646 jili Why these 2 ASX 300 shares were my latest investmentsFacebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save For the second straight Major League Baseball offseason, a norm-shattering contract has been the talk of the winter, with Juan Soto agreeing with the New York Mets on a $765 million, 15-year deal that's the richest in baseball history. It comes almost exactly one year after the Los Angeles Dodgers forked out a princely sum of $700 million on a 10-year, heavily deferred deal for two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. They are believed to be the two richest contracts in pro sports history. The way it's going, a contract approaching $1 billion doesn't seem out of the question. But several factors are working against it — at least in the near future. There's reason to believe the megadeals for Ohtani and Soto are unicorns in the baseball world. Both players are uniquely talented, surely, but both also had unusual circumstances propelling their value into the stratosphere. Body matching description of missing 84-year-old found in Galloway Township Questions about Gillian’s Wonderland finances draw angry response from Mita Absecon police detain suspect in dollar store robbery 1 injured in Egg Harbor Township crash These South Jersey bars and restaurants have transformed into holiday wonderlands Could American Airlines bus program lead to more flights at Atlantic City airport? District overspending main focus for new Atlantic City school board member Ron Bailey Atlantic County suing NJ Juvenile Justice Commission over placement of youth offenders Atlantic City now has more weed shops than casinos with dozens more on the way Large drones spotted in Philadelphia area as FBI investigates mysterious drone sightings in NJ Egg Harbor City church celebrates its inspiration with 1,700-year-old artifact Who are The Press 2024 Boys Soccer All-Stars? Northfield intersection to become four-way stop Former Galloway gymnastics co-owner accused of sex with minor to remain in jail High-scoring St. Augustine senior is The Press Boys Soccer Player of the Year Ohtani is the greatest two-way player in baseball history, capable of improving any team on both sides of the ball. He's also the rare baseball player who has true international appeal. His every move ( like his unexpected marriage announcement ) is followed closely in his native Japan, adding another 125 million potential fans who buy merchandise, watch him play and help fill the Dodgers' coffers. Then there's Soto — a four-time All-Star and on-base machine who won a World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. The X-factor for him is he became a free agent at the prime age of 26, which is extremely hard to do under current MLB rules. New York Yankees' Juan Soto, right, with the help of his agent Scott Boras, left, agreed to a $765 million, 15-year deal with the New York Mets on Sunday. Players have to be in the big leagues for six years before testing free agency. The precocious Soto debuted at 19 with the Nats, making him part of a rare group of players who reached the highest level of professional baseball as a teenager. That accelerated his free agency timeline. It's rare for players to debut that young, and rarer still for them to develop into stars and test the open market the first chance they get. Two recent examples are Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, who both reached free agency in 2019. Machado signed a free-agent record $300 million contract with San Diego, and Harper overtook him days later with a $330 million contract to join the Phillies. Most players debut in the big leagues from ages 22 to 26, which means free agency comes in their late 20s or early 30s. A typical example is Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is one of this generation's great players but didn't hit the market until he was 30. Judge played three seasons of college baseball for Fresno State before getting drafted by the Yankees in 2013 at age 21 — already two years older than Soto was when he made his MLB debut. It took a few years for the budding superstar to reach the majors, and he was 25 when he had his breakout season in 2018, smashing 52 homers to earn AL Rookie of the Year honors. By the time he reached free agency after the 2022 season, he had already passed age 30. It's a major factor that led to him signing a $360 million, nine-year deal with the Yankees, which seems downright reasonable these days after the Ohtani and Soto deals. Two major trends are colliding that will make it harder for guys like Soto to hit free agency in their mid 20s. First, MLB teams have been more likely in recent years to take college players early in the draft, betting on more experienced talents. Just 10 high school players were drafted among the top 30 picks in the 2024 draft. Second, teams are more eager to lock up young, premium talent on long-term deals very early in their careers, well before they hit free agency. Sometimes before they even reach the majors. Juan Soto's deal comes almost exactly one year after the Los Angeles Dodgers forked out a princely sum of $700 million on a 10-year, heavily deferred deal for two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. Since Soto, just two players have debuted in MLB before their 20th birthday — Elvis Luciano and Junior Caminero. Luciano hasn't been back to the majors since his 2019 cup of coffee. Caminero is now 21 and has only played in 50 big league games. Among those that debuted at 20: Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a $340 million, 14-year deal with San Diego in 2021, years before reaching the open market. Milwaukee's Jackson Chourio got an $82 million, eight-year deal before even reaching the big leagues. Young stars Corbin Carroll ($111 million, eight years with Arizona), Bobby Witt Jr. ($288 million, 11 years with Kansas City) and Julio Rodriguez ($209.3 million, 12 years with Seattle) also got massive guarantees early in their 20s to forgo an early free agency. The exception and wild card: Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be a 26-year-old free agent next offseason. Guerrero hasn't been as consistent in his young career as Soto, but a standout 2025 season could position him to threaten Soto's deal. More likely is that the player to pass Soto isn't in the majors yet — and might not even be in pro baseball. When 25-year-old Alex Rodriguez signed his record $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas in 2001, it took over a decade for another player to match that total, when Albert Pujols got $240 million over 10 years from the Angels in 2012. For many players, passing up life-changing money in their early or mid 20s is too enticing, even if it means that they might not maximize their value on the free agent market later in their careers. Soto was determined to test the market. He famously turned down a $440 million, 15-year offer to stay with the Washington Nationals in 2022, betting that he could make even more as a free agent. Not many players would turn down that kind of cash. Then again, that's what makes Soto so unique. And it's also why his $765 million deal could be the industry standard for some time. Stiliana Nikolova, of Bulgaria performs in the rhythmic gymnastics individuals all-round qualification round, at La Chapelle Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Cincinnati Reds' Jonathan India reacts as he collides with San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano during the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Cincinnati. India was safe and Campusano was charged with an error. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Kimberley Woods of Britain competes in the women's kayak cross time trial at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Vaires-sur-Marne, France. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Mike Tyson, left, fights Jake Paul during their heavyweight boxing match, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a forehand return to Coco Gauff of the U.S. during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte) Noah Lyles, of the United States, jumps as he limbers-up ahead of the men's 100-meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) A member of the Seattle Mariners tosses a ball against a wall during drills at spring training baseball workouts, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Peoria, Ariz. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia waits to receive serve during her first round match against Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Czech Republic's Jiri Beran, left, competes with France's Yannik Borel in the men's team epee bronze final match during the 2024 Summer Olympics at the Grand Palais, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) France's Adrien Truffert jumps over Argentina's goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli during a quarterfinal soccer match between France and Argentina, at Bordeaux Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Bordeaux, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Fans interfere with a foul ball caught by Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts during the first inning in Game 4 of the baseball World Series against the New York Yankees, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Italy's Sara Curtis splashes her face with water before a women's 50-meter freestyle semifinal at the Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) Ivory Coast 's Seko Fofana, top, duels for the ball with Nigeria's Victor Osimhen during the African Cup of Nations final soccer match between Nigeria and Ivory Coast, at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) Costa Rica midfielder Jefferson Brenes, from left, Alvaro Zamora (21), Francisco Calvo (15) and Joseph Mora (8) are pelted with drinks and trash after celebrating a Brenes goal in the second half of a CONCACAF Nations League Play-In soccer match against Honduras, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Gabrielle Thomas, of the United States, celebrates winning the gold medal in the women's 200 meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Tyrrell Hatton, of England, reacts on the 11th hole during a practice round in preparation for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Augusta, GA. