callaway super game improvement irons Foreign Affairs Ministry warns Jamaicans to observe immigration laws amid Mexico detention reportsSKYLAND CONFERENCE ALL-DIVISION TEAMS, 2024 NOTE: These teams were put together by coaches from the Skyland Conference, not members of NJ Advance Media. RARITAN DIVISION FIRST TEAM M-Morgan Dwyer, Pingry, Sr. M-Alexis Glasofer, Pingry, Sr. M-Lolly Ackerman, Pingry, Jr. M-Luci DiTosto, Pingry, Jr. F-Nadia DiRe, Voorhees, So. M-Christa Lenzinger, Voorhees, So. F-Isabella Settembrini, Voorhees, Sr. F-Mae Higgins, Watchung Hills, Jr. M-Madison DiSarno, Watchung Hills, Sr. F-Grace Miller, Bridgewater-Raritan, Sr. M-Emma Ciocon, Bridgewater-Raritan, Sr. M-Kendall Schmerler, Bernards, Sr. M-Sophia Gomez, Montgomery, Sr. SECOND TEAM F-Annabelle Ouzounian, Pingry, So. F-Cameron Tarpley, Pingry, So. D/M-Bridget Troy, Pingry, So. D-Katherine Shea, Pingry, Sr. M-Amanda Korfin, Voorhees, Sr. D/M-Lillian Balzer, Voorhees, Sr. D-Emma Roessler, Voorhees, Sr. D-Olivia Risler, Watchung Hills, Sr. M-Francesca Marino, Watchung Hills, So. D-Ella Daehnke, Bridgewater-Raritan, Sr. M-Teagan Hughes, Bridgewater-Raritan, So. Gracie Mongno, Bernards, So. F-Katherine Maddox, Montgomery, Sr. HONORABLE MENTION G-Lily Pereira, Pingry, So. F-Abigail Sell, Voorhees, Sr. M-Katelyn Johnstone, Watchung Hills, Sr. F-Zaina Ahmed, Bridgewater-Raritan, Jr. Keenan Metro, Bernards, So. M-Sophia Soron, Montgomery, So. VALLEY DIVISION FIRST TEAM F-Emilia Napolitano, Mount St. Mary, Sr. M-Sarah Ducoff, Mount St. Mary, Sr. G-Gianna Sangillo, Mount St. Mary, Sr. F-Olivia Castucci, Mount St. Mary, Sr. M-Jillian Labar, Belvidere, Jr. M-Madeline Kardos, Belvidere, Jr. M-Addison Ehasz, Belvidere, Jr. F-Sammie Pinelli, Delaware Valley, Sr. F-Vanessa Wood, Delaware Valley, Sr. F-Lexi Sabosiik, Delaware Valley, Sr. M-Anika Balog, South Hunterdon, Jr. F-Addison Polukord, South Hunterdon, Jr. G-Ava Spear, Somerville, Sr. D-Leah Ulmer, Somerville, Sr. D-Cara Merris, Franklin, Jr. SECOND TEAM M-Grace Kelly, Mount St. Mary, Jr. D-Sienna Napolitano, Mount St. Mary, So. F-Courtney Carew, Mount St. Mary, Jr. D-Megan Purcell, Mount St. Mary, Jr. D-Madyson Denker, Belvidere, Sr. G-Lilah Smith, Belvidere, So. F-Ashley Postma, Belvidere, Sr. D-Lily Rynearson, Delaware Valley, Jr. D-Kelly Wichelhaus, Delaware Valley, Sr. D-Julia Stoff, South Hunterdon, Sr. D-Juneabea Horsnall, South Hunterdon, So. F-Isabella Worinicz, South Hunterdon, Jr. D-Madison Vesspucci Paxson, Somerville, Sr. F-Mia Collins, Somerville, Sr. G-Brynn Van Beveren, Franklin, Jr. HONORABLE MENTION M-Zoe Drivas, Mount St. Mary, Jr. D-Annalina Jonkoski, Belvidere, Sr. M-Maggie Prouty, Delaware Valley, Fr. M-Catelina, Weiland, South Hunterdon, Sr. M-Emily Vannozzi, Somerville, So. DELAWARE DIVISION FIRST TEAM M-Katie Sampson, North Hunterdon, So. F-Paisley Testa, North Hunterdon, So. F-Annika Hoyer, North Hunterdon, Sr. M-Mia Beneducci, North Hunterdon, Jr. D-Shivya Desai, Warren Hills, Sr. Katie Compton, Warren Hills, Jr. Rylie Wyckoff, Warren Hills, Jr. D-Meredith Shawah, Ridge, Sr. M-Katie McCaffrey, Ridge, Sr. M-Jenna Narleski, Ridge, Sr. F-Hannah Bianchino, Hillsborough, Sr. M-Madelynn Taras, Hillsborough, Jr. M/D-Jackie Miller, Phillipsburg, So. F/M-Maggie Scally, Hunterdon Central, Sr. F/M-Jocelyn Sponzo, Hunterdon Central, Sr. G-Jordan Nonnemacher, Phillipsburg, Jr. SECOND TEAM D-Brooke Cahill, North Hunterdon, Sr. F-Emmy Wrba, North Hunterdon, Sr. D-Meg Donlon, North Hunterdon, Jr. Zoey Zahorchak, North Hunterdon, Sr. Alena Schlessinger, Warren Hills, So. Vanessa Rush, Warren Hills, So. Christina Georgoutsos, Warren Hills, Jr. F-Sara Raustad, Ridge, Fr. F-Kaitlyn Feigenwinter, Ridge, Sr. F-Mackenzie Smith, Hillsborough, Sr. M/D-Sara Thompson, Hillsborough, Jr. M-Avery Butler, Phillipsburg, So. D-Sienna DiPaolo, Hunterdon Central, Sr. D-Olivia Gioffre, Hunterdon Central, Sr. M-Sophia Remian, Phillipsburg, Sr. HONORABLE MENTION M-Charley Hardiman, North Hunterdon, Jr. Samantha Heinrich, Warren Hills G-Jess McKelvey, Hillsborough, So. Celino Eto, Hunterdon Central M-Ava Triolo, Ridge, Sr. RECOMMENDED • nj .com Field Hockey: All-Hunterdon/Warren County Teams, 2024 Nov. 26, 2024, 5:25 p.m. See all homes sold in Somerset County, Nov. 18 to Nov. 24 Nov. 25, 2024, 2:22 a.m. Brian Bobal may be reached at bbobal@njadvancemedia.com . Follow him on X at @BrianBobal . The N.J. High School Sports newsletter now appears in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter )

Lindsey is a Seattle area writer interested in all things society, including internet culture, politics, and mental health. Outside of the Daily Dot, her work can be found in publications such as The Mary Sue, Truthout, and YES! Magazine.

Adelaide, Dec 6: Ravichandran Ashwin was preferred over Washington Sundar for the second Test here because the Indian team management reckoned the senior off-spinner would be more effective on the Adelaide Oval surface, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Friday. Also, Ashwin’s record in pink-ball Tests helped him pip Ravindra Jadeja and Sundar in the playing XI. Australia dominated the opening day’s play and reached 86/1 at stumps after bowling out India for 180 in their first innings, making a strong comeback following the 295-run hammering they received at the hands of the visitors in the series opener at Perth. “Yeah, Washy hasn’t put a foot wrong since he’s come into the fold, halfway through that New Zealand series... I guess the thinking going into the last Test, we wanted to strengthen the batting,” ten Doeschate said at the post-day press conference. “And given what we saw of Nitish in the first Test, we kind of thought we’d go with what we perceived to be the guys bowling the best spin at the moment. And we feel Ash is more likely to get wickets in these conditions.” “When you get the confidence of Nitish batting at 7, it doesn’t really matter with Ash batting at 8. And that was the thinking. Not much to choose between them. And we just thought that Ash would be slightly more effective on this wicket,” he added. Australia will enter the second day trailing by only 94 runs and with nine wickets in hand, but ten Doeschate felt India can still turn things around and will draw inspiration form their remarkable comeback in the Perth Test. “I know that the scores look like there is a big gap between the two teams but we still feel we are in the game and with a few tweaks tomorrow (Saturday), we can get back in the game,” India’s assistant coach told the media. “This team doesn’t need the coaches to go into the dressing room and say we need to fight. The guys understand that implicitly and it’s obviously a very proud team who wants to come here and do well. “We feel slightly behind the game now but there certainly won’t be any letting up and certainly won’t be any surrendering. There certainly is a little bit of swing and a little bit of seam still there. So we’re pretty confident we can still turn it around.” He added, “At Perth, we got bowled out for 150 and still we got back into that game. This is a proud team and the players want to come here and do well. We may be slightly behind in the game now but there certainly won’t be any surrendering.” He was asked if playing less matches with pink ball had something to do with the performance of the team on Friday. “I just think it’s the nature of it. If you’re going to bring the pink ball into it, it’s obviously great for the crowds. It’s a little bit different for the players and we try to use the week as best we can to help them to adapt to the small differences. “I don’t think there are huge differences and I certainly don’t think there’s anything to read into about how the guys performed today. He added that things happen a bit faster with the pink ball. “Things happen in clumps, we lost wickets in clumps, which we wanted to avoid. I also thought that Mitchell’s (Starc) stock ball was very good and there are lessons to be learnt from that first innings. We will look at how we can play better in the second innings.” The assistant coach was full of praise for 21-year-old all-rounder Reddy, who stood out with his solid knock on the first day and dragged India to 180. “We are so chuffed with him. From the prep week in Perth, where he looked like he still needed to figure things out, the way he worked in Perth and the game plans he implemented in Perth, to get crucial runs there, I think to get us to 150 in that first game was amazing. “Just the way he’s gone about his work here. It’s obviously the first pink ball game he’s playing in. There’s still a little bit of work to do. He’s very raw. But for a young kid, a 21-year-old, to come out like that and play three innings of the quality he has, it’s super exciting. “There’s obviously a chat about Washy not playing. But he’s done everything a young player could do in a very short space of time. And we think he’s got a very high ceiling.” Ten Doeschate said India will look to