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Dolphins' Anthony Walker, Kendall Fuller unlikely to play at Packers; Isaiah Wynn activatedA federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok as soon as next month, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied TikTok’s petition to overturn the law — which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — and rebuffed the company’s challenge of the statute, which it argued had ran afoul of the First Amendment. “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” said the court’s opinion, which was written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.” TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, though its unclear whether the court will take up the case. “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans' right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue,” TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people,” Hughes said. Unless stopped, he argued the statute “will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.” Though the case is squarely in the court system, it’s also possible the two companies might be thrown some sort of a lifeline by President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term but said during the presidential campaign that he is now against such action . “He wants to save TikTok,” Rep. Michael Waltz, Trump’s pick for national security adviser, said Friday during an interview on Fox Business. The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was the culmination of a yearslong saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China. The U.S. has said it’s concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits , that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Officials have also warned the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect. The European Union on Friday expressed similar concerns as it investigates intelligence that suggests Russia possibly abused the platform to influence the elections in Romania. “Today’s decision is an important step in blocking the Chinese government from weaponizing TikTok,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement Friday. TikTok, which sued the government over the law in May, has long denied it could be used by Beijing to spy on or manipulate Americans. Its attorneys have accurately pointed out that the U.S. hasn’t provided evidence to show that the company handed over user data to the Chinese government, or manipulated content for Beijing’s benefit in the U.S. They have also argued the law is predicated on future risks, which the Department of Justice has emphasized pointing in part to unspecified action it claims the two companies have taken in the past due to demands from the Chinese government. Friday’s ruling came after the appeals court panel, composed of two Republicans and one Democrat appointed judges, heard oral arguments in September. In the hearing, which lasted more than two hours, the panel appeared to grapple with how TikTok’s foreign ownership affects its rights under the Constitution and how far the government could go to curtail potential influence from abroad on a foreign-owned platform. On Friday, all three denied TikTok’s petition. In the court’s ruling, Ginsburg, a Republican appointee, rejected TikTok’s main legal arguments against the law, including that the statute was an unlawful bill of attainder, or a taking of property in violation of the Fifth Amendment. He also said the law did not violate the First Amendment because the government is not looking to “suppress content or require a certain mix of content” on TikTok. “Content on the platform could in principle remain unchanged after divestiture, and people in the United States would remain free to read and share as much PRC propaganda (or any other content) as they desire on TikTok or any other platform of their choosing,” Ginsburg wrote, using the abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China. Judge Sri Srinivasan, the chief judge on the court, issued a concurring opinion. TikTok’s lawsuit was consolidated with a second legal challenge brought by several content creators — for which the company is covering legal costs — as well as a third one filed on behalf of conservative creators who work with a nonprofit called BASED Politics Inc. Other organizations, including the Knight First Amendment Institute, had also filed amicus briefs supporting TikTok. “This is a deeply misguided ruling that reads important First Amendment precedents too narrowly and gives the government sweeping power to restrict Americans’ access to information, ideas, and media from abroad,” said Jameel Jaffer, the executive director of the organization. “We hope that the appeals court’s ruling won’t be the last word.” Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers who had pushed for the legislation celebrated the court’s ruling. “I am optimistic that President Trump will facilitate an American takeover of TikTok to allow its continued use in the United States and I look forward to welcoming the app in America under new ownership,” said Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan, chairman of the House Select Committee on China. Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who co-authored the law, said “it’s time for ByteDance to accept” the law. To assuage concerns about the company’s owners, TikTok says it has invested more than $2 billion to bolster protections around U.S. user data. The company has also argued the government’s broader concerns could have been resolved in a draft agreement it provided the Biden administration more than two years ago during talks between the two sides. It has blamed the government for walking away from further negotiations on the agreement, which the Justice Department argues is insufficient. Attorneys for the two companies have claimed it’s impossible to divest the platform commercially and technologically. They also say any sale of TikTok without the coveted algorithm — the platform’s secret sauce that Chinese authorities would likely block under any divesture plan — would turn the U.S. version of TikTok into an island disconnected from other global content. RECOMMENDED • silive .com Is there a new ‘Saturday Night Live’ episode tonight (12/7/24)? Dec. 7, 2024, 9:00 a.m. Could Daylight Saving Time end in the new Trump administration? Musk, Ramaswamy on board Dec. 4, 2024, 12:22 p.m. Still, some investors, including Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in purchasing the platform. Both men said earlier this year that they were launching a consortium to purchase TikTok’s U.S. business. This week, a spokesperson for McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative, which aims to protect online privacy, said unnamed participants in their bid have made informal commitments of more than $20 billion in capital.VANCOUVER - Global Affairs Canada is warning Canadians in South Korea to avoid demonstrations and exercise caution after the country's president imposed an hours-long period of martial law. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * VANCOUVER - Global Affairs Canada is warning Canadians in South Korea to avoid demonstrations and exercise caution after the country's president imposed an hours-long period of martial law. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? VANCOUVER – Global Affairs Canada is warning Canadians in South Korea to avoid demonstrations and exercise caution after the country’s president imposed an hours-long period of martial law. The situation in South Korea arose after President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed martial law on Tuesday, vowing to eliminate what he described as “anti-state” forces from the opposition that controls parliament. Yoon’s declaration triggered tense political drama, as troops surrounded the parliament while 190 lawmakers gathered inside to vote to lift the martial law shortly after it was imposed. Global Affairs Canada has not raised the risk level for Canadians in South Korea but did ask those in the country to monitor local media for the latest information, while following authorities’ instructions, such as curfew orders. A Vancouver-based travel agent says the chaos in Seoul is not likely to have a major effect on Canadian visitor numbers to South Korea. Glynnis Chan, owner of Happy Times Travel, says the martial law dissolved quickly and will likely have minimal impact on people’s travel plans, which tend to be made at least two months in advance. “There’s always some sort of impact, but it really depends on what happens with the situation over the long term,” Chan says. “If nothing more happens, people forget after a week or so about what took place.” Chan says she is not expecting any impact on her business, since Japan is a more popular destination among her customers. Several Korean-Canadian travel agencies in Metro Vancouver declined to comment on the political situation in Seoul. After Yoon’s declaration of martial law, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the national assembly, waving banners and calling for Yoon’s impeachment, while others scuffled with military troops. The South Korean parliamentary members eventually voted to lift the declaration, with national assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik declaring it “invalid.” Police and military personnel were then seen leaving the assembly’s grounds after Woo’s call for their withdrawal. Jae-Yeon Lim, vice-president of the Canada Korea Business Association, says seeing military personnel clash with protesters and lawmakers brought back “harrowing” memories of the 1980 student-led demonstrations in Gwangju that were violently suppressed. Yoon’s move was the first declaration of martial law since the country’s democratization in 1987, and South Korea’s last previous martial law was in October 1979. “It has been a very difficult experience to see that,” Lim says of the latest martial law declaration. “But that said, I’m really happy to see that ... the national assembly managed to get the majority vote to repeal this, and they managed to do that at the risk of their own lives, even though military was there. “This is a country that will stand up for democracy.” Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Lim also says there would likely be little impact on bilateral relations or trade between the two countries stemming from the sudden onset of political drama, given how quickly martial law was lifted. “It’s not going to stop business from seeking to expand in Canada,” Lim says. “There’s still a very strong interest to do so from many businesses (in South Korea). “We have yet to see what will happen next, but I think that I’m a little bit reassured in seeing what has transpired ... that people are ready to defend their country and democratic rule-of-law.” — With files from The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2024. Advertisement Advertisement

