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Hallmark Channel is ready to deck the halls — and our screens — with plenty of new . From now until the weekend before Christmas Day, we're getting three new holiday movies on the Hallmark Channel, premiering every Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively. Plus, new premieres every Thursday as part of the Hallmark Mysteries' series, and starting in November, new movies streaming every Thursday as part of Hallmark+'s new This week, we're getting Hallmark Mystery's on Thursday, followed by Friday's (featuring a cameo by Donna Kelce!), Saturday brings the sequel to , aptly titled . Sunday closes things out with Keep reading to learn more about these new Hallmark Christmas movies, find out where to watch Hallmark movies without cable and more. An NYC book editor gets the chance to spend a month running a bookstore in a small town, where she meets, and butts heads with, the bookstore's owner's handsome son. Julie Gonalo and Brendan Penny star in which premieres Thursday, Nov. 21 on Hallmark Mystery and will be available to stream on Peacock. Over the holidays, an ER doctor and EMT try to make their relationship work. Sara Canning and Ser'Darius Blain star in , which premieres Friday, Nov. 22 on Hallmark Channel and will stream for three days following its premiere on Peacock. In this sequel to Three Wise Men and a Baby, the story picks up five years later with the Brenner brothers having to step in to take over Thomas's holiday school musical. Paul Campbell, Tyler Hynes, Andrew Walker and Margaret Colin star in , which premieres Saturday, Nov. 23, on Hallmark Channel and will be available to stream on Peacock for three days following its premiere. A newly engaged couple gets put through the wringer when their family decides they need to go to marriage bootcamp over the holidays. Madeleine Arthur, Robert Bazzocchi and Eric Close star in , which premieres this Sunday, Nov. 24 on Hallmark Channel and streaming on Peacock. If you’re already a cable subscriber and are looking for more ways to watch the Hallmark Channel, you should be able to log in with your cable credentials on and tune into a free livestream of the new Christmas movies as they premiere. Don’t have cable? Here’s what we recommend subscribing to if you want the Hallmark Channel: Watch Hallmark Channel DirecTV Entertainment Watch Hallmark Channel Fubo TV Pro Watch the Hallmark Channel Hulu + Live TV Watch Hallmark Channel Frndly TV Watch Hallmark Channel with Sling TV Orange + Lifestyle Extra Sling TV Orange + Lifestyle Extra Watch the Hallmark Channel Philo (Peacock) A $8/month ad-supported Peacock subscription lets you stream select Hallmark holiday movies for three days after they premiere on Hallmark Channel. Plus, you'll get access to thousands of hours of shows and movies, including beloved sitcoms such as and every and select live sports and other events airing on NBC (like this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. For $14/month you can also upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline. Hallmark+ is Hallmark's newest streaming platform, featuring all-new holiday movies and exclusive original programming. You can subscribe monthly for $7.99 per month, or annually for $79.99. You can also try the platform out for free first. Premiere times are 8 p.m. ET/PT on the Hallmark Channel unless otherwise noted. Sara Canning, Ser'Darius Blain; cameo by Donna Kelce In the lead-up to Christmas, emergency room doctor Hannah Michaels (Canning) juggles her demanding job and a budding romance with EMT Wes Sullivan (Blain) in Philadelphia. They spend time together as Wes helps her become more acquainted with the sights, sounds, and tastes of Philadelphia, it's clear that they're starting to fall for each other. As the local first responders balance duty with holiday celebrations, they come together to face challenges, support each other and find moments of joy. Paul Campbell, Tyler Hynes, Andrew Walker, Margaret Colin The story begins five years later with the Brenner brothers preparing for another memorable Christmas. In a crazy turn of events, possibly brought on accidentally by the brothers themselves, the director of Luke's (Walker) son Thomas' (Miles Marthaller) school holiday musical steps down. Luke is desperate to make his son's stage dreams come true, so he enlists the help of his brothers, Taylor (Hynes) and Stephan (Campbell). Meanwhile, the trio navigates to meet their mom Barbara's (Colin) new boyfriend and the brothers grapple with their feelings about this relationship. In true Brenner brother fashion, they are all in for a Christmas they will never forget. Madeleine Arthur, Robert Bazzocchi, Eric Close When Celeste (Arthur) gets engaged to Jason (Bazzocchi) after just a few months of dating, her father, and the couple's would-be officiant, Pastor Mark (Close), insists on putting them through a pre-wedding "bootcamp" filled with Christmas-themed challenges. As the couple grows stronger through the festive activities, Celeste considers following her dreams in the fashion industry. Meanwhile, Pastor Mark learns to trust his daughter's choices, leading to a heartwarming holiday season for the whole family. Rachel Boston, Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes, Tanner Novlan, Matthew James Dowden, Max Lloyd-Jones Three adult siblings (Lamothe-Kipnes, Dowden and Lloyd-Jones) return to their childhood home at Christmas to honor their late grandmother's wishes and try to agree on new leadership for the family's company. Enter Annie Merkel (Boston) — also known as Mrs. Miracle — who poses as an estate planner and uses her special brand of Christmas magic to help the family find common ground and rekindle their bonds. As the siblings try to sort things out, Charlotte (Lamothe-Kipnes) also finds herself reconnecting with Austin (Novlan), the manor's caretaker and her first love. Premieres 6 p.m. ET/PT Eva Bourne, Chandler Massey, Katherine Barrell Workaholic lawyer Lucy Miller (Bourne) is celebrating her promotion alone on Christmas Eve when a mysterious rideshare experience transports her back to 1999. Reliving the holiday with her mom, sister and best friend — not to mention her high school crush — Lucy gets a second chance to understand where her relationships went wrong. Will this magical journey help her rewrite her future or leave her destined to be alone? Premieres 8 p.m. ET/PT Ashley Greene, Wes Brown, Danny Pellegrino Rose (Greene) is a Chicago-based interior designer, whose brother Sal (Pellegrino) is responsible