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Senators are at each other's throats over Kavanaugh's confirmation, and some fear there could be lasting damage

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WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 27: Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) is animated in comments during a hearing with Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh with the a Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, September 27, 2018 on Capitol Hill. (Photo by Melina Mara-Pool/Getty Images)

  • Republicans and Democrats are fighting back and forth in the Senate over the Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation.
  • The process has resulted in considerable animosity between the two parties, leading some lawmakers to think there could be real damage done.

WASHINGTON — Throughout every fight, even the ugliest ones, Republicans and Democrats in the United States Senate regularly like to tout their strong personal relationships forged across party lines.

But as lawmakers are at each other's throats over the Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation, some fear that things are taking a turn for the worse on Capitol Hill.

Democrats and Republicans have erupted at one another during Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings, culminating in Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina lambasting Democrats last Thursday for what he described as a smear campaign against the nominee.

Graham accused Democrats of stalling and doing anything they possibly could to keep the Supreme Court seat vacant in case they retake the White House in 2020.

"Boy, you all want power," he said during last Thursday's hearing. "God, I hope you never get it."

And each morning, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have lobbed not-so-veiled shots at each other from across the Senate floor.

During a floor speech on Wednesday morning, McConnell tore into Democrats, saying they were going after Kavanaugh and lending credence to any and all accusations, even those that many lawmakers have dismissed as not as credible.

"It's time to put this embarrassing spectacle behind us," he said. "The American people are sick of the display that's been put on here in the United States Senate in the guise of a confirmation process."

Schumer followed McConnell's speech, nearly calling him a liar when discussing responsibility for the delayed voting process.

"He's to blame for the delay, but he couldn't do anything otherwise because his own Republicans insisted on it," Schumer said. "Again, it is a blatant falsehood — I'm so tempted to use the L-word, but he's my friend — to say that Democrats caused the delay. Mr. Leader, assert your power to determine what's put on the floor, and be a man. Man up and say it's your decision, not ours. We have nothing to do with it."

Senators differ on what kind of lasting damage the animosity could have

Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, the Democrat who paired with Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona to strike a deal to avoid holding a confirmation vote until after an FBI investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh, said on Tuesday that he was "concerned" about damage to key bipartisan relationships.

"That's one of the reasons I've been trying to conduct myself in a measured and respectful way with my colleagues," he said. "Because the amount of passion and even anger and process that led to the hearing last Thursday and the markup last Friday, it's really led to some of the sharpest exchanges I've ever heard as a senator."

Coons also admonished the increasing animosity during a question-and-answer session at the Atlantic Festival in Washington.

"We are an exceptional nation, and we are at risk of losing it all through a populist mob mentality where no one can win because everyone must lose," he said.

The constant fighting is not as bad for peer-to-peer relationships as it is for processes, said Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.

"The problem is less with relationships — like I said, those are resilient — than it is with process," he said. "I think when there are process failures, that's a lasting problem."

Others, like Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, think they just need time to heal. He told Business Insider that most lawmakers reverted back to their friendly selves "after about 60 days."

"I remember when the nuclear option happened in, like, 2013, and it was worse than this," said Corker, who's set to retire later this year.

Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, told Business Insider that lawmakers understood the need to get over tense moments. But he said real damage had been done.

"I was a whip in the House for a long time, and my view always was no matter how disappointed you were, you might need the person you were most disappointed in tomorrow," he said. "And I do think there's some short-term damage, and I think we will benefit from being out of here for some days at least between now and the election."

"I'm sure we'll get over it," he added. "But it was not a helpful thing the way this has been handled."

SEE ALSO: Here's an evolving count of which senators are voting for Brett Kavanaugh

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Two public tech companies are about to merge, creating a $5.2 billion data processing giant — and their stock prices are soaring as high as 15% (CLDR, HDP)

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Cloudera IPO

  • Cloudera and Hortonworks are merging, in a deal that will value the new entity at about $5.2 billion. 
  • The companies say it's a "merger of equals," but Cloudera's CEO will be in charge of the combined entity, and Cloudera shareholders will hold a 60% stake.

Cloudera has announced a merger with Hortonworks, one of its chief competitors, the companies said in a statement. The deal is already approved by the directors of both companies.

The total value of the two companies, based on their share prices at the closing bell on Wednesday, is around $5.2 billion. The deal was described as a “merger of equals.” However, according to the agreement, Cloudera’s stockholders will own a 60% stake in the new company.

Cloudera CEO Tom Reilly is set to become chief executive of the new, combined company, while Hortonworks’ CEO, Rob Bearden, will be out of an operating role, but will take a board seat.

Both companies specialize in the processing of very large amounts of data, using a technology called Hadoop that was originally invented at Yahoo. In recent years, competition has mounted in this space, as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, and others heavily invest in and market their own competing solutions.

Shares of Hortonworks were up as much as 13% in after-hours trading at the time of publication. Shares of Cloudera were up about 15% at the same time.

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The awkward, technical truth behind Hollywood sex scenes

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shoshanna sex girls

Contrary to how effortless, natural, and erotic they seem on screen, Hollywood sex scenes take a great deal of thoughtfulness, hard work, and preparation to create.

Like any aspect of film or television, there are countless crew members — from casting to camera work to editing — whose combined efforts create the movie magic we see in the final product.

Because the subject matter of love scenes is so personal, those involved have a variety of secret tricks and techniques up their sleeves to make scenes convincing for audiences and as comfortable as possible for actors.

Nudity and simulated sex are outlined in detail in the actor's contract and discussed prior to casting.

If you're seeing a naked actor on screen, it's important to know that legal contracts that outlined the details of the nudity were signed prior to the actor ever accepting the role.