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Quincy Hall, of the United States, celebrates after winning the men's 400-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Tim Tszyu, of Australia, hits Sebastian Fundora in a super welterweight title bout Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers takes the field prior to an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Workers peep through curtains to watch a match between France's Gael Monfils and Russia's Daniil Medvedev during the China Open tennis tournament held at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Amy Yang, of South Korea, is doused after winning the Women's PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Workers remove snow from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday Jan. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/ Jeffrey T. Barnes) United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Gurgl, Austria, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti) Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, left, scores his side's second goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Almeria at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue ) Czech Republic's Michal Kempny, right, punches United States' Brady Tkachuk during the quarterfinal match between Czech Republic and United States at the Ice Hockey World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) Turkey's Taha Akgul, left, competes with Georgia's Geno Petriashvili in a men's freestyle 125 kg category gold medal wrestling match during the European Wrestling Championships, in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith cries after winning the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. The Chiefs won 25-22. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots between New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III and guard CJ McCollum in the second half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in New Orleans. The Lakers won 110-106. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) A man in a monk's robe waves the French flag as the peloton passes during the sixth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 163.5 kilometers (101.6 miles) with start in Macon and finish in Dijon, France, Thursday, July 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole) Belgium's Jeremy Doku, left, challenges for the ball with Romania's Andrei Ratiu during a Group E match between Belgium and Romania at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Cologne, Germany, Saturday, June 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) A spectator walks through a water mist sprayer on her way to Eiffel Tower Stadium to watch a beach volleyball at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) Gabriel Medina, of Brazil, kicks off of a wave as he warms up prior to the quarterfinals round of the 2024 Summer Olympics surfing competition, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Teahupo'o, Tahiti. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Rebeca Andrade, of Brazil, is reflected on a surface as she performs on the balance beam during the women's artistic gymnastics all-around finals in Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) Wyndham Clark waits to hit on the 17th hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Thursday, April 11, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Kolkata Knight Riders' wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz dives to make an unsuccessful attempt to run out Sunrisers Hyderabad's Abhishek Sharma during the Indian Premier League cricket final match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai, India, Sunday, May 26, 2024.(AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.) Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the qualifying session of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Singapore, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) Serbia's Novak Djokovic embraces his daughter Tara after defeating Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in the men's singles tennis final at the Roland Garros stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) Spain's Dani Olmo clears the ball from the goal line during the final match between Spain and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) A fleet of boats compete in the mixed multihull sailing race during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole) A horse watches from its stable ahead of the 156th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course, Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) Silver medalist Simone Biles, of the United States, left, and bronze medalist Jordan Chiles, of the United States, right, bow to gold medalist Rebeca Andrade, of Brazil, during the medal ceremony for the women's artistic gymnastics individual floor finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Denver celebrates after winning the championship game against Boston College in the Frozen Four NCAA college hockey tournament Saturday, April 13, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. Denver won 2-0 to win the national championship. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Washington safety Kamren Fabiculanan (13) and cornerback Elijah Jackson (25) break up a pass to Eastern Michigan wide receiver Terry Lockett Jr. (3) in the end zone during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Seattle. Washington won 30-9. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Milwaukee Bucks' AJ Johnson, right, goes up for a shot against Philadelphia 76ers' Jared McCain, center, and Adem Bona during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Elise Mertens, of Belgium, serves against Naomi Osaka, of Japan, at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Monday, March 11, 2024, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Italy's Giovanni Tocci competes in the men's 3m springboard diving preliminary at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani breaks his bat during the first inning of the team's baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Wearing a device that measures his energy consumption, the Israel Amputee Football Team player, Ben Maman, left, fights for the ball with a young soccer player from a local team during a practice session in Ramat Gan, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) A soccer fan dressed as Spiderman watches Brazil play Uruguay in a Copa America quarterfinal match on a screen set up for fans on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Brazil lost in a penalty shootout and Uruguay qualified for the semifinals. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado) Men dressed in traditional clothes try to pull the opponent over the table at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, kicks the ball after double faulting against Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) Water is sprayed on the pitch as the ball boys and girls walk along the center line before the start of the men's Group A field hockey match between South Africa and Germany at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Colombes, France. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi) Cleveland Browns defensive end Isaiah McGuire (57) reaches for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens (12) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) Morocco's Widad Bertal celebrates after defeating Thailand's Jutamas Jitpong in their women's 54kg preliminary boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher) Brazil's Priscila eyes the ball during a women's semifinal soccer match between Brazil and Spain at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, at Marseille Stadium in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Simone Biles of the United States competes on the balance beam during a women's artistic gymnastics qualification round at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) New Orleans Saints linebacker Willie Gay Jr. signs autographs for a young fan before the start of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga) Real Madrid's players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Champions League final soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid at Wembley stadium in London, Saturday, June 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Mozambique's Deizy Nhaquile battles rough seas during a women's dinghy race, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) People watch the cauldron rise at sunset by the Olympic rings during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) kisses Taylor Swift after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. The Chiefs won 25-22. (AP Photo/John Locher) A light show is projected from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Kateryna Tabashnyk, a high jumper, sits for a portrait Sunday, June 9, 2024, at the athletics arena of the "Polytechnic" sports complex, which was destroyed by a Russian rocket attack, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) Carles Coll Marti of Spain competes in the men's 200-meter breaststroke heat at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter Sent weekly directly to your inbox!

