online game of the generals RICHMOND — Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Virginia) let it be known this week that he is considering a run for Virginia governor. Or to be more precise, Scott said he is not not running. “I haven’t ruled it out,” he told Punchbowl News . However noncommittal and understated — less “I’m in!” than “I’m not out!” — Scott’s declaration tossed a bundle of political dynamite into the Democrats’ so far sleepy gubernatorial primary contest, which Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Virginia) has had to herself since her lone competitor dropped out in April.(The Center Square) – Paula Scanlan is hopeful the narrative around gender ideology is shifting, especially as Republicans prepare for majorities in both chambers of the 119th Congress and a seat in the White House. “I am hopeful that with the majorities now that we will be able to get across the finish line,” Scanlan told The Center Square on Thursday, speaking of more legislation on the way to protect women's spaces. “Obviously, this goes beyond sports ... So ideally, I think that the biggest thing would be to federally pass something that says this is what a woman is.” Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

Bachelorette star Tayshia Adams and Dale Moss cozy up after THOSE romance rumors following Clare Crawley split Have YOU got a story? Email tips@dailymail.com By SARAH SOTOODEH FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 23:07 GMT, 5 December 2024 | Updated: 23:37 GMT, 5 December 2024 e-mail 14 shares View comments Tayshia Adams was spotted cozying up with Dale Moss at Forever 21's Naughty, Forever Nice Collection Launch Event in New York City on Wednesday. The Bachelor Nation stars were spotted grinning ear to ear at the event, two years after rumors surfaced that they were dating. Tayshia, 34, looked beautiful in a wine colored dress, layering on top a burgundy coat with a thing belt to highlight her slim form. The beautiful brunette added boots and gloves to round out her striking look for the clothing label's event. Meanwhile Dale, 36, cut a handsome figure in a white shirt and a cream blazer and cargo bottoms. Dale notably dated Bachelorette star Clare Crawley during her season, with the couple then leaving the show early and Tayshia filing in as the new Bachelorette in the middle of the season. Tayshia Adams was spotted cozying up with Dale Moss at Forever 21's Naughty, Forever Nice Collection Launch Event in New York City on Wednesday The Bachelor Nation stars were spotted grinning ear to ear at the event, two years after rumors surfaced that they were dating Tayshia and Dale sparked dating rumors in 2022, with fans of the franchise buzzing in May that year after Dale posted a snap with Tayshia and skateboarder Ishod Wair. Fans commented on the picture at the time that they thought the stars would make a power couple. Read More The Bachelorette alum Jason Tartick splits from Kat Stickler after six months: 'It just didn't work' Soon after, Bachelorette season 16 contestant Bennett Jordan appeared to fuel rumors of a Tayshia/Dale romance by using an interesting hashtag on a snap of him and fellow Bachelor Nation star Dr. Joe Park. He used the hashtag #daleandtayshiastans. Fans went crazy on the hashtag, with some asking him what it was about, to which he coyly responded with 'oh like you heard it here first.' It is unknown if Dale and Tayshia did in fact date. Dale and Clare met on her season of The Bachelorette - season 16. She chose to leave the season early to be with him after just two weeks, leading to Tayshia to get the replacement gig as the new Bachelorette. Tayshia ended up choosing Zac Clark, whom she split with in November 2021. The beautiful brunette added boots and gloves to round out her striking look for the clothing label's event Meanwhile Dale cut a handsome figure in a white shirt and a cream blazer and cargo bottoms Dale held on to a stocking at the event, grinning ear to ear Dale notably dated Bachelorette star Clare Crawley during her season, with the couple then leaving the show early and Tayshia filing in as the new Bachelorette in the middle of the season; pictured June 3, 2021 However, in January 2021, just three months later, Dale revealed they had split via social media. 'I wanted to share with you all that Clare and I have decided to go our separate ways,' he wrote. 'We appreciate the love and support we've received from so many people, but this is the healthiest decision for both of us at the time,' Dale added. She claimed at the time she didn't know he would publicize their split. 'I was made aware of a "mutual" statement at the same time you all were, so I've needed some time to really digest this,' she said to her Instagram at the time. The star said that she felt 'crushed' about their relationship. Three months later, they reconciled briefly - before splitting again in September. She went on to marry Ryan Dawkins in February 2023, with the couple welcoming their daughter Rowen Lily Dawkins in January 2024 via surrogate. Dale has since dated HGTV alum Galey Alix, and most recently linked to Remi Bader. Tayshia was most recently linked Luke Gulbranson - a Summer House alum. Share or comment on this article: Bachelorette star Tayshia Adams and Dale Moss cozy up after THOSE romance rumors following Clare Crawley split e-mail 14 shares Add comment

