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Best Labor Day Apple AirPods deal: Airpods are only $89 on Amazon now
Amazon
Apple AirPods under $100? You can find them at Amazon now. This Apple deal is just one of the many hot tech sales we’re seeing at Amazon for Labor Day and back to school. Just about anyone will love the budget-minded 2nd generation Apple AirPods. They’re not the latest model, but they’re still one of the most sought-after earbud models on the market.
Retailing for $129 at Apple, they’re on sale for just $89 at Amazon today. These AirPods offer over 24 hours of listening time with the wireless charging case, seamless one-tap setup for Apple devices and low-latency wireless connection for immersive movie and music experiences. Plus, you truly can’t beat the price.
Hurry — this Apple AirPod deal may not last long.
Best deals on Apple AirPods
If you’re willing to spend more than $89, you can get a significant upgrade on your AirPods purchase. Check out more deals on top-rated Apple earbuds and headphone models, including the Apple AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Max.
Apple AirPods Pro 2: $199
Apple
The latest Apple AirPods Pro 2 earbuds offer 30 hours of listening time with the included charging case. They have an upgraded wireless chip for improved audio functionality, a new low distortion driver for clearer audio and improved active noise cancellation. The Apple AirPods Pro 2 provide truly custom sound: You can use your iPhone’s camera to analyze your unique ear anatomy and find the perfect audio settings for you.
The design of the AirPods Pro 2 is fairly similar to the previous generation, but Apple has introduced touch control to the AirPods Pro 2. Users will also get a new extra-small tip with their AirPods. The case did get a notable design upgrade with a new lanyard loop and a built-in speaker to help track the location of your AirPods case.
Apple AirPods Pro 2, $199 (reduced from $249)
Apple AirPods Max: $399
Apple via Amazon
Apple AirPods Max use active noise-cancellation technology to block unwanted noise and feature a transparency mode so you can hear what you need to. These headphones feature 20 hours of listening. They come in a variety of colors including blue, green, red and silver. They’re also compatible with Siri.
“There are certainly cheaper headphones with equivalent sound quality,” says one Amazon reviewer, “but these are well-constructed, comfortable for extended wear, have streamlined physical controls which are satisfying to use, and work hand in glove with an iPhone. It doesn’t even shut off completely; it just senses when it’s off your ears and pauses playback.
Apple AirPods Max, $399 (reduced from $549)
Best deals on Apple Watches
From the Apple Watch 9 to the more affordable Apple Watch SE, these smartwatches make excellent accessories. Plus they’re all on sale now at Amazon.
Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS, 41mm): $299 (25% off)
Amazon
The current model Apple Watch Series 9 is the most popular smartwatch in the world. It’s designed to work in conjunction with an Apple iPhone, allowing you to answer calls, respond to texts and more from your wrist. (The Apple Watch 9 is not compatible with Android phones.)
Apple Watch is designed to do it all — help you communicate, stream music, stay up-to-date on the news, serve as a fitness tracker and health monitoring device, help you stay productive, call for help in an emergency, play games, display your favorite photos and so much more.
Amazon is offering a generous discount on various configurations of the Apple Watch Series 9, including the 41mm, GPS-only version that comes with an Apple Sport Band that’s been discounted by 25%, so you’ll pay just $299 for it. The larger, 45mm Apple Watch 9, meanwhile, is $329.
Apple Watch SE (2nd generation): $189
Amazon
The Apple Watch SE, the most affordable model in the Apple Watch lineup, is even more affordable now with this deal. The smartwatch offers a 40mm or 44mm screen and boasts a wide range of health and fitness features. It can also be used to play music, check your texts and make calls when paired with your iPhone.
It’s rated 4.6 stars at Amazon.
Apple Watch SE GPS (2nd generation), $189 and up (reduced from $249)
Best deals on Apple MacBooks
If you want to save on a new MacBook, consider these highly-rated options.
15.3″ Apple MacBook Air: $999
Apple via Amazon
The new MacBook offers a larger display while maintaining the sleek, lightweight design that MacBook Air users know and love. The updated laptop includes the powerful Apple M2 chip for ultra-fast processing. It features a fanless design, which allows the laptop to run almost silently.
