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Trump says he can't guarantee tariffs won't raise US prices and won't rule out revenge prosecutionsLetters to The Editor — December 28, 2024

SANTA CLARA — No Brock Purdy. No Nick Bosa. No chance for the 49ers on Sunday in Green Bay? “We’re missing two good players definitely but we’ll have a lot of good players out there,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan countered. “By no means do we not have a chance to win. We’ll fight our tails off. We’ll expect a real good game.” Purdy’s throwing-shoulder soreness will force him to miss his first game due to injury since becoming the 49ers’ starting quarterback nearly two years ago, and that thrusts ninth-year journeyman Brandon Allen into his 10th career start and first since 2021 with Cincinnati. Bosa’s oblique and hip injuries will sideline him for his first game of this wobbly season. Also ruled out were cornerback Charvarius Ward (personal), return specialist Jacob Cowing (concussion), defensive tackle Kevin Givens (groin) and linebacker Tatum Bethune (knee), while left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) is questionable as a game-time decision for a second straight game. Tight end George Kittle (hamstring) and running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) are good to go for an offense that must make do without Purdy at the NFL’s most historic venue. Allen, who last threw a regular-season pass in 2022 as Joe Burrow’s backup in Cincinnati, will guide the 49ers’ offense in a key game as San Francisco aims to make a playoff push. “It’s an opportunity,” Allen said. “The circumstances are what they are. Our team all year long, we’ve been dealing with injuries here or there. It’s been a big next-man-up mentality. It’s definitely an opportunity for me to go out, play well, put our guys in a good position to win the game. “Obviously we want Brock back and healthy and all that,” Allen added. “For the time being, it is an opportunity for me.” Josh Dobbs, who lost out to Allen in training camp and the preseason for the QB2 role, will serve in that capacity Sunday at Lambeau Field, where neither quarterback has played a regular-season game. Rookie Tanner Mordecai likely will be elevated from the practice squad Saturday to serve as the emergency No. 3 quarterback. Purdy wore a resigned, dour expression but offered upbeat words as he walked through the locker room, saying: “We’re all good.” This is not how Shanahan scripted it earlier in the week. “(Purdy) got the MRI on Monday, we thought he just needed some rest and really weren’t concerned about not being there this week,” Shanahan said Friday. “I don’t want to say there’s long-term concern,” Shanahan said Friday. “We got the MRI on Monday. We thought he just needed some rest and really weren’t concerned about him not being good this week.” Purdy rested his arm Wednesday, then left the practice field Thursday after a few light throws. “It surprised him, surprised us how it felt, so we had to shut him down,” Shanahan said. “The MRI doesn’t look like (it’s serious) so it should be alright. But the way it responded this week, it’s really up in the air for next week. We’ll have to see on Monday.” The 49ers follow this week’s trip at Green Bay with a prime-time appearance next Sunday, Dec. 1 in Buffalo. “I know this is like the first time Brock’s missed a game probably in his life,” Allen said. “He’s a tough guy and I’m not too worried about it. I don’t think any of our guys are. He’ll rehab and get back as fast as he can.” No one is saying when Purdy got hurt in Sunday’s 20-17 loss to Seattle, whether it was from diving for the goal line on his first-quarter touchdown scramble or later in the game. Shanahan did note that Purdy struggled to keep his shoulder loose and threw on the sideline, then the pain intensified after the game and into Monday. “It was somewhere during that Seattle game and I’m not sure Brock knows,” general manager John Lynch said on KNBR. “He fought through it through the course of the game. I did see him during the course of the game, anytime there was a pause, he kept throwing. At that point, you’re feeling something but he was so focused on trying to win.” Shanahan lauded Allen as a “really good thrower” who “runs our offense well” and that “guys believe in him.” The feeling is mutual on Allen’s side, as he explained what it was like as Purdy’s stand-in on the starting unit in practice this week: “It’s been a blessing to have them in the huddle with me and the leadership that’s in the huddle, so I can just come in and fill the spot for Brock for now, just try to make some plays and get the ball in their hands.” Added Shanahan: “It’s not a big game-plan adjustment. This is something we didn’t think would happen early in the week. We were fully preparing for Brock to go.” The Packers prepared that way, too. Allen is no total stranger, however. Packers coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Friday in Green Bay, prior to Purdy’s no-show practice: “I know Brandon. I was with him in L.A. (in 2017). He’s been in the league a long time. But I wouldn’t expect their offense to change a whole bunch.” BOSA WILL REMAIN HOME While Purdy traveled with the 49ers to Green Bay, Bosa was staying behind to rehabilitating the upper-body injuries that forced him to miss Sunday’s fourth-quarter collapse against Seattle. It will be the first game Bosa has missed since Oct. 16, 2022 with a groin injury. The 49ers lost a road game that day to Atlanta 28-14 during a season in which Bosa was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. Sam Okuayinonu figures to make his first career start in place of Bosa while Leonard Floyd makes his 11th start at the other defensive end slot. WILLIAMS QUESTIONABLE Williams, with the help of a pain-killing injection, made it through the Seattle loss at what he said afterwards was 65 percent. Although listed as questionable, Shanahan reiterated Williams’ status could go right up to kickoff. Jaylon Moore likely would start in place of Williams, if needed. WARD BACK NEXT WEEK? Ward, mourning the death of his 23-month-old daughter, was declared out but Shanahan hoped to have the All-Pro cornerback next week when the 49ers visit Buffalo. “He’s taken three full weeks off,” Shanahan said. “It’s not like dealing with all that stuff he’s getting workouts in and all that. We’re just happy to get him back in the building this week. We don’t want t put any pressure on him, hopefully he’ll be good to go next week.” Among those listed as questionable is guard/center Jon Feliciano, whose 21-day window of practicing while on injured reserve is about to expire. If the 49ers don’t put Feliciano on the 53-man roster by Monday, he’ll spend the rest of the season on injured reserve. PACKERS INJURIES Cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee) was ruled out after being unable to practice all week, and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring) also will not suit up for Green Bay’s defense. Defensive tackle Colby Wooden is questionable as the only other Packers player on their injury report.

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. , Dec. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Couchbase, Inc. (NASDAQ: BASE ), the developer data platform for critical applications in our AI world, today announced financial results for its third quarter ended October 31, 2024. "I'm pleased with the continued operational progress of the entire Couchbase team," said Matt Cain , Chair, President and CEO of Couchbase. "We delivered top- and bottom-line results that exceeded our outlook, and we achieved another significant milestone with Capella, which now represents 15.1% of our ARR and one third of our customer base. I remain highly confident in our outlook and ability to achieve our objectives in fiscal 2025." Third Quarter Fiscal 2025 Financial Highlights Revenue: Total revenue for the quarter was $51.6 million , an increase of 13% year-over-year. Subscription revenue for the quarter was $49.3 million , an increase of 12% year-over-year. Annual recurring revenue (ARR): Total ARR as of October 31, 2024 was $220.3 million , an increase of 17% year-over-year, or 16% on a constant currency basis. See the section titled "Key Business Metrics" below for details. Gross margin: Gross margin for the quarter was 87.3%, compared to 88.8% for the third quarter of fiscal 2024. Non-GAAP gross margin for the quarter was 88.2%, compared to 89.5% for the third quarter of fiscal 2024. See the section titled "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the tables titled "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Results" below for details. Loss from operations: Loss from operations for the quarter was $19.2 million , compared to $17.5 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2024. Non-GAAP operating loss for the quarter was $3.5 million , compared to $5.0 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2024. Cash flow: Cash flow used in operating activities for the quarter was $16.9 million , compared to cash flow used in operating activities of $12.7 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2024. Capital expenditures were $0.6 million during the quarter, leading to negative free cash flow of $17.5 million , compared to negative free cash flow of $13.8 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2024. Remaining performance obligations (RPO): RPO as of October 31, 2024 was $211.3 million , an increase of 29% year-over-year. Recent Business Highlights Announced Capella AI Services to provide the critical capabilities and tools required for our customers to streamline the development of agentic AI applications. The new AI Services include model hosting, automated vectorization, unstructured data preprocessing and AI agent catalog services, allowing organizations to prototype, build, test and deploy AI agents while keeping models and data close together on one unified platform. Couchbase's innovation and newest features with AI Services are on display at AWS re:Invent this week. Continued to advance the Couchbase platform with three major releases: Capella Columnar which converges operational and real-time analytics; Mobile with vector search which makes it possible for businesses to offer similarity and hybrid search in their applications on mobile and at the edge; and Capella Free Tier, a workspace which empowers developers to work faster. Expanded Couchbase's AI partner ecosystem through new and recently introduced integrations with industry leaders including Amazon Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, Google Vertex AI, Haystack, LangChain, LlamaIndex, NVIDIA NIM/NeMo, Unstructured.io, Vectorize and others. These integrations help empower our customers to more easily develop enterprise-class, RAG-based solutions and meet their specific deployment needs. Recognized innovative Couchbase customer achievements through the 2024 Customer Impact Awards, demonstrating how leading companies are leveraging Couchbase's technology to transform their operations. For one of the award recipients – a leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry serving a wide range of travel companies including airlines, hoteliers, travel agencies and other suppliers – Couchbase will enable a distributed, always-on transactional system. Couchbase handles hundreds of thousands of read transactions and more than 1,000 updates per second for this customer. Financial Outlook For the fourth quarter and full year of fiscal 2025, Couchbase expects: The guidance provided above is based on several assumptions that are subject to change and many of which are outside our control. If actual results vary from these assumptions, our expectations may change. There can be no assurance that we will achieve these results. Couchbase is not able, at this time, to provide GAAP targets for operating loss for the fourth quarter or full year of fiscal 2025 because of the difficulty of estimating certain items excluded from non-GAAP operating loss that cannot be reasonably predicted, such as charges related to stock-based compensation expense. The effect of these excluded items may be significant. Conference Call Information Couchbase will host a live webcast at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (or 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time ) on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, to discuss its financial results and business highlights. The conference call can be accessed by dialing 877-407-8029 from the United States , or +1 201-689-8029 from international locations. The live webcast and a webcast replay can be accessed from the investor relations page of Couchbase's website at investors.couchbase.com . About Couchbase As industries race to embrace AI, traditional database solutions fall short of rising demands for versatility, performance and affordability. Couchbase is seizing the opportunity to lead with Capella, the developer data platform for critical applications in our AI world. By uniting transactional, analytical, mobile and AI workloads into a seamless, fully-managed solution, Couchbase empowers developers and enterprises to build and scale applications with complete flexibility – delivering exceptional performance, scalability and cost-efficiency from cloud to edge and everything in between. Trusted by over 30% of the Fortune 100, Couchbase enables organizations to unlock innovation, accelerate AI transformation and redefine customer experiences wherever they happen. Discover why Couchbase is the foundation of critical everyday applications by visiting www.couchbase.com and following us on LinkedIn and X . Couchbase has used, and intends to continue using, its investor relations website and the corporate blog at blog.couchbase.com to disclose material non-public information and to comply with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, you should monitor our investor relations website and the corporate blog in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts. Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures In addition to our financial information presented in accordance with GAAP, we believe certain non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors in evaluating our operating performance. We use certain non-GAAP financial measures, collectively, to evaluate our ongoing operations and for internal planning and forecasting purposes. We believe that non-GAAP financial measures, when taken together with the corresponding GAAP financial measures, may be helpful to investors because they provide consistency and comparability with past financial performance and meaningful supplemental information regarding our performance by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of our business, results of operations or outlook. Non-GAAP financial measures are presented for supplemental informational purposes only, have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for financial information presented in accordance with GAAP, and may be different from similarly-titled non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. In addition, other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate similarly-titled non-GAAP financial measures differently or may use other measures to evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of our non-GAAP financial measures as tools for comparison. Investors are encouraged to review the related GAAP financial measures and the reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures (provided in the financial statement tables included in this press release), and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business. Non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating loss, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net loss and non-GAAP net loss per share: We define these non-GAAP financial measures as their respective GAAP measures, excluding expenses related to stock-based compensation expense, employer payroll taxes on employee stock transactions, restructuring charges and impairment of capitalized internal-use software. We use these non-GAAP financial measures in conjunction with GAAP measures to assess our performance, including in the preparation of our annual operating budget and quarterly forecasts, to evaluate the effectiveness of our business strategies and to communicate with our board of directors concerning our financial performance. For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, we excluded the impairment of capitalized internal-use software, a non-cash operating expense, from our non-GAAP results as it is not reflective of ongoing operating results. This impairment charge related to certain previously capitalized internal-use software that we determined would no longer be placed into service. Prior period non-GAAP financial measures have not been adjusted to reflect this change as we did not incur impairment of capitalized internal-use software in any prior period presented. Free cash flow: We define free cash flow as cash used in operating activities less additions to property and equipment, which includes capitalized internal-use software costs. We believe free cash flow is a useful indicator of liquidity that provides our management, board of directors and investors with information about our future ability to generate or use cash to enhance the strength of our balance sheet and further invest in our business and pursue potential strategic initiatives. Please see the reconciliation tables at the end of this press release for the reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP results. Key Business Metrics We review a number of operating and financial metrics, including ARR, to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, formulate business plans and make strategic decisions. We define ARR as of a given date as the annualized recurring revenue that we would contractually receive from our customers in the month ending 12 months following such date. Based on historical experience with customers, we assume all contracts will be renewed at the same levels unless we receive notification of non-renewal and are no longer in negotiations prior to the measurement date. For Capella products, ARR in a customer's initial year is calculated as the greater of: (i) initial year contract revenue as described above or (ii) annualized prior 90 days of actual consumption; and ARR for subsequent years is calculated with method (ii). ARR excludes services revenue. Prior to fiscal 2025, ARR excluded on-demand revenue and, for Capella products in a customer's initial year, ARR was calculated solely on the basis of initial year contract revenue. The reason for these changes is to better reflect ARR where usage rates or timing of purchases may be uneven and to better align with how ARR is used to measure the performance of the business. ARR for prior periods has not been adjusted to reflect this change as it is not material to any period previously presented. ARR should be viewed independently of revenue, and does not represent our revenue under GAAP on an annualized basis, as it is an operating metric that can be impacted by contract start and end dates and renewal dates. ARR is not intended to be a replacement for forecasts of revenue. Although we seek to increase ARR as part of our strategy of targeting large enterprise customers, this metric may fluctuate from period to period based on our ability to acquire new customers, expand within our existing customers and consumption dynamics. We believe that ARR is an important indicator of the growth and performance of our business. We also attempt to represent the changes in the underlying business operations by eliminating fluctuations caused by changes in foreign currency exchange rates within the current period. We calculate constant currency growth rates by applying the applicable prior period exchange rates to current period results. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, quotations of management, the section titled "Financial Outlook" above and statements about the expected client demand for and benefits of our offerings, the impact of our recently-released and planned products and services and our market position, strategies and potential market opportunities. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and, in some cases, can be identified by terms such as "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "believe," "continue," "could," "potential," "remain," "may," "might," "will," "would" or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. However, not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including factors beyond our control, which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to: our history of net losses and ability to achieve or maintain profitability in the future; our ability to continue to grow on pace with historical rates; our ability to manage our growth effectively; intense competition and our ability to compete effectively; cost-effectively acquiring new customers or obtaining renewals, upgrades or expansions from our existing customers; the market for our products and services being highly competitive and evolving, and our future success depending on the growth and expansion of this market; our ability to innovate in response to changing customer needs, new technologies or other market requirements, including new capabilities, programs and partnerships and their impact on our customers and our business; our limited operating history, which makes it difficult to predict our future results of operations; the significant fluctuation of our future results of operations and ability to meet the expectations of analysts or investors; our significant reliance on revenue from subscriptions, which may decline and, the recognition of a significant portion of revenue from subscriptions over the term of the relevant subscription period, which means downturns or upturns in sales are not immediately reflected in full in our results of operations; and the impact of geopolitical and macroeconomic factors. Further information on risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from forecasted results are included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that we may file from time to time, including those more fully described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024 . Additional information will be made available in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 31, 2024 that will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which should be read in conjunction with this press release and the financial results included herein. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of this date. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons if actual results differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. The following table presents a reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, for each of the periods indicated (in thousands, unaudited): SOURCE Couchbase, Inc.

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has selected former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be the U.S. ambassador to China, leaning on a former business executive turned politician to serve as the administration’s envoy to one of America’s most potent economic and military adversaries. Trump said in a social media post that Perdue “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.” Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in Republicans’ 2022 primary against Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Perdue pushed Trump’s debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed gubernatorial bid. During his time in the Senate, the former Georgia lawmaker advocated for a more robust naval force to cope with threats, including from China. Before launching his political career, Perdue held a string of top executive positions, including at Sara Lee, Reebok and Dollar General. Economic tensions will be a big part of the U.S.-China picture for the new administration. Trump has threatened to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office, as part of his effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, as one of his first executive orders. The Chinese Embassy in Washington has cautioned that there will be losers on all sides if there is a trade war. It is unclear whether Trump will actually go through with the threats or if he is using them as a negotiating tactic. The tariffs, if implemented, could dramatically raise prices for American consumers on everything from gas to automobiles to agricultural products. The U.S. is the largest importer of goods in the world, with Mexico, China and Canada its top three suppliers, according to the most recent U.S. Census data. Perdue, if confirmed, will also have to negotiate difficult issues that go beyond trade. Washington and Beijing have long had deep differences on the support China has given to Russia during its war in Ukraine, and on human rights issues, technology and Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own. Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a meeting with outgoing President Biden last month that Beijing stood “ready to work with a new U.S. administration.” Xi also warned that a stable China-U.S. relationship was crucial not only to the two nations but to the “future and destiny of humanity.” Trump’s relationship with Xi started out well during his first term, but grew strained over disputes about trade and the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump seems particularly focused on using tariffs as a pressure point with Xi, even threatening he would use them to pressure Beijing to crack down on the production of materials used in making fentanyl in Mexico that is illegally sold in the United States. Trump’s second administration is expected to test U.S.-China relations even more than his first, when the U.S. imposed tariffs on more than $360 billion in Chinese products. That brought Beijing to the negotiating table, and in 2020, the two sides signed a trade deal in which China committed to improving intellectual property rights and buying an additional $200 billion in American goods. A couple of years later, a research group showed that China had bought essentially none of the goods it had promised. Before Trump’s return to power, many American companies, including Nike and eyewear retailer Warby Parker, had been diversifying their sourcing away from China. Shoe brand Steve Madden says it plans to cut imports from China by as much as 45% next year. Long and Madhani write for the Associated Press. AP writer Didi Tang contributed to this report.

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It was always rough to be a woman on Twitter. It’s even worse on X.OTTAWA — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he won't play Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's games by voting to bring down the government on an upcoming non-confidence motion. The Conservatives plan to introduce a motion that quotes Singh's own criticism of the Liberals, and asks the House of Commons to declare that it agrees with Singh and has no confidence in the government. The motion is expected to be introduced on Thursday and the debate and vote are set for Monday. Singh said he is not going to trigger an election when he believes Poilievre would cut programs the NDP fought for. "I'm not going to be playing Pierre Poilievre's games. I have no interest in that. We're frankly not going to allow him to cut the things that people need. I want to actually have dental care expanded, I want people to actually start to benefit from the pharmacare legislation we passed," Singh said. With the NDP's expected support, the Liberals should survive this next confidence vote brought forward by the Conservatives. The Tories have vowed to bring forward non-confidence motions every chance they get. The party will have two more opposition motions after this one, which are expected to continue to call for non-confidence. The NDP are scheduled to have their opposition day on Friday. Earlier on Tuesday, Singh did acknowledge that the Conservatives have a sizeable lead on the NDP in public opinion polls, while giving a campaign-style speech to visiting party staffers from across the country. Most pollsters in Canada have recorded a roughly 20 point lead for the Conservatives over both the Liberals and NDP for the last few months. The non-confidence vote was scheduled after Speaker Greg Fergus intervened to pause a filibuster on a privilege debate about a green technology fund. The Conservatives have said they would only end that debate if the NDP agree to topple the government or if the Liberals turn over unredacted documents at the centre of the parliamentary gridlock. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2024. David Baxter, The Canadian Press

In Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai’s Anuja , resilience in the face of hardship is the central heartbeat. The short film, doubling as both a heartwarming tribute to sisterhood and as a social awareness campaign about the effects of unchecked child labor, focuses on Anuja (Sajda Pathan), a young girl who lives with her older sister, Palak (Ananya Shanbhag), in Delhi, India as they live in poverty working long hours at a garment factory. One day, when a social worker (Gulshan Walia) arrives at the factory to expose the overseer for working Anuja illegally, he proposes that the youngster take part in an exam that will get her into a boarding school to better her chances of escaping her station. The two sisters are then tasked to raise money for the participation fee while Anuja decides the fate of her future. Fresh off of Academy Award voting precursor wins for best live-action short at the HollyShorts Film Festival in Los Angeles and the grand prize winner at the New York International Short Film Festival, the short film has also garnered support from Indian filmmakers Mindy Kaling and Guneet Monga Kapoor . Below, Graves talks to Deadline about his inspirations, working with young actors and raising awareness about the plights of child labor. DEADLINE : You have a varied background, from your PhD in philosophy to your various studies within South Asian culture and language. You also are a teacher. I’m curious how your expertise helped shape you as a filmmaker and come up with the origins of Anuja. ADAM J. GRAVES: I did my undergraduate degree in South Asian studies and wrote a master’s thesis on Abhinavagupta, the 12th-century Kashmir Shaivism philosopher who wrote in the domain of Indian Hindu philosophy known as Tantra. But it’s not [the same as the] new age Tantrism today. His work had very little to do with that. I spent about five or six years of my life going back and forth between India and I studied at Banaras Hindu University. I was always fascinated with Indian culture and literature, especially philosophy. And so, I knew that I wanted to film in India. It’s such a visually beautiful place. The energy and the culture are so rich. My wife is of South Asian descent. She played a large role in shaping this project and inspiring it, quite frankly. Her family’s history is rather complicated. Her ancestors go back to a place called Gorakhpur in northern India. They were brought by the British to Guyana as indentured laborers after the British abolished slavery. They turned to indentured servitude, and because of that family history, we’ve always been interested and concerned with labor issues. So that was the origins of the project, just bringing these two things together, wanting to shoot in India, and also having a concern with labor issues. And we were coming out of the pandemic, and everybody was talking about supply chains. But they were talking about the consumer end of supply chains. And we’re like, “Well, what’s happening on the other end? Not just here, but what’s going on where in terms of the production?” We came across a statistic that one in 10 kids, globally, is engaged in child labor, which was shocking to us because that seemed like an incredibly high number, 160 million kids. And we thought, “Well, how many films, really, can we think of off the top of our head that deal with those kids or with kids living in that context?” And we couldn’t think of that many. So, we thought this would be an interesting way to anchor the story. Let me just say that I feel that it’s an incredible privilege to be able to make film. And if you can, if you have the opportunity, then why not use the lens as a window that you can provide people into another world and provide people an experience that will allow them to empathize with people who don’t maybe have it as well off as some of us. Principally, I feel a film has to be a work of art that speaks to some of the universal aspects of human existence. DEADLINE : While your short film does examine the life of child labor, it also has levity and this balance between resilience and joy amongst the struggle. Anuja has her sister and even strangers who care about her future and safety. Why was it important to add this layer to the film? GRAVES: Two things happened. One, while we were doing research for the film and we were meeting with the children who were either working or formally working, it was just so evident to us, early on, that we had to pay tribute to the joy that these kids were able to find in really difficult circumstances. The kind of energy, creativity, and resilience was palpable when we met with these kids, so we wanted to make sure that we built that into the film and become part of the story. It wasn’t just a doom and gloom story about kids who had it tough, but it was also a story that highlights the resilience and the spirit of these children. Secondly, we wanted to make sure the film was something these kids would enjoy. I mean, they kind of became the audience for us as we were kind of crafting this story. We wanted to make sure that it wasn’t just going to be a film. We knew that we were going to share it with them. And we want it to be a gift to them in some way, something that they would watch and enjoy. And that meant it had to be more than just a dark, dramatic portrait of life in a factory. DEADLINE : You worked with Salaam Baalak Trust, which is also where you ended up finding the lead actress. What was the collaboration process like? GRAVES: It developed organically while we were researching. We were working with a number of nonprofits actually in and around Delhi. And the Salaam Baalak Trust’s mission seemed to resonate with what we were trying to do with the film. I think that has to do with the fact that it’s a nonprofit founded by the director Mira Nair’s family. Mira Nair is a towering figure in global cinema. She’s of Indian origin, but she’s lived in Uganda, New York, and everywhere else. So, I don’t want to say she’s an Indian filmmaker because she’s a person of the world. But she made a movie, Salaam Bombay! , about street children in Bombay, in what is now Mumbai. And after her mother saw the film, she was inspired to start a nonprofit. So, with the help of Mira, they established this organization that provides a home and educational opportunities for street children. Maybe I’m speculating, but I think because a film inspired this nonprofit, that organization recognized that art, especially performing arts, can be a really important vehicle for cultivating a kid’s sense of self-worth and confidence. So, they have a really robust theater program within this orphanage. So, when we were developing the film, they understood right away what we were trying to do. On the other hand, some of the other organizations thought we were trying to make a documentary about them. And because they have a theater program, they had a lot of kids who they wanted to submit. We felt early on that, “OK, we have to try. We know it’s going to be difficult, but we have to try to cast directly from the community.” Then the Salaam Baalak Trust was an organization that was open. Their kids were excited to be featured in a film. So, when we were casting, we looked at self-tapes from all over India, especially a lot from Mumbai and the film industry, kids who already had a film background. But we also received a lot from the Salaam Baalak Trust and from a couple of other nonprofits. They’re also located in the Paharganj, one of two neighborhoods that are up against each other in Old Delhi. I knew I wanted to film there, and one of the factories we filmed was just north of there. The movie theater we wanted to film in was north of there as well. They helped us with everything from locations to research. Ideally, we want to use the film as a tool to raise awareness about child labor, but also, hopefully, gets money for the Salaam Baalak Trust. They do great work. DEADLINE : Talk about casting Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag as sisters. They are so great onscreen. GRAVES: We were so lucky, Sajda. She lives at the Salaam Baalak Trust. But just not long before she was in the film, less than a year before, she was living on the streets with her older sister. She acted before she was cast in Anuja , so I can’t take credit for having discovered her or anything, but her own life experience parallels in really interesting ways that of the character of the film. And that’s pure accident. We didn’t write the script for her. But she was living without parental support on the streets and had an older sister. So, I think partly because she has an older sister, she could connect with Ananya. Ananya has a younger sibling, so when they met, they just immediately clicked. We didn’t do much in the way of rehearsals because, in my very limited experience working with child actors, sometimes the more you rehearse, the less life there is in the performance. And I think that can be true for children actors or adult actors. So, what we did is we tried to get them together. We all stayed in a hotel together, like a motel/hotel down in Paharganj and in close quarters. Sajda was staying with a social worker, and Ananya had her father along on set. We spent every moment of the day together for about three days before we started shooting. We played games, we had ice cream, and we had fun. They enjoyed each other’s company, and just very quickly became super tight. And you could see that. DEADLINE : Mindy Kaling and Guneet Monga Kapoor joined as producers on Anuja . That must have been very affirming. What do you think people are resonating with? GRAVES: These are two of my favorite people in the world, not just because they’re on board. We’ve specifically pursued them because [of what] we saw in them, their own causes, and the kinds of work they do. So, Guneet, for example, The Lunchbox is one of my favorite all-time films, an early feature film she’d worked on. And, of course, The Elephant Whisperers ... she consistently makes incredible work. It meant a lot to us to have such a towering figure within Indian cinema endorse the film and come on board and get behind it. Mindy herself has done so much for raising awareness of and foregrounding stories of women and girls. She’s also a towering figure, not just in the entertainment arts industry world but also among the Indian diaspora community. And so having her vouch for the film and having it resonate with her so much is really important. I think the thing that’s incredibly satisfying for every filmmaker who finds an audience is the sense that it somehow captures something universal, so you don’t have to come from this background to somehow be inspired by it or recognize yourself in it. We were trying to capture something about the universal features of childhood, and I think that’s one of the things that Mindy saw there, and that’s really heartwarming for us to have her on board. So, we’re super flattered, honored, and excited to see where it goes from here. DEADLINE : You’re in the conversation for the Oscars. What’s going through your mind, and what would you like people to consider? GRAVES: The two leads of the film, Sajda and Ananya, are the heart and soul of this project. I think anybody who watches films knows. Our cinematographer, Akash Raje, is incredible. I’m proud of all aspects of the film. But the heart and soul are these two incredibly gifted young actresses who gave us everything they got. And I’m just so proud of the fact that their performances are finally getting an audience, and they’re being seen. And my dream—and this is the thing that I try not to fantasize too much about—is to bring Sajda to the Oscars. I’ll tell you a silly story. When I was flying over for production, I was in LAX. I wanted to bring something for Sajda, a gift for the two actresses. But I was sick right before the trip, so I didn’t have much chance to shop. So, when I got to the airport, I wanted to bring them something from America that would be more interesting to them instead of picking something up at the Indian airport. I went into the gift shop and found a hat and sweater for Ananya, but they didn’t have anything in Sajda’s size because she’s so small. So, I found this Oscar replica statue. Of course, she had no idea what it was at the time when I gave it to her, so we had to explain it to her. But before we shot the film, I have a photo of her with this plastic Oscar, and the fact that we are now in this position talking about the real Oscar is really surreal. [This interview has been edited for length and clarity]Marvell Technology, Inc. Reports Third Quarter of Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results

