BIT Mining Limited to Hold Annual General Meeting on January 7, 2025The British Columbia Hockey League hosted a special board of governors meeting this week to discuss ways to deal with the recent NCAA eligibility change, but one thing they didn't discuss was rejoining Hockey Canada. The league has seen a number of players depart the league this month for the Canadian Hockey League – or other major junior leagues – due to the NCAA's ruling on Nov. 7 that players suiting up in any of the three CHL leagues could continue on at the NCAA level. Prior to that decision, those who played in the CHL were not able to play at the NCAA level due to those leagues being considered semi-professional. The BCHL left Hockey Canada in 2023 and became an independent league. The mission at that time was to create a world-class junior league for players seeking NCAA and U Sports scholarships. It allowed the BCHL to recruit from a larger pool of players, as under Hockey Canada they could not recruit as heavily from other provinces and parts of the world. The BCHL also stated in 2023 that all player fees would be eliminated by the 2024-25 season. According to Jesse Adamson, the director of communications for the BCHL, discussions about linking back with Hockey Canada are not on the table. "Being an independent league puts us in a much better situation to handle this change as it gives our league the autonomy to make regulation changes to adapt to the new landscape," he told Black Press Media. "Our governors are still very happy with the decision to become independent." The BCHL issed a press release on Friday morning (Nov. 22), stating that only a small percentage of players have left the league and other players have been brought in to replace them. They also reiterated that the BCHL has always been about player choice. Unlike the CHL, the BCHL does not hold a draft or tell players where to play. Players are recruited and can choose their own destination from the start of their junior hockey career. "There’s no doubt that this rule change has altered the landscape of junior hockey, but as our league has always done, we will adapt to the new regulations and continue to thrive,” stated BCHL commissioner Steven Cocker. "We will always be in favour of athletes doing what they think is best for their development.” BCHL board chairman Richard Murphy said he believes that, despite the changing landscape, the BCHL is still the best path for players to develop into NCAA Division I hockey players. He added that the league will continue to produce college-bound athletes for years to come. The release stated that the BCHL’s mandate going forward remains: unity and growth, players' choice, academics, independence, and meeting the needs of its athletes and of NCAA Division I programs. following the meeting with more information. The FAQ states that the league has had multiple meetings with NCAA Division I programs and conferences and they all feel that this decision will not make the BCHL irrelevant. The FAQ added that the BCHL's high academic standards also makes players from the league more easy to recruit into the NCAA. , with the West Kelowna Warriors and Penticton Vees both losing two. The Vees put out a statement on Friday (Nov. 22) after losing forward Casey Brown and defenceman Julien Wasmer to the CHL. “Casey came to us with a personal issue. He felt being closer to his family would be best and we fully support and respect his decision. We wish him all the best in Moose Jaw," said Fred Harbinson, Vees president, general manager and head coach "We are a few weeks away from getting two 20-year-old defencemen back from injury, and coupled with the outstanding play of our two young defencemen, Julien understood his role was going to be reduced. He looked for an opportunity with another team, rather than compete for a more favourable spot on our roster." Other players who have moved on since the decision include: Lukas McCloskey (Vernon Vipers), Robin Benoit (Sherwood Park Crusaders), Linden Burrett (Cowichan Valley Capitals), Thomas Belzil (Powell River Kings) and Liam Beamish (Salmon Arm Silverbacks).spin ph 7 。

SINGAPORE: The surprise firing of two Hong Kong ministers on Thursday (Dec 6) was a “strategic” and “administrative” decision long in the making, sources and experts told CNA. The move could ultimately help the city bolster its lucrative tourism sector’s recovery, though challenges remain, they add. Hong Kong, once a leading tourism hub, has been trying to lure visitors back after gradually reopening its borders in 2022. Chief Executive John Lee may not have addressed specific mistakes that might have led to the dismissals of Mr Kevin Yeung Yun-hung and Mr Lam Chi-ting but it is timely to note several missteps and controversies that had been allowed to happen under their watch, sources and industry watchers told CNA. A long-time bureaucrat who joined Hong Kong’s civil service back in 1992, Mr Yeung Yun-hung’s two-and-a-half-year tenure was marred by controversies, notably earlier this year when Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi failed to appear in a much-anticipated and advertised match between Inter Miami and a city select team. The Messi aftermath played out in Hong Kong for days , sparking a public uproar and raising questions about the government’s ability to handle major sporting events. Experts said the mishap served to highlight Mr Yeung’s “incompetence” in the eyes of Mr Lee and was likely to have played a part in his dismissal. He had also been criticised for delays in submitting a major development blueprint for Hong Kong’s creative industries, a fumbling that was singled out by Mr Lee during a keynote policy address in October. As Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam, also a trained civil engineer, had been criticised harshly for poorly overseeing a HK$141.5 billion (US$18.2 billion) third-runway project at Hong Kong International Airport. “Lam doesn’t understand transport and Yeung has been incapable since day one,” said an insider from the tourism sector, speaking to CNA on the condition of anonymity. Associate Professor Alfred Wu from Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy said Mr Lee openly criticised Mr Yeung’s delays in submitting the creative industries blueprint, which was a “very clear signal” of discontent. But at the same time, Assoc Prof Wu also cautioned reading too much into the potentially political nature of the recent dismissals, highlighting the “increasingly opaque” nature of Hong Kong’s political landscape. “Sometimes it's very difficult (to read),” Assoc Prof Wu said, also suggesting that political trajectories in Hong Kong were known to shift. Dismissing and replacing cabinet members is not a new phenomenon in Hong Kong, he added. “Replacement is not a strange thing or something that suddenly happens,” Assoc Prof Wu said, also noting that former Chief Executive Carrie Lam “did the same thing” and that these were changes that could be expected to “occur in the midterm”. During Ms Lam’s tenure, six ministers were either removed or resigned in a major reshuffle with Ms Lam describing herself as the “chief executive who replaced the most officials”. The Political Appointments System, introduced by former Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa in 2002, marked a shift toward greater political accountability, as appointees were expected to shoulder responsibility for policy outcomes. Since its inception, 14 ministers, have resigned or been dismissed. Mr Yeung and Mr Lam are the first sackings since Mr Lee was appointed in 2022. Assoc Prof Wu believes that their dismissals were more of a strategic and “administrative” decision. “Fundamentally, Hong Kong is not a city-state where one person makes the final decision. There are quite a lot of actors,” he said, adding that he thought Mr Lee was being “smart in how he navigated this”. PRIORITISING TOURISM