okebet casino Iowa officials sue federal government over voter citizenship information(The Center Square) - California Gov. Gavin Newsom said if President-elect Donald Trump ends the $7,500 electric vehicle rebate program, he’ll get Californians to pay for new credits. However, the credits would not include Tesla, which is the most popular EV company and the only EV manufacturer in the state. This comes weeks after Newsom and his administration passed new refinery and carbon credit regulations that will add up to $1.15 per gallon of gasoline and require Californians with gasoline-powered cars to earn up to another $1,000 per year in pretax income to afford. “We will intervene if the Trump Administration eliminates the federal tax credit, doubling down on our commitment to clean air and green jobs in California,” said Newsom in a statement. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whose rocket launches were recently blocked by a California regulatory board that cited his personal politics, shared his disapproval on his social media platform, X, after Newsom staff told Bloomberg that Tesla models would not qualify for California rebates. “Even though Tesla is the only company who manufactures their EVs in California,” said Musk. “This is insane.” Musk recently moved SpaceX and X out of California, citing a new law signed by Newsom banning parental notification for gender change requests from K-12 students. The credits would be paid for through California’s cap-and-trade program, which requires carbon emitters to purchase credits from the state — costs which are generally passed on to consumers in the form of more expensive gasoline, energy, and even concrete. Emitters buy a few billion dollars worth of credits from California each year, with the state’s $135 billion high speed rail project getting the lion’s share of the revenue. The California Resources Board — all but two of whose voting members are appointed by the governor — recently approved $105 billion in EV charging credits and $8 billion in hydrogen charging credits to be largely paid for by drivers of gas cars and diesel trucks. An investigation by The Center Square found the change was pushed by EV makers and the builders of EV charging systems. Buyers of EV chargers, who pay for the energy and own the charger, sign installation contracts that permanently give away their rights to government or other EV charging credits generated from fueling a vehicle with electrons instead of gasoline. These chargers are often bundled with the purchase of an EV, or covered entirely by utility or government rebates, meaning they are permanent, zero-or-low-cost revenue streams for the company collecting the credits.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s personnel choices for his new Cabinet and White House reflect his signature positions on immigration and trade but also a range of viewpoints and backgrounds that raise questions about what ideological anchors might guide his Oval Office encore. With a rapid assembly of his second administration — faster than his effort eight years ago — the former and incoming president has combined television personalities , former Democrats, a wrestling executive and traditional elected Republicans into a mix that makes clear his intentions to impose tariffs on imported goods and crack down on illegal immigration but leaves open a range of possibilities on other policy pursuits. “The president has his two big priorities and doesn’t feel as strongly about anything else — so it’s going to be a real jump ball and zigzag,” predicted Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence during Trump’s 2017-21 term. “In the first administration, he surrounded himself with more conservative thinkers, and the results showed we were mostly rowing in the same direction. This is more eclectic.” Indeed, Secretary of State-designee Marco Rubio , the Florida senator who has pilloried authoritarian regimes around the world, is in line to serve as top diplomat to a president who praises autocratic leaders like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Hungary’s Viktor Orban. Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon has been tapped to sit at the Cabinet table as a pro-union labor secretary alongside multiple billionaires, former governors and others who oppose making it easier for workers to organize themselves. The prospective treasury secretary, Scott Bessent , wants to cut deficits for a president who promised more tax cuts, better veterans services and no rollbacks of the largest federal outlays: Social Security, Medicare and national defense. Abortion-rights supporter Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is Trump's choice to lead the Health and Human Services Department, which Trump’s conservative Christian base has long targeted as an agency where the anti-abortion movement must wield more influence. Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich allowed that members of Trump’s slate will not always agree with the president and certainly not with one another. But he minimized the potential for irreconcilable differences: “A strong Cabinet, by definition, means you’re going to have people with different opinions and different skills.” That kind of unpredictability is at the core of Trump’s political identity. He is the erstwhile reality TV star who already upended Washington once and is returning to power with sweeping, sometimes contradictory promises that convinced voters, especially those in the working class, that he will do it all again. “What Donald Trump has done is reorient political leadership and activism to a more entrepreneurial spirit,” Gingrich said. There's also plenty of room for conflict, given the breadth of Trump's 2024 campaign promises and his pattern of cycling through Cabinet members and national security personnel during his first term. This time, Trump has pledged to impose tariffs on foreign goods, end illegal immigration and launch a mass deportation force, goose U.S. energy production and exact retribution on people who opposed — and prosecuted — him. He's added promises to cut taxes, raise wages, end wars in Israel and Ukraine , streamline government, protect Social Security and Medicare, help veterans and squelch cultural progressivism. Trump alluded to some of those promises in recent weeks as he completed his proposed roster of federal department heads and named top White House staff members. But his announcements skimmed over any policy paradoxes or potential complications. Bessent has crusaded as a deficit hawk, warning that the ballooning national debt , paired with higher interest rates, drives consumer inflation. But he also supports extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts that added to the overall debt and annual debt service payments to investors who buy Treasury notes. A hedge-fund billionaire, Bessent built his wealth in world markets. Yet, generally speaking, he’s endorsed Trump's tariffs. He rejects the idea that they feed inflation and instead frames tariffs as one-time price adjustments and leverage to achieve U.S. foreign policy and domestic economic aims. Trump, for his part, declared that Bessent would “help me usher in a new Golden Age for the United States.” Chavez-DeRemer, Trump promised, “will achieve historic cooperation between Business and Labor that will restore the American Dream for Working Families.” Trump did not address the Oregon congresswoman’s staunch support for the PRO-Act, a Democratic-backed measure that would make it easier for workers to unionize, among other provisions. That proposal passed the House when Democrats held a majority. But it’s never had measurable Republican support in either chamber on Capitol Hill, and Trump has never made it part of his agenda. When Trump named Kennedy as his pick for health secretary, he did not mention the former Democrat’s support for abortion rights. Instead, Trump put the focus on Kennedy’s intention to take on the U.S. agriculture, food processing and drug manufacturing sectors. The vagaries of Trump’s foreign policy stand out, as well. Trump's choice for national security adviser , Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, offered mixed messages Sunday when discussing the Russia-Ukraine war, which Trump claims never would have started had he been president, because he would have prevailed on Putin not to invade his neighboring country. Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” Waltz repeated Trump’s concerns over recent escalations, which include President Joe Biden approving sending antipersonnel mines to Ukrainian forces. “We need to restore deterrence, restore peace and get ahead of this escalation ladder, rather than responding to it,” Waltz said. But in the same interview, Waltz declared the mines necessary to help Ukraine “stop Russian gains” and said he’s working “hand in glove” with Biden’s team during the transition. Meanwhile, Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence , the top intelligence post in government, is an outspoken defender of Putin and Syrian President Bashar al Assad, a close ally of Russia and Iran. Perhaps the biggest wildcards of Trump’s governing constellation are budget-and-spending advisers Russell Vought, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Vought led Trump’s Office of Management and Budget in his first term and is in line for the same post again. Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, and Ramaswamy, a mega-millionaire venture capitalist, are leading an outside advisory panel known as the “Department of Government Efficiency.” The latter effort is a quasi-official exercise to identify waste. It carries no statutory authority, but Trump can route Musk’s and Ramaswamy’s recommendations to official government pathways, including via Vought. A leading author of Project 2025 , the conservative movement’s blueprint for a hard-right turn in U.S. government and society, Vought envisions OMB not just as an influential office to shape Trump’s budget proposals for Congress but a power center of the executive branch, “powerful enough to override implementing agencies’ bureaucracies.” As for how Trump might navigate differences across his administration, Gingrich pointed to Chavez-DeRemer. “He might not agree with her on union issues, but he might not stop her from pushing it herself,” Gingrich said of the PRO-Act. “And he will listen to anybody. If you convince him, he absolutely will spend presidential capital.” Short said other factors are more likely to influence Trump: personalities and, of course, loyalty . Vought “brought him potential spending cuts” in the first administration, Short said, “that Trump wouldn’t go along with.” This