go all out in the first session of the second day. “I think we’ll go as hard as we can in the morning but be slightly conscious of what the rest of the day looks like and what we need to do to get back into the game.”CLEVELAND (AP) — The NFL has closed an investigation into sexual assault allegations against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. The league has been reviewing the case for months , trying to determine whether Watson should be punished. “The matter is closed,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy said Friday in an email to The Associated Press. “There was insufficient evidence to support a finding of a violation of the personal conduct policy.” Watson, who served an 11-game suspension in 2022, was accused of assault in Texas by a woman in September. She was seeking more than $1 million in damages before the sides reached a confidential settlement. Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone. Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you. Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. Watson strongly denied the allegations through his attorney, Rusty Hardin. The 29-year-old Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon rupture in October. He’s been rehabbing the injury in hopes of returning next season. The Browns still owe Watson $46 million in each of the next two seasons after they signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million contract that has backfired. Watson has only played in 19 games over three seasons due to the suspension and injuries. Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website . Related From Our Partner

Pep Guardiola gets brutal with Man City squad and calls them out before Forest clash

Collective bargaining rights for most Wisconsin public employees, which were effectively eliminated under former Gov. Scott Walker's 13-year-old signature law Act 10, are slated to be restored following a Dane County judge's order Monday. The order from Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jacob Frost comes nearly six months after he ruled that provisions of Act 10, which was passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed into law by Walker in 2011, were unconstitutional because the law treats public safety workers differently from other public employees. Frost earlier this year rejected a motion by the Legislature seeking to dismiss the case and, on Monday, he clarified which provisions of the law are no longer enforceable. His ruling would effectively restore collective bargaining powers for all public workers to what they were before Act 10 was adopted. "The judiciary cannot be a check on the Legislature if it cannot, through declaring a statute unconstitutional and void, stop the enforcement of that statute," Frost wrote in the 18-page order. "Instead, to uphold the role of the judicial branch, I must strike unconstitutional statutes and restore the statutes to a constitutional basis. The Legislature may then take up the work of drafting a new, constitutional framework for collective bargaining of public employees, if it so desires. "If the Legislature wants this Court’s decision to not yet have effect, it must move this Court to stay enforcement of its decision pending appeal," Frost added, suggesting his ruling would not take effect anytime soon. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, pledged to do just that, meaning the case is all but certain to come before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which currently holds a 4-3 liberal majority. One of the court's liberal seats is on the ballot in April, with conservatives hoping to regain control of the state's highest court. “This lawsuit came more than a decade after Act 10 became law and after many courts rejected the same meritless legal challenges," Vos said in a statement. "We look forward to presenting our arguments on appeal.” Court records show an appeal was filed hours after Frost's ruling. In his ruling, Frost rejected a request from GOP legislative leaders, submitted in response to his ruling in July, asking him to simply eliminate the definition of "public safety employee" from the law. Frost wrote that doing so would "lack any legislative direction in the statutes as to the intended meaning of the term." "Act 10 as written by the Legislature specifically and narrowly defines 'public safety employee,'" Frost wrote. "It is that definition which is unconstitutional. The Legislature