BOARDWALKTECH REPORTS SECOND QUARTER FISCAL 2025 FINANCIAL RESULTSUniversity of Wyoming to host Mental Wellness Forum with Gov. Gordon

Thoughtful holiday gift ideas for everyone on your list

MediciNova Presents Study Update and Interim Analysis of Phase 2/3 Clinical Trial of MN-166 (ibudilast) in ALS (COMBAT-ALS Clinical Trial) at the 35th International Symposium on ALS/MND

BOARDWALKTECH REPORTS SECOND QUARTER FISCAL 2025 FINANCIAL RESULTS

Hydrogen Generation Market to grow by USD 49.7 Billion from 2024-2028, driven by fertilizer demand and AI-driven market transformation - TechnavioMikael Backlund was first to suggest that this season could follow a familiar script. And now, as the Calgary Flames hit the quarter-mark of the 2024-25 campaign, it seems that the captain may have been onto something. It was a decade ago that the ‘Find-A-Way Flames,’ underestimated by just about everybody, earned a surprise playoff berth and then managed to advance to the second round. Even before the puck dropped this fall, Backlund had a hunch that this current crew could also exceed all external expectations. So far, so good. Back in 2014-15, the Flames posted a 12-6-2 record in their first 20 games. This edition is 11-6-3 at that same juncture, just one point off that pace. They’ll be shooting for their fourth straight victory in Saturday’s matinee matchup with the Minnesota Wild at the Saddledome (2 p.m. MT, Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan). “I just felt like we had some good vibes here, and I felt like we had a better team than people gave us credit for going into this season,” Backlund said, explaining that initial comparison. “And I felt like if we got off to a good start, just like we did in ’14-15, then we could have a good year even though nobody believed in us at all and we could surprise a lot of people. “I think that’s what we have done so far. That’s what we have to keep doing.” While this current cast doesn’t rely on the stretch pass, while they don’t necessarily have a candidate to accept the Lady Byng Trophy in sock feet, we can’t ignore the similarities. Especially with their knack for the third-period comeback, you’re already hearing references to the ‘Find-A-Way Flames 2.0.’ Here are five ways that they are taking us on a skate down memory lane ... FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATIC Let’s start with the most obvious comparison. The 2014-15 Flames simply couldn’t be counted out, and their fans quickly learned that they couldn’t change the channel until the final buzzer. That bunch, coached by Bob Hartley, pulled off 11 victories when trailing at the second intermission. Ryan Huska’s squad has shown a similar blend of belief and resilience. That started on opening night of the new campaign, when they spotted the Vancouver Canucks a three-goal lead, only to storm back for a 6-5 overtime victory. Six weeks into this season, the Flames have already been credited with four third-period comeback wins, tied for tops in the NHL in that stat category. They are outscoring their opponents by a 27-17 count in final frames, a huge part of the reason they are sitting in second spot in the Pacific Division standings despite having played only 230:50 with the lead, the third-lowest total of time ahead of any team on the circuit. PUCK-STOPPING PLATOON The 2014-15 Flames didn’t have a clear-cut go-to goalie, and that didn’t seem to be a problem. Jonas Hiller was tapped for 44 starts that winter and Karri Ramo logged 32, and they continued to share the twine-minding duties in the playoffs. The C of Red is clamouring to see more and more of Dustin Wolf — after all, who doesn’t love to howl? — but this current crease share seems to be bringing out the best in both of their masked men. Wolf is off to such a stellar start that he is being billed as a Calder Trophy frontrunner, while Dan Vladar has also been stringing together sharpies. Wolf and Vladar have combined for a sparkling .942 save percentage in even-strength scenarios, the best mark of any tandem in the league. THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT Part of the reason the Flames were so darn fun to watch in 2014-15 was the emergence of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, a couple of kid linemates who filled both the score-sheet and the seats at the Saddledome. (RIP, Johnny.) This current squad doesn’t necessarily feature a budding superstar, which is what Gaudreau was, but they are trusting up-and-comers to in several prominent roles. The three youngest dudes on the active roster are Matt Coronato, Connor Zary and Wolf. Coronato, who turned 22 earlier this month, is tied for the team lead with six goals. Zary is now auditioning at centre on what could be considered Calgary’s top line, and the 23-year-old notched the game-winner in Thursday’s 3-2 triumph over the New York Rangers. Wolf is also 23 and if this was springtime, we’d probably be talking about him as the presumed playoff starter. SHOOTOUT SURPRISE One of the most memorable moments of the 2014-15 campaign was a gorgeous shootout goal by depth defenceman David Schlemko. He had been plucked off waivers