time, Short continued, “maybe Elon and Vivek provide backup,” giving Vought the imprimatur of two wealthy businessmen. “He will always calculate who has been good to him,” Short said. “You already see that: The unions got the labor secretary they wanted, and Putin and Assad got the DNI (intelligence chief) they wanted. ... This is not so much a team-of-rivals situation. I think it’s going to look a lot like a reality TV show.”AI benefits our society at large in numerous ways, but cybercriminals are using this new technology for nefarious purposes. From gathering data more efficiently to using large language models to craft phishing communications, experienced and novice threat actors are relying on AI to streamline their efforts. Organizations worldwide are taking notice, and executives are implementing efforts to combat this and other shifts in the threat landscape. Sixty-two percent of business leaders say they will mandate cybersecurity training in the form of certifications for IT and security personnel. Nearly as many (61%) say they're introducing new security awareness and training programs for all employees. What to do now to guard against AI-driven threats Malicious actors are increasingly harnessing AI to increase the volume and velocity of attacks they deploy. They are also using this technology to make phishing and related threats more believable than ever. While there are numerous steps your team can take to better protect your organization from these changes in attacker activity, here are five things to do today to make everyone in the enterprise more aware of—and ready to defend against—an increasingly complex threat landscape. 1. Build a culture of cybersecurity Cybersecurity is everyone's job, not just the responsibility of your security and IT teams. Building a culture of cybersecurity within your organization starts with making sure that employees at all levels are aware of common cyber risks and understand the role they play in maintaining robust security. This starts with executives across all departments having a shared vision of cybersecurity and communicating regularly about the importance of safeguarding the enterprise. Other activities should include conducting regular cybersecurity training sessions,... Mamsi Nkosi

UL running back Bill Davis (7) breaks around the corner for a 24-yard touchdown run to ice the victory over ULM on Saturday. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save 1. Running game does it Over the last two weeks, the style of football favored new starting quarterback Chandler Fields. On Saturday in Monday, ULM’s defense made it tougher on the passing game, shifting the focus back to UL’s rushing attack and it responded. Zylan Perry didn’t just return to action, he dominated with 150 yards and two touchdowns. Bill Davis also helped with 78 more and two scores. It allowed UL to hold off ULM’s pressure defense that stifled the Cajuns throughout the first half. It also helped the Cajuns run out the clock in the second half against a game Warhawks squad in search of getting bowl eligible. 2. Defense as needed There were some things about Saturday’s win the defensive coaches won’t particularly like when watching the film. ULM running back Ahmad Hardy rushed for 172 yards and allowed seven third-down conversions to one of the Sun Belt’s worst offenses. But the defense also got three interceptions and three critical sacks that prevented points on the board – one led to intentional grounding and another to a short field goal. As usual, linebacker K.C. Ossai had a team-high 13 tackles and fittingly an interception to sew up the win. It’ll likely require a better effort next Saturday, but it was good enough for win No. 10. 3. Another slow start Perhaps there’s something to following up a 50-point effort, or perhaps it’s more about being the frontrunner after the great start and teams are gunning for UL. It could also be that injuries are mounting and the Cajuns aren’t as dominant as they were a month ago. Whatever the reason, the Cajuns better solve it before Saturday’s Sun Belt title game. This was probably the worst first half offensively this season – with two turnovers for the second time in three games. Still, the Cajuns were able to post 21 first downs and 411 total yards to tag a sixth straight loss on the Warhawks.

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Assad’s rule in peril as rebels advance on Damascus Syrian defence ministry, loyal to Assad, denied that army had fled positions BEIRUT: Rebels on a lightning advance through Syria said they were nearing Damascus on Saturday, although Bashar al-Assad’s government denied that the army had withdrawn from areas around the capital. “Our forces have begun the final phase of encircling the capital,” said rebel commander Hassan Abdel Ghani, with the Islamist-led alliance that launched the offensive. The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group which has headed the assault, told fighters to prepare to take the seat of Assad’s government, just over a week into a renewed offensive in the long dormant conflict. “Damascus awaits you,” said HTS’s Ahmed al-Sharaa in a statement on Telegram, using his real name instead of his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. The HTS-led alliance’s offensive since November 27 represents the most significant threat to