President-elect Donald Trump's repeated support for TikTok has sparked speculation about potential solutions to prevent the app's impending ban in the United States, though the path forward remains unclear. "We got to keep this sucker around for a little while," Trump told supporters on Sunday, just days after meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in Florida. Trump, who credits the wildly popular platform with delivering him a large young user base, opposes banning TikTok partly because he believes it would primarily benefit Meta, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company behind Instagram and Facebook. The situation is complex, according to University of Richmond School of Law professor Carl Tobias, given the various potential solutions and Trump's unpredictable nature. Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation, signed by President Joe Biden in April, that would block TikTok from US app stores and web hosting services unless Beijing-based ByteDance sells its stake by January 19. US officials and lawmakers grew wary of the potential for the Chinese government to influence ByteDance or access the data of TikTok's American users. Even with Trump's decisive election victory and incoming Republican-led Congress, acquiescing to the president-elect's desire and preventing the ban faces significant hurdles. The law enjoyed rare bipartisan support in a divided Washington, making its outright repeal through a vote in Congress politically unlikely even with Trump's influence over Republicans. The Supreme Court may offer the clearest path forward. TikTok has appealed to the nation's highest court, arguing the law violates First Amendment rights to free speech. The court, which is dominated by Trump-aligned conservatives, will hear the case on January 10, just nine days before the ban takes effect. This follows a lower appeals court's unanimous decision to uphold the law in December. Another possibility, according to Tobias, is that a Trump-led Department of Justice could determine ByteDance has addressed the law's national security concerns. However, such a move would likely be seen as caving to China by Congress and others. The final option is ByteDance selling to a non-Chinese buyer, though the company has consistently refused this possibility. With 170 million monthly active users, acquiring TikTok's US operations would require substantial resources. As president, Trump could extend the ban deadline by 90 days to facilitate a transaction. Few potential buyers have emerged, with major tech companies likely deterred by antitrust concerns. Former Trump Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin, who runs a private equity fund backed by Japan's SoftBank Group and Abu Dhabi's Mubadala sovereign wealth fund, has expressed interest. During a recent event with Trump, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son pledged to invest $100 billion in the US economy, though specific investments weren't detailed. Other contenders include US real estate billionaire Frank McCourt, who aims to make social media safer through his Project Liberty organization. Elon Musk, given his proximity to Trump and ownership of X, could also have a role to play, as he has expressed plans to transform the text-focused platform into something more like TikTok. A senior Republican lawmaker recently suggested Trump might orchestrate a "deal of the century" satisfying both US concerns and ByteDance's interests. The chairman of the US House committee on China, John Moolenaar, told Fox News Digital that once ByteDance accepts it must comply with US law, the situation could progress rapidly. Any agreement would need Beijing's approval, with US-China relations expected to remain tense during Trump's upcoming term. This isn't the first attempt to resolve TikTok's US status. In 2020, Trump also threatened a ban unless ByteDance sold its US operations. While Oracle and Walmart reached a preliminary agreement with ByteDance for ownership stakes, legal challenges and the transition to the Biden administration prevented the deal's completion. arp/mlmA South Bay native helped defeat the South Bay's team in an NHL game Saturday night. Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf, who was born in Gilroy, stopped six San Jose Sharks shots in the first 4 minutes to set the tone while his teammates peppered San Jose goaltender Yaroslav Askarov on the way to a 3-1 win over the last-place Sharks in front of a sellout crowd at SAP Center. > Watch NBC Bay Area News 📺 Streaming free 24/7 It was the Sharks' seventh straight loss. Askarov made 30 saves to keep the Sharks in the game, but San Jose was unable to net the equalizer against Wolf, who finished with 21 saves.