OTTAWA — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he won't play Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's games by voting to bring down the government on an upcoming non-confidence motion. The Conservatives plan to introduce a motion that quotes Singh's own criticism of the Liberals, and asks the House of Commons to declare that it agrees with Singh and has no confidence in the government. The motion is expected to be introduced on Thursday and the debate and vote are set for Monday. Singh said he is not going to trigger an election when he believes Poilievre would cut programs the NDP fought for. "I'm not going to be playing Pierre Poilievre's games. I have no interest in that. We're frankly not going to allow him to cut the things that people need. I want to actually have dental care expanded, I want people to actually start to benefit from the pharmacare legislation we passed," Singh said. With the NDP's expected support, the Liberals should survive this next confidence vote brought forward by the Conservatives. The Tories have vowed to bring forward non-confidence motions every chance they get. The party will have two more opposition motions after this one, which are expected to continue to call for non-confidence. The NDP are scheduled to have their opposition day on Friday. Earlier on Tuesday, Singh did acknowledge that the Conservatives have a sizeable lead on the NDP in public opinion polls, while giving a campaign-style speech to visiting party staffers from across the country. Most pollsters in Canada have recorded a roughly 20 point lead for the Conservatives over both the Liberals and NDP for the last few months. The non-confidence vote was scheduled after Speaker Greg Fergus intervened to pause a filibuster on a privilege debate about a green technology fund. The Conservatives have said they would only end that debate if the NDP agree to topple the government or if the Liberals turn over unredacted documents at the centre of the parliamentary gridlock. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2024. David Baxter, The Canadian Press

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Greg McGarity had reason to be concerned. The Gator Bowl president kept a watchful eye on College Football Playoff scenarios all season and understood the fallout might affect his postseason matchup in Jacksonville. What if the Southeastern Conference got five teams into the expanded CFP? What if the Atlantic Coast Conference landed three spots? It was a math problem that was impossible to truly answer, even into late November. Four first-round playoff games, which will end with four good teams going home without a bowl game, had the potential to shake up the system. The good news for McGarity and other bowl organizers: Adding quality teams to power leagues — Oregon to the Big Ten, Texas to the SEC and SMU to the ACC — managed to ease much of the handwringing. McGarity and the Gator Bowl ended up with their highest-ranked team, No. 16 Ole Miss, in nearly two decades. "It really didn't lessen our pool much at all," McGarity said. "The SEC bowl pool strengthened with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma. You knew they were going to push traditional SEC teams up or down. Texas ended up pushing just about everyone down." The long waiting game was the latest twist for non-CFP bowls that have become adept at dealing with change. Efforts to match the top teams came and went in the 1990s and first decade of this century before the CFP became the first actual tournament in major college football. It was a four-team invitational — until this year, when the 12-team expanded format meant that four quality teams would not be in the mix for bowl games after they lose next week in the first round. "There's been a lot of things that we've kind of had to roll with," said Scott Ramsey, president of the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee. "I don't think the extra games changed our selection model to much degree. We used to look at the New York's Six before this, and that was 12 teams out of the bowl mix. The 12-team playoff is pretty much the same." Ramsey ended up with No. 23 Missouri against Iowa in his Dec. 30 bowl. A lot of so-called lesser bowl games do have high-profile teams — the ReliaQuest Bowl has No. 11 Alabama vs. Michigan (a rematch of last year's CFP semifinal), Texas A&M and USC will play in the Las Vegas Bowl while No. 14 South Carolina and No. 15 Miami, two CFP bubble teams, ended up in separate bowls in Orlando. "The stress of it is just the fact that the CFP takes that opening weekend," Las Vegas Bowl executive director John Saccenti said. "It kind of condenses the calendar a little bit." Bowl season opens Saturday with the Cricket Celebration Bowl. The first round of the CFP runs Dec. 20-21. It remains to be seen whether non-CFP bowls will see an impact from the new dynamic. They will know more by 2026, with a planned bowl reset looming. It could include CFP expansion from 12 to 14 teams and significant tweaks to the bowl system. More on-campus matchups? More diversity among cities selected to host semifinal and championship games? And would there be a trickle-down effect for everyone else? Demand for non-playoff bowls remains high, according to ESPN, despite increased focus on the expanded CFP and more players choosing to skip season finales to either enter the NCAA transfer portal or begin preparations for the NFL draft. "There's a natural appetite around the holidays for football and bowl games," Kurt Dargis, ESPN's senior director of programming and acquisitions, said at Sports Business Journal's Intercollegiate Athletics Forum last week in Las Vegas. "People still want to watch bowl games, regardless of what's going on with the playoff. ... It's obviously an unknown now with the expanded playoff, but we really feel like it's going to continue." The current bowl format runs through 2025. What lies ahead is anyone's guess. Could sponsors start paying athletes to play in bowl games? Could schools include hefty name, image and likeness incentives for players participating in bowls? Would conferences be willing to dump bowl tie-ins to provide a wider range of potential matchups? Are bowls ready to lean into more edginess like Pop-Tarts has done with its edible mascot? The path forward will be determined primarily by revenue, title sponsors, TV demand and ticket sales. "The one thing I have learned is we're going to serve our partners," Saccenti said. "We're going to be a part of the system that's there, and we're going to try to remain flexible and make sure that we're adjusting to what's going on in the world of postseason college football."Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labeled the suspected arson at a Melbourne synagogue as an act of terror. This comes amid criticism from Israel's PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, who suggested the Labor government's policies fueled the attack. The alleged arson occurred at the Adass Israel synagogue, leaving one injured and significant damage behind. Australia's government, under Albanese since May 2022, has invested A$25 million in enhancing security for Jewish sites and taking measures against hate speech. As police search for suspects, the synagogue fire has highlighted the nation's rising antisemitic incidents against the backdrop of the Israel-Gaza war. While pro-Palestinian protests in Australia remain largely peaceful, authorities worry about potential community tensions. (With inputs from agencies.)

Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy: A Closer Look at Symptoms, Diagnosis and Clinical Research UnderwayA footnote to the excellent article by Timothy Garton Ash ( What if Russia wins in Ukraine? We can already see the shadows of a dark 2025, 21 December ). The so-called rare earths are essential raw materials for advanced electronics industries. China – with the world’s largest economically exploitable reserves – has a major strategic advantage in access to rare earths, underlined by the tight export controls that it has recently imposed. In Europe, it is eastern Ukraine that has the best reserves. To gain and maintain control of Ukraine’s reserves would be a major boost for Russia. A defeat here for Ukraine , enabled by the failure of the west to provide the long-term support that it has promised, would signal to China that it should not be too concerned about western resolve in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Taiwan is a dominant supplier of the advanced electronics, incorporating rare earths, that will continue to be a major determinant of economic success. Ukraine and Taiwan – raw materials, advanced products – are the complementary aspects of a single choice facing the west: whether to surrender leadership of a technology that will help determine economic success, and military strength, well into the 21st century. In this there is no role for shortsighted transactionalism. What is needed is to face up to inhuman autocratic authoritarianism, Chinese as well as Russian, with clear-headed strategic direction and resolve. John E Havard Twickenham, London Timothy Garton Ash’s prophecy of Armageddon if Russia “wins” the war in Ukraine is based on the premise that the US, the UK and Nato in general constitute an altruistic, benign force, wishing nothing but to make the world a better place. It is as if the Vietnam war never happened, Iraq was never invaded and there was no military intervention in Libya. It is a fetching view of geopolitics, but alas with no foundation. If, in 1962, John F Kennedy could find the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba a security threat, why not Russia in 2024 perceiving the expansion of Nato towards its borders as a threat to its national security? It is pure fantasy to think that Russia, a state that’s unable to subdue a country a thirtieth of its size, a third of its population and less than a hundredth of its GDP has the capacity to conquer neighbouring countries. If China , regarded a security danger only a few months ago, can today be courted into to enter into a trade partnership with the UK, then why not Russia now that the war in Ukraine is coming to a natural end? Fawzi Ibrahim London Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.NEW YORK, Nov. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Priority Income Fund, Inc. ("Priority Income Fund” or the "Fund”) announced today that it will redeem all outstanding shares of its 6.250% Series G Term Preferred Stock Due 2026 (CUSIP: 74274W 814; NYSE: PRIF PRG) (the "Series G Preferred Shares”) at a price of $25 per Series G Preferred Share, plus accrued but unpaid dividends per Series G Preferred Share from September 30, 2024, to but excluding, the Redemption Date (the "Redemption Price”). The redemption date will be December 23, 2024 (the "Redemption Date”). On the Redemption Date, the Redemption Price will become due and payable on the Series G Preferred Shares and any dividends shall cease to accumulate on the Series G Preferred Shares that are redeemed from and after such date. Unless the Fund defaults in the payment of the Redemption Price, dividends on the Series G Preferred Shares that are redeemed will cease to accumulate on and after the Redemption Date, and the only remaining right of the holders of the Series G Preferred Shares that are redeemed is to receive payment of the Redemption Price. The Series G Preferred Shares are held through The Depository Trust Company and will be redeemed in accordance with the applicable procedures. This press release does not constitute a notice of redemption under the articles supplementary governing the shares. Following redemption of the Series G Preferred Shares, the Fund will have outstanding shares of 7.00% Series D Term Preferred Stock due 2029 (NYSE: PRIF PRD), 6.625% Series F Term Preferred Stock due 2027 (NYSE: PRIF PRF), 6.000% Series H Term Preferred Stock due 2026 (NYSE: PRIF PRH), 6.125% Series I Term Preferred Stock due 2028 (NYSE: PRIF PRI), 6.000% Series J Term Preferred Stock due 2028 (NYSE: PRIF PRJ), 7.000% Series K Cumulative Preferred Stock (NYSE: PRIF PRK), and 6.375% Series L Term Preferred Stock due 2029 (NYSE: PRIF PRL). About Priority Income Fund Priority Income Fund, Inc. is a registered closed-end fund that was created to acquire and grow an investment portfolio primarily consisting of senior secured loans or pools of senior secured loans known as collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"). Such loans will generally have a floating interest rate and include a first lien on the assets of the respective borrowers, which typically are private and public companies based in the United States. The Fund is managed by Priority Senior Secured Income Management, LLC, which is led by a team of investment professionals from the investment and operations team of Prospect Capital Management L.P. ("Prospect”). For more information, visit https://www.priorityincomefund.com. About Prospect Capital Management L.P. Prospect is an SEC-registered investment adviser headquartered in New York City that, along with its predecessors and affiliates, has 37-years of investing in and managing high-yielding debt and equity investments using both private partnerships and publicly traded closed-end structures. Prospect and its affiliates employ a team of over 150 professionals who focus on credit-oriented investments yielding attractive current income. Prospect, together with its affiliates, has $8.7 billion of assets under management as of September 30, 2024. Prospect is the investment adviser to Prospect Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: PSEC). Additional Information Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the future performance of Priority Income Fund, Inc. Words such as "believes," "expects," "projects," and "future" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any such statements, other than statements of historical fact, are highly likely to be affected by unknowable future events and conditions, including elements of the future that are or are not under the control of Priority Income Fund, Inc. and that Priority Income Fund, Inc. mayor may not have considered; accordingly, such statements cannot be guarantees or assurances of any aspect of future performance. Actual developments and results are highly likely to vary materially from any forward-looking statements. Such statements speak only as of the time when made, and Priority Income Fund, Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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John Magaro On How He Prepared To Tell The Olympics Story That Horrified The World In ‘September 5’RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The very close election for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat heads next to a hand recount even as election officials announced a machine recount of over 5.5 million ballots resulted in no margin change between the candidates. — in which ballots were run again through tabulators — that wrapped up this week showed Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs with a 734-vote lead over Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin, who is a Court of Appeals judge. Most county election boards reported minor vote changes from the machine recount requested by Griffin. But State Board of Elections data showed the post-recount lead as what Riggs held after all 100 counties fully completed their ballot canvass in November. Griffin led Riggs by about 10,000 votes on election night, and flipped to Riggs as tens of thousands of qualifying provisional and absentee ballots were added to the totals through the canvass. Griffin, who already has pending election protests challenging the validity of more than 60,000 ballots counted statewide, has asked for a partial hand-to-eye recount, which county boards will start Wednesday or Thursday. The partial hand recount applies to ballots in 3% of the voting sites in all 100 counties, chosen at random Tuesday by the state board. Once the partial recount is complete, a statewide hand recount would be ordered if the sample results differ enough from the machine recount that the result would be reversed if the difference were extrapolated to all ballots. Riggs, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2023 and now seeks an eight-year term, again claimed victory Tuesday. In a campaign news release, spokesperson Embry Owen said Griffin “needs to immediately concede – losing candidates must respect the will of voters and not needlessly waste state resources.” Riggs is one of two Democrats on the seven-member court. Through attorneys, Griffin has challenged ballots that he says may not qualify for several reasons and cast doubt on the election result. Among them: voter registration records of some voters casting ballots lack driver's license or partial Social Security numbers, and overseas voters never living in North Carolina may run afoul of state residency requirements. State and county boards are considering the protests. Griffin's attorneys on Monday asked the state board to accelerate the matters before it and make a final ruling early next week. "Our priority remains ensuring that every legal vote is counted and that the public can trust the integrity of this election,” state Republican Party spokesperson Matt Mercer said in a news release. Final rulings by the state board can be appealed to state court. Joining Griffin in protests are three Republican legislative candidates who still trailed narrowly in their respective races after the machine recounts. The Supreme Court race and two of these three legislative races have not been called by The Associated Press. The key pending legislative race is for a House seat covering Granville County and parts of Vance County. Republican Rep. Frank Sossamon trails Democratic challenger Bryan Cohn by 228 votes, down from 233 votes before the recount. Sossamon also asked for a partial hard recount in his race, which was to begin Tuesday. Should Cohn win, Republicans will fall one seat short of the 72 needed in the 120-member House to retain its veto-proof majority — giving more Senate Republicans already have won 30 of the 50 seats needed to retain its supermajority in their chamber. The AP on Tuesday did call another legislative race not subject to a protest, as Mecklenburg County GOP Rep. Tricia Cotham won her reelection bid over Democrat Nicole Sidman. A machine recount showed Cotham ahead of Sidman by 213 votes, compared to 216 after the county canvass. Cotham’s to the Republicans in April 2023 secured the Republicans' 72-seat veto-proof majority so that Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes could be overridden by relying solely on GOP lawmakers.

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How to maximise your EV's range In the last few years, we have all witnessed electric vehicles (EVs) leap into a sustainable environment, promoting green transportation and helping businesses flourish. Looking at the rising demand for EVs in the market, it is important to keep a few things in mind to better maintain the vehicle maintenance and also increase its longevity. In this article, let’s delve into some key tips and tricks to help people maximize their EV range in the long term. Timely charging: As we all know, the battery is the heart of an electric vehicle, so charging the battery on a regular basis is the primary tip for every vehicle owner. It's always advisable to avoid reaching the extreme, i.e., 0% or 100% charging, as it can impact the health of the battery. Owners can charge the graphene and lithium-ion batteries between 20% and 80% to extend the lifespan of the batteries. Balanced and timely charging plays a vital role in increasing the life and capacity of EV batteries. Use regenerative braking wisely: In EVs, there's a special feature called regenerative braking; it's a key feature that turns the kinetic energy into electrical energy when brakes are applied and amplifies the battery range at the same time. However, using regenerative braking wisely is important while driving; owners can use regenerative braking in the city or in heavy traffic. Unnecessary usage of regenerative braking can impact the battery life in the long run. Plan the routes wisely: While using the EVs, choosing routes with fewer slopes is always recommended, and avoid using crowded places. Moreover, for longer distances, people can schedule the charging stops in advance, which helps them become aware of the charging stations during their route and allows them to enjoy a smooth ride during their journey. Understanding the effect of temperature on battery life: Temperature plays a vital role in extending or reducing the battery life of an electric vehicle. People should take several preventive measures to save the vehicle's battery from the effects of temperature. Both extreme cold and hot weather conditions can shorten the EVs' range. To optimize the battery's life, it's advisable to park the vehicle in a garage or shady place. Moreover, to maintain the vehicle's interior temperature and save battery life while driving, owners need to precondition the vehicle while it's still plugged in. Maintain a steady speed of the vehicle: While driving the EVs, it's important to keep the speed of the vehicle constant. Maintaining a steady speed increases the vehicle's range by reducing the load on the battery, which automatically maximizes the battery life in the long run. A gentle driving habit expands the battery's life, conserves the environment, and avoids road mishaps or accidents. Usage of updated software: As we all know, technology has been upgrading at a rapid rate; even in EVs, technology is progressing significantly, and vehicle owners need to adapt to it on a regular basis. Updating software constantly helps guarantee that the vehicle runs with the newest enhancements and optimizations. The above-mentioned tips and tricks are important for EVs to maintain their lifespan. These are a few major precautions and measures owners should consider while driving EVs. These measures will increase the vehicle's longevity and take one more step towards a sustainable and greener environment. (This article is authored by Gunjan Malhotra, Co-Founder, Komaki Electric)WASHINGTON — The stunning overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad by Islamist rebels half a century after his family took power raises an old question when it comes to regime change in the Middle East: Will the new governing forces behave any better than those that have been deposed? “The Assad regime has fallen ,” President Biden declared Sunday from the White House. “It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria.” “It’s also a moment of risk and uncertainty, as we all turn to the question of what comes next,” Biden said. In a matter of weeks , the rebels achieved what the United Nations, the U.S. and other Western powers long tried but failed to do. The Russian government announced late Sunday local time that Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow and were being given asylum, Russian state news agencies reported. Decades of brutal rule by Assad has left Syria fragmented ethnically, religiously and politically. The victorious insurgency is also divided. The leading group, Hayat Tahrir al Sham, known as HTS, traces its roots to the terror organizations Islamic State and Al Qaeda but claims to have reformed. Long concerned about HTS taking power, Washington continues to designate it a terrorist group, which will complicate any dealings with it. The rebel victory also scrambles regional relations. It deals a major setback to Assad’s allies Iran and Russia while boosting Turkey, which backed the HTS and will probably be Washington’s main conduit to Syria’s new leaders. The U.S. backed a different rebel group, the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, a Kurdish militia that helped defeat Islamic State but that Turkey considers a terrorist group. Clashes between the SDF and Turkish-backed factions were already being reported on Sunday. Israel, meanwhile, is glad to see the departures of an Iran-backed Assad but not exactly thrilled at having Islamist leaders next door. The country was already bolstering a buffer zone along the border between the Israel-controlled Golan Heights and Syria and joined in the bombing of a small number of sites inside Syria. By any measure, the immediate future of Syria will be an unstable and potentially violent melange of competing groups, intense jockeying for power and settling of scores. Among worst-case scenarios are a deepening civil war or the conversion of the once-wealthy and now devastated country into a haven for militants such as the Islamic State. After 24 hours monitoring what the White House called the “extraordinary” developments in Syria, Biden convened his National Security Council Sunday for updates and planning before speaking to the American public. “We will remain vigilant,” Biden said, pledging to keep militants at bay and “do whatever we can to support” the Syrian people “to help restore Syria after more than a decade of war and a generation of brutality from the Assad family.” By contrast, Donald Trump, who becomes president in about six weeks, said on his social media platform that the U.S. should “stay out of it.” “This is not our fight,” he said. Similarly, as president in 2019, he declared that “someone else should fight” in Syria and in a much-criticized move ordered the withdrawal of most U.S. troops posted there, clearing the way for Turkey to move in and attack the United States’ Kurdish allies. Several hundred U.S. troops remain in Syria, officially to counter any resurgence by Islamic State. There are other looming issues, however, that might demand a U.S. role, officials said. Syria will need huge amounts of humanitarian aid, especially if some of the millions of citizens who fled as refugees during the last decade of war begin to return to the ruins of their former homes. Also, critically, U.S. officials expressed concern about Assad’s large stockpiles of armament, including missiles and chemical weapons, that could end up in the hands of the rebels. Assad notoriously used chemical weapons on his own people to put down rebellion and dissent. Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, voiced support for Assad after a 2017 visit to Syria. She said she doubted U.S. intelligence reports that he had used chemical weapons inside his country. For many ordinary Syrians, however, the principal concern is how minorities will be treated. Some, like the Alawite Shiite Muslim faction to which Assad’s family belonged, as well as some Kurds and Christians, are seen as having colluded with the regime. Most of the rebels are Sunni Muslims. The first government to congratulate the opposition victory in Syria was Afghanistan’s radically conservative and repressive Islamic Taliban. Ahmed Sharaa, the bearded commander of HTS, has sought to portray the group as a reformed and more moderate faction than its past associations suggest. He has preached tolerance and pluralism, although his rule over Syria’s Idlib province where HTS has held sway only displayed the most minimal version of such policies. Christians, for example, have been allowed to attend church. “These sects have co-existed in the region for hundreds of years,” he told CNN in an interview last week as the rebels were advancing toward Damascus. “No one has the right to erase another group.” He promised a “transition to a state of governance and institutions” and even suggested HTS could disband having achieved its military victory. That would be a very unusual transition in the Middle East, where players who gain power tend to hold on to it. The Assad regime began in 1970 with Bashar’s father Hafez. With an insidious intelligence service, routine imprisonment and torture of dissidents and iron-fist control of media and public speech, the Assads maintained a ferocious and violent control of the Syrian population. The Arab Spring protests of 2011 led to a brutal crackdown and eventually a civil war that killed an estimated 500,000 people. Assad remained in power with military help from Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed political and military faction based in Lebanon. Over the last year or so, those three allies all lost their ability to defend him. Russia is overextended in its nearly three years of war in Ukraine. Iran has been battered by Israel from outside and dissent and economic turmoil on the inside. And Hezbollah has been vastly weakened by Israeli assassinations and bombardments. It is expected that Syria’s new leaders will close the Russian air base and port on the Mediterranean coast. Iran has lost a large portion if not all of its land and air routes to Lebanon and Hezbollah , its proxy there. In his speech Sunday, Biden claimed some credit for the recent turn of events in Syria, as uncertain as its future may be. “Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East through this combination of support for our partners, sanctions, diplomacy and targeted military force when necessary,” he said.