SAG-AFTRA, the entertainment industry labor union, designates anudity rider as a requirement in contracts for roles which require "nudity, partial nudity or simulated sex acts."

This document is negotiated by the actor, their representatives, and the production team. Within the rider are detailed descriptions of what the actor is willing to do on screen. This includes scene information, the type of nudity required, limitations on usage of the footage, and any details or terms the actor and producer agree upon.

It's not unusual for a nudity rider to include minute details such as exactly which body parts are visible, how much of the body part can be seen, and for how long the body part is shown.

Although the nudity rider is a contract, SAG-AFTRA reiterates the importance of consent, saying, "Remember, even if you have signed a nudity rider, you have the right to withdraw consent at any time prior to filming of the scene."

If an actor is working on a non-union film, they are not protected by the union. This is why many actors choose not to do nudity or simulated sex in any non-union productions.



Some directors prefer sex scenes to be choreographed in detail.

For any scene, blocking is a typical first step. Directors do a walk-through with actors, discussing where they should move during the scene and when.

The same is often done during sex scenes. Some directors like David Fincher ("Gone Girl,""Fight Club,""Seven") will outline specific movements prior to filming.

In an interview withOut magazine, Neil Patrick Harris said of his role in "Gone Girl,""We had to rehearse the sex scene with David, like every inch of it — 'Then you put your mouth on his d--- here, and then this number of thrusts, and then you ejaculate,' It was weird because we're technically breaking down the sex scene. He wanted it to be almost robotic, that we know exactly where we are, position-wise, where everything goes."

 



There are, however, times when directors prefer improv during sex scenes.

For other directors, such as Jean-Marc Vallée ("Dallas Buyers Club,""Wild,""Big Little Lies") choreography can muddle up the natural rhythm of the love scene.

When asked by theNew York Times about his preference between choreography or blocking during sex scenes, he said, "There was no specific choreography, but there's a way of setting a tone. Restricted crew, it's just available light where we can move 360 degrees with the camera — this is the intention, and let's see where it goes from there. [In "Wild"] it wasn't specifically planned for this guy to take Reese [Witherspoon], to turn her on her back, and take her from behind, but it just happened as we were shooting. And [in "Dallas Buyers Club"] with Matthew [McConaughey], at one point he had a threesome, with two girls in this trailer home with his friend watching him, and he was on fire."

Whether or not an actor is willing to allow improv during the filming of sex scenes is something that can be negotiated in their SAG nudity rider.



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These four missing features make the PlayStation Classic fall short of the original

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PlayStation Classic

Sony will release the PlayStation Classic, a mini version of its original video game console, on December 3rd. The console will come with 20 pre-selected games built-in and a pair of USB PlayStation controllers for $99. The PlayStation Classic follows the trend of the recently released Nintendo Classic and NEOGEO Mini, collecting some of the most memorable titles from past consoles and making them easily accessible for nostalgic fans.

The PlayStation Classic will employ new technology to make the console more compact and eliminate the need for CD-ROM discs and memory cards. But in some ways, the new design falls short of some of the features offered by the original PlayStation.

The PlayStation Classic won't use analog controls.

Despite the console's focus on 3D gaming, the original PlayStation controller only featured a four-way directional pad for movement. Two years after the PlayStation's 1995 launch, Sony introduced the Dual Analog controller which, as the name suggests, had two analog sticks to provide a full 360-degree range of motion.

Analog controls made games requiring frequent diagonal inputs, like "Metal Gear Solid" and "Tekken 3" easier to control and were popular enough to warrant re-releases of classic PlayStation games like "Resident Evil." The original Dual Analog also featured a flight stick mode for pilot simulation games like "Ace Combat 2" and "Colony Wars."

Considering that the dual analog design is now the standard for all video game console controllers, it's odd that Sony decided to choose the controller with less features and a shorter lifespan. Furthermore, considering the amount of 3D movement in PlayStation's most popular games, analog control would offer a clear improvement in gameplay.

 



No DualShock controller also means no rumble support for the games it was built for.

Within six months of releasing the Dual Analog controller, Sony introduced the DualShock, a controller line that has continued through to the PlayStation 4. The DualShock added rumble support to the Dual Analog controller with two vibrating motors. While vibrating controllers are now the standard, the DualShock's ability to provide feedback to players was considered novel at the time. Racing games like "Gran Turismo 2" and "Wipeout XL" felt just a bit more genuine with the controller rumbling along with the engine.

One of the console's most popular action games, "Ape Escape," actually required the use of the a DualShock controller, meaning it will likely be excluded from the final list of PlayStation Classic titles. Considering that dozens of PlayStation games featured rumble support it seems like a mistake to ignore the feature.



The PlayStation was a great CD player, but the PlayStation Classic has no music playback.

One of the more overlooked features of the original PlayStation was its ability to play CDs. The console was heralded by audiophiles as a cheap alternative to expensive front end CD players due to its high playback quality and RCA audio output. Certain PlayStation games would even let you swap out the disc for a music CD once the game had loaded, allowing you to listen to your own music while playing. 

The PlayStation Classic is too small to hold a disc, but does include USB slots that could allow for basic mp3 playback. Gaming will always be the focus for PlayStation, but the consoles have always been multi-featured entertainment systems. Seeing the PlayStation Classic include some functionality beyond the limited list of 20 games would be a big bonus.



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15 foods that are called different things around the world

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shrimp cocktail

Whether you're an ex-pat or a vacationer, sometimes you just want a taste of home. But it can be hard to find what you're looking for when your favorite dish is called by an unfamiliar name.

Keep reading to learn about 15 foods that have different names around the world, from French fries to peanut butter.

French fries (US) are called "chips" in the UK, and "frites" in French-speaking countries.