for a Christmas charity house flipback in their suburban Ohio hometown. When a budget crisis puts this important project in danger, Rose reluctantly returns during the holidays to try to save the day. Not ready to face the ghosts of her past, Rose plans to get in, get it done, and get out ASAP. But before she knows it, she is face-to-face with Brysen (Brown), her brother's best friend, contractor, and who just so happens to be the bane of Rose's youth. With the help of friends and family, and buoyed by the season of giving, the trio figures out a way to work together for this worthy cause. As Rose works, she discovers unexpected love and deeper purpose along the way. Premieres 6 p.m. ET/PT Meghan Ory, John Reardon Logline: When Beatrice (Ory) reluctantly joins her best friend on a trip to the enchanting Christmasland, she's skeptical of the holiday magic surrounding them. But as she experiences festive traditions and meets a charming stranger named Ethan (Reardon), she begins to question what's real and what's part of the experience. In the end, Christmasland helps Beatrice rediscover hope, love, and the magic of new beginnings. Premieres 8 p.m. ET/PT Hunter King, Tyler Hynes, Ed Begley Jr., Richard Riehle, Diedrich Bader, Christine Ebersole, Megyn Price; cameos by Jenna Bush Hager, Donna Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid and players Trey Smith, Mecole Hardman Jr., Clyde Edwards-Helaire, George Karlaftis Alana Higman (King) is sure that her family's lifelong history as Kansas City Chiefs superfans makes them a frontrunner to win the team's "Fan of the Year" contest. Derrick (Hynes), Director of Fan Engagement, is tasked with evaluating how Alana and her family stack up against the other two finalists. As the pair spends time together, it's clear there's a spark between them but when her grandfather's (Begley Jr.) vintage Chiefs good-luck winter hat goes missing, Alana begins to doubt everything she believed about fate, and destiny and even questions her future with Derrick — unless, that is, a little Christmas magic can throw a Hail Mary. Premieres 6 p.m. ET/PT Kim Matula, Beau Mirchoff, Nichole Sakura Inspired by her father's acclaimed legacy in dog sled racing, Anya (Matula) decides to follow in his footsteps. After his passing, she heads to Finland to participate in the 40th annual Joulurauha race, her father's final race where he fell short of the victory. Following an injury to her lead dog during the qualifying race, Anya finds herself partnered with a new canine companion owned by journalist and former racer Cole (Mirchoff), who aims to pen a story about her journey. Struggling to build trust with her new dog and facing her father's rival, Monty (Páll Sigþór Pálsson), Anya must navigate many challenges as she strives to win the race. Premieres 8 p.m. ET/PT Lacey Chabert, Kristoffer Polaha An archeologist (Chabert) and her ex-husband (Polaha), an expert in ancient Norse languages, are sent to Iceland at Christmastime to search for the legendary treasure of the Yule Lads. When others join in the hunt, the pair find themselves swept into a thrilling adventure as they race to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Ali Skovbye, Derek Klena, Erica Durance Vi (Skovbye), better known as Princess Violet of Wingravia, adores the privileges of being a royal if none of the responsibilities. After being disappointed by Vi one time too many, the Queen (Durance) decides to test her daughter's mettle once and for all and issues an ultimatum: Vi must pass a vigorous leadership boot camp in Colorado or lose the throne to her uncle. At boot camp, Vi and her fellow cadets are put through a rigorous grind under the uncompromising supervision of Captain Ryan Douglas (Klena). Maggie Lawson, Janel Parrish Emily (Lawson) has always dreamed of creating the perfect Christmas, meticulously planning every detail year after year, only to feel like she's falling short. Hoping to bring her family closer together, she makes a wish for a holiday as picture-perfect as the ones she sees in a made-for-TV holiday movie. To her shock, Sugarplum (Parrish), the film's relentlessly optimistic main character, magically steps off the screen to make Emily's wish come true — whether she's ready for it or not. As Sugarplum applies her movie-world rules to real life, Emily gets caught up in the possibility of finally achieving a flawless family Christmas. But when Sugarplum's magical fixes start to backfire one by one, Emily begins to question what an ideal holiday really is. With time running out, Emily and Sugarplum find themselves on a heartwarming adventure — one that might just amount to an entirely different kind of Christmastime perfection. Emily Arlook, Evan Roderick, Barbara Niven Leah Meyer (Arlook) is a bonafide lover of Christmas — the trees, the ornaments, the eggnog! But she has always admired the holiday from afar because she's Jewish. Though her family celebrates Hanukkah, Leah has longed to experience a traditional Christmas. When her boyfriend Graham (Roderick) invites her to spend the holidays with his classic Connecticut family, she eagerly accepts. Excited to dive into the quintessential Christmas she's always dreamed of, Leah quickly discovers that fitting in with Graham's uptight family and his not-so-welcoming mom (Niven) is easier said than done. As holiday traditions clash and awkward moments pile up, it is not quite the cozy Christmas that she expected. Stacey Farber, Daren Kagasoff, Marc Summers One week before Hanukkah, corporate lawyer Tory (Farber) finds herself unexpectedly unemployed and questioning the career she's dedicated years to. As she helps her Bubby prepare for the holiday, she embarks on a quest across Chicago to find the last box of coveted Hanukkah candles. Her search leads her to Rocky's, an old town bar, where she encounters Jay (Kagasoff), a charming doctor from Florida, his grandfather Sam (Summers) and a cast of quirky regulars who make her rethink everything. Torn between keeping her job loss a secret and embracing a newfound sense of belonging, Tory ends up bartending at Rocky's, transforming it into the vibrant "Hanukkah on the Rocks" celebration. Through festive food, drinks, and games, she revitalizes the bar, bonds with Jay, and finds the courage to pursue her true calling. As Tory navigates the holiday, she learns that sometimes a detour can lead you exactly where you're meant to be, lighting the way to a future filled with joy, romance, and self-discovery. Kimberley Sustad, Benjamin Ayres Kate North (Sustad) finds herself reluctantly