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AIADMK seeks to expand alliance in TN, eyes VCK and PMKU.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s crypto policy is taking shape with the announcement of a White House crypto czar and a new securities watchdog, but questions remain over who will drive policy and whether too many cooks could slow down changes. Trump on Thursday appeared to make good on his campaign pledge to be a “crypto president,” announcing he would make former top PayPal PYPL.O executive and crypto evangelist David Sacks “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar.” A day earlier, Trump said he would nominate pro-crypto Washington attorney Paul Atkins to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. While crypto executives cheered the news, saying the pair would end the Biden administration’s crypto crackdown and promote innovation, some Washington analysts said the creation of a crypto czar, a new role, sowed ambiguity over who would drive crypto policy and flagged the potential for policy clashes. “One big question is whether the policy will be driven by Sacks himself. A czar appointed by Trump is going to want to see changes fairly quickly, but the SEC has processes and you can’t just snap your fingers at the SEC and have new rules,” Ian Katz, managing director of Capital Alpha Partners, said in an email to Reuters. “Personalities will be important,” he added. A Silicon Valley venture capitalist and friend of Trump billionaire backer Elon Musk, Sacks was an early bitcoin investor. In a 2017 CNBC interview, he said cryptocurrencies were revolutionizing the internet, but he acknowledged there were also scammers in the sector. He does not appear to have any experience writing or leading policy, according to a Reuters review of his background. Atkins, meanwhile, is a former SEC official and respected veteran of Washington policy circles who has said he supports crypto innovation as way to boost financial services competition, and has helped crypto companies in their dealings with regulators via his consultancy Patomak Global Partners. “Atkins is kind of a known quantity,” said Lene Powell, senior legal analyst at financial consultancy Wolters Kluwer. Sacks is from “a different sphere.” Both have called for regulators to be more accommodating of crypto companies, but neither appear to have taken a position on whether and under what circumstances crypto tokens should be considered securities, commodities or utilities – a core issue that will ultimately decide how the industry is regulated. “I think we’ll see more constructive regulation. Obviously, that includes some clarification around what is (a) security or not,” said Chen Arad, co-founder of Solidus Labs, a crypto compliance company. Atkins and Sacks did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, surged past the $100,000 milestone for the first time after Trump announced Atkins as his pick to lead the SEC, buoyed by hopes that the new administration would usher in softer crypto policies. Under President Joe Biden, the SEC has sued dozens of crypto companies, alleging they broke securities laws, while bank regulators discouraged lenders from dabbling in crypto and Congress failed to pass legislation that would help promote mainstream crypto adoption. The crypto industry is pushing for an ambitious raft of policies that would promote adoption of digital assets, including the creation of a crypto regulatory framework which would address when tokens can be classified as securities or commodities. Trump said in a Thursday post on his Truth Social platform that Sacks would “guide” crypto policy and “work on a legal framework so the Crypto industry has ... clarity,” leaving it unclear whether Sacks would lead the incoming administration’s crypto policy. It was also unclear whether Sacks will lead Trump’s crypto advisory council, which is also expected to play a key role in shaping crypto policy. Reuters previously reported the crypto czar was expected to lead that body and coordinate policy among the various regulatory agencies. That coordination will be crucial, since a crypto legal framework would need extensive input from the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, whose new chair has yet to be announced, and may also require congressional approval, said lawyers. Regulations on less contentious non-crypto issues such as proprietary bank trading and capital have been snarled up for years by inter-agency squabbles, they noted. “It definitely would be a lot of cooks,” Powell said. In an email on Friday, a Trump transition spokesperson reiterated the President-elect’s Thursday announcement in which he said Sacks would guide crypto policy, and did not answer Reuters questions seeking more details on how the role would work. Some consumer protection advocates have expressed concern that the Trump administration’s crypto agenda might create gaps that would leave investors at risk, a fear the industry has largely dismissed. “I don’t think there will be under-regulation,” said Anthony Scaramucci, the founder of asset manager SkyBridge, who briefly served in Trump’s first administration. “I don’t think it will create fraud, but I think it will help the United States maintain what it should be, which is our mantle of financial services leadership.” Source: Reuters (Reporting by Hannah Lang and Michelle Price; Additional reporting by Pritam Biswas, Lawrence Delevingne, Douglas Gillison, Chris Prentice, Carolina Mandl, Arsheeya Singh Bajwa and Jaiveer Shekhawat; editing by Jonathan Oatis)SAN DIEGO (AP) — Mark Few liked what he saw unfold at San Diego State's Viejas Arena when his No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs made their first foray outside of Spokane, Washington, this season. A double-digit victory in a packed, loud arena. Toughness from a deep, experienced lineup that once again is driven to win an elusive national championship. And, peeking a few seasons ahead, he saw an SDSU team that he views more as a future Pac-12 partner than rival. Behind big man Graham Ike and guard Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga displayed its size, speed and strength in beating Brian