In the UK and Ireland, what people in America call French fries are called "chips" and are famously served alongside fried fish. Typically eaten with salt and vinegar, variations range from chips and curry to meaty chips and gravy.

French-speaking countries such as France and Belgium use the term "frites," short for "pommes frites"― which itself is an abbreviation of "pommes de terre frites," or fried potatoes. Thanks to the popularity of French cuisine around the globe, you've probably seen frites listed on menus as part of dishes like steak-frites (steak and fries) and moules-frites (mussels and fries).



Brits say "crisps," Americans say "potato chips."

Since Brits refer to fries as "chips," they have a different name than Americans for potato chips ― "crisps." 



In Europe, what Americans call hot dogs are called "Vienna sausages" or "frankfurters."

What Americans call hot dogs are known as frankfurters and wienerwurst (Vienna sausage), in Germany, Austria, and other European countries.

Although the phrase "hot dog" is used in Australia and New Zealand, the Kiwi iteration refers to a deep-fried dog (for a non-fried version, you need to request an "American hot dog").



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Barack Obama wrote a heartwarming message to his wife Michelle on their 26th anniversary

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obama wedding photo 3

  • Wednesday marked Barack and Michelle Obama's 26th wedding anniversary. 
  • In a post on social media, the former president shared a picture of his wife looking out the window of an airplane, saying she was his "favorite person to see the world with."
  • Michelle responded by thanking her husband "for being a man who always lifts up and honors me and our wonderful girls."

Former President Barack Obama wrote a sweet message for his wife Michelle on Wednesday as they celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary. 

"Happy anniversary, @MichelleObama. For 26 years, you've been an extraordinary partner, someone who can always make me laugh, and my favorite person to see the world with," Obama wrote in the post, which included a picture of his wife looking out an airplane window. 

The former first lady quickly responded and thanked her husband for "26+ years of love, trust and respect" and "for being a man who always lifts up and honors me and our wonderful girls." 

"Each day I'm with you, I'm reminded of what a treasure you truly are to us all," she added. 

The Obamas were married on October 3, 1992, three years after they met at the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin. In June 1989, Michelle Robinson was assigned to mentor her future husband, as he completed a three-month summer associateship. 

According to a 2007 Chicago Sun-Times article, Michelle initially tried to set Barack up with friends because she didn't want to get involved with a subordinate at work. 

But she agreed when he asked her out about halfway through the summer. Their first date was to see Spike Lee's movie "Do The Right Thing," followed by the Art Institute and a stroll down Michigan Avenue. 

"It was fantastic," Michelle said of her first date in a 2004 interview. "He was definitely putting on the charm. ... It worked. He swept me off my feet."

Obama popped the question two years later. A child of divorce, Obama expressed some misgivings about the institution of marriage to his girlfriend during their time dating. When he brought the topic up again over a fancy dinner, Michelle told him it was time to get serious. When the waiter brought out dessert, an engagement ring box was on the plate. 

"He said, 'That kind of shuts you up, doesn't it?'" Michelle recalled. 

Five years after tying the knot, the couple welcomed their first daughter, Malia, in 1998. She is now a college sophomore at Harvard University. Their second daughter, Sasha, was born in 2001. She turned 17 this summer and is a senior at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC. 

SEE ALSO: 50 romantic photos show why everyone misses Barack and Michelle Obama

DON'T MISS: Inside the marriage of Barack and Michelle Obama, who met at work and kissed outside an ice cream store on their first date

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The suspect behind the mysterious letters sent to the White House and Pentagon has reportedly been taken into custody

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The Pentagon is shown with the Air Force Memorial in the foreground in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., September 11, 2017.   REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

  • The suspect believed to be behind mysterious letters sent to the White House and the Pentagon this week is reportedly in custody.
  • Letters that tested positive for ricin, a potentially dangerous substance, were sent to President Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson.
  • The suspect is reportedly a former Navy sailor. Authorities are in the process of clearing the individual's residence in Logan, Utah.
  • At least one of the envelopes, according to a Pentagon statement emailed to Business Insider, contained castor seeds, from which ricin is derived.

The suspect behind several suspicious letters that were sent to the White House and the Pentagon this week has reportedly been taken into custody.

Authorities took the suspect, previously identified as a former Navy sailor, into custody Wednesday, CNN first reported, adding that a crew has started clearing the suspect's residence.

The envelopes, which were intercepted by the Secret Service and the Pentagon's mail room staff, reportedly tested positive for ricin, a potentially deadly substance, especially in a pure, powdered form. The letters sent to the Department of Defense were addressed to Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson. The letter sent to the White House was addressed to President Donald Trump.

The suspect was identified by a return address on one of the letters sent to the Pentagon, Fox News reported Wednesday morning.

While the FBI has been spearheading the investigation, the Pentagon has been providing regular updates to reporters.

"On Monday, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency detected a suspicious substance during mail screening at the Pentagon's remote screening facility," DoD spokesman Col. Rob Manning told Business Insider in an emailed statement, further explaining that "all USPS mail received at the Pentagon mail screening facility yesterday is currently under quarantine and poses no threat to Pentagon personnel."

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White provided additional information Wednesday, revealing that at least one of the letters sent to the DoD contained castor seeds, from which ricin is derived.

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Eagles' center Jason Kelce explains how insomnia helped him come up with one of the greatest victory speeches in Super Bowl history

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Jason Kelce

  • Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce became a Philadelphia legend last season, not only for his play on the field but also for his passionate speech at the team's Super Bowl parade.
  • Speaking with Business Insider, Kelce explained that he came up with the idea for the speech in the days after the team's Super Bowl win when he found himself unable to sleep.
  • Kelce was unsure of how the speech would be received by the sports world at large but felt it was something he had to share.


When the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, it was a historic moment for a city starved for a championship.

