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WASHINGTON (AP) — In the two weeks since Donald Trump won the presidency, he's tried to demonstrate his dominance by naming loyalists for top administration positions, even though many lack expertise and some face sexual misconduct accusations. It often seems like he's daring Congress to oppose his decisions. But on Thursday, Trump's attempt to act with impunity showed a crack as Matt Gaetz , his choice for attorney general, withdrew from consideration. Trump had named Gaetz, a Florida congressman, to be the country's top law enforcement official even though he was widely disliked by his colleagues, has little legal experience and was accused of having sex with an underage girl, an allegation he denied. After being plagued by investigations during his first presidency, Trump wanted a devoted ally in charge of the Justice Department during his second. However, it was never obvious that Gaetz could win enough support from lawmakers to get confirmed as attorney general. Trump chose for a replacement Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who defended him during his first impeachment trial and supported his false claims of voter fraud. Now the question is whether Gaetz was uniquely unpalatable, or if Trump's other picks might exceed his party's willingness to overlook concerns that would have sunk nominees in a prior political era. The next test will likely be Pete Hegseth, who Trump wants to lead the Pentagon despite an allegation of sexual assault that he's denied. So far, Republicans are rallying around Hegseth , an Army veteran and former Fox News host. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the controversy over Gaetz would have little bearing on Trump’s other choices. He said they would be considered “one at a time.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, suggested otherwise, claiming “the dominoes are falling.” “The drip drip of evidence and truth is going to eventually doom some others,” he said. Trump's election victory was a sign that there may not be many red lines left in American politics. He won the presidential race despite authoritarian, racist and misogynist rhetoric, not to mention years of lies about election fraud and his role in sparking the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was also criminally convicted of falsifying business records to pay hush money, and he was found liable for sexual abuse in a civil case. Empowered by voters who looked past his misconduct and saw him as a powerful agent of change, Trump has shown no deference to Washington norms while working to fill his second administration . The transition team hasn't pursued federal background checks for Trump's personnel choices. While some of his selections have extensive experience in the areas they've been chosen to lead, others are personal friends and Fox News personalities who have impressed and flattered Trump over the years. Several have faced allegations involving sexual misconduct . Hegseth is facing the most scrutiny after Gaetz. Once Trump announced Hegseth as his nominee for Pentagon chief, allegations emerged that he sexually assaulted a woman in California in 2017. The woman said he took her phone, blocked the door to the hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a police report made public this week. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing, the report said. However, he paid the woman a confidential settlement in 2023. Hegseth's lawyer said the payment was made to head off the threat of a baseless lawsuit. Trump’s choice for secretary of health and human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has faced allegations of misconduct too. A woman who babysat for him and his second wife told Vanity Fair magazine that Kennedy groped her in the late 1990s, when she was 23. Kennedy did not deny the allegation and texted an apology to the woman after the article was published. That isn't the only hurdle for Kennedy; he's spent years spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories about vaccines, raising fears about making him a top health official in the new administration. Linda McMahon, chosen by Trump to be education secretary, is fighting a lawsuit connected to her former company, World Wrestling Entertainment. She’s accused of knowingly enabling sexual exploitation of children by an employee as early as the 1980s, and she denies the allegations. Tulsi Gabbard is another person who could face a difficult confirmation battle, but for very different reasons. The former Democratic representative from Hawaii has been a vocal Trump ally, and he chose her to be national intelligence director. But there's grave concern by lawmakers and national security officials over Gabbard’s history of echoing Russian propaganda. Critics said she would endanger relationships with U.S. allies. Gaetz was investigated by federal law enforcement for sex trafficking, but the case was closed without charges and Republicans have blocked the release of a related report from the House Ethics Committee. However, some allegations leaked out, including that Gaetz paid women for sex. One of the women testified to the committee that she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl, according to a lawyer for the woman. As Gaetz met with senators this week, it became clear that he would face stubborn resistance from lawmakers who were concerned about his behavior and believed he was unqualified to run the Justice Department. “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction,” Gaetz wrote on social media when announcing his withdrawal. Sen. Mike Braun, an Indiana Republican, said he believed there were four to six members of the caucus who would have voted against Gaetz, likely dooming his nomination, and “the math got too hard.” He said some of the issues and allegations around Gaetz were “maybe beyond the pale." “I think there were just too many things, it was like a leaky dike, and you know, it broke," Braun said. Trump thanked Gaetz in a post on Truth Social, his social media website, without addressing the substance of the allegations against him. “He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect,” Trump wrote. Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Stephen Groves and Lisa Macaro contributed from Washington. Jill Colvin in New York and Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, also contributed.