Hong Kong’s once-lucrative tourism sector has struggled to recover from losing visitors due to fallback from pro-democracy protests and later, the COVID-19 pandemic. Visitor numbers reached 34 million last year, only 52 per cent of its total in 2018. However, the city did recently manage to reclaim its spot as Asia’s top financial centre and climbed to fifth in the Global Financial Centres Index. It also reached another significant milestone in its tourism recovery: Welcoming one million Filipino visitors for 2024. "Tourism models have changed post-pandemic," Mr Lam Chi-ting, Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions’ travel committee, told CNA. "Attracting visitors now requires new strategies, creating immense stress for those in charge." A telling sign of this was also made by Mr Lee during his press conference on Dec 5, in which he highlighted Hong Kong’s evolving position on the global stage which necessitated strong leadership. “I want to recover the time. I want to chase back the results and time and I see the strengths of the two newly appointed secretaries,” Mr Lee said of newly appointed cabinet faces, Ms Rosanna Law Shuk-pui, former permanent secretary for housing and Ms Mable Chan, who served as the permanent secretary for transport and logistics. “They will be assisting me more to realise my goal of ensuring results and also doing as much work as possible in the coming years,” Mr Lee said. “Two and a half years is a long time and I do think that we can make the best use of this period to create the best result... for the people of Hong Kong so we can all reap the benefits of our economic development and also other policy measures.” CHALLENGES REMAIN But while the reshuffle might have been very likely driven by the need for Hong Kong’s government to cultivate a more effective tourism strategy, challenges like interdepartmental coordination still remain unresolved. Despite the optimism of some, experts remain sceptical about whether the reshuffle could really address the root issues in holding back Hong Kong tourist arrival figures and ultimately, economic recovery. “Coordination is the root problem in Hong Kong’s government,” said the industry insider. “Policies often clash, such as safety regulations leading to the demolition of tourist-attracting neon signage. This bureaucratic rigidity hampers progress.” Newly appointed Ms Law, often praised for her pragmatic approach, has over three decades of government service and takes charge amid renewed efforts to enhance the image of Hong Kong’s reputation as a tourist destination. “She understands the industry and is straightforward, not one for vague statements,” Mr Lam said, adding that her experience in the Tourism Bureau would prove valuable. But industry experts emphasised the need for Hong Kong’s new leaders to look beyond visitor numbers. As efforts like a multiple-entry Individual Visit Scheme for Shenzhen permanent residents are launched, the question remains whether Mr Lee’s revamped line-up can successfully harmonise efforts across departments to create a seamless experience for visitors. The tourism insider who declined to be named highlighted the potential for Hong Kong’s tourism to thrive if data could be analysed separately from mainland visitors. Visitors from the Chinese mainland have been the driving force behind Hong Kong’s tourist arrivals, accounting for nearly 80 per cent of yearly visitor numbers since the Individual Visit Scheme launched in 2003, according to statistics by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. “There should be good KPIs to measure performance, such as the impact of mega events or the number of overseas visitors—not mainland visitors, as they belong to the same country,” said the insider.Health In Tech Announces Closing of Initial Public OfferingShoppers and unwanted gifts 'returning' to North Central West Virginia retail centers after the holidays

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Couple killed in hit & run on way to family dinner could have pushed daughter to safety as tragic new details emergePope Francis kicks off a yearlong Jubilee that will test his stamina and Rome's patience VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has opened the great Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica. The ceremony kicks off the 2025 Holy Year. It's a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome. And it will test the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them. This begins the Christmas Eve Mass. The ceremony inaugurates the once-every-25-year tradition of a Jubilee. Francis has dedicated the 2025 Jubilee to the theme of hope. Bethlehem marks a second subdued Christmas Eve during the war in Gaza BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem is marking another somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza. Manger Square lacked its usual festive lights and crowds of tourists on Tuesday. Instead, the area outside the Nativity Church was quiet. The church was built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. The war, the violence in the occupied West Bank it has spurred and the lack of festivities has deeply hurt Bethlehem's economy. The town relies heavily on Christmas tourism. The economy in the West Bank was already reeling because of restrictions placed on laborers preventing them from entering Israel during the war. Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about one hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. American said in an email that the problem was caused by an issue with a vendor technology that maintains its flight operating system. Aviation analytics company Cirium said flights were delayed across American’s major hubs, with only 37% leaving on time. Nineteen flights were cancelled. Haiti gangs fire on journalists covering a planned hospital reopening, leaving casualties PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Suspected gang members have opened fire on journalists in Haiti’s capital as they were covering the attempted reopening of the country’s largest hospital, wounding or killing an unknown number of people. The country's interim president, Leslie Voltaire, said in an address to the nation that journalists and police were among the victims of the vicious Christmas Eve attack. He did not specify how many casualties there were, or give a breakdown for the dead or wounded. Radio Télé Métronome said earlier on Tuesday that seven journalists and two police officers were wounded in the shooting. Street gangs have taken over an estimated 85% of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Middle East latest: Israeli raid and airstrikes in West Bank kill at least 8 Palestinians The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least eight people were killed by Israeli military operations in the northern West Bank. The ministry said three of the dead were killed by Israeli airstrikes. The attacks took place around the city of Tulkarem and nearby refugee camps. The Israeli military said it opened fire after militants attacked soldiers, and it was aware of some uninvolved civilians who were harmed in the raid. Elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian city of Bethlehem was marking a somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of the war in Gaza. Most festivities were cancelled and crowds of tourists were absent. Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women's sports Caitlin Clark has been named the AP Female Athlete of the Year after raising the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both college and the WNBA. She led Iowa to the national championship game, was the top pick in the WNBA draft and captured rookie of the year honors in the league. Fans packed sold-out arenas and millions of television viewers followed her journey on and off the court. Clark's exploits also put other women's sports leagues in the spotlight. A group of 74 sports journalists from AP and its members voted on the award. Other athletes who received votes included Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and boxer Imane Khelif. Clark’s only the fourth women’s basketball player to win the award since it was first given in 1931. NFL players who use platform to share their faith say it's their duty to spread their love of Jesus ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Jake Bates was standing on the turf in his hometown of Houston when asked to reflect on an unlikely journey from learning how to sell bricks to making game-winning kicks for the Detroit Lions. Bates used his platform as an NFL player to spread his love of Jesus. A month later, Bates told The Associated Press it is a duty to share his faith. The NFL is filled with players and coaches who feel the same way, such as Houston's C.J. Stroud, Atlanta's Kirk Cousins, and Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens. Major storm pounds California's central coast, blamed for man's death and partially collapsing pier SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — A major storm has pounded California’s central coast bringing flooding and high surf that was blamed for fatally trapping a man beneath debris on a beach and later partially collapsing a pier, tossing three people into the Pacific Ocean. The storm was expected to bring hurricane-force winds and waves up to 60 feet Monday as it gained strength from California to the Pacific Northwest. Some California cities have ordered beachfront homes and hotels to evacuate early Monday afternoon. Forecasters have warned that storm swells would continue to increase throughout the day. Medellin Cartel victims demand truth and justice as cartel boss Fabio Ochoa walks free in Colombia BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — The return of the notorious drug trafficker Fabio Ochoa to Colombia, following his deportation from the United States, has reopened old wounds among the victims of the Medellin cartel, with some expressing their dismay at the decision of Colombian authorities to let the former mafia boss walk free.Some of the cartel victims said on Tuesday that they are hoping the former drug lord will at least cooperate with ongoing efforts by human rights groups to investigate one of the most violent periods of Colombia’s history, and demanded that Colombian prosecutors also take Ochoa in for questioning.Threatening text messages seen by jury at bush bash shooting trial

ARLINGTON, Va. , Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES) approved an increase of 2% in the Company's quarterly common stock dividend, from $0.1725 per share to $0.17595 per share, beginning in the first quarter of 2025.

spin ph slot Mystery drone sightings continue in New Jersey and across the US. Here's what we knowMeta-owned WhatsApp constantly tries to come up with new features and updates with the aim of enhancing the overall user experience. WhatsApp has now announced a new feature which will allow users to transcribe audio messages into text. If you're wondering about why was it needed then imagine a situation when you're sitting in a formal setting and you get an urgent audio message. Now, you can't play it there in the room but the message might be important so you can't miss it either. In such scenarios, this new WhatsApp feature will help you out by converting that voice note into pointers. Continues below advertisement window.addEventListener("load", function() { let ad_unit_fire_time = 1000; if(ad_delay_time_abp > 0){ ad_unit_fire_time = parseInt(ad_delay_time_abp) + 500; } setTimeout(function () { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-9167143-2"); }); },ad_unit_fire_time) }); WhatsApp in a press release said, “Transcripts are generated on your device so that no one else, not even WhatsApp, can hear or read your personal messages." It is crucial to mention that at the moment it is unclear whether the transcriptions will be end-to-end encrypted or not. ALSO READ | Redmi A4 5G Challengers: Samsung Galaxy A14, Lava Blaze Pro, More Continues below advertisement window.addEventListener("load", function() { let ad_unit_fire_time = 1000; if(ad_delay_time_abp > 0){ ad_unit_fire_time = parseInt(ad_delay_time_abp) + 500; } setTimeout(function () { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1253031-3"); }); },ad_unit_fire_time) }); WhatsApp has announced that its Voice Note Transcript feature will be made available to users worldwide in the coming weeks. Initially, the feature will support only a limited number of languages, though the company has not specified which ones. Additionally, WhatsApp has not confirmed whether the transcripts are generated using AI technology. WhatsApp New Feature: How To Use To use the transcript feature, users need to activate it by navigating to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Voice message transcripts. Here, they can toggle the transcription feature on or off and choose the language for transcribing voice notes. After enabling the feature, users can create a transcript of a voice note by long-pressing the message and selecting the ‘Transcribe’ option from the pop-up menu. Other New Features Earlier this month, WhatsApp rolled out another convenient feature: the ability to automatically save unfinished messages as drafts. This ensures you can easily continue from where you left off, with a draft indicator to remind you of incomplete messages upon reopening the app. Make sure to update to the latest version of WhatsApp to enjoy these new functionalities.

WEST BLOOMFIELD — Last November, the Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Eaglets locked themselves in a weight room, and began prepping for the 2024 season waiting for moments like this. A moment where you can be resilient, determined, and succeed in. Related Articles High School Sports | PHOTOS: Football State Semifinals – Flat Rock vs Pontiac Notre Dame Prep High School Sports | Photo gallery from the Division 2 football semifinal between Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Birmingham Groves High School Sports | Hudsonville pulls away from Adams in second half of semifinal, ending Highlanders’ special run High School Sports | Everest Collegiate completes unbeaten season, fends off OLL to repeat as D4 champs High School Sports | Photo gallery from Everest Collegiate vs. St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake in the D4 volleyball state final “That’s just been Orchard Lake Football for centuries for years is to play physically. And we needed that to help us for times like this, in the playoffs, and all that good stuff. So I’m just proud of this group,” third-year head coach Jermaine Gonzales said. “You don’t understand, we started this thing back in November after last season, not making the playoffs our weight program started in November. And these seniors were locked in all spring, summer, winter, to get to this point.” That point was to force overtime with under a minute to play, make a key interception in overtime, and help seal a win. Thanks to those series of events, the Eaglets will return to Ford Field with an 28-27 overtime win over Birmingham Groves in the MHSAA Division 2 state semifinals on Saturday. OLSM will play Byron Center on Friday at 7 p.m. at Ford Field for the state championship. “That was our whole mindset all year, but this is a resilient group, like, all year, we lost closed games to really tough teams,” Gonzales continued. “But we know as a team, we got better from it each week. And I just think we just showed that today. Hats off to Groves, they’re a helluva team, well-coached, physical team. This was a great game, but the job’s not finished.” Both Groves and OLSM played back and forth the entire game answering scoring drives with scoring drives. But a defensive stop came up late in the fourth quarter. Groves’ defense