Photo: Science Photo Library RF
1 Powerball Numbers Drawn…And Nobody Won It
Get those champagne wishes and caviar dreams going – the winning Powerball numbers for the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history have been drawn. The six lucky numbers are 13, 19, 36, 39, 59, and the Powerball is 13. With no winner, the jackpot is now $1.2-BILLION – and if you win it on Wednesday and take the cash option, you can fatten your bank account by $596.7-million (before taxes). Still, for a few people, they’re at least a little closer to glory – there were $2-million winners in Florida, New York and Oklahoma. And one-million dollar winners in California, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Texas. For the record, Powerball's biggest grand prize was in 2016, when three winners from California, Florida and, Tennessee split a jackpot worth over one-and-a-half-billion.
2 Biden Floats "Windfall Tax" On Oil, Gas Companies
President Biden is calling for a new tax on large oil and gas companies raking in record profits as Americans face high prices at the pump. Speaking at the White House, Biden accused oil companies of refusing to lower gasoline prices despite record profits in the third quarter. He said six of the largest oil companies have made more than 100 billion in profits in the past six months amid Russia's war in Ukraine. Biden said companies are not giving consumers a break at the pump, and excess profits are instead only going to shareholders. The president said he will work with Congress to impose a higher tax on excess profits if companies don't bring down prices. “Their profits are a windfall of war,” Biden said, referring to Russia’s war in Ukraine. “It’s time for these companies to stop their war profiteering.”
3 EPA: Jackson Water Now Safe To Drink
The water in Jackson, Mississippi is now safe to drink. As you might recall, everything went south in August after flooding caused major operational failures at Jackson’s primary Water Treatment Plant. The widespread problems with the city’s water system, have included lack of pressure and brown water spewing from faucets and in toilets. But now, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has confirmed that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state health officials recently performed a series of tests – and they’re all good. "Since I first declared a state of emergency on Aug. 30,” Reeves says in a statement. “The state has invested nearly $13-million to prop up Jackson’s failing water system, distribute water and restore clean running water to the residents of the city.”