OTTAWA - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party is ready to introduce motions as early as today that would help the Liberals pass legislation to create their promised GST holiday but only if they separate it from their parallel promise to send $250 cheques to working Canadians. Singh said his party would open the procedural “gates” including motions to extend the sitting hours of the House of Commons to debate and pass the legislation in time for it take effect as promised on Dec. 14. Last week, the Liberals brought forward a plan to pause the GST on items like premade grocery items, beer and wine, toys and other holiday staples. The pause would last for two months. Singh says the NDP supports this idea, but oppose the associated $250 working Canadians benefit that is supposed to be mailed in the spring to anyone who earned an income up to $150,000 last year. Singh wants the benefit expanded to include non-working seniors and people who rely on disability benefits who did not have a working income in 2023. The Liberals have put the GST and benefit cheque bill on notice in the House of Commons but have been unable to introduce it because of an ongoing filibuster by the Conservatives over an unrelated matter of privilege. A Conservative motion demanding the government turn over unredacted documents to the RCMP on a green technology fund has been debated since late September, preventing any bills or other motions from being introduced or debated. The Conservatives insist that debate will continue until the documents are given to the RCMP or the NDP join them and the Bloc Québécois to vote non confidence in the government. At least two parties would need to support a motion to end or pause that debate. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week that both the GST holiday and the $250 cheques are aimed at helping people struggling with the cost of living. The rebate as planned would be issued to an estimated 18 million Canadians in the spring and cost around $4.7 billion. The government has issued notice of the legislation but hasn’t introduced it in the House yet. It also has put on notice a motion calling for debate on the bill, when it is introduced, to be limited to one 10-minute speech per party, and undergo just one vote for all the required stages of debate. Some Liberal MPs said Wednesday they think their government should consider expanding the eligibility for the benefit cheques. After the Liberal caucus meeting Seniors Minister Steven MacKinnon said the government has created a number of benefits to help low-income seniors. But Milton MP Adam van Koeverden said he wants to see more ambition in helping seniors and Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski said if the government can afford to include seniors in the payments it absolutely should. The Bloc Québécois is also calling on the government to offer the rebate to seniors who are fully retired. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called the measure a “tiny, two month tax trick” and says if Trudeau cared about affordability he’d get rid of the carbon tax. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2024.

NoneBISMARCK — North Dakota’s new and returning lawmakers met at the state Capitol in Bismarck on Monday, Dec. 2, commencing the three-day organizational session ahead of the lawmaking season. The organizational session is the time during which lawmakers — namely those who are newly elected — familiarize themselves with the procedures and rules necessary to carry out the lawmaking process. It does not count towards the biennial lawmaking session that begins January and lasts up to 80 days. Twenty-two new lawmakers are heading into the 69th legislative session, including two members who returned after not being reelected in recent elections: Sen. Richard Marcellais, D-Belcourt, and Rep. Daniel Johnston, R-Kathryn. Day one included the speaker of the House appointment, committee designations and the swearing-in ceremony. The more menial tasks on the agenda for lawmakers involved computer training, seating arrangement and taking fresh headshots. “Times change, things are different. We have to make sure that everybody’s up to speed,” said House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson. “You’re going to have your agreements, you’re going to have your disagreements," he said. "But it’s all in the spirit of providing the best public policy that we possibly can.” Both House Republicans and Democrats unanimously agreed on nominating Rep. Robin Weisz to serve as speaker of the House. Weisz described the chamber as “the people’s house” while addressing the Legislature from the podium for the first time as speaker. District 41 newcomer Karen Grindberg, R-Fargo, was also unanimously elected by the district to replace Lt. Gov.-elect Michelle Strinden. “It’s just really exciting how welcoming everybody is and how they want to be helpful,” Grindberg said. Though the intimate details tied to lawmaking are new to the freshman legislator, coming to the Capitol has become second nature. “We used to run around the halls when we were little, that was our favorite thing to do after school," she said. Grindberg’s father was a lawmaker for 22 years and the Republican House Majority Leader. Meanwhile, her husband, Tony Grindberg, was a senator for more than 20 years. She is also the mother of North Dakota Treasurer Thomas Beadle and mother-in-law to Strinden. “I’m excited for the opportunity," Karen Grindberg said. "I want to get to work.” Tuesday’s training will be similar, paying particular attention to ethical topics like workplace harassment and social media conduct. Interim committee findings will also be briefly presented to lawmakers. The session will conclude Wednesday with the presentation and deliberations of Gov. Doug Burgum’s final budget address. Republicans maintain supermajorities in both chambers, outnumbering Democrats 83-11 in the House and 42-5 in the Senate. Neither party will see different leaders for the 2025 session. Lefor and Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, R-Minot, were reelected during Republican caucus meetings last month. Sen. Kathy Hogan, D-Fargo, and Rep. Zac Ista, D-Grand Forks, were reelected as Senate and House minority leaders during the respective state Democratic-NPL caucases.