taking over her father's once-acclaimed and now-struggling Santa School. In the weeks leading up to Christmas and the school's next session, Kate and her new co-worker Dan (Ayres) discover who they believe to be the real Santa Claus, lost and without his memories after his sled steered off course and crashed near the school. They decide to help him remember who he is by inviting him to participate in the intense Santa training program. There's a lot at stake this year with Kate's school needing to best the rival St. Nicholas School or be forced to close their doors, and Nick (Santa Claus) needs to remember who he is, or the fate of Christmas might be at stake. Brooke D'Orsay, John Brotherton A DaySpring movie. Abby Marshall (D'Orsay), once celebrated for her role as an inspirational mother on TV, is finding her real life in shambles after dealing with a scandal. She retreats to a luxury Vermont resort for Christmas only to find herself without a room due to a booking mishap. All the local hotels are booked up due to a rare astronomical event — a beautiful star said to mirror the Star of Bethlehem will appear on Christmas Eve. Thankfully, Abby finds a room at a quaint B&B, owned by Tom Maguire (Brotherton), who is also a high school astronomy teacher. Since his wife's passing, Tom has taken on a lot of extra responsibilities, including running the inn and directing the local church's Christmas pageant. Empathizing with Tom, Abby offers to help with the pageant and various activities around the inn and finds herself enjoying both the projects and Tom's company. Through newfound community, family, and love, Abby discovers that hope sometimes comes in the most unexpected ways. Jessica Lowndes, the winner of Hallmark+'s Finding Mr. Christmas Mia (Lowndes), a meticulous web page editor for the Seattle Tourism Board, finds herself unexpectedly navigating the holidays alone. As the only one working, she's drawn into an unusual encounter when she finds a stray dog. Unsure how to handle the situation, she crosses paths with Max (the to-be-determined winner of Finding Mr. Christmas), a dog shelter owner. Mia agrees to let Max's ailing dog find solace with her newfound companion, in exchange for Max showing her the hidden gems of Seattle. Through their journey together, they both step out of their comfort zones, discovering new perspectives and forming a meaningful connection. Premiere times are 8 p.m. ET/PT on the Hallmark Mystery channel unless otherwise noted below. Julie Gonzalo, Brendan Penny A successful New York City book editor (Gonzalo), who is losing touch with her passion after a few setbacks this year, learns she was chosen to run a bookstore in the small town of Saint Ives for the month of December. While realizing a childhood dream and butting heads with the handsome son (Penny) of the bookstore owners, she comes to realize that her love for bringing out the creativity of others is still her true calling, and untapped talent (and love) can be found anywhere... even in the writings of a cranky business-minded man, especially at Christmas. Heather Hemmens, Marco Grazzini Emily (Hemmens) is always reluctant to return home to her family's animal rescue ranch — but when her mother passes away, her brother Nick requests her help organizing the annual Christmas Carnival. When she arrives, she discovers Nick's friend, Luke (Grazzini), staying at the ranch — and that Luke was once a successful artist who worked with light. Though initially reluctant to collaborate, Emily and Luke work hard to pull off the best, most light-filled carnival the town has ever seen, a healing celebration of Emily's mother's legacy and the magic of Christmas — and along the way feel sparks of romance as radiant as the lights themselves. Erica Cerra, Mark Ghanimé, Vanessa Burghardt, Dorian Giordano Melanie's (Cerra) 17-year-old autistic daughter Jenny (Burghardt) is a senior in high school and looking forward to college. After a bad experience in her junior year, Jenny is not interested in attending her final Christmas dance before graduating. Melanie decides to surprise Jenny by getting involved in the school's planning committee to create a welcoming dance for all students. Meanwhile, Jenny and her friends secretly plan their own party, in part to honor Melanie. Melanie works with Jenny's literature teacher (Ghanimé) on the dance and starts to fall for him while Jenny develops something special with a new classmate (Giordano) at school. When their secrets snowball, however, their plans begin to drive a wedge between the usually tight-knit mother and daughter at the holidays. Mallory Jansen, Dan Jeannotte Maggie (Jansen) has been trying for years to break in as a singer-songwriter. Now faced with the challenges of new apps and social media, Maggie fears she's outdated and unable to compete in a tech-savvy world. While helping her parents on their farm at Christmastime, she meets Archer (Jeannotte), an entrepreneur who has come back to town to spend the holidays alone. Archer is developing large-scale apps and is a tech enthusiast. At first, Maggie blames him for all of her songwriting woes. To her surprise, he encourages her to get back in touch with music that really matters and write from the heart; tech can be used in a supportive role to help her achieve her dreams without replacing the art of songwriting. Archer is dealing with the loss of family, and through her tight family bonds, Maggie helps Archer find ways of moving beyond years of family feuding. In this holiday romance, Maggie and Archer both discover there is merit in preserving the tried and true while making room for new ideas and methods to bring people together and help make dreams come true. Italia Ricci, Michael Xavier Michelle (Ricci) is the dreamer of her family, always brimming with imaginative ideas to make the world a better place. This Christmas, her sister Keri desperately needs a new home, and Michelle hatches a creative plan to help. Starting with just a Christmas stocking, she sets out to trade her way up to something far greater — a house for Keri. While Keri dismisses it as a far-fetched idea, local reporter Dan (Xavier) is intrigued. Assigned to cover Michelle's story, Dan follows her closely, and as her plan gains attention, he starts to see the world through her hopeful eyes. As Michelle and Dan grow closer, so do their feelings for each other. But when it seems her plan has failed and she fears it has ruined her relationship with Keri, Michelle is ready to give up. It's Dan's love and belief in her that reignites hope just