President Bashar al-Assad’s power in years, after Syria’s civil war -- which began with Assad’s crackdown on democracy protests in 2011 -- had been mostly dormant. However, the Syrian defence ministry, loyal to Assad, denied the army had fled positions. “There is no truth to news claiming our armed forces, present in all areas of the Damascus countryside, have withdrawn,” it said. Earlier, Syrian rebels battled government forces for control of the key city of Homs on Saturday. Since the rebels’ sweep into Aleppo a week ago, government defences have crumbled at dizzying speed as insurgents seized a string of major cities and rose up in places where the rebellion had long seemed over. A Homs resident, and army and rebel sources said the insurgents had breached government defences from the north and east of the city. A rebel commander said they had taken control of an army camp and villages outside the city. State television reported that the insurgents had not penetrated into Homs although it said they were on the city outskirts, where it said the military was striking them with artillery and drones. Insurgents have seized almost the entire southwest within 24 hours, and they have advanced to within 30 km of Damascus as government forces fell back, rebels said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported government forces were pulling out of towns as little as 10 kilometres from Damascus. Air strikes and shelling by government forces and their ally Russia killed at least seven civilians near the city of Homs on Saturday. The Britain-based Observatory said government forces had brought “large reinforcements” to quell the rebel advance on Homs, as the army sought to slow the rebel advance there, about 140 kilometres from the seat of power in Damascus. Since the offensive began last week, at least 826 people, mostly combatants but also including 111 civilians, have been killed, according to the Observatory. The United Nations said the violence has displaced 370,000 people. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah -- a longtime ally of Damascus -- has sent 2,000 fighters to a part of Syria near the border with Lebanon, a source close to the group said. “Hezbollah sent 2,000 fighters to the Qusayr area... to defend its positions there and has not yet participated in any battles” with Syrian rebels, the source told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. Security sources in neighbouring Iraq told AFP the country had allowed hundreds of troops from the Syrian army, some of them wounded, to cross the border. The soldiers from President Bashar al-Assad’s forces “have fled the front lines” and entered Iraq through the Al-Qaim border crossing, said one senior security official, adding that “the wounded have been hospitalised” in the area. A second source gave a figure of 2,000 soldiers, including officers, who entered Iraq with the authorities’ permission. In a Damascus suburb on Saturday, witnesses said protesters toppled a statue of the late president Hafez al-Assad, who handed Syria’s rule to his son. Similar scenes were witnessed in images shared by local media in the southern city of Daraa and in online footage verified by AFP from Hama, north of the capital. In Hama, an AFP photographer saw residents set fire to a giant poster of President Assad on the facade of city hall. “The rebels entered Hama, it was a great joy for us -- something we had been waiting for since 2011,” said resident Maymouna Jawad, of the year Assad’s crackdown on democracy protests escalated into civil war. Syria’s presidency denied reports that Assad had left Damascus, saying he was “following up on his work and national and constitutional duties from the capital”. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Syria must not be allowed to fall into the hands of “terrorist” rebels. “It’s inadmissible to allow the terrorist group to take control of the lands in violation of agreements which exist, starting with the UN Security Council Resolution 2254 which strongly reiterated sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of the Syrian Arab Republic,” Lavrov said at an event in Qatar, referring to a 2015 UN resolution for a political settlement in Syria. US President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on the escalating situation in Syria Saturday, posting on social media: “THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” Trump also argued that if Syrian rebels are able to force President Bashar al-Assad out of power, “it may actually be the best thing that can happen” to Russia, which he argued is too preoccupied with its war in Ukraine to stop the rebel fighters. The president-elect also blamed former US President Barack Obama’s administration for what he said was failing to enforce the 2013 “red line,” which stated that Syria’s use of chemical weapons would mean US military action. Reiterating his “America First” stance, Trump argued that Syria is not the United States’ fight. Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hopes neighbouring Syria finds peace. “Our wish is for our neighbour, Syria, to find the peace and tranquility it has been dreaming of for 13 years,” said Erdogan, a key player in the region, adding that Syria “is tired of war, blood and tears”. Turkey, which has a long border with Syria, has become home to about three million Syrian refugees since the start of the civil war in 2011. “Our Syrian brothers and sisters deserve freedom, security and peace in their homeland,” Erdogan added, voicing hope “to see a Syria where different identities co-exist in peace”. “We hope to see such a Syria in the very near future,” he said in a speech delivered in the southeastern city of Gaziantep, to which several hundred thousand Syrians fled. The Turkish president was long a supporter of the resistance to Assad since the civil war erupted. But in recent months Erdogan tried to reconcile with his Syrian counterpart -- an olive branch he accused Assad of not grasping. “There is now a new political and diplomatic reality in Syria,” he told the crowd in Gaziantep, accusing Damascus of not having grasped “the hand extended by Turkey” through Russian mediation. Qatar’s prime minister said Assad had failed to engage with his people and address issues like the return of refugees during a period of calm in the country’s civil war. “Assad didn’t seize these opportunities to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people, and we didn’t see any serious movement, whether it’s on the return of the refugees or on reconciling with his own people,” Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said at the Doha Forum for political dialogue. Doha had given early support to the rebels in the wake of Assad’s crackdown in 2011. The foreign ministers of Turkey, Iran and Russia met in Doha and agreed to initiate a “political dialogue between the Syrian government and the legitimate opposition groups”, Iran ́s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said. The three countries have been involved since 2017 in talks that began in Astana, Kazakhstan, seeking a political settlement in Syria. Russia and Turkey brokered a 2020 ceasefire in Syria’s northwestern Idlib region, at that time the last major rebel bastion in the country. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release that in view of the ongoing developments and evolving situation in Syria, it had activated its Crisis Management Unit to facilitate Pakistanis in Syria. Pakistani nationals in Syria and their families are encouraged to contact the CMU at the following telephone/Email: Phone No: 051-9207887 Email: cmu1@mofa.gov.pk Meanwhile the Pakistan Embassy in Damascus remains actively engaged to facilitate Pakistani nationals in Syria. Contact details of the Embassy of Pakistan, Damascus Cell/Whatsapp: (+963 987 127 822) (+963 990 138 972) Email: parepdamascus@mofa.gov.pkArizona State makes College Football Playoff with 45-19 win over Iowa State in Big 12 title game

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks tiptoed to more records amid a mixed Tuesday of trading, tacking a touch more onto what’s already been a stellar year so far. The S&P 500 edged up by 2 points, or less than 0.1%, to set an all-time high for the 55th time this year. It’s climbed in 10 of the last 11 days and is on track for one of its best years since the turn of the millennium. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 76 points, or 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.4% to its own record set a day earlier. AT&T rose 4.6% after it boosted its profit forecast for the year. It also announced a $10 billion plan to send cash to its investors by buying back its own stock, while saying it expects to authorize another $10 billion of repurchases in 2027. On the losing end of Wall Street was U.S. Steel, which fell 8%. President-elect Donald Trump reiterated on social media that he would not let Japan’s Nippon Steel take over the iconic Pennsylvania steelmaker. Nippon Steel announced plans last December to buy the Pittsburgh-based steel producer for $14.1 billion in cash, raising concerns about what the transaction could mean for unionized workers, supply chains and U.S. national security. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden also came out against the acquisition. Tesla sank 1.6% after a judge in Delaware reaffirmed a previous ruling that the electric car maker must revoke Elon Musk’s multibillion-dollar pay package. The judge denied a request by attorneys for Musk and Tesla’s corporate directors to vacate her ruling earlier this year requiring the company to rescind the unprecedented pay package. All told, the S&P 500 rose 2.73 points to 6,049.88. The Dow fell 76.47 to 44,705.53, and the Nasdaq composite gained 76.96 to 19,480.91. In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady after a report showed U.S. employers were advertising slightly more job openings at the end of October than a month earlier. Continued strength there would raise optimism that the economy could remain out of a recession that many investors had earlier worried was inevitable. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.23% from 4.20% from late Monday. Yields have seesawed since Election Day amid worries that Trump’s preferences for lower tax rates and bigger tariffs could spur higher inflation along with economic growth. But traders are still confident the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate again at its next meeting in two weeks. They’re betting on a nearly three-in-four chance of that, according to data from CME Group. Lower rates can give the economy more juice, but they can also give inflation more fuel. The key report this week that could guide the Fed’s next move will arrive on Friday. It’s the monthly jobs report , which will show how many workers U.S. employers hired and fired during November. It could be difficult to parse given how much storms and strikes distorted figures in October. Based on trading in the options market, Friday’s jobs report appears to be the biggest potential market mover until the Fed announces its next decision on interest rates Dec. 18, according to strategists at Barclays Capital. In financial markets abroad, the value of South Korea’s currency fell 1.1% against the U.S. dollar following a frenetic night where President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law and then later said he’d lift it after lawmakers voted to reject military rule. Stocks of Korean companies that trade in the United States also fell, including a 1.6% drop for SK Telecom. Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.9% to help lead global markets. Some analysts think Japanese stocks could end up benefiting from Trump’s threats to raise tariffs , including for goods coming from China . Trade relations between the U.S. and China took another step backward after China said it is banning exports to the U.S. of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications. The counterpunch came swiftly after the U.S. Commerce Department expanded the list of Chinese technology companies subject to export controls to include many that make equipment used to make computer chips, chipmaking tools and software. The 140 companies newly included in the so-called “entity list” are nearly all based in China. In China, stock indexes rose 1% in Hong Kong and 0.4% in Shanghai amid unconfirmed reports that Chinese leaders would meet next week to discuss planning for the coming year. Investors are hoping it may bring fresh stimulus to help spur growth in the world’s second-largest economy. In France, the CAC 40 rose 0.3% amid continued worries about politics in Paris , where the government is battling over the budget. AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.Tiger Woods Makes Announcement That Sparks the Same Reaction From FansNone

Stock market today: Wall Street hits records despite tariff talkNone

This is CNBC's live blog covering European markets. European stocks are heading for a lower open Tuesday as investors assess the global implications of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump 's plans to hike tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada. 24/7 San Diego news stream: Watch NBC 7 free wherever you are The regional Stoxx 600 index ended in the green for a third straight session on Monday, while global momentum in equities lifted Wall Street's Dow Jones Industrial Average to a new record . Trump on Monday evening said one of his first acts in office would be to impose an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese goods entering the U.S., and threatened a 25% tariff on products from Mexico and Canada, ending a regional free trade agreement. Economists have previously flagged the potential inflationary impact of Trump's fiscal plan, which could see the Federal Reserve cut interest rates at a slower pace. That in turn could boost the U.S. dollar against currencies such as the euro and sterling. "Immediate market reaction looks negative," analysts at Maybank said in a note Tuesday. "However, these tariffs do differ quite a bit from what Trump had mentioned during his campaign of 60% for China and a 10% broad tariff for the rest of the world. Whilst the market maybe cautious of the risk that Trump maybe incrementally introducing the tariffs, we do note the possibility that the final imposition may not be quite the same as what was proposed by him." Money Report Tim Cook and other U.S. executives attend China expo, meet officials as Trump tariff threat looms Meet the start-up working to save newborn babies and democratize pregnancy care Europe is quiet on the data and earnings front Tuesday. Investors will continue to analyze the latest merger and acquisition news from the banking sector, after UniCredit offered to buy its fellow Italian lender Banco BPM for roughly 10 billion euros ($10.5 billion). In the United States, the Fed will release minutes from its November meeting which delivered a quarter percentage point rate cut. U.S. stock futures were flat in the early hours, while Asia-Pacific markets were mixed. Europe stocks set to open lower European stocks were last seen opening lower Tuesday, according to IG data. Germany's DAX was on course to open 111 points lower at 19,301, France's CAC 40 lower by 53 points at 7,206, and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 lower by 33 points at 8,262. — Jenni Reid CNBC Pro: Barclays says these global stocks are ripe for share buybacks — and analysts give one 45% upside European equity markets might look "gloomy" right now, but Barclays noted that one investment strategy has delivered "solid outperformance" over recent months. "Buyback strategies remain a bright spot for Europe, with strong volumes and returns. Amid a gloomy equity market, our buyback announcement basket (BCEUBUYB) has outperformed by 4.6% since Oct," the investment bank's strategists wrote in a Nov. 21 research note. CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here. — Amala Balakrishner Gold plunges 3% as Trump Treasury pick