Meet the Construction Stock That's Quietly Crushing the Market (And Sees More Growth Ahead in 2025)CHICAGO (AP) — Sam Darnold threw for 90 of his 330 yards in overtime to set up , and the Minnesota Vikings outlasted the Chicago Bears 30-27 on Sunday after giving up 11 points in the final 22 seconds of regulation. Darnold threw two touchdown passes, Jordan Addison caught eight passes for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown, and T.J. Hockenson had 114 yards receiving for the Vikings (9-2), who remained one game behind Detroit in the rugged NFC North. Caleb Williams threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears (4-7), who lost their fifth straight and fell to 5-18 in one-possession games under coach Matt Eberflus, who is 14-31 in 2 1/2 seasons. Minnesota appeared to have the game in hand, leading 27-16 with 1:56 left after Romo kicked a 26-yard field goal. But the Bears weren’t finished. Deandre Carter made up for that led to a touchdown in the third quarter with a 55-yard kickoff return to the 40. Williams took it from there, capping an eight-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Allen. A 2-point conversion pass to DJ Moore made it 27-24 with 22 seconds remaining. The Bears recovered the onside kick and Williams hit Moore over the middle for a 27-yard gain to the 30 before spiking the ball. Cairo Santos made a 48-yard field goal as time expired. Chicago won the coin toss, but Williams was sacked for a 12-yard loss on second down, leading to a three-and-out. The Vikings took over at the 21, and Darnold led a 10-play drive, overcoming a sack and two penalties. Darnold connected with Hockenson for a 29-yard completion that put the ball on the 9. He took a knee and then Romo nailed the winner. Darnold surpassed his previous season high of 19 touchdown passes with a 2-yarder to Addison on the first play of the second quarter, and he made it 14-7 with a 5-yard score to Jalen Nailor late in the first half. He completed 22 of 34 passes. Aaron Jones ran for 106 yards and a score for the VIkings. Williams was 32 of 47 with a 103.1 passer rating in his second straight solid performance since Thomas Brown replaced the fired Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator. Moore caught seven passes for 106 yards and a touchdown, and Allen added 86 yards receiving and the late TD. Vikings: LB Ivan Pace Jr. (hamstring) and LT Cam Robinson (foot) left in the first quarter. ... Darnold missed two plays after he was hit by Gervon Dexter Sr. on a pass play with about 6 1/2 minutes. Vikings: Host Arizona next Sunday. Bears: Visit Detroit on Thanksgiving. AP NFL:

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The Midwest is in for a cold, costly winter if President-elect Donald Trump succeeds in imposing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico. The U.S. buys nearly all the crude oil that Canada produces, but no region depends on those imports more heavily than the Midwest, which gets more than 60% of its oil from Canada. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, the site of two major transnational pipelines, that figure is closer to 80%. At roughly 2.3 million barrels a day, the Midwest uses more Canadian crude than the rest of the U.S. combined. So it’s going to come as a shock when Republicans across the region – where victories in Wisconsin and Michigan helped propel Trump back to the White House – discover that one of his first official acts will have been to start a trade war that could send energy prices soaring. Trump said he will impose the tariffs on Inauguration Day unless the two countries curtail drug trafficking and illegal immigration at U.S. borders. As bad as that would be for the former “blue wall” states, it would be even worse for Canada. The U.S. is Canada’s most important trade partner, accounting for two-thirds of all Canadian trade. The U.S. is also Canada’s largest investor. The two nations’ economies are so intricately linked that in 2023, $3.6 billion of goods and services flowed across their borders daily. So after a series of urgent phone calls, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sprinted south for a visit to Mar-a-Lago to try to reach common ground. For his trouble, Trudeau found himself the object of ridicule. After warning the incoming president that the tariffs could wreck both countries’ economies, Trump reportedly joked that if Canada could not survive without “ripping off” the U.S., perhaps it should become the 51st state, with Trudeau as its governor. Trudeau was said to have laughed, nervously. Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who accompanied Trudeau, later told reporters in Ottawa that “the president was teasing us. It was ... in no way a serious comment.” Trudeau later said he and Trump had a productive meeting and even thanked Trump for the dinner. Trump undoubtedly was joking – at Trudeau’s expense – but he was also sending a serious message: He does not consider this a partnership of equals. He was serving notice that he is back, with all the brash aggression and seat-of-the-pants governing that marked his first term. Trudeau now is left to wonder whether he can even salvage the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that has guided mostly duty-free trade among the three countries since it was signed in 2020. Trump’s pledge to start tariffs on the first day of his presidency would appear to violate the terms of the agreement and could be a precursor to Trump attempting to renegotiate the deal. Trump’s stock-in-trade is creating chaos. It is his go-to move for gaining the upper hand in any situation: Do the unexpected. Be unpredictable. Go big. So why not threaten our closest trading partners with punitive tariffs that would wound their economies – and ours? Whatever concessions he wrings out of our partners will be declared “huge” victories. And it’s not just about the cost of oil. The tariffs would also increase the price of fruit and vegetables; the cost of natural gas; and hurt the U.S. auto sector. Michigan depends heavily on USMCA for its automotive industry. Most vehicles pass several times through the three countries, even if the final assembly is done in the U.S. Trump knows the stakes. Whether he lets on or not, he understands the concept of tariffs and their limitations. The Tax Foundation found that Trump’s first-term tariffs – many of which continued under President Joe Biden – “raised prices and reduced output and employment, producing a negative impact on the U.S. economy.” So what is Trump’s end game? On the campaign trail, Trump portrayed tariffs as a powerful cure-all that could generate enough revenue to cut taxes, bring down the deficit, pay for other programs, drive manufacturing back to the U.S., and wring concessions from foreign leaders – all at little to no cost for American consumers. Since being elected, he talks less of the huge revenues – which could only result from permanent tariffs – and seems to have settled on tariffs as a way to force foreign countries to bend to his will. His threat to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico puts the onus on those countries to reduce drug trafficking and illegal immigration at U.S. borders. It also makes them handy scapegoats should they fail to do so. The terms of success have been left undefined – another Trump tactic to keep everyone guessing. In the meantime, Midwesterners could start the Trump years by paying more to fill their gas tanks, heat their homes and fill their refrigerators. That can hardly be the outcome they expected when so many of them threw their lot in with Trump. Patricia Lopez is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. She is a former member of the editorial board at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, where she also worked as a senior political editor and reporter.If you watch a lot of football – and if you're reading this, we're going to assume you do — the Eagles 36-33 Week 16 loss to the Commanders was a weird one. A ton of key and sloppy penalties, five Commanders turnovers, an ejection and a ton of injuries made this a slugfest. Jayden Daniels' fifth touchdown pass with just six seconds left put them ahead for the first time, and for good in a dramatic finish to drop the Eagles to 12-3 on the year, the first loss in months. It would be a stretch to think that some of the unusual things we saw in this one, like three-plus quarters of football from Kenny Pickett, 15 targets for A.J. Brown or a defense that was missing C.J. Gardner-Johnson due to two unsportsmanlike penalties, would be predictive of what happens for the Eagles next week or in the playoffs. But there were two undeniable stocks that went haywire in this one. As we do each week, a look at something to feel great about, and something to lose sleep over: Stock up: Saquon Barkley's hunt for the rushing record 📈 After a game against the Steelers that highlighted the passing game, and relegated Saquon Barkley to an afterthought with just 65 yards rushing, the back got back on pace in the chase for a new single-season NFL rushing yards record Sunday afternoon. The run game was emphasized early, as Barkely contributed 37 yards on the ground on Philly's opening drive including a touchdown — the first opening drive TD of the season for Philadelphia. Later in the first half, after a Washington touchdown (making good on an interception), Barkley got to the outside, and then hit his top speed for a 68-yard score: SAQUON BARKLEY IS GONE. 68-YARD TD. 📺: #PHIvsWAS on FOX 📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/lhBWLZclYZ Barkley was understandably stuffed a lot more in the second half with Washington able to focus on him instead of Hurts, who would leave with a concussion (more on that in a bit), but he still finished Week 16's contest with 150 yards and two scores. He needs 267 yards over the last two games of the season to set a new NFL record, 134 per game. He's averaged 123 per game this season so far. The Eagles also only needed 14 and a half games to set a new franchise record for rushing yards: Philadelphia has set a team single-season franchise record for rushing yards, breaking the previous mark established by the 2021 Eagles (2,715). Stock down: Jalen Hurts (and Kenny Pickett) 📉 Let's start by saying that, there's a way to look at Sunday's game and say that Hurts' stock has never been higher — comparing him to the Eagles' alternatives at least. The Eagles QB1 looked fine when he played Sunday — for all of 12 plays — running three times for 41 yards and completing one pass in the first quarter. But on his final run of the game he did not go down for a slide (as he often does) and was knocked out of the game with a head injury. By no means was getting hit in the head the fault of Hurts. He is known for his toughness and he put on his helmet, walked onto the field and tried to enter the game after a few Kenny Pickett snaps. But Hurts was called back to the medical tent a second time and was escorted into the locker room just as Pickett was hooking up with A.J. Brown for a touchdown to put the Eagles up 14-0. As was probably expected, Pickett had a very uneven performance. He looked poised in the pocket and found several open receivers in key spots — but also threw a bad pick and had a handful of throws that were badly timed or missed the target. He did enough to win (thanks mostly to Barkley and the defense), but he doesn't seem to have the same Nick Foles ability as a back up that fans might be hoping for in that spot. With Sunday's loss, the Eagles need to win one of their last two games to clinch the NFC East but if they do so they'll be locked into the 2-seed in the conference. The question will be whether the Eagles are able to win against the Cowboys or Giants without Hurts, allowing him to rest until the playoffs, or if they'll need him to play to clinch their spot with just two games remaining. It will be an interesting week and Hurts' status will be mandatory to follow closely over Christmastime. Follow Evan on Twitter: @evan_macy Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports

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There was a lower turnout than expected, with 142 million voters compared to 158 million in 2020. This approximate 10 percent drop signified that neither candidate—former President Republican Donald Trump nor Vice President Democrat Kamala Harris—was appealing to a significant portion of the electorate. The election for the United States president, some Senate seats, and the House of Representatives took place on 5 November 2024. Turn-out There was a lower turnout than expected, with 142 million voters compared to 158 million in 2020. This approximate 10 percent drop signified that neither candidate—former President Republican Donald Trump nor Vice President Democrat Kamala Harris—was appealing to a significant portion of the electorate. The sentiment that politicians did not care about the concerns of working-class people was also a factor. This adversely affected Harris, who was hoping for a strong turnout, especially from minorities and women, but that did not materialise. President Joe Biden’s approval rating was in the low 40s going into the election, and Harris found herself tethered to him. Republican dissidents, even if opposed to Trump on issues like the peaceful transfer of power and the attack on Congress on 6 January 2021, were not going to vote for Harris. On the other hand, Harris’ supporters were more anti-Trump than enthusiastic about her. She clearly defined her position on abortion but failed to define herself on most other issues. There were also indications that many voters switched sides from known loyalties, with at least 50 percent of defections going to Trump, mainly from the same demographics as in 2016. The mainstream media, which was heavily inclined to liberalism, misjudged the situation, while platforms like X and podcasts provided more accurate insights. Economy The key issues for voters were the economy, immigration, democracy, the rejection of elites, and the unpopularity of outgoing President Biden. These were identifiable concerns, along with a desire for change. Lower middle-class and working-class families, especially those with children, felt threatened by rising household costs. This led to major political realignments, resulting in the biggest Republican sweep since the 1980s and 1990s. The Republican Party was seen as the party of progress, working-class interests, strong borders, and technical innovation. Incumbency, therefore, proved to be a negative factor for Harris. The widely held belief was that the GDP growth over the last two quarters before the election would be a decisive factor, but this proved to be wrong. The anxiety felt by the middle and lower classes was not assuaged by the GDP index. Democracy Harris stressed the threat to democracy posed by Trump, a message that resonated with some voters. However, Trump also engaged with the issue. The problem lay in the different ways both sides defined democracy. For Democrats, the threat was Trump’s attack on civil liberties and electoral fraud. For Republicans, it was related to crime on the streets, with democracy seen as an abstract concept primarily for the wealthy. The disconnect between democracy and daily life made the theoretical questions about democracy irrelevant for much of the public. Democracy and equality for all people were seen as a threat by many white voters who were concerned about immigration and demographic changes. They were willing to sacrifice democracy in favour of self-interest, which allowed Trump to neutralise his weaknesses on the question of democracy. Harris compounded the problem by ill-advisedly labelling Trump as a “fascist,” a term that alienated voters. She should have instead explained what Trump had done in 2020 and 2021 in refusing to accept the election result. The prosecution of Trump supporters after the Capitol invasion and the cases brought against Trump himself were seen as politicising the courts and persecuting political opponents. This allowed Trump to deflect the intensity of the arguments against him. Demographics There appears to be a larger race gap than a gender gap in US politics. It seems unlikely that women were necessarily inclined to Harris and the Democrats. White women, in particular, voted for Trump in similar numbers to 2016. Female education also played a role, with white women holding college degrees tending to vote for Trump, even though their share in the overall electorate has declined. Trump also appealed to young voters aged 18-25, a group that voted in large numbers, surprising many analysts. Latinos and African Americans swung towards Trump, though not as markedly as during Barack Obama’s campaigns. In fact, Trump gained across all demographics, which made the outcome clear by midnight on election day, despite the US’s three-time zones. The new trans-racial working-class coalition is likely to influence Republican policy moving forward. Culling the Bureaucracy Both parties have long wished to scale down the civil service and install their own loyalists in key government positions. However, this issue has been complex and has defied a clear solution. The current system is seen as untenable, with too many civil servants being non-experts and many working from home, leaving office buildings in Washington DC virtually empty yet still funded by the federal government. Trump, like his predecessors, wants to reduce the size and cost of the bureaucracy. He proposes to trim the career government service, though many bureaucrats are legally protected from dismissal. Polarization The United States remains a deeply polarized country, in desperate need of healing leadership to achieve its goal of providing unified global leadership. This has been made more difficult by Biden, who failed to unify the country, and by the emergence of a new, different multi-racial working-class coalition. Trump, as a disruptor, is unlikely to offer the compassion and compromise needed. His abrasive rhetoric, which has made him well-known, is far from the tone required to mollify the public and drive any major issues. Bi-partisan coalitions are unlikely, and working amicably with state governors is not a hallmark of Trump’s leadership style. Policies With control of the White House, Senate, the House of Representatives (though barely), and the Supreme Court, the Republicans now have a mandate to implement policies related to the economy, immigration, and focus on programmes for the working class, which could lead to realignments within the Republican Party. Trump is expected to govern with a strong hand, emphasising his presidential prerogatives. However, it remains to be seen how the party will address issues like tariffs and the national debt, which currently stands at $35 trillion. Divisions may also emerge on matters like Social Security and Medicare, though tax cuts and deficits are unlikely to be problematic, as they were during Trump’s first term. Deporting undocumented immigrants, which could number around 13 million, is expected to be an expensive, divisive, and inhumane initiative, but it remains a major Trump objective. Foreign Affairs Foreign policy is expected to take a more introspective turn under Trump. While Biden had pushed financial, military, and other resources towards Ukraine, this will likely be severely restrained under the new administration. A free hand will be given to Israel, but a drawn-out campaign against Palestinians and Lebanon is not expected. Regarding US participation in international organisations like the Paris Climate Change Accord, NATO, and the G-7, some Republicans are internationalists at heart, and there may be resistance to any US withdrawal. Trump’s Team Trump’s early choices for his administration appear to prioritise loyalty over expertise. With a majority in the Senate, the confirmation process will be smoother, but, as with Trump’s first term, many of these appointments may be dropped or resigned within the first year. Click for more latest World news . Also get top headlines and latest news from India and around the world at News9. The author is a former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh and has served as a foreign secretary in the Government of India.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes got back to climbing on Wednesday after the latest update on inflation appeared to clear the way for more help for the economy from the Federal Reserve . The S&P 500 rose 0.8% to break its first two-day losing streak in nearly a month and finished just short of its all-time high. Big Tech stocks led the way, which drove the Nasdaq composite up 1.8% to top the 20,000 level for the first time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, meanwhile, lagged the market with a dip of 99 points, or 0.2%. Stocks got a boost as expectations built that Wednesday’s inflation data will allow the Fed to deliver another cut to interest rates at its meeting next week. Traders are betting on a nearly 99% probability of that, according to data from CME Group, up from 89% a day before. If they’re correct, it would be a third straight cut by the Fed after it began lowering rates in September from a two-decade high. It’s hoping to support a slowing job market after getting inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. Lower rates would give a boost to the economy and to prices for investments, but they could also provide more fuel for inflation. “The data have given the Fed the ‘all clear’ for next week, and today’s inflation data keep a January cut in active discussion,” according to Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. Expectations for a series of cuts to rates by the Fed have been one of the main reasons the S&P 500 has set an all-time high 57 times this year , with the latest coming last week. The biggest boosts for the index on Wednesday came from Nvidia and other Big Tech stocks. Their massive growth has made them Wall Street’s biggest stars for years, though other kinds of stocks have recently been catching up somewhat amid hopes for the broader U.S. economy. Tesla jumped 5.9% to finish above $420 at $424.77. It’s a level that Elon Musk made famous in a 2018 tweet when he said he had secured funding to take Tesla private at $420 per share . Stitch Fix soared 44.3% after the company that sends clothes to your door reported a smaller loss for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It also gave financial forecasts for the current quarter that were better than expected, including for revenue. GE Vernova rallied 5% for one of the biggest gains in the S&P 500. The energy company that spun out of General Electric said it would pay a 25 cent dividend every three months, and it approved a plan to send up to another $6 billion to its shareholders by buying back its own stock. On the losing end of Wall Street, Dave & Buster’s Entertainment tumbled 20.1% after reporting a worse loss for the latest quarter than expected. It also said CEO Chris Morris has resigned, and the board has been working with an executive-search firm for the last few months to find its next permanent leader. Albertsons fell 1.5% after filing a lawsuit against Kroger, saying it didn’t do enough for their proposed $24.6 billion merger agreement to win regulatory clearance. Albertsons said it’s seeking billions of dollars in damages from Kroger, whose stock rose 1%. A day earlier, judges in separate cases in Oregon and Washington nixed the supermarket giants’ merger. The grocers contended a combination could have helped them compete with big retailers like Walmart, Costco and Amazon, but critics said it would hurt competition. After terminating the merger agreement with Kroger, Albertsons said it plans to boost its dividend 25% and increased the size of its program to buy back its own stock. Macy’s slipped 0.8% after cutting some of its financial forecasts for the full year of 2024, including for how much profit it expects to make off each $1 of revenue. All told, the S&P 500 rose 49.28 points to 6,084.19. The Dow dipped 99.27 to 44,148.56, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 347.65 to 20,034.89. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.27% from 4.23% late Tuesday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for the Fed, edged up to 4.15% from 4.14%. In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across much of Europe and Asia. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was an outlier and slipped 0.8% as Chinese leaders convened an annual planning meeting in Beijing that is expected to set economic policies and growth targets for the coming year. South Korea’s Kospi rose 1%, up for a second straight day as it climbs back following last week’s political turmoil where its president briefly declared martial law. AP Writers Matt Ott and Zimo Zhong contributed./NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE U.S. OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRES/ CALGARY, AB , Nov. 26, 2024 /CNW/ - Highwood Asset Management Ltd. (" Highwood " or the " Company ") HAM is pleased to announce early repayment of Promissory Note issued in conjunction with the acquisition of Boulder Energy Ltd. in August 2023 and update to the 2025 capital program. Promissory Note Repayment The Promissory Note, originally issued on August 3, 2023 was set to mature on July 1, 2025 ‎with equal payments of $3.5 million each ‎on ‎January 1, 2025, April 1, 2025 ‎and July 1, 2025 , with the ‎outstanding principal (if any) due in full on maturity‎. The Promissory Note bore ‎interest at 13% per annum payable ‎‎quarterly. On November 26, 2024 , Highwood paid the full outstanding principal balance and accrued interest of approximately $10.7 million . Repayment of the Promissory Note will have a positive impact on interest expense with credit facility bearing interest currently at approximately 8% per annum, compared to the 13% per annum bore by the Promissory Note. Furthermore, the early repayment will create additional financial flexibility for Highwood. 2025 Capital Update Highwood recently announced a planned 2025 capital expenditure program of $60 -65 million. Due to operational efficiencies and availability of required equipment, Highwood plans to spud the first drill of the 2025 program in December of 2024, which will be Highwood's second well within the Basal Belly River horizon at Brazeau. Highwood is encouraged with the early results from the first well drilled in the Basal Belly River horizon at Brazeau, which has been onstream for approximately 90 days and is currently producing in excess of 400 bbls/d of light oil. The Company anticipates costs of approximately $3 million will be incurred in 2024, instead of 2025. Deferred Share Units Grant The Company has granted 20,000 Deferred Share Units (" DSUs ") to non-management directors. All DSUs ‎were granted pursuant to the Company's share based compensation plan and are subject to the terms of the applicable grant ‎agreements and the requirements of the TSX Venture Exchange (" TSXV ").‎ The DSUs shall ‎vest on the first anniversary date of grant. The DSUs are subject to TSXV acceptance.‎ The Company relied on exemptions provided for by Multilateral Instrument 61-101 for the grant of DSUs to the directors ‎of ‎the Company.‎ ADVISORIES Forward-Looking Information Certain information contained in the press release may constitute forward-looking statements and information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation that involve known and unknown risks, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words like "anticipates", "estimates", "expects", "indicates", "intends", "may", "could" "should", "would", "plans", "target", "scheduled", "projects", "outlook", "proposed", "potential", "will", "seek" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements regarding, among other things: the 2025 Capital Update; Highwood's business, strategy, objectives, strengths and focus; the Company's drilling plans and expectations; and the performance and other characteristics of the Company's properties and expected results from its assets. Such statements reflect the current views of management of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. With respect to forward-looking statements contained in this press release, the Company has made assumptions regarding, among other things: that commodity prices will be consistent with the current forecasts of its engineers; field netbacks; the accuracy of reserves ‎estimates; average production rates; costs to drill, complete and tie-in wells; ultimate recovery of reserves; that royalty ‎regimes will not be subject to material modification;‎ future exchange and interest rates; supply of and demand for commodities; inflation; the availability of capital on satisfactory terms; the availability and price of labour and materials; the impact of increasing competition; conditions in general economic and financial markets; that the Company will be able to access capital, including debt, on acceptable terms; the receipt and timing of regulatory, exchange and other required approvals; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies and complete future acquisitions; the Company's long term business strategy; and effects of regulation by governmental agencies. Factors that could cause actual results to vary from forward-looking statements or may affect the operations, performance, development and results of the Company's businesses include, among other things: assumptions concerning operational reliability; risks inherent in the Company's future operations; the Company's ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to meet its future obligations; increases in maintenance, operating or financing costs; the realization of the anticipated benefits of future acquisitions, if any; the availability and price of labour, equipment and materials; competitive factors, including competition from third parties in the areas in which the Company intends to operate, pricing pressures and supply and demand in the oil and gas industry; fluctuations in currency and interest rates; inflation; risks of war, hostilities, civil insurrection, pandemics, political and economic instability overseas and its effect on commodity pricing and the oil and gas industry (including ongoing military actions between Russia and Ukraine and the crisis in Israel and Gaza ); severe weather conditions and risks related to climate change, such as fire, drought and flooding; terrorist threats; risks associated with technology; changes in laws and regulations, including environmental, regulatory and taxation laws, and the interpretation of such changes to the management team's future business; availability of adequate levels of insurance; difficulty in obtaining necessary regulatory approvals and the maintenance of such approvals; general economic and business conditions and markets; and such other similar risks and uncertainties. The impact of any one assumption, risk, uncertainty or other factor on a forward-looking statement cannot be determined with certainty, as these are interdependent and the Company's future course of action depends on the assessment of all information available at the relevant time. For additional risk factors relating to Highwood, please refer to the Company's annual information form and management discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023 , as well as the Company's management discussion and analysis for the period ended September 30, 2024 , which are available on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca . The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the parties do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. Short Term Results. References in this press release to production test rates, and other short-term production rates that are useful in confirming the presence of hydrocarbons; however, such rates are not determinative of the rates at which such wells will commence production and decline thereafter and are not indicative of long term performance or of ultimate recovery. While encouraging, readers are cautioned not to place reliance on such rates in calculating the aggregate production for Highwood. Accordingly, the Company cautions that the test results should be considered to be preliminary. FOFI Disclosure. This press release contains future-oriented financial information and financial outlook information (collectively, " FOFI ") about Highwood's prospective results of operations and production, and components thereof, all of which are subject to the same assumptions, risk factors, limitations and qualifications as set forth in the above paragraphs. FOFI contained in this press release was made as of the date of this press release and was provided for the purpose of providing further information about Highwood's anticipated future business operations. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any FOFI contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required pursuant to applicable law. Readers are cautioned that the FOFI contained in this press release should not be used for purposes other than for which it is disclosed herein. All FOFI contained in this press release complies with the requirements of Canadian securities legislation, including Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 51-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities. Changes in forecast commodity prices, differences in the timing of capital expenditures and variances in average ‎production estimates can have a significant impact on the key performance metrics included in the Company's guidance for ‎the full year 2024 and full year 2025 contained in this news release. The Company's actual results may differ ‎materially from such estimates‎. Currency. All amounts in this press release are stated in Canadian dollars unless otherwise specified. Abbreviations. API American Petroleum Institute gravity m3 metres cubed bbl barrels of oil mbbl thousand barrels of oil bbl/d barrels of oil per day mcf/d thousand cubic feet per day m metres boe/d boe per day boe barrels of oil equivalent Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. SOURCE HIGHWOOD ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD. View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2024/26/c8591.html © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Call the Midwife enthusiasts are gearing up for a storm of drama, thanks to new character Roger Noble, following his blossoming romance with Nurse Nancy Corrigan. As the festive season swept through Poplar, Nancy was battling feelings of isolation until fate led her to cross paths with Roger, a charismatic and quick-witted pharmaceutical salesman, at Dr Turner's practice. Their instant connection grew stronger when Roger made a return visit the next day, leading to an awkward yet charming flirtation that saw him pluck up the courage to ask Nancy out. Despite initially dismissing Roger's overtures, Nancy eventually warmed to the idea, although she harboured concerns about disclosing her single mother status to her beloved daughter Colette. Nancy, who had been preoccupied with her responsibilities as a midwife and raising Colette, found her love life on hold, but that's set to change dramatically. Their delightful date at the funfair concluded with a kiss and a humorous note when Roger injured his ankle, much to Nancy's amusement. The following day saw Roger turning up at Nonnatus House with flowers to thank Nancy, only to be met by Colette, who unexpectedly called out "mummy" towards Nancy, revealing a fact Nancy had yet to share. Witnessing Roger and Colette's cosiness, Nancy was overwhelmed and hastily left for work. Despite the setback, Roger, undaunted, invited her out again. After a bit of persistent charm, he succeeded in persuading them to accept his invitation. Roger's quickness to show deep affection for Nancy, after only a short acquaintance, raised eyebrows among the audience. Given Northern Ireland's rising tensions as the 1970s approach, some speculate that Roger's political ties may pose risks. On social media platform X, fans shared their apprehensions: "Why do I think Roger will be trouble for Nancy #CallTheMidwife." Another posed: "Nancy's beau has something to do with the Troubles, I sense, given we're in 1969. #callthemidwife." Agreement came from another: "I do not trust Nancy's new man #CallTheMidwife". And one more anxiously mentioned: "I hope Nancy's new fella isn't love bombing her #CallTheMidwife". Call the Midwife is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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BEND, OREGON (AP) — Eliza Wilson is a little nervous as she draws the microphone close, but she is determined to share her life story. “My father was a disabled veteran,” she says. “I first experienced homelessness when I was 5 years old.” Wilson, who’s 36, leads programs focused on unhoused youth. On a recent Saturday, she is addressing a citizen assembly, a grassroots gathering seeking solutions to tough local challenges. Her audience consists of 30 ordinary Oregonians. They are acupuncturists and elk hunters; house cleaners and retired riverboat pilots. None are public policy experts. All the same, these participants have been asked to recommend new strategies for combating youth homelessness — a major problem in this affluent Oregon city and the surrounding rural areas of Deschutes County. This unusual experiment in small-D democracy is underwritten by more than $250,000 in grants from backers such as the Rockefeller Foundation and Omidyar Network. As a key early presenter, Wilson wins rapt attention, clicking through data-rich slides and sharing her story of crisis and recovery. That’s how citizen assemblies should work, says Kevin O’Neil, an innovation specialist at the Rockefeller Foundation. His research shows Americans are frustrated with what they perceive as aloofness and gridlock within civic institutions. “People want to be directly involved in decision-making,” O’Neil says. “They recognize the value of expertise, but they don’t want to delegate decision-making to experts.” Assemblies can help “overcome polarization and strengthen societal cohesion,” says Claudia Chwalisz, founder of DemocracyNext. Her nonprofit, launched in Paris in 2022, champions such assemblies worldwide, hoping they can “create the democratic spaces for everyday people to grapple with the complexity of policy issues, listen to one another, and find common ground.” At least, that’s the theory. To succeed, citizen assemblies can’t settle for a few days of harmonious dialogue among well-intentioned strangers. They need to inspire policy changes or new programs from government and other civic institutions. In Europe, such wins abound. In the United States, results are spottier. The most fruitful U.S. effort to date was a 2021 people’s assembly in Washington State that produced 148 ideas — including more solar canopies and food composting — to combat climate change. More often, progress is challenging. An assembly in 2022 in Petaluma, California, spun up ideas to repurpose a long-time county fairground site. Two years later, the fair still operates under short-term leases; its long-term destiny remains in limbo. In Colorado’s Montrose County, enacting an assembly’s bold ideas for improving rural day care has been “more of a marathon than a sprint,” says organizer Morgan Lasher. Can central Oregon do better? It may take years to know, but evidence so far shows both the assembly system’s opportunities and the challenges. Bend’s local economy is strong, with a jobless rate of just 4.2% and median household income of more than $80,000. As housing costs have skyrocketed, though, the spectacle of people living in tent and trailer encampments has become more common. A January count found more than 1,800 people were homeless in Deschutes County, up from 913 in 2020. In 2023, DemocracyNext and Healthy Democracy, a Portland, Oregon, nonprofit, connected with Bend officials interested in bringing the assembly idea to central Oregon. Josh Burgess, an Air Force veteran, who moved to Bend and became the proverbial “advance man” for DemocracyNext. Operating in a county evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, Burgess built rapport with both liberal and conservative members on the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners. “It took four or five meetings to get there,” Burgess recalls. Organizers decided to focus on homelessness among ages 14 to 24, where opportunities for progress seemed greatest. To pick citizens for the assembly, organizers contacted 12,000 county residents before selecting just 30. Everything was balanced by age, race, gender, and geography — a slow, costly requirement. Even so, advocates such as Michelle Barsa of Omidyar Network says assemblies’ big edge comes from using “an actual representative sample of the community, not just the people who always show up at town-hall meetings and yell into a microphone for three minutes.” At the northern edge of Oregon State’s Bend campus, a few hundred yards from the Deschutes River, is the McGrath Family atrium, a sunlight-drenched space with panoramic woodland views. It feels almost like a spa. As the Bend assembly gets started, black tablecloths at a huge, U-shaped table convey gravity. Name tags identify attendees as “Noelle,” “Dave,” “Alex.” The first few hours go slowly, but everything perks up after lunch. Eliza Wilson takes command, introducing herself as director of runaway and homeless youth services at J Bar J, a social-services organization. Her voice is unfailingly steady, but emotions race fast across her face: hope, frustration, empathy, resolve, and more. “Teens get really good at hiding their homelessness,” Wilson explains. “We don’t share family business outside of the family. I was really fortunate that a high-school counselor pointed me, at age 15, to the first youth shelter that had just opened in Bend. I stayed there for three years, until I graduated from high school. I finally got on my feet at age 21.” As Wilson finishes, questions stream in. “Are there any programs advocating for children to get back to their parents?” one woman wants to know. “Is there open communication between you guys and the school district?” a man asks. Wilson and other presenters respond with a road map of what exists today. They point out how homeless youth are in a precarious but not hopeless situation, counting on allies for a couch to sleep on. Less than 20 percent live outside in encampments. Practically everyone in the audience takes notes. The next day, assembly members strike up conversations with young adults who were once homeless. Chronic problems — and glimmers of ideas about how to address them — tumble forth. Flaws in the foster parent system. The risk of sexual abuse. The unique challenges that LGBTQ youth face. Attendees — who shared their thoughts with the Chronicle on the condition they be identified only by their first name — regarded those conversations as eye-opening breakthroughs in their hunt for policy recommendations. “I’m coming away with a whole different point of view,” Ken told me. He had arrived believing that poor parenting and drug abuse led to homelessness, and that affected families should personally address such challenges. Now, he said, he was interested in broader solutions. Several local officials stopped by to watch the assembly proceedings. Phil Chang, a Deschutes County commissioner, said the broad-based assembly creates “social license for us to do things that the community wants.” Conservative county commissioner Tony DeBone worries that Oregon’s rollback of drug-offense laws has worsened social problems; he also believes that an economic upturn would do the most good. Still, he says, he’s willing to see what the assembly can offer. Ultimately, the assembly’s effectiveness will depend on whether its recommendations can overcome bureaucratic inertia, says Tammy Baney, executive director of the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council. Proposed changes in police interactions with homeless youth could be acted on within a month or two if local law enforcement is receptive, she says. Improving Oregon’s gridlocked foster-care system might be much harder. “It all depends on how much political will there is,” Baney says. _____ George Anders is editor-at-large at the Chronicle of Philanthropy, where you can read the full article. This article was provided to The Associated Press by the Chronicle of Philanthropy as part of a partnership to cover philanthropy and nonprofits supported by the Lilly Endowment. The Chronicle is solely responsible for the content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Austin Seibert missed his second extra point of the game with 21 seconds left after Washington’s Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin connected on an 86-yard touchdown, Dallas’ Juanyeh Thomas returned the ensuing onside kick attempt for a touchdown, and the Cowboys pulled out a 34-26 victory Sunday that extended the Commanders’ skid to three games. Seibert, who missed the previous two games with a right hip injury, was wide left on the point-after attempt following a low snap. Thomas then took the kick back 43 yards as the Cowboys (4-7) ended their losing streak at five in improbable fashion. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get updates and player profiles ahead of Friday's high school games, plus a recap Saturday with stories, photos, video Frequency: Seasonal Twice a week

