Formula 1 expands grid to add General Motors' Cadillac brand and new American team for 2026 seasonProvince aims to create Alberta Drilling Accelerator test site to support new technologiesA history of the ’Diplo’ A 70-year odyssey against the tide by Le Monde diplomatique , 23 November 2024 A 70-year odyssey against the tide ↑ 1954 In the 1950s, diplomacy was intensifying due to the cold war, wars of independence, new states and the deployment of international institutions. The editor of the daily Le Monde , Hubert Beuve-Méry, decided to create a monthly entirely devoted to foreign affairs with François Honti, a journalist and former Hungarian consul in Geneva, serving as its editor-in-chief. Subtitled ‘A newspaper for diplomatic circles and large international organisations’ (‘Journal des cercles diplomatiques et des grandes organisations internationales’), Le Monde diplomatique was a modest eight-page supplement which bore little resemblance to the newspaper we have today. An article in the first issue laid out the programme: ‘to provide members of the diplomatic and consular services of all countries and the staff of the main international organisations, as well as their families, with an organ devoted to events and issues of particular interest to them’. Printed alongside long, official-sounding analyses were announcements by social movements and appointments to the diplomatic corps, as well as articles on the fashion shows that season. Here is an article from the first issue, entitled ‘Dance dresses, evening dresses’ (‘Robes à danser, robes du soir’). It reads:‘A parade of dance dresses and grand evening gowns is the collection’s grand finale, its apotheosis: they trumpet not only the couturier’s talent but also the fabric manufacturers’ great artistry, the embroiderers’ skill, the seamstresses’ patience. They combine the most extraordinary colours with the most spectacular shapes in a feast for the eyes.’ If you picked up the ‘Diplo’ in 1955, you could also read an account of the royal wedding of King Hussein of Jordan and princess Dina Abdul Hamid: June 1955 In April 1957, there was a description of the late Elizabeth II and her husband Philip’s visit to Paris: April 1957 Over its first decade, the monthly newspaper, which promised to ‘furnish copious and reliable information’, published — almost exclusively — articles by Le Monde journalists, diplomats and senior officials. Like its daily evening counterpart, Le Monde diplomatique had complete faith in the Bretton Woods institutions. Its conventional approach sometimes earned it the nickname of ‘the voice of the Quai d’Orsay’. November 1955 Winds of change While relations between the two blocs seemed to stabilise in the mid-1950s, history was accelerating across the rest of the world: the period saw the first Indochina war, the Algerian war and the independence of Morocco and Tunisia. In Egypt, Nasser nationalised the Suez canal in 1956. The failure of the French-English-Israeli military effort to stop him marked an epochal change. In China, the Communist revolution of 1949 had rocked the most populous country on earth. In Cuba, young guérilleros fought the Washington-backed dictatorship.In 1955, 29 countries in Africa and Asia — including India and China — met at Bandung. They denounced colonialism and imperialism, proclaimed their ‘non-alignment’ to the two parties in the cold war, and proclaimed their intention to develop autonomously: the ‘third world’, as it was called, was stirring. In the West, too, protests were succeeding, societies were transforming, lines were shifting. Germany was rearming, Europe created a common market, the US reeled under pressure from the civil rights movement. Le Monde diplomatique as we know it was born in this ferment, and its evolution mirrored the changes of the 1960s. 1973 The Claude Julien era In 1969, Hubert Beuve-Méry retired. Jacques Fauvet succeeded him as editor of Le Monde and Claude Julien became the head of the prestigious foreign desk. In 1973, Julien, a journalist and Christian intellectual who was critical of the US and neoliberal economics, took the helm at Le Monde diplomatique . When he was a young man, Julien had been a member of the Résistance in the Tarn department. After the second world war, he studied journalism in the US, then moved to Morocco, where he supported the independence movement and was expelled by the colonial authorities. He joined Le Monde ’s foreign desk in 1951, covering the US during the decade of the civil rights struggle, going to Cuba during the revolution and publishing incisive works like L’Empire américain (1968). 1973 was the year of the energy crisis, the Yom Kippur war, the coup in Chile; Julien would remain in post until after the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989). Within a few months of his appointment — with the help of the journalist Micheline Paunet and two intellectuals, Ignacio Ramonet then Bernard Cassen — he had transformed the newspaper. The small team changed the page layout, modernised the design, increased the number of pages and widened the purview to include culture, the environment and communication technologies. New sections appeared: film reviews from a political angle, ‘Politics and literature’ etc. Furthermore, Julien established the line of the newspaper to this day: non-alignment. Poster for the May 1985 edition Unlike many media organisations, the ‘Diplo’ decided not to treat ‘third world’ countries simply as actors on a geopolitical chessboard, but to cover them as equal societies, with their own internal political games, culture and social and intellectual movements. Poster for the November 1983 edition Alongside these changes, the paper’s stable of writers became more diverse, and its pages were opened up to historians, philosophers, economists, sociologists, reporters, artists, activists, writers and more. Then came the ousting of far-right regimes in Europe (Portugal, Greece and Spain), the newfound independence of Mozambique and Angola (1975), the coup d’état in Argentina (1976). With each advance and backlash, the monthly newspaper deviated further from the neutral positioning of the daily Beuve-Méry had founded, asserted its ‘third-world’ line and took the side of the periphery over the centre, the dominated over the dominant. In 1982, a little-known episode provoked strong feelings on rue des Italiens, the headquarters of Le Monde . Claude Julien, who had been elected two years before to succeed Jacques Fauvet at the helm of the daily, was fired before he even started as a result of a politically-motivated internal intrigue. At a moment when the left was in power in France — and hadn’t yet given up on changing the economic order — a different Le Monde would have tipped the ideological scales... Julien returned to Le Monde diplomatique , where his freedom was unconstrained and he had the official title of director to guarantee his editorial independence. Poster for the September 1984 edition Over the course of the 1980s, his international analyses and his editorials railing against the French left’s betrayals caused a stir, as did Micheline Paunet’s rigour, which was such that many contributors still remember being confronted with her fatal verdict: ‘This is not very Diplo’ (‘Ça, c’est pas du Diplo’). Seeing things Solange Brand, who was responsible for layout and images, constructed a singular visual identity for the paper and began to trace a subterranean relationship between the articles and images. She would be succeeded by Alice Barzilay, then Maria Ierardi. Asking avant-garde visual artists and photographers to respond to articles by intellectuals resulted in a unique dialogue that made Le Monde diplomatique stand out — though it shocked some readers. The illustrator Selçuk’s drawings, with their hidden meanings, were featured in almost every issue, opening up a new dimension to the articles. They seemed to say: ‘This is not a press cartoon!’ Manière de voir In 1987, the team, now bolstered by the arrival of Alain Gresh, Christian de Brie and Jacques Decornoy, published the first issue of Manière de voir : a quarterly, then bimonthly publication that reprinted articles from the monthly by theme, enhancing them with new material, bibliographical elements, maps and graphs. The second issue of Manière de Voir was published under the title ‘Liberalism against freedoms’. A duty of disrespect In the 1980s, Le Monde diplomatique , which had until recently flourished alongside the political emergence of the ‘third world’ and protests in the West, found itself faced with a brutal ideological reversal. With Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan and Helmut Kohl, the neoliberal counter-revolution was growing while great revolutionary hopes were ebbing away and the Eastern bloc was disintegrating. From an initial distribution of 5,000 copies, Le Monde diplomatique was now selling 150,000 each month. ‘Produced by a very small team that relies on hundreds of collaborators scattered around the world, Le Monde diplomatique is, and wants to remain, a modest newspaper,’ Claude Julien said in 1984. His collected articles, pieces published in the monthly paper, was published in 1979 and entitled Le Devoir d’irrespect (A duty of disrespect): naming a mission that successive editorial teams have worked hard to bring to life. 1990 As a specialist in theories of communication, the new editorial director Ignacio Ramonet had both a scientific and a literary background. He took the helm in December 1990, on the eve of the collapse of the Soviet Union, US-inflicted shock therapy, the Gulf war, the proliferation of information technology and all things audiovisual. While the mainstream media was united in celebrating a cult of ‘happy globalisation’, hailing the advent of an American century and the Europe of Maastricht, the ‘Diplo’ continued its odyssey against the tide. Its arguments could be heard all the more clearly because the number of critical voices had thinned out, from socialists moving towards the centre to disoriented communists. The ‘Diplo’ stood out in a media-sphere increasingly ruled by money, and its circulation increased significantly. Each month, the radio show ‘Là-bas si j’y suis’, hosted by Daniel Mermet on France Inter, contributed to making the newspaper’s preoccupations and pursuits known to a wider audience. The team, enhanced by the arrival of Serge Halimi, documented the ravages of the free market, analysed the climate crisis, denounced the hypocrisy of military humanitarianism and described the geopolitics of the chaos created by Western interference. In France, Edouard Balladur’s ideological ice age had frozen public debate to the point where the word ‘capitalism’ had practically disappeared from the media. Le Monde diplomatique was working to provide the tools for a critical renewal. On the one hand, it castigated ‘ la pensée unique ’ and ‘reverential journalism’, and documented the ‘tyranny of communication’. On the other, it explored new forms of resistance, in Latin America in particular . In November-December 1995, France’s great revolt against neoliberal Europe changed the terms of the country’s ideological debate. The shock split the left, unions and intellectuals. Le Monde diplomatique welcomed into its pages proponents of a new radical critique, led in particular by the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu , and itself became more present on the activist scene. The edition in English — a concise, translated version of the parent edition — began as an online publication in late 1996, led by the journalist Wendy Kristianasen, to share the paper’s arguments with the English-speaking world. In December 1997, the editorial ‘ Disarming the markets ’ closed on a proposal. ‘Why not set up a new worldwide non-governmental organisation, Action for a Tobin Tax to Assist the Citizen (ATTAC)?’, Ignacio Ramonet suggested. Cue hundreds of letters arriving at the newspaper’s headquarters. So, along with several organisers in the social movement, the newspaper created ATTAC. From Seattle to Larzac via Porto Alegre, from world social forums to counter-summits, alter-globalisation challenged the institutions of free trade and filled the monthly’s pages. In the meantime, the newspaper shook up its shareholder structure. In 1996, thanks to a $1m donation from Gunter Holzmann, a former German resistance fighter against Nazism, the newspaper team bought 24% of the capital from Le Monde , while its readers, under the banner of the organisation Les Amis du Monde Diplomatique, took on 25%. As a legally separate entity from Le Monde , and as it now had (along with its readers) a blocking minority, Le Monde diplomatique enjoyed a form of independence made even more sturdy by the fact that the editorial director, who also chaired the board of directors, had to be elected by all members of the team. This autonomy was particularly in evidence in 2000, when the ‘Diplo’ criticised the decision — made by Le Monde ’s management trio, Jean-Marie Colombani, Edwy Plenel and Alain Minc — to be listed on the stock market. While it refused the ‘financial modernity’ that was all the rage in the media, Le Monde diplomatique was, in February 1996, an internet pioneer. Among the French press, it was the first to have a website. Led by Philippe Rivière, it contributed, via the free software SPIP, to the creation of an ecosystem of alternative publications that would take the top spot on the web at the beginning of the 2000s. In 2006, Mona Chollet worked in the web division before joining the editorial staff. A radical, rigorous and aesthetically pleasing cartography was developing at the newspaper, an initiative driven by Philippe Rekacewicz and Cécile Marin. This provided new ways of seeing the order and disorder of the world, and would lead to the creation of numerous atlases in the 2000s and 2010s. A unique network of international editions was also growing. Until recently limited to English, Italian, German, Portuguese, Greek, Spanish and Arabic, it was beginning to extend to several dozen countries, making Le Monde diplomatique the most translated French newspaper in the world. Between 1995 and 2002, Dominique Vidal (Middle East), Maurice Lemoine (Latin America), Anne-Cécile Robert (Africa) and Martine Bulard (Asia) joined the editorial staff. NATO’s Kosovo war in 1999, the attacks of 11 September 2001 followed by the West’s invasions of Afghanistan, then Iraq , the second Intifada, the red wave in Latin America all provided the team new editorial battles to be waged. While, in the spring of 2005, the fight against the European Constitution Treaty was won, activists had been discouraged and divided by the failure, in 2003, of the long strike against pension reforms and the focus of public debate on issues like the Islamic veil. Sales of the newspaper, which had peaked with the alter-globalisation wave, slowed. 