After Juan Soto's megadeal, could MLB see a $1 billion contract? Probably not soonPresident-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to toss his hush money conviction

A new video showing a parking lot fight between has been released. Bissonnette was hospitalized in Scottsdale, Arizona, after being attacked by seven individuals following an altercation at a Houston’s restaurant roughly two weeks ago. The video above shows several men following Bissonnette through a parking lot as he attempts to back away from them. After a lengthy pursuit, they were eventually able to surround him and wound up taking him to the ground. Once on the ground, Bissonnette appeared to take several kicks from a few of the individuals. Thankfully, he was able to get back onto his feet and run away before taking even more blows. A separate clip from inside the Houston’s restaurant shows how the altercation began. As Bissonnette had previously described, several of the men appeared to be upset with staff members. Bissonnette can then be spotted approaching the men in an attempt to settle things down. Instead, the men started throwing punches at him in what quickly turned into a chaotic scene, where many others at the restaurant can be spotted dashing for the parking lot. Shortly after the two videos involving the assault on Bissonnette began circulating, the 39-year-old gave his thoughts on X. “This is the worst of if I took,” Bissonnette wrote. “It was never going to be a fair fight ... This ain’t over.” “It was a bunch of drunk golfers,” shortly after word of the attack started spreading on social media. “Things obviously continued to escalate, they asked one guy to leave. And then one guy kept getting in the manager’s face, put his hands on him. And that went on for probably 30-45 seconds... It’s a family restaurant, I don’t think there was anybody in there that could help him out. So I went over, I just grabbed the guy’s arm that was on him, I said: ‘Sir, if you continue to harass and assault the staff, we’re gonna have problems.’ And they just started chuckin.’ It escalated extremely quickly.” Six of the seven alleged attackers were brought into jail by Scottsdale Police, but were released without bail.

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Deshawn Purdie threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to O'Mega Blake for the go-ahead score and Charlotte defeated Florida Atlantic 39-27 on Saturday in a game that matched two new interim coaches. Charlotte (4-7, 3-4 American Athletic Conference) fired Biff Poggi on Monday and Tim Brewster took over. FAU (2-9, 0-7) fired Tom Ferman, also on Monday, with Chad Lunsford taking charge. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.In April, the UFC announced that for fighters that would offer more mobility and flexibility while reducing eye pokes and hand injuries. The new gloves, coined "3Eight/5Eight" (the 3Eight glove is for three-round fights, and the 5Eight gold glove for championship fights), premiered at UFC 301 in June. It marked the first time since fingerless gloves became mandatory for all fighters back in 1997 that the fight glove had evolved. "This redesign will truly be a game changer for the entire sport of MMA," UFC CEO and president Dana White said in the April statement. "These gloves will feel lighter, fit fighters' hands better, prevent injuries and provide maximum flexibility during the fights." But after five months -- 21 UFC events (pay-per-views and Fight Nights) and 10 "Dana White's Contender Series" cards -- and return to the original fingerless gloves. "The new gloves are now the old gloves," UFC CEO Dana White said in a surprise announcement ahead of UFC 309 last weekend. "You know what, there were good intentions with the new gloves. We spent a lot of time, energy and money on them. ... It didn't work out and it is what it is." The abrupt about-face came as a shocker.. Interestingly enough, the switch came just days after independent researcher and data scientist Nate Latshaw posted a detailed report demonstrating a significant drop in knockouts from when the new gloves were introduced. Comparing the knockout rate of the old gloves -- now referred to as "classic" by the UFC -- from Jan. 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024, to when the new gloves were in play from June 1 to Nov. 9, Latshaw's findings showed an 8.5% drop off in knockout rates. Between Latshaw's report gaining traction on social media and UFC heavyweight champion balking at the fit and feel of the new gloves ahead of his fight with at UFC 309, the timing of the announcement felt like a little more than a coincidence. "The shape, the curve in your hands, they're very uncomfortable for me," Jones said last week in New York. "I was actually really stressed thinking, 'How am I going to go into fight week wearing these gloves that I don't even really want to train in?'" When the switch was announced, several UFC fighters breathed a sigh of relief over the promotion reversing course. "When I first got the new gloves, I didn't like them," lightweight told ESPN. "I think they look and felt cheap. The material was not very good, and I didn't like the design." Moicano had one of his best performances with the new gloves, a decisive TKO victory over in September. The fight was stopped due to a doctor's intervention. "I was thinking to myself, 'This is a bad glove,' and then I had an awesome performance," Moicano said. "Maybe it actually was the glove? I don't know. But I don't think it affected my performance at all." Women's flyweight contender echoed Moicano's assessment of the gloves feeling "cheap." "I wasn't opposed to the new gloves when they announced they were coming, but when I saw them, I didn't like how they looked," Blanchfield said. "I didn't like the design, and the colors looked tacky and cheap. They looked like something you can buy from a sporting goods store." Blanchfield, who relies heavily on her wrestling and grappling, found that the gloves felt restrictive and affected her grip during her unanimous decision victory over earlier this month. "It felt harder to close my hands because the fingers were so tight," she said. While Blanchfield eventually broke in the new gloves during training, she was issued a new pair ahead of her fight. "I had my cornermen working on the gloves the entire time in the locker room," Blanchfield said. "Just pulling at them, stretching them out, really trying to loosen them up for me. They literally had to make a tool that everyone in the locker room passed around to loosen up the fingers." Strawweight , who lost a decision to in the new gloves in August, said they "felt like having memory foam wrapped around your fist." "I hated them at first," Hill said. "But after training in them for a while, I didn't mind them as much. They are way thinner and aren't formed at all. The old gloves had more of a natural curve to them." The restrictive feel that Hill and Blanchfield are referring to was originally installed to prevent fighters from extending their fingers and committing eye-poke fouls. But both said that the intent didn't match the outcome. "I don't think they did anything for eye pokes," Hill said. "Until you break them in, it's harder to make a closed fist." What about the decrease in knockouts? Latshaw, a data scientist with a focus on quantitative analysis in MMA, noted that the research didn't include the variety of ways to obtain a knockout. "I continue to caution against drawing any particularly strong conclusions from the data," Latshaw told ESPN. "I'm looking at all knockdowns and all knockouts, which is really not a good way to study the impact of the gloves because I'm including knockouts and knockdowns that come from head kicks, elbows, knees, things like that where the gloves aren't impactful." While the old gloves are now back in play, it doesn't mean the "new" gloves are gone forever...yet. A UFC spokesperson told ESPN that "some fighters may still be wearing the new gloves in upcoming events while UFC re-stocks its inventory of the classic gloves." According to White, fighters will use the "classic" gloves at UFC 310 on Dec. 7. "They tried a new idea, and it ended up being a mistake, so they decided to go back to the old gloves once they saw the gloves weren't working out," Moicano said. "That's better than to keep trying to push a glove on us that everyone hates. This is what was good for business. "I don't know if we'll ever get the perfect glove, but I hope they keep trying."