All Blacks v Italy Kick-off: 9.10am Sunday 24 November Allianz Stadium, Turin Live blog updates on RNZ Sport This is it, the last test of the season for Scott Robertson's All Blacks. So far it's been nine wins and four losses, the form guide suggests this one will end in a comfortable victory. The magnificent Allianz Stadium in Turin is the venue for the match, while the All Blacks have played in quite a few Italian cities over the years, this will be the first time they have visited the northern city most well known for being the home of the country's automotive industry and Juventus football club. Allianz is the home ground of Juventus, the All Blacks have been doing a bit of promo work with them this week given their shared sponsorship with adidas. It's shaping up to be a cold night in Turin, with snow falling during the week and the temperature expected to be below freezing at kick-off. This will be the last time on the park as All Blacks for both Sam Cane and TJ Perenara, both men bow out having played 105 and 89 tests respectively. Here's a look at the teams: All Blacks: 1. Ethan de Groot 2. Codie Taylor 3. Tyrel Lomax 4. Scott Barrett (c) 5. Patrick Tuipulotu 6. Wallace Sititi 7. Sam Cane 8. Ardie Savea 9. Cam Roigard 10. Beauden Barrett 11. Caleb Clarke 12. Anton Lienert-Brown 13. Rieko Ioane 14. Mark Tele'a 15. Will Jordan Bench: 16. Asafo Aumua 17. Ofa Tu'ungafasi 18. Fletcher Newell 19. Tupou Vaa'i 20. Peter Lakai 21. TJ Perenara 22. David Havili 23. Damian McKenzie Italy: 1. Danilo Fischetti 2. Gianmarco Lucchesi 3. Marco Riccioni 4. Federico Ruzza 5. Dino Lamb 6. Sebastian Negri 7. Manuel Zuliani 8. Ross Vintcent 9. Martin Page-Relo 10. Paolo Garbisi 11. Monty Ioane 12. Tommaso Menoncello 13. Juan Ignacio Brex (c) 14. Jacopo Trulla 15. Ange Capuozzo Bench: 16 Giacomo Nicotera, 17 Mirco Spagnolo 18 Simone Ferrari, 19 Niccolò Cannone, 20 Alessandro Izekor, 21 Alessandro Garbisi, 22 Leonardo Marin 23 Marco Zanon All Blacks selections: This is a very stacked All Blacks team, surprisingly so considering this is the last game of the tour and more than a few of these players are due for a rest. Ethan de Groot returns after being in the dog box for an off-field indiscretion, but the real reason he's back is because Tamaiti Williams is injured. Patrick Tuipulotu gets a start ahead of Tupou Vaa'i, while Cane returns to openside and in the backs Anton Lienert-Brown comes in for the injured Jordie Barrett. Peter Lakai retains his bench spot to back up the loosies, while David Havili gets his first run since the win over Japan. This selection really says a lot about how keen Robertson is to win and put on a good performance, however it's meant some of his squad members have seen very little game time on this tour. Italy selections: The big change for the Italians after their 2017 win over Georgia last weekend is the return of Ange Capuozzo. The young fullback is their best attacking weapon. Sebastian Negri is a hard ball carrier, but the real test will be on the tight five against a very well performed All Black set piece. Elsewhere Martin Page-Relo takes over at halfback inside Paolo Garbisi, if Italy get any sort of front foot ball it'll be up to them to make something happen. What they're saying: "The guys were desperately disappointed last week. We created so much, and the French just took a few opportunities - the game changed and we had our chances which we didn't take. We wanted to come up here and sweep the north. The margins are small, now we get a chance to finish properly." - All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. "We just want to end the year how we started. A win would be awesome but we're focused on the performance, that comes from a great week's preparation." - All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane. The last time they met: The score ended All Blacks 96 - 17 Italy the last time the sides faced off, at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. It seems crazy to think there were genuine fears that Italy would cause an upset and send the All Blacks tumbling out of last year's World Cup. All of that was answered in brutal fashion as they handed out a trademark All Black backlash, running in 12 tries and almost racking up a century. It says a lot that this wasn't even the record-winning score line between the two sides. What is going to happen: This will be one way traffic, unless the Italians can do what they did in 2010 and simply try to spoil everything so that the All Blacks can't string enough phases together. Even then, there is so much talent in this side it's likely that a negative gameplan will be overturned by set piece dominance. The main issue is likely to be the weather. It's been a while since the All Blacks have played in snow, and the conditions may affect what they want to do with the ball. This is the last test of the season, but also the last one for a couple of serious servants to the black jersey. Both Cane and Perenara will walk off the field having completed long and successful careers, so the motivation is there for their team mates to make sure it is a comfortable victory.Nathan Ake calls on Man City to show character after latest setback

-- Reduces total emissions by approximately 14 percent since base year -- -- Decreases water withdrawal by approximately 17 percent since base year -- -- Achieves lost-time injury rate of 0.28, representing an approximate 32 percent reduction from prior year -- MORRISVILLE, N.C. , Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Pyxus International, Inc. (OTC Pink: PYYX), a global value-added agricultural company, today published its Fiscal Year 2024 Sustainability Report detailing the measurable impacts of the Company's sustainability initiatives as it progresses toward achieving its global targets. "Fiscal year 2024 was an exceptional year for Pyxus and this report highlights the positive impacts of our environmental and social initiatives, including collaboration with our contracted growers to reduce scope 3 emissions, improvement of our employee health and safety practices, and providing support to those in need," said Pyxus President and CEO Pieter Sikkel . "We remain committed to viewing all aspects of our business through a sustainable lens, helping us progress against our targets while delivering value to our stakeholders, the environment and the communities in which we operate." Notable fiscal year 2024 sustainability achievements include: Minimal Environmental Impact Support for People and Communities Ethical and Responsible Business In preparation of this year's report, Pyxus externally verified 11 global key performance indicators (KPIs) associated with its targets, up from three KPIs in the prior year. The report was prepared with reference to Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and discloses the Company's sustainability performance from April 1, 2023 , to March 31, 2024 . About Pyxus International, Inc. Pyxus International, Inc. is a global agricultural company with more than 150 years of experience delivering value-added products and services to businesses and customers. Driven by a united purpose—to transform people's lives, so that together we can grow a better world—Pyxus International, its subsidiaries and affiliates, are trusted providers of responsibly sourced, independently verified, sustainable, and traceable products and ingredients. For more information, visit www.pyxus.com . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pyxus-releases-fiscal-year-2024-sustainability-report-302329534.html SOURCE Pyxus International, Inc.'Unbelievable' Odegaard transforms Arsenal and gets Saka smiling again

Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while WHO chief says he was meters awayCBS News poll finds Trump starts on positive note as most approve of transition handlingWith just days left before Ireland goes to the polls, the leaders of Ireland’s three largest political parties appeared on the national broadcaster for their final televised debate before the general election. The leaders of the three main political parties took part in the final debate of the campaign in a Prime Time special led by Miriam O’Callaghan and Sarah McInerney. Speaking to reporters on arrival, Mr Harris said he was ‘really looking forward to the debate’ but acknowledged that ‘things don’t always go right in campaigns’. He was questioned on contact between his team and RTE before the clip of a contentious exchange he had with a care worker went public. The Taoiseach has previously said he ‘made mistakes’ in how he handled the interaction. When asked if one his officials had alleged to RTE that the care worker was a member of Sinn Fein, Mr Harris said: ‘I don’t believe so at all.’ Later asked if he was tired, Mr Harris added: ‘Not at all, I’m really energised.’ The final leader’s debate on RTÉ came just over a week after the debate which included all ten political party leaders, which was hosted on Upfront with Katie Hannon. In the debate, the party leaders outlined their policies and briefly touched on who they would or wouldn’t go into coalition with. The debate comes also in the wake of what could potentially be the defining moment for An Taoiseach Simon Harris as he continues to deal with the fall out following a frosty interaction with a care worker while campaigning in North Cork last week. Simon Harris responds to questions about his interaction with care sector worker, Charlotte Fallon, in Kanturk, and whether his staff contacted RTÉ about coverage of it. #rtept | @RTENews pic.twitter.com/pRpAoKboNe The Taoiseach and party leader was forced to apologise to Charlotte Fallon on Saturday after a clip of him engaging with her – and walking off mid-conversation as she became emotional – went viral. In the video, which has been viewed more than 3.4million times, Mr Harris can be seen disagreeing with Ms Fallon about the work the Government has done for carers, and becoming frustrated. Asked on Monday if any member of his team had contacted RTÉ in a bid not to have the footage run , Mr Harris said: ‘I don’t believe so.’ But the Irish Daily Mail established that Fine Gael figures contacted staff in RTÉ to express their concern over the video and how it would be featured. The first question was to Simon Harris about the video from Kanturk on his interaction with a carer and whether Fine Gael communicated with RTÉ in the aftermath about coverage of the matter. Harris said he had ‘no knowledge’ of any request being made not to air the clip. Micheal Martin and Simon Harris should feel ‘very ashamed’ over the Government’s record on carers and disability, Mary Lou McDonald said. The Sinn Fein leader took aim at the heads of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael during RTE Prime Time’s televised leaders’ debate. She said the outgoing Government did not seem ‘capable’ of listening to people’s experiences. Asked if he felt ashamed, Mr Martin said he was not happy with the ‘level of progress’ but said there had been advancements in some areas. Mr Harris said the issue of disability is something he has been passionate about his entire life. He said there needed to be a radical expansion of training places for occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. As the debate moved on, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said Sinn Fein’s ‘enormous’ tax increases will destroy Ireland’s enterprise economy. Mr Martin said: ‘Sinn Fein do not get the enterprise economy, they don’t get trade.’ Meanwhile, Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said his party was proposing the least amount of spending in its manifesto, when compared to the other two parties. Mr Harris said Friday marks election day and the 14th anniversary of the bailout programme following the financial crash. He said: ‘People sitting at home tonight are still living with the scars of that financial crash, and we have to learn from that as a country.’ Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said the financial crash was instigated and driven by Fianna Fail, while austerity was brought by Fine Gael. Ms McDonald said she would agree with Mr Harris and added: ‘There are people watching this programme who still the bear the scars of your crash and of your austerity.’ Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said he “learned from” his time in Government during the financial crash. Speaking during the RTE Prime Time debate, he said: ‘I get the crash, I was in Government.’ Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald interrupted: ‘I know, sure you authored it.’ Mr Martin continued: ‘I learned from the experience, I kept with politics, I kept with public service. ‘I supported through confidence and supply the [Fine Gael] Government to get the country through Brexit. ‘One thing that people can be guaranteed with Micheal Martin is I will always put the country before party.’ Fianna Fail has taken ‘radical action’ on housing, Micheal Martin later said. He was responding to a question on the Housing Commission’s recommendation for a radical reset in housing policy. Mr Martin defended actions already taken by Fianna Fail and added: ‘It is not about some magical reset right now.’ Asked if Fine Gael had failed to make housing a top priority – as contended by former housing minister Eoghan Murphy, party leader Simon Harris said those comments came in the context of Brexit. He added: ‘Housing is the number one priority.’ Pressed on whether Fine Gael had put the party in front of the country on reforming housing policy, Mr Harris said: ‘My party never put party before country.’ He added: ‘My party’s never crashed the economy.’ "There is a need for a radical reset on housing policy..." Simon Harris responds to questions from Sarah McInerney about Fine Gael's approach to housing. #rtept | @RTENews pic.twitter.com/uwnzqydjIS Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has said Government parties ‘do not recognise the scale of the problem’ around housing delivery, as she defended her own party’s policies. Pressed on whether banks would definitely lend to home buyers under a Sinn Fein scheme where people would not own the land under the house, Ms McDonald said: ‘We’ve engaged with the banks. The banks have requirements that will have to be met. ‘I don’t think anybody should be shocked by that, they’re not some kind of Robin Hood institution giving money away. ‘The bottom line is they will want to know that if they invest that they’ll get their money back. We’re absolutely confident that those requirements can be met.’ Ms McDonald said her party had done “due diligence” in relation to the policy. “At no stage has the banking Federation said that ‘we will not lend into a scheme of this nature’.” Viewers took to X to have their say on all the key moments of the final TV debate of the General Election 2024 trail. One viewer spoke about An Taoiseach’s response towards whether FG communicated with RTE over the now-viral clip and said: ‘Still dodging it basically not a black or white yes/no’. Another person wrote: ‘Simon Harris is very shifty so far, Kanturk has him absolutely rattled.’ TD for Wicklow John Brady wrote: ‘Simon Harris talks about his ‘lived experience’ and ‘since his teenage years’ the fact is Fine Gael has been in government since his teenage years and disability services have been on a downward spiral during all those years! The reality is that the longer Fine Gael are in Government the worse the lived experience is for those with disabilities.’ Michael Martin: “I get the crash, I was in government for the crash.” @MaryLouMcDonald : “I know, sure you were the author of it.” Zinger #RTEPT There’s just something about Mary Lou calmly calling Micheál Martin and Simon Harris “Gentlemen” when they try to argue with her #leadersdebate pic.twitter.com/uDygTaZDem Debate drinking game: Take a drink every time Simon Harris talks about his "lived experience " #RTEPT At the end of the day, FFers will think Michéal Martin won, SFers will think Mary Lou McDonald has won, and FGers will think Simon Harris won Beauty is in the eye of the beholder #LeadersDebate One other viewer wrote: This isn’t a debate, it is just 2 RTÉ journos asking questions of the three leaders. Rather than call it the #leadersdebate maybe it should be called the #leadersgrilling.’ Another viewer took to X to say: ‘The winner of this debate is Sarah McInerney. She’s not letting them dodge her questions.’

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Tejashwi Yadav, a key leader in the Rashtriya Janata Dal and former deputy chief minister of Bihar, announced on Sunday that the INDI alliance will assess its devastating setback in the Maharashtra assembly elections. In the 288-member state assembly, the opposition parties Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) managed to win a mere 16, 20, and 10 seats, respectively. In contrast, the BJP sizably secured 132 seats, with an additional 57 seats won by Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and 41 by NCP. Tejashwi Yadav, accompanied by his father Lalu Prasad Yadav, visited Peetambara Peeth, a renowned Shakti Peeth, for spiritual intervention. Expressing optimism, Yadav affirmed, "We have won in Jharkhand and will evaluate the causes behind our defeat in Maharashtra. Nevertheless, we are certain of our victory in the 2025 Bihar elections." The duo also paid their respects at the Van Khandeshwar temple of Lord Shiva. (With inputs from agencies.)

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ph365 m orig Directors of Maine School Administrative District 58 meet Thursday at Mt. Abram Regional High School in Salem. Among other issues, they agreed to set priorities for spending the remaining $160,000 from the Child Nutrition Program. The money must be spent by the end of the fiscal year June 30, 2025, Superintendent Laura Columbia said. Leo Goddard/Franklin Journal SALEM TOWNSHIP — Maine School Administrative District 58 directors agreed Thursday to set priorities for spending the remaining $160,000 from the Child Nutrition Program. The money must be spent by the end of the fiscal year June 30, 2025, Superintendent Laura Columbia said. Ideas shared at the meeting at Mt. Abram High School were were new tables, expanding menu options, increasing staff, training and uniform allowance. Joy York, head cook at the high school, who is in charge of staffing and compliance, said the kitchen at Phillips Elementary School failed inspection. Business Manager Jennifer Pooler said there are three refrigeration systems, including freezers, that continue to break down. York also said there are some great tables that are useful, but cannot be sanitized due to the porous wooden tops. Board members all agreed to make a priority list for spending the money. The board accepted a donation of a set of small drones for the Take Flight program requested by Day Mountain Middle School Principal Maggie Adams and Technology Director Hope Gould. The drones will be used indoors in teams to go along with science curriculum. There was concern about safety and inappropriate use. Superintendent Laura Columbia assured that the drones were very small, required coding to be used, and don’t have cameras attached. We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . More information is found on our FAQs . You can modify your screen name here . Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve. Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe . Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated. Send questions/comments to the editors. « Previous Next »

NoneSir Keir Starmer has been warned by a trade union not to impose “blunt headcount targets” for the size of the Civil Service but Government sources insisted there would be no set limit, although the number “cannot keep growing”. Departments have been ordered to find 5% “efficiency savings” as part of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ spending review, potentially putting jobs at risk. The size of the Civil Service has increased from a low of around 384,000 in mid-2016, and the Tories went into the general election promising to reduce numbers by 70,000 to fund extra defence spending. Any reduction under Labour would be more modest, with the Guardian reporting more than 10,000 jobs could be lost. A Government spokesman said: “Under our plan for change, we are making sure every part of government is delivering on working people’s priorities — delivering growth, putting more money in people’s pockets, getting the NHS back on its feet, rebuilding Britain and securing our borders in a decade of national renewal. “We are committed to making the Civil Service more efficient and effective, with bold measures to improve skills and harness new technologies.” Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect trade union said: “We need a clear plan for the future of the civil service that goes beyond the blunt headcount targets that have failed in the past. “This plan needs to be developed in partnership with civil servants and their unions, and we look forward to deeper engagement with the government in the coming months.” A Government source said: “The number of civil servants cannot keep growing. “But we will not set an arbitrary cap. “The last government tried that and ended up spending loads on more expensive consultants.” The Government is already risking a confrontation with unions over proposals to limit pay rises for more than a million public servants to 2.8%, a figure only just over the projected 2.6% rate of inflation next year. Unions representing teachers, doctors and nurses have condemned the proposals. In the face of the union backlash, Downing Street said the public sector must improve productivity to justify real-terms pay increases. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “It’s vital that pay awards are fair for both taxpayers and workers.” Asked whether higher pay settlements to staff would mean departmental cuts elsewhere, the spokesman said: “Real-terms pay increases must be matched by productivity gains and departments will only be able to fund pay awards above inflation over the medium-term if they become more productive and workforces become more productive.” TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “It’s hard to see how you address the crisis in our services without meaningful pay rises. “And it’s hard to see how services cut to the bone by 14 years of Tory government will find significant cash savings. “The Government must now engage unions and the millions of public sector workers we represent in a serious conversation about public service reform and delivery.”DALLAS — Less than 24 hours after news broke that top free agent Juan Soto had agreed to a record-setting 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets , the Red Sox were left disappointed yet hopeful that what they’ve dubbed their offseason “Plan 1A” will still lead to a much-improved club in 2025. Speaking for the first time since Soto’s agreement, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said that a pursuit that led Boston to offer Soto about $700 million (according to an industry source) represented a return to the high end of the market the Red Sox should be involved in. “Without getting into too many details, being involved and engaged in top-of-the-market talent is where we should be,” Breslow said. “Obviously, a disappointing outcome. But we painted as clear a picture of where we are and where we’re going as possible. Ultimately, for these things to line up, it takes a lot of considerations overlapping. We didn’t get that here but we have other plans and still have plenty of other opportunities to improve the team.” Because the Red Sox have a strong core of position players (included left-handed hitting outfielders) but are light on controllable pitching, few had a sincere pursuit of Soto as likely before the winter. But Breslow, sensing the possibility of adding one of the game’s top talents, decided to put on a full-court press as the winter opened. Explaining that effort Monday, he cited the importance of contingency plans. “Conceptually, as you think about how we’d improve the team, you realize we have a really strong core of position players,” Breslow said. “If there are upgrades to be made on the position player side, it’s going to take a unique talent to do that because we need to make sure what we’re bringing in is better than our internal options. In this case, it was relevant and it was the case. We’re talking about a generational talent. But we needed to make sure that the success of our offseason didn’t hinge on one decision. We put our best foot forward. It didn’t work out. We’ll re-calibrate and move forward.” The Red Sox can still have the offseason many expected for them before the Soto race grabbed headlines for weeks. Starting pitching remains the top need, Breslow said, and further bullpen additions are possible even after the signings of lefties Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson. Boston still needs to balance out its lineup with some right-handed pop and improve against lefties, especially with Tyler O’Neill signing with Baltimore. The Sox are also in need of a backup catcher and could look at ways to creatively improve infield defense. With top free agents Max Fried, Corbin Burnes, Alex Bregman, Jack Flaherty and Teoscar Hernández as well as trade candidates like Garrett Crochet and Nolan Arenado still on the board, the possibilities are virtually endless. And even with Soto headed to Queens, the Red Sox are still talking a big game about what to expect during hot stove season. “We have Plan A, Plan A-1, A-2, A-3, A-4,” Cora said. “There’s a lot of ways to accomplish what we set to do. We’ve been talking about winning the division and making it to the playoffs. There’s different avenues, different ways. They’re going to attack them and hopefully we can execute.” “I think the offseason has been exciting the whole time. We talked about it towards the end,” Cora added. “When we sat down after the season was over that it was going to be an important offseason for the Red Sox and an exciting one. So far, so good.” Cora took an active role in the Soto recruitment and along with Breslow, team chairman Tom Werner and team president Sam Kennedy, visited the outfielder at Scott Boras’ southern California offices for an initial meeting in mid-November . Even though the result wasn’t what Boston wanted, Cora still enjoyed the process. “From my end, it was fun,” Cora said. “It was fun, in a way, to get to know people and players of that status. It’s amazing. The kid, he gets it. He gets it. Let me put it that way. Obviously I always have fun with the group that represents him (Boras Corporation). You guys know how I feel about them, but it was a good experience, and I learned a lot. Cora was eating dinner at a Dallas restaurant with Kennedy and assistant general manager Eddie Romero when the news broke that Soto had gone to the Mets for $765 million. “It came out, they’re looking at their phones, and then all of a sudden Scottie (Boras) is coming with this army of personnel. It was kind of like the Gladiator with him walking in. “It’s good for baseball. That’s the way I see it. I think everybody was waiting for this to happen, and obviously it was interesting the way everybody reacted when we were in the restaurant.” More Red Sox coverageVikings defense has had a big boost this season from the indefatigable Jonathan Greenard

From Sitting On A Park Bench To A Game Of Hide-And-Seek — Women Are Revealing The Super Wholesome Ways They Met Their Soulmates Before Dating Apps Were A ThingNEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes rose to more records Wednesday after tech companies talked up how much of a boost they’re getting from the artificial-intelligence boom. The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% to add to what’s set to be one of its best years of the millennium. It’s the 56th time the index has hit an all-time high this year after climbing in 11 of the last 12 days . The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 308 points, or 0.7%, while the Nasdaq composite added 1.3% to its own record. Salesforce helped pull the market higher after delivering stronger revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected, though its profit fell just short. CEO Mark Benioff highlighted the company’s artificial-intelligence offering for customers, saying “the rise of autonomous AI agents is revolutionizing global labor, reshaping how industries operate and scale.” The stock price of the company, which helps businesses manage their customers, jumped 11%. Marvell Technology leaped even more after delivering better results than expected, up 23.2%. CEO Matt Murphy said the semiconductor supplier is seeing strong demand from AI and gave a forecast for profit in the upcoming quarter that topped analysts’ expectations. All the optimistic talk helped Nvidia , the company whose chips are powering much of the move into AI, rally 3.5%. It was the strongest force pushing upward on the S&P 500 by far. They helped offset an 8.9% drop for Foot Locker, which reported profit and revenue that fell short of analysts’ expectations. CEO Mary Dillon said the company is taking a more cautious view, and it cut its forecasts for sales and profit this year. Dillon pointed to how keen customers are for discounts and how soft demand has been outside of Thanksgiving week and other key selling periods. Retailers overall have offered mixed signals about how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain. Their spending has been one of the main reasons the U.S. economy has avoided a recession that earlier seemed inevitable after the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates to crush inflation. But shoppers are now contending with still-high prices and a slowing job market . This week’s highlight for Wall Street will be Friday’s jobs report from the U.S. government, which will show how many people employers hired and fired last month. A narrower report released Wednesday morning suggested employers in the private sector increased their payrolls by less last month than economists expected. Hiring in manufacturing was the weakest since the spring, according to Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP. The report strengthened traders’ expectations that the Fed will cut its main interest rate again when it meets in two weeks. The Fed began easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high in September, hoping to offer more support for the job market. The central bank had appeared set to continue cutting rates into next year, but the election of Donald Trump has scrambled Wall Street’s expectations somewhat. Trump’s preference for higher tariffs and other policies could lead to higher inflation , which could alter the Fed’s plans . Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that the central bank can afford to cut rates cautiously because inflation has slowed from its peak two years ago and the economy remains sturdy. A separate report on Wednesday said health care, finance and other businesses in the U.S. services sector are continuing to grow, but not by as much as before and not by as much as economists expected. One respondent from the construction industry told the survey from the Institute for Supply Management that the Fed’s rate cuts haven't pulled down mortgage rates as much as hoped. Plus, “the unknown effect of tariffs clouds the future.” In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.18% from 4.23% late Tuesday. On Wall Street, Campbell’s sank 6.2% for one of the S&P 500’s sharper losses despite increasing its dividend and reporting a stronger profit than analysts expected. Its revenue fell short of Wall Street’s expectations, and the National Football League’s Washington Commanders hired Campbell’s CEO Mark Clouse as its team president. Gains for airline stocks helped offset that drop after JetBlue Airways said it saw stronger bookings for travel in November and December following the presidential election. It also said it’s benefiting from lower fuel prices, as well as lower costs due to improved on-time performance. JetBlue jumped 8.3%, while Southwest Airlines climbed 3.5%. All told, the S&P 500 rose 36.61 points to 6,086.49. The Dow climbed 308.51 to 45,014.04, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 254.21 to 19,735.12. In stock markets abroad, South Korea’s Kospi sank 1.4% following a night full of drama in Seoul. President Yoon Suk Yeol was facing possible impeachment after he suddenly declared martial law on Tuesday night, prompting troops to surround the parliament. He revoked the martial law declaration six hours later. In the crypto market , bitcoin climbed near $99,000 after Trump said he would nominate Paul Atkins , a cryptocurrency advocate, to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission. AP Writers Matt Ott and Zimo Zhong contributed.