2008 Just as, in 2008, the most monumental global financial crisis in contemporary history hit, Serge Halimi began his mandate as editorial director. Halimi had a specialism in the US, where he had taught political economy, and was the author of works about the media and the great (neoliberal) leap backward. He at once had to answer a vital question: most newspapers, seized by digital intoxication , were choosing to put their articles online for free, in the hope that advertising would be their golden goose; Le Monde diplomatique was one of the first to reserve most of its editorial content for its subscribers, while making a limited number of articles accessible to all. Faced with the rise of social media and rolling news networks, the ‘Diplo’ refused the dictatorship of immediacy and instead used Twitter to post incentives for readers to delve back into its now entirely digitalised archives.Paradoxically, this era of real-time information superabundance saw an increase in confusion. Le Monde diplomatique suggested that its readers ‘stop and think’ about subjects that demand a longer view. There were many such subjects in this period. Between 2008 and 2015, the collapse of financial institutions, the bailout of the banks and the austerity that governments then imposed on the people of Europe, in particular in Greece, were the subject of in-depth analyses, notably by the economist Frédéric Lordon . The newspaper sent young journalists to report on the Occupy movement, popular protests against financial exploitation and burgeoning feminist and LGBT demonstrations throughout the world. At the same time, under Alain Gresh’s initiative, the hopes, victories and setbacks of the Arab Spring were contextualised in history and geopolitical power relations. In March 2010, as Barack Obama was hypnotising the Western world, Le Monde diplomatique invited Noam Chomsky to Paris. In a packed room at La Mutualité, the American linguist and critic analysed US imperial policy. His argument would be strikingly illustrated the following year with the destruction of the Libyan state by NATO powers and in 2013, with Edward Snowden’s revelations on US intelligence agencies’ illegal spying. It had become even more crucial for the ‘Diplo’ not to adopt the ‘ strategy of emotion ’ that served as an editorial compass for the mainstream media — and this was a delicate balancing act following the Islamist attacks of 2015-2016, particularly the one on the Charlie Hebdo team. Through the stream of bloody images and the anti-Muslim atmosphere provoked by the rise of ISIS in Europe, the editorial team tirelessly defended freedom of expression, including the right to blasphemy and the right to protest, and offered an increasingly cross-sectional analysis of international news. In times of data, capital, goods and refugee flows, global phenomena such as global warming broke down the barriers of an editorial team traditionally organised by sector and geographical area. In 2014, the campaign led by the newspaper against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership mobilised the entire team. Le Monde diplomatique ’s circulation began to grow again. In previous years, readers had contributed to the company’s financial health by responding enthusiastically to its fundraising campaigns. Once the coffers were replenished, these campaigns stopped. The workforce — which had moved from its original office on the premises of Le Monde to a building that had formerly been used by a cattle dealer (bought and renovated by the ‘Diplo’ in 2000) — had grown to around thirty employees, as well as several dozen freelance journalists and academics. Over the 2010s, the management and unions developed a salary scale and collective agreements, professionalising what had previously been a ‘family’ style of management of a team with strong personalities. The Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump to the White House confirmed two editorial axes that have characterised Le Monde diplomatique for decades.First, its analysis of the arrogance of urban Western educated classes living in echo chambers, who were being powerfully rejected. The French bourgeoisie’s reaction to the ‘gilets jaunes’ movement in 2018 provided a further illustration of this. Then, a disciplinary takeover of public space under the pretext of fighting against ‘ fake news ’. Because — from Trump and Putin’s alleged complicity, to the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine — liberal elites have also continued to relay false information and censor true information in order to conveniently shape the debate. Fake news and false oppositions In the early 2020s, the editorial battle continued against the military and moral rearmament of a ‘liberal’ West opposed to ‘authoritarian’ regimes. The editorial staff of Le Monde diplomatique was almost alone in a warmongering French media landscape in critically analysing both Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Western provocations that preceded it, as well in interrogating the coherence of the ‘ global South that challenged the hegemony of the North. Ultimately, seven decades after the Bandung Conference, the same questions arose in a new global configuration: would the people burst into the sumptuous banquet of the powerful, and how would they manage this? 70 years later On 30 September of this year, the team, its writers and the readers’ organisation came together at the Cité universitaire in Paris to celebrate the newspaper’s 70th birthday, and the publication of its most recent book, which is about history. On that occasion, Benoît Bréville, who was elected editorial director in 2022, pointed out that the very existence of a newspaper like Le Monde diplomatique is an anomaly: Some have judged the newspaper’s tone too critical. But over the last twenty years the ‘Diplo’ has often made proposals: for a tax on financial transactions , maximum wage , universal basic income and to free the fourth estate . We have analysed different strategies for standing up to the European Commission, confronting the euro crisis and the debt crisis, taking power away from the stock market and disarming finance... We await a government willing to implement them. Le Monde diplomatique serves as a compass because, as the right-left divide becomes increasingly blurred and progressive forces are scattered, it works hard to stay on course. It does not abandon its principles, values and struggles the moment they are taken over and distorted by others. We continue to criticise NATO and Atlanticist hegemony