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A little over six months ago Ezra, a young Congolese artist, landed in Australia with his large family straight from one of the largest refugee camps in Malawi to a quiet, leafy street where he appreciated the sounds of chirping birds. or signup to continue reading "Cockatoos are the most unique creatures I've ever seen in my life and that's why I decided to paint them," he told AAP. "There is much security here not the same as overseas, we were insecure." The 18-year-old was referring to Dzaleka, the sprawling United Nations-administered camp housing over 50,000 people, mostly comprised of Democratic Republic of Congolese like himself where millions have fled violence into neighbouring countries in recent years. "Once you move outside of the camp, you would get beaten and robbed. You have no rights once you step outside of the camp," Ezra noted. The renewed fighting in February between Rwanda-backed Tutsi rebels and the army in the resource-rich nation has displaced over seven million internally. "Sometimes I look at it (violence in DR Congo) on social media and feel depressed because we have friends and relatives back in Congo so I usually feel sad about it." Packed in classrooms of 250 students in the Malawi refugee camp where his learning was impeded, Ezra was quickly drawn to stencil drawing and painting aged 9. "I didn't get the chance to study arts formally because I was assisting my family financially but I started learning from my friends and would pick up information from them then use my own perspective and my own ideas." He and one of his brothers would sell chickens at the markets to make ends meet because they would go hungry for days without food due to looters. "Life was so difficult. I couldn't even afford to have my own mobile phone so I couldn't even capture what my paintings are about," he said. Since joining a creative arts mentorship program with Settlement Services International, a large Australian agency tasked with resettling refugees, he has been able to track his progress with photos of his canvases on his phone. The initiative which began last year is spearheaded by Ghasan Saaid, a prolific Sudanese-Australian visual artist who is a manager with the Humanitarian Settlement Program which helps new arrivals navigate their way in Australia from education to housing to finding a job. "Art is powerful because there's emotions and it's a very good tool for healing where artists become leaders in their communities," Mr Saaid explained. "So when we take care of those talents we are increasing the sense of belonging and enriching the cultural scene in Australia too." The creative arts project run out of Sydney provides refugees with artistic opportunities whether it is in music, theatre or visual arts with a professional industry setting. They pair them with experts and masterclasses in collaboration with cultural bodies such as the Art Gallery of NSW and link them with local art centres such as Casula Powerhouse and Blacktown Arts Centre in culturally diverse western Sydney with the view to earning a living off their work. "The art scene in Australia is very difficult to navigate especially with all the settlement barriers so ... guidance is the best thing to nurture them," Mr Saaid said. This was Ezra's experience, having sold one of his paintings displayed at an exhibition at NSW Police headquarters recently. He is hard at work painting a couple of new canvases for an upcoming exhibition next month marking International Human Rights Day. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement AdvertisementControversial billionaire Elon Musk responded to speculation that MSNBC could be put up for sale , asking on Friday how much the cable news network would set him back. The Comcast media conglomerate announced Wednesday it planned to spin some of its NBCUniversal properties — including MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Oxygen and E! — into “a new publicly traded company.” The announcement prompted some social media users, including Donald Trump Jr., to suggest the world’s richest man should buy MSNBC . Many of the left-leaning network’s hosts, including Joe Scarborough, Rachel Maddow and Mika Brzezinski, have been critical of Musk and the MAGA movement he supports. “Hey @elonmusk I have the funniest idea ever!!!” Trump Jr. posted on Friday alongside a graphic joking that MSNBC would sell for the “best offer.” “How much does it cost?” replied Musk, whose net worth was estimated to have reached a record high of $321.7 billion on Friday. Musk’s response was very similar to the one he gave in 2017 when some social media users suggested he buy Twitter. Five years later, he spent $44 billion to purchase the platform, which he renamed X and has since used to promote his right-wing ideology and conspiracy theories. “I mean it can’t be much,” Trump Jr. wrote back. “Look at the ratings.” MSNBC viewership reportedly plummeted 38% after Election Day, according to The Wrap. Musk’s banter with Trump Jr. continued, with the entrepreneur writing, “The most entertaining outcome, especially if ironic, is most likely.” While Comcast made no mention of selling MSNBC to Musk, the big-spending tech wiz has proven he can take over companies despite resistance from their board of directors, just as he did with Twitter. Speculation about Musk buying a progressive cable news network comes a week after satirical site The Onion announced it had purchased Alex Jones’ far-right “InfoWars” empire in a bankruptcy auction. Jones was forced to sell the disgraced brand to satisfy a judgment against him in connection with the lies and conspiracy theories he pushed about the 2012 massacre at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School. A Texas judge has delayed that acquisition while a court reviews details of the bidding process.