Underdogs in every game through their playoff run, the Eagles overcame the odds, again and again, to lift the Lombardi Trophy in a moment that the city will never forget.

Capping off the dreamlike sequence for Philadelphia sports fans was the Eagles celebratory parade, and specifically, center Jason Kelce's speech. Adorned in mummer's attire, Kelce went through his Eagles brethren, explaining the obstacles each of them had overcome.

Kelce recently spoke with Business Insider about his epic speech while promoting Old Spice's new line of beard care products, which he has endorsed, along with his brother Travis. 

Kelce explained his process in writing his Super Bowl parade speech, and as it turns out, the whole thing came together thanks in part to a bit of insomnia.

"I had struggled sleeping after the game," Kelce told Business Insider. "I was constantly in my bed thinking about my journey, my family's journey. And then I started thinking that it's not just me that's overcome things — I start thinking about other guys on the team. Nick Foles, a backup quarterback that was passed on by St. Louis, working his way back onto the Eagles, and winning a Super Bowl. I start thinking about all my offensive linemates, all the defensive players — everybody — coach [Doug Pederson], Howie Roseman."

But the speech really came together when Kelce brought the city of Philadelphia itself into the narrative.

"I started to really see the correlation with the city and the fans, and how long they've been waiting for a championship, and how many times they've had it come so close and not have it happen — the feeling they must feel as an underdog in the eyes of some of the other NFC East fans. I think as all that came together, it was easy for it to come out all in that moment."

While the speech eventually came out in perfect form, it's not something that Kelce had practiced much, or even written down.

"I had the structure to it," Kelce told Business Insider. "I knew I wanted to start with Howie Roseman, and then go to my teammates. But it wasn't something I had to write down, because it's something that had been actively playing itself out throughout the whole season, and through guys' whole careers. The structure was there, and I knew the narrative that I wanted to hit with everybody. And that's kind of how it manifested itself."

The speech immediately made it's way into Philadelphia sports history, right alongside Chase Utley utterance of "World F---ing Champions!" at the Phillies parade in 2008, but Kelce noted that he was unsure of what kind of reaction his rallying cry would get initially.

"I knew it was going to get a reaction — I didn't know how it was going to be received necessarily, but I don't think at that point I really cared," Kelce said. "I just decided to go up there and say something that I had been feeling for a long time."

"I wasn't prepared either way for it be positive or negative," Kelce explained. "It was just something that I thought needed to be said."

As for the beard oil, Kelce is a big fan.

"I'm a big fan of the beard oil," Kelce explained. "It really keeps it soft. I use the beard wash too because my wife is really on me to make sure there's not all types of bacteria and food left up in there. But the whole line is great."

SEE ALSO: Mic'd up video reveals the Eagles' all-time great trick play in the Super Bowl was Nick Foles' idea

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How smart contracts will work

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Following is a transcript of the video.

Stephen Wolfram: I think one of the most interesting ideas that blockchain is surfacing is the idea of computational contracts. You know, normally when one sets up a contract, it's something that's written in, well, almost English, but actually it's legalese because it has to be a bit more precise than English. And it says, you know, this party is going to do this, and that party is going to do that. What if we could write that contract in code? What if we could write a computational contract that isn't written in legalese, but is written in some computational intelligence language, which could actually be just executed by a computer if we chose to, as well as understood by humans? Well, our Wolfram Language, that I've been developing for the last 32 years, is sort of the ideal language in which to describe things about the world of the kind that you want to talk about in contracts.

This idea of writing computational contracts, this is not a new idea. I mean, for example, Gottfried Leibniz, back in the late 1600s, he very definitely had this idea. In fact, it was his reason to try to invent a bunch of what are now computational concepts, was he wanted to turn all legal arguments into matters of pure logic that could potentially be resolved by a machine. Well, he happened to be 300 years too early. Now I think it's kind of the right time to actually execute things like that, and so we're very well-positioned with our technology to actually set up computational contracts, which can describe how things should happen in the world in a way that computers can execute. And so some of those things will be pure sort of symbolic logic-like things.

Some of those things are more like automated human judgment. They're more like the kinds of things that one can do with machine learning where one says, you know, "We'll consider it a grade A peach if it has this characteristic with respect to this machine vision classifier." So that's one thing that we've been interested in. Another thing that's, in a sense, more direct is whenever you're going to set up a smart contract or computational contract, I view sort of computational contracts as kind of a generalization of the traditional let's put something on the blockchain smart contract idea. But as soon as those contracts are going to be about real things in the world, they have to know something about what actually happened in the world.

And so there's this idea of well, we needed some kind of smart oracle that can be connected to the contract that can be not just something that says, "Well, this piece of cryptocurrency was transferred from this address to this address,but you know, it rained yesterday." And so we, in terms of sort of knowledge about the world with our Wolfram Alpha technology stack, we have simply the unique system that has kind of, across thousands of domains, kind of computable knowledge about the world. For quite other reasons, we've kind of built this thing that allows you to just ask a computer some fact about the world and have it returned in computable form. And that's exactly what one needs if one wants to know whether this smart contract that referred to something in the world should be executed, should go this way or that way.

And so we've been involved with rather a wide spectrum of the cryptocurrency folk in providing sort of the connection to the real world, so to speak, for things like smart contracts.

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SENATE BATTLEGROUND MAP: The race for control of the Senate is as tight as it can be

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  • The 2018 US Senate elections are full of tight races, polling shows.
  • Entering the midterms, Republicans hold a 51-to-49 seat majority in the upper chamber of Congress.
  • A few seats changing hands could flip the body to Democratic control.
  • But Democrats are faced with a challenging map.

The battle for control of the Senate is as tight as can be, RealClearPolitics polling averages show. 