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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — 2024 was a brutal year for the Amazon rainforest, with rampant wildfires and extreme drought ravaging large parts of a biome that’s a critical counterweight to climate change. A warming climate fed drought that in turn fed the worst year for fires since 2005. And those fires contributed to deforestation, with authorities suspecting some fires were set to more easily clear land to run cattle. The Amazon is twice the size of India and sprawls across eight countries and one territory, storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide that would otherwise warm the planet. It has about 20% of the world’s fresh water and astounding biodiversity, including 16,000 known tree species. But governments have historically viewed it as an area to be exploited, with little regard for sustainability or the rights of its Indigenous peoples, and experts say exploitation by individuals and organized crime is rising at alarming rates. “The fires and drought experienced in 2024 across the Amazon rainforest could be ominous indicators that we are reaching the long-feared ecological tipping point,” said Andrew Miller, advocacy director at Amazon Watch, an organization that works to protect the rainforest. “Humanity’s window of opportunity to reverse this trend is shrinking, but still open.” There were some bright spots. The level of Amazonian forest loss fell in both Brazil and Colombia. And nations gathered for the annual United Nations conference on biodiversity agreed to give Indigenous peoples more say in nature conservation decisions. “If the Amazon rainforest is to avoid the tipping point, Indigenous people will have been a determinant factor,” Miller said. Wildfires and extreme drought Forest loss in Brazil’s Amazon — home to the largest swath of this rainforest — compared to the previous year, the lowest level of destruction in nine years. The improvement under leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva contrasted with deforestation that hit a 15-year high under Lula’s predecessor, far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, who prioritized agribusiness expansion over forest protection and weakened environmental agencies. In July, Colombia in deforestation in 2023, driven by a drop in environmental destruction. The country’s environment minister Susana Muhamad warned that 2024’s figures may not be as promising as a significant rise in deforestation had already been recorded by July due to dry weather caused by El Nino, a weather phenomenon that warms the central Pacific. Illegal economies continue to drive deforestation in the Andean nation. “It’s impossible to overlook the threat posed by organized crime and the economies they control to Amazon conservation,” said Bram Ebus, a consultant for Crisis Group in Latin America. “Illegal gold mining is expanding rapidly, driven by soaring global prices, and the revenues of illicit economies often surpass state budgets allocated to combat them.” In Brazil, large swaths of the rainforest were from fires raging across the Amazon, Cerrado savannah, Pantanal wetland and the state of Sao Paulo. Fires are traditionally used for deforestation and for managing pastures, and those man-made blazes were largely responsible for igniting the wildfires. For a second year, the , leading some countries to declare a state of emergency and distribute food and water to struggling residents. The situation was most critical in Brazil, where one of the Amazon River’s main tributaries Cesar Ipenza, an environmental lawyer who lives in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, said he believes people are becoming increasingly aware of the Amazon’s fundamental role “for the survival of society as a whole.” But, like Miller, he worries about a “point of no return of Amazon destruction.” It was the worst year for Amazon fires since 2005, according to nonprofit Rainforest Foundation US. Between January and October, an area larger than the state of Iowa — 37.42 million acres, or about 15.1 million hectares of Brazil’s Amazon — burned. Bolivia had a record number of fires in the first ten months of the year. “Forest fires have become a constant, especially in the summer months and require particular attention from the authorities who don’t how to deal with or respond to them,” Ipenza said. Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Guyana also saw a surge in fires this year. Indigenous voices and rights made headway in 2024 The United Nations conference on biodiversity — this year known as COP16 — was hosted by Colombia. The meetings put the Amazon in the spotlight and a historic agreement was made to give Indigenous groups more of , a development that builds on a growing movement to recognize Indigenous people’s role in protecting land and combating climate change. Both Ebus and Miller saw promise in the appointment of Martin von Hildebrand as the new secretary general for the Amazon Treaty Cooperation Organization, announced during COP16. “As an expert on Amazon communities, he will need to align governments for joint conservation efforts. If the political will is there, international