Dutcher's young, hobbled squad 80-67 on Monday night. The Bulldogs returned the favor after SDSU won 84-74 last December at The Kennel in Spokane, which ended their 59-game nonconference winning streak. Both teams reached the Sweet Sixteen last season. Gonzaga is the only team in the nation to reach the Sweet Sixteen the last nine seasons as the Bulldogs extended their streak of NCAA Tournament appearances to 25 straight. Back in Spokane on Wednesday night, the Zags improved to 5-0 by routing Long Beach State 84-41, no doubt firing up expectations in the Lilac City and beyond. In a college sports climate dominated by NIL and the transfer portal, the Zags are stacked. Of the 12 possible players who could return from last year, 10 did, including all four starters. They returned 81% of last season's scoring and 71% of their rebounding. Six of its top seven scorers are back, along with 81.4% of minutes played. “We're tougher,” Few said. “We're physically tougher, we're mentally tougher, at least so far in the season. A lot of the same guys from last year. That's what happens when you stick around a couple of years. “You've got to have both to be able to go on the road in a place like this and dig out wins," Few added. "That's one thing San Diego State is going to bring. They're going to bring physicality, they're going to bring great athleticism, they're going to challenge you in every facet of the game.” Hoops powerhouse Gonzaga announced on Oct. 1 that it will move from the West Coast Conference, where it has dominated for most of the last quarter-century, into a Pac-12 conference being rebuilt around football. Beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, Gonzaga will become the eighth member along with holdovers Washington State and Oregon State, and fellow newcomers Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Utah State and Colorado State from the Mountain West. Story continues below video While not as dominant as the Zags, the Aztecs have been one of the West Coast's best programs for several years, first under Steve Fisher and then Dutcher, his longtime assistant who is in his eighth season as head coach. “They're just going to be such a great partner, because they value basketball and they support basketball,” said Few, who's in his 26th season as head coach. “They understand, when you have a national program like we both have, it pays unbelievable dividends to the university, to the community, to the city and the state, like the Northwest and down here. They get that. We're looking for other like-minded places to partner with us.” Few said he would often chat with Fisher about the possibility of the Zags and Aztecs playing in the same conference. Fisher watches Aztecs games with his wife, Angie, from the second row above Steve Fisher Court. “We talked about it forever,” Few said. “I'm happy for Dutch. He's doing a great job." San Diego State reached its first Final Four in 2023, when Lamont Butler's thrilling buzzer-beater against Florida Atlantic lifted the Aztecs into the national championship game, where they lost 76-59 to UConn. SDSU was routed again by UConn, 82-52, in last season's Sweet Sixteen, while Gonzaga lost to Purdue. Gonzaga opened this season with a 101-63 win against then-No. 8 Baylor at the Spokane Arena. It was Gonzaga’s biggest victory margin over a top-10 opponent, over a team it lost to in the 2021 national title game in Indianapolis. Nembhard, who had 19 points and 10 assists against the Aztecs, said the Zags “did a really good job, actually,” of handling the pressure of playing at Viejas Arena. "Every time they went on a little run and the crowd got loud, we did a good job staying composed and trusting our offensive sets.” Nembhard will be gone when the Bulldogs and Aztecs are in the Pac-12 together, but thinks "the rivalry will be great. This is a great program. I played them a couple of times at Creighton, and they always gave us a tough game. They have a great fan base, a great coach over there, and they play really hard. I think it’ll be a great rivalry to come.” ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Smart kitchen gadget gifts to wow homeowners this holiday season

Greg Newsome: George Pickens only cares about himselfYou know what makes a gadget great? I do. I review hundreds — if not thousands — of devices every year. The best of the bunch typically solves a common problem. It’s easy to set up and use without a whole lot of fuss or special tech know-how. Most of us love a great deal, but even better, we want to know that no matter how much we spent on a device, we got our money’s worth. Great tech tools are like our trusty companions. They’re dependable, do what they say they will, and keep up with our busy lives. And sometimes, they just make us feel good. Here are several gadgets I just showed off on " The Today Show ," along with a few others ending up under my own tree this year. Gadget gifts under $100 You know all those photos you snap with your smartphone, then never really look at again? We can all agree that paper photos are more fun, and Fujifilm’s Instax Mini Link 3 brings all your favorite digital photos to life — with a twist. For $100, you don’t just get a super-compact, super-portable Bluetooth photo printer . Paired with the instax link app, you get a ton of cool creative tools, too, like collages, stickers and captions. Holiday deals: Shop this season’s top products and sales curated by our editors. Have you noticed how noisy the world seems right now? Whether it’s someone listening to music on the subway without headphones or even just talking loudly on their phone next to you walking down the street — it feels like the whole world turned up the volume button. When I need to drown out the world — super important when working from a plane, coffee shop, or hotel lobby — Loop’s Switch 2 adjustable earplugs are the perfect mute button. They’re discreet, volume-adjustable with a variety of tips that promise a secure fit, and ideal for quick naps, deep sleep or just some time alone with your thoughts. There are four available colors at a price point of $60. We all know that particular young person who loves to tinker, build and create with