even though Viktor Orbán and Donald Trump have positioned themselves in this niche. We continue to denounce the austerity and free-trade dictates of the European Union, even though Marine Le Pen and Matteo Salvini in turn have adopted this language. Just as we continue to defend freedom of expression and denounce all forms of censorship, even though the fight has been taken up by the far right. Rather than abandoning our principles, we are working to expose these new converts’ hypocrisy and duplicity. When every media outlet seeks social media approval and avoids ruffling its community’s feathers, the ‘Diplo’ does not hesitate to irritate and even upset. What would be the point of a newspaper that only ever confirmed its readers’ assumptions? Today, our publication seems almost alien: most newsrooms are emptying; robots, algorithms and software are replacing humans; our team continues to grow and the newspaper is still produced by hand, ‘the old way’, with a proofreader, photoengraver and iconographer... As power becomes more concentrated and pressure on the media increases, as newspapers are passed from right-wing billionaire to far-right billionaire, the ‘Diplo’ fiercely cultivates its independence, with a shareholder structure that remains unchanged since 1996. As trends dictate that publications use only the shortest and the simplest forms, the ‘Diplo’ publishes long, sometimes difficult, articles on Bangladesh or the Freudian Unconscious. And it seems like, amidst the hubbub, many readers want to stop and think with us. This is what we have observed over the course of the many debates in which the team participates, often with the help of the Amis du Monde diplomatique — when readers thank us or challenge us in sometimes demanding but always enthusiastic, often joyful, ways. In these meetings, the team can measure the very special relationship between the newspaper and its readership — a group of vigilant and attentive, loyal and committed people. They sometimes tell us, in turn, about the moment they discovered the newspaper. For some, it was during the first Gulf war or at the time of the Kosovo war, and they describe the relief of coming across a newspaper that did not relay Western propaganda . For others, it was at a rally. These days, it is often in the context of the killing in Gaza. It was reading an article by Henry Laurens on the end of the Ottoman Empire ; a poem by Mahmoud Darwish ; a letter from John Berger to Subcomandante Marcos; or a short story by Margaret Atwood. One reader is at school, another is a college student. Some landed in Paris after fleeing Iran or Chile. They come to us through an aunt who is a long-time subscriber, or through a history and geography teacher who advised them to read ‘Le Diplo’. So long as this newspaper is able to weave these stories with its readers and collaborators, its future will be in good hands. Le Monde diplomatique Translated by Lucie Elven Share this article × Here is a terrific article you should definitely read: “A 70-year odyssey against the tide”, by Le Monde diplomatique (November 2024) // https://mondediplo.com/10584 This message is too long for Twitter. Copy this message Give this article to a friend140 slotvip 。

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There are two certainties on social media with every Christmas season. On the positive side, there will be countless posts of people sharing their Christmas traditions, decorations, and reasons for celebrating the season. Some of those will be secular in nature, while many practicing Christians will share the true meaning of the holiday: the birth of Jesus Christ. The other certainty is that these celebrations will cause anti-theists to completely melt down and spread their hatred of anyone who dares to speak openly in public about their Christian faith. One of the latest to experience this backlash was pop singer Gwen Stefani. Recently, the former lead singer for No Doubt and a self-professed devout Roman Catholic shared a pledge she was making for the Advent season in conjunction with the Catholic prayer app Hallow. The challenge is a simple one, just to say a prayer every day leading up to Christmas. Harmless, right? Just one person celebrating their faith, not demanding anyone else celebrate with her, but giving those who wish to do so a convenient way to share their Christmas prayers. Well, maybe not so harmless, at least not to anti-theists. Check out how the account Christian Nightmares reacted to Stefani's announcement: Gwen Stefani?! Jesus Christ... pic.twitter.com/o0dKHDx27V We will skip past the irony of an account called 'Christian Nightmares' invoking Jesus Christ to protest Stefani and her prayer pledge. (We're guessing the irony is lost on them as well.) Others who cannot abide anyone celebrating their faith had similar reactions. I can’t believe this woman used to be really cool and make cool music. This hurts my soul. Your soul? Yet more irony, again completely lost on the author of the reply. I loved No Doubt growing up. You broke my heart Gwen. You broke my heart She broke your heart because she prays? Yeah, we're guessing you may not have had one to begin with. I used to really like her 🙄👇 https://t.co/3b6EuWZA1C We're sure she's devastated that you no longer do. gwen stefani’s death has to be one of the saddest moments i’ve seen in my lifetime. may she rest in peace https://t.co/0Th05qy3a9 Yikes. ALL the yikes. That one is extremely scary. Gavin Rossdale basically outed her as a republican and said they had very different politics. This, and her marrying Blake Shelton is so unsurprising LOL. The fact that being Christian is automatically equated with being a Republican is both hilarious and damning to the Democrat Party. For the record, Stefani is not a conservative. She was a major Barack Obama donor, she performed for Joe Biden as recently as last year, and she refuses to be labeled in either party. But she is Catholic, so she must be a 'right-wing extremist.' Ironically, if anything did move Stefani ever-so-slightly to the right, it was likely the left trying to cancel her for 'cultural appropriation.' She has frequently talked about how she likes to show her love for Japanese culture. She also often wore bindis and saris on stage both as an expression of her admiration for Indian culture and as a nod to her No Doubt bandmate (and former boyfriend) Tony Kanal, who is an Indian American. Oh, that brought the cancel mob down upon her in droves back in the early 2000s. Can anyone blame her if she then embraced some of the conservative aspects of her political beliefs a little more tightly? Fortunately, as vile as the anti-theists were, there were plenty more ready to congratulate Stefani and come to her defense. lol everyone finding out their favorite ska-punk Barbie is *gasp* Catholic https://t.co/ARXRxbKMnl It's not like Stefani was hiding this or anything. She has talked openly about her Catholic faith for pretty much her entire professional career. Yeah. She’s Catholic. This isn’t the *own* you think it is. https://t.co/cPTxMu3QhX Some of you struggle with your faith in Jesus Christ, but Gwen Stefani has no doubt. https://t.co/j9ssSNUzfz Ahh, clever. We see what you did there, Cobra. Christmas itself is upsetting to these people. https://t.co/TKQCiUOAh8 Of course, it is. Imagine being upset by this? https://t.co/RNE1yPSCvt It's not all that surprising. If anyone ever talks about their Christianity, particularly someone famous, these people lose their minds. Only demons would be upset by this. https://t.co/prW8nBnSgH Hey, she said it, not us. (But we kind of agree with it.) Gwen Stefani’s Christian glow up is one of the best things about 2024. We don't know about 'best.' But it's certainly a positive thing that happened in 2024. We could use a lot more of it. I'm an atheist but i think religion is lovely. Good for Gwen I’m not Christian anymore and I have zero problem with this. What’s your deal? There is a big difference between being an agnostic or an atheist and being an anti-theist. Anti-theists have a problem with everyone , and they never shut up about it. They're like the vegans of religious discourse. I love Gwen Stefani even more now for this.