BOSTON, Dec. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Block & Leviton announces that a securities fraud lawsuit has been filed against Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc. KYTX and certain of its executives. Investors who have lost money in their Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc. investment should contact the firm to learn more about how they might recover those losses. For more details, visit https://blockleviton.com/cases/kytx . What is this all about? Kyverna Therapeutics has been sued for securities law violations. The lawsuit alleges that at the time of the company's February 2024 IPO, it knew adverse data about one of Kyverna's drug trials, which it kept from the market, in violation of federal securities laws. Those who purchased Kyverna shares traceable to the company's IPO may be eligible to recover for their losses. Who is eligible? Anyone who purchased Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc. common stock between February 07, 2024 and December 09, 2024 and has seen their shares fall may be eligible, whether or not they have sold their investment. Investors should contact Block & Leviton to learn more. What should you do next? The deadline to seek appointment as lead plaintiff is February 07, 2025. A class has not yet been certified, and until a certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. If you've lost money on your investment, you should contact Block & Leviton to learn more via our case website , by email at shareholders@blockleviton.com , or by phone at (888) 256-2510. Whistleblower? If you have non-public information about Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc., you should consider assisting in our investigation or working with our attorneys to file a report with the Securities Exchange Commission under their whistleblower program. Whistleblowers who provide original information to the SEC may receive rewards of up to 30% of any successful recovery. For more information, contact Block & Leviton at whistleblowers@blockleviton.com or by phone at (888) 256-2510. Why should you contact Block & Leviton? Block & Leviton is widely regarded as one of the leading securities class action firms in the country. Our attorneys have recovered billions of dollars for defrauded investors and are dedicated to obtaining significant recoveries on behalf of our clients through active litigation in the federal courts across the country. Many of the nation's top institutional investors hire us to represent their interests. You can learn more about us at our website, www.blockleviton.com , call (888) 256-2510 or email shareholders@blockleviton.com with any questions. This notice may constitute attorney advertising. CONTACT: BLOCK & LEVITON LLP 260 Franklin St., Suite 1860 Boston, MA 02110 Phone: (888) 256-2510 Email: shareholders@blockleviton.com © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Part of the reason we started a Cannabis Industry team at a Southeastern-based law firm before any Southeastern state had adopted a marijuana program was because we had a hunch that the expansion of cannabis would eventually make its way to our neck of the woods. And we guess it was just kind of a slow day around the office. It turns out that our hunch – which even we are modest enough to admit was pretty much obvious and inevitable – turned out to be true. In the last seven years, there has been an explosion of cannabis activity and controversy in the Southeast. From marijuana in various forms to hemp and all of its iterations, the Southeast has been playing catchup with the rest of the country and in doing so is experiencing the progression of cannabis reform at an accelerated pace with the benefit of seeing the experiences of earlier cannabis adopters. We aren’t alone in observing this phenomenon. Jessica Billingsley, for Rolling Stone , has written on the topic several times . Don’t get me wrong, we’re not so naïve as to think that states around the country aren’t also experiencing dramatic and dynamic debates and reforms about the cannabis industry. In fact, we’ve dedicated a great deal of time and effort to writing about those issues and how they reflect – or in some cases depart from – cannabis programs in other states. But the speed of reform efforts and their concentration in a specific portion of the country have made the Southeastern U.S. the – ok, at least a – current hotbed of cannabis activity. C’mon. What’s Happening in the Southeast That Makes It So Special? Aren’t You Just Writing This Because You Live There? Could You Be More Egocentric? Wow, that got a little weird and revealing there for a second but we’re back. For those who may not enjoy the privilege of calling the Southeastern U.S. home, here is a sampling of the cannabis activity currently taking place in the region: Florida’s Medical Marijuana Market Matures, but Voters Narrowly Rejected the Ballot Initiative for an Adult-Use Program; Hemp Program Survives by Governor’s Veto (for Now) Florida broke the seal on medical marijuana in the Southeast when it adopted a medical program in 2016. While the program has certainly had its hiccups, it has generally proven to be a popular program as it has matured over the years. On April 1, 2024, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that voters would decide whether Florida will become the 24 th state to legalize adult-use marijuana at the ballot boxes in November. The significant opposition that succeeded in keeping a similar initiative off the 2022 ballots evidently prevailed this year. The initiative came short of receiving the required 60% approval to pass with only about 56% of Florida voters voting in favor. On the hemp front, earlier this year we wrote that the Florida Legislature passed a bill that would limit the amount of THC in hemp-derived products and upend the novel cannabinoid industry in the state by banning delta-8 and delta-10 products. But in a surprising move described by Marijuana Moment as “somewhat contradictory,” conservative Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the legislation, even as he campaigns against adult-use marijuana. This being the South and a controversial issue involving potentially extraordinary amounts of money, there are strange bedfellows and innuendo : The governor of Florida is reportedly planning to veto a bill that would ban consumable hemp-derived cannabinoid products such as delta-8 THC, apparently because he’s hoping the hemp industry will help finance a campaign opposing a marijuana legalization initiative on the state’s November ballot. As Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) prepares to step up his push against the legalization measure, officials close to the governor... say he’s plotting to leverage the hemp industry’s economic interest in participating in the intoxicating cannabinoid market to convince people to vote against marijuana reform. Safe to same there’s more to come in the next couple of months for what has become the 5,000 lbs. gorilla in the Southeastern cannabis landscape. Arkansas’ Medical Program Booms While Adult Use and Hemp in Limbo During Court Battles Like Florida, Arkansas was one of the pioneers of bringing medical marijuana to the Southeast. Arkansans voted to approve a medical marijuana program in 2016 via Amendment 98, although the first legal sales did not occur until May 2019. The program eclipsed $1 billion in sales by late 2023, and as of August 2024, sales in 2024 exceeded $158.5 million. From all metrics, the program appears to be doing very well. And, while an effort to place on the November ballot an initiative that would have further expanded the program was stymied by the Arkansas Supreme Court just before the election, a ballot initiative in 2022 to create an adult-use program didn’t fail by an insurmountable margin, with 43.8% voting in favor. On the hemp front, all eyes are on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. That court conducted oral arguments in the Sanders v. Bio Gen appeal on September 24, so a decision should be forthcoming. The trial court action was filed by hemp companies challenging an Arkansas law (known as Act 629) that the plaintiffs contended impermissibly outlawed hemp-derived consumable products in Arkansas. The appeal followed issuance of an injunction by U.S. District Judge Billy Roy Wilson blocking enforcement of Act 629. Mississippi Struggling to Reconcile Supply and Demand on the Marijuana Front; Unsettled Hemp Rules Mississippi surprised many observers when a statewide ballot initiative in 2020 went overwhelmingly in support of medical marijuana. After a couple of years of frustrating and largely obstructionist legal wrangling, Mississippi’s medical program is fully up and running now, going on almost two years. One of the most notable and unique aspects of Mississippi’s program is the absence of any limitations on the number of licenses available to operators. While there are components of the Mississippi laws and regulations governing the program that necessarily limit how many licenses can be issued (e.g., local government opt-outs and distance setback limitations) the program is struggling due in large part to an oversupply of product and not enough patients (as of November 21, 2024, the state reports 48,129 patients). Last legislative session, the Mississippi Legislature modified the state’s medical cannabis law in certain ways that were aimed to improve patient access hurdles, and more amendments are expected in the upcoming session. On the hemp front, Mississippi lacks any real legislative or regulatory guidance on the subject. Consequently, many in the state view the hemp-derived intoxicating products sold in gas stations and other retail stores as a real problem . Last legislative session, a bill (HB 1676) aimed to regulate intoxicating hemp products failed. Since then, state law enforcement has conducted raids and arrests of retail stores that sell products they believe are illegal under Mississippi law. Also, the Mississippi attorney general recently issued an opinion concluding that hemp-derived THC beverages could be illegal under Mississippi law. We wrote about that opinion here . The Mississippi legislature will almost assuredly revisit legislation governing these products next session while it also explores ways to amend the Medical Cannabis Act. Texas Low-THC Marijuana Program Continues as Fierce Debates Rage Over Hemp Texas passed the Texas Compassionate Use legislation in 2015, allowing certain qualified physicians to prescribe low THC products (max of 1% THC by weight) to patients having certain medical conditions. Currently, the state has only licensed three entities, all located in the central region of the state, as “dispensing organizations” to cultivate, process, and dispense low-THC cannabis. While the state has implied it may issue more licenses and a third-party consultant it hired recently recommended that it should, that has not yet occurred. The last application window closed on April 28, 2023. We, along with most everyone in the industry, is watching what Texas ends up doing with this program; everything is supposed to be bigger in Texas, and a real-deal medical cannabis program shouldn’t be any exception. The hemp world in Texas slightly resembles the one in Arkansas; it’s mired in litigation. Texas has a robust legal and regulatory program that governs hemp and consumable hemp products. That program operated for years without much interruption until the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) took action in 2020 and 2021 to restrict the sale of certain consumable hemp products. This culminated in the publication of an official statement online in October 2021 stating that Texas law only “allows Consumable Hemp Products in Texas that do not exceed 0.3% Delta-9 . . . THC [, and] [a]ll other forms of THC, including Delta-8 in any concentration and Delta-9 exceeding 0.3% are considered Schedule 1 controlled substances.” In response, a group of plaintiffs sued the TDSHS and its commissioner seeking to enjoin the “‘effectiveness going forward’ of the amendments to the terms ‘tetrahydrocannabinols; and ‘Marihuana extract’ in the Department’s 2021 Schedule of Controlled Substances.” The trial court granted the requested injunction, ordered the TSDHS to “remove from its currently published Schedule of Controlled Substances the most recent modifications” the subject definitions and any subsequent publications, and “enjoin[ed] the effectiveness going forward of the rule stated on [the Department’s] website that Delta-8 THC in any concentration is considered a Schedule 1 controlled substance.” The state appealed, the Austin Court of Appeals affirmed, and the matter now sits with the Texas Supreme Court. THC-infused beverages have also been a focus in Texas recently. As we wrote last month, the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs held a hearing on October 17, 2024, to discuss how the state might soon regulate THC-infused beverages. That issue will most assuredly be addressed by the Texas legislature this next session. Louisiana Medical Program Expands Amidst Fight Over Scope of Hemp Program While Louisiana technically legalized medical marijuana in 1978 and passed several laws in the years that followed in that pursuit, the first products weren’t sold until 2019. The very limited license (only two authorized cultivators and processors) regime is now headed towards a bustling program. The number of dispensaries that can exist in Louisiana is currently capped at 30, but that number will only grow as the patient numbers increase in the regions identified throughout the state. Louisiana’s hemp program, which is governed by a well-developed regulatory regime, is also in a current state of uncertainty. During the 2024 legislative session, the Legislature amended the hemp laws to restrict where certain hemp-derived products can be sold and their potency. As in Arkansas and Texas, the hemp industry quickly responded with litigation. In that matter, Hemp Assoc. of La. v. Landry , No. 3:24-cv-00871, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, was filed on October 18, 2024. The plaintiffs alleged that the 2018 Farm Bill preempts the legislation and is unconstitutional on other grounds. The state disagreed and moved to dismiss, but on November 19, 2024, the state informed the court that it would stay the effective date of the new legislation so that the parties could fully brief the pending motions and the court could reach a decision. The motions are due to be fully briefed in the coming days. Georgia Trying to Get Its Act Together The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission describes the Georgia law as “much more limited than some other states.” The statute does little more than allow registered people to buy and possess low-THC oil from licensed dispensaries. This oil may contain CBD and up to 5% THC by weight. Only a select number of licensed producers can grow the cannabis that will eventually be turned into the allowed low-THC oil. As in many other states, the application and licensing process is quite strict . To obtain a registration card, prospective patients must have a qualifying condition or disease and be registered through their physician. Once a patient has their card, they can buy low-THC oil and possess 20 fluid ounces or less so long as they keep it in the manufacturer-labeled pharmaceutical packaging. On the hemp side, the Georgia Legislature recently passed SB 494, which Gov. Brian Kemp subsequently signed into law. This law introduces substantial changes to the hemp industry. The Georgia Department of Agriculture is in the process of drafting the corresponding and required agency rules. It appears that most hemp extracts like delta-8-THC, delta-10-THC, HHC, and other cannabinoids remain legal under Georgia law as “consumable hemp products.” Alabama Medical Marijuana Program on the Ropes While Hemp Flourishes Sigh... where do we even begin when it comes to medical marijuana in Alabama? There have been more twists and turns than a classic Iron Bowl. The Legislature approved a medical program in 2021, and recent court hearings suggest that we are potentially no further along after three years, with a possibility of the Legislature being forced to take action to modify (or end) the program. We have written extensively about the years of litigation and dysfunction that have plagued the Alabama medical marijuana program. In a nutshell, the cap on the number of licenses for various categories (cultivators, processors, dispensaries, etc.) has led to a scenario where applicants dissatisfied with the regulators’ decision to award licenses have sued on multiple occasions, and the regulators have either acceded to the demands or ended up in a court that has not acted quickly to impose order on the process. In the midst of this chaos, the Legislature had an opportunity to tweak the law but overwhelmingly chose not to do so . We’re choosing to take the optimistic view that the court system will be able to find a resolution to the years of litigation without putting the matter into the Legislature’s hands. We stress that view is very optimistic, but we should know more by the beginning of 2025. On a brighter note for cannabis advocates, hemp is growing strong in the state, benefiting largely from a relatively liberal regulatory regime. Although the Legislature considered a significant rollback of hemp sales during the last session, the only law passed was a statewide age-limit on products containing hemp. There have been recent reports of law enforcement activity related to hemp businesses being raided for selling unlawful products, but on the whole Alabama should be considered hemp-friendly for the moment. Tennessee Marijuana Reform Frustrated While Hemp Market Experiences Growth But Tighter Regulation For years we were astonished that Tennessee was not a huge marijuana (at least medical) spot, but years of hearing over and over from friends and colleagues in the state have finally convinced us of the political complexities at play. We, likely as most people, tend to view Tennessee as being dominated by Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, and other hemp-friendly areas of east Tennessee. If the decision was up to the citizens of those areas, Tennessee would likely have a well-established marijuana program. But, as it turns out, Tennessee is a big state with widely varying views on all ranges of social issues, including marijuana. For that reason, marijuana proposals have had little success in the largely conservative state Legislature. We still think Tennessee could be a monster player with the right program in place, but we’d be lying if we predicted that was imminent. On the hemp side, Tennessee was an early adopter, and its hemp industry blossomed for years under a hands-off regulatory regime. In May 2023, Tennessee enacted T.C.A. § 43-27-201 , which is an industry-friendly statutory framework for products containing hemp-derived cannabinoids like delta-8 and delta-10 THC. The statute delegated rulemaking authority to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) to flesh out its requirements. That is where the trouble began. In December 2023, TDA published emergency rules that largely aligned with T.C.A. § 43-27-201 with respect to its licensing and labeling requirements, leaving those operators that focus on edible hemp-derived cannabinoid products pleased. But the rules contained a bombshell: specifically, the requirement that hemp contain 0.3% or less total THC , which includes both delta-9 THC and THCA. The TDA maintained this total THC standard in the permanent rules it promulgated in September 2024. The TDA’s total THC requirement is at odds with Tennessee’s hemp statute , which defines hemp as cannabis containing 0.3% or less delta-9 THC (with no mention of THCA). In reliance on this statutory scheme, many Tennessee hemp companies that focus on psychoactive products have made high-THCA smokable products a large part of their offerings. The TDA’s new rules, which go into effect on December 26, 2024, pose a grave danger to those operators. Industry groups, including the Tennessee Growers Coalition , are preparing for war to prevent these new rules from going into effect. Stay tuned to Budding Trends for updates on the lawsuits against the TDA that are coming down the pike. Kentucky Begins Medical Marijuana Program and Remains Hemp Stalwart The OG of hemp, with the help of its powerful Sen. Mitch McConnell, Kentucky has an outsized responsibility for passage of the two most recent farm bills that have led to the explosion of the hemp industry. Kentucky’s hemp program remains strong, and many of its Congressional delegation represent a bulwark against efforts to severely limit the availability of hemp products. Kentucky’s medical cannabis program is just now off to the races. Licenses are currently being awarded and industry observers are carefully watching the Bluegrass State’s progress as the program gets off the ground. Nothing to Show Yet, But South Carolina Begins to Show Signs of Life in Cannabis Reform Efforts Ah, South Carolina. Its siren song has tempted cannabis advocates for years with its diversity – political, geographical, geological, and otherwise. But to date, nada. We’ve written about the fits and starts with the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act in the past few years. The Legislature has not enacted the law as of yet, but we are keeping our eyes on it during the next legislative session. On the hemp side, coming from a state that has famously been near the back of the line on cannabis liberalization, we’ll admit that we were surprised to read a recent letter from the solicitor general of South Carolina stating that, as a general rule, hemp beverages containing less than .3% delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis are legal. We suspect that will be a topic of discussion at the next legislative session. North Carolina Not Quite there on Marijuana , Stalled on Hemp North Carolina is going to be a monster marijuana jurisdiction, but like Tennessee, the geopolitical makeup of the state has restrained cannabis liberalization to date. Maybe we should have known better than to predict that the Tar Heel State was going to take action on marijuana legislation in an election year in which the speaker of the N.C. House, Tim Moore (R), is running for an open U.S. Congress seat. Passing a marijuana legalization bill was not going to be a political priority and could have given political adversaries an opportunity to paint supporters as soft on crime, even if a majority of the state’s electorate does support some kind of legalization. For its part, the state Senate passed yet another medical marijuana and hemp regulation bill, House Bill 563, though one of the most restrictive in the country, only to see it stall in the hose. As in years past, Moore has not allowed the House to take a vote on a bill and has cited his “majority of the majority” policy and lack of Republican support in the House as a basis for refusing to bring the Senate bill to the House floor for a vote. It’s likely not going to move anytime soon, but what’s in HB 563? Half the bill is dedicated to the regulation of hemp, while the second half – the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act – opens the door to legalizing medicinal marijuana. On the medicinal marijuana side, the bill creates a state commission to oversee the distribution of medical marijuana and regulate which medical conditions are eligible for treatment. It also outlines the process for patients to obtain medical cannabis cards, creating restrictions on where cannabis can be smoked, and requires physicians to write prescriptions for patients to use medical cannabis. Some Senate Republicans expressed concern that legalization of medicinal marijuana was a fast and slippery slope towards legalizing recreational marijuana. To alleviate that concern, an amendment was adopted that clarified that recreational use would remain illegal in North Carolina even if the federal government reclassified or legalized marijuana nationwide. On the hemp regulation side, HB 563 would require all hemp product manufacturers and distributors to be licensed. In addition, there are new safety and testing standards, marketing and label restrictions, and more strict product regulations on the amount of cannabinoids that can be included in ingestible or inhalable products. Politically, it makes sense for supporters of medical marijuana to tie its fate to hemp regulation. Hemp regulation has broad bipartisan support and would likely pass both chambers if presented as a standalone bill. By linking hemp regulation to the Compassionate Care Act, medical marijuana supporters are daring their House and Senate colleagues to vote against hemp regulation. For the time being, that leaves the hemp industry with the uncertainty, and opportunity, of North Carolina continuing to have very limited regulations for the industry. Why Is the Southeast Experiencing Such Explosive, Concentrated Cannabis Activity? Part of the reason for the accelerated pace of developments of cannabis reform in the Southeast is precisely because the Southeast started cannabis programs later than other parts of the country. As a result, Southeastern cannabis efforts are, on the whole, not as mature as markets in other states. There are examples from other states that legislatures and regulators can look to for how other states in recent years have addressed the issues just now facing Southeastern states. There is a great scene in the movie Major League where Willie Mays Hayes, played by the wonderful Wesley Snipes, is removed from the Cleveland (then) Indians’ baseball spring training while he sleeps in bed because there is no record of anyone by that name being invited to spring training (because he wasn’t invited). When Willie wakes up in the morning to the sound of potential Indians running sprints, Willie jumps out of bed in his pajamas and starts running, eventually finding himself running between two uniformed players. Because of his remarkable speed (“I hit like Mays, and I run like Hayes”), Willie explodes past the other two even though they had a head start. The manager Lou Brown, played sublimely by the delightful James Gammon, immediately says “[g]et him a uniform.” What the hell are we talking about? We think the Southeastern cannabis market is a little like Willie Mays Hayes. The market was late to the cannabis industry, but once it arrived it has the benefit of seeing the experiences of other states and, like Willie, has the benefit of hitting the ground running. Separately, the issue of cannabis reform is ripe for political battles in the Southeast. The region is certain not as socially progressive on most issues like cannabis. After all, in this part of the country there are still knock-down, drag-out fights about whether to allow the sale of beer before noon on Sundays. But the region is proving to be more progressive than many would have thought, in part perhaps because people around these parts have heard anecdotal reports about friends and family who have used cannabis products safely and perhaps in part because we have seen that cannabis liberalization in other parts of the country has not led to the type of Reefer Madness scenarios long feared. So, What’s Next? As with most trends, the rapid expansion of cannabis activity mirrors – and is in many ways a microcosm – of the policies, setbacks, and successes experienced across America. If we were certain what the future holds for cannabis in the Southeastern United States, we would be sitting on an island somewhere instead of writing blog posts. That said, we expect (1) clear, if not sometimes frustratingly paced expansion of medical cannabis across the region; (2) an expansion of qualifying medical conditions and form factors; (3) an eventual tipping point in the direction of adult-use programs; and (4) hemp continuing to see strong sales unless the federal or state governments enact laws to thwart that growth. At the conclusion of the wonderful Ken Burns’ epic documentary on country music, the great Marty Stuart says the following about the genre: Country music has something for everybody, and it’s inside the song, it’s inside the characters. It’s really colorful in here. I invite you in. Cannabis in the Southeastern United States has something for everybody, and maybe not enough for some people. And we certainly have colorful characters making some of the important decisions about the future of cannabis policy in our little corner of the world. We see this area as one of massive potential growth, particularly with the help of the right people. We invite you in. Listen to this PostFrance's Macron vows to stay on, promises PM in 'coming days'Netflix 'totally ready' for XMas NFL games, WWE

WASHINGTON — A top White House official said Wednesday at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations were impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger offered new details about the breadth of the sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Neuberger divulged the scope of the hack a day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. White House officials cautioned that the number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could grow. The U.S. believes the hackers were able to gain access to communications of senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures through the hack, Neuberger said. “We don’t believe any classified communications has been compromised,” Neuberger added during a call with reporters. She added that Biden was briefed on the findings and the White House “made it a priority for the federal government to do everything it can to get to the bottom this.” The Chinese embassy in Washington rejected the accusations that it was responsible for the hack Tuesday after the U.S. federal authorities issued new guidance. “The U.S. needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cyber security to smear and slander China,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. The embassy did not immediately respond to messages Wednesday. White House officials believe the hacking was regionally targeted and the focus was on very senior government officials. Federal authorities confirmed in October that hackers linked to China targeted the phones of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, along with people associated with Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. The number of countries impacted by the hack is currently believed to be in the “low, couple dozen,” according to a senior administration official. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House, said they believed the hacks started at least a year or two ago. The suggestions for telecom companies released Tuesday are largely technical in nature, urging encryption, centralization and consistent monitoring to deter cyber intrusions. If implemented, the security precautions could help disrupt the operation, dubbed Salt Typhoon, and make it harder for China or any other nation to mount a similar attack in the future, experts say. Neuberger pointed to efforts made to beef up cybersecurity in the rail, aviation, energy and other sectors following the May 2021 ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline. “So, to prevent ongoing Salt Typhoon type intrusions by China, we believe we need to apply a similar minimum cybersecurity practice,” Neuberger said. The cyberattack by a gang of criminal hackers on the critical U.S. pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel used along the Eastern Seaboard, sent ripple effects across the economy, highlighting cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the nation’s aging energy infrastructure. Colonial confirmed it paid $4.4 million to the gang of hackers who broke into its computer systems as it scrambled to get the nation's fuel pipeline back online.

Trump taps Rollins as agriculture chief, completing proposed slate of Cabinet secretaries

ph365 ph365 net 2. Check the temperature: Before using a hot water bottle, make sure to test the temperature of the water inside by gently touching it with your hand. The water should be comfortably warm, not scalding hot. Avoid using boiling water in hot water bottles.Despite the challenges in reaching a new agreement, both parties are said to be open to continuing discussions in the coming months. Barcelona values De Jong's contributions on the pitch and sees him as a vital part of their long-term plans. The club's sporting director, Mateu Alemany, has expressed confidence in finding a resolution that satisfies both the player and the team.

