Looking to switch careers in the new year? You should consider working in cybersecurity , as it's one of today's most in-demand fields that's expected to only continue growing. While we know jobs in IT might seem super technical or complicated, there is actually a range of opportunities available across different disciplines, and learning about them isn't as difficult as you might think. It's tough figuring out where to start, but beginning with this Cybersecurity Developer & IT Super Skills e-learning bundle might be the smartest move. It offers 24 courses and a complete introduction to the field for $59.99 (reg. $936). You might just figure out what type of cybersecurity role you want to transition into in the new year. How does becoming a highly paid security analyst sound? How about a cloud architect? Or an ethical hacker? Regardless of the position that interests you most, this bundle is designed to help you reach specific career goals, first by covering cybersecurity fundamentals like risk management, incident response, and security awareness. From there, you might be especially interested in joining the field as an ethical hacker . You could jump to the Certified Ethical Hacker course and learn how to identify and exploit system vulnerabilities. You may just gain the skills to land a job at a top company, protecting their systems and data from cyber threats. Check out the other roles (and course focuses) you could pursue to land your dream job—and help other businesses and organizations build, manage, and execute security protections that meet their needs: Dive into a whole new world of career possibilities in the new year with this cybersecurity and IT skills online learning bundle for $59.99 . No coupon is needed for this price drop, though it expires soon. The Complete 2025 Cybersecurity Developer & IT Super Skills Bundle Only $59.99 at Entrepreneur StackSocial prices subject to change.tadamichi 1. Review of the most promising stocks for 2024 A year ago I presented five promising stocks for 2024: Sixt SE ( OTCPK:SIXGF ), Siltronic AG ( OTCPK:SSLLF ), Aercap ( AER ), Petrobras ( PBR ) and Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of AER, LYB, HIMX, T, BBAGF, BMWKY, BP, BTI, CLPIF, DHLGY,FL, FPRUF, FRTAF, GRVY, GLMCF, HKTGF, ITOCF, PBR, SSLLF, SIXGF, SCGLY, VALE, VLKAF either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
NoneThis pretty part of Italy is like no other and it’s a must visit destination for 2025. Trento, in Trentino, Italy is the perfect place for a city break. It has a traditional Italian style reminiscent of a film set. Amongst the mountains, you’ll find the incredible Lake Molveno. The area will provide you with the ideal mix of a city holiday and the opportunity to relax while taking in the beautiful scenery. It has some of Italy’s best culture, art and food while also being home to incredible surrounding countryside. Located in northern Italy’s mountainous Trentino-Alto Adige region, Trento is known for its architectural and historical gems, including Buonconsiglio Castle and Trento Cathedral. One must visit place is the Piazza Duomo which is located at the heart of Trento. A visitor on Tripadvisor said: “We visited this city and we especially loved specially the old town and this place with a very nice fountain in the middle. “This place is the heart of the old town where everybody meets together. This place is very busy but it’s also a pedestrian area which is very pleasant. If you are in Trento you must absolutely visit this place.” Another place to see in the city is the MUSE - Science Museum which is an exciting science and technology museum. A visitor on Tripadvisor said: “Even if it were not included in the Trentino card, giving us free entrance, this is a museum we would not have missed. “The building itself is magnificent - opened in 2013 - so very modern in design. Once inside you can see into every floor due to the extensive use of glass. “There are many hands-on exhibits and all the facilities are very clean and well looked after. “There is something in this museum for every age group, and enough variety to spend quite a few hours inside.” If you’re hoping to explore nature, you should visit Orrido Di Ponte Alto. Here, you’ll find beautiful waterfalls as you immerse yourself into the city’s surrounding greenery. One visitor on Tripadvisor said: “The spectacular view of this canyon is achieved on the same stairs and path originally traced in 1535 [...] Absolutely astonishing for its age. Breathtaking view of the waterfalls.” If you're looking for somehwere to visit that's off the beaten path, Trento could be the perfect place for you.
Stocks closed higher on Wall Street as the market posted its fifth straight gain and the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched another record high. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%. The benchmark index’s 1.7% gain for the week erased most of its loss from last week. The Dow rose 1% as it nudged past its most recent high set last week, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.2%. Markets have been volatile over the last few weeks, losing ground in the runup to elections in November, then surging following Donald Trump's victory, before falling again. The S&P 500 has been steadily rising throughout this week to within close range of its record. It's now within about 0.5% of its all-time high set last week. “Overall, market behavior has normalized following an intense few weeks,” said Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide, in a statement. Several retailers jumped after giving Wall Street encouraging financial updates. Gap soared 12.8% after handily beating analysts' third-quarter earnings and revenue expectations, while raising its own revenue forecast for the year. Discount retailer Ross Stores rose 2.2% after