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House Passes Massive Defense Bill That Includes Wage Increase For Troops, Gender-Affirming Care Ban For Military ChildrenWASHINGTON—House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) says he and President-elect Donald Trump are working on strategy for the first 100 days of the incoming Republican-dominated government. “I’ve been talking daily with the incoming White House. ... President-elect Trump and I will be talking about this in depth this weekend before the Army-Navy game,” Johnson said during a Dec. 10 press conference. He was referencing the upcoming Dec. 14 football game between the two military academy rivals at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. Trump and Johnson plan to attend the game. Trump’s team has signaled that they hope to pass substantial legislative reforms on issues like border security, energy policy, and tax policy within days of Trump’s taking office. Johnson said Republicans are ready to begin pursuing “an America First agenda ... right out of the gates” following the transition of power in January. That would include a “very aggressive first 100 days agenda,” Johnson said, referencing the “proverbial playbook” that Republicans have been preparing for over a year to implement legislation quickly. Johnson didn’t address how leadership would handle their paper-thin majority in the House, which will fall as low as 217 seats—below the majority threshold for a full House—in the first couple weeks of the 119th Congress due to resignations by Trump appointees. Such a thin majority still gives Republicans a slight edge over Democrats and would require effectively unanimous GOP support for any of these proposals. The task would be easier in the upper chamber, where Republicans enter with a far more secure 53-seat majority to Democrats’ 47 seats. Generally, large legislative changes on controversial issues stall in the Senate, where most legislation requires a 60-vote majority to advance to a vote on final passage. This has historically left the upper chamber deadlocked on major bills, with the system making it harder for wide-ranging legislation to pass into law. However, the budget reconciliation system provides a tempting alternative. Under budget reconciliation, legislation directly related to federal expenditures and revenues can bypass the upper chamber’s 60-vote hurdle: Reconciliation legislation requires only a simple majority in both chambers to pass. The process traditionally is viable only when a party controls a trifecta of the House, Senate, and White House—a situation last seen during the Democrat-dominated 117th Congress that opened President Joe Biden’s term. House Republicans and Trump himself are largely pushing for the first 100 days to include passage of an all-in-one budget reconciliation bill that wraps in border, energy, and tax policies—all pillars of Trump’s 2024 campaign. Stephen Miller, Trump’s incoming deputy chief of staff, said the president-elect’s team is working with incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to craft “the most significant border security investment in American history.” “The bill will be transformational, it will be paid for, and it will go first,” Graham said, referencing support for passing the border legislation before moving on to other issues. Miller said the border bill would include “a massive increase in ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] officers” to carry out Trump’s plans for a massive deportation operation, “a historic increase in border agents,” a pay raise for ICE and border agents, and funding related to a series of other border investments related to barriers, detention beds, technology, and personnel. Miller said he hopes such a bill could land on Trump’s desk as early as January or the beginning of February. Afterward, Miller said, Thune plans to move “immediately” to a tax reform reconciliation bill. That would include provisions on the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction, for which Trump has expressed support, corporate tax and trade policy reforms, and manufacturing. “Nobody is even talking or considering delay” on that tax bill, Miller said. The goal, he said, was to pass these bills in as little as a few days following Trump’s swearing-in on Jan. 20. This two-part approach backed by Thune—who will hold significant power over what comes to the floor and when—and apparently by Trump has faced some pushback among House Republicans. That includes House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.), who has said the border and tax packages should be passed as a single unit. The all-in-one approach could force potential opponents of one bill or the other to cast an all-or-nothing vote. Some said that this can make it easier to pass. On the other hand, with Republicans having only a tiny incoming House majority, even a handful of defectors could tank the bills if other Republicans join Smith’s demands for an all-in-one package.What did you Google in 2024? From the elections to Copa América, here's what search trends show