cites no precedent for this bold argument that I should simply strike the unlawful definition but leave it to an agency and the courts to later define as they see fit. "Neither this Court, the Court of Appeals nor the Supreme Court can decide how we believe the Legislature should have, but did not, define the 'public safety employee' group," Frost continued. "We cannot decide who should be included or excluded, absent guidance from the Legislature as to its lawful policy choices." In his order, Frost struck portions of the law that laid out the difference between general and public safety employees, including a provision that required general employees to secure 51% of the votes of all employees in a collective bargaining unit to recertify, while public safety employees only needed a majority of those members who actually voted. "This distinction between general and public safety employees is meaningless without Act 10’s creation of these two categories," Frost noted. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers praised Frost's ruling. Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser dead at 81 “I've always believed workers should have a seat at the table in decisions that affect their daily lives and livelihoods," Evers said in a statement. "It’s about treating workers with dignity and respect and making sure no worker is treated differently because of their profession.” The lawsuit was filed last November by several union groups who argued lawmakers violated the state Constitution when they established two separate tiers of public employees: Those subject to the law, including teachers and service workers, and those exempt, including police and firefighters — groups that largely endorsed Walker. Moreover, they said, the differences between the two groups of employees aren't clearly defined. Municipal police and fire and state troopers are allowed to collectively bargain under the law, but not Capitol Police, UW Police and conservation wardens. Act 10 was passed when Republicans held a trifecta in state government as a way to address a projected $3.6 billion budget deficit and delivered a windfall to taxpayers while also altering the relationship between government workers and their employers. The proposal sparked immense pushback, with as many as 100,000 people massing at the Capitol for a nearly monthlong protest and occupation leading up to the measure's passage. Wisconsinites have gotten cheaper government, lower taxes and a way out of the immediate budget crisis, the Wisconsin State Journal found in a 2021 series examining the law's impact on the 10th anniversary of its passage. Kurt Bauer, president and CEO of the state's largest business organization Wisconsin Manufacturers and Business, said Frost's ruling "is wrong on its face and is inconsistent with the law." “Act 10 is not only constitutional, it is a critical tool for policymakers and elected officials to balance budgets and find taxpayer savings," he added. "Thanks to Act 10, the state, local governments and countless school districts have saved billions and billions of dollars — protecting Wisconsinites from massive tax increases over the last decade-plus." Interactive Map: Madison adds a new park every year. Here's where they're going The law effectively ended collective bargaining for most public-sector unions by allowing them to bargain solely over base wage increases no greater than inflation. It also ended the automatic withdrawal of union dues, required annual recertification votes for unions, and forced public workers to pay more for health insurance and retirement benefits. "I voted against Act 10 more than 13 years ago, and am thrilled our public servants are able to once again organize and make their voices heard," former state legislator and U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Black Earth, wrote in a post on X. Walker, meanwhile, called Frost's ruling "brazen political activism," in a post on X. "Collective bargaining is not a right," Walker added in a second post. "It is an expensive entitlement." The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty wrote in an April report that eliminating Act 10 could have a significant fiscal impact on the state, with school districts facing an estimated $1.6 billion in new annual costs if the law is fully repealed. “For over a decade, liberal activists have attacked reforms that have saved Wisconsin taxpayers tens of billions of dollars," LeMahieu said in a