just days before that eighth-round eye-popper against the Boston Bruins. While that occurred in the month of the March, the 2024-25 Flames have already discovered their under-the-radar shootout ace. Justin Kirkland has been one of the best stories in the NHL this fall, and the journeyman forward is nails in the breakaway competition. ‘Costco’ has two shootout-ending snipes so far, having clinched victories over the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders. The 28-year-old Kirkland hasn’t tried ‘The Schlemko’ yet — he has his own signature move that seems to be working wonders — but there’s still time for that. MIKAEL BACKLUND There’s only one roster holdover from 2014-15, and that would be the gent who first tried to tip us off that we could be treated to some deja vu this season. If you followed that inaugural edition of the ‘Find-A-Way Flames,’ you will remember a reliable centre who handled tough defensive matchups, played significant minutes on the penalty-kill and chipped in with some clutch offensive contributions. Sound familiar? Backlund now has a ‘C’ stitched on his sweater — Mark Giordano was the captain back then — and 1,000-plus games on his resume, but he is certainly not showing any signs of slowing down at 35. In fact, he is averaging more icetime than any other Flames forward. wgilbertson@postmedia.com

FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — Inter Milan beat Como 2-0 to cement third place in Serie A and close the gap on top two Atalanta and Napoli on Monday. Carlos Augusto got the opener when he headed home a corner kick in the 48th minute. Marcus Thuram scored the second in stoppage time with a potent strike into the roof of the net. It was the first time these teams have played each other in the top division since 2003 and although Inter had lost only one league game all season it struggled to impose itself on 15th-placed Como. However, it won without exerting itself and the three points were enough to take Simone Inzaghi’s men within three points of leader Atalanta and within one of Napoli. Inter has a game in hand over both clubs. Fiorentina missed a chance to go fourth when it lost at home to Udinese 2-1. The Florence club won a record eight consecutive Serie A games before losing to Bologna 1-0 on Dec. 15, and it looked to be back on track when Moises Kean converted a penalty after eight minutes to become the first Fiorentina player to reach double figures in the league since Federico Chiesa in the 2019-20 season. However, Udinese was a different prospect after the break. Lorenzo Lucca equalized with the aid of sloppy defending four minutes into the second half and then Florian Thauvin found space on the edge of the box to curl in the second eight minutes later. The result left Udinese in ninth place and Fiorentina in fifth. The match was a special one for Edoardo Bove, the Fiorentina player whose collapse with a heart issue led to the suspension of its game with Inter Milan on Dec. 1. Bove was fitted with a defibrillator implant soon after and sat on the Fiorentina bench for the first time since his collapse. He is not allowed to play but his position on the sideline alongside coach Raffaele Palladino was seen as a step towards normality for the 22-year-old midfielder. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerInformation on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page. If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet. FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted. The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice.The mother of a 16-year-old who was shot by SWAT police during a no-knock, predawn raid in Alabama, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the police officers involved and the city of Mobile, alleging the teenager was “killed in cold blood.” Randall Adjessom, 16, was sleeping in his childhood home when SWAT police used a battering ram to break down his front door on November 13, 2023, just after 5:30 a.m. while it was still dark outside. Adjessom’s mother, aunt, grandmother and three sisters — two of whom were also minors — were also in the house. The warrant was executed as part of an investigation into Adjessom’s older brother for suspected marijuana possession and distribution, according to the complaint. The 16-year-old was not a suspect; his older brother was not there and didn’t live at the home. The Mobile Police Department tapped SWAT officers because the narcotics unit was understaffed, according to the complaint. >> FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Adjessom came out of his bedroom with a gun that he pointed at the officers, but then subsequently retreated with his hands up once he realized he was confronting law enforcement, the complaint said citing sealed body-camera footage. An unnamed officer shot Adjessom four times within 11 seconds of entering his home. The lawsuit alleged that police did not provide adequate medical attention to Adjessom, who did not arrive at an emergency room that was eight minutes away until 50 minutes after he was shot. Adjessom’s family members were forced to stay in the living room for hours before they were informed that an officer shot Adjessom, according to the complaint. “They’re supposed to be peace officers, aren’t they? How many more young Black boys like Randall have to be buried following police brutality before the MPD’s legendary culture of unchecked excessive force is finally put to rest,” said Adjessom’s mother, Akouvi Adjessom, in a statement on Monday. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Mobile, names the city and unidentified officers as defendants and seeks unspecified damages. The city attorney and a spokesperson for the police department did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. >> WVTM 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for free “No-knock” warrants — which allow law enforcement agents to enter a home without announcing their presence — have come under scrutiny in recent years after Louisville, Kentucky, police killed Breonna Taylor in her home in March 2020, leading to mass protests over racial injustice in policing. In 2021, the Justice Department changed its policy to limit the use of no-knock warrants, requiring agents to get approval from federal prosecutors and a supervisory law enforcement agent. Elizabeth A. Bailey, Cynthia B. Morgan and Steven A. Medina, attorneys for Adjessom’s mother, characterized his death as an “unquestionably foreseeable and preventable tragedy.” Adjessom was one of four high-profile police killings that sparked a public outcry in Mobile and eventually led to an investigation into the Mobile Police Department by former federal prosecutor Kenyen Brown at the request of Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson. The investigation culminated in an over 100-page partially redacted report published in May based on interviews, a review of department policy and body-camera footage. The investigation looked into Adjessom’s killing and found that the officer who shot him complied with the city’s use of force because Adjessom was armed and posed a threat. The report did not specify whether Adjessom was retreating with his hands up when he was shot. >> YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Community coverage from WVTM 13 However, the investigation also concluded that the decision to execute the search warrant before dawn did not adequately prioritize “the sanctity of life.” The officers conducting the raid had a “preconceived notion” that the occupants in Adjessom’s home were dangerous even though “there was no indication that any of the occupants had violent histories, and the target’s only felony was for marijuana,” the report said. The report additionally cited frequent misconduct among officers in the city. “There are numerous constitutional violations including the beating of a handcuffed suspect, the going into or the attempt to go into cell phones repeatedly, the denigration of suspects of deadly force during press conferences, the illegal and unconstitutional detentions without probable cause,” Brown said. The report ultimately did not recommend that the Department of Justice investigate the police department, saying that local law enforcement was willing to implement its own reforms. In March, an ordinance that would have banned no-knock warrants failed to pass in the Mobile city council.

The market is entering the final two trading days of 2024, and stocks are set to post another strong year of gains. The Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) once again led the charge in 2024, rising more than 30% thus far while the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) has risen over 25%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) is up a more modest 14%. A holiday-shortened trading week with limited news on the docket is expected to greet investors in the final trading week of the year. Markets will be closed for New Year's Day on Wednesday, and no major companies are slated to report quarterly results. In economic data, updates on housing prices and sales, as well as a a look at activity in the manufacturing sector, are expected to highlight a subdued week of releases. Markets are three days into the highly anticipated "Santa Claus" rally , which is statistically one of the most consistent seven-day positive stretches of the year for the S&P 500 . But stocks have not been in the holiday spirit. All three major averages sold off Friday, with the Nasdaq falling nearly 1.5%. Since 1950, the S&P 500 has risen 1.3% during the seven trading days beginning Dec. 24, well above the typical seven-day average of 0.3%, according to LPL Financial chief technical strategist Adam Turnquist. History has shown that if Santa does come and the S&P 500 posts a positive return during the time period, then January is typically a positive month for the benchmark index and the rest of the year averages a 10.4% return. When the S&P 500 is negative during that time frame, January usually doesn't end in the green, and the return for the upcoming full year averages just 5%, per Turnquist. Three days into this year's Santa Claus period, which will close on Friday, Jan. 3, the S&P 500 is down less than 0.1% While history may be flashing a warning sign, it's notable that last year the Santa Claus rally didn't materialize. January started poorly too. Still, the S&P 500 is still set to end the year up more than 20%. As markets have digested the Federal Reserve's recent message that