raising its earnings forecast for the year. EchoStar fell 2.8% after DirecTV called off its purchase of that company's Dish Network unit. Smaller company stocks had some of the biggest gains. The Russell 2000 index rose 1.8%. A majority of stocks in the S&P 500 gained ground, but those gains were kept in check by slumps for several big technology companies. Nvidia fell 3.2%. Its pricey valuation makes it among the heaviest influences on whether the broader market gains or loses ground. The company has grown into a nearly $3.6 trillion behemoth because of demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology. Intuit, which makes TurboTax and other accounting software, fell 5.7%. It gave investors a quarterly earnings forecast that fell short of analysts’ expectations. Facebook owner Meta Platforms fell 0.7% following a decision by the Supreme Court to allow a multibillion-dollar class action investors’ lawsuit to proceed against the company. It stems from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm. All told, the S&P 500 rose 20.63 points to 5,969.34. The Dow climbed 426.16 points to 44,296.51, and the Nasdaq picked up 42.65 points to close at 2,406.67. European markets closed mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Crude oil prices rose. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.41% from 4.42% late Thursday. In the crypto market, bitcoin hovered around $99,000, according to CoinDesk. It has more than doubled this year and first surpassed the $99,000 level on Thursday. Retailers remained a big focus for investors this week amid close scrutiny on consumer spending habits headed into the holiday shopping season. Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, reported a quarter of strong sales and gave investors an encouraging financial forecast. Target, though, reported weaker earnings than analysts' expected and its forecast disappointed Wall Street. Consumer spending has fueled economic growth, despite a persistent squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. Inflation has been easing and the Federal Reserve has started trimming its benchmark interest rates. That is likely to help relieve pressure on consumers, but any major shift in spending could prompt the Fed to reassess its path ahead on interest rates. Also, any big reversals on the rate of inflation could curtail spending. Consumer sentiment remains strong, according to the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index. It revised its latest figure for November to 71.8 from an initial reading of 73 earlier this month, though economists expected a slight increase. It's still up from 70.5 in October. The survey also showed that consumers' inflation expectations for the year ahead fell slightly to 2.6%, which is the lowest reading since December of 2020. Wall Street will get another update on how consumers feel when the business group The Conference Board releases its monthly consumer confidence survey on Tuesday. A key inflation update will come on Wednesday when the U.S. releases its October personal consumption expenditures index. The PCE is the Fed's preferred measure of inflation and this will be the last PCE reading prior to the central bank's meeting in December.Supermarket giant Morrisons is already selling Easter eggs - and it is not even New Year's Eve yet. One shopper has this week snapped Easter eggs on the shelves of Leek Morrisons. It comes as Easter falls even later in 2025. It is not Easter Sunday until April 20, 2025. Now Morrisons shoppers have expressed their dismay at the latest addition to the supermarket shelves. One Morrisons shopper said: "Morrisons very much nailing the spirit of Christmas by launching their Easter eggs on Boxing Day. As one customer muttered on the way past, 'their brains aren't wired properly'." Get daily headlines and breaking news emailed to you - it’s FREE
Mutual Aid Organization bringing Santa to Santa Rita Park residentsTrump says he can't guarantee tariffs won't raise US prices and won't rule out revenge prosecutionsSyrians poured into streets in celebration on Sunday after a stunning rebel advance reached the capital, ending the Assad family’s 50 years of iron rule . Russian state news agencies were reporting that President Bashar Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow and were given asylum. Russia said Assad left the country after negotiations with rebel groups and that he had given instructions to transfer power peacefully. Joyful crowds gathered in central squares in Damascus, waving the Syrian revolutionary flag. Others ransacked the presidential palace and residence. Abu Mohammed al-Golani , a former al-Qaida commander who cut ties with the group years ago leads the biggest rebel faction in Syria and is poised to chart the country’s future. He made his first public appearance since fighters entered the Damascus suburbs Saturday, at the capital’s sprawling Umayyad Mosque, and called himself by his given name, Ahmad al-Sharaa. He said Assad’s fall was “a victory to the Islamic nation.” The rapidly developing events have shaken the region. Lebanon said it was closing all its land border crossings with Syria except for one that links Beirut with Damascus. Jordan closed a border crossing with Syria, too. Israel has issued warnings to villages in southern Syria and its forces seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights. Here's the Latest: Russian state news agencies reported that ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad has arrived in Moscow with his family and been given asylum. The agencies, Tass and RIA, cited an unidentified Kremlin source. The Associated Press was not immediately able to verify the reports but had contacted the Kremlin for comment. CAIRO — The Arab League on Sunday condemned Israel for taking advantage of Syrian President Bashar Assad's downfall by moving into more Syrian territory. Hours after Assad’s overthrow, Israel announced it had seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights that was established by a cease-fire agreement with Syria in 1974. In a statement, the Arab League said Israel illegally sought to occupy more territories. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the 50-year-old agreement regarding Syrian territory had collapsed and that Syrian troops had abandoned their positions, necessitating Israel taking over as a “temporary defensive position.” UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations secretary-general is marking the “fall of the dictatorial regime” in Syria and says the future of the country is “is a matter for the Syrians to determine.” A statement by Antonio Guterres also called for calm and the protection of the rights of all Syrians as well as of diplomatic and consular facilities in Syria. He said there is much work ahead to ensure an “orderly political transition to renewed institutions,” and he called on the international community to ensure that “any political transition is inclusive and comprehensive and that it meets the legitimate aspirations of the people of Syria, in all their diversity.” KYIV, Ukraine - Ukraine’s top diplomat on Sunday responded to Assad’s ouster by describing him as a “dictator” who relied on Russia to prop up his rule - a reference to the military campaign Moscow has waged in Syria since September 2015, teaming up with Iran to allow Assad’s government to fight armed opposition groups and reclaim control over most of the country. "Assad has fallen. This has always been and will be the case with all dictators who bet on Putin. He always betrays those who rely on him,” foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X. In a separate update on the social network, Sybiha said Kyiv was ready to take steps towards restoring relations with Syria, severed months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of the neighboring state. Kyiv broke off diplomatic ties after Damascus in June 2022 recognized Kremlin-occupied parts of eastern Ukraine as independent territories, in a move welcomed by Moscow and decried by the West as a clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty. JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has issued a warning to residents of five villages and towns in southern Syria to stay inside their homes for their safety. “The fighting in your area is forcing the IDF to act,” the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman said on X. The military didn’t respond to questions. Earlier, Israel said its troops had seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established in 1974, saying it was to protect Israeli residents after Syrian troops abandoned their positions. Defense Minister Israel Katz said on X that the IDF has been instructed to “seize the buffer zone and control points to ensure the protection of all Israeli communities in the Golan Heights – Jewish and Druze – so that they are not exposed to threats from the other side.” Israel captured the Golan in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it. The international community, except for the United States, views it as occupied. BEIRUT - The leader of the largest insurgent group in Syria visited the Syrian capital’s sprawling Umayyad Mosque and declared that the victory against President Bashar Assad “is a victory to the Islamic nation.” Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, made his first public appearance and remarks since fighters entered Damascus. He told hundreds of people at the historic mosque that Assad had made Syria “a farm for Iran’s greed.” He added that Assad made Syria a base for the illegal amphetamine Captagon that brought cash to Assad’s circles. Al-Sharaa, the leader of the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, said Sunday that the victory was achieved because of “God and the blood of martyrs.” He said that he left Syria 20 years ago and since then his heart has longed for this movement. LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the end of Assad’s rule as he called for peace and the protection of civilians. “The Syrian people have suffered under Assad’s barbaric regime for too long and we welcome his departure,” Starmer said. He said the U.K. was focused on a political solution to restore peace and stability. “We call on all sides to protect civilians and minorities and ensure essential aid can reach the most vulnerable in the coming hours and days,” he said. AMMAN, Jordan — The vast majority of the Jordanian people are welcoming the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the success of the Syrian revolution. “There is no doubt that I felt overwhelming joy at the fall of the Assad regime," said Badi Al-Rafaia, Engineer, union activist and member of the Islamic Action Front. "There is no doubt that we are happy with what happened in Syria, happy with the success of the revolution, happy with the Syrian people getting rid of an oppressor and criminal who treated the Syrian people and made the Syrian state a failed state.” Al-Rafaia said that Jordan is benefiting from what happened in Syria, and "we hope that Jordan will help the revolution succeed and not work against it.” Amman resident Muhab al-Majali said the fall of the Assad regime is “The end of every unjust and tyrannical rule, and more than that, it mortgaged the country and its people to the Iranians, who abandoned it in minutes... I believe that the future is beautiful and prosperous for the Syrians.” BERLIN — The International Committee of the Red Cross is calling for safe humanitarian access and protection of civilians in Syria after the fall of Bashir Assad’s government. “Our teams in Syria, including in