statement. "Despite Act 10 being upheld repeatedly by state and federal courts, an activist Dane County judge decided to issue a ruling suddenly deciding Wisconsin's law is unconstitutional. We will appeal this decision immediately.” Frost had taken criticism earlier this year after it was reported his name appeared on a 2011 petition to recall Walker following Act 10's passage, when Frost was a private practice attorney. Attorneys representing the Legislature in the lawsuit did not request that Frost be removed from the case. The lawsuit was filed by the Abbotsford Education Association, Beaver Dam Education Association, SEIU Wisconsin, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Locals 47 and 1215, Teaching Assistants' Association Local 3220 and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 695, as well AFSCME Local 1215 President Ben Gruber, Beaver Dam teacher Matthew Ziebarth and Racine Unified School District employee Wayne Rasmussen. "Today's decision is personal for me and my coworkers," Gruber said in a statement. "As a conservation warden, having full collective bargaining rights means we will again have a voice on the job to improve our workplace and make sure that Wisconsin is a safe place for everyone. We realize there may still be a fight ahead of us in the courts, but make no mistake, we're ready to keep fighting until we all have a seat at the table again." A decade after the debate and protests over the anti-union law known as Act 10 convulsed the state, Wisconsin remains firmly divided on the law. The most seismic political story of the last decade in Wisconsin began on Feb. 7, 2011, when Republican Gov. Scott Walker informed a gathering... A selection of Wisconsin State Journal photographs from the historic protests of February and March 2011 at the state Capitol. The largest pro... Between 2010 and 2017, four major public sector unions in Wisconsin saw significant decreases in their membership. A collection of Wisconsin State Journal front pages during the historic Capitol protests of February and March 2011. Gov. Scott Walker's plan ... Video highlights of the fallout over the introduction and passage of what would become Wisconsin 2011 Act 10 in February and March, 2011. A decade after the controversial legislation became law, state and local governments have saved billions of dollars, but spending on key programs has lagged. The most seismic political story of the last decade in Wisconsin began on Feb. 7, 2011, when Republican Gov. Scott Walker informed a gathering... The most seismic political story of the last decade in Wisconsin began on Feb. 7, 2011, when Republican Gov. Scott Walker informed a gathering... "Collective bargaining is not a right. It is an expensive entitlement." Former Gov. Scott Walker, writing in a post on X Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Is Diamondback Energy (FANG) the Best Fuel Stock to Buy Now?(All times Eastern) Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts Thursday, Dec. 5 AUTO RACING 4:25 a.m. (Friday) ESPN2 — Formula 1: Practice, Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates CHAMPIONS HOCKEY LEAGUE 1 p.m. NHLN — Zurich at Berlin COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S) 6:30 p.m. FS1 — Purdue at Penn St. COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S) 5 p.m. ESPN2 — Kentucky at North Carolina 6 p.m. ACCN — Auburn at Virginia 7 p.m. ESPN — Texas at Notre Dame ESPN2 — Mississippi at NC State SECN — Boston College at Arkansas 8 p.m. ACCN — Florida at Clemson 9 p.m. ESPN — Duke at South Carolina ESPN2 — Stanford at LSU ESPNU — Alabama at California SECN — SMU at Missouri COLLEGE HOCKEY (MEN’S) 7:30 p.m. BTN — Penn St. at Ohio St. GOLF 4 a.m. GOLF — DP World Tour: The Nedbank Golf Challenge, First Round, Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, South Africa 1:30 p.m. GOLF — PGA Tour: The Hero World Challenge, First Round, Albany Golf Club, Nassau, Bahamas 4 a.m. (Friday) GOLF — DP World Tour: The Nedbank Golf Challenge, Second Round, Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, South Africa HORSE RACING Noon FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races NBA BASKETBALL 7 p.m. NBATV — Denver at Cleveland 10 p.m. NBATV — Houston at Golden State NFL FOOTBALL 8:15 p.m. PRIME VIDEO — Green Bay at Detroit SOCCER (MEN’S) 3:15 p.m. USA — Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur at Bournemouth The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV .

NonePresident Joe Biden’s administration announced Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Energy will make a $6.6 billion loan to Rivian Automotive to build a factory in Georgia that had stalled as the startup electric vehicle maker struggled to become profitable. It’s unclear whether the administration can complete the loan before Donald Trump becomes president again in less than two months, or whether the Trump administration might try to claw the money back. Trump previously vowed to end federal electric vehicle tax credits, which are worth up to $7,500 for new zero-emission vehicles and $4,000 for used ones. Rivian made a splash when it went public and began producing large electric R1 SUVs, pickup trucks and delivery vans at a former Mitsubishi factory in Normal, Illinois, in 2021. Months later, the California-based company announced it would build a second, larger, $5 billion plant about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Atlanta, near the town of Social Circle. The R1 vehicles cost $70,000 or more. The company plans to produce R2 vehicles, a smaller SUV, in Georgia with lower price tags aimed at a mass market. The first phase of Rivian’s Georgia factory is projected to make 200,000 vehicles a year, with a second phase capable of another 200,000 a year. Eventually, the plant is projected to employ 7,500 workers. But Rivian was unable to meet production and sales targets and rapidly burned through cash. In March, the company said it would pause construction of the Georgia plant. The company said it would begin assembling its R2 SUV in Illinois instead. CEO RJ Scaringe said the move would allow Rivian to start selling the R2 sooner and save $2.25 billion in capital spending. Since then, German automaker Volkswagen AG said in June it would invest $5 billion in Rivian in a joint venture in which Rivian would share software and electrical technology with Volkswagen. The money eased Rivian’s cash crunch. Tuesday’s announcement throws a lifeline to Rivian’s grander plans. The company said its plans to make the R2 and the smaller R3 in Georgia are back on and that production will begin in 2028. “This loan would enable Rivian to more aggressively scale our U.S. manufacturing footprint for our competitively priced R2 and R3 vehicles that emphasize both capability and affordability,” Scaringe said in a statement. The Energy Department said the loan would substantially boost electric vehicles made in the United States and support Biden’s goal of having zero-emission vehicles make up half of all new U.S. sales by 2030. “As one of a few American EV startups with light duty vehicles already on the road, Rivian’s Georgia facility will allow the company to reach production volumes that make its products more cost competitive and accelerate access to international markets,” the department said in a statement. The loan includes $6 billion, plus $600 million in interest that will be rolled into the principal. The money would come from the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, which provides low-interest loans to make fuel-efficient vehicles and components. The program has focused mostly on loans to new battery factories for electric vehicles under Biden, but earlier helped finance initial production of the Tesla Model S and Nissan Leaf, two pioneering electric vehicles. The loan program, created in 2007, requires a “reasonable prospect of repayment” of the loan. Under Biden, the program has announced deals totaling $33.3 billion, including $9.2 billion for massive battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky for Ford’s electric vehicles. Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who has been a vocal supporter of electric vehicle and solar manufacturing in Georgia, hailed Tuesday’s announcement as “yet another historic federal investment in Georgia electric vehicle manufacturing.” Ossoff had asked Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to support the loan in July. “Our federal manufacturing incentives are driving economic development across the state of Georgia,” Ossoff said in a statement. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says his goal is to make Georgia a center of the electric vehicle industry. But the Republican has had a strained relationship with the Biden administration over its industrial policy, even as some studies have found Georgia has netted more electric vehicle investment than any other state. Kemp has long claimed that manufacturers were picking Georgia before Biden’s signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, was passed. Efforts to bring Rivian to Georgia predated the Biden administration and “our shared vision to bring opportunity to Georgia will remain no matter who resides in the White House or what party controls Congress,” Kemp spokesperson Garrison Douglas said Tuesday. The loan to Rivian could rescue one of the Kemp administration’s signature economic development projects even as Biden leaves office. That could put Rivian and Kemp in the position of defending the loan if Trump tries to quash it. State and local governments offered Rivian an incentive package worth an estimated $1.5 billion in 2022. Neighbors opposed to development of the Georgia site mounted legal challenges. State and local governments spent around $125 million to buy and prepare the nearly 2,000-acre (810-hectare) site. The state also has completed most of $50 million in roadwork that it pledged. The pause at Rivian contrasts with rapid construction at Hyundai Motor Group’s $7.6 billion electric vehicle and battery complex near Savannah. The Korean automaker said in October that it had begun production in Ellabell, where it plans to eventually employ 8,500. ___ Associated Press writer Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this story. For the second straight day, Drake has taken legal action President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for the nation's top health job, President Joe Biden's administration announced Tuesday that the U.S. Department Already bracing for funding cuts under a new Trump administration,