backers will step forward to finance new strategies to protect the world’s largest tropical rainforest,” Ebus said. Ebus said Amazon countries need to cooperate more, whether in law enforcement, deploying joint emergency teams to combat forest fires, or providing health care in remote Amazon borderlands. But they need help from the wider world, he said. “The well-being of the Amazon is a shared global responsibility, as consumer demand worldwide fuels the trade in commodities that finance violence and environmental destruction,” he said. Next year marks a critical moment for the Amazon, as Belém do Pará in northern Brazil hosts the first United Nations COP in the region that will focus on climate. “Leaders from Amazon countries have a chance to showcase strategies and demand tangible support,” Ebus said. ___ The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .Desktop Mist Fan Market Outlook and Future Projections for 2030None
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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia's House of Representatives passes bill banning children younger than age 16 from social media.Saskatchewan NDP motion to scrap gas tax fails in legislature REGINA — An Opposition emergency motion to suspend the provincial 15-cent-a-litre gas tax failed in the Saskatchewan legislature Tuesday, with Premier Scott Moe saying there are other ways to save people money. Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press Nov 26, 2024 3:48 PM Nov 26, 2024 4:05 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe gestures while speaking during a press conference before the Speech from the Throne in Regina on November 25, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu REGINA — An Opposition emergency motion to suspend the provincial 15-cent-a-litre gas tax failed in the Saskatchewan legislature Tuesday, with Premier Scott Moe saying there are other ways to save people money. NDP Leader Carla Beck pressed Moe during question period to support the gas-tax holiday, arguing it would save families hundreds of dollars as they're buying Christmas presents. "People cannot afford to wait until tax time to have some cost-of-living relief. They need help now," Beck told the assembly a day after the governing Saskatchewan Party laid out its legislative priorities in the throne speech. "We could offer this relief now, if the premier would just say yes to our motion," she said. Moe told the assembly there are better ways to help with affordability, including personal income tax relief. Moe's government plans to introduce that measure in legislation later this sitting. "Those tax reductions are not only affordable for the province, but they are permanent. They are not temporary. They are going to be there for years to come," he said. Moe added the province also plans to continue to withhold the federal carbon levy on home heating bills. He said the federal NDP should get Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government to axe the carbon price. Beck responded: "The premier knows we don't support the carbon tax." She later told reporters the government's decision to block the gas-tax motion shows Moe is out of touch with cost-of-living pressures. "This is a government that says that they understand the challenges Saskatchewan people are facing and understand the need for some changes, but we saw them ... vote against that relief," she said. "What Saskatchewan people are looking for are measures that are going to allow them to put Christmas gifts under the (tree)." Moe told reporters he's going to focus on implementing promises he made leading up to last month's provincial election, which includes personal income tax relief. He said he hopes the legislation passes during the current legislature sitting, so residents can start seeing savings early next year. "We need the federal government and I suspect the Ministry of Finance federally to send out the amended schedule to employers so they can figure out their (tax) deductions," Moe said. The legislature session resumed this week after the Oct. 28 election saw Moe win a smaller majority with 34 seats in the 61-seat legislature. Beck's NDP has 27 seats. Moe has promised a more civil tone in the legislature. The last Speaker, Randy Weekes, accused members of Moe’s Saskatchewan Party caucus of intimidation and harassment through text messages. The house saw little heckling Tuesday. Beck said she expects the quiet won't last long, as members get more comfortable. "There are very significant issues that Saskatchewan people are facing and they expect we're going to be having those important rigorous debates," she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2024. Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message More National Business Australia's House of Representatives passes bill that would ban young children from social media Nov 26, 2024 3:59 PM Australia's House of Representatives passes bill that would ban young children from social media Nov 26, 2024 3:47 PM Alberta takes aim at GHG emissions cap, proposes rules on trespass and data gathering Nov 26, 2024 3:26 PM Featured Flyer