Damascus, have been closely monitoring the fast-evolving security and humanitarian situation in coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent,” the ICRC’s head of delegation in Syria, Stephan Sakalian, said in a written statement Sunday. The ICRC is “responding wherever possible, with further efforts underway, as hundreds of thousands of people need care and humanitarian assistance,” he said. Sakalian called “on all parties to urgently enable safe and unhindered access for medical and humanitarian workers to reach those in need, to protect civilians, and to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.” BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government said in a statement Sunday that it “supports all international and regional efforts seeking to open a dialogue” for Syria “leading to the adoption of a pluralistic constitution that preserves the human and civil rights of Syrians, and supports cultural, ethnic and religious diversity.” The statement from government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi, said that Iraq understands “the necessity of respecting the free will of all Syrians, and stresses that the security of Syria, the unity of its territories, and the preservation of its independence are of utmost importance, not only for Iraq but also for its connection to the security and stability of the region.” It cautioned against “interfering in Syria’s internal affairs, or supporting one party for the benefit of another.” Iraq, which has a close relationship with Iran - once a strong ally of former Syrian President Bashar Assad - has taken in some 2,000 Syrian army soldiers who fled the country amid the advance of armed opposition groups. CAIRO — The head of Yemen’s internationally recognized government welcomed the fall of the government of President Bashar Assad of Syria. “It’s a historic moment,” Rashad al-Alimi, who chairs the ruling presidential council, wrote on X platform of Assad’s downfall. “It’s time for the Iranian regime to stop meddling in Yemen, respect its sovereignty and identity.” Al-Alimi, who is backed by Saudi Arabia, was referring to Iran’s support of Houthi rebels who are at war with Yemen’s internationally recognized government for a decade. DAMASCUS — Families wandered through the high-ceilinged halls of the presidential palace in Damascus on Sunday, along with some armed men. Some paused to take family portraits or selfies on the few remaining couches against the backdrop of mosaiced walls, while others walked out with chairs and other items under their arms. On the massive parking lot out front, cars drove in circles honking ecstatically. In central Damascus’ Umayyad Square, drivers passing by also honked jubilantly, while young men piled onto a tank abandoned in the square. But for some the celebration was bittersweet. “I am very happy, but this happiness will not be completed until I can see my son out of the prison and know where is he is,” said Damascus resident Bassam Masr. “I have been searching for him for two hours - he has been detained for 13 years.” TEHRAN, Iran — Iran says the Syrian people should decide their country’s future “without destructive, coercive foreign intervention.” The Foreign Ministry statement issued Sunday marked Iran’s first official reaction to the overthrow of President Bashar Assad, who it had strongly backed through nearly 14 years of civil war. Assad’s government was a close ally of Iran that served as a crucial conduit between it and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The rebels who toppled Assad view Iran as a hostile foreign influence, and the abandoned Iranian Embassy in Damascus was ransacked as they entered the city. The Foreign Ministry statement said Iran supports Syria’s unity and national sovereignty, and hopes to see “the end of military conflicts, the prevention of terrorist activities and the start of a national dialogue” with the participation of all groups. “It is expected that the wise and farsighted relations of the two nations will continue based on mutual ties and interests,” the statement said. TEL AVIV, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli forces have seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria. He spoke from an overlook near the border between Syria and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, after Syrian rebels tore through the country and dramatically ended Assad’s rule on Sunday morning. Netanyahu said the 50-year-old agreement had collapsed and that Syrian troops had abandoned their positions, necessitating the Israeli takeover as a “temporary defensive position.” Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it. The international community, except for the United States, views it as occupied Syrian territory. Satellite images analyzed by the Associated Press show that as early as September, Israel began construction of what could possibly be a new road right along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria . The United Nations confirmed that Israeli troops entered the demilitarized zone during the work. The United Nations maintains a peacekeeping force in the demilitarized zone called the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, or UNDOF, with around 1,100 peacekeepers from Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal, and Uruguay. After the 1973 Mideast war, the U.N. Secretary Council voted to create UNDOF to patrol a roughly 400 square kilometer (155 square mile) demilitarized zone and maintain the peace there. MASNAA, Lebanon — At Lebanon’s Masnaa crossing into Syria, the mood was festive Sunday with some local Lebanese residents handing out congratulatory sweets to Syrians lined up to return to their country. Sami Abdel-Latif, a refugee from Hama who was heading to Syria to join his wife and four children, said while