LAS VEGAS -- After securing his fourth world championship at the age of just 27, has firmly entered 's greatest of all time debate. He is now in exalted company. Only Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and had won four championships. Verstappen's next goal is to join Fangio, Schumacher and Hamilton as a winner of five -- if he did it next year, he would emulate Schumacher in winning five consecutively. The Dutchman's record-breaking 2023 season had already firmly established this decade as the Verstappen Era, but his follow-up in 2024 was special for a number of reasons. Verstappen won seven of the first 10 races, seeming ready to cruise to his fourth title before Red Bull's campaign began to crumble, with an increasingly erratic car, and the rise of McLaren in the middle of the season. This was when Verstappen showed his mettle, though, extracting important performances from the car at every weekend and then in the pouring rain in the São Paulo Grand Prix to move himself to the brink. That Interlagos performance, which saw him race from 17th on the grid to victory, was a feather in the cap. F1's other candidates for the GOAT also have had career-defining performances in similar conditions: three-time world champion Ayrton Senna, considered by many to be F1's greatest ever, had Monaco 1984 and Donington 1992; Schumacher had Spain 1996; and Hamilton had Silverstone 2008. Verstappen's career now checks multiple boxes. A title against another all-time great, Hamilton, in 2021. Two dominant seasons in an unmatched car. And now a championship with a car that you can consider to have been inferior for much of the season. Few drivers can point to all three of those types of championship-winning campaigns, and that is why 2024 has been so significant to Verstappen's legacy. Dominant Formula 1 winners always have to deal with the suggestion that they are the benefactors of a great car. If that were the case, teams like Red Bull would pay average drivers a lot less money than they are paying Verstappen. There is a reason teams always want a superstar driver. This subject is something that has irked Verstappen recently. He took a playful (but clearly thought-out) jab at McLaren CEO Zak Brown, who earlier this year claimed seven or eight current drivers could win the title in the Dutchman's Red Bull. Verstappen went on to claim if he were driving Brown's McLaren, which doubled up as a dig at title rival . "Last year I had a dominant car but I always felt not everyone appreciated what we achieved as a team. Of course the car was dominant, but it wasn't as dominant as people thought it was," Verstappen said in Las Vegas. "I will always look back at it because, even if in places we didn't have the best setup in the races, we were still capable to win races because the car was quite strong. But I am also very proud of this season because for most of it -- I would say for 70% -- we didn't have the fastest car, but actually we still extended our lead, so that is something I am very proud of." Fans and pundits can get into the weeds of who had the best car where until the end of time, but Verstappen is right to say his car did not look like a title-winning one for much of the year. Norris has been criticised for failing to properly use the strength of his McLaren at various points in the season, and it was that contrast to Verstappen that proved most telling. Another mark of the new four-time world champion's greatness can be seen by looking at the other side of the Red Bull garage. Much has been made of 's abysmal form in the second RB20, but plenty within the team feel the car is likely somewhere between his and Verstappen's performances; there is a suggestion that one driver is overperforming and the other is underperforming. Verstappen's reputation as a teammate killer is well founded and is built on his incredible ability to drive just about anything beyond the limits of what other drivers might be able to. That's why 2024 felt like the cherry on top of his achievements so far: he wasn't just beating a teammate to the title, he was battling an erratic car against quickly improving rivals. At this stage, it's hard to imagine Verstappen retiring as just a four-time world champion. McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes will take renewed hope of challenging for the drivers' title in 2025, but this season has demonstrated that Verstappen is the driver to beat, regardless of where his car is in the competitive order. While at times this year -- something that was true of other GOAT candidates, including Senna and Schumacher -- it is difficult to find times when Verstappen has made unforced errors. Most worryingly of all for his rivals is that, in the decade since he made his debut as a 17-year-old, he appears to have gained the wisdom to settle for second, fourth or sixth when he needs to. Is Verstappen the GOAT? Assigning GOAT status to anyone is circumstantial and subjective and often suffers from recency bias. Some sports have obvious candidates for how they completely reshaped the game they played, like Michael Jordan. Some were utterly unmatched by their peers, like Serena Williams or Wayne Gretzky. Others, like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, divide opinion but stand alone in the argument. While it is always difficult and slightly unfair to compare different eras, with standards of play and professionalism improving with every decade that passes, Formula 1 has an added layer of complexity to it. The best example of this is to compare the greats of today with Fangio, the legend of the 1950s. The Argentine won five championships for four different teams in an era when a season would span fewer than 10 races -- the 2024 season will finish at 24. But there were more glaring differences as well. Fatality rates in F1 races during Fangio's day were awful, and that fact hung over drivers every time they stepped into the cockpit. That is not to say the same danger does not exist today, but safety standards have improved massively. The stats show that to be the case: 15 F1 drivers died in the 1950s, 14 in the 1960s, 12 in the 1970s, four in