The San Francisco 49ers claimed running back Israel Abanikanda off waivers from the New York Jets on Tuesday, one day after placing running backs Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason on injured reserve. The Jets released Abanikanda on Monday after adding Kene Nwangwu to the active roster. Nwagwu had been a practice-squad elevation for the Jets last Sunday against Seattle and returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the game. Abanikanda, 22, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Jets in 2023. After running 22 times for 70 yards and catching seven passes for 43 yards in six appearances as a rookie, Abanikanda did not play a regular-season game for New York in 2024, buried on the depth chart behind Breece Hall and others. When the Niners placed McCaffrey and Mason on IR, rookie Isaac Guerendo was left as the only healthy running back on their active roster. In Sunday night's loss at the Buffalo Bills, McCaffrey left the field in pain in the second quarter and was diagnosed with a posterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee. Mason also suffered a high ankle sprain in the game. McCaffrey was playing in just his fourth game of the season after missing the first eight because of Achilles tendinitis in both legs. He was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year last season, when he led the league with 2,023 yards from scrimmage: a league-leading 1,459 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns plus 67 catches for 564 yards and seven scores. Mason is the leading rusher for San Francisco (5-7) this season with 789 yards and three touchdowns on 153 carries. It was his third season in the league. --Field Level MediaNIH Initiatives Will Enhance Generative AI Usage and Health Data Discoverability RESTON, Va. , Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ICF (NASDAQ: ICFI ), a global consulting and digital services provider, has been awarded over $40 million in new and recompete contracts during the third quarter of 2024. The agreements span multiple National Institutes of Health (NIH) institutes and centers and will leverage ICF's cutting-edge technology and domain expertise to advance critical health programs. Under these contracts, ICF will integrate its health , technical and scientific expertise with cloud and automated technologies , including generative AI and advanced analytics. These efforts will support IT and data modernization, software design and development, digital engagement, and research initiatives that help ensure improved health outcomes. Key contract highlights include: A new $11 million contract to support the National Library of Medicine's initiatives to advance generative AI projects, improve the discoverability of unprocessed materials and provide programming and technical support. The contract has a term of 30 months. Additional single-award contract and subcontract agreements support the integration and modernization of biomedical and cancer research data systems, the improvement of overall IT operations, the deployment of Agile software development and design services and no-code AI-enabled query tools, and more. The combined value of the agreements totals nearly $20 million with terms ranging from one to five years. A new $11 million subcontract with Banyan Communications, a small, women-owned communications agency, to provide the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Information Resource Support Services a wide range of communication and digital engagement services through ICF Next , ICF's integrated, full-service digital and communications agency. The subcontract has a term of five years, including a one-year base and four one-year option periods. "NIH plays a critical role in advancing medical research and driving innovations that lead to better health outcomes for people worldwide," said Jennifer Welham , ICF senior vice president for health, people and human services. "We are excited to bring our industry-leading health, technology and data science expertise to continue our longstanding partnership with NIH and drive meaningful improvements in health research, services and the collective body of scientific knowledge." For over 50 years, ICF has supported health initiatives for nearly all major federal agencies, including numerous agencies and programs within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The company's thousands of health professionals work hand in hand with thousands of technologists, data scientists and communicators to deliver mission-critical programs that improve health outcomes. At ICF Next, mission-driven strategists, marketers, technologists, communicators and data scientists help clients build next-level stakeholder engagement. About ICF ICF is a global consulting and technology services company with approximately 9,000 employees, but we are not your typical consultants. At ICF, business analysts and policy specialists work together with digital strategists, data scientists and creatives. We combine unmatched industry expertise with cutting-edge engagement capabilities to help organizations solve their most complex challenges. Since 1969, public and private sector clients have worked with ICF to navigate change and shape the future. Learn more at icf.com . Caution Concerning Forward-looking Statements Statements that are not historical facts and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties are "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may concern our current expectations about our future results, plans, operations and prospects and involve certain risks, including those related to the government contracting industry generally; our particular business, including our dependence on contracts with U.S. federal government agencies; our ability to acquire and successfully integrate businesses; and various risks and uncertainties related to health epidemics, pandemics, and similar outbreaks. These and other factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those indicated in forward-looking statements that are included in the "Risk Factors" section of our securities filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included herein are only made as of the date hereof, and we specifically disclaim any obligation to update these statements in the future. Contact: Lauren Dyke , [email protected] , +1.571.373.5577 SOURCE ICF