the future in Syria is still uncertain, “anything is better than Bashar.” He said he expected some chaos initially but that eventually the situation would settle down. “Look at Aleppo now,” he said, referring to the first major city taken over by opposition forces more than a week ago, where life has continued more or less as normal. Abdel-Latif, a construction worker, said he is also hoping that there will now be plentiful work in Syria to rebuild. Malak Matar, who was preparing to return to Damascus, said, “This is a feeling we’ve been waiting 14 years for. “You feel yourself psychologically free - you can express yourself,” he said. “The country is free and the barriers have been broken down.” Now, he said, “Syrians have to create a state that is well-organized and take care of their country. It’s a new phase.” DAMASCUS, Syria — An Associated Press journalist in Damascus reported airstrikes in the area of the Mezzeh military airport, southwest of the capital Sunday. The airport has previously been targeted in Israeli airstrikes, but it was not immediately clear who launched Sunday's strike. The Israeli military refused to comment on the airport strike. Israel often does not publicly claim responsibility for attacks in Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, reported that Israeli warplanes also targeted warehouses belonging to the Syrian army’s Fourth Division and another former military site outside of Damascus Sunday. On Saturday and Sunday, the Israeli military sent additional troops to the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights to bolster Israel’s presence along the border between Israel and Syria. Agricultural areas along the border were declared closed military zones and some schools shifted to online classes in anticipation of unrest. MOSCOW — Russia’s Foreign Ministry claimed Sunday that Bashar Assad had left Syria after negotiations with rebel groups, and gave “instructions” to “transfer power peacefully.” In a post on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday, the ministry said Moscow had not directly participated in these talks. It also said it has been following the “dramatic events” in Syria “with extreme concern." It also said Russian troops stationed in Syria have been put on high alert and that as of early afternoon Sunday, there was “no serious threat” to the security of Russia’s military bases there. Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, teaming up with Iran to allow Assad’s government to fight armed opposition groups and reclaim control over most of the country. While Russia now concentrates the bulk of its military resources in Ukraine, it has maintained a military foothold in Syria and keeps troops at its bases there.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's decision to break his word and pardon his son Hunter has spurred a broader discussion about what else he should be doing with the broad clemency powers of the presidency before he leaves office in January, including whether he should be pardoning Donald Trump. Biden on Tuesday ducked questions about his son, ignoring calls for him to explain his reversal as he was making his first presidential trip to Angola . He dismissed shouted questions about the matter with a laugh during a meeting with Angolan President João Lourenço at the presidential palace, telling the Angolan delegation: “Welcome to America.” Biden was not scheduled to take questions from the press during his trip to Africa, and he has largely avoided interactions with reporters since President-elect Trump’s victory last month. Biden’s decision to offer his son a blanket pardon for actions over the past 11 years has sparked a political uproar in Washington, after the president repeatedly had said he would not use his extraordinary powers for the benefit of his family. Biden claimed that the Justice Department had presided over a “miscarriage of justice” in prosecuting his son, using some of the same language that Trump uses to describe his own legal predicaments. Biden's reversal drew criticism from many Democrats , who are working to calibrate their approach to Trump as he prepares to take over the Oval Office in seven weeks. There is concern the pardon — and Biden's claims that his son was prosecuted for political reasons — will erode their ability to push back on the incoming president’s legal moves. And it has threatened to cloud Biden's legacy as he prepares to leave office on Jan. 20. Hunter Biden is the closest presidential relative ever to be granted clemency, but other leaders have pardoned family members and close friends. Bill Clinton pardoned his brother Roger for drug charges after Roger Clinton had served his sentence. By the time Trump left office after his first term, he had issued 144 pardons, which included Charles Kushner , the father of his son-in law, Jared Kushner. He also pardoned fervent supporters Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn and other people convicted in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. In the months after the 2020 election, Trump and his allies were trying to overturn his loss, a failed effort that culminated in the violent riot by his supporters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. There were discussions at the time over whether Trump would preemptively pardon some of those involved in the effort — and maybe even himself — before he left office. But that never happened. Now, Democrats are having similar discussions about preemptive pardons on their side because of Trump's rhetoric on the campaign trail. He's made no secret of his desire to seek revenge on those who prosecuted him or crossed him. He talks about "enemies from within." He's circulated social media posts that call for the jailing of Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former Vice President Mike Pence and Sens. Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer. He's also taken aim at Liz Cheney, a conservative Republican who campaigned for Harris, promoting a social media post that suggested he wanted military tribunals to punish her because she was guilty of treason. Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said last week on Boston Public Radio that Biden might consider broad pardons to protect people against whatever wrath Trump may seek, but also as a way to move the country past this acrimonious and divided time. “I think that without question, Trump is going to try to act in a dictatorial way, in a fascistic way, in a revengeful first year at least of his administration toward individuals who he believes harmed him,” Markey said. Presidents enjoy expansive pardon powers when it comes to federal crimes . That includes granting clemency to people who have not yet been charged, as President Gerald Ford did in 1974 when he pardoned his predecessor, Richard Nixon, over the Watergate scandal. The decision at the time caused an uproar but has been seen in the ensuing decades as a move that helped restore order. Markey cited Ford's pardon as a way for the country “just to close that chapter and move on to a new era.” Biden could do the same, Markey said, to help the country move on “to an agenda that deals with the ordinary families.” Sen. Joe Manchin, the Democrat-turned-independent from West Virginia, took it a step further and suggested Biden should even pardon Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, federal charges that are now evaporating with Trump's upcoming return to the White House. “Why don't you go ahead and pardon Donald Trump for all his charges?" he said in an interview with CNN. “It would have gone down a lot more balanced. I'm just saying, wipe them out.” At the same time, Democratic lawmakers and criminal justice reformers are pushing Biden to grant pardons to broad groups of Americans. Democrats Ayanna Pressley, Jim Clyburn and Mary Gay Scanlon wrote to Biden on Nov. 20, asking him to use his clemency powers to "address longstanding injustices in our legal system, and set our nation on the path toward ending mass incarceration.” The letter, also signed by 61 others, suggested Biden could use his powers to send a powerful message of criminal justice reform and "rectify unjust and unnecessary criminal laws passed by Congress and draconian sentences given by judges.” “We encourage you to use your clemency powers to help broad classes of people and cases, including the elderly and chronically ill, those on death row, people with unjustified sentencing disparities, and women who were punished for defending themselves against their abusers,” they wrote. So far, Biden has pardoned 25 people. Most presidents tend to grant a flurry of clemency requests at the end of their terms, and it's likely Biden will do the same. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said Biden is “thinking through that process very thoroughly.” Weissert reported from Luanda, Angola.
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You want to know what to me feels like having to sleep on wet wool blankets? Doing research, that’s what. There’s no getting ’round it, it’s just plain tiresome, and I really hate having to do it. Except this time. For this column, the research was way, way cool because I conducted it in my most favorite locations anywhere on earth — restaurants. Any restaurant. Because I could eat while I was doing it and because I could legally eavesdrop on people, because I had to, for the research you see. So, equipped with my palm-sized secret spy decoder tape recorder, I charged off into the vast unknown, prepared to sacrifice my all for this column. My job is my life. I exaggerate just a speck. I do that. The place to which I charged really wasn’t unknown, or even vast. It was downtown. I selected a semi-local eatery, sat and pretended to read a newspaper. (You can always espy a top-notch undercover researcher — they’re the ones pretending to read a newspaper.) But I was really eavesdropping. I heard a mother at the next table casually saying, “Hey! No karate in the restaurant,” to one of her young. Now when did mothers begin to drone that rule of good manners at their kids in restaurants? (And when did kids begin to do that in restaurants?) What happened to “stop playing with your food, get your elbows off the table, and stop those deafening suck/slurpings with your straw” issues? Forbidding karate while dining? I sure never heard that in my time. But that’s probably because karate hadn’t yet been invented. Martial arts for us was not such an exact science or even a phrase; when confronted by trouble, you ran or begged. “Nope,” said another mother pleasantly one day at a lunch booth next to mine, “You most certainly may not get married. You’re only 12. Now finish your meal. Money is tight this week, and I don’t want to waste it by having to send back your food.” Now, call me shallow, but did she seem more concerned with the waste of food than her pubescent’s wanting to be united in holy or otherwise wedlock? I mean, I’m as against starvation or the flagrant waste of money as the next person, but that mother never rippled an eyelash at her still-in-braces junior-high daughter’s request to be espoused. (The espouse was nowhere in sight.) It wasn’t too many years back, (that’s a lie) when I was being dinner time droned at myself, only I was not denied matrimonial bliss at 12. (That came eight years later when I told the folks I was definitely marrying Mongo.) Back then, I was advised to finish my meals because there were starving Chinese or Armenians or some other nationality somewhere out there who apparently, according to my know-it-all parents, went about coveting my mashed turnips. That’s why