WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. severely lags behind China in shipbuilding capacity, lawmakers and experts have warned, as the Biden administration tries to build up the country's and other defense supplies to fend off war. Speaking at a congressional hearing Thursday, Rep. John Moolenaar, the Republican chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, said the country lacks the capacity to “deter and win a fight” with China and called for action. “Bold policy changes and significant resources are now needed to restore deterrence and prevent a fight” with China, Moolenaar said. China’s navy is already the world’s largest, and its shipbuilding capacity, estimated to be 230 times larger, dwarfs that of the U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking Democratic member of the committee, told Fox News last week that “for every one oceangoing vessel that we can produce, China can produce 359 in one single year." The U.S. government has come to see China as its “pacing challenge," and officials have warned that Beijing is pursuing the largest peacetime military buildup in history, raising concerns about how the U.S. would respond and ensure victory in case of a conflict in the Indo-Pacific, where tensions are high in and . Krishnamoorthi on Thursday warned that a weak military industrial base could invite aggression and argued that strengthening it is necessary to avoid war with China. “History tells us we need a healthy defense industrial base now to deter aggression and make sure the world’s dictators think again before dragging the U.S. and the world into yet another disastrous conflict,” Krishnamoorthi said. National security adviser Jake Sullivan called it a “generational project” to fix the problem after the American shipbuilding industry had its “bottom fell out” in the early 1980s. “Part of it is we don't have the backbone of a healthy commercial shipbuilding base to rest our naval shipbuilding on top of,” Sullivan said Wednesday at the Aspen Security Forum in Washington. “And that's part of the fragility of what we're contending with and why this is going to be such a generational project to fix.” The challenge in shipbuilding has been “especially immense,” stemming from the hollowing-out of the U.S. manufacturing base where its workforce shrank and suppliers left, Sullivan said. And it is part of the broader problem of a weakened U.S. military industrial base, as manifested in the weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, Sullivan said, when Kyiv in eight weeks “burned through a year's worth of U.S. 155-millimeter artillery production." “Decades of underinvestments and consolidation had seriously eroded our defense industrial base, and there was no way around it,” Sullivan said. The head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel Paparo, warned last month that the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East were eating away at critical U.S. weapons stockpiles and could to China should a conflict arise. He said providing or selling billions of dollars worth of and Israel were hampering U.S. ability to respond to threats in the Indo-Pacific. “It’s now eating into stocks, and to say otherwise would be dishonest,” he told an audience at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Nov . 19. Several researchers at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said China’s rapid military buildup could allow the country to prevail over the U.S., especially in case of a prolonged conflict. “China’s massive shipbuilding industry would provide a strategic advantage in a war that stretches beyond a few weeks, allowing it to repair damaged vessels or construct replacements much faster than the United States,” the researchers wrote in June. On Thursday, the congressional panel heard suggestions from experts who said it would take time to rebuild the defense industrial base, but for quicker fixes, the U.S. could innovate to make low-cost and autonomous systems and tap resources of its allies. “We need to look at co-production of whether it's munitions in Australia or shipbuilding in Korea,” said William Greenwalt, a non-resident senior fellow at the Washington-based think tank American Enterprise Institute. “We need to get numbers as fast as we can," he said.