New pro-European coalition approved in Romania amid period of political turmoilHundreds of families staying in emergency accommodation in Dublin have been there for two or more years, according to data from the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE). Homeless numbers reached record levels this year, with latest figures showing a total of 14,966 people used emergency accommodation services in the last week of October, including 4,645 children in 2,161 families. Of the 10,321 adults using emergency services, 7,388 of those were in Dublin. “There is no denying how bad the situation is, specifically in Dublin,” said Mary Hayes, director of the DRHE. “Dublin has 70pc of national homelessness, and a lot of national homelessness is a government issue.” Data from the DRHE shows that, at the end of October this year, 376 families had been in emergency accommodation in Dublin for more than two years. That represents a quarter of the 1,512 families in emergency accommodation in Dublin at the end of October. More than half (56pc) of families in such accommodation are there less than a year, with 35pc of those there less than six months. Alongside this, 3,448 children were residing in emergency accommodation in Dublin, marking an increase of 388 compared to October 2023. Despite prevention measures and social housing supports, the number of families entering homelessness continues to outpace the number leaving it. On average, 81 new families present for emergency housing each month, while only 58 families exit into tenancies. To address this situation, a number of so-called “family hubs” were introduced by the Government in 2017. The idea was for families to stay in these centres for a limited time, with the goal of providing more stability and support services while they waited for permanent housing. However, 37 of these hubs are still in operation today, with many families staying far longer than expected. The DRHE, led by Dublin City Council, is the primary body responsible for co-ordinating the response to homelessness across the Dublin region. This includes collaboration with South Dublin County Council, Fingal County Council, and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. Ms Hayes said the immediate priority when she took over the role of director, was “less about having more hubs”, but there was a huge reliance on commercial accommodation such as hotels. Mary Hayes, director of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive “The big focus for me was to get stable, contracted, private emergency accommodation,” she said. “So what we’ve done now is we have a lot of stable emergency accommodation which was not in place back when hubs were brought in. “Back then there was a reliance on the commercial sector, but it was night by night or week by week and we didn’t have contracts in place, standards and inspections. “We have all of that in place now for the private emergency accommodation sector, so on the physical side, we now insist on standards being in place. There are independent inspections and our own inspections .” According to the latest available figures, the DRHE spent an estimated €226.2m on the delivery of emergency accommodation last year. Ms Hayes said this was “the worst possible use of funds”. “It does not represent good social, human or financial value, and every other type of housing option is better than emergency accommodation,” she said. “We need to focus on fixing the supply issue, not just social housing, but stabilising the rental sector as well.” She also acknowledged that once families enter homelessness, it becomes more difficult for them to leave. “Once families are in homelessness, they are less willing to move out quickly, and it’s the security of tenure in housing assistance that becomes a major concern,” she said. “There are myriad factors for people entering homelessness. You may have families who, perhaps, have a homelessness situation but haven’t applied for social housing until they came into the system. “If you’ve got larger family sizes, that can be difficult and problematic. “Homelessness is no longer about personal circumstances, it’s about needing sufficient supply. “Notice of termination, for reasons such as landlord sale, is the single biggest driver of family homelessness in Dublin .” Speaking about what the DRHE would like to focus on with a new incoming government, Ms Hayes said she would like to “build on the momentum that was already there”. “Housing First has been one of the really good things brought in by the last government,” she said. “Even very chronic homeless people can still be housed as long as you provide enough supports around them.” Speaking about what can be done to make families experiencing homelessness feel better around the festive season, Ms Hayes said the NGOs “go out of their way”. “They make all sorts of efforts to normalise the experience for families, especially during Christmas,” she said. “The NGOs are exceptional when it comes to just that little bit extra and try to make it a very child-friendly experience, even within the family services. “We also recognise that families will perhaps want to go to their family’s home for Christmas and we can facilitate all of that throughout the Christmas period,” she added.