Charles & Colvard, Ltd. Receives Non-Compliance Letter from NasdaqB.C. premier says feds and premiers have right-left strategy to tackle Trump tariffs

Transforming healthcare: Transitioning from reactive to proactive modelsBeyond their outward appearances, both Zhang Ziyi and Yang Zi have proven themselves to be talented and versatile performers, capable of tackling a wide range of roles and emotions. Their dedication to their craft and commitment to excellence have earned them the respect and admiration of their peers and audiences alike. By coming together in this iconic photo, they have not only showcased their individual beauty and charm but also celebrated the diversity and richness of talent in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Elway: Remorse over passing on Allen mitigated by play of NixThe end of the strike was a pivotal moment for Boeing, as it allowed the company to refocus its efforts on the production and delivery of its flagship 737 MAX aircraft. The strike had caused disruptions in the supply chain and delayed the delivery of aircraft to customers, leading to financial losses and a tarnished reputation for Boeing.3. Determining Your Ideal Sleep Duration

Midfield: C.D.K (AC Milan)Unlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her health insurance covered all but $25 to $50 of the monthly cost. For Griffin, the hardest part of using the new drugs wasn’t access. It was finding out that the much-hyped medications didn’t really work for her. “I have been on Wegovy for a year and a half and have only lost 13 pounds,” said Griffin, who watches her diet, drinks plenty of water and exercises regularly. “I’ve done everything right with no success. It’s discouraging.” In clinical trials, most participants taking Wegovy or Mounjaro to treat obesity lost an average of 15% to 22% of their body weight — up to 50 pounds or more in many cases. But roughly 10% to 15% of patients in those trials were “nonresponders” who lost less than 5% of their body weight. Now that millions of people have used the drugs, several obesity experts told The Associated Press that perhaps 20% of patients — as many as 1 in 5 — may not respond well to the medications. It's a little-known consequence of the obesity drug boom, according to doctors who caution eager patients not to expect one-size-fits-all results. “It's all about explaining that different people have different responses,” said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity expert at Massachusetts General Hospital The drugs are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists because they mimic a hormone in the body known as glucagon-like peptide 1. Genetics, hormones and variability in how the brain regulates energy can all influence weight — and a person's response to the drugs, Stanford said. Medical conditions such as sleep apnea can prevent weight loss, as can certain common medications, such as antidepressants, steroids and contraceptives. “This is a disease that stems from the brain,” said Stanford. “The dysfunction may not be the same” from patient to patient. Despite such cautions, patients are often upset when they start getting the weekly injections but the numbers on the scale barely budge. “It can be devastating,” said Dr. Katherine Saunders, an obesity expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of the obesity treatment company FlyteHealth. “With such high expectations, there’s so much room for disappointment.” That was the case for Griffin, who has battled obesity since childhood and hoped to shed 70 pounds using Wegovy. The drug helped reduce her appetite and lowered her risk of diabetes, but she saw little change in weight. “It’s an emotional roller coaster,” she said. “You want it to work like it does for everybody else.” The medications are typically prescribed along with eating behavior and lifestyle changes. It’s usually clear within weeks whether someone will respond to the drugs, said Dr. Jody Dushay, an endocrine specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Weight loss typically begins right away and continues as the dosage increases. For some patients, that just doesn't happen. For others, side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea force them to halt the medications, Dushay said. In such situations, patients who were counting on the new drugs to pare pounds may think they’re out of options. “I tell them: It's not game over,” Dushay said. Trying a different version of the new class of drugs may help. Griffin, who didn't respond well to Wegovy, has started using Zepbound, which targets an additional hormone pathway in the body. After three months of using the drug, she has lost 7 pounds. “I'm hoping it's slow and steady,” she said. Other people respond well to older drugs, the experts said. Changing diet, exercise, sleep and stress habits can also have profound effects. Figuring out what works typically requires a doctor trained to treat obesity, Saunders noted. “Obesity is such a complex disease that really needs to be treated very comprehensively,” she said. “If what we’re prescribing doesn’t work, we always have a backup plan.” ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

OneMedNet Announces Receipt of Nasdaq Notice Regarding Delayed Form 10-QNew Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr sustained a left hand injury and possible concussion in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 14-11 victory over the New York Giants. The Saints feared Carr fractured the hand, per reports, and he was slated to undergo further testing. He reportedly had a cast on the hand when exiting the stadium. Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi said Carr may have to enter the concussion protocol. Carr was injured when he tried to leap for a first down late in the final quarter. He was near the sideline and went airborne, landing hard on the left hand with this face then slamming into the turf as he landed out of bounds with 3:59 left in the game. Jake Haener finished up the game for the Saints. Carr completed 20 of 31 passes for 219 yards, one touchdown and one interception for New Orleans. Overall, Carr has passed for 2,145 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He missed three games earlier this season due to an oblique injury. --Field Level MediaIn the latest update of the highly anticipated mobile game "Zero Zone," players are in for a special treat as they have the chance to claim a free S-Class character, exclusively designed for the new version. This character has been the talk of the gaming community ever since the announcement was made, and now players can finally get a sneak peek at this super handsome boy in an exciting new PV.

Omdia: Projecting Small and Medium-Sized OLED Shipments to Exceed 1 Billion Units for the First Time in 2025As news of the brothers' retirements spread, tributes poured in from across the footballing world. Former teammates, coaches, and rivals all took to social media to express their respect and admiration for the twins' contributions to the game. Messages of gratitude and well wishes flooded the internet, with many highlighting the brothers' passion, dedication, and sportsmanship as qualities to be emulated by aspiring young players.

AI For Risk Management Market Detailed In New Research Report 2024 11-27-2024 10:14 PM CET | IT, New Media & Software Press release from: SkyQuest Technology AI For Risk Management Market Scope: AI For Risk Management Market size was valued at USD 8.9 billion in 2019 and is poised to grow from USD 11.36 billion in 2023 to USD 68.5 billion by 2031, at a CAGR of 11.3% during the forecast period (2024-2031) The study of the global AI For Risk Management Market is presented in the report, which is a thoroughly researched presentation of the data. The analysis delves into some of the key facets of the global Keyword market and shows how drivers like pricing, competition, market dynamics, regional growth, gross margin, and consumption will affect the market's performance. A thorough analysis of the competitive landscape and in-depth company profiles of the top players in the AI For Risk Management Market are included in the study. It provides a summary of precise market data, including production, revenue, market value, volume, market share, and growth rate. Request for Sample Copy of this Global AI For Risk Management Market: https://www.skyquestt.com/sample-request/ai-for-risk-management-market The best investment markers are insights into the most prominent market trends, which help potential participants make decisions even easier. The research aims to discover the numerous growth chances that readers may take into consideration and take advantage of using all the necessary information. The market growth over the coming years can be predicted with greater accuracy by carefully examining the important growth-influencing aspects including pricing, production, profit margins, and value chain analyses. AI For Risk Management Market Segments: Technology Hardware, software, Services Major Players Covered in Global AI For Risk Management Market Report: • Smart bridge• Logic manager• CCMSI• BizVibe• Protecht• Yodel Services• MetricStream• Navex Global• Origami Risk• RMS• Deltek• Congruity360• Enablon• • • • • • • View report summary and Table of Contents (TOC): https://www.skyquestt.com/report/ai-for-risk-management-market Report Inclusions: Market Overview: A product/services overview and the size of the global Keyword market are included. It provides a summary of the report's segmental analysis. Here, the focus is on the product/service type, application, and regional segments. Revenue and sales market estimates are also included in this chapter. Competition: This section includes information on market conditions and trends, analyzes manufacturers, and provides data on average prices paid by players, revenue and revenue shares of individual market players, sales and sales shares of individual players. Company Profiles: This part of the research provides in-depth, analytical information on the financial and business strategy data of some of the top players in the global Keyword market. This chapter of the report also covers a number of other specifics, such as product/service descriptions, portfolios, regional reach, and revenue splits. Region-wise Sales Analysis: This portion of the study provides market data along with regional revenue, sales, and market share analysis. Additionally, it offers estimates for each examined regional market's sales and sales growth rate, pricing scheme, revenue, and other factors. North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, and Italy) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, and Southeast Asia) South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, etc.) The Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa) The research study can answer the following Key questions: (1) What is the estimated size of the global Keyword market at the end of the forecast period? (2) Is the segment-leading the global Keyword market anticipated to retain its leadership? (3) Which regions demonstrate the maximum growth potential? (4) Does any player dominate the global Keyword market? (5) What are the main drivers and restraints in the global Keyword market? Want to customize this report? Ask here : https://www.skyquestt.com/speak-with-analyst/ai-for-risk-management-market Table of Contents Chapter 1 Industry Overview 1.1 Definition 1.2 Assumptions 1.3 Research Scope 1.4 Market Analysis by Regions 1.5 Market Size Analysis from 2023 to 2030 11.6 COVID-19 Outbreak: Medical Computer Cart Industry Impact Chapter 2 Competition by Types, Applications, and Top Regions and Countries 2.1 Market (Volume and Value) by Type 2.3 Market (Volume and Value) by Regions Chapter 3 Production Market Analysis 3.1 Worldwide Production Market Analysis 3.2 Regional Production Market Analysis Chapter 4 Medical Computer Cart Sales, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2023-2023) Chapter 5 North America Market Analysis Chapter 6 East Asia Market Analysis Chapter 7 Europe Market Analysis Chapter 8 South Asia Market Analysis Chapter 9 Southeast Asia Market Analysis Chapter 10 Middle East Market Analysis Chapter 11 Africa Market Analysis Chapter 12 Oceania Market Analysis Chapter 13 Latin America Market Analysis Chapter 14 Company Profiles and Key Figures in Medical Computer Cart Business Chapter 15 Market Forecast (2023-2030) Chapter 16 Conclusions About Us: SkyQuest is an IP focused Research and Investment Bank and Accelerator of Technology and assets. We provide access to technologies, markets and finance across sectors viz. Life Sciences, CleanTech, AgriTech, NanoTech and Information & Communication Technology. We work closely with innovators, inventors, innovation seekers, entrepreneurs, companies and investors alike in leveraging external sources of R&D. Moreover, we help them in optimizing the economic potential of their intellectual assets. Our experiences with innovation management and commercialization has expanded our reach across North America, Europe, ASEAN and Asia Pacific. Contact: Mr. Jagraj Singh Skyquest Technology 1 Apache Way, Westford, Massachusetts 01886 USA (!) 351-333-4748 Visit Our Website: https://www.skyquestt.com/ This release was published on openPR.How to Watch Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Games – Tuesday, December 3Patriots' coaches enter bye week confident Drake Maye can be a franchise quarterback

By Manya Saini, Suzanne McGee and Saqib Iqbal Ahmed (Reuters) -GameStop’s shares jumped on Thursday after a cryptic post from meme stock influencer Keith Gill, who shot to notoriety after his online personas and bullish bets on the video game retailer sparked a trading frenzy among mom-and-pop investors. Gill posted a picture resembling a Time magazine cover from 2006 with a computer screen on social media platform X. Following his post, GameStop’s shares spiked and traded as high as $30.87. The stock closed up 6%. Known as “Roaring Kitty” on YouTube and “DeepF***ingValue” on Reddit’s popular WallStreetBets, Gill was a key figure in the so-called “Reddit rally”, in which GameStop stock surged 1,600% at one point in Jan. 2021, crushing hedge funds that had bet against the videogame retailer. Steve Sosnick, chief strategist at Interactive Brokers, noted that this is characteristic of a pattern that has evolved in the trading of GameStop: the stock’s price will rally, then when it settles down a bit or retreats, Gill’s “Roaring Kitty” persona tends to emerge with a social media post. “We’ve seen that pattern again recently; the stock was at $21 earlier in November but then rallied to $30 or so around Thanksgiving, only to give back most of those gains over the last couple of days.” On Thursday, about 300,000 GameStop options contracts had changed hands by 2:14 p.m. (1914 GMT), at about 1.5 times the usual pace, according to data from options analytics firm Trade Alert. The stock’s 30-day implied volatility — how much traders expect the shares to move around over the short term — jumped to a 3-week high of 132%, up from 93% in the previous session, data showed. Contracts betting on the shares finishing above $30 by Friday were the most actively traded options, with some 32,000 of them traded by late afternoon. ‘ANIMAL SPIRITS’ Gill resurfaced on social media earlier in 2024, after a three-year hiatus leading to a deluge of excited messages from his followers, many of whom have likened the social media phenomenon to a David who took on Wall Street’s Goliaths and won. “The re-emergence of the popularity of meme stocks tends to follow any general resurgence in market enthusiasm and animal spirits,” said Art Hogan, market strategist at B. Riley Wealth Management. “Whenever markets are at or near all-time highs, that particular part of the speculative side of stocks tends to pop up again.” The meme stock rally in 2021 was set off by Gill’s posts on WallStreetBets subreddit about the gains he had made on his investments in the highly shorted firm. The rally spread to other highly shorted stocks including AMC Entertainment as Reddit users banded together to squeeze bearish hedge funds, costing them billions in losses and drawing scrutiny from U.S. regulators. The entire episode inspired Craig Gillespie’s 2023 movie “Dumb Money”. Other so-called meme stocks also traded higher on Thursday after Gill’s post. Shares of Unity Software closed up 5%, while cinema chain AMC, another darling of retail investors from 2021, climbed 6%. “It wouldn’t surprise me if the faithful haven’t been distracted by other things. Crypto has stolen GameStop’s thunder recently,” Sosnick said. The video game retailer’s stock is up around 76% so far this year. Meanwhile, bitcoin has surged more than 130% and surpassed the $100,000 mark earlier on Thursday, fueled by optimism over easing regulatory headwinds, in what is a stunning rally for the world’s largest cryptocurrency. (Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru, Suzanne McGee in Providence, Rhode Island and Saqib Iqbal Ahmed in New York; Editing by Alan Barona) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );It's easy to be smug about AI "art" because, hey, doesn't that stuff look like garbage ? But the reality isn't so simple. To the untrained eye, it seems that AI-generated images are more than just passable; in some cases, they seem to match up to the old masters themselves. That at least appears to be the findings of a recent blind test conducted by the blog Astral Star Codex , which found that the readers who took part incorrectly distinguished between AI images and human art 40 percent of the time. But perhaps the most striking takeaway was that overall, the participants slightly preferred the AI creations to human ones, with six of the top ten most-liked images being AI-generated, and the top two slots going to the AI paintings. This preference was even the case among participants who identified as having a profound distaste for AI illustrations — perhaps demonstrating the unnerving capabilities of the technology. For the record, this was not a scientifically conducted test. But with 11,000 participants, it's big enough to be interesting. Via an online survey, respondents were asked to look through fifty curated images that had no accompanying details, and on each, opine whether they were human or AI. The ending included additional questions asking to explain certain decisions, expand on participants' familiarity with art, and other relevant inquiries. The blog's selection of images, meanwhile, was wide-ranging, including numerous classicist and impressionist paintings, a host of contemporary digital art, and AI facsimiles of all of the aforementioned. To make the test challenging, the chosen AI images did not include obvious giveaways like botched hands or gobbledygook text, and were often made by experienced prompt engineers (self-styled AI artists, in other words.) Certainly, some pictures could be clocked as AI from a mile away, like one of an anime girl , and an especially gaudy depiction of giant cats in a throne room . Others, though, like a quasi-impressionist night scene , are far more difficult to pin down. As we said, the takeaways are complicated. Perhaps the preference for the AI-images, many of which happened to be in the impressionist style, merely reflects partipants' taste for paintings of that era, as Astra speculates. It's also worth noting that significant human labor went into selecting only the most convincing AI art, meaning participants were being presented with only the cream of the crop. As for the people who loathed AI images but seemed to prefer them when all the labels are stripped away, it's possible the selection don't reflect what they specifically associate as bad with AI images (like the weird "sheen" you see in so many of them). The upshot, though, is that most of us don't have the refined visual palette to distinguish a human touch from a convincing machine one — which makes sense, since the AI models are fine-tuned to ape existing artworks by sort of averaging them all together and selecting for the most pleasing parts. Recently, we've seen people similarly leaning towards AI with poetry , something that very few people actually read regularly. At the same time, the test showed that there are indeed total aliens out there who correctly identified almost every single picture, with an elite five readers scoring 49/50. We'll close with a response from an experienced artist who partook in the challenge, and who displayed a remarkable talent for being a veritable art blade runner. A big telltale, she told Astral , is that the details in human pictures "have a logic to them," while AI ones are merely "superficially detailed." Summarizing her view, AI art is like the culinary equivalent of trying to replace food with a tasty and nutritionally adequate protein shake that you could make for cheap. Sure, you're getting your fill, and the slurry pleases the taste buds. But "imagine people calling this the future of food and saying chefs are obsolete," she wrote, per Astral . It'd probably drive you crazy, e specially if you're an artist. More on AI: Newspaper Fires Two AI Reporters After Bizarre Behavior Share This ArticleLooking ahead, the Faint Bathhouse Center faces the challenge of rebuilding trust and restoring its reputation in the wake of the recent incident. By prioritizing the safety and comfort of its guests, the center can demonstrate its commitment to providing a positive and relaxing experience for all visitors.

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Transplant recipients show better physical, school, and social functioning than those receiving transfusions and medications alone LBA-5: Outcome of Cerebral Vasculopathy and Cognitive Performances 10 Years Post-Enrollment in the Drepagreffe Trial Comparing Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation to Standard-Care in Children with Sickle Cell Anemia and History of Abnormal Cerebral Velocities SAN DIEGO, Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Children who received a stem cell transplant for sickle cell disease (SCD) experienced better quality of life outcomes and cognitive performance 10 years after their transplant compared with children who received chronic transfusion therapy and the SCD drug hydroxyurea but did not undergo a stem cell transplant. This is according to new study results presented during the 66th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition. The findings reflect 10-year outcomes from the DREPAGREFFE-1 trial, which ran from 2010-2013 in France, and was the first head-to-head comparison of allogeneic stem cell transplantation versus standard of care for children with SCD. Combined with the study's one-year and three-year outcomes, the 10-year findings further strengthen the evidence in favor of stem cell transplantation for reducing complications and improving the overall outlook for people living with SCD, according to the researchers. "This trial demonstrated that following stem cell transplantation, patients had a better quality of life, not only for physical functioning but also for social and school functioning," said the study's lead author, Françoise Bernaudin, MD, a physician at Hôpital Intercommunal de Créteil, Université Paris-Est, in France. "We found that these patients can have a greater ability to do sports and run, attained higher academic degrees, are not anxious about their future, and experience less anger and less difficulty with memory compared with those who received chronic transfusions and hydroxyurea." SCD is an inherited blood disorder that causes red blood cells to become sickle-shaped, impeding the flow of blood and reducing the ability for blood to carry oxygen to tissues and organs. This results in episodes of acute pain as well as long-term damage, causing a range of complications throughout life and increasing the risk of premature death. One common SCD complication is abnormally high cerebral arterial velocities, an indicator of stenosis presence or reduced oxygen delivery to the brain, which can be associated with a greater risk of strokes and cognitive problems. DREPAGREFFE-1 enrolled 67 children between ages five to 15 who were receiving chronic blood transfusions to prevent complications from abnormal cerebral arterial velocities. Those with a matched sibling donor (n=32) were transplanted while those without a matched sibling donor (n=35) continued their transfusions and then switched to hydroxyurea in absence of stenosis and if their cerebral arterial velocities normalized. At one and three years, those who received a stem cell transplant showed significant improvements in several measures compared with those who did not receive a transplant, but at those timepoints there was no difference in the presence of ischemic lesions (blood clots that block blood flow in the brain) or cognitive performance. In the subsequent years, researchers continued to follow up with study participants, including through clinical evaluations, brain scans, and tools for assessing quality of life and cognitive functioning. At 10 years, quality of life scores related to physical, school, and social functioning were significantly higher among those who received a stem cell transplant. For cognitive performance, participants who received a stem cell transplant showed significantly better performance on tests used to assess working memory and processing speed. There was no difference between groups in terms of verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, or emotional quality of life scores. The researchers also assessed trends in the rate of silent cerebral infarcts (SCIs) – a type of small stroke that is visible on a brain scan but causes no obvious symptoms. While it is unclear whether SCIs influence cognitive functioning, they are considered to be a sign of increased SCD severity and complications. SCIs were found in 18 participants at the time of enrollment; at 10 years, five additional patients had developed silent cerebral infarcts in the standard-of-care arm compared to zero in the stem cell transplant arm. Taken together, researchers said that the study findings suggest that undergoing stem cell transplantation results in better outcomes for children with SCD compared with chronic transfusions and hydroxyurea. While this can offer additional reassurance for patients, families, and physicians who are considering the procedure, Dr. Bernaudin noted that families should also be aware of the risks of undergoing a stem cell transplant, including infertility, which is a common side effect of the conditioning regimen used to clear the bone marrow in preparation to receive a transplant. She said that fertility preservation procedures are available in France for all patients undergoing stem cell transplantation for SCD at no charge to the families, adding, "with this technique, we hope that the patients will be able to have children after the transplantation." Looking ahead, Dr. Bernaudin said that it would be useful to compare outcomes from haplo-identical stem cell transplant to gene therapy, a type of treatment that has become more widely available since DREPAGREFFE-1 was conducted. She also noted that additional work is needed to further improve transplantation techniques to minimize the risk of complications or treatment failure particularly after haplo-identical transplants in children. This study was sponsored by the Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal de Créteil (CHIC Hospital) in France and was funded by the Agence de Biomédecine and Pfizer. Françoise Bernaudin, MD, Hôpital Intercommunal de Créteil, Université Paris-Est, will discuss this study in the Late-Breaking Abstracts session on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at 7:30 a.m. Pacific time in Hall B (San Diego Convention Center). About the American Society of Hematology The American Society of Hematology (ASH) ( hematology.org ) is the world's largest professional society of hematologists dedicated to furthering the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting the blood. Since 1958, the Society has led the development of hematology as a discipline by promoting research, patient care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. The Blood journals ( https://ashpublications.org/journals ) are the premier source for basic, translational, and clinical hematological research. The Blood journals publish more peer-reviewed hematology research than any other academic journals worldwide. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/undergoing-stem-cell-transplant-for-sickle-cell-disease-in-childhood-improves-quality-of-life-a-decade-later-302327721.html SOURCE American Society of Hematology Copyright © 2024 PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights Reserved.NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. They were also prime trolling opportunities for Trump. Throughout his first term in the White House and during his campaign to return, Trump has spun out countless provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. There were his belittling nicknames for political opponents, his impressions of other political figures and the plentiful memes he shared on social media. Now that's he's preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. On Sunday, Trump turned a photo of himself seated near a smiling first lady Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony into a social media promo for his new perfume and cologne line, with the tag line, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist!” The first lady’s office declined to comment. When Trudeau hastily flew to Florida to meet with Trump last month over the president-elect's threat to impose a 25% tax on all Canadian products entering the U.S., the Republican tossed out the idea that Canada become the 51st U.S. state. The Canadians passed off the comment as a joke, but Trump has continued to play up the dig, including in a post Tuesday morning on his social media network referring to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” After decades as an entertainer and tabloid fixture, Trump has a flair for the provocative that is aimed at attracting attention and, in his most recent incarnation as a politician, mobilizing fans. He has long relished poking at his opponents, both to demean and minimize them and to delight supporters who share his irreverent comments and posts widely online and cheer for them in person. Trump, to the joy of his fans, first publicly needled Canada on his social media network a week ago when he posted an AI-generated image that showed him standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!” After his latest post, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday: “It sounds like we’re living in a episode of South Park." Trudeau said earlier this week that when it comes to Trump, “his approach will often be to challenge people, to destabilize a negotiating partner, to offer uncertainty and even sometimes a bit of chaos into the well established hallways of democracies and institutions and one of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic.” Even Thanksgiving dinner isn't a trolling-free zone for Trump's adversaries. On Thanksgiving Day, Trump posted a movie clip from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with President Joe Biden and other Democrats’ faces superimposed on the characters in a spoof of the turkey-carving scene. The video shows Trump appearing to explode out of the turkey in a swirl of purple sparks, with the former president stiffly dancing to one of his favorite songs, Village People’s “Y.M.C.A." In his most recent presidential campaign, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, refusing to call his GOP primary opponent by his real name and instead dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He added, for good measure, in a post on his Truth Social network: “I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will.” As he campaigned against Biden, Trump taunted him in online posts and with comments and impressions at his rallies, deriding the president over his intellect, his walk, his golf game and even his beach body. After Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden's spot as the Democratic nominee, Trump repeatedly suggested she never worked at McDonalds while in college. Trump, true to form, turned his mocking into a spectacle by appearing at a Pennsylvania McDonalds in October, when he manned the fries station and held an impromptu news conference from the restaurant drive-thru. Trump’s team thinks people should get a sense of humor. “President Trump is a master at messaging and he’s always relatable to the average person, whereas many media members take themselves too seriously and have no concept of anything else other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “President Trump will Make America Great Again and we are getting back to a sense of optimism after a tumultuous four years.” Though both the Biden and Harris campaigns created and shared memes and launched other stunts to respond to Trump's taunts, so far America’s neighbors to the north are not taking the bait. “I don’t think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy,” Miller said. Gerald Butts, a former top adviser to Trudeau and a close friend, said Trump brought up the 51st state line to Trudeau repeatedly during Trump’s first term in office. “Oh God,” Butts said Tuesday, “At least a half dozen times.” “This is who he is and what he does. He’s trying to destabilize everybody and make people anxious,” Butts said. “He’s trying to get people on the defensive and anxious and therefore willing to do things they wouldn’t otherwise entertain if they had their wits about them. I don’t know why anybody is surprised by it.” Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

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On game day, the Allstate Championship Tailgate, taking place just outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Home Depot Backyard, will feature country acts on the Capital One Music Stage, including global superstar Kane Brown and iHeartCountry “On The Verge” artist Ashley Cooke. The concerts are just two of the festivities visiting fans can enjoy in the days leading up to the big game. The fan experience for both ticket holders and the general public has been a focus for event planners. All weekend long, an estimated 100,000 people from across the country are expected to attend fan events preceding kickoff. “It will be an opportunity for fans of all ages to come together to sample what college football is all about, and you don’t have to have a ticket to the game to be a part of it,” said Bill Hancock, executive director of the CFP in a press release. “We’ve worked closely with the Atlanta Football Host Committee to develop fan-friendly events that thousands will enjoy come January.” On Saturday, Jan. 18, Playoff Fan Central will open at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. The free, family-friendly experience will include games, clinics, pep rallies, special guest appearances, autograph signings and exhibits celebrating college football and its history. That day, fans can also attend Media Day, presented by Great Clips, which will feature one-hour sessions with student-athletes and coaches from each of the College Football Playoff national championship participating teams. ESPN and social media giants X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will be taping live broadcasts from the event. On Sunday, Jan. 19, the Trophy Trot, both a 5K and 10K race, will wind its way through the streets of downtown Atlanta. Each Trophy Trot participant will receive a T-shirt and finisher’s medal. Participants can register at atlantatrackclub.org . On Sunday evening, the Georgia Aquarium will host the Taste of the Championship dining event, which offers attendees the opportunity to indulge in food and drink prepared by local Atlanta chefs. This premium experience serves as an elevated exploration of local cuisine on the eve of the national championship. Tickets to the Taste of the Championship event are available on etix.com . Atlanta is the first city ever to repeat as host for the CFP national championship. The playoff was previously held in Atlanta in 2018. “We are honored to be the first city to repeat as host for the CFP national championship and look forward to welcoming college football fans from around the country in January,” said Dan Corso, president of the Atlanta Sports Council and Atlanta Football Host Committee. “This event gives us another opportunity to showcase our incredible city.” The College Football Playoff is the event that crowns the national champion in college football. The quarterfinals and semifinals rotate annually among six bowl games — the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. This year’s quarterfinals will take place on Dec. 31, 2024 and Jan. 1, 2025, while the semifinals will be Jan. 9-10, 2025. The CFP national championship will be Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. For additional information on the College Football Playoff, visit CollegeFootballPlayoff.com .