when she needs it most. The below films will stream on Hallmark+. Natalie Hall, Alec Santos Tina Mitchell (Hall), a successful business owner, meets a charming guy Michael (Santos), just as her holiday season heats up with the town's Christmas gala and her busy store, All Wrapped Up. When the gala is threatened by a Scrooge-like estate owner planning to sell the venue, rumors begin to threaten Tina and Michael's newfound connection. As Tina works to keep the venue's doors open for the gala, she just might unwrap a new chapter in her life, filled with love and holiday cheer. Kathryn Davis, Nathan Witte Mia (Davis), an accountant at All Wrapped Up, is stunned when local celebrity Beau Cavannagh (Witte), who looks just like her favorite romance novel hero, enters her life. Despite her doubts, Beau, an heir to a wealthy family, proves his feelings for her are real, even as his family disapproves. Mia soon finds herself swept up in a fairytale romance that's straight out of her dreams. Ashley Newbrough, Torrance Coombs Lily (Newbrough), the marketing guru of All Wrapped Up, believes the universe guides us to our destiny and it appears that it's guiding her toward a celebrity realtor. However, when she feels an unexpected spark with journalist Sean Whitlock (Coombs) during an interview, her heart starts to question everything. As her chemistry with Sean grows, Lily begins to wonder if he's the true match she's been waiting for all along. Cindy Busby, Jake Epstein Olivia (Busby), the gift-wrapping expert at All Wrapped Up, makes a delivery to a remote cabin only to find her ex-boyfriend Benjamin (Epstein) on the other side of the door. After the pair have a minor spat, an unexpected storm traps them together. Neither of them is happy to be forced to spend time together. However, as talk turns to shared memories, old feelings and warmth begin to resurface and they are left wondering if it's possible to get it right a second time. Jonathan Bennett, Annabelle Bourke, Corey Cott, Sarah Dugdale, Shannon Kook, Vincent Rodriguez III In 1951, a doctor (Cott) wants to make the holiday special for his worried wife (Bourke) before he is shipped out to serve in Korea, but when she suffers a minor fracture to her arm, his carefully planned-out Christmas Eve plans are upended. In 2003, a newly married couple (Dugdale and Kook) who are always in agreement about everything hosts two sets of in-laws for Christmas Eve for the first time and find that they may not have had as much in common as they thought they did. And in 2024, a couple (Bennett and Rodriguez III) tries to arrange special Christmas surprises for each other but keeping them a secret may be harder than they thought. Benjamin Ayres, Catherine Bell, James Denton, Erica Durance, Julie Gonzalo, Ryan Rottman In 1960, Eli (Ayres) and Penny (Durance) take in Eli's curmudgeonly father, Walter (Serge Houde), and are forced to navigate some tricky family waters to get through the holidays while also working on a Christmas-themed time capsule for son Alex's school project. In 1998, we see Regina (Bell) and Nelson's (Denton) first meeting: stuck together when a blizzard strands Nelson in Regina's home on Christmas Eve. In 2015, Jessie (Gonazlo) faces a big challenge while planning her sister's last-minute Christmas Eve wedding — the officiant is Tim (Rottman), her high school sweetheart, whom she hasn't seen in almost 20 years. John Brotherton, Erin Cahill, Brooke D'Orsay, Chelsea Hobbs, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Sam Page, Matt Dusk In 1966, single guy David's (Hollingsworth) plans for a simple Christmas are dashed when his neighbor Stephanie (Hobbs) arrives with news that she won a contest to have Tommy Saunders' (Dusk) Christmas Eve TV special broadcast live from her house — but used his address. In 1981, John (Brotherton) and Lizzie (Cahill) learn that this will be their last Christmas on Cherry Lane after John receives a job offer in Michigan and Lizzie finds out she's pregnant. In 2000, best friends Matt (Page) and Rebecca (D'Orsay) find unexpected feelings developing as they try to find out who is behind a series of Christmas-themed random acts of kindness.‘I still have nightmares about that play’: Ohio State quarterback Will Howard still thinks about sliding as time expired in loss to Oregon

( MENAFN - Robotics & automation News) Interview: Ambi Robotics founder sees 'huge opportunities' in new markets December 28, 2024 by David Edwards The founding of Ambi Robotics is somewhat obscured by the mist of history, but it started with some abandoned robots in a basement and the co-founders meeting at University of California Berkeley in 2018. Within about a year, the five founders made a breakthrough in simulation-to-reality transfer learning systems for robotics, calling it Sim2Real AI, which, in turn, led to the establishment of Ambidextrous Laboratories Inc, and a year later to the commercialization of the technology in the form of the AmbiSort parcel sorting system. The lightning quick pace of development led to huge interest from investors, who poured in $21 million into the startup by 2021, and another $32 million the following year. Now, three years on, Ambi Robotics can look back on numerous multimillion-dollar commercial installations and look forward to many more diverse deployments in the years ahead. In this interview, we speak to Jeff Mahler (main image), one of the founders of Ambi Robotics and its chief technology offer, and ask him about himself, his company and the future of robotics. Robotics & Automation News: Let's start by telling readers about yourself and your job at Ambi Robotics. Jeff Mahler : I'm Jeff Mahler, co-founder and chief technology officer of Ambi Robotics. I lead the engineering and product teams at Ambi, executing our technology strategy to develop highly dexterous AI-powered robotic systems that help people handle more in commercial logistics operations. I earned my Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, where my research focused on AI for robotic grasping. It was in Professor Ken Goldberg's AUTOlab where I met Stephen McKinley, David Gealy and Matt Matl, and we began combining our complementary skills to later become the co-founders of Ambi Robotics. My experiences in both industry and academia, including co-launching UC Berkeley's course on robotic manipulation and publishing award-nominated research on robotics and AI, have given me a strong foundation to develop advanced technologies and lead the creation of transformative robotic systems at Ambi Robotics. R&AN: And let's