This week, Republicans made a substantial gain in North Dakota while cutting Democrats lead in New Jersey. Democrats, meanwhile, made slight gains in Florida while building on their lead in Arizona, most notably

As of Tuesday, candidates are separated by 2 points or less in four races, while the separation is less than 4.5 points in four additional contests:

  • Polling shows Republican candidate, Rep. Kevin Cramer building his lead over a Democratic incumbent, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, in North Dakota. In Missouri, Republican Josh Hawley holds a slim lead over another Democratic incumbent, Sen. Claire McCaskill.
  • Meanwhile, Democratic candidates Kyrsten Sinema and Jacky Rosen hold slim leads for seats currently under GOP control in Arizona and Nevada.
  • In five states won by President Donald Trump in 2016, Democratic incumbents hold substantial leads over their opponents: Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.
  • In Tennessee, the race between Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn and former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen is locked in a dead heat.
  • In deep-red Texas, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz is fending off Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke in a race that is separated by roughly 4.5 points.

Entering the midterms, Republicans hold a 51-to-49 seat majority in the upper chamber of Congress.

Election Day is November 6. We'll continue to update this map in the weeks leading up to it.

SEE ALSO: Insiders are buzzing that northern Virginia could soon be awarded Amazon's HQ2 as Jeff Bezos makes a high-profile visit to Washington, DC

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24 brands you probably didn't realize were owned by Amazon (AMZN)

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Amazon Goodthreads

  • Amazon owns many private-label brands.
  • In fact, Amazon may own more than 70 of its own private-label brands — at least 60 of which were released in 2017 or later, according to Recode.
  • Some of these private labels are obviously owned by Amazon, like AmazonBasics, but others show very little indication that they're owned by the e-commerce giant.


Amazon owns many private-label brands. 

Recode reported in April that Amazon owns upwards of 70 of its own private-label brands — at least 60 of which were released in 2017 or later. 

Some of them are obviously Amazon-owned, like AmazonBasics. Others, however, are a little less in-your-face about being owned by Amazon. 

Many of Amazon's private-label brands were started in niche categories like batteries or pet carriers, but lately, Amazon has been branching into categories that already have well-established leaders, like paper towels, which is led by Bounty. Though Amazon may not be able to beat out its competitors in these categories, private labels help to increase customer loyalty by making them exclusive to Amazon. Some of the private-label brands, such as Solimo, are even listed as being available exclusively to Prime members.

The products Amazon sells via private label range from basic care items like cold medicine to tech accessories, fashion, and many other categories. 

Here are some of the brands you might be surprised to learn are owned by Amazon: 

SEE ALSO: Amazon just opened a new store that sells only its best products. Here's what it's like to shop there.

Arabella — Lingerie



Basic Care — Pain relief and antacids

Source: One Click Retail



Beauty Bar — Cosmetics

Source: Quartz



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14 of the best Halloween episodes of your favorite TV shows

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stranger things

Now that October is finally here, it's time to get into the Halloween spirit, and what better way than by rewatching the scariest, spookiest, and sometimes funniest episodes of your favorite shows? If tapping into your fear with horror movies just isn't doing it for you, don't worry — there is so much quality Halloween TV out there.

Between every Dunder Mifflin employee dressing up in costume on "The Office" to "The Simpsons" classic annual Halloween specials, there's so much to choose from, no matter what you're in the mood for.

Looking for Halloween TV? These episodes will definitely give you a giant dose of spooky.

"Boy Meets World" does a decent job at merging scary and funny

Taking place during that insufferable period of time when Cory and Topanga are broken up, season five, episode 17, "And Then There Was Shawn", finds the gang trapped in the school after they've been given detention. A series of campy (and sometimes bloody) scares follow until Shawn is finally revealed as the killer, all because he just wants his best friends to get back together.



"Friends" gave us Chandler as a pink bunny

In season eight, episode six, "The One With The Halloween Party," everyone gathers at Monica's for a Halloween party in costume, including Chandler as a bunny when his "Velveteen Rabbit" costume didn't work out… and Joey as Chandler for a costume. The funniest part of the episode? Probably the way that everyone can't stop making fun of Ross' spud-nik costume.



"Grey's Anatomy" had Meredith creeped out by her mom's ashes

Shortly after Ellis Grey dies, Meredith's confronted with what to do with her ashes in the fifth episode of season four, "Haunt You Every Day," which leads her to bring them to work until she makes a decision on the perfect place to lay her mom to rest.



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Barcelona scored 2 of the prettiest goals of Champions League play thus far en route to taking down Tottenham

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Lionel Messi

  • Barcelona defeated Tottenham in Champions League play on Wednesday 4-2.
  • The win came with the help of two beautiful goals from Barcelona, including one from the foot of captain Lionel Messi.
  • With the win, Barcelona kept its spot atop Group B in Champions League play.


Barcelona won a hard-fought contest against Tottenham in Champions League play on Wednesday with the help of two of the prettiest goals we've seen so far in the competition.

After jumping to a 1-0 lead, Barcelona's second goal of the day came from the foot of attacking midfielder Ivan Rakitic.

The Barcelona attack looked like it had fallen apart in the Tottenham box, Phillipe Coutinho saved possession with a wild, spinning volley just before the ball crossed out of bounds. Coutinho's strike bounced into perfect position for another volley from Rakitic, who buried the opportunity off the post to double his team's lead.


The golazos wouldn't stop there.

In the second half with Tottenham mounting a comeback, captain Lionel Messi took over to once again extend Barcelona's lead. After playing the ball wide, Messi delayed his run into the box until just the right moment. Two teammates faked an attack on the ball, drawing in defenders and leaving Messi wide open to collect the centering pass and score. 

Messi would go on to score late in the match to help Barcelona to a 4-2 victory to remain atop Group B of the Champions League.