forced the Eaglets to punt from its own end zone, which gave the offense the ball in plus territory with 1:09 to play. The Falcons offense moved the ball as close to field goal range. On third down from just outside the red zone. Coach Brendan Flaherty thought he had enough time to spike the ball, after a run play was called on third down. “We got, you know, some mayday field goal and we have that in our playbook, and we just didn’t have enough time to get it out there,” he said. “So we thought we could gain a couple more yards there and maybe spike the ball and yeah, get it there. That’s what we were hoping to do.” Groves was able to recover immediately in overtime after losing the coin toss. Noah Sanders scored his third touchdown of the day that gave the Falcons a 27-21 lead. Groves then decided to go for a 2-point conversion, to have OLSM chase points. “We were trying to get them ahead so they’d have to chase some points,” Flaherty said. “We made a call there because we knew they’d sell out for a block. We thought we had a good call drawn up because the play was open there for a second there.” As Ryan Counts rolled to his left, he had Wyatt Shortridge open, but the Eaglets made a play and picked off a contested pass. The next play, St Mary’s scored with a 10-yard touchdown run by senior Bryson Williams, his second of the game. Then it was up to a freshman kicker and holder combo to send OLSM to Ford Field. “I trusted my line, I trusted Luke (Jackson), and I really trust DJ (Taylor). He’s been holding for me all freshman year and he’s amazing. He’s probably the best holder I’ve ever had, and I knew he was just gonna go through,” freshman Brannon Hardy said. “DJ and I haven’t missed an extra point all year. Now we’re going to Ford Field.” The Eaglets started the scoring on its opening drive of the game when Camari Patterson scored a 1-yard touchdown run. Senior Darrin Jones added another on a 43-yard touchdown as well on OLSM’s second drive of the game. On the other sideline Noah Sanders answered the opening drive with a 50-yard touchdown of his own. The Toledo commit had a second touchdown in the second half as well on a 1-yard carry before he earned his third score in overtime. Sanders had 27 carries for 180 yards. The game was tied going into the half thanks to Counts’ 7-yard pass to Shortridge. OLSM retook the lead on a 21-yard score late in the third quarter on fourth and five by Williams. The Groves defense was buoyed in big moments by Chris Little who had two interceptions in the second half. Photo gallery from the Division 2 football semifinal between Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Birmingham Groves /*! This file is auto-generated */!function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i

Report: Louisiana coach Michael Desormeaux gets new dealWith drones popping up in the skies from New Jersey to Boston, Massachusetts pols are turning their eyes heavenward and are looking for action. “The public does deserve more information and faster,” U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-4th District, said during an appearance on MSNBC on Sunday . The Newton lawmaker’s remarks came the day after Boston police arrested two men who flew a drone “dangerously close” to Logan Airport Saturday evening. The drone’s proximity to Logan Airport’s airspace posed “serious risks,” so Boston police called in additional resources from Homeland Security, Massachusetts State Police, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Federal Communications Commission and air traffic control, police said. Officers were then dispatched to Long Island, MassLive previously reported. The incident prompted Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey to weigh in on X, and note that she was “aware of a growing number of drone sightings across Massachusetts,” and was “monitoring the situation closely.” The Massachusetts State Police were “working together with local and federal partners, and they’re prepared to support federal authorities with jurisdiction over airspace,” Healey added. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., cut right to the chase in a conversation with MassLive on Monday. "What happened at Logan Airport is just plain wrong," he said. “And that has to be policed very closely. We can’t in any way tolerate a potential air catastrophe because of drones that are too close to an airport.” In addition to a tighter regulatory environment, Markey also called for increased consumer awareness. “Hundreds of thousands of people for Christmas are going to receive a drone as a present. We need people who don’t get one to understand they may see a lot more of them in the sky,” he said. Auchincloss, who sits on the House Transportation Committee, said he’d reached out to "the NFL and, in particular, Gillette Stadium and the [New England] Patriots in my district to delegate more authority and more intelligence about unmanned aerial systems to the level of stadium operators and state police so that they can respond more quickly to drone incursions.” On Sunday, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to deploy better drone-tracking technology to identify the drones and their operators. “New Yorkers have tremendous questions about it,” Schumer, the Senate majority leader, told reporters about the drone sightings. “We are going to get the answers for them.” The federal government did little to answer those questions in its own media briefings Sunday morning. “There’s no question that people are seeing drones,” U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “But I want to assure the American public that we are on it. We are working in close coordination with state and local authorities.” Some of the drones reported above parts of New York and New Jersey have turned out to be “manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones,” Mayorkas said. “We know of no foreign involvement with respect to the sightings in the Northeast. And we are vigilant in investigating this matter.” Last year, federal aviation rules began requiring certain drones to broadcast their remote identification, including the location of their operators. It’s not clear whether that information has been used to determine who is behind the drones plaguing locations over New York and New Jersey. Mayorkas’ office didn’t respond to questions about whether they’ve been able to identify drones using this capability. Schumer wants the federal government to use a recently declassified radio wave technology in New York and New Jersey. The radio wave detector can be attached to a drone or airplane and can determine whether another flying object is a bird or a drone, read its electronic registration, and follow it back to its landing place. Schumer said state and local authorities do not have the authority to track drones. A bill before the U.S. Senate would enhance some federal agencies’ authority and give new abilities to local and state agencies to track drones. It would also start a pilot program allowing states and local authorities to disrupt, disable or seize a drone without prior consent of the operator. “What the drone issue points out are gaps in our agencies, gaps in our authorities between the Department of Homeland Security, local law enforcement, the Defense Department,” U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., who is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be his national security adviser, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “Americans are finding it hard to believe we can’t figure out where these are coming from.’’ Reporting from The Associated Press is included in this story. More political newsInside Katie Price’s £100K plastic surgery transformation since 1998 as mum-of-five books in THIRD BBL for January

Kimberley hosts U18 BC Curling ChampionshipsThe world juniors are about to begin. Why isn't there a women's world junior tournament?