the 1980s and two in the 1990s. Jules Bianchi's death in 2015, from injuries sustained at the previous year's Japanese Grand Prix, remains the only one this millennium. Improved safety is not something to hold against modern drivers; it simply complicates trying to compare a Verstappen or Hamilton with someone of Fangio's era. There are many who saw Jim Clark race in the 1960s who felt he was the greatest ever. The Scot was killed in a Formula 2 race in 1968 as a two-time F1 champion but at the time of his death held the record for wins, pole positions and fastest laps. Enzo Ferrari considered Gilles Villeneuve, who died at the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix having not managed to win a title, as the best driver he ever saw race one of his famous cars. Senna is revered as one of the greatest, but his death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix stopped any chance of him adding to his three championships. The darker side of motor racing makes an easy debate on the topic difficult to have. It is not just the deaths, either. While the basic rules of a soccer game and the dimensions of a pitch have remained the same, Formula 1 is an ever-evolving championship. Rules change, cars change, safety standards change, even the circuits change. Technology's continued, rapid evolution is what allows the sport to change as often as it does. Senna, Prost and Schumacher raced in a time with limited data available to them. Drivers today have an almost-unbelievable amount of information at their fingertips: insights into their own performance and those of their teammates and rivals. You could use that to knock the modern generation, but there is a flip side to that. The modern batch of F1 racers compete in an era of significantly limited testing; gone are the days when Schumacher and Ferrari could travel home from a race and complete 300 laps the following day at the Fiorano test track in Maranello. The current budget cap has added another layer of difficulty drivers of old simply did not have to deal with: power units need to be managed to stretch over a long season, rather than dropping in a freshly built engine ahead of each grand prix, and crashes can now have a direct impact on what can be invested in development. The more you pull at the threads of different factors over the years, the more complicated it becomes to assign the "greatest" status to anyone. The outright greatest will always be subjective and often can be limited to whether you saw particular drivers competing at their best, but Verstappen is doing something few before him have done and is raising the bar every year he competes. There might even be greater talents on the horizon, but, like Schumacher and Hamilton before him, Verstappen continues to move the goalposts they'll be tasked with reaching Verstappen is also good enough that, in a few years, there might not even be a debate left to have. He has repeatedly spoken about not wanting to race into his late 30s, but in the here and now, he goes into 2025 as the favourite. Whether he is still racing with Red Bull in 2026 or beyond will be a fascinating narrative to follow in the coming seasons, and it is clear the best route to success for any team right now is to have Verstappen in the cockpit. That isn't going to change any time soon.

GRAND FORKS — Chris Logan won't return as the UND women's soccer coach next season. Logan’s contract won’t be renewed after it expires on Dec. 31, the school announced Monday. ADVERTISEMENT Logan signed a two-year contract extension in November 2022, after the Fighting Hawks won seven games and appeared in the Summit League tournament. But UND has won just one of 16 league games since (1-7-8). The Fighting Hawks were winless in conference play this season (0-4-4) and 4-8-6 overall. UND announced a national search for the next coach will begin immediately. Logan, who took over as head coach in December 2016, went 51-68-24 record in his eight seasons. UND was 21-41-12 in conference play during Logan’s tenure, making the Summit League tournament in 2019 and 2022. He was named the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year in 2017 as a first-year head coach. Logan led the program in its transition from the Big Sky to the Summit League in the fall of 2018. ADVERTISEMENT Logan was the longest-tenured coach in program history. He replaced Matt Kellogg, who was at the helm for four seasons. Other UND head coaches were Kirsten Gay (five seasons), Brock Thompson (three), Tim Bennett (one), Matt Grandstrand (two), Angela Morrison (one) and Neil Sedgwick (two). During the season, members of the soccer team met with UND President Andy Armacost to voice concerns of equality, and sent an outline of concerns to UND’s Title IX office. "We, the members of the UND women's soccer team, are submitting this formal Title IX complaint to address ongoing gender inequities, as well as the systemic failure of the administration, to support and provide adequate resources to our team," said the letter, which the Herald obtained in October. "We have followed proper channels of communication for several years without significant action being taken to resolve these concerns. Our intention is to outline the key issues that have led to a discriminatory environment and ask for immediate corrective measures." The letter is critical of administrative support, unequal access to facilities at Ralph Engelstad Arena, the condition of Bronson Field, limited access to medical staff and "a general feeling of marginalization." UND spokesman David Dodds said Armacost met with players in early October. According to a UND player in attendance, six UND players met with Armacost in Twamley Hall on Oct. 4. Logan declined to discuss the letter or player concerns with the Herald in October, but referenced the complaint on social media Monday afternoon. “There is a formal investigation into this and I have been a part of the meetings,” Logan wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I believe the Title IX complaint is pretty blatant, but the university has a President that will work this out for the betterment of the athletes.”