interest rates may remain higher for longer than investors had hoped, bond yields have been soaring. The 10-year Treasury yield ( ^TNX ) is up more than 40 basis points in December alone. Hovering right above 4.6%, the 10-year is at its highest level in about seven months and in the territory where equity strategists believe higher rates could begin to weigh on stock performance. "I think 4.5% or higher on the 10-year gets problematic for the markets more broadly," Piper Sandler chief investment strategist Michael Kantrowitz said in a recent video sent to clients. Kantrowitz further clarified in an interview with Yahoo Finance's Market Domination that any incoming economic data that sends rates lower could be a welcome sign for stocks. "In the last couple of years, really markets have only gone down because of rising interest rate or inflation fears," Kantrowitz said on Dec. 18. "And I think that's the new normal that going forward. Market corrections are going to come from higher rates, not slower growth or higher unemployment." Despite the recent drawdown in markets since the Fed meeting on Dec. 18, the setup heading into 2025 "has really not changed," Citi US equity strategist Scott Chronert wrote in a note to clients on Friday. Stock valuations remain high. Earnings are expected to grow about 15% year over year for the S&P 500, per FactSet data, creating a "high bar" to impress investors. US economic growth is largely expected to remain resilient. "In aggregate, investors appear bulled up on US equities," Chronert wrote. This has pushed market sentiment, as measured by Citi's Levkovich Index, increasingly higher. The Levkovich Index, which takes into account investors' short positions and leverage, among other factors, to determine market sentiment, currently sits at a reading of 0.62, above the euphoria line of 0.38, where the likelihood of positive forward returns is typically lower as the market appears stretched. For now, this isn't shaking Chronert's overall confidence in the US equity market. He noted that the "fundamentals" that have driven the market rally remain intact. But strategists argue that stretched sentiment and valuations do put the market rally on thinner ice should a catalyst that challenges the bull thesis for 2025 emerge. "Overall, this setup, plus the lack of real correction in some time, does leave the market more susceptible to increasing bouts of volatility," Chronert wrote. "If the fundamental story holds, we would be buyers of first half pullbacks in the S&P 500." Weekly Calendar Monday Economic data: MNI Chicago PMI, December (42.8 expected, 40.2 prior); Pending home sales month-over-month, November (0.9% expected, 2% prior); Dallas Fed manufacturing activity, December (-1.5 prior, -2.7 prior) Earnings: No notable earnings. Tuesday Economic data: S&P CoreLogic 20-City year-over-year, October (+4.11% expected, +4.57% prior); Dallas Fed Services Activity, December (9.8 prior) Earnings: No notable earnings. Wednesday Markets are closed for New Year's Day. Thursday Economic data: MBA mortgage applications, week ending Dec. 20 & week ending Dec. 27, Initial jobless claims, week ending Dec. 28 (219,000 expected); S&P Global US manufacturing PMI, December final (48.3 expected, 48.3 prior); Construction spending month-over-month, November (+0.3% expected, +0.4% prior) Earnings: No notable earnings. Friday Economic calendar: ISM manufacturing, December (48.3 prior, 48.4 prior); ISM prices paid, December (50.3 prior) Earnings: No notable earnings. Josh Schafer is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on X @_joshschafer . Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest stock market news and events moving stock prices . Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) — Victims’ families and others affected by crimes that resulted in federal death row convictions shared a range of emotions on Monday, from relief to anger, after President Joe Biden commuted dozens of the sentences. Biden converted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The inmates include people who were convicted in the slayings of police, military officers and federal prisoners and guards. Others were involved in deadly robberies and drug deals. Three inmates will remain on federal death row: Dylann Roof , convicted of the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; the 2013 Boston Marathon Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev , and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. Opponents of the death penalty lauded Biden for a decision they’d long sought. Supporters of Donald Trump , a vocal advocate of expanding capital punishment, criticized the move as an assault to common decency just weeks before the president-elect takes office. Victims’ families and former colleagues share relief and anger Donnie Oliverio, a retired Ohio police officer whose partner was killed by an inmate whose death sentence was commuted, said the execution of “the person who killed my police partner and best friend would have brought me no peace.” “The president has done what is right here,” Oliverio said in a statement also issued by the White House, “and what is consistent with the faith he and I share.” Heather Turner, whose mother, Donna Major, was killed in