and potential Israel-Hezbollah truce fuel risk-on mood Gold prices lost about 3% after President-elect Donald Trump picked Scott Bessent as his Treasury secretary , with reports of Israel and Hezbollah nearing a ceasefire deal also eroding the safe-haven metal's appeal. Spot prices of the yellow metal dropped 3.44% to $2,616.80 per ounce, according to data from Factset. Gold futures on the New York Mercantile exchange were trading at $2,628.5. "The ~$100 wipeout in Gold today is as severe in size & pace as the post U.S. election selloff on Nov 6th," MKS Pamp's head of metals strategy, Nicky Shiels said. Read the full story here . — Lee Ying Shan Trump vows an additional 10% tariff on China, 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico President-elect Donald Trump plans to raise tariffs by an additional 10% on all Chinese goods coming into the U.S., according to a post Monday on his social media platform Truth Social . The post immediately followed one in which Trump said his first of "many" executive orders on Jan. 20 would impose tariffs of 25% on all products from Mexico and Canada. Trump is set to be inaugurated as the next U.S. president on Jan. 20. Read the full story here. —Evelyn Cheng Dow and S&P hit all-time highs The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both hit all-time highs during Monday morning's session, as investors rejoiced an improved outlook for equities under Treasury pick Scott Bessent. The Dow gained more than 1% in early deals while the S&P traded more than 0.4% higher. Investors predict that Bessent might help mitigate some of Trump's most extreme protectionist policies, in particular trade tariffs. — Karen Gilchrist CNBC Pro: Hedge fund bets on a key oil and gas supply chain stock, expecting 300% upside Shares of a critical player in the shallow water oil and gas drilling industry, have received renewed backing from a hedge fund, with potential projected returns of 300% to 400%. The investment case is strengthened by several fundamental market dynamics, including a lack of supply with future demand expected to rise, according to the hedge fund manager. CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here. — Ganesh Rao Also on CNBC Stock futures flat after Dow closes at another record: Live updates Stocks making the biggest moves after hours: Zoom, Kohl's, Semtech and more A December rate cut suddenly looks shaky as the market weighs Trump implicationsMatsuno shoots a 69 in Hawaii golf qualifierTeen charged after alleged burnouts in shopping centre carparkThe impact of America's "peace through strength" strategy on Iran

6 Anti-Aging Hand Creams to Soothe Cracked, Dry Skin This WinterCARROLLTON, Ga. (AP) — Carter Welling's 21 points helped Utah Valley defeat West Georgia 77-74 on Tuesday night. Welling had 11 rebounds for the Wolverines (4-1). Trevan Leonhardt added 11 points while going 4 of 5 from the field while they also had three steals. Dominick Nelson shot 3 of 11 from the field and 4 of 7 from the free-throw line to finish with 10 points, while adding six rebounds. Shelton Williams-Dryden finished with 18 points for the Wolves (0-7). Kyric Davis added 16 points and four blocks for West Georgia. Malcolm Noel had 14 points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

Mpaka 4-4 0-0 8, Benjamin 5-11 3-4 15, N.Krass 1-8 0-0 3, Martinez 1-2 0-0 3, Miles 1-6 2-2 4, Harrison 10-18 6-8 27, Mizell 0-0 1-4 1. Totals 22-49 12-18 61. Graham 1-1 0-0 2, Aranguren 6-14 5-8 21, Davis 0-9 5-6 5, Gadsden 2-3 1-2 6, Sanders 2-11 2-2 7, Farmer 1-3 2-2 5, Sunday 1-3 1-1 3, Robinson 2-4 0-0 6, DeCady 1-2 1-1 3, Plotnikov 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 16-50 18-24 59. Halftime_Tarleton St. 31-26. 3-Point Goals_Tarleton St. 5-10 (Benjamin 2-5, N.Krass 1-1, Martinez 1-1, Harrison 1-2, Miles 0-1), Hofstra 9-28 (Aranguren 4-10, Robinson 2-4, Gadsden 1-1, Farmer 1-2, Sanders 1-6, Davis 0-5). Fouled Out_N.Krass, Graham. Rebounds_Tarleton St. 37 (Miles 9), Hofstra 28 (Sunday 7). Assists_Tarleton St. 10 (Martinez 4), Hofstra 11 (Davis 7). Total Fouls_Tarleton St. 18, Hofstra 18.The social media buzz is comparatively lower than usual times when a major shooting happens in a country like United States, and this time it concerns one of the CEO's of US' biggest Healthcare companies. In fact, some US netizens even took to social media to 'celebrate' the death of Brian Thompson , who was shot in front of a Midtown hotel in New York City, an incident that is still unsolved, with a masked gunman on the loose. Are people celebrating Brian Thompson's killing? Although there is widespread panic in the city and its neighboring region, there is not much chatter about calls for justice and finding the shooter. Instead, some are talking about Thompson being one of those responsible for the fragile state of the US Healthcare industry, which is shocking as, during other cases netizens usually post videos, condolences, and much more. Even internet sleuths talk about various kinds of clues that could 'help' in the manhunt. In this case, such videos and internet traffic is also at a minimum, as per reports. This sparking of online praise for the killing or the killer is shocking in nature, as enabling a gruesome murder is being seen as a threat by those who are horrified at this ghastly incident, as per reports. Meanwhile, Thompson's family has issued statement of regret and stated that he was a loving father to two sons and 'will be greatly missed'. FAQs: Who is UnitedHealthcare 's CEO? UnitedHealthcare's CEO is Brian Thompson, who was tragically killed in a shooting incident this December, 2024. Is UnitedHealthcare a profitable company? Yes, UnitedHealthcare has indeed shown itself to be a profitable company, after delivering profits of a whopping $16.4 billion, in the previous year alone. 