I had to finish, not because it was wasting money to not eat every scrap. Talking about money at the table, you see, was considered poor manners. If you desired a raise in allowance, for example, it was deemed unseemly to ask for it at the dinner table. Better it be done later at a more proper time, after dinner, preferably when the allowance-dispenser was a little into his after supping cups. The prospects for success were far more favorable that way. And one evening at a fast-eatery I heard, “Now look. Mom’s a little stressy tonight. And when Mom gets stressy and you act like a bunch of bone-nosed savages, you know she’s apt to break your little butts.” Mrs. Stressy’s kids, having obviously heard that empty threat frequently, glanced over at her Stress’s, right” expressions, and without missing a beat, went back to busily demonstrating their considerable behavior problems for the other diners. Overheard from a table at another food establishment where a family was having a goodbye party for their daughter who was off to college: “Honey, honey, we’ll miss you so much,” said the misty-eyed dad. “You’ll have a wonderful time.” “Yeah, yeah, sure Dad,” was the bored answer, delivered in the same tone kids use when you remind them to be home by 10 p.m. The commands I discharged at our progeny while dining were as follows: “Please, I must insist you do not shove peas up your nose in public,” or “Really, I have little desire to see your food being ground up in your mouth. Please consider screaming at your brother after your mouth has emptied,” or “If you feel compelled to belch so repeatedly while we are eating, you may leave the table and indulge that practice in the garage,” or “If you persist in propping yourself up on the table by your elbows, I shall be forced to knock them away with the gravy ladle,” or “It is getting so tiresome having to remind you every single day to remember to bring the food to your mouth, and not your mouth to the food,” or “Your father and I would so appreciate it if you’d cease bashing your brother on his skull with that salad bowl. It is made of a special sort of glass, and are no longer available,” or “For the 20th time this month, you must stop putting that jar of caterpillars on the table during meals. Doesn’t it occur to you that no one can eat when you do that? Be a little more considerate. They’ve been dead for weeks.” I’m telling the truth about all this, I swear. Want to hear just a couple more really good eavesdrops? At a tea room: “OK, OK, if you like really wanna know what I wanna do with my life, it’s like I wanna sleep as much as I can, and when I wake up I like wanna play games on my phone, and I wanna eat fries with ketchup and smoke a little weed, and then like I wanna go back to sleep. OK, you got that? Watcha so upset for? You axt me. Y’happy now?” Come to think of it, doing research isn’t all bad. LC Van Savage is a Brunswick writer. Comments are not available on this story. Send questions/comments to the editors. « PreviousUnretired two-time Pro Bowl LB Shaquil Barrett signs to resume career with Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Foodies left ‘horrified’ and say Aldi has gone ‘too far’ with new ‘vile’ £1.30 Christmas sauce – but what do you think?Many places across the country reported heavy flooding Flooding at Moat Park in Dundonald, Belfast. Photograph by Declan Roughan / Press Eye This was the scene on the Hillhall Road in Lisburn which had been closed to traffic. Photo - Andrew McCarroll/ Pacemaker Press This was the scene on the Hillhall Road in Lisburn which had been closed to traffic this morning Paul Gray of Crosspoint Church A man walking his dog carefully avoids the folded pathway as he walks on the grass along the banks of the Waterworks Swan Lake in north Belfast . Photo: Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX Northern Ireland is beginning to recover from chaotic weather over the weekend. Storm Bert arrived on Saturday causing power cuts, travel disruption and flooding, and a strong winds continued to batter Northern Ireland today. The Department for Infrastructure said it responded to more than 500 incidents since weather alerts were issued on Friday night. Winds of up to 67mph were recorded in Ballypatrick, Co Antrim on Saturday. Roads across counties Tyrone, Down and Antrim were blocked by trees and flood waters on Saturday, and properties were flooded in Dundonald, Kilcoo, Coalisland and Ballinamallard as well a Royal Mail property in Mallusk. The weather is expected to calm down as we head into the new week but many across the country will be dealing with the aftermath of the devastation wreaked by Storm Bert for many weeks to come. This was the scene on the Hillhall Road in Lisburn which had been closed to traffic. Photo - Andrew McCarroll/ Pacemaker Press Homes near Moat Park in Dundonald, Co Down were affected by flooding. Some residents at Park Avenue were trapped in their homes by the floodwater, with around 18 properties damaged. Several homes in Coalisland, Co Tyrone, have also been damaged. A local community centre has been opened for those affected. Their homes are now unoccupied with many residents currently waiting for emergency accommodation. Paul Gray is a Pastor of the Crosspoint Church in Dundonald. He opened the churches doors for residents affected by the flooding. “I got a phone call first thing in the morning telling me that there was flooding and I should go check on the church,” he said. “I went out and the church was fine but you could see the street at Moat Park was flooded. “So I said I would keep the church open for anyone that needed it.” Mr Gray said many residents were trapped inside their homes while the NI Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) attempted to find the source of the flooding and pump water away from the