As the political narrative this week shifts to presidential pardons after President Joe Biden gave his son Hunter Biden a generous one on Sunday, many Americans wonder whether President-elect Donald Trump will use that power upon taking office for those who protested at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The — over 1,500 Trump-supporting Americans charged with federal crimes by their government for supposedly attempting an insurrection that day — have met a variety of punishments, with some receiving lengthy prison sentences and even solitary confinement. indicated 49 percent — almost half — of voters would favor Trump pardoning J6ers on a case-by-case basis. highlighted one astounding statistic in their report on that poll — even 68 percent of the Democrats polled favor handling the J6ers on a case-by-case basis. The poll was conducted Nov. 25-26 and included 879 likely U.S. voters. The margin of error was +/- 3 percentage points with 95 percent level of confidence. To grasp the significance of the poll results, we should examine the legacy media’s — and leftist politicians’ — narrative surrounding Jan. 6, 2021. We’ve been told for years repeatedly what a dark and tragic day this was. One year after the event, compared that day to Dec. 7, 1941 — the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. remarks by Biden on Jan. 5, 2024, in which he claimed on that day, three years earlier, “we nearly lost America — lost it all.” The legacy media coverage of Jan. 6 has been so extensive, there is not enough space here to log it all. The reader needs to only Google, “January 6” to watch hours of legacy news outlets’ coverage. Streaming services, too, provide no escape from the Jan. 6 narrative. The left cares so much about Jan. 6 that the satirical news site Babylon Bee made its own documentary mocking them, titled Biden, Harris and the media desperately wanted everyone to believe that Jan. 6 was a watershed moment in history akin to Sept. 11, 2001, or the assassination of . To be sure, that narrative saw momentum early, but we are almost four years removed from the event. Despite only 20 percent of voters surveyed favoring a full pardon for everyone involved, the aforementioned case-by-case support from Democrats and voters generally shows people aren’t buying this anymore. If the American people actually believed Jan. 6 was another Pearl Harbor, 9/11, or the day “we nearly lost America” would they be supportive of handling the participants on a case-by-case basis for potential pardons? Imagine if President Franklin Roosevelt had announced dealing with the Empire of Japan on a case-by-case basis or with al-Qaida. Those attacks were met with militarized and devastating force. The magnitude of the event warrants the response. Americans know Jan. 6 is a weapon of propaganda. The facts do not add up to the left’s narrative, as only one person died — an unarmed woman shot by a police officer — and the vast majority of those present were peaceful. Pardons must be issued to set things right. We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. .
Drought, fires and deforestation battered Amazon rainforest in 2024Pep Guardiola laments Man City's inability to win games as their winless run is extended to SIX matches after surrendering a three-goal lead in the last 15 minutes against Feyenoord Manchester City threw away a three-goal lead against Feyenoord on Tuesday Pep Guardiola's winless run extended to six games after the disappointing draw Liverpool correspondent LEWIS STEELE tells all on bombshell chat with Mo Salah - LISTEN NOW to It's All Kicking Off! New episodes every Monday and Thursday By AADAM PATEL Published: 23:50 GMT, 26 November 2024 | Updated: 23:50 GMT, 26 November 2024 e-mail View comments Pep Guardiola bemoaned his Manchester City side's inability to win games after they blew a 3-0 lead against Feyenoord, to make it six games without a win in all competitions. ‘We are not able to win games, admitted Guardiola. ‘As a team, always we find a way over the years. Right now, in another situation, nothing happens.' Asked about a cut on his nose and various red marks on his head in his post-match press conference, Guardiola joked that he wanted to hurt himself as he watched his side capitulate. ‘Yes, it's from my nail on my finger,' he said. 'I cut myself with my fingernail (during the game). I want to hurt myself.’ Feyenoord scored three goals in 14 second-half minutes to stun City, who ended their five game losing streak but go into Sunday’s clash against Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield, without a win in over a month. ‘It was not necessary to say anything to them - they know it perfectly,’ said Guardiola, when asked what he said to his players. ‘Three episodes and they (Feyenoord) didn’t allow us to win. It is what it is and so difficult to swallow. It will be a tough season for us and we have to accept it. We have to lift them (for Anfield). I have to lift my players. It is my job.' Pep Guardiola watched on in horror as his side surrendered a three-goal advantage against Feyenoord City's winless run in all competitions extended to six games after their Etihad capitulation Feyenoord mounted an incredible comeback to recover in the final 15 minutes of the thrilling clash With City three goals up, Guardiola made a triple change in the 69th minute bringing on Kevin De Bruyne, James McAtee and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and the City boss admitted that he thought the game was over. ‘Nathan (Ake) came off with 20 minutes left and I didn't have the feeling of a game in danger. Nathan has been injured many times. We didn’t want to expose him for 90 minutes. Ilkay (Gundogan) is the only fit holding midfielder we have and Phil (Foden) plays a lot of minutes,’ Guardiola said. ‘I did it for Kevin (De Bruyne) to get rhythm in the best way and Macca (McAtee) and Jahmai (Simpson-Pusey) are always so stable. In the moment, it was completely fine.' Asked about the boos at full-time from a section of City supporters, Guardiola insisted that he understood why. ‘They are disappointed. Of course we understand it. They come here not to remember the success in the past, but to see the team win,’ he said. The draw leaves City 15th in the Champions League standings, with eight points from five games and games against Juventus, PSG and Club Brugge remaining. City have also conceded two or more goals in six successive matches in all competitions for the first time since May 1963. Meanwhile, Feyenoord boss Brian Priske hailed his players for their mentality but insisted that City are still the best team in the world. ‘It was an unbelievable game and an unbelievable evening facing, still for me, the best team in the world, said Priske. ‘Obviously they are struggling in elements at the moment, even though they were leading 3-0. They gave away three key moments that we exploited at the end. It was a remarkable effort and mentality from our boys. After 3-1 I definitely felt that my boys were ready for this and then when they got 3-2 we felt that there was maybe something in the air tonight.’ Pep Guardiola Liverpool Share or comment on this article: Pep Guardiola laments Man City's inability to win games as their winless run is extended to SIX matches after surrendering a three-goal lead in the last 15 minutes against Feyenoord e-mail Add comment
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James is out with an illness when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night, while Anthony Davis is a game-time decision because of a sprained ankle. James is missing his third game this month after sitting out against Portland and Minnesota because of a sore foot, but Lakers coach JJ Redick described him as being “a little under the weather” and does not expect a prolonged absence. Davis will go through pregame warmups after he was hurt in the first quarter of the Lakers’ 115-113 win at Golden State on Wednesday. The Lakers were able to navigate the loss of Davis on Christmas to pick up their fourth win in five games, but they split the two outings without James, who is averaging 23.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and nine assists per game in his 22nd NBA season. Gabe Vincent will start in place of James, Redick said.Hundreds of families staying in emergency accommodation in Dublin have been there for two or more years, according to data from the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE). Homeless numbers reached record levels this year, with latest figures showing a total of 14,966 people used emergency accommodation services in the last week of October, including 4,645 children in 2,161 families. Of the 10,321 adults using emergency services, 7,388 of those were in Dublin. “There is no denying how bad the situation is, specifically in Dublin,” said Mary Hayes, director of the DRHE. “Dublin has 70pc of national homelessness, and a lot of national homelessness is a government issue.” Data from the DRHE shows that, at the end of October this year, 376 families had been in emergency accommodation in Dublin for more than two years. That represents a quarter of the 1,512 families in emergency accommodation in Dublin at the end of October. More than half (56pc) of families in such accommodation are there less than a year, with 35pc of those there less than six months. Alongside this, 3,448 children were residing in emergency accommodation in Dublin, marking an increase of 388 compared to October 2023. Despite prevention measures and social housing supports, the number of families entering homelessness continues to outpace the number leaving it. On average, 81 new families present for emergency housing each month, while only 58 families exit into tenancies. To address this situation, a number of so-called “family hubs” were introduced by the Government in 2017. The idea was for families to stay in these centres for a limited time, with the goal of providing more stability and support services while they waited for permanent housing. However, 37 of these hubs are still in operation today, with many families staying far longer than expected. The DRHE, led by Dublin City Council, is the primary body responsible for