American and European stock markets mostly rose on Wednesday after inflation data cemented expectations that the US Federal Reserve will trim interest rates next month. While the Dow fell slightly, the other two major US indices advanced, led by the tech-rich Nasdaq, which piled on almost two percent to close above 20,000 points for the first time. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Get the latest need-to-know information delivered to your inbox as it happens. Our flagship newsletter. Get our front page stories each morning as well as the latest updates each afternoon during the week + more in-depth weekend editions on Saturdays & Sundays.Ambarella, Inc. Announces Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said he was caught off guard by reports early Tuesday that linebacker Shaq Barrett wants to unretire. The two-time Super Bowl winner signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins in March, then abruptly announced his retirement on social media in July, just days before the start of Miami's training camp. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

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Pink is getting into the festive mood with her children Willow and Jameson , and the three are making the best of early holiday spectacles. The 45-year-old singer-songwriter (real name Alecia Beth Moore) is taking some downtime with her family after wrapping her 17-month long world tour, the Summer Carnival Tour , last month. She took to social media with some adorable pictures from her visit to Santa's village with her daughter Willow, 13, and her son Jameson, eight . Along with a goofy snap of herself posing in a gingerbread man's costume, she included a selfie with her lookalike daughter, and then a photo with both children dressed in their Christmas sweaters . Fans quickly took to the post's comment section to gush over not only how much the kids had grown but also how much they resembled their famous parents . Pink shares her two kids with husband Carey Hart . "OMG She is a perfect combo of the 2 of you! GORGEOUS," one said of Willow, with another adding: "She's your doppelgänger!" A third gushed: "Just love the matching sweaters! I hope Carey has one to match Jameson," and a fourth also wrote: "Excuse me. Who told Willow and Jameson they could grow up that quickly????" While the kids will make occasional appearances on their parents' social media, the "Just Give Me a Reason" singer has stated in the past that they're not allowed to have social media unless they prove it is worth their time, despite Willow since branching out on her own as a Broadway and musical hopeful. MORE: Pink shares rare photo of extremely handsome brother During an appearance on Carolina with Greg T in the Morning Show , she explained: "My kids don't have a phone," adding that her daughter was the only one in her class without a phone. "It's hard. A lot of my friends have their kids on TikTok, and I don't." However, she justified her decision by adding: "I told Willow, 'That just doesn't move my needle, they're not my kids, you're my kid.' She has a lot of eyes on her." MORE: Pink sparks reaction with surprising 'baby' request in heartwarming holiday post Pink explained that as far as her parenting style was concerned, she cared less about making her daughter "cool" and more so that her mental health was intact, which meant much less screen time. "I told her, point blank, 'If you can produce literature from a reputable source that tells me that social media is good for you, then you can be on it. Otherwise, good luck.' She could be a lawyer, she could literally pass the bar. She's always right." MORE: Pink's son, 8, makes drumming debut during sentimental moment for family — watch During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show , she spoke candidly about having "open conversations" with her children about life and what it entails. "I'm trying to walk that line." "Like, I want you to have a childhood; I want to preserve some of your innocence, but I also know that you need to be prepared for the world we live in. And not to be a Debby Downer, but these kids are having active shooter drills in school; like this is the world we live in. They need to be prepared."They were all exceptional – Mikel Arteta loved seeing Arsenal run riot in Lisbon

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Maple Grove Embraces Gift of Giving with Annual Toys for CROSS DriveKriti Sanon Attends Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's Show With Rumoured Boyfriend Kabir Bahia, Sister Nupur In Dubai, Videos Go ViralThe J. M. Smucker Company Announces Cash Tender Offers

BETHESDA, Md. , Dec. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors at Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) named Kevin O'Connor as the corporation's new senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. Effective Jan. 13 , O'Connor will succeed Maryanne Lavan , who plans to retire. O'Connor most recently served as senior vice president and chief legal officer for Carrier. "Kevin is a proven leader who brings insight, expertise, and a shared commitment to our 21st Century Security ® vision. I look forward to working with him as we continue to prioritize strong governance and delivering more cutting-edge capabilities faster and more affordably to the United States and our allies," said Chairman, President and CEO Jim Taiclet . "Over her exceptional 34-year career at Lockheed Martin, Maryanne has made a mark on our company through her leadership, guidance and integrity. I appreciate her many years of service and wish her all the best in her next chapter." Lavan will serve as a strategic advisor through the first quarter of 2025 to help ensure a smooth transition. About Kevin O'Connor As senior vice president and chief legal officer for Carrier, O'Connor oversaw the company's legal and compliance matters worldwide. He also was responsible for government and regulatory affairs, where he developed and executed advocacy strategies to support global business growth. Prior to joining Carrier, he served as chief legal officer for Point72. Before that, O'Connor served as the vice president of Global Ethics & Compliance, UTC, and was a partner at the law firm Bracewell LLP. O'Connor is a proven leader with more than 25 years of experience, bringing to the role a strong combination of experience in government and the private sector, including at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as U.S. attorney for Connecticut and as associate attorney general of the United States , the third-ranking official at the Department of Justice. "It is an honor to join Lockheed Martin at such an exciting time in its history, when national security solutions are of paramount importance," said O'Connor. "The opportunity to work with such an incredibly talented team while continuing to ensure the highest standards in governance and compliance is truly exciting. I look forward to working with the leadership team to help advance Lockheed Martin's critical mission in this dynamic environment." About Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin is a global defense technology company driving innovation and advancing scientific discovery. Our all-domain mission solutions and 21st Century Security ® vision accelerate the delivery of transformative technologies to ensure those we serve always stay ahead of ready. More information at Lockheedmartin.com . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lockheed-martin-names-new-general-counsel-302321622.html SOURCE Lockheed Martin

A&M Consolidated graduate Carlos Eduardo Espina has earned the title “A One Man Telemundo on TikTok” for his work on social media, receiving national attention and ending up on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. The 26-year-old Espina has millions of followers across his social media accounts where he educates and informs others on immigration and more. Previously, Espina spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Conventional alongside other content creators on his own personal experiences immigrating to Texas when he was 5. Espina went on to graduate from Vassar College with a degree in political science and graduated from the Boyd School of Law. In the Forbes article, Espina is credited with founding Migrantes Unidos, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting immigrants by providing free citizenship classes, English courses, workshops and more. Espina founded his first nonprofit, Football for the Future, in 2017 where he hoped to provide free soccer and educational camps for low-income children in Central Texas. To be nominated for Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, all candidates had to be 29 or younger as of Dec. 31, 2024, and could not have been on a previous Forbes 30 Under 30 list. The list for 2024 was judged by Vivian Tu, former Wall Street trader; Renee DiResta, head of policy at Data for Democracy; Ali Berman, partner and head of digital talent at United Talent Agency; and Adam Warheed, comedian and YouTube creator.

NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump's lawyers urged a judge again Friday to throw out his hush money conviction, balking at the prosecution's suggestion of preserving the verdict by treating the case the way some courts do when a defendant dies. They called the idea "absurd." The Manhattan district attorney's office is asking Judge Juan M. Merchan to "pretend as if one of the assassination attempts against President Trump had been successful," Trump's lawyers wrote in a 23-page response. In court papers made public Tuesday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books after Trump's lawyers filed paperwork this month asking for the case to be dismissed. They include freezing the case until Trump leaves office in 2029, agreeing that any future sentence won't include jail time, or closing the case by noting he was convicted but that he wasn't sentenced and his appeal wasn't resolved because of presidential immunity. Former President Donald Trump appears May 30 at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York. Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove reiterated Friday their position that the only acceptable option is overturning his conviction and dismissing his indictment, writing that anything less will interfere with the transition process and his ability to lead the country. The Manhattan district attorney's office declined comment. It's unclear how soon Merchan will decide. He could grant Trump's request for dismissal, go with one of the prosecution's suggestions, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump's parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court, or choose some other option. In their response Friday, Blanche and Bove ripped each of the prosecution's suggestions. Halting the case until Trump leaves office would force the incoming president to govern while facing the "ongoing threat" that he'll be sentenced to imprisonment, fines or other punishment as soon as his term ends, Blanche and Bove wrote. Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. The prosecution's suggestion that Merchan could mitigate those concerns by promising not to sentence Trump to jail time on presidential immunity grounds is also a non-starter, Blanche and Bove wrote. The immunity statute requires dropping the case, not merely limiting sentencing options, they contend. Attorney Todd Blanche listens May 30 as his client Donald Trump speaks at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York. Blanche and Bove, both of whom Trump tapped for high-ranking Justice Department positions, expressed outrage at the prosecution's novel suggestion that Merchan borrow from Alabama and other states and treat the case as if Trump died. Blanche and Bove accused prosecutors of ignoring New York precedent and attempting to "fabricate" a solution "based on an extremely troubling and irresponsible analogy between President Trump" who survived assassination attempts in Pennsylvania in July and Florida in September "and a hypothetical dead defendant." Such an option normally comes into play when a defendant dies after being convicted but before appeals are exhausted. It is unclear whether it is viable under New York law, but prosecutors suggested that Merchan could innovate in what's already a unique case. "This remedy would prevent defendant from being burdened during his presidency by an ongoing criminal proceeding," prosecutors wrote in their filing this week. But at the same time, it wouldn't "precipitously discard" the "meaningful fact that defendant was indicted and found guilty by a jury of his peers." Prosecutors acknowledged that "presidential immunity requires accommodation" during Trump's impending return to the White House but argued that his election to a second term should not upend the jury's verdict, which came when he was out of office. Longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Other world leaders don't enjoy the same protection. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges even as he leads that nation's wars in Lebanon and Gaza. President-elect Donald Trump attends a Dec. 7 meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Trump has fought for months to reverse his May 30 conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors said he fudged the documents to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier, which Trump denies. Trump's hush money conviction was in state court, meaning a presidential pardon — issued by Biden or himself when he takes office — would not apply to the case. Presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes. Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith ended his two federal cases, which pertained to Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and allegations that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. A separate state election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, is largely on hold. Trump denies wrongdoing in each case. Trump was scheduled for sentencing in the hush money case in late November, but following Trump's Nov. 5 election win, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed the former and future president's sentencing so the defense and prosecution could weigh in on the future of the case. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. FILE - Former Rep. Doug Collins speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign event at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Oct. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China, saying in a social media post that the former CEO “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.” Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a primary against Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Perdue pushed Trump's debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for governor. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Guilfoyle is a former California prosecutor and television news personality who led the fundraising for Trump's 2020 campaign and became engaged to Don Jr. in 2020. Trump called her “a close friend and ally” and praised her “sharp intellect make her supremely qualified.” Guilfoyle was on stage with the family on election night. “I am so proud of Kimberly. She loves America and she always has wanted to serve the country as an Ambassador. She will be an amazing leader for America First,” Don Jr. posted. The ambassador positions must be approved by the U.S. Senate. Guilfoyle said in a social media post that she was “honored to accept President Trump’s nomination to serve as the next Ambassador to Greece and I look forward to earning the support of the U.S. Senate.” Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Customs and Border Protection, with its roughly 60,000 employees, falls under the Department of Homeland Security. It includes the Border Patrol, which Rodney Scott led during Trump's first term, and is essentially responsible for protecting the country's borders while facilitating trade and travel. Scott comes to the job firmly from the Border Patrol side of the house. He became an agent in 1992 and spent much of his career in San Diego. When he was appointed head of the border agency in January 2020, he enthusiastically embraced Trump's policies. After being forced out under the Biden administration, Scott has been a vocal supporter of Trump's hard-line immigration agenda. He appeared frequently on Fox News and testified in Congress. He's also a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Trump says he’s picking Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, installing a staunch loyalist who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor and a Senate seat to head the congressionally funded broadcaster that provides independent news reporting around the world. Lake endeared herself to Trump through her dogmatic commitment to the falsehood that both she and Trump were the victims of election fraud. She has never acknowledged losing the gubernatorial race and called herself the “lawful governor” in her 2023 book, “Unafraid: Just Getting Started.” Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Ron Johnson, Ambassador to Mexico Johnson — not the Republican senator — served as ambassador to El Salvador during Trump's first administration. His nomination comes as the president-elect has been threatening tariffs on Mexican imports and the mass deportation of migrants who have arrived to the U.S.-Mexico border. Johnson is also a former U.S. Army veteran and was in the Central Intelligence Agency. Tom Barrack, Ambassador to Turkey Barrack, a wealthy financier, met Trump in the 1980s while helping negotiate Trump’s purchase of the renowned Plaza Hotel. He was charged with using his personal access to the former president to secretly promote the interests of the United Arab Emirates, but was acquitted of all counts at a federal trial in 2022. Trump called him a “well-respected and experienced voice of reason.” Andrew Ferguson, Federal Trade Commission Ferguson, who is already one of the FTC's five commissioners, will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behavior. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” Jacob Helberg, undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment Dan Bishop, deputy director for budget at the Office of Budget and Management Leandro Rizzuto, Ambassador to the Washington-based Organization of American States Dan Newlin, Ambassador to Colombia Peter Lamelas, Ambassador to Argentina Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! 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Olympic champion cyclist Evenepoel sustains fractures and a dislocated collarbone in training crashBrewers love crafting a wide array of beers, but over time, beer drinkers have gravitated dramatically toward two key factors – hoppiness and drinkability.Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen returns to a tournament after a dispute over jeans is resolved NEW YORK (AP) — Top ranked chess player Magnus Carlsen is headed back to the World Blitz Championship on Monday. That's after its governing body agreed to loosen a dress code that got him fined and denied a late-round game in another tournament for refusing to change out of jeans. The International Chess Federation president said in a statement Sunday that he’d let World Blitz Championship tournament officials consider allowing “appropriate jeans” with a jacket, as well as other "minor deviations” from the dress code. Carlsen quit the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships on Friday. He said Sunday he would play — and wear jeans — in the World Blitz Championship. 'Sonic 3' and 'Mufasa' battle for No. 1 at the holiday box office Two family films are dominating the holiday box office, with “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” winning the three-day weekend over “Mufasa” by a blue hair. According to studio estimates Sunday, the Sonic movie earned $38 million, while “Mufasa” brought in $37.1 million from theaters in the U.S. and Canada. The R-rated horror “Nosferatu” placed third with an unexpectedly strong $21.2 million. Thanksgiving release holdovers “Wicked” and “Moana 2” rounded out the top five. Christmas Day had several big film openings, including the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” the Nicole Kidman erotic drama “Babygirl” and the boxing drama “The Fire Inside.” Charles Shyer, ‘Father of the Bride’ and ‘Baby Boom’ filmmaker, dies at 83 An Oscar-nominated writer and filmmaker known for classic comedies like “Private Benjamin,” “Baby Boom” and “Father of the Bride," Charles Shyer has died. He was 83. On Sunday his daughter Hallie Meyers-Shyer told The Associated Press that he died Friday in Los Angeles. No cause was disclosed. Born in Los Angeles in 1941 to a filmmaker father, Shyer's big breakthrough came with co-writing “Private Benjamin” for which he and Nancy Meyers received an Oscar nomination. He and Nancy Meyers were frequent collaborators through their nearly 20-year marriage, including on the remake of “The Parent Trap," starring Lindsay Lohan. LeBron James at 40: A milestone birthday arrives Monday for the NBA's all-time scoring leader When LeBron James broke another NBA record earlier this month, the one for most regular-season minutes played in a career, his Los Angeles Lakers teammates handled the moment in typical locker room fashion. They made fun of him. Dubbed The Kid from Akron, with a limitless future, James is now the 40-year-old from Los Angeles with wisps of gray in his beard, his milestone birthday coming Monday, one that will make him the first player in NBA history to play in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. He has stood and excelled in the spotlight his entire career. Belgium will ban sales of disposable e-cigarettes in a first for the EU BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium will ban the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes as of Jan. 1 on health and environmental grounds in a groundbreaking move for European Union nations. Health minister Frank Vandenbroucke tells The Associated Press that the inexpensive e-cigarettes have turned into a health threat since they are an easy way for teenagers to be drawn into smoking and get hooked on nicotine. Australia outlawed the sale of “vapes” outside pharmacies earlier this year in some of the world’s toughest restrictions on electronic cigarettes. Now Belgium is leading the EU drive. Belgium's minister wants tougher tobacco measures in the 27-nation bloc. Charles Dolan, HBO and Cablevision founder, dies at 98 Charles F. Dolan, who founded some of the most prominent U.S. media companies including Home Box Office Inc. and Cablevision Systems Corp., has died at age 98. Newsday reports that a statement issued Saturday by his family says Dolan died of natural causes. Dolan’s legacy in cable broadcasting includes founding HBO in 1972, Cablevision in 1973 and the American Movie Classics television station in 1984. He also launched News 12 in New York City, the first U.S. 24-hour cable channel for local news. Dolan also held controlling stakes in companies that owned Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and the New York Knicks and New York Rangers sports franchises. Snoop's game: Snoop Dogg thrills the crowd in the bowl that bears his name TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Miami of Ohio beat Colorado State in the Arizona Bowl, but Snoop Dogg was the main attraction. The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop was much a spectacle as a football game. Snoop Dogg seemed to be everywhere all at once, from a pregame tailgate to the postgame trophy presentation. Snoop Dog donned a headset on Colorado State's sideline, spent some time in the broadcast and even led both marching bands as conductor during their halftime performance. Snoop Dogg saved the best for last, rolling out in a light green, lowrider Chevy Impala with gold rims and accents, the shiny Arizona Bowl trophy in his hand as fans screamed his name. Mavs star Luka Doncic is latest pro athlete whose home was burglarized, business manager says DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks is the latest professional athlete whose home has been burglarized. The star guard’s business manager tells multiple media outlets there was a break-in at Doncic’s home Friday night. Lara Beth Seager says nobody was home, and Doncic filed a police report. The Dallas Morning News reports that jewelry valued at about $30,000 was stolen. Doncic is the sixth known pro athlete in the U.S. whose home was burglarized since October. Star NFL quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes of Kansas City and Joe Burrow of Cincinnati are among them. The NFL and NBA have issued security alerts to players over the break-ins. Victor Wembanyama plays 1-on-1 chess with fans in New York Victor Wembanyama went to a park in New York City and played 1-on-1 with fans on Saturday. He even lost a couple of games. Not in basketball, though. Wemby was playing chess. Before the San Antonio Spurs left New York for a flight to Minnesota, Wembanyama put out the call on social media: “Who wants to meet me at the SW corner of Washington Square park to play chess? Im there,” Wembanyama wrote. It was 9:36 a.m. And people began showing up almost immediately. Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen quits a tournament in a dispute over jeans NEW YORK (AP) — The International Chess Federation says top ranked player Magnus Carlsen has left the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships after refusing to change out of the jeans he wore to the competition. The federation said Friday that its regulations include a dress code that bars participants from wearing jeans at the event. The Norwegian chess grandmaster says he accepted a $200 fine but refused to change his pants out of principle before leaving the competition in New York. The federation said the dress code is designed to ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants.

USWNT edges Netherlands in goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher’s final matchITV I'm A Celeb fans 'gutted' as Ant and Dec halt show to make big announcement

Brewers love crafting a wide array of beers, but over time, beer drinkers have gravitated dramatically toward two key factors – hoppiness and drinkability.

0365 account Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the country is moving towards rapid development after economic stability. Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the entire nation on the weekly inflation rate further decreasing to 3.57 percent. In his message, Prime Minister thanked Allah and the efforts of the economic team. The inflation rate has reached its lowest level in the last six years. Today. The price index was recorded at its lowest level after October 4, 2018. He said that the huge reduction of 39.11 percent in the inflation rate today compared to the current week last year is the result of the day and night hard work of the economic team. “I will keep every promise I made to the people. I have pledged to work day and night to resolve the problems of the people”. Shahbaz Sharif stated that as a servant of Pakistan, he would keep every promise he made. He added that he was taking steps to provide employment, develop the country's industry, and increase foreign investment. The country is moving rapidly towards development after economic stability. The Prime Minister further said that remittances from abroad, increased investment from friendly countries, and stability in diplomatic relations reflect Pakistan's journey of development. Our political sacrifices for the development and prosperity of Pakistan have not gone in vain. All stakeholders are playing their positive role in the country's journey of development.Samantha rejected blockbuster film, it earned Rs 1,148 crores

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Attorneys for election workers that Rudy Giuliani defamed wrote a scathing letter accusing the former New York City mayor of launching a crusade meant to “to obstruct and intimidate” them as they try to recover his assets. In a Friday letter to a federal judge, Michael Gottlieb, a lawyer representing election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, accused Giuliani of orchestrating a “public relations campaign” meant to stop the women from collecting the belongings they are owed. Last December, Giuliani was ordered to pay Freeman and Moss nearly $150 million after a court found he defamed them by falsely claiming they manipulated election results in 2020. The decision led Donald Trump ’s disgraced attorney to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which has since been dismissed . The mother-daughter duo are now allowed to seize his valuables to recover what they are owed. But a barrage of recent court filings, including Giuliani’s attempts to appeal, reveal a weeks-long legal battle that the women argue is the former mayor’s attempts to delay, block or obstruct them from collecting what he has been ordered to turn over. Both Giuliani’s new lawyer and those in his inner circle have argued that the former mayor was wronged and have set out on a mission “designed to interfere” with the women’s “efforts to perform their duties by attacking the underlying judgment,” the letter said. Joey Cammarata, who is representing Giuliani after his previous legal team abruptly quit , held a press conference on Wednesday outside of the offices of Willkie Farr & Gallagher, the firm representing the election workers, where he “launched a variety of attacks” against this case, Gottlieb wrote. There, Cammarata called the court-ordered turnover of Giuliani’s belongings a “seek and destroy mission of America’s mayor.” “We will not relent,” he said. “They are doing everything they can to stop Mr. Giuliani from having a formidable defense. We are not going to allow it. ... This firm is doing everything in its power to break an 80-year-old patriot to its country, an American who did so many great things for us.” This rhetoric was also echoed on social media, where the hashtag “IStandWithRudy” started trending, according to lawyers for the election workers. The online campaign was meant to interfere with the turnover efforts by “inciting members of the public to fight (whatever that means),” they wrote. Ted Goodman, Giuliani’s spokesperson who has been subpoenaed in this case, used the hashtag in a post voicing his opposition to the forced turnover of Giuliani’s 1980 Mercedes-Benz : “I’m calling on ALL Americans to speak out against this lawfare. Shame on the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher for participating in this injustice. #IStandWithRudy .” The alleged owner of the Long Island storage facility — where the former Trump lawyer is accused of hiding some items from his New York City apartment — also posted on X that “this is not going to happen. America has to come back real fast. Pray for Rudy Giuliani , today is his day.” “The public relations campaign described above has no legal purpose — this is a turnover proceeding governed by facts and law, not a political campaign — and, instead, is an obvious attempt to obstruct and intimidate Receivers from effectuating the duties that this Court has authorized them to perform,” Gottlieb wrote. Cammarata’s “publicity stunt, reinforced by Mr. Giuliani’s social media campaign, continues Mr. Giuliani’s habit of litigating in the press issues that he has conceded or stipulated to in court,” he added, seemingly referencing Giuliani’s baseless claims about the 2020 election and his defamatory statements about Freeman and Moss, among other spurious statements Giuliani has made on his podcasts and to the media. Earlier this week, the election workers asked a judge in Washington, DC who had presided over their initial defamation case to consider sanctions against Giuliani after he repeated “the exact same lies for which [he] has already been held liable, and which he agreed to be bound by court order to stop repeating” during recent livestreams. The judge required him to respond to the complaint by December 2 — or risk being held in contempt. The women say they have received18 watches and a diamond ring, but they are still waiting on nine other watches and all of his “costume jewelry,” according to their letter. As for the Mercedes, they have physical possession of the vehicle, but still don’t have the deed, title, or right of ownership to the car, or any signed documents transferring its ownership, they said. The Manhattan penthouse is in the process of being transferred, but the former mayor hasn’t delivered the keys, stock, or proprietary lease for the apartment “and apparently has been unable to locate any of the underlying ownership documents,” according to the letter. And there’s been another roadblock: the penthouse remains in the names of both Giuliani and his ex-wife Judith. Attorneys said they have also struggled to obtain the contents of a storage unit in Ronkonkoma, New York, since it’s unclear what is being held there that could be turned over. The unit holds eight storage boxes, more than 20 pallets of moving boxes, and furniture, according to the letter. They are asking Giuliani to segregate his property from all property in the storage unit that they are entitled — along with a list of those items — no later than December 6. It’s unclear whether his Joe DiMaggio jersey, signed art, or sports memorabilia that he has been ordered to turn over is in that facility, the letter says. So the election workers have instructed Giuliani to provide instructions as to where to find these items before the next hearing on November 26 “or explain why he is incapable of doing so” before 3 p.m. on November 25, Gottlieb said. Invoices show that Giuliani appeared to have moved “a substantial amount of his property” from his Manhattan apartment to the storage unit before the judge ordered him to turn over his belongings. That storage unit is under the name of Maria Ryan, Giuliani’s business associate , the election workers discovered earlier this month.Which country is the most sustainable? To answer this question requires an identification of suitable measures and an accurate pool of data. A new review indicates that Sweden tops the list of nations. The data comes from the firm Arka , who ranked the top ten countries where more companies are focused on sustainability. Key indicators such as environment-related technology patents, crunchbase sustainable companies, and GDP per capita were gathered to reflect sustainability activities and economic capacity. In the end, a composite index of 100 was calculated for each country, reflecting its sustainability efforts relative to its economic capacity. Overall, the Scandinavian countries, specifically Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, achieve some of the highest scores on the sustainable development index, with all scoring above 85. Another notable case is Switzerland, which ranks highly in a new global study on sustainability, excelling in green business density with 6.5 sustainable companies per billion GDP and a Sustainable Development Index score of 79.3. The UK features prominently, with one of the highest densities of sustainable companies (7.5 per billion GDP) and a strong Sustainable Development Index score of 82.16. The Sustainability Engagement Index was developed to evaluate countries’ commitment to sustainability relative to their economic scale. This index highlights both innovation and sustainable business density, offering a fair comparison across economies. The top ten ‘most sustainable’ nations were found to be: ( This is a filtered, scaled, and normalized index ). As mentioned above, Sweden leads with a composite score of 65.9. It stands out for its exceptional density of sustainable companies, with 7.6 sustainable companies per billion GDP, the highest among all ranked countries. Sweden also has a high score on the sustainable development index, at 85.7, which proves the country’s commitment to sustainability across both public and private sectors. Close behind is Denmark, scoring 63.34 and ranking second. Denmark ranks high in both patents per billion GDP (2.4) and sustainable companies per billion GDP (5.18). The country also ranks high in patents and sustainable businesses per GDP, and its sustainable development score of 85 shows they’re committed to green growth. Finland is the third Scandinavian country with a composite score of 62.48. Finland is among the top performers, with 6.83 sustainable companies per billion GDP. It also leads the sustainable development index with an impressive 86.35, showing the country’s all-in commitment to ecological and social sustainability. South Korea, despite its current political turmoil, ranks fourth with a composite score of 58.52 and is leading in environment-related patents, holding 6,600—by far the most on the list. Although it ranks lower in sustainable companies per billion GDP (0.9), Korea’s focus on tech-driven sustainability initiatives is clear. Belgium, with a composite score of 57.24, ranks fifth. Its sustainable development index score is 80.04, which suggests a well-rounded approach to sustainability and a strive towards a more eco-conscious future. Switzerland holds a score of 56.94, placing it sixth. The country shows a strong score for sustainable companies per billion GDP of 6.5. The UK ranks seventh with a score of 55.58. In eighth comes Canada, with a score of 53.56. Its sustainable development index is 78.8, which shows a commitment to hitting environmental and social goals. With strong numbers in patents and sustainable companies, Canada is making progress toward a greener future. Australia ranks ninth with a composite score of 50.13 and Austria rounds out the list with a composite score of 49.2. Its sustainable development index score of 82.55. Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.