🥰 It's a beautiful ad, and she looks beautiful presenting it. I love this message! 🙏🏻❤️🎄 https://t.co/2lBiZwfF3B Imagine showing yourself this video in 1994. Seriously, I think it’s great that Gwen Stefani is a Christian, and is now more vocal about her faith. This is incredibly healthy for American culture. https://t.co/z0j2yM2W2U It is all of that. As we said, our culture could use a lot more of this and a lot less of cults that demand everyone accept insane ideas like boys can be girls and girls can be boys. I'll never forget when my ex's liberal mother started screeching at brunch because she saw a truck drive by with an American flag on the back. She yelled so loud the entire restaurant stopped, like a demon in an exorcism That's what this account reminds me of https://t.co/zirHRPrfPw Wow. That's a frightening mother-in-law. And yes, she is exactly like the anti-theists who react to any signs of religious faith from anyone like a vampire reacts to garlic. “Is it me who’s out of touch? No! It’s Gwen Stefani and the other billion+ people!” 😂 HA. It's funny, though, how the anti-theists never react this way to say, practicing Muslims. They tend to focus almost exclusively on Judeo-Christian expressions of faith. If you guessed the reason for that, you win a prize. Because they are not really anti-religion per se. They just want everyone to adhere to their religion, which is Marxism. And Jewish and Christian beliefs are diametrically opposed to that. We're sure that there will be a lot more of this screeching from anti-theist accounts on Twitter as Christmas draws closer. The good news is that nothing they can say will deter any Christians. Especially not any Christians as strong in their faith as Gwen Stefani is.US expected to send £1 billion in weapons to Ukraine before Trump takes office

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CARSON, Calif. (AP) — The LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls have been Major League Soccer mainstays since the league's inaugural season in 1996, signing glamorous players and regularly competing for championships through years of success and setbacks in a league that's perpetually improving and expanding. Yet just a year ago, both of these clubs appeared to be a very long way from the stage they'll share Saturday in the MLS Cup Final . The Galaxy were one of MLS’ worst teams after a season of internal turmoil and public fan dissent, while the Red Bulls were merely a steady mediocrity seeking yet another coach to chart a new direction. A year later, these MLS founders are meeting in the league's first Cup final between teams from North America's two biggest markets. “Two original clubs being able to put themselves in this situation, I think it’s great,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “To see two clubs that have been at it as long as this league has been around be here, I think it’s a special moment. Couldn’t be two more different and contrasting styles as well, which could make for an interesting game, and I would imagine a high-intensity game.” Everything changed in 2024 after a dismal decade for the Galaxy , who are favored to cap their transformation by winning their team's record sixth MLS championship with a roster that's dramatically different from its past few groups — albeit with one massive injury absence in the final. The transformation of the Red Bulls happened only in the postseason, when a team that hadn't won a playoff game since 2017 suddenly turned into world-beaters under rookie coach Sandro Schwarz. New York struggled through the final three months of league play with only two wins before posting road playoff victories over defending champ Columbus , archrival New York City FC and conference finalist Orlando to storm into the Cup final. “We know about the history (of our club), and we know tomorrow will define what that could mean,” Schwarz said Friday. “To feel the pressure for tomorrow, it’s necessary, because it’s a final, and without pressure it’s not possible to bring the best quality on the field.” The Red Bulls have never won an MLS Cup, only reaching the championship match once before. What's more, they've somehow never won a Cup in any tournament, although they’ve collected three Supporters’ Shields for MLS' best regular-season record. The Galaxy’s trophy case is large and loaded, and those five MLS Cups are on the top shelf. But not much of that team success happened in the past decade for the club that famously brought David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard and many other international stars to Hollywood. In fact, this season has ended a grim era for the Galaxy, who haven't lost all year at their frequently renamed home stadium — which was the site of protests and boycotts just a year ago. The club's fans were tired of LA's steady underachievement and ineptitude in the front office run by team president Chris Klein, who was fired in May 2023. One year ago Thursday, the Galaxy hired Will Kuntz, a longtime Los Angeles FC executive who engineered his new club's roster transformation, most dramatically by landing new designated players Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil — two international talents that LAFC also had in its sights. “I give Will and the group up there a ton of credit,” Vanney said. “It’s one thing to have players you like, and it’s a whole other thing to get them here and get them to connect with your group.” Pec and Paintsil combined for 32 goals and 27 assists while boosting the incumbent talents of striker Dejan Joveljic and Riqui Puig, the gifted Barcelona product who runs the offense from the midfield. The Galaxy clicked in the postseason, scoring a jaw-dropping 16 goals in four matches. Puig has been the Galaxy's most important player all season, but he won't be in the MLS Cup Final after tearing a knee ligament late in last week's conference final victory over Seattle . The loss of Puig — who somehow kept playing on his injured knee, and even delivered the game-winning pass to Joveljic — makes the Galaxy even more difficult to anticipate. “He played a lot in the regular season, so it was not so easy to analyze all these games now without him,” Schwarz said. “But the main focus is to analyze what we need to do, because it’s not clear now how they’re playing without him.” The Galaxy could give some of Puig's responsibilities to Marco Reus, the longtime Dortmund standout who joined LA in August. Reus is nursing a hamstring injury, but Vanney expects him to play. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccerNASA Accelerates Space Exploration, Earth Science for All in 2024