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Canada Post removes deadline for letters to Santa’s H0H0H0 postal codeTAMPA, Fla.—A Florida engineer was given a four-year prison term for helping the Chinese regime collect intelligence on Chinese dissidents, such as practitioners of the persecuted faith Falun Gong. The man, Li Ping, is a naturalized U.S. citizen who had worked for Verizon for 30 years. He had acted on behalf of a Chinese intelligence official in the United States for more than a decade, according to court filings. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday also granted prosecutors’ request for a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. “It’s bitterly disappointing and upsetting to American citizens” that someone would come from a foreign country that’s a hostile power, take advantage of things such as the U.S. public school system, and then work with that hostile power, Merryday said at the hearing. Li’s lawyer, Daniel Fernandez, in part, blamed the Chinese intelligence official for using Li for the illegal acts, saying that his client felt “betrayed.” Li attended high school and college in China before coming to the United States three decades ago. While in high school, he befriended a student who later became a Ministry of State Security officer, according to a filing that his lawyer submitted. The two kept in touch over the years and met whenever Li visited his family in China. The officer, along with others from the ministry, took care of Li’s mother at his request. Through the officer, Li became acquainted with a second officer from the ministry, a connection that led to requests that crossed the legal line, according to court documents. One of his earliest tasks involved tracking a lawsuit that Falun Gong practitioners planned to mount against Chinese state officials. Six days later, in August 2012, Li wrote back thanking the officer for his help during Li’s China trip a month prior, then shared biographical details of a lawyer in St. Petersburg, Florida, who had written for a Falun Gong-related blog, prosecutors said. Li told the officer that the attorney had lent his wife Falun Gong books, the filings state. Prosecutors noted that Falun Gong practitioners “both in China and abroad are of particular interest to the PRC [People’s Republic of China] government because of Falun Gong’s advocacy of ideas deemed subversive to the PRC government.” In the following two years, Li supplied information about two Israeli authors of a Falun Gong children’s book and a Falun Gong practitioner in California who had protested in the state’s Chinese Consulate. The officers also sought training applications that Verizon used for new employees, publicly available information regarding several politicians, and surveillance and hacking technologies, court filings show. Prosecutors said the Chinese intelligence officials also asked Li about the U.S. government’s wiretapping capabilities, telling him they needed the information to learn how to bypass U.S. companies’ cybersecurity defenses. One of the most recent instances cited was dated in June 2022. But even if Li could find the information through open source, the prosecutors said, it was nevertheless valuable given the internet restrictions in China. Further, Li’s Chinese handlers “simply may not understand how to find property, vehicle, or other information about U.S. persons,” they wrote in a memo that described Li’s actions as a “willful, decade-long criminal conduct.” As a “cooperative contact,” they wrote, Li had “aided Chinese intelligence services in both undermining the United States and suppressing political dissent.” The judge at the hearing sided with prosecutors in issuing a heavier sentence to deter future would-be actors. Li, who has a net worth of around $5.5 million with 12 rental properties and more than $30,000 in passive income each month, had made a calculation in doing what he did, and the exact consequences are still not known, Merryday said. He made the analogy of “shooting into a crowd of people but turning your head away when pulling the trigger.” “It’s astounding that you did this at all,” Merryday said. Li’s lawyer, after the hearing, said the outcome was “disappointing” but that he was “not surprised.” “I can’t defend his conduct,” he told The Epoch Times, but he insisted that Li hadn’t transmitted anything significantly harmful. The prosecutors rejected the argument. The Chinese authorities are using a “death by 1,000 cuts approach” against the United States, Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Marcet said at the hearing. The Chinese regime “is not going to show all its cards,” he said, but Li was a small piece of the puzzle—he was playing a part. Merryday has ordered Li to voluntarily surrender himself to the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Florida’s Sumter County by Jan. 8, 2025. The fine is due immediately.