I desperately wanted to.

The other was “Alone,” a History Channel-produced reality show in which 10 people are each left so utterly alone in

The Trump campaign spent months portraying Biden as senile. That might be a mistake.

Donald Trump has made it very clear of what he thinks about Joe Biden. In his speeches, “Sleepy Joe” Biden is barely coherent, a “dumb guy” who “doesn’t know where the hell he is.” In online advertising, the Trump campaign has repeatedly alleged that Biden is “too old and out of it” to be president.

And during a Tuesday appearance on Fox & Friends, Trump ally Rudy Giuliani excitedly shared his theory that Biden has dementia and will “get through” the debate thanks to drugs typically used to treat attention deficit disorder.

Meanwhile, some Trump allies are currently busying themselves …