By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS — Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel came to Indianapolis in July with a purpose. He wanted a sense of what Lucas Oil Stadium was like before making what he hoped would be a return trip in December. On Saturday night, he’ll be back on the same turf. Plenty has changed for Gabriel and the Ducks since they came to town all those months ago for their inaugural Big Ten media day appearance. No. 1 Oregon sits atop the playoff seedings, remains the last unbeaten team in major college football and Gabriel has a new title – Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. It’s been a dream season in every way for the soon-to-be 24-year-old Gabriel, right down to leading the Ducks into the conference championship game he’s been expecting. “If we didn’t think we’d be there, I wouldn’t have attended,” Gabriel said. “But I just felt really good about it. I was glad we were able to go see it (Lucas Oil), feel it, smell it. It was a good experience. Now that we’re going back with the whole squad, everyone’s excited.” Winning a conference title in his final season – and Oregon’s first season in its new league – would be the cherry on top for Gabriel now that both teams are virtual locks to make the first 12-team College Football Playoff. The winner likely earns a first-round bye, while the loser probably hosts a first-round game. There is big money at stake: The Big Ten stands to get $4 million for each school that makes the CFP and the payouts escalate beginning with the semifinals to $6 million per school; a conference whose school makes a run from the first round to the title game gets $20 million. The CFP also provides millions to cover expenses. While Oregon (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten, No. 1 CFP) was a preseason favorite to be back in town this weekend, No. 3 Penn State wasn’t supposed to make it after losing to then-No. 4 Ohio State. But the Nittany Lions (11-1, 8-1, No. 3 CFP) rebounded by winning their last four and got help last weekend when Michigan upset the Buckeyes. It’s the first time Penn State has reached a Big Ten championship title game since beating Wisconsin in 2016 – and they don’t intend to go home empty-handed this time, either. “Being from Pennsylvania, seeing that game from 2016, like I always imagined being in these shoes, being in that moment, trying to win a Big Ten championship,” running back Nick Singleton said. “Being in that moment right now feels good, but we’ve got to go out there and win it.” Gabirel concurred. “When you walk in that building everyone is excited to do stuff and ready to go,” he said. “So it’s about execution, playing clean and being who we are.” Under pressure? Though Penn State quarterback Drew Allar and Gabriel are ranked seventh and eighth in FBS passing efficiency this season, both could be under serious pressure Saturday. Defensive ends Matayo Uiagalelei of Oregon and Abdul Carter of Penn State are two of the nation’s premier pass rushers. Uiagalelei is tied for ninth nationally with 101⁄2 sacks while Carter is tied for 12th with 10. The Ducks also have another fearsome pass rusher in defensive end Jordan Burch (81⁄2). It will be a major challenge for both offensive lines, especially if Oregon right guard Marcus Harper II is out (knee). Penn State certainly isn’t complaining about playing for a trophy, but it scrambled the schedule. It began with Coach James Franklin calling an audible during last Saturday’s postgame speech, announcing that Sunday’s scheduled off-day had been scrapped so they could start cramming for Oregon. That was just the start. “It was going to be a week for rest and recovery, some strategic practices,” he said Sunday. “But we always have to be prepared for these different scenarios. So right after the game I told them, ‘We’re going to practice Sunday.’ Now it’s back to a normal week.” Franklin will be chasing his 100th win in his 11 seasons with the program. And he could be doing it with some familiar faces around him. Oregon special teams coordinator and nickel back coach Joe Lorig first worked with Franklin at Idaho State and then Franklin hired Lorig in 2019. After three seasons, though, Lorig headed to the West Coast where he opted to work for another old friend, Oregon coach Dan Lanning. Franklin doesn’t believe Lorig’s inside information will make much difference in this game. “The coordinators have all changed,” Franklin said. “So I think we both probably have a similar amount of information on each other.” The game also will be a homecoming of sorts for Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen and injured Oregon offensive lineman Matthew Bedford. Allen is an Indiana native who spent the previous seven seasons as the Indiana head coach. Bedford also was a five-year starter for Allen’s Hoosiers. And the Duzansky family is doubling up Saturday: Penn State long snapper Tyler Duzansky and Oregon long snapper Nick Duzansky are brothers. What: Big Ten championship game When: Saturday, 5 p.m. Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis TV/radio: CBS (Ch. 2), 570 AM Line: Oregon by 31⁄2 points Series record: Penn State leads 3-1 Oregon run defense vs. Penn State ground game: Nittany Lions running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen have been a dynamic combination this year, rushing for a total of 1,431 yards and 12 scores. The emergence of tight end Tyler Warren and backup quarterback Beau Pribula has added other elements to Penn State’s rushing attack. Oregon has been stout against the run all season, allowing just 112.2 yards per game (22nd in FBS) but if the Ducks struggle to contain Singleton and Allen, the Nittany Lions could keep the ball away from their offense – a potentially decisive twist. Oregon: Quarterback Dillon Gabriel. In a game featuring two of the nation’s most efficient quarterbacks, all eyes will be on Gabriel. The Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Year has been the catalyst for Oregon’s high-octane offense. The 23-year-old and FBS career leader in total TDs (183) is playing in his first conference championship game. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of fellow Hawaiian star Marcus Mariota by leading the Ducks to a national championship game. Related Articles Penn State: Defensive end Abdul Carter. The athletic junior has been a menace to opponents all year, and the Nittany Lions need him to equally effective. Carter leads the Nittany Lions with 10 sacks, is tied for third in passes defensed (three) and is fourth in tackles (54), but stats don’t tell the whole story. His presence frees up others to make plays, which could be a key factor in slowing the Ducks. This will be the first meeting in this series since Penn State completed its perfect season by winning the 1995 Rose Bowl, 38-20. ... It also will be the first Big Ten title game that does not feature division champs. ... Oregon has been ranked No. 1 for seven straight weeks and was a unanimous choice this week. It also is the last remaining unbeaten FBS team this season. It’s the Ducks’ first 12-0 season since 2010. ... The Nittany Lions made only one other Big Ten championship game appearance, beating Wisconsin, 38-31, in 2016. ... Gabriel will be making his 62nd career start, an FBS record. He leads the league in yards passing (3,275) while wide receiver Tez Johnson’s nine touchdown catches rank third in the conference. ... Warren broke the Big Ten’s single-season record for receptions by a tight end with 81. ... Oregon defensive ends Matayo Uiagalelei and Jordan Burch have combined for 19 sacks. ... Franklin’s next win will be his 100th in the 11 seasons since taking the Nittany Lions job.Andrej Stojakovic made 11 free throws to help craft a team-high 20 points, freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson had his second consecutive big game off the bench and Cal ran its winning streak to three with an 83-77 nonconference victory over Sacramento State on Sunday afternoon in Berkeley, Calif. Wilkinson finished with 16 points and Rytis Petraitis 13 for the Golden Bears (5-1), whose only loss this season was at Vanderbilt. Jacob Holt went for a season-high 25 points for the Hornets (1-4), who dropped their fourth straight after a season-opening win over Cal State Maritime. Seeking a fourth straight home win, Cal led by as many as 12 points in the first half and 40-33 at halftime before Sacramento State rallied. The Hornets used a 14-5 burst out of the gate following the intermission to grab a 47-45 lead. Julian Vaughns had a 3-pointer and three-point play in the run. But Cal dominated pretty much the rest of the game, taking the lead for good on a Petraitis 3-pointer with 14:50 remaining. Stojakovic, a transfer from rival Stanford, went 11-for-15 at the foul line en route to his third 20-point game of the young season. Cal outscored Sacramento State 26-17 on free throws to more than account for the margin of victory. Coming off a 23-point explosion in his first extended action of the season, Wilkinson hit five of his 10 shots Sunday. The Golden Bears outshot the Hornets 47.2 percent to 43.1 percent. Joshua Ola-Joseph contributed 10 points and six rebounds, Mady Sissoko also had 10 points and Petraitis found time for a team-high five assists. Holt complemented his 25 points with a game-high eight rebounds. He made four 3-pointers, as did Vaughns en route to 18 points, helping Sacramento State outscore Cal 30-21 from beyond the arc. EJ Neal added 16 points for the Hornets, while Emil Skytta tied for game-high assist honors with five to go with seven points. --Field Level Media

Boston College 81, Holy Cross 55NHL DoPS Delivers Official Ruling on Zach Whitecloud's Potential Suspension for Hit on Matthew Knies

Kate Martin will be among the bigger names on the Golden State Valkyries' first roster. The Las Vegas Aces fan favorite will be among the selections in Friday's 2025 WNBA expansion draft, . The Valkyries are also reportedly selecting New York Liberty veteran Kayla Thornton. The allow each of the league's 12 teams to protect up to six players on their roster as of the final day of the 2024 regular season. Athletes with previous core player designations, such as DeWanna Bonner and Brittney Griner are also ineligible to be selected. The Valkyries are then allowed to choose one unprotected player from each team. Martin being selected means the Aces opted to not protect her, which isn't much of a surprise given how they used her toward the end of last season. The 18th overall pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft was a pleasant surprise early in the season when Vegas was struggling with injuries, but her playing time plummeted as the team got healthy. After seeing double-digit minutes in 16 of the Aces' first 21 games, Martin cracked that threshold only twice in her final 13, also missing a chunk of time in July and August with . She saw a grand total of three minutes in the postseason.The new Maharashtra assembly will have 10 Muslim legislators, the same number in the outgoing house. Of them, six are from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including five from Mumbai. Community groups have pointed out that the Muslim Members of Legislative Assembly (MLA) will constitute around 3.5% of the 288-member house, much lower than their proportion in the state's population -12-13%. The low representation comes after the disappointment in the community after the parliamentary elections in May when there was no Muslim among the 48 Members of Parliament from the state. Maharashtra's 78-member Legislative Council does not have a Muslim member after two members from the community finished their terms in July. “10 out of 288 MLAs. That is 3.47% of the house. That is too low,” reacted a community member to the election results, suggesting that the only way the community could get proportional representation in the assembly was if at least 30 seats were directly filled with nominees from Maharashtrian Muslims. The number of Muslim MLAs in Maharashtra's assembly has hovered around 10 for more than two decades after reaching a figure of 12 in 1999. Their numbers then fell in every subsequent election, from 11 in 2004 to 10 in 2009 and 9 in 2014 before rebounding to 10 in 2019. After the council elections, when none of the major political parties nominated Muslims for the to the council elections, community leaders in Mumbai had announced the setting up of a group called 'The Muslim Pressure Group' to lobby for better representation in the government. “Everything was going on well after the group was formed. In the parliamentary elections in May, Muslims voted for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). We were hoping that the MVA will field more Muslim nominees,” said Altaf Patel, chief of the Muslim Pressure Group. Shabbir Ansari, Founder-President of All India Muslim OBC Organisation, said that their group met Congress leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, Nana Patole, and NCP's Sharad Pawar to ask for adequate representation for Muslim candidates. “But they did not fulfill the promise. There are seats in Solapur, Nagpur, Pune, and other districts from where Muslim MLAs have been elected earlier. Muslims were not nominated from these seats. Only one seat out of the 46 in Marathwada was given to a Muslim nominee. There were no Muslim nominees in Vidarbha. At least Ajit Pawar's NCP gave some seats to Muslims. Congress did not do much,” said Ansari. Patel said that announcements by clerics like Maulana Sajjad Naumani, a religious scholar based in Mumbai, that Muslims will support 269 MVA candidates could have caused a counter-mobilisation of Hindu votes in favour of the BJP-led MahaYuti. “After the announcement was made, the matter was discussed in the national media for nearly three days. Leaders like Raj Thackeray reacted to this by saying that fatwas are being issued from mosques asking Muslims to vote for MVA. This created negative publicity and Hindus voted for MahaYuti. There was no need for such an announcement. Local voters know who they should vote for. In Thane, Muslims favoured a Hindu candidate over a Muslim candidate because they trusted his work," said Patel. Dr Azimuddin of the group, Movement for Human Welfare, who had announced the list of candidates endorsed by Naumani, did not respond to a request for a comment, saying that he was busy with meetings related to Muslim personal law. Adding to the disappointment in the community about the low number of MLAs is the fact that four of the 10 have been elected with margins of less than 4000 votes. The Malegaon MLA scraped through with a lead of 162 votes over another Muslim candidate. Haroon Khan of the Congress won the Versova seat with a margin of just 1600 votes. Three sitting Muslim MLAs, Nawab Malik, Zeeshan Siddique, and Farook Shah, lost from Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar, Vandre East, and Dhule, respectively. In the last assembly, Malik had represented Anushakti Nagar, a seat won by his daugher Sana Malik this time. Muslim MLAs Malad: Aslam Shaikh, Congress Mumbadevi: Amin Patel, Congress Anushakti Nagar: Sana Malik, NCP Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar: Abu Asim Azmi, Samajwadi Party Versova: Haroon Khan, Shiv Sena (UBT) Bhiwandi East: Rais Shaikh, Samajwadi Party Akola West: Sajid Khan Pathan, Congress Malegaon Central: Mufti Mohammad Ismail, AIMIM Kagal: Mushrif Hasan, NCP Sillod: Abdul Sattar, Shiv Sena

Jury awards $310 million to parents of teen killed in fall from Orlando amusement park ride ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The parents of a 14-year-old Missouri boy who fell to his death from a Florida amusement park ride has won a $310 million verdict against the attraction's Austrian builder. The Orlando jury on Thursday ordered Funtime to pay Tyre Sampson's parents $155 million each. The trial lasted only a day as Funtime never appeared in court to defend itself. Icon Park had already settled with Sampson’s family for an undisclosed amount. Sampson stood 6 foot, 2 inches tall and weighed 380 pounds. He fell from the Orlando Free Fall ride at Icon Park because the harness did not fit him and he wasn't warned. Princess of Wales takes another step in return to public life after chemotherapy with carol service LONDON (AP) — The Princess of Wales is taking another step in her return to public life following cancer treatment as she hosts her annual Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey. This year’s concert is designed to celebrate the support people give to one another, especially as they struggle through difficult times, a theme that may have particular resonance for the princess after abdominal surgery and chemotherapy forced her to step back from public duties for much of 2024. The princess, often referred to simply as Kate, alluded to this in a letter thanking the 1,600 people invited to attend the event because of their efforts to help others in their communities. Hall of Famer Randy Moss is stepping away from ESPN for an extended time to deal with health issue Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss is stepping away from his ESPN analyst role for an extended time to focus on a personal health challenge, the network said in a statement. Moss revealed last week that he’s dealing with a health issue and asked fans to pray for him and his family. The 47-year-old ESPN football analyst made his announcement on Instagram from the set of the network’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” show. He directed his message to men and urged them to get checkups and bloodwork done, without specifying any particular illness. More than a million oven gloves are being recalled after consumers report 92 minor burns NEW YORK (AP) — More than one million pairs of oven gloves are being recalled due to a burn hazard, after dozens of injury reports. Video and e-commerce retailer QVC is recalling about 1.1 million of its “Temp-tations Oven Gloves” because they fail to provide sufficient heat protection. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, QVC has received 162 reports of insufficient heat protection, including 92 minor burns. Consumers in possession of the now-recalled gloves are urged to stop using them immediately — and contact QVC for a refund. Lionel Messi wins MLS MVP award, the latest trophy on a long list of honors for the Inter Miami star FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi is the MVP of Major League Soccer for 2024. The award comes after a season where he missed 15 of Inter Miami’s 34 regular-season matches with injuries or commitments to Argentina’s national team. He still factored into a league-high 36 goals by scoring 20 and assisting on 16 others. His 2.1 goal contributions per 90 minutes played is the best by any player in any season in MLS history. MLS revealed the voting results Friday. Messi edged out Columbus Crew forward Cucho Hernández for the award, which is determined by a poll of players, club technical staff and select media members. Alternative healer gets 10 years in UK prison for death of woman at slap therapy workshop LONDON (AP) — An alternative healer who advocated “slapping therapy” to treat a range of maladies has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the death of a 71-year-old diabetic woman who stopped taking insulin during his workshop. Hongchi Xiao, 61, was sentenced Friday after being convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence for failing to get medical help for Danielle Carr-Gomm in 2016. Prosecutors say she was howling in pain and frothing at the mouth during the fourth day of a workshop. The California healer promoted paida lajin therapy that advocates slapping to release “poisonous waste” from the body. He was previously convicted of manslaughter in the death of a six-year-old boy in Australia. Stellantis recalling more than 300,000 Ram trucks for braking system defect Stellantis is recalling more than 300,000 Ram Heavy Duty pickup trucks because a faulty part could cause certain braking and tracking systems to fail. The Netherlands-based automaker said the hydraulic control unit on the trucks is prone to failure, which can cause the anti-lock brake, electronic stability control and traction control systems to not work properly. Stellantis said regular braking systems are not affected by the defective part and that it’s unaware of any related injuries. The trucks in question are all model years 2017-18 and include the Ram 2500, 3500, 4500 and 5500. The company is unaware of any injuries related to the defect. El Salvador's president is triumphant after his bet on bitcoin comes true SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele is triumphant about his big bet on bitcoin as the cryptocurrency reached historic highs, surpassing $100,000 for the first time. Bitcoin has been legal tender in the country since 2021 but it never quite matched the president’s enthusiasm. The value of the government’s reported investment now stands at more than $600 million. Bitcoin has rallied mightily since Donald Trump’s election victory last month, exceeding the $100,000 mark on Wednesday night, just hours after the president-elect said he intends to nominate cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins to be the next chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. NBA returning to China for pair of Suns-Nets preseason games in 2025 The NBA is returning to China next season. The league has struck a deal to play preseason games there more than five years after the league was effectively banned for Commissioner Adam Silver not punishing Daryl Morey for tweeting support of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong. Brooklyn and Phoenix will play games in China’s gambling hub of Macao on Oct. 10, 2025, and again two days later. There are more games planned for China in 2026, a source told The Associated Press. F1 champion Max Verstappen to become first-time father with girlfriend Kelly Piquet ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen is set to become a father for the first time with his girlfriend Kelly Piquet. There’s racing heritage on both sides of the family. Verstappen secured his fourth F1 title last month and Kelly’s father Nelson Piquet was a three-time champion in the 1980s. Verstappen says on Instagram that "we couldn’t be happier with our little miracle.” Verstappen is aiming to win his 10th F1 race of the year at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday. Practice gets underway later.LANGHORNE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 23, 2024-- Savara Inc. (Nasdaq: SVRA), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on rare respiratory diseases, today announced the grant of inducement awards to five new employees. On December 20, 2024, the Compensation Committee of Savara's Board of Directors granted the inducement awards to five new employees who recently joined the Company. The inducement awards consist of options to purchase an aggregate of 100,000 shares of the Company’s common stock and restricted stock units (RSUs) covering an aggregate of 100,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. These equity awards were granted under the Savara Inc. 2021 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan pursuant to Rule 5635(c)(4) of the NASDAQ Listing Rules as an inducement material to the employees’ acceptance of employment with the Company. The options have an exercise price of $3.23 per share, the closing trading price of the Company's common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market on the grant date. Each option has a 10-year term and vests as to 1/16 th of the number of shares subject to the option on each quarterly anniversary of the employee’s first day of employment, subject to the employee’s continued employment on each such vesting date. The RSUs vest in full on the two-year anniversary of the employee’s first day of employment, subject to the employee’s continued employment on such vesting date. About Savara Savara is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on rare respiratory diseases. Our lead program, MOLBREEVI*, is a recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in Phase 3 development for autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (aPAP). MOLBREEVI is delivered via an investigational eFlow ® Nebulizer System (PARI Pharma GmbH). Our management team has significant experience in rare respiratory diseases and pulmonary medicine, identifying unmet needs, and effectively advancing product candidates to approval and commercialization. More information can be found at www.savarapharma.com , X: @SavaraPharma , LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/savara-pharmaceuticals/ ). *MOLBREEVI is the FDA and EMA conditionally accepted trade name for molgramostim inhalation solution. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241223814372/en/ CONTACT: Media and Investor Relations Contact Savara Inc. Temre Johnson, Executive Director, Corporate Affairs ir@savarapharma.com KEYWORD: PENNSYLVANIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BIOTECHNOLOGY FDA HEALTH PHARMACEUTICAL CLINICAL TRIALS SOURCE: Savara Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/23/2024 04:05 PM/DISC: 12/23/2024 04:07 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241223814372/en

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ATLANTA — On Jan. 18 and 19 the AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! will be held at State Farm Arena in advance of the College Football Playoff national championship on Jan. 20. The star-studded lineup was announced Thursday at a news conference at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Performances will include Lil Wayne and GloRilla on Saturday; and Camila Cabello, Myles Smith and Knox on Sunday. On game day, the Allstate Championship Tailgate, taking place just outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Home Depot Backyard, will feature country acts on the Capital One Music Stage, including global superstar Kane Brown and iHeartCountry “On The Verge” artist Ashley Cooke. The concerts are just two of the festivities visiting fans can enjoy in the days leading up to the big game. The fan experience for both ticket holders and the general public has been a focus for event planners. All weekend long, an estimated 100,000 people from across the country are expected to attend fan events preceding kickoff. “It will be an opportunity for fans of all ages to come together to sample what college football is all about, and you don’t have to have a ticket to the game to be a part of it,” said Bill Hancock, executive director of the CFP in a press release. “We’ve worked closely with the Atlanta Football Host Committee to develop fan-friendly events that thousands will enjoy come January.” On Saturday, Jan. 18, Playoff Fan Central will open at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. The free, family-friendly experience will include games, clinics, pep rallies, special guest appearances, autograph signings and exhibits celebrating college football and its history. That day, fans can also attend Media Day, presented by Great Clips, which will feature one-hour sessions with student-athletes and coaches from each of the College Football Playoff national championship participating teams. ESPN and social media giants X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will be taping live broadcasts from the event. On Sunday, Jan. 19, the Trophy Trot, both a 5K and 10K race, will wind its way through the streets of downtown Atlanta. Each Trophy Trot participant will receive a T-shirt and finisher’s medal. Participants can register at atlantatrackclub.org . On Sunday evening, the Georgia Aquarium will host the Taste of the Championship dining event, which offers attendees the opportunity to indulge in food and drink prepared by local Atlanta chefs. This premium experience serves as an elevated exploration of local cuisine on the eve of the national championship. Tickets to the Taste of the Championship event are available on etix.com . Atlanta is the first city ever to repeat as host for the CFP national championship. The playoff was previously held in Atlanta in 2018. “We are honored to be the first city to repeat as host for the CFP national championship and look forward to welcoming college football fans from around the country in January,” said Dan Corso, president of the Atlanta Sports Council and Atlanta Football Host Committee. “This event gives us another opportunity to showcase our incredible city.” The College Football Playoff is the event that crowns the national champion in college football. The quarterfinals and semifinals rotate annually among six bowl games — the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. This year’s quarterfinals will take place on Dec. 31, 2024 and Jan. 1, 2025, while the semifinals will be Jan. 9-10, 2025. The CFP national championship will be Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. For additional information on the College Football Playoff, visit CollegeFootballPlayoff.com . Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Editor’s Note: The InvestorPlace offices will be closed from Tuesday, December 24, to Wednesday, January 1 , for the holidays. The Customer Service department will be open for email inquiries only on December 26, 27, 30, and 31. Happy Holidays! Hello, Reader. In the spirit of the holiday season, I’d like to share a small gift with you: a particular stock I’ve been closely watching. It is a battery metals company that I’ve held long-term. And although it’s not garnering the same media buzz as some of its peers, this company recently hit a 52-week high... and I believe it could continue to outperform in the months ahead. Here’s why... Electric vehicles (EVs) and other green technologies require battery metals – like copper, nickel, lithium, and aluminum – and, as such, are creating powerful long-term demand trends. These metals all play a critical role in a megatrend I first highlighted more than four years ago. I called it the “Second Electric Revolution,” which continues to accelerate, particularly in the rapidly expanding EV and energy storage sectors. That spells good news for Alcoa Corp. ( AA ) , the largest U.S.-based aluminum producer. Now, aluminum does not receive the same high-profile attention that other battery metals do, but the solar industry is a prodigious consumer of aluminum, and, as I said, so is the EV industry. Alcoa’s current valuation is cheap enough that the stock could deliver outsized gains, especially if aluminum demand ramps up more quickly and powerfully than investors currently expect. While the price of aluminum fell sharply after the 2022 spike – during the early days of the Ukrainian invasion – the long-term outlook remains strong. A report from the London-based International Aluminium Institute ( IAI ) finds that global aluminum demand will jump about 40% by 2030 – and cleantech industries will power most of that growth. As a result, the report states that aluminum producers will need to ramp up their production from 86 million metric tons in 2020 to 120 metric tons by 2030. According to the research firm Wood Mackenzie, solar industry demand for aluminum could increase from just under 3% of total world consumption to nearly 13% by 2040. In the EV industry, aluminum does not play a significant electrification role, but the body and chassis of each Tesla Model S contains about 410 pounds of aluminum! That’s no accident. Because aluminum is so much lighter than steel, EV manufacturers covet the metal. An aluminum vehicle can travel much farther on a single charge than a steel vehicle can. For this reason, many EV manufacturers are ramping up their aluminum consumption. In fact, aluminum is the fastest-growing material in the automotive market. Wood Mackenzie expects aluminum demand for EVs to hit 2.4 million tonnes by 2025, and then quadruple to nearly 10 million tonnes by 2040. At that point, EV demand for aluminum would total about 12% of the global total. Obviously, these forecasts are merely guesses, but the trend is clear. EV demand for aluminum is ramping higher. And that’s just one source of demand from the cleantech sector. According to the IAI, renewable energy needs will create demand for aluminum to replace existing copper cabling for power distribution. In total, the electric sector will require an additional 5.2 million metric tons by 2030, according to the group. You get the idea. Despite the strong supply-demand dynamics in the aluminum market, the Alcoa share price is reflecting all doom and no boom. However, from this low valuation, Alcoa offers substantial upside potential. Smart Money Roundup Are These AI Stocks Ready for a Comeback? My InvestorPlace colleague Luke Lango has been covering the two waves of the AI Boom in his publications for the past few years. And as the AI Boom accelerates, AI itself isn’t going to take over the world – but businesses using AI will. So I’ve invited Luke here to give us the big picture on the AI Boom... and what it means for the companies building new businesses on top of the AI superhighway (and eventually the AGI highway). The AGI Race Is on... and so Is the Race for the Best AGI Plays When AGI arrives, it could identify problems that humans never even considered, and then create solutions, all on its own. But it could also introduce terrifying new forms of warfare. And because of AGI’s superhuman potential for both good and evil, the U.S. will devote itself completely to winning the AI race. So, I want to not only show you how the U.S. will win this race... but also how you can get in on it. Every Investor Should Own the “Stock of the Decade”... but They Shouldn’t Stop There I recently worked with my InvestorPlace colleagues Louis Navellier and Luke Lango to put together a portfolio of the best of the best AI stocks . And we recently took to the “airwaves” to tell folks all about it. One of those stocks is Nvidia Corp. ( NVDA ), which Louis calls the “stock of the decade.” He will explain why it’s not too late to add NVDA to your portfolio. These Low-Lying AI Companies Are Ready to Explode Most investors missed out on the initial phase of the AI Revolution. However, another wave of AI innovation is coming. In fact, the opportunity here is significantly larger than any previous AI application. I’ll tell you what to expect from this new wave of winners... and where to find some of that opportunity. Looking Ahead In this coming New Year, we believe that a singular event – AI Day One – will kick off the biggest, fastest societal change in human history. It will even make the version of ChatGPT that launched in 2022 look as relevant as a VHS tape. It will also be the biggest investment opportunity of our lifetimes, where we believe the AI Appliers will dominate. These are companies that are not at the forefront of producing the material needed to create AI. Instead, they are employing AI technology within their own products and services. AI appliers are everywhere... and growing by the day. That is why Louis, Luke, and I put our heads together to find the AI Applier stocks that we believe could skyrocket from AI Day One. To learn more about these stocks, you can click here to watch out special broadcast. You’re next Smart Money will be available Thursday. Until then, we wish you a wonderful holiday. Regards, Eric Fry