“A shot of Wild Turkey,” said the woman in a cashmere stocking cap. “A shot of Wild Turkey?” I blurted out, not really thinking about how judgey that might have sounded. I didn’t mean it judgmentally, but when it’s 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving, sometimes things just come out — just ask your Uncle Ted. “Free-range turkey, huh?” I joked, hoping to recover. She downed the shot without even sitting down, probably oblivious to my joke. But in the service business, we’re not supposed to force service on someone. If that person doesn’t want their chair pulled out for them nobody should tell them otherwise. Maybe somebody should tell that to the folks at the French Laundry, just saying. “My family is driving me crazy,” was all she said. That woman left $20 on the bar, which easily covered her $14 whiskey and then some. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed it’s that people who drink quick shots are usually proportionally the most generous. It’s ironic since that drink requires no special skill, garnish, preparation or even glassware, and usually the interaction lasts 40 seconds or less. Holiday meals used to be called feasts, and I still evoke that imagery: a large table piled high with celebratory food with people gathered all around. It’s certainly what many of us envision of the first Thanksgiving, as faulty as that imagery is. Because a modern “traditional” Thanksgiving feast — turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce — is actually more of a traditional English Christmas meal. The meal shared by the Wampanoags and the Pilgrims consisted of mostly venison. In fact, the only foodstuff on record specifically by name are the three deer the Wampanoag people brought to the three-day feast. But history is so often what we choose to remember, not actually what happened. So, here we are today with cranberry sauce. Why? Because my grandparents put it on their table, and so did my parents, and now so do I. The young woman in the stocking cap was long gone. I guess waxing philosophically can look like spacing out, depending upon whose perspective it is. When the man in his 50s bellied up to the bar 10 minutes later, we were already 50 mimosas into our prix-fixe feast. Feasts often do start early. The early feaster sat half on a bar stool and checked his phone. And he, too, ordered a shot. His was tequila. And if memory serves me right, when asked what kind of tequila, he responded with, “It doesn’t matter.” “Rough day?” I asked. “You know, families,” he said. The holiday season can be stressful. Familial obligations are often fun, but not always, and not for everybody. And when you see 200 different families in one day, the odds go up that you’re going to see the whole gamut. So, just remember when you have your Thanksgiving that what you experience is your experience, not everybody’s. It’s the same with any other holiday. The man, too, left $20 on the bar, which really more than covered his $10 well tequila. A lot is made every year of holiday meal pairings. But have you ever noticed that holiday food itself often isn’t actually paired very well? What exactly does cranberry sauce go with? The turkey? The stuffing? The mashed potatoes? I don’t know and it doesn’t appear that anyone else does either. Maybe before we start pairing wine with the food, we should first make sure all the food works together. Take it from the guy who often clears the holiday feast from the table, green beans almost always go directly in the garbage — even the ones with fried onions on top of them. Ironically, the onions themselves are almost always gone. Finally, a woman in her late 70s, early 80s, sporting a gold lamé turban right out of a 1969 color episode of TV’s “Bewitched,” poked her head around the corner. “Do you have any green crème de menthe?” she asked. “We do,” I said, acknowledging the one and only bottle of it that we have ever carried. “I’ll have a shot of that,” she said. “You don’t see many people drinking crème de menthe anymore,” I said. “Well, I don’t want my family to know I’m drinking,” she said. “We are all doing a sober Thanksgiving.” She, too, left $20 on the bar, which absolutely more than covered her $8 crème de menthe. Sometime later, when I passed through the dining room, I scanned the room for all three of those people. They were easy enough to find. They were all at the same table. Leaving me with these thoughts: • The trendier your drink is, the more expensive it will be. • There’s a difference between “getting” to work Thanksgiving and “having” to. • Sometimes the only things that bind a family together are the holidays and the dysfunction. • Often the bar in many restaurants is not visible from the dining room. Now you know why. Jeff Burkhart is the author of “Twenty Years Behind Bars: The Spirited Adventures of a Real Bartender, Vol. I and II,” the host of the Barfly Podcast on iTunes (as seen in the NY Times) and an award-winning bartender at a local restaurant. Follow him at jeffburkhart.net and contact him at jeffbarflyIJ@outlook.com

Adding Prospect Capital (PSEC) As BDCs Flex Muscle: November 23 - FDI Weekly Review

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Blake Snell and Dodgers agree to $182 million, 5-year contract, AP source saysNone

Wall Street hits more records following a just-right jobs reportSt. Thomas-Minnesota takes down Portland State 91-65

Saskatchewan auditor concerned with tracking foreign ownership of farmlandGlobal Real GDP Growth and Inflation Trends

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" Thanks for your interest in Kalkine Media's content! To continue reading, please log in to your account or create your free account with us.

'Worst leak in streaming history': Our team is ..., update on ‘Netflix hack’ that leaked episodes of Terminator Zero, Squid Game and other shows online