All Blacks win in Turin but struggle against a passionate ItalyA pair of teams vying to put a stamp on overachieving campaigns will meet as Georgia Tech squares off with Vanderbilt in the Birmingham Bowl on Friday in Birmingham, Ala. Georgia Tech (7-5) is appearing in back-to-back bowl games for the first time since an 18-year run from 1997-2014, and a win would give the Yellow Jackets consecutive bowl wins for the first time in 20 years. For a Georgia Tech program that endured a 14-32 stretch from 2019-22, this season has given Yellow Jacket fans a reason to believe a resurgence is near. After knocking off No. 10 Florida State in the season opener, Georgia Tech climbed into the AP Poll for the first time in nine years. Although it was a short stay in the rankings, head coach Brent Key's team piqued the nation's interest again in November, when it took down undefeated No. 4 Miami, 28-23. The Yellow Jackets had another chance to shake up the college football landscape against then-No. 7 Georgia, but blew a late 14-point lead en route to an eight-overtime defeat. Now with one more opportunity against the Southeastern Conference, Key thinks the bowl organizers nailed this one on the head. "We're excited to go over to Birmingham and play a really good opponent," Key said. "I think this is a really good matchup. When you look at bowl games, that's what you look for, the matchups. And I think they got this one right." Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King's 1,910 passing yards and 22 total touchdowns (11 passing, 11 rushing) have steadied the offense throughout the year, but the Yellow Jackets will be without their leading receiver, Eric Singleton Jr., who entered the transfer portal after the regular season and signed with Auburn on Monday. Starting defensive lineman Romello Height also transferred, meaning a next-man-up mentality will be in order for Key's squad. "One person is not going to make a difference as far as rotational depth," Key said. "We're going to continue to coach the guys that are here, and prepare them not only for this game but for the rest of their careers here at Georgia Tech." Singleton paced Georgia Tech with 754 receiving yards to go along with four total touchdowns, while Height tallied 2 1/2 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. It wouldn't have surprised many college football pundits had Vanderbilt missed the postseason for a sixth straight year. The Commodores (6-6) were predicted last by a wide margin in the SEC preseason poll coming off last year's winless conference slate. However, the program's historic season can now be punctuated with its first bowl win in 11 years, thanks to a shocking Oct. 5 victory over No. 1 Alabama, along with its first win all-time at Auburn. Led by head coach Clark Lea, the revamped Commodores see a similar program on Friday in Birmingham. "Georgia Tech is a team I've taken notes on as Brent has built that program up," Lea said. "What an incredible transformation they've had; so much respect for them. ... This is our 10th bowl game in 134 years, it's a chance for our first winning season since 2013. You're going to have two teams that play a physical brand of football, two head coaches that care deeply about the institutions we represent. "These are two teams that are going to fight for a win and I don't think it gets better than that." The Commodores are led by quarterback Diego Pavia, who had 2,133 passing yards and 17 touchdowns in the air, paired with 716 rushing yards and six scores on the ground. Pavia, a transfer from New Mexico State -- and New Mexico Military Institute at the juco level -- won a court ruling last week that granted him a seventh year of eligibility in 2025. --Field Level Media

Betty White Forever: New stamp will honor the much-beloved 'Golden Girls' actorA pair of teams vying to put a stamp on overachieving campaigns will meet as Georgia Tech squares off with Vanderbilt in the Birmingham Bowl on Friday in Birmingham, Ala. Georgia Tech (7-5) is appearing in back-to-back bowl games for the first time since an 18-year run from 1997-2014, and a win would give the Yellow Jackets consecutive bowl wins for the first time in 20 years. For a Georgia Tech program that endured a 14-32 stretch from 2019-22, this season has given Yellow Jacket fans a reason to believe a resurgence is near. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes drifted amid mixed trading Monday, ahead of this week’s upcoming meeting by the Federal Reserve that could set Wall Street’s direction into next year. The S&P 500 rose 0.4%, coming off its first losing week in the last four . The Nasdaq composite climbed 1.2% to a record, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was a laggard and fell 110 points, or 0.3%. Broadcom leaped 11.2% to help lead the S&P 500 for a second straight day after delivering a profit report last week that beat analysts’ expectations. The technology company is riding a wave of enthusiasm about its artificial-intelligence offerings in particular. The market’s main event, though, will arrive on Wednesday when the Federal Reserve will announce its last move on interest rates for the year. The widespread expectation is that it will cut its main rate for a third straight time, as it tries to boost the slowing job market after getting inflation nearly all the way down to its target of 2%. The question is how much more it will cut rates next year, and Fed officials will release projections for where they see the federal funds rate ending 2025, along with other economic indicators, once their meeting concludes. Fed Chair Jerome Powell will also answer questions in a press conference following the meeting. For now, the general expectation among traders is that the Fed may cut a couple more times in 2025, according to data from CME Group. But such expectations have been shrinking following reports suggesting inflation may be tougher to get all the way down to 2% from here. Besides last month’s slight acceleration in inflation, another worry is that President-elect Donald Trump’s preferences for tariffs and other policies could lead to higher inflation down the line. Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle has dropped his earlier forecast of a cut by the Fed in January, for example. Beyond the possibility of tariffs, he said Fed officials may also want to slow their cuts because of uncertainty about exactly how low rates need to go so that they no longer press the brakes on the economy. Expectations for a series of cuts to rates by the Fed have been one of the main reasons the S&P 500 has set an all-time high 57 times so far this year and is heading for one of its best years of the millennium . The economy has held up better than many feared, continuing to grow even after the Fed hiked the federal funds rate to a two-decade high in hopes of grinding down on inflation, which topped 9% two summers ago. On Wall Street, MicroStrategy jumped as much as 7% during the day as it continues to benefit from the surging price for bitcoin , which set another all-time high. But its stock ended the day down by les than 0.1% after bitcoin’s price pulled back below $106,000 after setting a record above $107,700, according to CoinDesk. The software company has been building its hoard of the cryptocurrency, and its stock price has more than sextupled this year. It will also soon join the Nasdaq 100 index. Bitcoin’s price has catapulted from roughly $44,000 at the start of the year, riding a recent wave of enthusiasm that Trump will create a system that’s more favorable to digital currencies . Honeywell rose 3.7% after saying it’s still considering a spin-off or sale of its aerospace business, as part of a review of its overall business. It said it plans to give an update with the release of its fourth-quarter results. They helped offset a drop for Nvidia, whose chips are powering much of the world’s move into AI. Its stock fell 1.7%. Because it’s grown so massive, with a total value topping $3 trillion, it was the single heaviest weight on the S&P 500. All told, the S&P 500 rose 22.99 points to 6,074.08. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 110.58 to 43,717.48, and the Nasdaq composite rose 247.17 to 20,173.89. In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury edged down to 4.39% from 4.40% late Friday. The two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations for the Fed, eased to 4.24% from 4.25%. In stock markets abroad, indexes fell modestly across much of Europe and Asia. They sank 0.9% in Hong Kong and 0.2% in Shanghai after China reported lackluster economic indicators for November despite attempts to strengthen the world’s second-largest economy. South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.2% as law enforcement authorities pushed to summon impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning over his short-lived martial law decree, and the Constitutional Court met to discuss whether to remove him from office or reinstate him. AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