Football notebook: Gold Ball droughts end in state championship gamesAs the Biden administration winds down, the US Food and Drug Administration has submitted a proposed rule that could significantly lower the amount of nicotine in tobacco products and potentially prompt more people to quit smoking. The FDA has been signaling its intentions to limit nicotine levels at least since 2018 , during the first Trump administration. In 2022, President Joe Biden’s FDA commissioner, Dr. Robert Califf, took it a step further and announced that the agency was developing a rule that would require tobacco companies to significantly reduce the amount of nicotine in traditional cigarettes. The next regulatory step, which the FDA took Tuesday by submitting the proposal to the Office of Management and Budget , would not mean overnight change. But if the government did set a limit on nicotine levels, experts say, it could significantly improve public health. “A proposed product standard to establish a maximum nicotine level to reduce the addictiveness of cigarettes and certain combusted tobacco products, when finalized, would be among the most impactful population-level actions in the history of US tobacco product regulation,” the FDA said in a statement Wednesday. The number of people who smoke has been declining for more than a decade, but smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death, disease and disability in the country, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 16 million Americans are living with a smoking-related disease. As of 2021, about 28.3 million US adults were considered current smokers, the CDC says. Surveys show that most want to quit, but nicotine is highly addictive, changing the brain in ways that make people want to smoke more. Half of smokers say they’ve tried to quit in the past year, but fewer than 1 in 10 were successful. Studies show that when the nicotine content of cigarettes is reduced, people smoke less and make more attempts to quit. Cigarettes with lower nicotine levels seem to be effective in alleviating withdrawal, research shows. When the FDA announced its initial plans to reduce nicotine in 2022, it estimated that reducing nicotine levels could keep more than 33 million people from becoming regular smokers, that about 5 million additional smokers would quit within a year, and that 134 million years of life would be gained. In the draft proposal from 2018, which the FDA has since refined, it cited a 2013 survey that found that reducing the total nicotine content of cigarettes to 0.5 milligrams per rod would minimize addictiveness, but it also said that questions remain with respect to the precise level of nicotine in cigarettes. The agency’s proposal was met with high praise Wednesday. “Once finalized, this rule could be a game-changer in our nation’s efforts to eliminate tobacco use,” said Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association. “Making tobacco products non-addictive would dramatically reduce the number of young people who become hooked when they are experimenting. To fully address the toll of tobacco on our nation’s health and across all communities, it is critical to reduce nicotine levels to non-addictive levels in all commercial tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.” Not all smokers would quit if nicotine levels were limited, experts say, nor would all smoking-related diseases disappear, since tobacco products contain other chemicals that can be harmful for health. “Certainly, there would be individuals who would benefit from substantially lower nicotine levels and find it easier to quit,” said Dr. Rose Marie Robertson, a cardiologist and chief science officer at the American Heart Association. “It’s really hard to quit. I’ve seen patients over many years who have gotten the wake-up call with a heart attack or a stroke and really want to improve their health and reduce their risk, but it’s just very, very hard to do.” There won’t be any immediate changes to tobacco products. The Office of Management and Budget’s approval process can take months. There will also be a public comment period, and the tobacco industry often sues the government to stop new regulations. It’s also unclear what the FDA will do with such a proposal under President-elect Donald Trump. During his first term, the agency signaled that it wanted to limit nicotine, but the tobacco industry donated heavily to Republicans ahead of this year’s elections, and Trump’s pick for chief of staff worked as a tobacco lobbyist . Robertson says her association wants this last-minute FDA effort to work. “We’re hopeful, but we’ll be there if it doesn’t move forward, and we’ll continue to be there,” she said. CNN’s Deidre McPhillips contributed to this report.