a bank robbery in South Carolina in 2017, called Biden’s commutation of the killer’s sentence a “clear gross abuse of power” in a Facebook post, adding that the weeks she spent in court with the hope of justice were now “just a waste of time.” “At no point did the president consider the victims,” Turner wrote. “He, and his supporters, have blood on their hands.” Decision to leave Roof on death row met with conflicting emotions There has always been a broad range of opinions on what punishment Roof should face from the families of the nine people killed and the survivors of the massacre at the Mother Emanuel AME Church. Many forgave him, but some say they can’t forget and their forgiveness doesn’t mean they don’t want to see him put to death for what he did. Felicia Sanders survived the shooting shielding her granddaughter while watching Roof kill her son, Tywanza, and her aunt, Susie Jackson. Sanders brought her bullet-torn bloodstained Bible to his sentencing and said then she can’t even close her eyes to pray because Roof started firing during the closing prayer of Bible study that night. In a text message to her lawyer, Andy Savage, Sanders called Biden’s decision to not spare Roof’s life a wonderful Christmas gift. Michael Graham, whose sister, Cynthia Hurd, was killed, told The Associated Press that Roof’s lack of remorse and simmering white nationalism in the country means he is the kind of dangerous and evil person the death penalty is intended for. “This was a crime against a race of people,” Graham said. “It didn’t matter who was there, only that they were Black.” But the Rev. Sharon Richer, who was Tywanza Sanders’ cousin and whose mother, Ethel Lance, was killed, criticized Biden for not sparing Roof and clearing out all of death row. She said every time Roof’s case comes up through numerous appeals it is like reliving the massacre all over again. “I need the President to understand that when you put a killer on death row, you also put their victims’ families in limbo with the false promise that we must wait until there is an execution before we can begin to heal,” Richer said in a statement. Richer, a board member of Death Penalty Action, which seeks to abolish capital punishment, was driven to tears by conflicting emotions during a Zoom news conference Monday. “The families are left to be hostages for the years and years of appeals that are to come,” Richer said. “I’ve got to stay away from the news today. I’ve got to turn the TV off — because whose face am I going to see?” Biden is giving more attention to the three inmates he chose not to spare, something they all wanted as a part of what drove them to kill, said Abraham Bonowitz, Death Penalty Action’s executive director. “These three racists and terrorists who have been left on death row came to their crimes from political motivations. When Donald Trump gets to execute them what will really be happening is they will be given a global platform for their agenda of hatred,” Bonowitz said. Politicians and advocacy groups speak up Biden had faced pressure from advocacy organizations to commute federal death sentences, and several praised him for taking action in his final month in office. Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said in a statement that Biden “has shown our country — and the rest of the world — that the brutal and inhumane policies of our past do not belong in our future.” Republicans, including Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, on the other hand, criticized the move — and argued its moral ground was shaky given the three exceptions. “Once again, Democrats side with depraved criminals over their victims, public order, and common decency,” Cotton wrote on X. “Democrats can’t even defend Biden’s outrageous decision as some kind of principled, across-the-board opposition to the death penalty since he didn’t commute the three most politically toxic cases.” Liz Murrill, Louisiana’s Republican attorney general, criticized the commuted sentence of Len Davis, a former New Orleans policeman convicted of orchestrating the killing of a woman who had filed a complaint against him. “We can’t trust the Feds to get justice for victims of heinous crimes, so it’s long past time for the state to get it done,” the tough-on-crime Republican said in a written statement to the AP. One inmate’s attorney expresses thanks — and his remorse Two men whose sentences were commuted were Norris Holder and Billie Jerome Allen, on death row for opening fire with assault rifles during a 1997 bank robbery in St. Louis, killing a guard, 46-year-old Richard Heflin. Holder’s attorney, Madeline Cohen, said in an email that Holder, who is Black, was sentenced to death by an all-white jury. She said his case “reflects many of the system’s flaws,” and thanked Biden for commuting his sentence. “Norris’ case exemplifies the racial bias and arbitrariness that led the President to commute federal death sentences,” Cohen said. “Norris has always been deeply remorseful for the pain his actions caused, and we hope this decision brings some measure of closure to Richard Heflin’s family.” ___ Swenson reported from Seattle. Associated Press writers Jim Salter in O’Fallon, Missouri, and Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report.