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BOSTON - Two men, including a dual Iranian American citizen who lives in Natick, Massachusetts, have been arrested on charges that they exported sensitive technology to Iran that was used in a drone attack in Jordan that killed three American troops early this year and injured dozens of other service members, the Justice Department said Monday. The pair were arrested after FBI specialists who analyzed the drone traced the navigation system to an Iranian company operated by one of the defendants, who relied on technology funneled from the U.S. by his alleged co-conspirator, officials said. "We often cite hypothetical risk when we talk about the dangers of American technology getting into dangerous hands," said U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy, the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts. "Unfortunately, in this situation, we are not speculating." The defendants were identified as Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, who prosecutors say works at a Massachusetts-based semiconductor company, and Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, who was arrested Monday in Italy as the Justice Department seeks his extradition to Massachusetts. FBI search in Natick Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Boston, said Sadeghi is a naturalized U.S. citizen living in Natick, "who we believe abandoned this country that took him in to help strengthen the arsenal of weapons for one of the world's most infamous state sponsors of terrorism." Sadeghi was arrested without incident on Monday. A home on Woodland Street in Natick was searched by the FBI on Monday afternoon in connection with the investigation. Prosecutors allege that Abedininajafabadi, who also uses the surname Adedini and operates an Iranian company that manufactures navigation systems for drones, has connections to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. They allege that he conspired with Sadeghi to circumvent American export control laws, including through a front company in Switzerland, and procure sensitive technology into Iran. Both men are charged with export control violations, and Abedini separately faces charges of conspiring to provide material support to Iran. A lawyer for Sadeghi did not immediately return an email seeking comment. Levy said the semiconductor company Sadeghi worked for in Massachusetts was notified of the charges and is cooperating with the FBI. "These charges today underscore that the Department of Justice will not cease in its effort to seek justice for servicemembers who were killed and harmed overseas," Levy said. Drone attack in Jordan U.S. officials blamed the January attack on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias that includes Kataib Hezbollah. Three Georgia soldiers - Sgt. William Jerome Rivers of Carrollton, Sgt. Breonna Moffett of Savannah and Sgt. Kennedy Sanders of Waycross - were killed in the Jan. 28 drone attack on a U.S. outpost in northeastern Jordan called Tower 22. In the attack, the one-way attack drone may have been mistaken for a U.S. drone that was expected to return back to the logistics base about the same time and was not shot down. Instead, it crashed into living quarters, killing the three soldiers and injuring more than 40. Tower 22 held about 350 U.S. military personnel at the time. It is strategically located between Jordan and Syria, only 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Iraqi border, and in the months just after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and Israel's blistering response in Gaza, Iranian-backed militias intensified their attacks on U.S. military locations in the region. Following the attack, the U.S. launched a huge counterstrike against 85 sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iran's Revolutionary Guard and Iranian-backed militia and bolstered Tower 22's defenses.None

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spin ph7 The excitement of Black Friday fills the air and Amazon is rolling out jaw-dropping deals on the most premium devices. This year, every model of the LG’s OLED C4 TV is available at its lowest price ever on Amazon. Picture this: you can snag the stunning 48-inch model for just $996 (down from $1,599), the immersive 55-inch version for $1,296 (originally $1,999), the captivating 65-inch model for $1,496 (reduced from $2,699), or even the grand 77-inch variant for only $2,196 (a huge drop from $3,699). See 65′′ LG TV at Amazon See 77′′ LG TV at Amazon What makes these Amazon LG TV deals even more appealing are two customer-friendly policies: 1) Amazon is offering a best price guarantee throughout the Black Friday period. If the price drops further on Amazon during this time, they will refund the difference automatically so you don’t have any reason to delay your purchase. 2) Amazon has extended its return policy for these TVs until January 31, 2025—far beyond the standard 30-day window. This extended return period is convenient for those considering these TVs as holiday gifts. Affordable Luxury TV The LG OLED C4 series represents the pinnacle of affordable luxury in television technology . These TVs combine stunning picture quality with advanced features, and they’re ideal for cinephiles and gamers. At the heart of the C4’s performance is LG’s OLED technology (they’re probably the best at OLED in the market right now) which delivers perfect blacks, infinite contrast and vibrant colors. The C4 series boasts a new generation Alpha 9 Gen 7 processor: this powerful chip uses artificial intelligence to enhance image processing which results in sharper and way more realistic visuals. The AI Super Upscaling feature ensures that even lower-resolution content looks crisp and detailed on the C4’s 4K display. It also supports Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10 and reproduces a wide range of colors and brightness levels, closely mimicking what directors intended. Gamers will find the C4 series particularly appealing due to its gaming-oriented features: there’s a refresh rate of up to 144Hz and an ultra low response time of just 0.1ms. If you’re looking for high-performance gaming on the latest consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, they’re great. The inclusion of four HDMI 2.1 ports ensures easy connectivity with multiple gaming devices. Audio performance hasn’t been overlooked either. The C4 series on sale for Black Friday at Amazon supports wireless Dolby Atmos audio transmission to compatible soundbars and allows for a great and immersive sound experience without the clutter of additional cables. For those interested in smart home integration, these TVs come with built-in Alexa support. See 65′′ LG TV at Amazon See 77′′ LG TV at AmazonCancer – (21st June to 22nd July) Daily Horoscope Prediction says, Nothing beats your attitude Minor issues may be there in