co-ordinating the response to homelessness across the Dublin region. This includes collaboration with South Dublin County Council, Fingal County Council, and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. Ms Hayes said the immediate priority when she took over the role of director, was “less about having more hubs”, but there was a huge reliance on commercial accommodation such as hotels. Mary Hayes, director of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive “The big focus for me was to get stable, contracted, private emergency accommodation,” she said. “So what we’ve done now is we have a lot of stable emergency accommodation which was not in place back when hubs were brought in. “Back then there was a reliance on the commercial sector, but it was night by night or week by week and we didn’t have contracts in place, standards and inspections. “We have all of that in place now for the private emergency accommodation sector, so on the physical side, we now insist on standards being in place. There are independent inspections and our own inspections .” According to the latest available figures, the DRHE spent an estimated €226.2m on the delivery of emergency accommodation last year. Ms Hayes said this was “the worst possible use of funds”. “It does not represent good social, human or financial value, and every other type of housing option is better than emergency accommodation,” she said. “We need to focus on fixing the supply issue, not just social housing, but stabilising the rental sector as well.” She also acknowledged that once families enter homelessness, it becomes more difficult for them to leave. “Once families are in homelessness, they are less willing to move out quickly, and it’s the security of tenure in housing assistance that becomes a major concern,” she said. “There are myriad factors for people entering homelessness. You may have families who, perhaps, have a homelessness situation but haven’t applied for social housing until they came into the system. “If you’ve got larger family sizes, that can be difficult and problematic. “Homelessness is no longer about personal circumstances, it’s about needing sufficient supply. “Notice of termination, for reasons such as landlord sale, is the single biggest driver of family homelessness in Dublin .” Speaking about what the DRHE would like to focus on with a new incoming government, Ms Hayes said she would like to “build on the momentum that was already there”. “Housing First has been one of the really good things brought in by the last government,” she said. “Even very chronic homeless people can still be housed as long as you provide enough supports around them.” Speaking about what can be done to make families experiencing homelessness feel better around the festive season, Ms Hayes said the NGOs “go out of their way”. “They make all sorts of efforts to normalise the experience for families, especially during Christmas,” she said. “The NGOs are exceptional when it comes to just that little bit extra and try to make it a very child-friendly experience, even within the family services. “We also recognise that families will perhaps want to go to their family’s home for Christmas and we can facilitate all of that throughout the Christmas period,” she added.
With their win over the New England Patriots , the Los Angeles Chargers clinched a spot playoff in the upcoming NFL postseason. While that is worth celebrating, they also lost starting free safety Elijah Molden , who suffered a broken fibula in the win. Molden will miss the remainder of the Chargers 2024 campaign. Elijah Molden Ruled Out For Chargers Playoff Run Molden emerged as a valuable asset to the Chargers’ defense under the guidance of head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. Thrust into a starting role, Molden demonstrated versatility and playmaking ability. His addition via trade shortly before the season allowed Minter to move Derwin James to various positions on the field and became a critical member of the team as Alohi Gilman struggled to stay healthy. Molden combined for 71 tackles, including two for loss. In coverage he allowed just 18 receptions on 27 targets for 173 yards, amounting to a 44.8 NFL passer rating. He also picked off three passes and recovered two fumbles. Molden missed Week 16 with a knee injury and was questionable to play against the Patriots with the same ailment. New addition Eddie Jackson and veteran Tony Jefferson filled in for Molden once he left the game. The Chargers have found their secondary bare due to injuries. Gilman is now on the injured reserve along with Asante Samuel Jr., Marcus Maye, and Eli Apple. This has forced the team to rely heavily on rookie fifth-rounders, Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart. While the young duo has played admirably, their level of competition is about to take a big leap in the tougher direction as they embark on their playoff run. They will likely play the Buffalo Bills or the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round. This article first appeared on LAFB Network and was syndicated with permission.