also introduce the company, Ambi Robotics, to readers. What are the main services and products and what is its position in the market. JM : Ambi Robotics is an AI and robotics company developing advanced solutions that scale ecommerce operations to meet demand while empowering humans to handle more. Our flagship solution, AmbiSort A-Series, uses robotic arms combined with advanced gantry technology to automate the sorting of mixed parcels into destination containers. It's modular and configurable, supporting customer demand for both bin-fed and conveyor-fed operations for high-efficiency parcel sorting. All of our robots run on our proprietary operating system, AmbiOS, which uses simulation-to-reality (Sim2Real) AI to train the robots 10,000 times faster in virtual simulations and then transfer those learnings to the real world, enabling the robots to handle any bag, box, envelope or unpackaged item with high speed and accuracy. With continuous learning capabilities, our technology's performance improves and evolves over time. Ambi Robotics is leading the way for AI-powered automation to solve operational challenges for shippers, positioning us at the forefront of innovation in the booming e-commerce shipping and logistics space. R&AN: What are the key problems that Ambi Robotics solves? When Ambi Robotics is asked to do a job, does it take over from human-centred systems or does it generally improve on a previously implemented technological system? Maybe give us a use case or two. JM : We're tackling some big challenges in ecommerce and supply chain, especially with the increasing demand for faster and more accurate parcel sorting. The AmbiSort A-Series system automates the sorting of mixed parcels from deep bins or automated conveyor induction into destination sacks, a traditionally manual and time-consuming process prone to errors, injuries and bottlenecks. By bringing in our AI-powered robotic systems, warehouses can boost throughput, accuracy and cut costs-all without needing to completely overhaul their existing process. Powered by Sim2Real AI, solutions from Ambi Robotics are ready to go from day one and add immediate value and cost savings. For example, during a partnership with a global shipping and mailing company, we deployed our AmbiSort products into their existing middle-mile operations to help automate and speed up parcel sortation. During our time together, we sorted 87 million packages and trained over 400 of their parcel handlers for higher-value, certified robot operator roles. With this move, their employees were able to focus on more complex and higher-value work while cutting operational costs. R&AN: What are the current challenges in parcel sortation? And how do you see the future playing out in terms of parcel sortation technologies? JM : Many warehouses run into problems with labor shortages combined with rising parcel volumes, especially around the peak holiday season, and inefficiencies in their traditional technology that may cause delays and errors. They also often struggle to scale operations to meet growing ecommerce demand while keeping costs manageable. For example, rising transportation costs are an ongoing challenge to meeting customer desires for lower shipping rates. Looking ahead, we see advanced robotics and automation taking on a larger role within warehouses, leveraging AI to create highly repeatable, efficient, scalable and flexible systems that can integrate with human workers and existing infrastructure to handle diverse parcel profiles efficiently. In addition, intelligent automation can create a fountain of data on every item handled in order to empower operations management to make smarter decisions on how to boost productivity. R&AN: At the moment, most of the end effectors on robots tend to be suction devices of some kind. Is there an alternative to this? Do you use any soft end effectors or human-like hands to deal with specific kinds of items? Is this diversification something that is relevant for you? JM : We primarily use suction-based end effectors because they are highly reliable and effective for handling a variety of parcel types, especially ones with non-porous, flat surfaces like cardboard. Our robots have multiple suction cups of different sizes and flexibility, so they can choose the best“fingertip” for whatever they're handling. While suction cups work great for a lot of items, we know there are objects, like irregularly shaped or delicate ones, that might need a different touch. To address this, we're looking into other types of end effectors, like parallel grippers, to extend the range of items our robots can handle. This flexibility is key as we keep improving our robots to handle an even wider range of objects efficiently and accurately. R&AN: What is the overall market potential for a company like yours? How big could it become, given the growth in e-commerce and so on, and considering the competition you are already up against? JM : The market potential is huge, especially with the massive growth in ecommerce. In 2022 there were over 150 billion packages shipped worldwide, and each one of those packages was touched by a human hand about 10 times. That means that there are over 1 trillion package“touches” occurring each year, and this number is growing rapidly. As more people shop online, the demand for fast, efficient and scalable fulfillment solutions is only going to keep rising. With robots like ours that can handle parcel sortation and even adapt to different types of packages, we're in a strong position to meet that demand. Our competitive edge is the ability to handle a wide variety of objects with precision and speed, thanks to our AI-driven system, and our ability to easily integrate with whatever warehouse layout is needed. As automation becomes a bigger part of the supply chain, we see a ton of room to grow and capture a significant share of the market. We're working alongside global leading logistics companies and continuing to evolve our technology to meet their needs as they grow. R&AN: While you currently specialise in parcel sortation, was that always what you had in mind? And could you diversify into new markets in the future. If so, which markets? JM : Ambi Robotics is all about real-world impact, and parcel sortation was where we saw the biggest opportunity to apply our technology due to the massive market opportunity. That being said, we've always had the vision to make our robots more versatile, and as we grow we can definitely see ourselves branching out into other markets. There are huge opportunities to provide robots that automate repetitive motions in other industries with high-volume material handling such as ecommerce order fulfillment, retail distribution, manufacturing and even recycling. MENAFN28122024005532012229ID1109037657 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. 