CBS News
Amazon has a huge sale on Shark vacuums ahead of spring cleaning: Save up to $300
Shark is one of the best vacuum brands on the market. The brand offers vacuums that are high quality, long-lasting and affordable. One of our CBS Essentials shopping experts, Rachel Center, who owns a Shark upright vacuum, tells us that its cleaning abilities on both hardwood floors and rugs remain to be top-notch four years after purchase.
That’s why we’re so excited for this Shark sale that’s going on right now on Amazon, which includes discounts up to 46% off on various products, including an upright vacuum, robot vacuum, cordless vacuums and more. It’s your perfect opportunity to start spring cleaning early, and save big while doing it.
Shark AI Ultra self-empty robot vacuum: Save 46%
The 4.2-star-rated Shark AI Ultra robot vacuum has a lot going for it. It has a self-cleaning brush roll, a HEPA filter and self-cleaning canister, so you never have to empty the vacuum yourself — the vacuum does so itself in the docking station. It also contains CleanEdge technology that blows air into corners so that it can get to dirt and debris easier.
The Shark AI Ultra self-empty robot vacuum comes with a corresponding app that lets you set a cleaning schedule or activate cleanings from afar. And if you have Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, you can do this all with voice command. This cleaning machine can run up to two hours on a single charge, and you have about 60 days until the dust bin in the docking station needs to be emptied.
One reviewer wrote that this was “a great addition to their home,” adding: “I absolutely love this vacuum! I have had it for several months and have had no issues. I have a medium-sized dog who is very furry and the vacuum cleaner gets all the hair off the floor. I have hardwood floors with area rugs and throw rugs at the doors and the sweeper manages all the different areas and heights of rugs with no problems.”
Normally priced at $650, you can get this robot vacuum at Amazon for just $350, a savings of 46%.
Shark NV356E Navigator Lift-Away upright vacuum: Save 20%
What we love most about the Shark NV356E vacuum is that you can detach the handle and canister from the base, transforming it into a handheld vacuum that comes with three vacuuming attachments. With this functionality, you’ll be able to reach dust and debris in your couch, baseboard corners and other tight areas with ease.
This Shark upright has separate modes for hard floors and rugs, comes with a HEPA filter and has a 0.87-quart (a little less than 3.5 cups) capacity in the dust cup. It boasts a 4.5-star rating on Amazon, with more than 72,900 ratings.
One reviewer wrote, “I was literally blown away at how good this vacuum worked. I’ve got kids, husband and a dog and this vacuum did such a good job it looked like I hadn’t vacuumed in years. You can feel how strong the suction is and as a mom I need a good vacuum. If you don’t want to spend hundreds on a great vacuum I highly suggest this one.”
The 20% discount on this upright Shark vacuum makes it even more affordable than it already is. Get it for $160 at Amazon now, reduced from $200.
Shark Vertex Pro lightweight cordless stick vacuum with DuoClean PowerFins: Save 30%
The Shark Vertex Pro cordless stick vacuum has a 60-minute runtime and detaches from the brush head to be converted into a handheld vacuum. It has a self-cleaning brush roll, HEPA filtration and, unlike some other cordless vacuum models, comes with a light to help you better see the dust piling up on your floors.
We really like the vacuum’s flexible wand, which can bend (to an extent) under furniture to clean harder-to-reach areas. When not in use, the Shark Vertex Pro can be configured half its size and stay upright for easy storage.
The vacuum has a 4.3-star rating on Amazon. One customer wrote, “This is not a cheap vacuum, you get what you pay for. It’s worth every cent. We have hardwood floors and area rugs that need vacuuming often. We have a gravel driveway and that requires daily vacuuming. This vacuum has amazing suction and is powerful. Gets the job done with ease, also don’t even get me started on the bendable arm. It’s a game changer.”
The price of the Shark Vertex Pro varies by color. You’ll save the most on the black colorway: Normally $430, it’s just $300 at Amazon now.
Shark Anti-Allergen cordless stick vacuum: Save up to 16%
If you suffer from household allergies such as pet dander and dust mites, this Shark cordless stick vacuum may help alleviate some allergy symptoms. That’s because the vacuum not only comes with HEPA filtration, but it also has an anti-allergen seal, ensuring that up to 99.9% of particles 0.3 microns or larger are captured and remain in the vacuum.