10 notable books of 2024, from Sarah J. Maas to Melania TrumpPNC Financial Services Group Inc. lowered its holdings in NVR, Inc. ( NYSE:NVR – Free Report ) by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,064 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 37 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in NVR were worth $10,440,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NVR. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in NVR by 125.7% during the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 3,024 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $24,494,000 after purchasing an additional 1,684 shares during the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of NVR by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,405 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $19,480,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in NVR by 7.7% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 406 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,283,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in NVR by 98.9% in the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 17,469 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $141,498,000 after acquiring an additional 8,684 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in NVR by 1,285.4% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 568 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,601,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock. Insider Buying and Selling In other news, Director David A. Preiser sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9,302.64, for a total value of $2,325,660.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 239 shares in the company, valued at $2,223,330.96. This trade represents a 51.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . Also, CAO Matthew B. Kelpy sold 400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9,450.00, for a total transaction of $3,780,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 208 shares in the company, valued at $1,965,600. This represents a 65.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold a total of 775 shares of company stock valued at $7,294,073 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock. Analyst Ratings Changes Check Out Our Latest Research Report on NVR NVR Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:NVR opened at $9,007.24 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 6.21, a quick ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $9,422.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $8,587.74. The company has a market cap of $27.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.20. NVR, Inc. has a 12 month low of $6,052.58 and a 12 month high of $9,964.77. NVR ( NYSE:NVR – Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The construction company reported $130.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $131.00 by ($0.50). The business had revenue of $2.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.71 billion. NVR had a return on equity of 38.20% and a net margin of 16.51%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $125.26 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that NVR, Inc. will post 494.48 EPS for the current year. About NVR ( Free Report ) NVR, Inc operates as a homebuilder in the United States. The company operates through, Homebuilding and Mortgage Banking segments. It engages in the construction and sale of single-family detached homes, townhomes, and condominium buildings under the Ryan Homes, NVHomes, and Heartland Homes names. The company markets its Ryan Homes products to first-time and first-time move-up buyers; and NVHomes and Heartland Homes products to move-up and luxury buyers. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NVR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for NVR, Inc. ( NYSE:NVR – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for NVR Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for NVR and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .To really narrow digital divides, Canada should consistently fund adult education programs

Elon Musk Brings Back Shadowbanning, Conservatives Report Loss of Verification Following H-1B Fracas

Healey: Proscription status of Syria’s new rulers is not a matter for nowChristians need Ottawa's protection insists Conservative MP supported by the U.S. VP elect

Shoojit Sircar’s latest directorial venture, I Want To Talk, had a disappointing start at the box office on its opening day. Amid all this a show of the film was forcefully cancelled and replaced by Vikrant Massey's The Sabarmati Report and netizens are not happy. According to Sacnilk.com, the slice-of-life drama earned just Rs 25 lakh nett in India on Friday. The movie, starring Abhishek Bachchan in the lead role, was released worldwide on November 22. I Want To Talk show forcefully cancelled? A social media user shared a video where the multiplex manager can be seen breaking the news to people how they will have to cancel the show of Abhishek Bachchan's I Want To Talk and replace it with The Sabarmati Report because of a 'glitch in film's content.' Sharing the video on Instagram, the angry user wrote, "Why the f*** would I want to watch The Sabarmati Report in place of I want to talk? It’s like replacing Sachin Tendulkar with Sanjay Manjarekar!! Also, i got a very strong feeling yesterday that the theatre was consciously trying to push the audience to watch The Sabarmati Report, conspiracy theory ye hai ki oopar se farmaan aya hai..." Angry netizens have flooded the comment section with irritated and disappointed face emojis. One user wrote, "Ye toh galat hai..." whereas another one wrote, "Take your money back and leave" More about I Want To Talk I Want To Talk celebrates the life of Arjun Sen (Abhishek Bachchan), who has separated from his wife and lives with his daughter Reya (Pearle Dey/Ahilya Bamroo). He is a marketing genius living in the USA. At the peak of his career, he is diagnosed with an advanced stage of Laryngeal cancer. Arjun is given only 100 days to live and he has to survive for his loved ones. The film is produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Shoojit Sircar under Rising Sun Films. Ritesh Shah has written the story based on Arjun Sen, who also happens to be a friend of the director. I Want To Talk also stars Johnny Lever It released in theatres on November 22, 2024. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Bollywood, Entertainment News and around the world.Should You Buy QuantumScape While It's Below $7.50?