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NoneA fugitive gains fame in New Orleans eluding dart guns and netsNEW ORLEANS (AP) — A scruffy little fugitive is on the lam again in New Orleans, gaining fame as he outwits a tenacious band of citizens armed with night-vision binoculars, nets and a tranquilizer rifle. Scrim, a 17-pound mutt that's mostly terrier, has become a folk hero, inspiring tattoos, T-shirts and even a ballad as he eludes capture from the posse of volunteers. And like any antihero, Scrim has a backstory: Rescued from semi-feral life at a trailer park and adopted from a shelter, the dog broke loose in April and scurried around the city until he was cornered in October and brought to a new home. Weeks later, he'd had enough. Scrim leaped out of a second-story window, a desperate act recorded in a now-viral video. Since then, despite a stream of daily sightings, he's roamed free. The dog’s fans include Myra and Steve Foster, who wrote “Ode to Scrim” to the tune of Ricky Nelson’s 1961 hit, “I’m a Travelin’ Man.” Leading the recapture effort is Michelle Cheramie, a 55-year-old former information technology professional. She lost everything — home, car, possessions — in Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and in the aftermath, found her calling rescuing pets. “I was like, ‘This is what I should be doing,’” Cheramie said. “I was born to rescue.” She launched Zeus’ Rescues, a nonprofit shelter that now averages 600 cat and dog adoptions a year and offers free pet food to anyone who needs it. She helped Scrim find the home he first escaped from. It was Cheramie's window Scrim leaped from in November. She's resumed her relentless mission since then, posting flyers on telephone poles and logging social media updates on his reported whereabouts. She's invested thousands of dollars on wildlife cameras, thermal sensors and other gear. She took a course offered by the San Diego Zoo on the finer points of tranquilizing animals. And she's developed a network of volunteers — the kind of neighbors who are willing to grid-search a city at 3 a.m. People like writer David W. Brown, who manages a crowd-sourced Google Map of all known Scrim sightings. He says the search has galvanized residents from all walks of life to come together. As they search for Scrim, they hand out supplies to people in need. “Being a member of the community is seeing problems and doing what you can to make life a little better for the people around here and the animals around you,” Brown said. And neighbors like Tammy Murray, who had to close her furniture store and lost her father to Parkinson's disease. This search, she says, got her mojo back. “Literally, for months, I’ve done nothing but hunt this dog,” said Murray, 53. “I feel like Wile E. Coyote on a daily basis with him.” Murray drives the Zeus' Rescues' van towards reported Scrim sightings. She also handles a tactical net launcher, which looks like an oversized flashlight and once misfired, shattering the van's window as Scrim sped away. After realizing Scrim had come to recognize the sound of the van's diesel engine, Murray switched to a Vespa scooter, for stealth. Near-misses have been tantalizing. The search party spotted Scrim napping beneath an elevated house, and wrapped construction netting around the perimeter, but an over-eager volunteer broke ranks and dashed forward, leaving an opening Scrim slipped through. Scrim's repeated escapades have prompted near-daily local media coverage and a devoted online following. Cheramie can relate. “We’re all running from something or to something. He's doing that too,” she said. Cheramie's team dreams of placing the pooch in a safe and loving environment. But a social media chorus growing under the hashtag #FreeScrim has other ideas — they say the runaway should be allowed a life of self-determination. The animal rescue volunteers consider that misguided. “The streets of New Orleans are not the place for a dog to be free,” Cheramie said. “It’s too dangerous.” Scrim was a mess when Cheramie briefly recaptured him in October, with matted fur, missing teeth and a tattered ear. His trembling body was scraped and bruised, and punctured by multiple projectiles. A vet removed one, but decided against operating to take out a possible bullet. The dog initially appeared content indoors, sitting in Cheramie's lap or napping beside her bed. Then while she was out one day, Scrim chewed through a mesh screen, dropped 13 feet to the ground and squeezed through a gap in the fence, trotting away. Murray said Cheramie's four cats probably spooked him. “I wholeheartedly believe the gangster-ass cats were messing with him,” Murray said. Cheramie thinks they may have gotten territorial. Devastated but undeterred, the pair is reassessing where Scrim might fit best — maybe a secure animal sanctuary with big outdoor spaces where other dogs can keep him company. Somewhere, Murray says, “where he can just breathe and be.” Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96

Oregon Officials Advocate for Emergency Preparedness Gifts This Festive SeasonBetter Artificial Intelligence Stock: Palantir vs. Nvidia

The Ravens announced that tickets for a potential home wild-card playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium will go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m.Donald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trolling

AP News Summary at 6:21 p.m. EST