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel gets 5-year contract extensionEven with access to blockbuster obesity drugs, some people don't lose weightMediciNova Presents Study Update and Interim Analysis of Phase 2/3 Clinical Trial of MN-166 (ibudilast) in ALS (COMBAT-ALS Clinical Trial) at the 35th International Symposium on ALS/MND
Dec 6 (Reuters) - Australia's agency for monitoring financial crimes said on Friday it had established an internal cryptocurrency task force to identify and take action against crypto ATM providers that do not comply with the country's anti-money laundering laws. The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) said its findings showed cryptocurrency was increasingly being exploited for money laundering, scams and money mule activities. AUSTRAC's taskforce will ensure digital currency exchanges that provide crypto ATM services have robust practices in place to minimise the risk of their machines being used to move money associated with scams or fraud, the government agency said. A crypto ATM allows users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies, like bitcoin and dogecoin, for cash. Currently, Australia has 1,200 operating crypto ATMs, while about 400 digital currency exchange providers are registered with AUSTRAC. The total value of the cryptocurrency market has almost doubled over the year so far. Bitcoin also hit a record high above $100,000 as the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president fuelled expectations his administration will usher in a friendly regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies. AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas said the agency was seeing "too many" Australians falling victim to scams carried out through cryptocurrency. "Cryptocurrency and crypto ATMs are attractive avenues for criminals looking to launder money, as they are widely accessible and make near-instant and irreversible transfers," he said, adding that crypto ATMS who were found flouting the anti-money laundering laws would be subject to financial penalties. Sign up here. Reporting by Himanshi Akhand in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas and Krishna Chandra Eluri Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab
NoneWith the girls basketball season set to start next week, here is a look at the state’s divisional alignments in each of the 15 conferences for the 2024-25 season. Burlington County Scholastic League Freedom Division Bordentown Burlington City Burlington Township Maple Shade Moorestown Friends Palmyra Pennsauken Tech Independence Division Doane Academy Florence KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy Riverside STEMCivics Willingboro Liberty Division Cinnaminson Holy Cross Prep Thrive Charter Westampton Tech Patriot Division Delran Medford Tech Northern Burlington Pemberton Pennsauken Big North Conference American Division Cliffside Park Dumont Dwight-Morrow Fort Lee Ridgefield Park Freedom Division Hackensack Northern Highlands Paramus Ramapo Ridgewood Independence Division Fair Lawn Lakeland Passaic Valley Wayne Hills Wayne Valley West Milford Liberty Division Bergen Tech Clifton Passaic Passaic Tech Paterson Eastside Paterson Kennedy National Division Bergenfield Demarest Old Tappan Pascack Valley Teaneck Tenafly Patriot Division Indian Hills Mahwah Pascack Hills Ramsey River Dell Westwood United Division DePaul Holy Angels Immaculate Heart Paramus Catholic Cape-Atlantic League American Division Absegami Atlantic City Holy Spirit Mainland Middle Township Our Lady of Mercy Wildwood Catholic National Division Cedar Creek Egg Harbor Hammonton Lower Cape May Millville Ocean City Vineland United Division Atlantic Tech Bridgeton Buena Cape May Tech Oakcrest Pleasantville St. Joseph (Hamm.) Colonial Conference Liberty Division Haddon Heights Haddon Township Haddonfield Sterling West Deptford Woodbury Patriot Division Audubon Collingswood Gateway Gloucester Lindenwold Paulsboro Colonial Valley Conference Colonial Division Ewing Hightstown Hopewell Valley Notre Dame Nottingham Princeton Robbinsville Trenton Valley Division Allentown Hamilton West Lawrence Princeton Day Steinert West Windsor-Plainsboro North West Windsor-Plainsboro South Greater Middlesex Conference Blue Division Carteret Dunellen Highland Park Iselin Kennedy Metuchen Sayreville South River Timothy Christian Gold Division Calvary Christian (Old Bridge) East Brunswick Magnet Mother Seton New Brunswick Perth Amboy Magnet Piscataway Magnet Somerset Tech South Amboy Wardlaw-Hartridge Woodbridge Magnet Red Division Colonia East Brunswick Monroe North Plainfield Old Bridge Piscataway South Brunswick St. Thomas Aquinas White Division Edison J.P. Stevens Middlesex North Brunswick Perth Amboy South Plainfield Spotswood Woodbridge Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic League American Division Bayonne Hudson Catholic Kearny St. Dominic Union City National Divison Hoboken Lincoln Memorial North Bergen Snyder Patriot Division BelovED Charter Dickinson Ferris McNair University Charter Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference American Division Chatham Mendham Montville Morristown Pope John Randolph Colonial Division Dover Hopatcong Kittatinny Newton Sussex Tech Wallkill Valley Freedom Division Hackettstown High Point Jefferson Lenape Valley North Warren