15.3″ Apple MacBook Air (starlight, 256 GB), $999 (reduced from $1,299)
Best Labor Day deals on Apple iPads
Find these iPads on sale now at Amazon ahead of Labor Dayr.
Apple iPad 10: $320
Apple Store via Amazon
The latest edition in Apple’s classic iPad lineup is the iPad 10th generation. This 10.9-inch tablet features a Liquid Retina display with Apple’s True Tone technology. It has Apple’s A14 Bionic chip, an upgrade from the iPad 9’s A13 chip. The iPad 10 is compatible with Wi-Fi 6 and 5G internet for fast performance. It also offers all-day battery life, so that you can easily take it to school, work or on your holiday travels without having to worry about plugging it in mid-day.
The new iPad 10 comes in four vibrant colors: yellow, pink, blue and silver. You can also choose between 5G cellular and WiFi-only models.
Apple iPad 10 (Wi-Fi only, 64 GB), $320 (regularly $349)
Apple iPad 9: $199
Apple via Amazon
The 10.2-inch iPad 9, released in 2021, is the most affordable of Apple’s iPad offerings. It offers a 8 MP wide-angle back camera and a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle front camera. It boasts stereo speakers, too. This iPad is powered by a A13 Bionic chip. It boasts up to 10 hours of battery life and is compatible with the Apple Pencil ($79) for drawing or note-taking.
Available in two colors; prices vary.
Apple iPad 9 (64 GB) (space gray), $199 (reduced from $329)
Apple iPad Mini 6: $380
Apple
The iPad Mini 6 is a compact tablet with an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display screen. Released in 2021, the Apple tablet is powered by an A15 Bionic chip. It features a 12 MP wide-angle back camera and a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle front camera. It boasts landscape stereo speakers. Available in four colors.
Note that the Apple iPad Mini is not compatible with Apple’s external Magic Keyboard. It can, however, be used with other Bluetooth-enabled external keyboards.
Apple iPad Mini (64 GB), $380 (reduced from $499)
Best Apple iPad accessories on Amazon
Once you’ve found the perfect iPad, be sure to protect it with a top-rated cover. Here are top-rated accessories for the Apple iPad, including the Apple Pencil 2 and Apple Smart Folio cover. And while they’re not all on sale right now, they’re all worth a look.
Apple Pencil 2: $115
The Apple Pencil is designed for drawing or writing on the Apple iPad. The second-generation device is the latest Apple Pencil. It is compatible with all the latest models of the iPad Pro, iPad Air and iPad Mini.
Apple Pencil 2, $115 (regularly $129)
Police arrested a man on murder charges this month, 14 years after he allegedly killed a man in Virginia, but the victim’s body has never been found.
Shane Ryan Donahue, a Virginia man, is presumed deceased, the Prince William County Police Department said Tuesday. He was last seen leaving his parents’ home in Nokesville, Virginia, on March 22, 2010. Donahue, 23, was headed to his house in Nokesville, but never made it there.
Donahue was added to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System after he vanished. According to records, Donahue did not have a car and regularly got rides from friends. He frequented Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Fauquier County, Virginia, and Northern Virginia.
The case stumped investigators, who followed a number of leads over the years. This spring, detectives reactivated the investigation and started looking at every detail of the case from scratch, officials said. They revisited people who had been interviewed during the initial investigation and reviewed “digital evidence in greater detail due to advances in analytical technology and modern police investigative practices,” according to a news release.
Officers said Donahue was last seen leaving his parents’ home with Timothy Sean Hickerson, now a 43-year-old Florida resident. Investigators connected Hickerson to a burglary at Donahue’s home that happened just days before the Virginia man disappeared.
Detectives got an arrest warrant this month and, with the help of Florida’s Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, Hickerson was taken into custody in Palm Coast, Florida. Hickerson was charged with murder and burglary, is now set to be extradited to Virginia.
Former President Donald Trump, an avowed proponent of tax cuts, is floating the idea of reversing a measure passed during his tenure in the White House that effectively raised taxes for many U.S. homeowners.