By JOSH BOAK WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday he was “stupid” not to put his own name on pandemic relief checks in 2021, noting that Donald Trump had done so in 2020 and likely got credit for helping people out through this simple, effective act of branding. Biden did the second-guessing as he delivered a speech at the Brookings Institution defending his economic record and challenging Trump to preserve Democratic policy ideas when he returns to the White House next month. Related Articles National Politics | Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina Khan 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 National Politics | What will happen to Social Security under Trump’s tax plan? As Biden focused on his legacy with his term ending, he suggested Trump should keep the Democrats’ momentum going and ignore the policies of his allies. The president laid out favorable recent economic data but acknowledged his rare public regret that he had not been more self-promotional in advertising the financial support provided by his administration as the country emerged from the pandemic. “I signed the American Rescue Plan, the most significant economic recovery package in our history, and also learned something from Donald Trump,” Biden said at the Washington-based think tank. “He signed checks for people for 7,400 bucks ... and I didn’t. Stupid.” The decision by the former reality TV star and real estate developer to add his name to the checks sent by the U.S. Treasury to millions of Americans struggling during the coronavirus marked the first time a president’s name appeared on any IRS payments. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris , who replaced him as the Democratic nominee , largely failed to convince the American public of the strength of the economy. The addition of 16 million jobs, funding for infrastructure, new factories and investments in renewable energy were not enough to overcome public exhaustion over inflation, which spiked in 2022 and left many households coping with elevated grocery, gasoline and housing costs. More than 6 in 10 voters in November’s election described the economy as “poor” or “not so good,” according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of the electorate. Trump won nearly 7 in 10 of the voters who felt the economy was in bad shape, paving the way for a second term as president after his 2020 loss to Biden. Biden used his speech to argue that Trump was inheriting a strong economy that is the envy of the world. The inflation rate fell without a recession that many economists had viewed as inevitable, while the unemployment rate is a healthy 4.2% and applications to start new businesses are at record levels. Biden called the numbers under his watch “a new set of benchmarks to measure against the next four years.” “President-elect Trump is receiving the strongest economy in modern history,” said Biden, who warned that Trump’s planned tax cuts could lead to massive deficits or deep spending cuts. He also said that Trump’s promise of broad tariffs on foreign imports would be a mistake, part of a broader push Tuesday by the administration to warn against Trump’s threatened action. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also issued a word of caution about them at a summit of The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council. “I think the imposition of broad based tariffs, at least of the type that have been discussed, almost all economists agree this would raise prices on American consumers,” she said. Biden was also critical of Trump allies who have pushed Project 2025 , a policy blueprint from the Heritage Foundation that calls for a complete overhaul of the federal government. Trump has disavowed participation in it, though parts were written by his allies and overlap with his stated views on economics, immigration, education policy and civil rights. “I pray to God the president-elect throws away Project 2025,” Biden said. “I think it would be an economic disaster.” Associated Press writer Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed to this report.Laws needed to 'empower' gardaí in incidents of domestic violence claims Kilkenny election candidateTrump, Penny, Mangione: Alvin Bragg's Caseload Tests Limits of His Office

It’s that odd time of year between Christmas and New Year’s where it is easy to lose track of what day it is, what year it is, if you have to work tomorrow and other basics that are so cut and dried the other 51 weeks of the year. Maybe that explains the Minnesota Wild seemingly losing track of where they were and what they were doing for some critical minutes on Sunday, as things slipped away in a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. ADVERTISEMENT The Wild grabbed an early lead but could not add to it, as Josh Norris netted the game-winner for the Senators on a third-period power play, snapping a two-game Ottawa losing streak. Claude Giroux hit an empty-net goal in the final minute for the visitors. Freddie Gaudreau supplied the only offense for the Wild with a first-period goal. They got 33 saves from goalie Filip Gustavsson, but saw their two-game winning streak and all of the good feelings they had collected with last Friday’s come-from-behind win in Dallas disappear. The Wild’s struggling penalty kill had gone 3 for 3 versus the Stars, and killed a penalty midway through the third, only to see team captain Jared Spurgeon head to the box just seconds later. On their second consecutive man advantage, Norris popped a quick shot over Gustavsson’s left shoulder to give the visitors their first lead with 7:18 remaining in regulation. The Wild were being outshot and outplayed late in the first when Declan Chisholm caught a pass from Marcus Foligno and ripped a long-range shot that Gaudreau deflected into the upper right corner. It was just the seventh goal of the season for Gaudreau and his first since he had the only bright spot in a 7-1 home loss to Edmonton on Dec. 12. It was also the 50th goal of Gaudreau’s career. The Senators began the middle period with a strong push and forged a tie when Ridly Greig grabbed a puck that came hard off the end boards and slipped it past Gustavsson with less than two minutes gone in the second. Ottawa outshot the Wild 11-0 in the opening five minutes of the period. Ottawa goalie Leevi Merilainen, making just his third start of the season, finished with 30 saves in the game and got some assistance from the goalposts, as Matt Boldy’s deflected shot in the first period and power-play shots by Mats Zuccarello and Spurgeon all struck the iron. In the final seconds of the middle frame, another Boldy shot hit the crossbar. The Wild at least kept the home crowd engaged, moving the puck well on the power play, and via fisticuffs when fourth-liner Ben Jones and Senators winger Noah Gregor exchanged blows late in the second. ADVERTISEMENT Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizov missed his second consecutive game and third of the season with a lower-body injury. Team officials have listed him as day-to-day and are hopeful for his return soon. The Wild close out 2024 with a New Year’s Eve home game at 7 p.m. versus Nashville. ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .

Shares of Invesco BulletShares 2025 Corporate Bond ETF ( NASDAQ:BSCP – Get Free Report ) saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday . Approximately 2,348,795 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 180% from the previous session’s volume of 837,448 shares.The stock last traded at $20.65 and had previously closed at $20.64. Invesco BulletShares 2025 Corporate Bond ETF Stock Up 0.0 % The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.60. Invesco BulletShares 2025 Corporate Bond ETF Cuts Dividend The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Monday, December 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.0697 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 23rd. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Invesco BulletShares 2025 Corporate Bond ETF Invesco BulletShares 2025 Corporate Bond ETF Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) The Invesco Bulletshares 2025 Corporate Bond ETF (BSCP) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund tracks an index of investment-grade corporate bonds with effective maturities in 2025. The fund will unwind in December 2025 and return capital and proceeds to investors. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Invesco BulletShares 2025 Corporate Bond ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco BulletShares 2025 Corporate Bond ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .By JILL COLVIN and STEPHEN GROVES WASHINGTON (AP) — After several weeks working mostly behind closed doors, Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to Capitol Hill this week in a new, more visible role: Helping Donald Trump try to get his most contentious Cabinet picks to confirmation in the Senate, where Vance has served for the last two years. Vance arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday with former Rep. Matt Gaetz and spent the morning sitting in on meetings between Trump’s choice for attorney general and key Republicans, including members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The effort was for naught: Gaetz announced a day later that he was withdrawing his name amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations and the reality that he was unlikely to be confirmed. Thursday morning Vance was back, this time accompanying Pete Hegseth, the “Fox & Friends Weekend” host whom Trump has tapped to be the next secretary of defense. Hegseth also has faced allegations of sexual assault that he denies. Vance is expected to accompany other nominees for meetings in coming weeks as he tries to leverage the two years he has spent in the Senate to help push through Trump’s picks. Vice President-elect JD Vance, still a Republican senator from Ohio, walks from a private meeting with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., center, and Vice President-elect JD Vance, left, walk out of a meeting with Republican Senate Judiciary Committee members, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) FILE – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, departs the chamber at the Capitol in Washington, March 15, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) FILE – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, center speaks during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) FILE – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, right, speaks with Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, before testifying at a hearing, March 9, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File) FILE – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, arrives for a classified briefing on China, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) FILE – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, arrives for a vote on Capitol Hill, Sept. 12, 2023 in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) FILE – Sen. JD Vance R-Ohio speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Vice President-elect JD Vance, still a Republican senator from Ohio, walks from a private meeting with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Vance is taking on an atypical role as Senate guide for Trump nominees The role of introducing nominees around Capitol Hill is an unusual one for a vice president-elect. Usually the job goes to a former senator who has close relationships on the Hill, or a more junior aide. But this time the role fits Vance, said Marc Short, who served as Trump’s first director of legislative affairs as well as chief of staff to Trump’s first vice president, Mike Pence, who spent more than a decade in Congress and led the former president’s transition ahead of his first term. ”JD probably has a lot of current allies in the Senate and so it makes sense to have him utilized in that capacity,” Short said. Unlike the first Trump transition, which played out before cameras at Trump Tower in New York and at the president-elect’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, this one has largely happened behind closed doors in Palm Beach, Florida. There, a small group of officials and aides meet daily at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort to run through possible contenders and interview job candidates. The group includes Elon Musk, the billionaire who has spent so much time at the club that Trump has joked he can’t get rid of him. Vance has been a constant presence, even as he’s kept a lower profile. The Ohio senator has spent much of the last two weeks in Palm Beach, according to people familiar with his plans, playing an active role in the transition, on which he serves as honorary chair. Mar-a-Lago scene is a far cry from Vance’s hardscrabble upbringing Vance has been staying at a cottage on the property of the gilded club, where rooms are adorned with cherubs, oriental rugs and intricate golden inlays. It’s a world away from the famously hardscrabble upbringing that Vance documented in the memoir that made him famous, “Hillbilly Elegy.” His young children have also joined him at Mar-a-Lago, at times. Vance was photographed in shorts and a polo shirt playing with his kids on the seawall of the property with a large palm frond, a U.S. Secret Service robotic security dog in the distance. On the rare days when he is not in Palm Beach, Vance has been joining the sessions remotely via Zoom. Though he has taken a break from TV interviews after months of constant appearances, Vance has been active in the meetings, which began immediately after the election and include interviews and as well as presentations on candidates’ pluses and minuses. Among those interviewed: Contenders to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray , as Vance wrote in a since-deleted social media post. Defending himself from criticism that he’d missed a Senate vote in which one