Vernon Independence Division Boonton Kinnelon Parsippany St. Elizabeth Villa Walsh Whippany Park Liberty Division Hanover Park Madison Morris Catholic Morris Tech Morristown-Beard Mountain Lakes Pequannock National Division Morris Hills Morris Knolls Mount Olive Parsippany Hills Roxbury Sparta West Morris North Jersey Interscholastic Conference Independent Saddle River Day American Division Elmwood Park Garfield Lodi Manchester Regional Paterson Charter Saddle Brook Colonial Division Butler Eastern Christian Glen Rock Hawthorne Hawthorne Christian Pompton Lakes Liberty Division Bogota Dwight-Englewood Leonia New Milford Palisades Park Ridgefield Meadowlands Division Becton Hasbrouck Heights St. Mary (Ruth.) Wallington Wood-Ridge National Division Harrison Lyndhurst North Arlington Rutherford Secaucus Weehawken Patriot Division Cresskill Emerson Boro Midland Park Park Ridge Waldwick Olympic Conference American Division Cherokee Cherry Hill East Eastern Lenape Rancocas Valley National Division Bishop Eustace Camden Camden Catholic Camden Eastside Paul VI Patriot Division Cherry Hill West Moorestown Seneca Shawnee Winslow Super Essex Conference American Division Glen Ridge Montclair Immaculate Mount St. Dominic Newark Academy University West Orange Colonial Division Bloomfield Cedar Grove East Orange Montclair North Star Academy Verona Freedom Division Arts Barringer Belleville Irvington Newark Collegiate Science Park St. Benedict’s Weequahic Independence Division Livingston Millburn Montclair Kimberley Newark East Side Newark Lab Newark Tech Liberty Division Caldwell Columbia Newark Central Nutley Payne Tech West Essex National Division Bard Golda Och Orange Shabazz St. Vincent Technology West Caldwell Tech West Side Shore Conference A Central Division Howell Jackson Memorial Manasquan Neptune St. Rose Wall A Coastal Division Holmdel Middletown North Red Bank Catholic Red Bank Regional Rumson-Fair Haven St. John Vianney A North Division Colts Neck Marlboro Ocean Township Ranney Shore Trinity Hall A South Division Central Regional Donovan Catholic Manchester Township Southern Toms River East Toms River North B Central Division Brick Memorial Jackson Liberty Lakewood New Egypt Point Pleasant Beach Point Pleasant Boro B Coastal Division Henry Hudson Keansburg Keyport Matawan Middletown North Raritan B North Division Asbury Park Freehold Borough Freehold Township Long Branch Manalapan Monmouth B South Division Barnegat Brick Township Lacey Pinelands Toms River South Skyland Conference Delaware Division Franklin Gill St. Bernard’s Hillsborough Hunterdon Central Phillipsburg Rutgers Prep Mountain Division Belvidere Bernards Bound Brook Manville South Hunterdon Raritan Division Mount St. Mary Pingry Ridge Voorhees Warren Hills Watchung Hills Valley Division Bridgewater-Raritan Delaware Valley Immaculata Montgomery North Hunterdon Somerville Tri-County Conference Classic Division Clayton Gloucester Catholic Pitman Salem Salem Tech Wildwood Diamond Division Glassboro Overbrook Penns Grove Schalick Woodstown Liberty Division Cumberland Delsea Deptford Highland Timber Creek Triton Royal Division Clearview Gloucester Tech Kingsway Washington Township Williamstown Union County Conference Mountain Division Dayton Gov. Livingston Johnson Oak Knoll Roselle Summit Union Catholic Valley Division Brearley Hillside Kent Place Linden Rahway Roselle Park Union Watchung Division Cranford Elizabeth New Providence Plainfield Roselle Catholic Scotch Plains-Fanwood Westfield RECOMMENDED • nj .com Final Group 2 boys soccer season stat leaders for 2024 Dec. 3, 2024, 1:19 p.m. Final Group 3 boys soccer season stat leaders for 2024 Dec. 3, 2024, 1:20 p.m. Lauren Knego may be reached at lknego@njadvancemedia.com . Follow her at @laurenknego The N.J. High School Sports newsletter now appears in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter )
Big Ten slate features Indiana-Ohio State showdown and Penn State-Minnesota matchup Things to watch this week in the Big Ten Conference: Game of the week No. 5 Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten, No. 5 CFP ) at No. 2 Ohio State (9-1, 6-1, No. 2 CFP), Saturday, noon ET (Fox) This marks the 98th matchup between these two teams, but it's only the fourth time both teams have been ranked. Although Indiana is unbeaten, its soft schedule means the Hoosiers aren't assured of making the 12-team field if they lose this game. The only team with a winning record that Indiana has beaten is Washington (6-5). Ohio State needs a win to have a realistic shot at a rematch with top-ranked Oregon in the Big Ten championship game. Ohio State has beaten Indiana 28 straight times since the Hoosiers posted back-to-back victories in 1987-88. The undercard No. 4 Penn State (9-1, 6-1, No. 4 CFP) at Minnesota (6-4, 4-3), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (CBS) This is likely Penn State's biggest obstacle on its way to a potential playoff berth. The Nittany Lions' lone remaining regular-season game is a Nov. 30 home matchup with Maryland (4-6, 1-6). Minnesota has had an extra week to prepare this game since its 26-19 loss at Rutgers on Nov. 9, which snapped a four-game winning streak. Penn State and Minnesota have split their last four meetings, with the home team winning each time. Impact players Penn State DE Abdul Carter has multiple tackles for loss in each of his last three games. He ranks second among all Bowl Subdivision players in tackles for loss (17 1⁄2). Southern California RB Woody Marks rushed for a career-high 146 yards in a 28-20 win over Nebraska. Marks has six 100-yard rushing performances this season. Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai is the first Scarlet Knight to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons since Ray Rice did it three straight years from 2005-07. Monangai has run for 1,028 yards this season and rushed for 1,262 yards last year. Oregon OLB Matayo Uiagalelei recorded a sack and had a game-clinching interception as the top-ranked Ducks won 16-13 at Wisconsin last week. He has 8 1⁄2 sacks this season to rank second in the Big Ten. Inside the numbers Four of the top seven Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks in passer rating are from the Big Ten. Indiana's Kurtis Rourke is second, Ohio State's Will Howard is third, Penn State's Drew Allar is fifth and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel is seventh. ... Illinois QB Luke Altmyer has thrown 18 touchdown passes with only three interceptions. The only Power Four quarterback with a better touchdown/interception ratio while throwing at least 10 touchdown passes is Clemson's Cade Klubnik, who has 26 touchdowns and four interceptions. ... Rutgers' three Big Ten wins matches its largest total since joining the league in 2014. Rutgers also had three conference wins in 2014, 2017, 2020 and 2023. A victory Saturday over No. 24 Illinois would give Rutgers three straight Big Ten wins for the first time. ... Washington's 31-19 win over UCLA was its 20th straight home victory, representing its second-longest such streak in school history. The Huskies won 45 straight home games from 1908-17. ... Wisconsin heads to Nebraska this week having won its last 10 matchups with the Cornhuskers. Now don't get upset Penn State justifiably is favored on the road against Minnesota, but Bet MGM's 12 1⁄2-point spread seems way too big. Expect this game to have a single-digit margin.Stock market today: Wall Street hits more records following a just-right jobs reportMutual of America Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc. ( NASDAQ:MTSI – Free Report ) by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,210 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 168 shares during the quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in MACOM Technology Solutions were worth $3,472,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in MACOM Technology Solutions in the second quarter valued at $39,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in MACOM Technology Solutions by 153.0% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 468 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in MACOM Technology Solutions during the third quarter worth approximately $66,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of MACOM Technology Solutions in the second quarter valued at approximately $78,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of MACOM Technology Solutions by 303.5% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 920 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 692 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.14% of the company’s stock. MACOM Technology Solutions Trading Up 2.4 % Shares of MTSI opened at $134.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 6.55 and a current ratio of 8.35. MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.25 and a 52-week high of $140.27. The firm has a market cap of $9.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 130.58, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.69. The business’s fifty day moving average is $115.67 and its 200-day moving average is $108.27. Insider Activity at MACOM Technology Solutions Analyst Ratings Changes MTSI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Benchmark increased their price target on MACOM Technology Solutions from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of MACOM Technology Solutions from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays increased their price target on shares of MACOM Technology Solutions from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on MACOM Technology Solutions from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Northland Securities lifted their price target on MACOM Technology Solutions from $85.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.91. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on MTSI MACOM Technology Solutions Company Profile ( Free Report ) MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs and manufactures analog semiconductor solutions for use in wireless and wireline applications across the radio frequency (RF), microwave, millimeter wave, and lightwave spectrum in the United States, China, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and internationally. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for MACOM Technology Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MACOM Technology Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Three-Year Term Extension Combined with Simplification and Reduction of Interest Rates Helps Further Strengthen Company’s Balance Sheet and Overall Financial Position Builds Upon Other Recent Strategic Financial Activities, including $24.3 Million PIPE Financing Company Continues to Build Strong Foundation for Execution of Growth Strategy; Highlighted by Strengthened Leadership, Improved Financial Position, Enhanced Capabilities, and Expanded Capacity CHASKA, Minn., Nov. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lifecore Biomedical, Inc. (NASDAQ: LFCR ) (“Lifecore”), a fully integrated contract development and manufacturing organization (“CDMO”), today announced that it has entered in an agreement with BMO, a leading provider of global investment and corporate banking services and one of North America’s largest banks, which amends and extends the terms of Lifecore’s existing asset-based lending (“ABL”) revolving credit facility entered into between Lifecore and BMO in December 2020. The amendment extends the term of the facility by three years to November 2027, as well as simplifying and reducing the interest rates, and providing flexibility for Lifecore as it relates to certain covenants and reporting requirements. “BMO is a highly regarded global provider of corporate banking services and has been a trusted partner to Lifecore for more than 10 years. The willingness of the BMO team to extend and amend our existing revolving credit facility with advantageous terms demonstrates the bank’s confidence in our current business, as well as our ability to execute on our go-forward growth strategy,” said Ryan Lake, chief financial officer of Lifecore. “This ABL amendment is the latest positive strategic financial action executed by Lifecore, following our recent successful raising of $24.3 million in a private placement of Lifecore common stock. Together, these activities have significantly improved our balance sheet and overall financial position, providing a strong foundation for future growth.” In recent months, Lifecore has also successfully executed a variety of operational and new business initiatives designed to reshape the company and best position it for continued growth in the rapidly expanding CDMO market. These have included key management team appointments, including CEO and CFO, expansion of manufacturing capabilities and capacity through the installation and qualification of its high-speed, multi-purpose 5-head isolator filler, and the signing of several new customers, highlighted by its high-profile agreement with Lindy Biosciences. About Lifecore Biomedical Lifecore Biomedical, Inc. (Nasdaq: LFCR ) is a fully integrated contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) that offers highly differentiated capabilities in the development, fill and finish of sterile injectable pharmaceutical products in syringes, vials, and cartridges, including complex formulations. As a leading manufacturer of premium, injectable-grade hyaluronic acid, Lifecore brings more than 40 years of expertise as a partner for global and emerging biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies across multiple therapeutic categories to bring their innovations to market. For more information about the company, visit Lifecore’s website at www.lifecore.com . Important Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and our future results that are subject to the safe harbor created under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other safe harbors under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Words such as “anticipate”, “estimate”, “expect”, “project”, “plan”, “intend”, “believe”, “may”, “might”, “will”, “should”, “can have”, “likely” and similar expressions are used to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, all statements regarding our anticipated future operating and financial expectations, customer opportunities and relationships are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including such factors among others, as the company’s ability to successfully enact its business strategies, including with respect to installation, capacity generation and its ability to attract demand for its services, and its ability expand its relationship with its existing customers or attract new customers; the impact of inflation on Lifecore’s business and financial condition; changes in business conditions and general economic conditions both domestically and globally, including rising interest rates and fluctuation in foreign currency exchange rates; Lifecore’s ability to access sufficient capital to fund its business strategies; and other risk factors set forth from time to time in Lifecore’s SEC filings, including, but not limited to, the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended May 26, 2024 (the “2024 10-K”). For additional information about factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, please refer to our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risk factors contained in the 2024 10-K. Forward-looking statements represent management’s current expectations as of the date hereof and are inherently uncertain. Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements made by us to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.TikTok influencer arrested after posting videos with allegedly shoplifted Target haulWGO INVESTOR NEWS: Winnebago Industries, Inc. Investors that Suffered Losses Are Encouraged to Contact Rosen Law About Ongoing Investigation into the Company (NYSE: WGO)