Wall Street stocks surged to fresh records Wednesday on hopes about easing US monetary policy, shrugging off political upheaval in South Korea and France. All three major US indices scored records, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average finishing above 45,000 for the first time. "The market at this point is looking for excuses to go up, and there's not really anything that might work against that narrative," said Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers. "Over the last couple of days, it's managed to ignore all sorts of inconvenient things and decided that the situation in France doesn't matter for them," Sosnick said of the stock market. "The situation in Korea doesn't matter." South Korea's stock market fell less than feared and the won rebounded from earlier losses after President Yoon Suk Yeol swiftly reversed a decision to impose martial law. In Europe, Paris stocks managed to advance as France's government faced looming no-confidence votes. Late Wednesday in Paris, French lawmakers voted to oust the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier after just three months in office, pushing the country further into political uncertainty. For the first time in over sixty years, the National Assembly lower house toppled the incumbent government, approving a no-confidence motion that had been proposed by the hard left but which crucially was backed by the far-right headed by Marine Le Pen. "Political turmoil in both France and South Korea provide a uncertain backdrop for global markets, with the likely removal of both Barnier and Yoon bringing the potential for both countries to find a fresh direction," said Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets. Thomas Mathews, head of Asia-Pacific markets at Capital Economics, said the losses in Seoul could have been "much worse" had the president not aborted his plan. "Rarely does a combined sell-off in a country's stocks, bonds and currency feel like a relief rally," he said. Oil prices turned lower after surging around 2.5 percent Tuesday, mainly after the United States sanctioned 35 companies and ships it accused of involvement with Iran's "shadow fleet" illicitly selling Iranian oil to foreign markets. Major producers at the OPEC+ grouping led by Saudi Arabia and Russia were set to meet Thursday to discuss extending output limits. Back in New York, major indices were led by the Nasdaq, which piled on 1.3 percent to finish at a third straight record. Wednesday's gains came after payroll firm ADP said US private-sector hiring in November came in at a lower-than-expected 146,000 jobs, while a survey from the Institute for Supply Management showed weaker sentiment than expected in the services sector. But the lackluster data boosts expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates later this month. At a New York conference, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell refrained from tipping his hand, but he "didn't say anything that would scare the market," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare. O'Hare noted that Wednesday's gains were led by large tech names such as Nvidia and Microsoft, which are major AI players. The boost followed strong results from Salesforce, which was the biggest gainer in the Dow with an 11 percent jump. New York - Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 45,014.04 (close) New York - S&P 500: UP 0.6 percent at 6,086.49 (close) New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 1.3 percent at 19,735.12 (close) London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.3 percent at 8,335.81 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 7,303.28 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.1 percent at 20,232.14 (close) Seoul - Kospi Index: DOWN 1.4 percent at 2,464.00 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.1 percent at 39,276.39 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: FLAT at 19,742.46 (close) Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.4 percent at 3,364.65 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0510 from $1.0509 on Tuesday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2702 from $1.2673 Dollar/yen: UP at 150.56 yen from 149.60 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.71 from 82.92 pence Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 1.8 percent at $72.31 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 2.0 percent at $68.54 per barrel burs-jmb/jgcThe AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — RJ Felton had 21 points in East Carolina’s 71-64 victory over Stetson on Friday. Felton also added eight rebounds for the Pirates (5-1). Joran Riley scored 14 points while going 4 of 11 and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line and added five rebounds. Cam Hayes shot 3 for 7 (2 for 4 from 3-point range) and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line to finish with 13 points. The Hatters (1-5) were led in scoring by Mehki, who finished with 15 points and two steals. Abramo Canka added 14 points for Stetson. Jordan Wood had 12 points. East Carolina led Stetson at the half, 39-33, with Hayes (10 points) its high scorer before the break. East Carolina took the lead for good with 6:56 left in the second half on a free throw from Felton to make it a 60-59 game. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