Barcelona will continue Champions League play on October 23 with a match against Inter Milan.

SEE ALSO: Lionel Messi stuns reporter by revealing he wore a good-luck charm from the reporter's mother during a crucial World Cup match

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Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell have been together since 2007 — here’s a complete timeline of their relationship

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Kristen Dex

There are few celebrity relationships that stand the test of time in the public eye, but married couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have been together since 2007.

Just recently, Bell posted a heartfelt note to Shepard on Instagram congratulating him on 14 years sober. In the post she wrote, "I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone, and I want you to know, I see you."

Here is a comprehensive look at Shepard and Bell's relationship timeline.

2007: Bell and Shepard met at a hockey game.

Bell and Shepard first met at a Detroit Red Wings hockey game in 2007, but it wasn't love at first sight.

"When I met her and her friends, I was suspicious of their unbridled happiness," Shepard told Good Housekeeping. "I thought, 'Something stinks here; they're in a cult.' But slowly I began to see her positive way of looking at the world. She gives people the benefit of the doubt."



2007: The pair started dating but were fighting often, according to Bell.

In an interview with Harry Connick Jr., Bell revealed that when they met, their relationship was somewhat "toxic."

"When we first met, we fell madly in love and I love the dramatic exit. There is nothing I crave more. We'd get in a fight because we'd fight a lot, and I'd yell something and then slam the bedroom door, then I'd slam the front door, then I'd get in my car and then I'd skid out the driveway and I would sit around the corner in my car and it felt so good and I realized how incredibly toxic it was only after he pointed it out," she said. 

She went on to say that "Three months into our relationship he was like: 'You can't leave anymore during fights. I'm not going to do that.'" 

Bell said this made her realize Shepard was right and she has since changed her fighting methods.



~2007: Bell recently revealed the couple broke up before getting engaged.

Bell recently told PopSugar that she and Shepard actually broke up after dating for about three months.

"He sat me down and said, 'I can't have this right now. I think you're wonderful, but I am still dating other people,'" she said. "And then I, like, liquefied and fell to the ground, but I felt incredibly respected that he had the balls to tell me we weren't in the same place."

She continued to say that Shepard quickly realized he made a mistake and came back a few days later. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Retail experts warn that JCPenney's new CEO may not be able to fix the company's massive problems (JCP)

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JCP

  • JCPenney announced on Tuesday it had hired a new CEO, Jill Soltau. The department store's former CEO, Marvin Ellison, left abruptly to become CEO of Lowe's in May. 
  • The company has had a series of different CEOs over the past few years, each with their own vision for the company. Experts say this has created a confusing and inconsistent experience for shoppers. 
  • Some retail experts are skeptical as to whether JCPenney's business can be saved. 

In the months since former CEO Marvin Ellison's abrupt departure from JCPenney in May, investors have been left wondering who would come to the store's rescue and finish off a turnaround effort that he never truly completed. 

They finally got an answer on Tuesday afternoon when JCPenney announced that Jill Soltau, the former president and CEO of craft retailer Joann Stores, would be taking on the role. She will be joining the company on October 15. 

"Jill stood out from the start among an incredibly strong slate of candidates. As we looked for the right person to lead this iconic Company, we wanted someone with rich apparel and merchandising experience and found Jill to be an ideal fit," Paul J. Brown, JCPenney's board director and chairman of the company's search committee, said in a statement to the press on Tuesday. 

Soltau served as president of retailer Shopko for seven years and before that held senior-level positions at Sears and Kohl's. 

JCPenney's stock price rose more than 10% on the news. While investors were likely reassured that the position had been filled, some experts remain skeptical as to whether Soltau will be able to revive the company. JCPenney has not only been unprofitable for 16 of the last 18 quarters, but it now also finds itself without a CFO after Jeffrey Davis resigned in September to become CFO of Qurate Retail Group, the retail conglomerate that owns QVC. 

"It remains to be seen whether she has the skillset and the ability to move as quickly as she will have to in order to pull JCPenney out of the spiral that it is in," Mark Cohen, director of retail studies at Columbia Business School and the former CEO of Sears Canada, told Business Insider. 

"She has to deal with the fact that the office of the CEO has basically disintegrated," he said, stressing how critical the role of CFO is in a turnaround situation. 

"'What motivated this guy to leave? Who knows, we will never know,'" he said.

Confusion and inconsistency

JCPenney store cashier

JCPenney has had a series of different CEOs over the past few years, each with their own vision for the company. This has not only been unsettling for employees who work at the company, but also made for a confusing shopping experience for its customers, several retail experts told Business Insider. 

Ron Johnson, who before joining JCPenney helped pioneer what became the Apple Store, is considered by many to have had the most detrimental impact on the retailer. He attempted to make the department store more upmarket and in doing so, ended up alienating its core customers. JCPenney reported a $1.42 billion operating loss in 2013 and was left drowning in debt when Johnson was fired. 

When Marvin Ellison took the helm in 2015, after a period in which Mike Ullman was brought back as interim CEO, JCPenney was confident Ellison would become the company's saving grace. But Ellison, who had previously spent over a decade at Home Depot, had no experience in apparel and made his mark on the company in ways he knew best — not necessarily in the ways that were right for JCPenney, Cohen said.

One of Ellison's main strategies was to bring appliances back after a 33-year hiatus. He was hoping to cash in on the collapse of rival department store Sears, attract first-time millennial home buyers, and shift focus away from its declining apparel sales.

JCPenney said that appliance sales were the strongest area of growth for the company in 2017. Home-department sales accounted for 15% of the company's sales in 2017. This was up from 13% in 2016 and 12% in 2015.

While this certainly helped to create an uptick in sales, retail experts said it likely wasn't enough for long-term growth. 