electronics. Rather than grab them another video game this year, have them build their own. The Create Your Own Video Game Set by Uncommon Goods helps kids as young as eight create their own retro arcade games. The $85 DIY set syncs with web-based software that simplifies popular coding languages like Python and Java, so they can make their own custom space shooter or 2D platformer games. Handheld gaming is a blast, but if you’d rather give the gift of soothed joints, the LifePro Legra ($53) hand massager is another reasonably-priced find to give your texting thumbs a break after a long day. It uses pressure, vibration and heat to to soothe tired and sore hands, fingers and wrists. The company says it’s great for relieving arthritis or carpal tunnel aches and improves blood flow in the hands, so it could be just what the doctor ordered after a marathon gift-wrapping or greeting-card session. A dry-erase board might not be the first thing you think of when giving a techy gift, but this $17 simple light-up board is a family favorite for leaving daily love notes or quick to-do’s. It comes with a white dry-erase marker and a see-through screen with 16 different color LED lights. I use this for family calendars, shopping lists, daily reminders, even leaving notes to my family. The $100 HMD Barbie Phone by Tracfone is one of the gadgets on this list that just makes me smile. Yes, it's a real phone. It delivers full voice and text capability, a camera that can shoot photos and video and 4G hotspot support. There are also a few basic apps like WhatsApp for chatting with friends, but the company is on a mission to reduce screen time, so it’s designed to for minimum obsession and maximum pink pride. Another gadget that puts a smile on my face right now... Nintendo’s Alarmo bedside clock is nothing short of perfect. For $100 (exclusive to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers right now) they’ll wake up to voice-acted scenes and tunes from the Mario, Zelda, Pikmin and Splatoon franchises. Vintage electronics: Retro tech is hot for kids and their parents Gadget gifts that surprised me Harbor’s new do-it-all baby monitor solves some pretty common problems for parents. It works with or without WiFi, keeps personal data secure and is end-to-end encrypted to keep bad guys out. It’s equipped with Apple Watch functionality for custom alerts — waking up just one parent so the other can rest, for example — and there’s even the option to have a living, breathing remote “Night Nanny” keep an eye on the child all night long. It’s not cheap at $336 for the first year , which includes hardware and service ($20/night for nanny service is optional), but if you happen to have one of the eligible older baby monitors to trade-in right now, you can get it for $200 off. Kids a few years older don’t need a baby monitor, but they do still need a way to get in touch with their parents. As tempting as it is to stick a smartphone in their back pocket, you might be better off slapping a new kids’ Bark Watch on their wrist. With no apps or access to the internet, they’ll spend more time gazing at the world around them, but can still snap selfies, chat with friends and phone home at the press of a button. I like it as a set of techy “training wheels” to get kids comfortable with safe gadget use, and at $170 (plus $15/month for service) it’s on par with a budget smartphone. I’m obsessed with ROLI’s Piano M right now. I’ve always wanted to learn to play the piano, but traditional lessons are just so... boring. And expensive. For $200 right now during a holiday promotion, this colorful collection of keys syncs up with an app on your smartphone or tablet and teaches you how to play by lighting up the keys. It walks you through songs and feels more like a game than a music lesson. You can still stray off course and do your own thing, of course, but the family might not be quite as impressed. This article contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning consumer tech columnist and on-air contributor for "The Today Show.” The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY. Contact her at JJ@Techish.com .

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Chipotle is raising its U.S. prices to offset inflation and to compensate for a promise to increase portion sizes. Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs officer, Laurie Schalow, confirmed Friday that the Mexican restaurant chain was implementing a 2% price increase nationally. Schalow said it’s the first time the California-based company has raised its prices in more than a year. Chipotle revealed the price increase after an analyst report released earlier this week by investment bank Truist Securities noted a 2% price increase at approximately 20% of the chain’s 3,500 U.S. stores. Truist, which raised its price target for Chipotle’s shares, also reported that customer traffic at the chain’s restaurants accelerated in November. Chipotle said in October that its food, beverage and packaging costs all increased in the third quarter. It cited avocados as an example. Avocado shipments from Mexico to the U.S. were briefly suspended in June after two U.S. Department of Agriculture employees were assaulted and temporarily held by assailants in the Mexican state of Michoacan. Chipotle also cited the cost of ensuring it was providing “consistent and generous portions” to its customers. Former Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol said in July that Chipotle was retraining workers at approximately 10% of Chipotle’s stores after customers complained on social media that they were getting smaller portions. Niccol left Chipotle in September to become the chairman and CEO of Starbucks, which has said it won’t raise prices through September 2025. Restaurant price inflation has aggravated U.S. consumers. The price of food eaten away from home rose 30% between October 2019 and October 2024, according to government figures. The price of food eaten at home rose 27% in that same period. Earlier this year, McDonald’s said it was seeing more customers eat at home instead of getting fast food because of price increases. The company responded with a $5 meal deal and other discounts.