aja’a is a displaced 63-year-old widow from south Lebanon who has been praying for a ceasefire deal to end the between Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah and Israel. To date, the conflict has killed thousands and . As the winter months set in on the Lebanese mountains Raja’a, whose name means hope, grew more desperate. Her phone calls have become more frequent. “Firas my dear, do you think peace is near? I’m cold.” The U.S.-brokered truce that Lebanon signed on to and Israel’s war cabinet , is a far cry from any kind of “divine victory” Hezbollah proclaimed after its last major war with Israel in 2006. indicates the group will be required to withdraw its heavy weaponry from south Lebanon, a key Israeli demand. The deal also creates an American-led monitoring and enforcement mechanism to verify that withdrawal, and to prevent Iran from replenishing the group’s historically formidable arsenal. But will U.S. supervision and guarantees bring lasting stability to this ? Or will it prove to be just another intermission between wars as Hezbollah regroups now that its ? Israel is skeptical. The arrangement that ended the , U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, was largely left unenforced. In its wake, Hezbollah grew exponentially stronger as Iran furnished it with ballistic missiles and precision-guided munitions while U.N. peacekeepers and the Lebanese Armed Forces looked the other way. To address these concerns, the U.S. has reportedly provided Israel a that consents to continued aerial reconnaissance over Lebanon, and Tel Aviv’s right to strike at emerging threats if the monitoring and enforcement mechanism fail. Senior Israeli officials have privately told their American counterparts, “We will do less if the mechanism does more, but we will have to do more if it ultimately does less.” But Washington’s assurances and the U.S.-led monitoring mechanism can only do so much without a willing and capable partner in Beirut, a Lebanese government that is ready to work with the international community to expand the state’s sovereignty, enforce border controls, and curb what remains of Hezbollah’s military might. The Lebanese army is the most respected institution in an otherwise diverse and sectarian country. But it cannot be the required partner without political directives from a sovereign-minded President. Even if the in Lebanon comes to an end, the country cannot possibly work with international donors to undertake the mammoth task of reconstruction without a reformist government—one that no longer consents to Hezbollah’s brandishing of under the rubric of resistance to Israel. Amos Hochstein, the charismatic U.S. envoy leading the ceasefire talks, has largely shied away from Lebanon’s archaic internal affairs and the question of the day after. Much more is required, not only to reboot the stalled political process in Beirut, but also to prevent Lebanon from backsliding into civil strife, as it did following the last major Hezbollah-Israel war. In 2008, the militant group against a Lebanese government that tried to limit its power. Lebanon is a country that will need active management to achieve any sustained progress. Before Washington is fully consumed by the in January, Hochstein would do well to enlist the help of France and Saudi Arabia, U.S. partners who have traditionally wielded significant influence in Lebanon and who have a long track record of mediating between the bickering Lebanese parties. France has been grudgingly watching from the sidelines as Hochstein asserted American leadership at the expense of French diplomacy over its former protectorate. But in the days ahead, as the guns finally fall silent, Hochstein should support Paris and encourage it to resume talks with the disparate Lebanese factions to end years of political gridlock that have crippled state institutions and left the . The Saudis, who hosted and facilitated the talks that ended the 15-year Lebanese civil war in 1990, have also been hands-off, foregoing a role in Lebanon to focus on their country’s . But they too now have an interest in stepping up, realizing that progress on their vision of regional integration and will depend on durable ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza. Both the Saudis and the French maintain a pragmatic, if still largely adversarial, relationship with Iran. This will matter for the politics surrounding a diminished, but still significant . When French President Emanuel Macron visits Saudi Arabia on a , he should propose co-hosting a post-war national dialogue of Lebanese leaders under American, French, and Saudi patronage to reboot Beirut’s stalled politics, and to set clear conditions for the billions of U.S. dollars needed for reconstruction. And as Trump returns to office next year, appointing a capable successor to Hochstein to work with all the parties should be a foreign policy priority. The Italian political philosopher Antonio Gramsci famously warned that a great variety of morbid symptoms appear in the interregnum that occurs when the old is dying and the new cannot yet be born. We must beware of what might follow a much-anticipated Israel-Lebanon ceasefire if Beirut is left unattended. If the millions like Raja’a, a second mother to me, return to shattered villages with no prospect of rebuilding and little hope of a dignified existence, Hochstein’s ceasefire won’t last long.