Global Veterinary Vaccines Market is Predicted to Cross USD 16 Billion by 2030 | DelveInsightHeavy equipment operators from more than 40 countries compete to claim worldwide title in largest challenge to date IRVING, Texas, Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) today launched its third Global Operator Challenge, inviting thousands of machine operators worldwide to put their agility, resilience and versatility to the test on a wide range of construction equipment and technology. 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.(Bloomberg) — The future of gas transit through Ukraine is at a turning point. If a last-minute deal isn’t struck by Wednesday, billions of cubic meters in gas flows could come to a halt. Ukraine is under mounting pressure from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and a group of central European companies to keep gas moving from its eastern border with Russia into the European Union following the expiration of a transit agreement on Dec. 31. Almost three years after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Budapest and Bratislava still rely on cheap gas from Gazprom PJSC, undermining the EU push to cut reliance on Russian energy. With three days to go before the Russia-Ukraine agreement runs out, rhetoric on all sides has sharpened. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy earlier this week accused Fico of striking “shadow agreements” with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Slovak leader on Friday threatened to halt power supplies to his eastern neighbor, a step Ukraine criticized. To diplomats with knowledge of the talks, the escalation hasn’t come as a surprise. Past disputes over gas transit between the two former partners saw flows cut or reduced at short notice — and deals clinched at the very last minute. Energy traders, industry leaders and politicians in Europe and elsewhere are still looking to the three leaders for signs of what might come next. Zelenskiy has repeatedly stated that he won’t allow Russian gas, which benefits the Kremlin’s war machine, to transit through Ukraine after the current deal ends. He’s said that he would be open to transporting gas from countries other than Russia — an option that people with knowledge of the talks say isn’t completely off the table. In making the decision, the Ukrainian leader must consider the need to protect the country’s 38,600-kilometer gas pipeline system. The network, among the world’s largest, has been spared attacks over the last three years as Russian gas has flowed though it. If that were to stop, the system might become a target for missile strikes, as gas storage facilities and power supplies have been. It would also create technical challenges that would make it difficult to heat homes across Ukraine during the winter. “The issue of risks for Ukrainian infrastructure is reverberating in diplomatic discussions,” said Christian Egenhofer, senior researcher at the CEPS think-tank in Brussels. “It may prove a lifeline for Zelenskiy if he opts to allow for continued transit.” At the same time, Egenhofer noted, “the gas talks will matter beyond Ukraine.” For both Putin and Fico, the most profitable option would be for European buyers to continue purchasing gas directly from Gazprom. Russia would then remain in the EU market without having to share revenue with intermediaries, and Slovakia would save on additional transit costs, according to people with knowledge of the talks who asked not to be identified. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that talks are ongoing and a last-minute deal cannot be completely ruled out. Before the war, the executive arm of the European Union helped broker transit agreements between Kyiv and Moscow. Now, because of the bloc’s efforts to diversify energy sources away from Moscow and expand renewables, the European Commission is staying out of negotiations. Instead, it has stressed that alternatives sources are available and the region’s gas storage levels are high. In February, the EU’s executive arm will unveil a plan to further phase out Russian fossil fuels, which it says the Kremlin has turned into a political weapon. Its implementation hinges on member states: in addition to pipeline flows to Slovakia and Hungary, Russian liquefied natural gas is also shipped to ports in France, Belgium and Spain. “The row over the Russian gas will worsen the wedge between EU members, aligning neatly with Russia’s interest in seeing European support for Ukraine fracture,” said Bota Iliyas, a senior analyst at PRISM, a strategic intelligence firm. The end of gas flows through Ukraine will have a “negligible” impact on European gas prices, the commission said earlier this month, noting that markets have already priced in the end of the transit deal. European gas prices rose 48% this year, in anticipation of supply cuts combined with rapidly depleting gas reserves due to periods of cold and windless weather. While costs are still far below the 2022 records reached during the energy crisis triggered by the first phase of the war, they’re high enough to impact households and manufacturers. The absence of an intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Ukraine complicates but doesn’t rule out a commercial deal involving European companies. Slovakia’s gas utility Slovensky Plynarensky Priemysel AS and its gas network operator Eustream AS — alongside Hungary’s MOL Hungarian Oil and Gas Plc., trade associations and large industrial customers from Austria and Italy — have urged Zelenskiy to allow shipments to continue. The volume being discussed is 15 billion cubic meters a year, the amount that currently moves through Ukrainian pipelines. Following his meeting with Putin in Moscow a week ago, Fico said that Russia was ready to continue delivering gas to the West via Ukraine, but this would be “practically impossible” after Jan. 1 given Kyiv’s stance. In response, Zelenskiy said he’d offered to compensate Fico for the additional costs that Slovakia would accrue should Russian gas transit end. He said he was also ready to allow shipments of non-Russian fuel if a request was to be made by the European Commission — an offer which he claimed the Slovak leader rejected. The spat escalated further late on Friday, when Fico said in a video posted on Facebook that if the flows stop, he’ll assess potential reciprocal measures, including halting power supplies that Ukraine needs during its network outages. The end of transit of Russian gas would cost the EU an additional 120 billion euros ($125 billion) in energy costs over the next two years, according to Fico. “Stopping the transit of Russian natural gas through Ukraine is not just a hollow political gesture. It’s an extremely costly move, one that we, in the European Union, will pay for,” Fico said. Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko hit back on Saturday, telling a local television station that he alerted the EU and the region’s energy community that a halt in power supply will violate European regulations. He added that Ukraine has mechanisms to substitute Slovak electricity with more imports from other partners. With the deadline approaching, alternative solutions are being considered. SPP has been in talks with Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company about sourcing Azeri gas, according to people with knowledge of the talks. That may require a swap between Gazprom and Socar, in which the Azeri company would purchase corresponding volumes from Russia to deliver to European buyers. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also proposed moving the location of Russian gas sales to the physical border between Russia and Ukraine, which would transfer gas ownership to European buyers and oblige Ukraine to ensure transit under its free trade agreement with the EU, according to people with knowledge of the issue. Putin acknowledged various proposals on Thursday that would allow Hungary, Slovakia, Turkey or Azerbaijan to take control of the gas shipped through Ukraine. He noted that any such arrangement would be difficult to enact because of Gazprom’s long-term contracts. Before the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia was the EU’s top gas supplier, providing more than 40% of the bloc’s imports. Following the outbreak of the war and a cut in supplies, Europe accelerated its shift away from Russian energy. Last year, Russian gas made up around 8% of EU imports. Permitting further Russian gas to transit through Ukraine would undermine the message that the EU can no longer do business as usual with Putin’s Russia, said Benjamin L. Schmitt, senior fellow at the CEPA think-tank and the University of Pennsylvania’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy. “The stakes couldn’t be higher,” Schmitt said in a research note. “Continuing Russian gas transit in any form — whether through an overt contract extension with Kremlin-controlled Gazprom, or under any other name, but still de facto Russian — would be dangerous for Ukraine.” —With assistance from Daryna Krasnolutska and Daniel Hornak. (Updates with Ukrainian energy minister’s comments from the fourth paragraph)

LiveWire Group, Inc. ( NYSE:LVWR – Get Free Report )’s share price fell 5.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $4.61 and last traded at $4.61. 3,203 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 26,606 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.88. LiveWire Group Trading Down 2.1 % The company has a market cap of $926.82 million, a P/E ratio of -8.94 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s fifty day moving average is $5.87 and its 200 day moving average is $6.47. LiveWire Group ( NYSE:LVWR – Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $4.45 million for the quarter. LiveWire Group had a negative net margin of 336.65% and a negative return on equity of 60.75%. Insider Buying and Selling Institutional Investors Weigh In On LiveWire Group Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of LiveWire Group by 3.3% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 47,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $362,000 after purchasing an additional 1,530 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in LiveWire Group by 201.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 30,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $184,000 after purchasing an additional 20,144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its position in LiveWire Group by 289.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 26,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,000 after purchasing an additional 19,474 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 0.88% of the company’s stock. LiveWire Group Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) LiveWire Group, Inc manufactures electric motorcycles in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments Electric Motorcycles and STACYC. The company designs and sells electric motorcycles and parts, accessories, and apparel; and electric balance bikes for kids. It serves wholesalers, independent dealers, retailers, and through online. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for LiveWire Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for LiveWire Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

This screenshot from Donald Trump Truth Social account shows an image of President-elect Donald Trump and first lady Jill Biden attending the ceremony in Notre Dame Cathedral as France’s iconic cathedral is formally reopening its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019, Dec .7, 2024 in Paris. Trump’s recent summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in negotiating trade policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they’ve also become fodder for trolling. (Truth Social via AP) This screenshot from Donald Trump’s Truth Social account shows am image of President-elect Donald Trump standing beside a Canadian flag. Trump’s recent summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in negotiating trade policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they’ve also become fodder for trolling. (Truth Social via AP) This screenshot from Donald Trump Truth Social account shows an image of President-elect Donald Trump and first lady Jill Biden attending the ceremony in Notre Dame Cathedral as France’s iconic cathedral is formally reopening its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019, Dec .7, 2024 in Paris. Trump’s recent summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in negotiating trade policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they’ve also become fodder for trolling. ( Truth Social via AP) This screenshot from Donald Trump Truth Social account shows an image of President-elect Donald Trump and first lady Jill Biden attending the ceremony in Notre Dame Cathedral as France’s iconic cathedral is formally reopening its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019, Dec .7, 2024 in Paris. Trump’s recent summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in negotiating trade policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they’ve also become fodder for trolling. (Truth Social via AP) By MICHELLE L. PRICE and ROB GILLIES 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. Related Articles National Politics | Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina Khan National Politics | Biden says he was ‘stupid’ not to put his name on pandemic relief checks like Trump did National Politics | Biden issues veto threat on bill expanding federal judiciary as partisan split emerges National Politics | Trump lawyers and aide hit with 10 additional felony charges in Wisconsin over 2020 fake electors National Politics | After withdrawing as attorney general nominee, Matt Gaetz lands a talk show on OANN television 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.