homes. “Initially we only had one family come to us because a lot of them were stuck in their homes,” he said. “That must have been very hard for them because the power had been out from the earlier morning and they had to stay upstairs.” Paul Gray of Crosspoint Church As the NIFRS cleared the flooding more families were able to come into the church or see the damage the floods caused to their homes. “It’s awful. I’ve seen videos from people and the water was up to their ankles or knee and everything they have is lost or water damaged,” Mr Gray said. “It clearly done a lot of damage to the homes.” He said the flooding has upset many residents. “It is a very distressing and stressful time for people because everything they have is ruined. “Some of them didn’t have house insurance and everything is gone. “One of the families has a five or six month old little baby and they were very distressed by everything.” Another family displaced by the flooding was an immigrant family who had only been living in Northern Ireland for a short time. “We have an Iranian family and they have only been here three or four months and they lost absolutely everything. They didn’t even have shoes,” Mr Gray said. “Their landlord came and sat with them, him and his partner sat with them for a long time and brought them some things they needed.” He said the local community in Dundonald had come together to support those affected by the flooding. “That is what the community is like here — we always come together. I had people volunteering here, people messaging me asking if we needed anything. “People were bringing down blankets, and cash donations and food. The local chip shop rang us up and said if we needed any food to just ring in and ask and they’d give it to us,” he said. The church quickly became a hub for residents to receive support from locals as well as the Housing Executive. “Not everyone came here. Some people just went and stayed with relatives but everyone that was here the council got them sorted with somewhere to stay for the next two nights before they get emergency accommodation sorted for them,” the pastor added. Mr Gray praised the local council, the Housing Executive and the NIFRS for their fast response to the flooding. “I can honestly say I think the response was flawless. They did everything they could as quickly as they could but it is very hard for the people affected, like they aren’t going to be back into their homes for months,” he said. This was the scene on the Hillhall Road in Lisburn which had been closed to traffic this morning An emergency payment scheme was activated at the weekend by Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, meaning householders who have suffered “severe inconvenience” from flooding can claim a £1,000 payment through their local council. The Met Office said the weather this week is expected to be much calmer than the weekend. It will begin cloudy and windy with some bright spells and scattered heavy showers. However they are not expected to be as strong as the heavy rainfall Storm Bert brought. The wind will ease and the showers gradually clear during Tuesday. This will leave Wednesday and Thursday mainly dry with bright spells and light winds, perhaps with rain later on Thursday. Into next weekend, we could expect to see light rain changing to overcast by lunchtime on Friday which will likely stay for the duration of the weekend. In the Republic, the storm, which landed overnight on Friday, flooded villages and roads, and disrupted travel. Torrential rainfall caused havoc across many rural communities with homes flooded, infrastructure damaged, roads left impassable, festive attractions closed and Christmas shopping interrupted. At its peak, over 60,000 homes and businesses were left without power as Storm Bert battered Ireland with torrential rainfall and high winds. A man walking his dog carefully avoids the folded pathway as he walks on the grass along the banks of the Waterworks Swan Lake in north Belfast . Photo: Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX Almost 50,000 people were successfully reconnected on Saturday evening as repair crews began operations once it was safe to do so. All businesses and householders were expected to be reconnected by last night. Thousands of customers also had water supplies hit by Storm Bert as treatment plants in Banteer, Fermoy and Dunmanway in Cork were impacted by the storm winds and flood waters. More than 100 roads nationwide, mostly rural, were left impassable on Saturday due to the combination of flooding, fallen trees and storm debris. In Co Donegal, Bridge Street in Killybegs was dramatically flooded, with homes and charities impacted, while the River Feale in west Limerick burst its banks. After alerts warning of rain, wind and snow lifted on Saturday, clean-up operations began and power supplies were restored to thousands of homes and businesses. However, the combination of damage to property and infrastructure, allied to the disruption of critical Christmas trade, is expected to see losses run to millions of Euro. Some traders fear they have suffered flood-related damage to much of their critical Christmas stock. Forecasters issued a low-level wind warnings for 13 counties across the island. Forecasters at Met Eireann said gusty winds will create a risk of fallen trees and difficult travelling conditions in these counties. Storm Bert also played havoc with public transport across Ireland with dozens of Iarnrod Eireann and Bus Eireann services either delayed or cancelled because of the conditions. A number of flights were also either delayed or diverted at the height of the storm. The public has also been urged to stay away from exposed coastal areas due to hazardous gusts which could continue for a couple of days.How major US stock indexes fared Tuesday, 12/3/2024