In a post Tuesday on Truth Social, Trump suggested he would scrap a $10,000 cap on deducting state and local taxes (SALT) that was passed as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — a massive revamp that he has said boosted economic growth.
Now, in the run-up to the November election, Trump said in the post he would “get SALT back, lower your taxes, and so much more,” although he stopped short of offering details. Trump made the post ahead of a speech he’s giving Wednesday at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.
Trump’s new proposal for getting rid of his $10,000 SALT deduction cap comes as the presidential hopeful is pitching several additional tax cuts that would, if enacted, reduce taxes for major groups of voters. He’s also vowed to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits, a pledge that could get support from the nation’s senior citizens, as well as to end income taxes on tipped workers and on overtime pay, ideas that would help lower- and middle-income Americans.
Yet Trump’s reversal on the SALT deduction has sparked skepticism from lawmakers as well as economists and policy experts.
“So … now Trump is against the SALT tax cap which *checks notes* is a key part of the — only — major piece of legislation passed during his administration?” noted Chris Koski, a political science professor at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, on X.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat from Nassau, Queens, said in a statement on Wednesday that he is “happy that the former president is saying that he has finally reversed his devastating decision in 2017 to cap the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction.” He also urged Trump to convince Republican lawmakers to vote to restore the full deduction “if he is truly serious.”
The SALT deduction cap “has been a body blow to my constituents for the past 7 years,” Suozzi added.
Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, wrote on X,”Donald Trump took away your SALT dedications and hurt so many Long Island families. Now, he’s coming to Long Island to pretend he supports SALT. It won’t work.”
Asked for details about Trump’s proposal to restore the SALT writeoff, a spokeswoman for the Trump campaign told CBS MoneyWatch: “While his pro-growth, pro-energy policies will make life affordable again, President Trump is also going to quickly move tax relief for working people and seniors.”
Here’s what to know about the SALT deduction.
What is the SALT deduction?
The state and local tax deduction allows taxpayers who itemize to deduct property taxes, sales taxes and state or local income taxes from their federal income taxes. Prior to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, there was no limit on how much people could deduct through the SALT deduction.
But the 2017 tax overhaul passed under Trump limited the deduction to $10,000 – a blow to many homeowners in states with high property taxes, many of which are Democratic leaning. At the time of the law’s passage, the Treasury Department estimated that almost 11 million taxpayers in high-tax states like New York and New Jersey would forfeit $323 billion in deductions.
Who benefits from the SALT deduction?
Homeowners with high property taxes, such as people in New York, New Jersey and California, were the biggest beneficiaries of the the full SALT deduction.
But some experts also noted that the SALT deduction primarily put more money in the pockets of higher-earning Americans. About 80% of the full SALT deduction had helped people earning more than $100,000 a year, according to the Tax Foundation.
What happened after Trump capped the SALT deduction at $10,000?
The limit has increasingly impacted middle-class homeowners across the U.S. because of rising property taxes and incomes. Some lawmakers have also sought to either repeal or increase the SALT cap, but none of those efforts have borne fruit.
Earlier this year, some lawmakers sought to double the SALT deduction cap to $20,000 for married couples, with the change retroactive for the 2023 tax year. But that bill was blocked in the House in February.
Won’t the SALT deduction cap expire anyway?
Yes, the SALT deduction cap is a provision that’s due to expire in 2025, as are many other parts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, such as a reduction of the individual tax brackets. But Trump has previously indicated he wants to extend the provisions in his signature tax law.
How much would it cost the U.S. to repeal the SALT deduction cap?
It won’t be cheap, according to the the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a think tank that focuses on budget and policy issues.
Eliminating the $10,000 deduction limit “would increase the cost of extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) by $1.2 trillion over a decade,” the group estimates, adding that such a measure would be a “costly mistake.”
Extending the TCJA’s tax cuts would increase the nation’s deficit by $3.9 trillion over the next decade, the group estimates. By adding in a expiration or repeal of the SALT deduction cap, that would grow to $5.1 trillion, it added.
“Lawmakers should not extend the TCJA without a plan to – at a minimum – offset the costs of extension, but ideally the plan would raise revenues relative to current law and help put the nation’s debt on a better trajectory,” the group said in a statement.
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