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Ducks hope to snap 3-game skid in Ottawa or TorontoJason Kelce has learned to keep his cool following the viral phone-smashing incident in early November. The 37-year-old retired Philadelphia Eagles center was accosted by an angry fan on Thursday, November 21, after leaving a taping of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show in Los Angeles. The man screamed at Jason, saying he was "nobody special" amid a slew of obscenities in a video obtained by TMZ . The man seemed angry that the New Heights podcaster had bypassed the people seeking autographs to head right to his car. "You're some s**t bag, f**king guy that thinks he's on some pedestal," he shouted at Jason, adding, "Don't be a d**k!" Jason tried to explain himself, saying, "I have a habit of not signing for people that follow where I'm going." This, however, only seemed to make the yelling man even angrier. "You don't love nothing but money. You don't know these streets. F**k you, your love is fake," he shouted, while another man could be heard yelling, "This is public information, Jason!" The man insisted that they hadn't followed him, but rather, they always stood outside there to get autographs from celebrities on Kimmel's show. He name-dropped stars like Morgan Freeman and Harrison Ford as stars who took the time to stop for autographs. The yelling continued even after Jason got into the waiting vehicle, seemingly prepared to leave. However, the ESPN personality remained calm as he chose to get out of the car and come speak to those looking for autographs, face to face. Jason apologized to the man, saying he "didn't mean anything" by skipping the autographs. He could be seen signing autographs for the crowd as the man who had been yelling took back what he said, said he was "ashamed" for the outburst, and praised Kelce. The former NFL player had been on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to announce that he would be hosting a one-hour late night show on ESPN called They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce . The show, which will be filmed in Philadelphia, is set to air its first episode at 1 a.m. ET on January 4. A post shared by Jimmy Kimmel Live (@jimmykimmellive) This latest confrontation comes just weeks after Jason went viral for smashing a Penn State student's cell phone after he yelled insults about his brother, Travis Kelce . "Kelce how does it feel that your brother is a f****t for dating Taylor Swift ?" the student could be heard saying in social media videos of the incident. Jason didn't take kindly to someone insulting his brother, and responded by smashing the student's phone while calling him the same slur. He later apologized for the behavior at the start of ESPN's Monday Night Countdown on November 4. "Listen, I am not happy with anything that took place. I'm not proud of it. In a heated moment, I chose to greet hate with hate. I just don't think that is a productive thing... I try to treat people with common decency and respect. I'm going to keep doing that moving forward, even though I fell short this week," he said. Days after Jason's public apology, Travis addressed the incident on the pair's podcast. He came to his brother's defense, saying, "The real situation is you had some clown come up to you and talk about your family, and you reacted in a way that was defending your family, and you might have used some words that you regret using."Browns get 497-yard performance from QB Jameis Winston and lose anyway in season long gone sourWho Will Lead Intel's Future? A High-Stakes CEO Search Underway
A designated disability minister will be appointed to each Government department to “champion disability inclusion and accessibility”, the Government has announced. Work and pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms said the move aims to drive “real improvements” for disabled people, whom the ministers will be encouraged to engage with on a regular basis. He told the Commons: “I am very pleased to be able to announce today the appointment of new lead ministers for disability in each Government department, they will represent the interests of disabled people, champion disability inclusion and accessibility within their departments. “I’m going to chair regular meetings with them and will encourage them to engage directly with disabled people and their representative organisations, as they take forward their departmental priorities. “And I look forward to this new group of lead ministers for disability together driving real improvements across Government for disabled people.” This came during an adjournment debate on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, where Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling raised concerns about “floating bus stops”, which have a cycle lane between the stop and the pavement. Intervening, the MP for Torbay, who is registered blind, said: “The Government needs to ban floating bus stops.” Sir Stephen said: “I do think this issue about floating bus stops is an important issue which we need to work across Government to reflect on.” Labour MP Debbie Abrahams, who led the debate, had earlier criticised the lack of accessibility for disabled people on trains. The Oldham East and Saddleworth MP said: “Our train network does not have level access, and we heard Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson from the other place make this plea back in the summer, absolutely outrageous what she was put through. “But I was absolutely shocked to find, when I had a presentation of the TransPennine route upgrade, that the rolling stock yet to be commissioned is not going to provide that level access. “It’s absolute nonsense, it’s not even in the design of that procurement, so we must do better than this.”Penn State focused on closing out regular season
There are still deals to be had this holiday season if you’re hoping to save some money in preparing a Thanksgiving dinner. Denver-based Ibotta has festive cash-back promotions in its mobile app to get the cost of key ingredients down to nothing for some. And Target is advertising a 10-pound turkey with stuffing, potatoes and other fixings for just $20 — a 20% price cut from last year. But that excludes fried crunchy onions to top off the green bean casserole. There’s also no chicken stock or butter for the Stove Top Stuffing. No bread rolls. No pumpkin pie. But according to an annual Thanksgiving-cost survey , no coupons or deals are needed to save money on dinner this year. The American Farm Bureau Federation calculated the cost to make a 10-person turkey feast — pumpkin pie included — is down 5% from last year to $58.08. In Colorado, though, the total price was 23.6% higher for the same dozen items. At $71.78, Colorado’s 12-item meal was the nation’s fourth highest this year, coming in about $5 lower than California and about $15 less than South Carolina. No state could touch the high cost of Hawaii , where the price of the same meal was nearly double the U.S. average at $114.86. The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported news organization dedicated to covering the people, places and policies that matter in Colorado. Read more, sign up for free newsletters and subscribe at coloradosun.com.