The Shark Anti-Allergen cordless stick vacuum has a self-cleaning brush roll, LED headlights on the brush head and can be configured into a handheld vacuum. You can expect to use this for up to 40 minutes before it needs additional charging.
This Shark cordless stick vacuum has a 4.3-star rating on Amazon. One reviewer wrote, “We love love love this vacuum, it truly is a boost of dopamine every time I get to use it. We have carpet under the kitchen table and this thing vacuums lots of crumbs and food particles dropped by toddlers. Has made my life much easier. Also like how you can get under the couch much easier than with those clunky vacuums.”
Regularly $300, get this Shark vacuum while it’s on sale at Amazon for $240.
CBS News
Teamsters set to strike against Amazon at New York City warehouse
NEW YORK — The Teamsters union is launching a strike against Amazon at numerous locations across the country, including in Maspeth, Queens.
The Teamsters are calling it the largest strike against Amazon in United States history, and it’s set to begin at 6 a.m. Thursday. In addition to New York City, workers will be joining picket lines in Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco and Illinois.
In a video announcement released Wednesday night, workers voiced their frustrations.
“Us being strike ready means we’re fed up, and Amazon is clearly ignoring us and we want to be heard,” one worker says in the video.
“It’s really exciting. We’re taking steps for ourselves to win better conditions, better benefits, better wages,” another worker in the video says.
The union says it represents about 10,000 Amazon employees and that Amazon ignored a deadline to come to the table and negotiate. The $2 trillion company doesn’t pay employees enough to make ends meet, the union asserts.
At the height of the holiday season, many are wondering what this means for packages currently in transit.
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said, “If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed.”
Amazon says Teamsters are misleading the public
An Amazon spokesperson says the Teamsters are misleading the public and do not represent any Amazon employees, despite any claims.
“The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
An Amazon representative says the company doesn’t expect operations to be impacted.
CBS News
12/18: CBS Evening News – CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
CBS News
Wisconsin school shooter was in contact with California man plotting his own attack, court documents say
The shooter who killed a student and teacher at a religious school in Wisconsin brought two guns to the school and was in contact with a man in California whom authorities say was planning to attack a government building, according to authorities and court documents that became public Wednesday.
Police were still investigating why the 15-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison shot and killed a fellow student and teacher on Monday before shooting herself, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told the Associated Press Wednesday. Two other students who were shot remained in critical condition on Wednesday.
A Southern California judge issued a restraining order Tuesday under California’s gun red flag law against a 20-year-old Carlsbad man. The order requires the man to turn his guns and ammunition into police within 48 hours unless an officer asks for them sooner because he poses an immediate danger to himself and others.
Carlsbad is located just north of San Diego.
According to the order, the man told FBI agents that he had been messaging Natalie Rupnow, the Wisconsin shooter, about attacking a government building with a gun and explosives. The order doesn’t say what building he had targeted or when he planned to launch his attack. It also doesn’t detail his interactions with Rupnow except to state that the man was plotting a mass shooting with her.
CBS’ San Diego affiliate KFMB-TV reported that law enforcement searched the man’s home Tuesday night after the order was signed by the judge.
Police, with the assistance of the FBI, were scouring online records and other resources and speaking with the shooter’s parents and classmates in an attempt to determine a motive for the shooting, Barnes told the AP.
Police don’t know if anyone was targeted in the attack or if the attack had been planned in advance, the chief said. Police said the shooting occurred in a classroom where a study hall was taking place involving students from several grades.
“I do not know if if she planned it that day or if she planned it a week prior,” Barnes said. “To me, bringing a gun to school to hurt people is planning. And so we don’t know what the premeditation is.”
On a Madison city website providing details about the shooting, police disclosed Wednesday that two guns were found at the school, but only one was used in the shooting. A law enforcement source previously told CBS News the weapon used appears to have been a 9 mm pistol.
Barnes told the AP that he did not know how the suspected shooter obtained the guns and he declined to say who purchased them, citing the ongoing investigation.
No decisions have been made about whether Rupnow’s parents might be charged in relation to the shooting, but they have been cooperating, Barnes told the AP.
Abundant Life is a nondenominational Christian school that offers prekindergarten classes through high school. About 420 students attend the institution.
The Dan County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the two people killed Wednesday as 42-year-old Erin West and 14-year-old Rubi Vergara.
An online obituary on a local funeral site stated Vergara was a freshman who leaves behind her parents, one brother, and a large extended family. It described her as “an avid reader” who “loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band.”
West’s exact position with the school was unclear.