of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees was confirmed, Vance wrote that he was meeting at the time “with President Trump to interview multiple positions for our government, including for FBI Director.” “I tend to think it’s more important to get an FBI director who will dismantle the deep state than it is for Republicans to lose a vote 49-46 rather than 49-45,” Vance added on X. “But that’s just me.” Vance is making his voice heard as Trump stocks his Cabinet While Vance did not come in to the transition with a list of people he wanted to see in specific roles, he and his friend, Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who is also a member of the transition team, were eager to see former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. find roles in the administration. Trump ended up selecting Gabbard as the next director of national intelligence , a powerful position that sits atop the nation’s spy agencies and acts as the president’s top intelligence adviser. And he chose Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services , a massive agency that oversees everything from drug and food safety to Medicare and Medicaid. Vance was also a big booster of Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who will serve as Trump’s “border czar.” In another sign of Vance’s influence, James Braid, a top aide to the senator, is expected to serve as Trump’s legislative affairs director. Allies say it’s too early to discuss what portfolio Vance might take on in the White House. While he gravitates to issues like trade, immigration and tech policy, Vance sees his role as doing whatever Trump needs. Vance was spotted days after the election giving his son’s Boy Scout troop a tour of the Capitol and was there the day of leadership elections. He returned in earnest this week, first with Gaetz — arguably Trump’s most divisive pick — and then Hegseth, who has was been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017, according to an investigative report made public this week. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing. Vance hosted Hegseth in his Senate office as GOP senators, including those who sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee, filtered in to meet with the nominee for defense secretary. While a president’s nominees usually visit individual senators’ offices, meeting them on their own turf, the freshman senator — who is accompanied everywhere by a large Secret Service detail that makes moving around more unwieldy — instead brought Gaetz to a room in the Capitol on Wednesday and Hegseth to his office on Thursday. Senators came to them. Vance made it to votes Wednesday and Thursday, but missed others on Thursday afternoon. Vance will draw on his Senate background going forward Vance is expected to continue to leverage his relationships in the Senate after Trump takes office. But many Republicans there have longer relationships with Trump himself. Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, said that Trump was often the first person to call him back when he was trying to reach high-level White House officials during Trump’s first term. “He has the most active Rolodex of just about anybody I’ve ever known,” Cramer said, adding that Vance would make a good addition. “They’ll divide names up by who has the most persuasion here,” Cramer said, but added, “Whoever his liaison is will not work as hard at it as he will.” Cramer was complimentary of the Ohio senator, saying he was “pleasant” and ” interesting” to be around. ′′He doesn’t have the long relationships,” he said. “But we all like people that have done what we’ve done. I mean, that’s sort of a natural kinship, just probably not as personally tied.” Under the Constitution, Vance will also have a role presiding over the Senate and breaking tie votes. But he’s not likely to be needed for that as often as was Kamala Harris, who broke a record number of ties for Democrats as vice president, since Republicans will have a bigger cushion in the chamber next year. Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

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BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Deshawn Purdie threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to O'Mega Blake for the go-ahead score and Charlotte defeated Florida Atlantic 39-27 on Saturday in a game that matched two new interim coaches. Charlotte (4-7, 3-4 American Athletic Conference) fired Biff Poggi on Monday and Tim Brewster took over. FAU (2-9, 0-7) fired Tom Ferman, also on Monday, with Chad Lunsford taking charge. After Blake's third touchdown catch of the game that came with 5:25 left, the 49ers extended their lead when Tyriq Starks was strip-sacked by Ja'Qurious Conley and 335-pound Katron Kevans carried it 22 yards into the end zone. Blake made five catches for a career-high 205 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown. Purdie was 16 of 30 for a career-best 396 yards passing with the three scores plus an interception. The 49ers only rushed for 46 yards. Stephen Rusnak kicked four field goals. Starks was 12-of-23 passing for 179 yards including a 65-yard score to Omari Hayes in the final minute of the third quarter to get FAU within six of the 49ers. CJ Campbell rushed 58 yards to score early in the fourth quarter and the Owls had a 27-26 lead. Campbell finished with 150 yards on 21 carries. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football . Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25Faith group again pleads with Lancaster County attorney to expand jail diversion

WINNIPEG — A Winnipeg man has been extradited to New Jersey to face a murder charge in the death of a woman in 1997. Robert Allen Creter, who is 60, faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of 23-year-old Tamara Tignor, whose body was found on a dirt access road near Washington Valley Park. Officials believe she was strangled. Prosecutors say a break in the long-unsolved case came last year, when evidence originally collected was resubmitted for DNA testing that was not technologically possible at the time. They say that pointed them to Creter, who had moved to Winnipeg in 2002. Creter was arrested in June and held in custody until his extradition. He was transferred last week to the United States Marshals Service at the Winnipeg airport, and officials say he is being held in custody pending a detention hearing. “The arrest of a suspect in this decades-old case is a testament to the unwavering dedication of law enforcement to seek justice, no matter how much time has passed,” Col. Patrick Callahan with the New Jersey State Police said in a news release. Tignor disappeared after getting into a van. The investigation is ongoing and officials would not say whether she and the accused knew each other or comment on a possible motive. A prosecutor told reporters Monday that Tignor's mother had been hoping for a breakthrough. "Tammy's mom called our office on Nov. 4 of every year — the anniversary of Tammy's death — looking for an update," said Somerset County assistant prosecutor Mike McLaughlin. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2024. Steve Lambert, The Canadian PressAsia spot prices gain amid Russia-Ukraine gas transit concernsNEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks tiptoed to more records amid a mixed Tuesday of trading, tacking a touch more onto what’s already been a stellar year so far. The S&P 500 edged up by 2 points, or less than 0.1%, to set an all-time high for the 55th time this year. It’s climbed in 10 of the last 11 days and is on track for one of its best years since the turn of the millennium. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 76 points, or 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.4% to its own record set a day earlier. AT&T rose 4.6% after it boosted its profit forecast for the year. It also announced a $10 billion plan to send cash to its investors by buying back its own stock, while saying it expects to authorize another $10 billion of repurchases in 2027. On the losing end of Wall Street was U.S. Steel, which fell 8%. President-elect Donald Trump reiterated on social media that he would not let Japan’s Nippon Steel take over the iconic Pennsylvania steelmaker. Nippon Steel announced plans last December to buy the Pittsburgh-based steel producer for $14.1 billion in cash, raising concerns about what the transaction could mean for unionized workers, supply chains and U.S. national security. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden also came out against the acquisition. Tesla sank 1.6% after a judge in Delaware reaffirmed a previous ruling that the electric car maker must revoke Elon Musk’s multibillion-dollar pay package. The judge denied a request by attorneys for Musk and Tesla’s corporate directors to vacate her ruling earlier this year requiring the company to rescind the unprecedented pay package. All told, the S&P 500 rose 2.73 points to 6,049.88. The Dow fell 76.47 to 44,705.53, and the Nasdaq composite gained 76.96 to 19,480.91. In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady after a report showed U.S. employers were advertising slightly more job openings at the end of October than a month earlier. Continued strength there would raise optimism that the economy could remain out of a recession that many investors had earlier worried was inevitable. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.23% from 4.20% from late Monday. Yields have seesawed since Election Day amid worries that Trump’s preferences for lower tax rates and bigger tariffs could spur higher inflation along with economic growth. But traders are still confident the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate again at its next meeting in two weeks. They’re betting on a nearly three-in-four chance of that, according to data from CME Group. Lower rates can give the economy more juice, but they can also give inflation more fuel. The key report this week that could guide the Fed’s next move will arrive on Friday. It’s the monthly jobs report , which will show how many workers U.S. employers hired and fired during November. It could be difficult to parse given how much storms and strikes distorted figures in October. Based on trading in the options market, Friday’s jobs report appears to be the biggest potential market mover until the Fed announces its next decision on interest rates Dec. 18, according to strategists at Barclays Capital. In financial markets abroad, the value of South Korea’s currency fell 1.1% against the U.S. dollar following a frenetic night where President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law and then later said he’d lift it after lawmakers voted to reject military rule. Stocks of Korean companies that trade in the United States also fell, including a 1.6% drop for SK Telecom. Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.9% to help lead global markets. Some analysts think Japanese stocks could end up benefiting from Trump’s threats to raise tariffs , including for goods coming from China . Trade relations between the U.S. and China took another step backward after China said it is banning exports to the U.S. of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications. The counterpunch came swiftly after the U.S. Commerce Department expanded the list of Chinese technology companies subject to export controls to include many that make equipment used to make computer chips, chipmaking tools and software. The 140 companies newly included in the so-called “entity list” are nearly all based in China. In China, stock indexes rose 1% in Hong Kong and 0.4% in Shanghai amid unconfirmed reports that Chinese leaders would meet next week to discuss planning for the coming year. Investors are hoping it may bring fresh stimulus to help spur growth in the world’s second-largest economy. In France, the CAC 40 rose 0.3% amid continued worries about politics in Paris , where the government is battling over the budget. AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.Unlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her health insurance covered all but $25 to $50 of the monthly cost. For Griffin, the hardest part of using the new drugs wasn’t access. It was finding out that the much-hyped medications didn’t really work for her. “I have been on Wegovy for a year and a half and have only lost 13 pounds,” said Griffin, who watches her diet, drinks plenty of water and exercises regularly. “I’ve done everything right with no success. It’s discouraging.” In clinical trials, most participants taking Wegovy or Mounjaro to treat obesity lost an average of 15% to 22% of their body weight — up to 50 pounds or more in many cases. But roughly 10% to 15% of patients in those trials were “nonresponders” who lost less than 5% of their body weight. Now that millions of people have used the drugs, several obesity experts told The Associated Press that perhaps 20% of patients — as many as 1 in 5 — may not respond well to the medications. It's a little-known consequence of the obesity drug boom, according to doctors who caution eager patients not to expect one-size-fits-all results. “It's all about explaining that different people have different responses,” said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity expert at Massachusetts General Hospital The drugs are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists because they mimic a hormone in the body known as glucagon-like peptide 1. Genetics, hormones and variability in how the brain regulates energy can all influence weight — and a person's response to the drugs, Stanford said. Medical conditions such as sleep apnea can prevent weight loss, as can certain common medications, such as antidepressants, steroids and contraceptives. “This is a disease that stems from the brain,” said Stanford. “The dysfunction may not be the same” from patient to patient. Despite such cautions, patients are often upset when they start getting the weekly injections but the numbers on the scale barely budge. “It can be devastating,” said Dr. Katherine Saunders, an obesity expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of the obesity treatment company FlyteHealth. “With such high expectations, there’s so much room for disappointment.” That was the case for Griffin, who has battled obesity since childhood and hoped to shed 70 pounds using Wegovy. The drug helped reduce her appetite and lowered her risk of diabetes, but she saw little change in weight. “It’s an emotional roller coaster,” she said. “You want it to work like it does for everybody else.” The medications are typically prescribed along with eating behavior and lifestyle changes. It’s usually clear within weeks whether someone will respond to the drugs, said Dr. Jody Dushay, an endocrine specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Weight loss typically begins right away and continues as the dosage increases. For some patients, that just doesn't happen. For others, side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea force them to halt the medications, Dushay said. In such situations, patients who were counting on the new drugs to pare pounds may think they’re out of options. “I tell them: It's not game over,” Dushay said. Trying a different version of the new class of drugs may help. Griffin, who didn't respond well to Wegovy, has started using Zepbound, which targets an additional hormone pathway in the body. After three months of using the drug, she has lost 7 pounds. “I'm hoping it's slow and steady,” she said. Other people respond well to older drugs, the experts said. Changing diet, exercise, sleep and stress habits can also have profound effects. Figuring out what works typically requires a doctor trained to treat obesity, Saunders noted. “Obesity is such a complex disease that really needs to be treated very comprehensively,” she said. “If what we’re prescribing doesn’t work, we always have a backup plan.” The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Some quotations from Jimmy Carter: We have a tendency to exalt ourselves and to dwell on the weaknesses and mistakes of others. I have come to realize that in every person there is something fine and pure and noble, along with a desire for self-fulfillment. Political and religious leaders must attempt to provide a society within which these human attributes can be nurtured and enhanced. — from 1975 book “Why Not the Best?” Our government can express the highest common ideals of human beings — if we demand of government true standards of excellence. At this Bicentennial time of introspection and concern, we must demand such standards. — “Why Not the Best?” I am a Southerner and an American, I am a farmer, an engineer, a father and husband, a Christian, a politician and former governor, a planner, a businessman, a nuclear physicist, a naval officer, a canoeist, and among other things a lover of Bob Dylan’s songs and Dylan Thomas’s poetry. — “Why Not the Best?” Christ said, “I tell you that anyone who looks on a woman with lust has in his heart already committed adultery.” I’ve looked on a lot of women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times. This is something that God recognizes I will do — and I have done it — and God forgives me for it. But that doesn’t mean that I condemn someone who not only looks on a woman with lust but who leaves his wife and shacks up with somebody out of wedlock. — Interview, November 1976 Playboy. This inauguration ceremony marks a new beginning, a new dedication within our Government, and a new spirit among us all. A President may sense and proclaim that new spirit, but only a people can provide it. — Inaugural address, January 1977. It’s clear that the true problems of our nation are much deeper — deeper than gasoline lines or energy shortages, deeper even than inflation and recession. ... All the legislation in the world can’t fix what’s wrong with America. ... It is a crisis of confidence. — So-called “malaise” speech, July 1979. But we know that democracy is always an unfinished creation. Each generation must renew its foundations. Each generation must rediscover the meaning of this hallowed vision in the light of its own modern challenges. For this generation, ours, life is nuclear survival; liberty is human rights; the pursuit of happiness is a planet whose resources are devoted to the physical and spiritual nourishment of its inhabitants. — Farewell Address, January 1981. We appreciate the past. We are grateful for the present and we’re looking forward to the future with great anticipation and commitment. — October 1986, at the dedication of the Carter Presidential Library and Museum. War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn to live together in peace by killing each other’s children. — December 2002, Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. Fundamentalists have become increasingly influential in both religion and government, and have managed to change the nuances and subtleties of historic debate into black-and-white rigidities and the personal derogation of those who dare to disagree. ... The influence of these various trends poses a threat to many of our nation’s historic customs and moral commitments, both in government and in houses of worship. — From 2005 book “Our Endangered Values.” I think that this breakthrough by Barack Obama has been remarkable. When he made his speech (on race) a few months ago in Philadelphia, I wept. I sat in front of the television and cried, because I saw that as the most enlightening and transforming analysis of racism and a potential end of it that I ever saw in my life. — August 2008, commenting on then-Sen. Barack Obama’s candidacy. I think it’s based on racism. There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president. ... No matter who he is or how much we disagree with his policies, the president should be treated with respect. — September 2009, reacting to Rep. Joe Wilson’s shout of “You lie!” during a speech to Congress by President Barack Obama. I’m still determined to outlive the last guinea worm. — 2010, on The Carter Center’s work to eradicate guinea worm disease. You know how much I raised to run against Gerald Ford? Zero. You know how much I raised to run against Ronald Reagan? Zero. You know how much will be raised this year by all presidential, Senate and House campaigns? $6 billion. That’s 6,000 millions. — September 2012, reacting to the 2010 “Citizens United” U.S. Supreme Court decision permitting unlimited third-party political spending. I have become convinced that the most serious and unaddressed worldwide challenge is the deprivation and abuse of women and girls, largely caused by a false interpretation of carefully selected religious texts and a growing tolerance of violence and warfare, unfortunately following the example set during my lifetime by the United States. — From 2014 book “A Call to Action.” I don’t think there’s any doubt now that the NSA or other agencies monitor or record almost every telephone call made in the United States, including cellphones, and I presume email as well. We’ve gone a long way down the road of violating Americans’ basic civil rights, as far as privacy is concerned. — March 2014, commenting on U.S. intelligence monitoring after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks We accept self-congratulations about the wonderful 50th anniversary – which is wonderful – but we feel like Lyndon Johnson did it and we don’t have to do anything anymore. — April 2014, commenting on racial inequality during a celebration of the Civil Rights Act’s 40th anniversary. I had a very challenging question at Emory (University) the other night: “How would you describe the United States of America today in one word?” And I didn’t know what to say for a few moments, but I finally said, “Searching.” I think the country in which we live is still searching for what it ought to be, and what it can be, and I’m not sure we’re making much progress right at this moment. — October 2014 during a celebration of his 90th birthday. The life we have now is the best of all. We have an expanding and harmonious family, a rich life in our church and the Plains community, and a diversity of projects at The Carter Center that is adventurous and exciting. Rosalynn and I have visited more than 145 countries, and both of us are as active as we have ever been. We are blessed with good health and look to the future with eagerness and confidence, but are prepared for inevitable adversity when it comes. — From 2015 book, “A Full Life.”