Players Era Festival organizers betting big NIL is future of college tourneysAlberta’s government said it will invest up to $50 million to support the creation of a first-in-Canada drilling test site to support technology development in the oil, gas, geothermal and lithium industries. The Alberta Drilling Accelerator is intended to be an open-access, industry-led site where companies can test drilling technologies at deep depths, high temperatures and varying rock types. A location for the hub site has yet to be determined. While no binding contracts have been signed, the province said several companies have expressed strong interest in serving as anchor tenants, including Calgary-based geothermal company Eavor Technologies, Tourmaline Oil Corp. and international oilfield service supermajor Halliburton. The money the province is providing will come from the industry-funded Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) program, which Alberta’s heavy emitters are required to pay into as part of the province’s industrial carbon pricing system. The provincial government said the Alberta Drilling Accelerator could start operating in 2026.

Live updates of the second test between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. After Harry Brook (123) led England to 280, the Black Caps fell to 86-5 at stumps on day one Tom Blundell and nightwatchman Will O’Rourke were dismissed on the second morning Gus Atkinson wrapped up the tail with three wickets in as many deliveries The Black Caps’ team meetings must be brief affairs based on all the topics that apparently go unmentioned. Tom Latham’s side will remain unchanged for the second cricket test against England, starting on Friday at the Basin Reserve, as the hosts opted for a typically steady approach despite last week’s eight-wicket loss at Hagley Oval. Poor fielding and unconvincing batting left New Zealand trailing 1-0 in the series, the same scoreline that greeted these teams on their last trip to Wellington. It was then, in February 2023, the Black Caps became the third team in history to win a match after being asked to follow-on, a one-run margin making for a test no observer would ever forget. It’s also a test no home player had discussed this week, with Latham disappointing a narrative-chasing press pack by pointing to the differences in teams 22 months later. Indeed, England will have five new faces – including an entirely new bowling group – while the home side have selected four – with only Matt Henry and Tim Southee returning from their attack. Southee’s place could have been under threat after the veteran had been the least effective of the seam quartet in Christchurch. But despite spinning allrounder Mitchell Santner joining the squad, Latham said Southee’s potential omission was never raised. Instead, Southee will play the penultimate match in what will end a 107-test career, needing five sixes to reach 100 and a much unlikelier 13 wickets to finish with 400. Test rookie Nathan Smith loomed as the odd man out had conditions led the Black Caps to believe the Basin pitch would offer turn, a prospect discounted by Latham when confirming a “fantastic” Smith would play at his home ground. Spinners Nathan Lyon and Glenn Phillips did enjoy success when Australia won at the venue in March, but that came in warmer and drier weather at the end of the home summer. “The wicket took a little bit of spin, which surprised us,” Latham said. “But going by the games here [this season], the Wellington first-class games, I think the balance that we’ve gone with is the right balance for this for this wicket. “We obviously have some spin options in that top seven anyway. We think it’s the right fit.” Phillips was set to remain at No 7, despite the allrounder having in the last three months been left stranded on 49 not out in Galle, 48no in Pune and 58no in the first test. Latham said then that no discussions had occurred about an elevation ahead of Tom Blundell to No 6, with the wicketkeeper now averaging 13.5 in 14 tests since last March. Tom Blundell has been returning quickly to the pavilion in recent tests. Photo / Photosport That barren run began following Blundell’s pivotal 90 in the improbable revival against England, an innings that lifted his average to 55.2 in six tests at the Basin Reserve. “He’s another guy that’s playing at home in front of his home crowd – home ground, which he’s familiar with – so I know he’ll be looking forward to getting another opportunity,” Latham said. “We fully back Tom in terms of his ability to score runs and do a good job behind the stumps. We know what a quality player he is. “Cricket is a funny game – you’re only one innings away from being back in form. We’re certainly right in behind Tom; we know the important role that he plays in the side, especially with his keeping as well.” An unchanged England, conversely, will again play without a specialist wicketkeeper, after Ollie Pope took the gloves and moved from No 3 to No 6 to replace the injured Jordan Cox in Christchurch. That switch was out of necessity; this time, with Ollie Robinson having flown out to join the squad, it’s by choice. And it’s a choice the Black Caps could feasibly make if Will Young were to open and either Latham or Devon Conway shifted down the order. Young has never been at his best opening – averaging 22.8 in 12 tests and 43.9 in seven batting further down. Chances are, an alteration of such significance was never discussed. New Zealand team to play England Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Will O’Rourke The Alternative Commentary Collective is covering every home Black Caps test this summer. Listen to live commentary here. Kris Shannon has been a sports journalist since 2011 and covers a variety of codes for the Herald. Reporting on Grant Elliott’s six at Eden Park in 2015 was a career highlight.WASHINGTON — There's a common trait that President-elect Donald Trump is clearly prizing as he selects those to serve in his new administration: experience on television. Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., speaks during a hearing July 18, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Duffy to be Transportation Secretary. Trump loves that "central casting" look, as he likes to call it. Some, like his choices for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, were until recently TV hosts on Trump's favorite network, Fox News. Mike Huckabee, his pick for U.S. ambassador to Israel, hosted the Fox show “Huckabee” from 2008 to 2015 after his time as Arkansas governor. Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former syndicated talk show host and heart surgeon, was tapped to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency that oversees health insurance programs for millions of older, poor and disabled Americans. He would report to Trump's choice for health and human services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., himself a regular on the cable news circuit. Mehmet Oz visits the AW Driving School & License Testing Center on Sept. 23, 2022, in Allentown, Pa. Trump, a former reality television star himself, has made no secret of his intention to stack his administration with loyalists after his decisive 2024 election win — including some whose lack of relevant experience has raised concerns among lawmakers. But he's also working to set up a more forceful administration in this term, and in his eyes, many of those people happen to intersect with celebrity. The trend was not lost on Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, who posted on social media after the Oz nomination: “We are becoming the world’s first nuclear-armed reality television show.” For good measure, Himes added: “Just spitballing here, but what if the Attorney General and the Secretary of HHS fight each other in an octagonal cage?” That was a reference to Trump's affinity for the UFC fighters who do battle in the octagon. Choosing TV personalities isn't that unusual for the once-and-future president: A number of his first-term choices — John Bolton, Larry Kudlow, Heather Nauert and Mercedes Schlapp, were all on TV — mostly also on Fox. Omarosa Manigault Newman, a confrontational first-season member of Trump's NBC show “The Apprentice," was briefly at the White House before she was fired. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican who ran Trump’s 2016 transition team until he was fired, said that eight years ago, Trump held “Apprentice-like interviews at Bedminster,” summoning potential hires to his club in New Jersey. On a call on Tuesday organized by the Council on Foreign Relations, Christie said this year’s Cabinet choices are different than 2016’s but it’s still “Donald Trump casting a TV show.” “He’s casting,” Christie said. Trump has readily highlighted the media experience of his choices as he's announced them. He said Duffy, a former lawmaker and onetime cast member of MTV’s “The Real World," was “a STAR on Fox News.” Pete Hegseth walks to an elevator for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower on Dec. 15, 2016, in New York. Hegseth, a military veteran, “has been a host at FOX News for eight years, where he used that platform to fight for our Military and Veterans,” Trump said. He also noted that Hegseth's book “The War on Warriors” spent nine weeks on The New York Times “best-sellers list, including two weeks at NUMBER ONE.” As for Oz, Trump said: “He won nine Daytime Emmy Awards hosting ‘The Dr. Oz Show,’ where he taught millions of Americans how to make healthier lifestyle choices." It's also true that those seeking positions in Trump's orbit often take to the airwaves to audition for an audience of one. Tom Homan, Trump's choice for “border czar,” is a frequent Fox contributor. Ohio Sen. JD Vance was chosen as Trump's running mate in part because of how well he comes across on air. Trump's choice to lead the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, upped his profile when he took to Fox News to argue that a pre-election appearance on NBC's “Saturday Night Live” by Democratic nominee Kamala Harris was a violation of the “equal time” rule governing candidate appearances on television. The White House-to-cable news pundit pipeline tends to cut across administrations of both parties, to some extent. President Joe Biden had three MSNBC contributors on his transition team and his former press secretary went to the network after she left the White House. Biden, though, looked to career diplomats, longtime government workers and military leaders for key posts like the Defense Department. Trump's affinity for Fox News is well-documented, though the romance cooled for a time after Fox made an early call of Arizona for Biden in 2020, a move that infuriated Trump and many of the network’s viewers. Trump suggested viewers should migrate to other conservative news outlets. While the Arizona call ultimately proved correct, it set in motion internal second-guessing and led some Fox personalities to embrace conspiracy theories, which ultimately cost the network $787 million to settle a defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems. But Trump is still an avid watcher — the network provides Trump a window into conservative thinking, with commentary from Republican lawmakers and thinkers who are, often, speaking directly to the president-elect. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Trump has chosen former New York Rep. to serve as his pick to lead the . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. McGinley was White House Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration, and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign. In a statement, Trump called McGinley “a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda, while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement.” Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.NFL insider hints at the Las Vegas Raiders being a team that could make a huge signing

(Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump will take office on Jan. 20 after defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Here is a timeline of events between now and Inauguration Day: Dec. 11: States must submit certified slates of presidential electors by this date to the archivist of the United States as part of a 2022 federal law intended to avoid a repeat of the chaos after Trump's attempts to overturn his 2020 defeat. Dec. 17: Electors, who together form the Electoral College, meet in their respective states and the District of Columbia to select the president and vice president. Dec. 25: The electoral votes must be received by this date by the president of the Senate - a role held by the vice president, currently Harris - and the archivist. 2025 Jan. 6: Harris presides over the Electoral College vote count at a joint session of Congress, announces the results and declares who has been elected. Ahead of the count on Jan. 6, 2021, then-President Trump lambasted his vice president, Mike Pence, for refusing to try to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's victory. On that day, Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort to stop the count. Biden's win was certified early the next day. Congress has since passed reforms that require approval of one-fifth of the House and Senate to consider a challenge to a state's results – a much higher bar than existed before, when at least one member each in the Senate and the House of Representatives could together trigger a challenge. Jan. 20: Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will take their respective oaths of office during a swearing-in ceremony that is due to begin at 12 p.m. ET (1700 GMT). (Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Ross Colvin, Lisa Shumaker, Jamie Freed and Jonathan Oatis)