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Attorneys for Fox Corp. asked a Delaware judge Friday to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit seeking to hold current and former company officials personally liable for the financial fallout stemming from Fox News reports regarding alleged vote rigging in the 2020 election. Five New York City public employee pension funds, along with Oregon’s public employee retirement fund, allege that former chairman Rupert Murdoch and other Fox Corp. leaders deliberately turned a blind eye to liability risks posed by reporting false claims of vote rigging by election technology companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic USA. Smartmatic is for defamation in New York, alleging damages of $2.7 billion. It recently in the District of Columbia against One America News Network, another conservative outlet, over reports of vote fraud. Dominion also filed several defamation lawsuits against blaming its election equipment for Donald Trump’s loss in 2020. Last year, a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion in Delaware for $787 million. The shareholder plaintiffs also allege that Fox corporate leaders ignored “red flags” about liability arising from a 2017 report suggesting that Seth Rich, a Democratic National Committee staffer, may have been killed because he had leaked Democratic party emails to Wikileaks during the 2016 presidential campaign. Rich, 27, was shot in 2016 in Washington, D.C., in what authorities have said was an attempted robbery. Fox News retracted the Seth Rich story a week after its initial broadcast, but Rich’s parents sued the network for falsely portraying their son as a criminal and traitor. Fox News in 2020 for “millions of dollars,” shortly before program hosts Lou Dobbs and Sean Hannity were to be deposed, according to the shareholder lawsuit. Joel Friedlander, an attorney for the institutional shareholders, argued that Fox officials waited until the company’s reporting about Rich became a national scandal before addressing the issue. Similarly, according to the shareholders, corporate officials, including Rupert Murdoch and his son, CEO Lachlan Murdoch, allowed Fox News to continue broadcasting false narratives about the 2020 election, despite internal communications suggesting that they knew there was no evidence to support the conspiracy theories. “The Murdochs could have minimized future monetary exposure, but they chose not to,” Friedlander said. Instead, he argued, they engaged in “bad-faith decision making” with other defendants in a profit-driven effort to retain viewers and remain in Trump’s good graces. “Decisions were made at the highest level to promote pro-Trump conspiracy theories without editorial control,” Friedlander said. Defense attorneys argue that the case should be dismissed because the plaintiffs filed their lawsuit without first demanding that the Fox Corp. board take action, as required under Delaware law. They say the plaintiffs also failed to demonstrate that a pre-suit demand on the Fox board would have been futile because at least half of the directors face a substantial likelihood of liability or are not independent of someone who does. Beyond the “demand futility” issue, defense attorneys also argue that allegations that Fox officials breached their fiduciary duties fail to meet the pleading standards under Delaware and therefore should be dismissed. Defense attorney William Savitt argued, for example, that neither the Rich settlement, which he described as “immaterial,” nor the allegedly defamatory statements about Dominion and Smartmatic constitute red flags putting directors on notice about the risk of defamation liability. Nor do they demonstrate that directors acted in bad faith or that Fox “utterly failed” to implement and monitor a system to report and mitigate legal risks, including defamation liability risk, according to the defendants. Savitt noted that the Rich article was promptly retracted, and that the settlement included no admission of liability. The Dominion and Smartmatic statements, meanwhile, gave rise themselves to the currently liability issues and therefore can not serve as red flags about future liability risks, according to the defendants. “A ‘red flag’ must be what the term commonly implies — warning of a risk of a liability-causing event that allows the directors to take action to avert the event, not notice that a liability-causing event has already occurred,” defense attorneys wrote in their motion to dismiss. Defense attorneys also say there are no factual allegations to support claims that Fox officials condoned illegal conduct in pursuit of corporate profits, or that they deliberately ignored their oversight responsibilities. They note that a “bad outcome” is not sufficient to demonstrate “bad faith.” Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster is expected to rule within 90 days.Andrej Jakimovski hit a layup with 8 seconds left, and Colorado upset No. 2 UConn 73-72 in the consolation bracket of the Maui Invitational on Tuesday in Lahaina, Hawaii. Colorado (5-1) rallied from down 11 in the first half to get the win over the two-time defending national champions Huskies. Jakimovski finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Julian Hammond III and Elijah Malone each scored 16 for the Buffaloes, who advanced to the fifth-place game in Maui on Wednesday. Down 72-71, Jakimovski drove the right side of the lane and made a scoop shot as he was falling down. UConn called timeout to set up the final play but Hassan Diarra missed a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left. Liam McNeeley led UConn with 20 points, Solo Ball scored 16 and Diarra finished with 11. The Huskies (4-2) lost two straight for the first time since dropping three in a row from Jan. 11-18, 2023. Colorado trailed by eight at halftime and Diarra hit two 3-pointers early in the second half that made it 46-37. The Buffaloes scored the next 11 points to take a 48-46 lead, their first of the game. Hammond bookended that run with a pair of triples. UConn went back in front 55-52 on Tarris Reed Jr.'s driving layup but Malone's bucket with 8:34 left tied it at 59. McNeeley's hook shot gave the Huskies a 63-60 lead before Jakimovski drained a 3-pointer to tie it again with 5:16 left. Ball hit a 3-pointer and a layup to give UConn a five-point lead but Colorado got within 70-69 on two free throws by Malone with 2:04 left. A putback from Jaylin Stewart made it a three-point game with 1:29 remaining. Malone answered with a layup, Javon Ruffin blocked Diarra's shot and Colorado got an offensive rebound with 24 seconds left to set up the winning basket. McNeeley made his first four shots from deep and had 16 points by intermission to lead the Huskies. Colorado had opportunities to make it a close game by halftime but went just 12-for-19 from the foul line and trailed 40-32. UConn attempted only four free throws in the first half and had five players with two or more fouls, including Reed, who had three. --Field Level MediaNone
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November 26 - Guests of the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, the visiting Giants were still taking inventory of available players 48 hours before the scheduled kickoff in Arlington, Texas. Quarterback Tommy DeVito was limited with a forearm injury and Drew Lock, passed over last week for the No. 1 job taken from Daniel Jones, could suddenly find himself in the huddle operating the Giants' offense. "My whole body is kind of sore. First time playing in awhile, took a couple of shots," DeVito said Tuesday, two days after he was sacked four times by the Buccaneers in a 30-7 loss. "I'm planning to play. See how I feel (Wednesday). Hopefully I feel a little bit better after some more treatment." DeVito jumped Lock from No. 3 on the depth chart and started Sunday. He completed 21 of 31 passes for 189 yards and is expected to be the starter if healthy. But DeVito, who made his seventh career start last week, is "not 100 percent" to play, head coach Brian Daboll clarified on Tuesday when Lock received the reps with the first-team offense. "His forearm is sore. We'll see where we're at," Daboll said. "He threw in the walkthrough (and) he's going to test it out here in practice. So I'm hopeful. But it's not 100 percent." A fifth-year pro drafted by the Broncos and traded to the Seattle Seahawks in the Russell Wilson deal, Lock has 23 career starts and signed a one-year, $5 million deal in free agency to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Jones. --Field Level Media Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab
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