"Throwing in a new category to pump some new sales into the system isn't a long-term strategy because you are still not understanding what the customer wants from you," Kathy Gersch, executive vice president of the consultancy firm Kotter, told Business Insider. 

The company has continued to struggle while some of its competitors have started to recover and consumer spending has strengthened. In August, JCPenney lowered its full-year outlook following disappointing quarterly sales numbers.

Gersch said that the biggest mistake the company has made is in trying to be all things to all people and in doing so, creating a shopping environment that wasn't right for anyone. The frequent CEO turnover likely contributed to this. 

"I think they have had so many iterations of themselves with the last few CEOs trying so many different things and speaking to different types of customers that I don't think the customer knows what to expect from JCPenney anymore," she said. 

JCP

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal in July, JCPenney supply chain executive Mike Robbins echoed these sentiments, saying that the retailer's focus should be on winning back its core customer, the middle-aged mother. Four JCPenney executives filled the role of CEO while the company searched for a replacement after Ellison's resignation.

What comes next

The hope now is that by putting a woman at the helm, the retailer will be better equipped to understand its core customer. 

Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, described it as a "sensible move" in a statement emailed to Business Insider.

"One of JCPenney's central problems has been its inability to connect with women shoppers, especially in terms of fashion. We believe Ms. Soltau will have a far more intuitive understanding of the changes that need to be made than many of those who held the role before her," he said. 

In a statement on Tuesday, Soltau hinted that this customer will be at the forefront of her strategy.

"I am highly passionate about the customer and I spent my entire career focused on the needs of a value-based consumer by researching, understanding and meeting her expectations for style, quality and inspiration," she said in the press release announcing her hiring. 

However, whether she will be able to turn the business around in time remains to be seen.

"At the end of the day, I don't really see a future for the business. It is a genre that is under tremendous challenge, and it is a very badly damaged business," Cohen said.

SEE ALSO: JCPenney has hired a new CEO months after an abrupt resignation by its former chief executive

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9 cost-saving food 'hacks' that don't actually work

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Electric mixer eggs baking doughEveryone wants to save money on food — but while there are plenty of things that work, some methods just aren't all they're cracked up to be.

Here are some common money-saving food and cooking hacks that could be costing you more than you think. 

Automatically assuming buying in bulk is the cheapest option won't always save you money.

The bulk aisle — or wholesale stores that sell huge quantities of food items — can be a great place to save money on food. But that isn't always the case, as NPR's The Salt reported.

Prices for the same item you plan to buy in bulk can vary drastically depending on the stores around you. The only way to know for sure that you're getting the best deal is to do the legwork and compare your locally available prices for yourself.

If you're comparing bulk prices to online prices, remember to factor in shipping costs. 



Buying perishable foods in bulk isn't always worth it.

If you have the freezer space, it can be wise to take advantage of a great deal and stock up on foods you eat often or will use for an upcoming gathering. But, if there's no way you can use or eat them before they expire, the money you saved during the sale won't matter.

The same holds true of fruits, vegetables, eggs, and any other perishables that might seem like they offer amazing savings at the moment. Consider your upcoming cooking plans before buying anything in bulk.



Buying kitchen gadgets you won't really use won't save you much time or money.

If you make veggie noodles often, a vegetable spiralizer is probably a wise purchase. But, if you cook them once a year it might not be worth it. 

If you're looking to save money in the kitchen, you might want to think seriously about how often you're likely to use a new gadget before you spend money on it.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

16 celebrities reveal their favorite junk foods

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mindy kaling

Let's face it: Junk food is hard to resist — even for some of Hollywood's biggest names.

Despite the fact that may follow a strict diet and intense exercise regimen, stars still indulge in their favorite treats and fast foods from time to time.

Below, see what 16 celebrities love to eat when they're in a snacking mood, from Twix bars and Cheetos to White Castle and Taco Bell.

Chrissy Teigen really loves the nacho cheese dust on Doritos.

In a 2017 interview with Delish, the model said she likes to lick the "nacho cheese seasoning" off Doritos and put the chips back in the bag.

Teigen, who said she "eats fast food a few times a week," also professed her love for Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Taco.



Katy Perry has been outspoken about her love for all types of fast food.

The singer, who once dressed up as a Flamin' Hot Cheeto, told Us Weekly in 2013 that her favorite ice cream is Cold Stone Creamery's Birthday Cake Remix and her favorite comfort food is boot-shaped chicken nuggets, specifically.

Perry also once waited an hour to get food from Taco Bell in Tokyo, Japan, according to an Instagram post from 2015.



Anna Kendrick not-so-secretly loves Taco Bell.

During an appearance on TBS' "Conan" in 2012, the actress revealed to Conan O'Brien that she loves Taco Bell — so much so that she wouldn't shy away from an endorsement deal.

The "Pitch Perfect" star also called herself a "reverse Gremlin" for only eating her guilty pleasure fast food after midnight.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How advances in edge computing are addressing key problems in the healthcare, telecommunications, and automotive sectors

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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.

Edge computing solutions are key tools that help companies grapple with rising data volumes across industries. These types of solutions are critical in allowing companies to gain more control over the data their IoT devices create and in reducing their reliance on (and the costs of) cloud computing.

edge popularity

These systems are becoming more sought-after — 40% of companies that provide IoT solutions reported that edge computing came up more in discussion with customers in 2017 than the year before, according to Business Insider Intelligence’s 2017 Global IoT Executive Survey. But companies need to know whether they should look into edge computing solutions, and what in particular they can hope to gain from shifting data processing and analysis from the cloud to the edge.