the love affair but they will be resolved. Continue your performance at the workplace. Both wealth and health are positive today. Share happy moments in love. Take up a new role at the office that will test your mettle. Financially you are good and health will also be at your side. Cancer Love Horoscope Today Shower love on the partner and also plan a romantic dinner. Your partner may be adamant or stubborn today over a topic that can create tense moments. Give surprise gifts and plan a vacation to strengthen the bonding. Some married female natives will have troubles with the family of their spouse and this needs to be resolved today. Avoid unpleasant things in the relationship to keep it going stronger for a long period. Cancer Career Horoscope Today Look for more professional opportunities to prove your potential today. Some tasks will demand you to stay additional hours while you may also impress the client with your communication skills. IT engineers, automobile engineers, and healthcare professionals will have chances to move abroad. Some academicians will receive an appraisal. Entrepreneurs will get into new partnerships which will bring in good returns shortly. Funds will come by to expand the trade to new territories. Cancer Money Horoscope Today Wealth will come in from different sources and you may go ahead with the idea to invest in real estate. Some Cancer natives will be successful in the stock market. You may go ahead with the plan to buy jewelry or electronic appliances. You can also travel today with the family and funds will not be an issue. Businessmen will clear all pending dues and will also be successful in raising funds through promoters. Cancer Health Horoscope Today Today is a good day to schedule the surgery. Those who have breathing issues need to consult a doctor. Seniors must be careful while boarding a bus or train. Children may develop viral fever, sore throat, or body aches. Pregnant females must avoid riding a scooter today. Maintain a healthy diet and ensure you include many green leafy vegetables and fruits in your diet. Cancer Sign Attributes Strength: Intuitive, Practical, Kind, Energetic, Artsy, Dedicated, Benevolent, Caring Weakness: Insatiable, Possessive, Prudish Symbol: Crab Element: Water Body Part: Stomach & Breast Sign Ruler: Moon Lucky Day: Monday Lucky Color: White Lucky Number: 2 Lucky Stone: Pearl Cancer Sign Compatibility Chart Natural affinity: Taurus, Virgo, Scorpio, Pisces Good compatibility: Cancer, Capricorn Fair compatibility: Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius, Aquarius Less compatibility: Aries, Libra By: Dr. J. N. Pandey Vedic Astrology & Vastu Expert Website: www.astrologerjnpandey.com E-mail: djnpandey@gmail.com Phone: 91-9811107060 (WhatsApp Only)

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For Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, President-elect Donald Trump ’s pledge to end birthright citizenship is more than just a provocative anti-immigrant policy likely to be blocked by courts. It’s personal. > Philadelphia news 24/7: Watch NBC10 free wherever you are Tong, 51, a Democrat who has served as the state’s top legal official since 2019, is the son of immigrants who came to the United States from China and Taiwan. He is the first member of his family to have been born on U.S. soil and is the first Asian American to be elected to statewide office in Connecticut. “I grew up working side by side with my parents in our family’s Chinese restaurant, and in one generation I’ve gone from that Chinese restaurant kitchen to be the attorney general of the state of Connecticut,” he said in an interview. “That only happens one place in this world, and that’s in America.” On the campaign trail, Trump promised to take action to end birthright citizenship on day one of his second term in office, a move that would immediately prompt legal challenges. “I would be the first to sue,” Tong promised. He is one of 23 Democratic state attorneys general who are likely to be regular opponents of Trump on various issues, ranging from immigration and LGBTQ rights to environmental policy and abortion, just as many were in the first Trump administration. Likewise, Republican attorneys general routinely sued to block President Joe Biden’s policies, notching up major victories on issues like student loan debt forgiveness and a Covid vaccine-or-test mandate for businesses. The fight over birthright citizenship might be one that challengers have a good chance of winning, even with a conservative Supreme Court that includes three justices appointed by Trump. The vast majority of legal scholars think there is no genuine legal dispute over the guarantee of birthright citizenship as enshrined in the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States,” the amendment states. James Ho, now a Trump-appointed judge on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who is considered a contender for the Supreme Court if Trump has a vacancy, wrote an article in 2006 rejecting the claim that the children of undocumented immigrants should not be considered citizens. “Birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. That birthright is protected no less for children of undocumented persons than for descendants of Mayflower passengers,” he wrote. Ho himself was born in Taiwan and immigrated to the United States with his parents. Trump has said he will sign an executive order that would ensure children born to parents who do not have legal status in the U.S. will not be considered U.S. citizens. At least one parent would need to be a citizen or legal resident for a child to receive birthright citizenship, Trump said in a video announcing the plan last year. He indicated the policy would not apply retroactively. A Trump spokesman did not respond to a request for comment about the brewing plans to counter his efforts. The administration could try to implement the policy, thereby kicking off a legal fight, by ordering federal agencies to prevent people from obtaining passports or Social Security numbers. Supporters of limiting birthright citizenship say the language in the 14th Amendment referring to citizenship being awarded to people “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States does not include the children of undocumented immigrants. Conservatives have embraced the idea of declaring the act of migrants crossing the southern border as a form of invasion — a move that could have them treated more like enemy combatants than migrants. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has taken that approach , leading to conflicts with the Biden administration. A declaration along those lines by Trump could be used to defend a policy seeking to end automatic birthright citizenship, an approach Judge Ho outlined in remarks made after the November election that seem to backtrack on his earlier view. He said that “birthright citizenship obviously doesn’t apply in case of war or invasion.” Cecillia Wang, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is also gearing up to sue Trump on birthright citizenship and other policies, said calling immigration a form of invasion reflects “a white nationalist view” that is not supported by the facts. “I don’t think that anyone’s theory about so-called invasion ... should fly in the courts,” she added. From Tong’s perspective, any limitation on birthright citizenship would be a violation of the 14th Amendment. It is “beyond clear” what the law states, he said, and it will “get real when people’s lives and communities are impacted, or worse, destroyed” if Trump’s plan goes into effect. He was quick to cite the experience of his parents, who “ran for their lives” before reaching the United States and settling in Connecticut. “Let’s just cut the crap and acknowledge that we’re Americans. Everybody is as American as anybody else,” Tong added. “I mean, it strikes to the core of our constitutional foundation, the 14th Amendment.” This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