December 2024’s PlayStation Plus Extra/Deluxe Catalogue Update Has Been Revealed - WellPlayedThe San Francisco 49ers claimed running back Israel Abanikanda off waivers from the New York Jets on Tuesday, one day after placing running backs Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason on injured reserve. The Jets released Abanikanda on Monday after adding Kene Nwangwu to the active roster. Nwagwu had been a practice-squad elevation for the Jets last Sunday against Seattle and returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the game. Abanikanda, 22, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Jets in 2023. After running 22 times for 70 yards and catching seven passes for 43 yards in six appearances as a rookie, Abanikanda did not play a regular-season game for New York in 2024, buried on the depth chart behind Breece Hall and others. When the Niners placed McCaffrey and Mason on IR, rookie Isaac Guerendo was left as the only healthy running back on their active roster. In Sunday night's loss at the Buffalo Bills, McCaffrey left the field in pain in the second quarter and was diagnosed with a posterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee. Mason also suffered a high ankle sprain in the game. McCaffrey was playing in just his fourth game of the season after missing the first eight because of Achilles tendinitis in both legs. He was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year last season, when he led the league with 2,023 yards from scrimmage: a league-leading 1,459 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns plus 67 catches for 564 yards and seven scores. Mason is the leading rusher for San Francisco (5-7) this season with 789 yards and three touchdowns on 153 carries. It was his third season in the league. --Field Level MediaNEW YORK (AP) — Remember what you searched for in 2024? Google does. Google released its annual “Year in Search” on Tuesday, rounding up the top trending queries entered into its namesake search engine in 2024. The results show terms that saw the highest spike in traffic compared to last year — ranging from key news events, notably global elections , to the most popular songs, athletes and unforgettable pop-culture moments that people looked up worldwide. Sports — particularly soccer and cricket — dominated Google's overall trending searches in 2024. Copa América topped those search trends globally, followed by the UEFA European Championship and ICC Men's T20 World Cup . Meanwhile, the U.S. election led news-specific searches worldwide. Queries about excessive heat and this year's Olympic Games followed. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump topped searches in Google's people category this year — followed by Catherine, Princess of Wales , U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif , who also led athlete-specific searches. Meanwhile, the late Liam Payne , Toby Keith and O.J. Simpson led search trends among notable individuals who died in 2024. In the world of entertainment, Disney and Pixar's “Inside Out 2” was the top trending movie of the year, while Netflix's “Baby Reindeer” led TV show trends. And Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” dominated song trends. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Queries for the Olympic village's chocolate muffin , made famous by Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen over the summer games, led Google's global recipe trends this year. The New York Times' “Connections” puzzle topped game searches. And in the U.S., country-specific data shows, many people asked Google about online trends like the word “demure” and “ mob wife aesthetic .” You can find more country-specific lists, and trends from years past , through Google’s “Year in Search” data published online . The California company said it collected 2024 search results from Jan. 1 through Nov. 23 of this year. Google isn't the only one to publish an annual recap or top trends as 2024 draws to a close. Spotify Wrapped , for example, as well as Collins Dictionary and Merriam-Webster’s words of the year, have offered additional reflections for 2024.