There are three particular types of problems that edge computing solutions are helping to combat across industries:

  • Security issues. Edge computing can limit the exposure of critical data by minimizing how often it’s transmitted. Further, they pre-process data, so there’s less data to secure overall.
  • Access issues. These systems help to provide live insights regardless of whether there’s a network connection available, greatly expanding where companies and organizations can use connected devices and the data they generate.
  • Transmission efficiency. Edge computing solutions process data where it’s created so less needs to be sent to the cloud, leading to lower cloud storage requirements and reduced transmission cost.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence examines how edge computing is reducing companies' reliance on cloud computing in three key industries: healthcare, telecommunications, and the automotive space. We explore how these systems mitigate issues in each sector by helping to efficiently process growing troves of data, expanding the potential realms of IoT solutions a company can offer, and bringing enhanced computing capability to remote and mobile platforms.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

  • In healthcare, companies and organizations are using edge computing to improve telemedicine and remote monitoring capabilities.
  • For telecommunications companies, edge computing is helping to reduce network congestion and enabling a shift toward the IoT platform market.
  • And in the automotive space, edge computing systems are enabling companies to increase the capabilities of connected cars and trucks and approach autonomy.

In full, the report:

  • Explores the key advantages edge computing solutions can provide.
  • Highlights the circumstances when companies should look into edge systems.
  • Identifies key vendors and partners in specific industries while showcasing case studies of successful edge computing programs.

    Subscribe to a Premium pass to Business Insider Intelligence and gain immediate access to:

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Elon Musk just mocked the SEC on Twitter after he was forced to pay $20 million in fines to the agency (TSLA)

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elon musk

  • Tesla CEO Elon Musk seemed to take aim at the Securities and Exchange Commission in a tweet on Thursday, calling it the "Shortseller Enrichment Commission."
  • "Just want to that the Shortseller Enrichment Commission is doing incredible work," he said. "And the name change is so on point!"
  • The SEC declined Business Insider's request for comment.
  • Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what Musk meant by the tweet.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk seemed to take aim at the Securities and Exchange Commission in a tweet on Thursday, calling it the "Shortseller Enrichment Commission."

"Just want to that the Shortseller Enrichment Commission is doing incredible work,"he said. "And the name change is so on point!"

The SEC declined Business Insider's request for comment. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what Musk meant by the tweet.

Some Twitter users celebrated Musk's tweet, while others expressed disapproval.

"Keep it coming, Elon,"one person said.

"Elon, please stop,"said another. "This hurts shareholders worse than the SEC."

About 40 minutes after his initial tweet, Musk published another in which he addressed a typo in that tweet and appeared to target the SEC again.

"Sorry about the typo. That was unforgivable,"he said. "Why would they be upset about their mission? It's what they do."

The SEC sued Musk last Thursday, and he and the agency reached a settlement on Saturday. Under its terms, Musk doesn't admit or deny the allegations in the agency's lawsuit but will step down as the chairman of Tesla's board of directors for three years and pay a $20 million fine.

According to the SEC, Tesla must create a committee of independent directors and "put in place additional controls and procedures to oversee Musk's communications," including on platforms like Twitter.

Several news outlets reported that the agency sued after Musk rejected a settlement under which he would have had to step down as chairman for two years, add two independent directors to the company's board, and pay a $10 million fine.

The SEC in its lawsuit accused Musk of making "false and misleading statements" in August about the possibility of taking Tesla private. It sought to bar Musk from being an officer or director of a public company.

The SEC alleged that Musk said a representative from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund had shown interest in taking Tesla private but had never discussed with Musk any of the specific terms he described on Twitter, including a proposed $420 share price and an option for all existing Tesla shareholders to remain with the company after it went private.

Musk said in a company statement last week that he was "deeply saddened and disappointed" by the lawsuit, which he described as "unjustified."

Have a Tesla news tip? Contact this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.

SEE ALSO: A phone call from Mark Cuban convinced Elon Musk to make a deal with the SEC

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An Intel executive says doctors are reluctant about using AI in medicine because they don't trust it

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Jennifer_Esposito

  • Healthcare has had a mixedresponse to using artificial intelligence as part of daily life inside hospitals. 
  • Jennifer Esposito, general manager of chipmaker Intel's health and life sciences group, told Business Insider that the reason many doctors are reluctant to adopt AI is because they don't trust it when it comes to making big decisions. 
  • But AI can help out in other ways, especially on the administrative side that takes up a lot of doctors' time. "I believe things like AI aren't about replacing physicians it's about augmenting them," Esposito said. 

 

Artificial intelligence is slowly but surely making its way into every aspect of our lives. 

But one place that's had mixed reactions to the idea of placing major decisions in the hands of machines is the doctor's office. 

Over the summer, Intel conducted a survey in which it asked doctors why they weren't using AI.

The biggest reason: A lack of trust. Doctors were reluctant about relying on technology that could introduce a fatal error or harm patients. 

 Jennifer Esposito, the general manager of chipmaker Intel's health and life sciences group, told Business Insider that building up that trust comes down to better communication about what AI can and can't do, as well as highlighting some of ways it can be used. For example, AI could be applied to scan patients' prescriptions to make sure drugs they've been prescribed won't cause problems if used together, or to take away some of the administrative tasks doctors have to do in addition to seeing patients. 

"I believe things like AI aren't about replacing physicians it's about augmenting them," Esposito said. With the help of AI built into health system's health records, for example, doctors could see only the most complicated patients in person. 

"That also allows you to think, you don't have to necessarily worry that I've gotta see the patient to know for sure," Esposito said. "Now you can make decisions about which patients really do need to come into the office versus not." 

The market for AI in healthcare is expected to grow to $6.6 billion by 2021, with all sorts of companies from startups to healthcare giants like UnitedHealth Group coming up with different applications for AI to enhance the way we practice medicine. 

See also:

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