By ROB GILLIES, Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Donald Trump that Americans would also suffer if the president-elect follows through on a plan to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products , a Canadian minister who attended their recent dinner said Monday. Trump threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if they don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders with the United States. He said on social media last week that he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders. Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, whose responsibilities include border security, attended a dinner with Trump and Trudeau at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on Friday. Trudeau requested the meeting in a bid to avoid the tariffs by convincing Trump that the northern border is nothing like the U.S. southern border with Mexico . “The prime minister of course spoke about the importance of protecting the Canadian economy and Canadian workers from tariffs, but we also discussed with our American friends the negative impact that those tariffs could have on their economy, on affordability in the United States as well,” LeBlanc said in Parliament. If Trump makes good on his threat to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, the price increases that could follow will collide with his campaign promise to give American families a break from inflation. Economists say companies would have little choice but to pass along the added costs, dramatically raising prices for food, clothing, automobiles, alcohol and other goods. The Produce Distributors Association, a Washington trade group, said last week that tariffs will raise prices for fresh fruit and vegetables and hurt U.S. farmers when the countries retaliate. Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the U.S. should Trump follow through on the threat. After his dinner with Trump, Trudeau returned home without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump called the talks “productive” but signaled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. “The idea that we came back empty handed is completely false,” LeBlanc said. “We had a very productive discussion with Mr. Trump and his future Cabinet secretaries. ... The commitment from Mr. Trump to continue to work with us was far from empty handed.” Joining Trump and Trudeau at dinner were Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department, and Mike Waltz, Trump’s choice to be his national security adviser. Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, told The Associated Press on Sunday that “the message that our border is so vastly different than the Mexican border was really understood.” Hillman, who sat at an adjacent table to Trudeau and Trump, said Canada is not the problem when it comes to drugs and migrants. On Monday, Mexico’s president rejected those comments. “Mexico must be respected, especially by its trading partners,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said. She said Canada had its own problems with fentanyl consumption and “could only wish they had the cultural riches Mexico has.” Flows of migrants and seizures of drugs at the two countries’ border are vastly different. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border during the last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. Most of the fentanyl reaching the U.S. — where it causes about 70,000 overdose deaths annually — is made by Mexican drug cartels using precursor chemicals smuggled from Asia. On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol reported 1.53 million encounters with migrants at the southwest border with Mexico between October 2023 and September 2024. That compares to 23,721 encounters at the Canadian border during that time. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports as well. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing for national security.

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But alongside his stark warning of the threats facing Britain and its allies, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said there would be only a “remote chance” Russia would directly attack or invade the UK if the two countries were at war. The Chief of the Defence Staff laid out the landscape of British defence in a wide-ranging speech, after a minister warned the Army would be wiped out in as little as six months if forced to fight a war on the scale of the Ukraine conflict. The admiral cast doubt on the possibility as he gave a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) defence think tank in London. He told the audience Britain needed to be “clear-eyed in our assessment” of the threats it faces, adding: “That includes recognising that there is only a remote chance of a significant direct attack or invasion by Russia on the United Kingdom, and that’s the same for the whole of Nato.” Moscow “knows the response will be overwhelming”, he added, but warned the nuclear deterrent needed to be “kept strong and strengthened”. Sir Tony added: “We are at the dawn of a third nuclear age, which is altogether more complex. It is defined by multiple and concurrent dilemmas, proliferating nuclear and disruptive technologies and the almost total absence of the security architectures that went before.” He listed the “wild threats of tactical nuclear use” by Russia, China building up its weapon stocks, Iran’s failure to co-operate with a nuclear deal, and North Korea’s “erratic behaviour” among the threats faced by the West. But Sir Tony said the UK’s nuclear arsenal is “the one part of our inventory of which Russia is most aware and has more impact on (President Vladimir) Putin than anything else”. Successive British governments had invested “substantial sums of money” in renewing nuclear submarines and warheads because of this, he added. The admiral described the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers on Ukraine’s border alongside Russian forces as the year’s “most extraordinary development”. He also signalled further deployments were possible, speaking of “tens of thousands more to follow as part of a new security pact with Russia”. Defence minister Alistair Carns earlier said a rate of casualties similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would lead to the army being “expended” within six to 12 months. He said it illustrated the need to “generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis”. In comments reported by Sky News, Mr Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel, said Russia was suffering losses of around 1,500 soldiers killed or injured a day. “In a war of scale – not a limited intervention, but one similar to Ukraine – our Army for example, on the current casualty rates, would be expended – as part of a broader multinational coalition – in six months to a year,” Mr Carns said in a speech at Rusi. He added: “That doesn’t mean we need a bigger Army, but it does mean you need to generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis.” Official figures show the Army had 109,245 personnel on October 1, including 25,814 volunteer reservists. Mr Carns, the minister for veterans and people, said the UK needed to “catch up with Nato allies” to place greater emphasis on the reserves. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Defence Secretary John Healey had previously spoken about “the state of the armed forces that were inherited from the previous government”. The spokesman said: “It’s why the Budget invested billions of pounds into defence, it’s why we’re undertaking a strategic defence review to ensure that we have the capabilities and the investment needed to defend this country.”

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