Sean 'Diddy' Combs' third bid to be released on bail won't be decided until next week

Now that Matt Gaetz is no longer a congressman and will not be the next attorney general of the United States, what does the future hold for the MAGA firebrand? Well, in the grand tradition of other famed Republicans who have fallen from grace, such as convicted felon George Santos or one-time America’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani , the former Florida congressman has joined Cameo. When reached for comment, Gaetz confirmed that he had indeed created a profile on the site. “I have joined cameo. I hope to bring people joy,” he said in a text to The Independent . Cameo is a website that allows fans to request personalized short videos from celebrities for a fee. Typically, a fan will send some basic information about a loved one or friend to a celebrity on the platform, and that celebrity will then use those details to craft a personal clip for the recipient. The service peaked during the Covid-19 pandemic due to lockdowns and social distancing requirements, prompting tens of thousands of famous (and semi-famous) people to join the site. According to Gaetz’s Cameo profile, which first went online Friday, the price for the former congressman’s videos starts at $500. One can also send a message to Gaetz for $2.99. “Whether it’s a milestone birthday, an anniversary, or a long-awaited reunion, make it unforgettable with a one-of-a-kind Cameo video from Matt Gaetz. You’ll have the chance to customize your request for Matt Gaetz, like asking them to mention inside jokes, share words of wisdom, or work in their signature catchphrases,” the profile states. “Don’t be afraid to get creative with your request, especially for celebrations like weddings, retirements, or bachelor and bachelorette parties that call for a good laugh. No matter the occasion, the video will be yours to keep - share the fun and relive the moment for years to come.” Gaetz describes himself as having “served in Congress” and having once been nominated “to be US Attorney General (that didn’t work out).” He also adds that he once “fired the House Speaker,” referencing his successful effort to drive Kevin McCarthy out of the speakership. It is still unclear what Gaetz plans to do in the immediate future. He did say on Friday that he will not return to the House, which he resigned from last week after he was first nominated for attorney general by President-elect Donald Trump. That resignation also came just two days before the House Ethics was scheduled to release a “damaging” report on Gaetz’s sexual misconduct allegations. Gaetz has maintained his innocence. Speculation has run rampant that Gaetz could be named as a replacement to serve in Marco Rubio’s Senate seat since Rubio is likely headed to serve as Trump’s secretary of state. He also could hold a position in Trump’s administration that is not subject to Senate confirmation, which ultimately kneecapped his attorney general bid. Another possibility is that he could just become a full-time right-wing media personality. On Thursday night, Newsmax host Greg Kelly went so far as to offer Gaetz a position at the network, noting that the former congressman has served as a guest host several times on the network’s airwaves.Dow closes above 45K for first time as Nasdaq, S&P 500 all hit all-time highs after Powell remarks

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s defection to Donald Trump and the Republicans comes after years of criticism the former Democrat laid at Trump's feet. Kennedy, whom Trump has nominated to be the next U.S. health secretary, has previously called the president-elect a "bully" and a "terrible president" and described his early political rise as "scary." In a video that was widely shared online this week, amid widespread discussion of Trump's cabinet picks, commentators claimed that Kennedy had disparaged Trump's supporters too, saying he called them "belligerent idiots," "outright Nazis," and "bootlickers." The Claim A post on X, formerly Twitter , by user Republicans against Trump, posted on November 21, 2024, viewed 3.9 million times, said: "[siren emoji] CNN has uncovered an audio in which RFK Jr scorched Trump and his supporters, calling them "belligerent idiots," "outright Nazis," "cowards," and "bootlickers." The post included audio in which Kennedy said: "One of the things that you write so beautifully, and your stuff is so fun to read, but you write about Trump, quote, 'The way that you build a truly vicious nationalist movement is to wed a relatively small core of belligerent idiots to a much larger group of opportunists and spineless fellow travelers whose primary function is to turn a blind eye to things.'" The Facts CNN did not report that Kennedy said those words about Trump supporters himself, and Kennedy did not do so either. CNN reported earlier this week that the recording was taken from a March 2016 episode of the Ring of Fire radio show, during which Kennedy praisingly repeated the words of journalist Matt Taibbi. "'We may not have that many outright Nazis in America, but we have plenty of cowards and bootlickers, and once those fleshy dominoes start tumbling into the Trump camp, the game is up,'" Kennedy quoted. As was said in the clip, Kennedy doesn't resist or challenge Taibbi's words, calling them "beautifully" written and "fun to read." The passage itself doesn't outright call Trump supporters "belligerent idiots" but strongly connects them to that insult. Importantly, these weren't Kennedy's words, although his praise of the passage suggests he, at the very least, sympathized with its sentiment. "Like many Americans, I allowed myself to believe the mainstream media's distorted, dystopian portrait of President Trump," Kennedy said in a statement sent to Newsweek by the Trump-Vance transition team. "I no longer hold this belief and now regret having made those statements. President Trump has a tremendous vision for our country that will not only make our country healthy again but will lower the cost of living for all Americans, stop endless wars, protect free speech, secure our Southern border, and make our country great again. "I am proud to serve in President Trump's administration." As reported in October 2024 by The New York Times, Kennedy has ridiculed Trump for many years, including during his run as a candidate in the 2024 race, calling him a "terrible president" who would not be "capable of meeting the expectations and fulfilling the promises that he raises with his rhetoric." In a Newsweek op-ed from 2018 , Kennedy, who was a Democrat at the time, said that Trump's "presidency has not just discredited our nation, but the entire American experiment in self government." Trump was not kind to Kennedy prior to his dropping out of the 2024 race, either. Kennedy ran against Trump as a Democrat, then an independent, before ending his campaign in August and endorsing the president-elect. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social in late May, Trump called Kennedy "one of the most Liberal Lunatics ever to run for office," adding that he is "a Phony Radical Left fool whose poll numbers are TERRIBLE, and getting worse." The Ruling Needs Context. According to a CNN report, the audio recording of RFK Jr. is from 2016 and was of Kennedy reading a passage written by journalist Matt Taibbi. While these weren't his words, Kennedy repeated them in praise. FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check teamMORGANTOWN, WV. — Somewhere deep in West Virginia’s hollers under a cold, dismal gray sky, UCF ’s season ended. Sure, the Knights have one game remaining against Utah next week, but any hope of salvaging something positive from the unbelievably frustrating season quietly ended in a 31-21 loss to West Virginia. UCF’s slim hopes of making a postseason bowl were squashed after the Mountaineers rushed for more than 200 yards. This means the program is guaranteed to finish with a losing record for the second consecutive year and snap a streak of eight straight bowl appearances. Running back RJ Harvey , the only bright spot in an otherwise horrendous season, finished with a team-high 130 yards and two touchdowns. His two-yard touchdown run out of a Wildcat formation with 8:37 in the second quarter got the Knights their first game points. Quarterback Dylan Rizk struggled early in his third start of the season, missing his first two throws and later fumbling a handoff between himself and running back Myles Montgomery that ended with West Virginia’s Dontez Fagan recovering, ending a possible scoring opportunity. The Mountaineers (6-6, 5-3 Big 12) showcased why they are one of the top rushing teams in the Big 12, gashing the Knights for more than 7 yards per carry. CJ Donaldson Jr. had 71 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown that started the scoring for WVU. West Virginia added a second score when sophomore running back Jahiem White plowed in for a 3-yard touchdown that pushed the lead to 14-0 with 1:47 in the first quarter. Harvey’s touchdown sliced the lead in half with 8:37 left in the second quarter. But WVU put together a 12-play drive, capped off by a Garrett Greene pass to receiver Rodney Gallagher III for an over-the-shoulder grab for a 12-yard touchdown catch with 15 seconds left in the half. It was the Knights’ fourth straight game in which they surrendered points in the final minute of the first half. West Virginia took the opening kick in the second half and drove 55 yards before Donaldson busted through the line for his second touchdown to push the advantage to 28-7 with 12:10 left in the third. UCF (4-7, 2-6 Big 12) cut the lead to 28-14 midway through the third when Rizk double-pumped and found a wide-open Kobe Hudson for a 45-yard touchdown. It was Rizk’s fifth touchdown of the season and the fourth score of the season for Hudson. Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com