Whatever Mexicans feel about Trump’s style and prejudices, the bottom line is that some of his requests will need to be addressed, Bloomberg Opinion columnist JP Spinetto writes.Before traveling to Chiapas to officially open a new highway between Tuxtla Gutiérrez and San Cristóbal de las Casas, President Claudia Sheinbaum held her final morning press conference of the week at the National Palace in the historic center of Mexico City. Sheinbaum once again highlighted the government’s efforts to reduce violence in Sinaloa, and also responded to Donald Trump’s latest remarks about his telephone conversation with the Mexican president last week. A reporter asked the president whether the government would provide support to businesses in Sinaloa that have sustained heavy financial losses due to ongoing violence in the northern state . “The best support we can provide is that which we’re providing now,” Sheinbaum responded. She explained she was referring to the presence of Security Minister Omar García Harfuch in Sinaloa . “He’s in Sinaloa to strengthen the security strategy. That is the best support we can provide,” Sheinbaum said. En seguimiento a la investigación del aseguramiento de más de una tonelada de pastillas de fentanilo y con acciones operativas para disminuir índices delictivos en Sinaloa, personal del Gabinete de Seguridad detuvo a Adrián “N” “El Gallero” integrante de un grupo delictivo que... https://t.co/UjbndCN6HQ pic.twitter.com/btkklkGeda — Omar H Garcia Harfuch (@OHarfuch) December 5, 2024 “He’s coordinating the [security] tasks of all the federal and state forces ... and it will yield results. ... In fact it is already producing results in terms of arrests,” she said. On García’s first day in Sinaloa earlier this week, authorities seized more than 1 tonne of fentanyl in the municipality of Ahome . The security minister has reported arrests related to that bust in publications on the social media platform X. The violence in Sinaloa is mainly related to a war between the Los Mayos and Los Chapitos factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. Sheinbaum acknowledged on Friday that a lot of people will travel to Mazatlán and other parts of the state over the end-of-year vacation period. “We’re going to work to guarantee security,” she said. The president conceded earlier this week that violence in Sinaloa won’t “drastically decrease” in a short period of time. Another reporter noted that Mexico awoke to the news that Sheinbaum was included on the Financial Times’ “25 most influential women of 2024” list . Among the other women on the list are Taylor Swift, Kamala Harris, Ursula von der Leyen and Arundhati Roy. Sheinbaum said she wouldn’t let the Financial Times article go to her head or consider it a personal endorsement. “What there is is a recognition of what’s happening in Mexico,” she said. “I said, ‘let the transformation continue’ and ‘it’s time for women.’ That is noticed and felt in our country and that is the recognition ... [of the Financial Times],” Sheinbaum said. “... So I think, in effect, that it is a recognition of the people of Mexico,” she said. In a short profile of Sheinbaum in the “leaders” section of its “25 most influential women” list, the Financial Times noted that not only is Sheinbaum the country’s first female president, “but also the first former climate scientist to hold the post.” FT also said that the president is “renowned for her steely character” and described her as “a life-long feminist” who is “determined to present a strong front against bullying tactics.” “Stand by for fireworks, and a big test of whether a woman cannot just lead Mexico, but do so in the face of Trump’s own version of MAGA machismo,” the Times said. Speaking at the Fox Nation Patriot Awards ceremony on Thursday night , United States President-elect Donald Trump offered a new account of his telephone call with Sheinbaum on Nov. 27 . “I spoke the other day to the president, the new president of Mexico, very nice woman. And we had a very nice conversation,” he said. “But she said, ‘Why are you doing this to me?’ continued Trump, referring to his pledge to impose a 25% tariff on all Mexican exports on the first day of his second term as president. “I said, ‘I’m not. I’m just putting a lot of tariffs on because you’re allowing criminals to pour into our country, and we can’t allow that anymore,'” said the former and future U.S. president. Asked whether she did in fact make the “why are you doing this to me?” remark, Sheinbaum simply responded that Trump has his own unique “way of communicating.” “It was like when we had the call and he did a [social media] post where he says we’re going to close the border and that was never spoken about,” she said. Sheinbaum responded to that claim last week by saying that “Mexico’s position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples.” She also said: “Everyone has their own way of communicating, but I can assure you ... that we never suggested that we were going to close the border, we would be incapable [of doing so].” On Friday morning, the president said she wouldn’t be lured into a public “debate” over what was and wasn’t said during her call with Trump, but assured reporters that she and other officials in her government will always “represent Mexico in a dignified way.” By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ( [email protected] )Fremont County Sheriff’s Transport Deputy Tracy Breeding named the 2024 Fremont County Employee of the Year

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President-elect Donald Trump has once again suggested he wants to revert the name of North America’s tallest mountain — Alaska's Denali — to Mount McKinley, wading into a sensitive and decades-old conflict about what the peak should be called. Former President Barack Obama changed the official name to Denali in 2015 to reflect the traditions of Alaska Natives as well as the preference of many Alaska residents. The federal government in recent years has endeavored to change place-names considered disrespectful to Native people. “Denali” is an Athabascan word meaning “the high one" or “the great one.” A prospector in 1896 dubbed the peak “Mount McKinley” after President William McKinley, who had never been to Alaska. That name was formally recognized by the U.S. government until Obama changed it over opposition from lawmakers in McKinley's home state of Ohio. Trump suggested in 2016 that he might undo Obama's action, but he dropped that notion after Alaska's senators objected. He raised it again during a rally in Phoenix on Sunday. “McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president,” Trump said Sunday. “They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That’s what they do to people.” Once again, Trump's suggestion drew quick opposition within Alaska. “Uh. Nope. It’s Denali,” Democratic state Sen. Scott Kawasaki posted on the social platform X Sunday night. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski , who for years pushed for legislation to change the name to Denali, conveyed a similar sentiment in a post of her own. “There is only one name worthy of North America’s tallest mountain: Denali — the Great One,” Murkowski wrote on X. Various tribes of Athabascan people have lived in the shadow of the 20,310-foot (6,190-meter) mountain for thousands of years. McKinley, a Republican native of Ohio who served as the 25th president, was assassinated early in his second term in 1901 in Buffalo, New York. Alaska and Ohio have been at odds over the name since at least the 1970s. Alaska had a standing request to change the name since 1975, when the legislature passed a resolution and then-Gov. Jay Hammond appealed to the federal government. Known for its majestic views, the mountain is dotted with glaciers and covered at the top with snow year-round, with powerful winds that make it difficult for the adventurous few who seek to climb it. Rush reported from Portland, Oregon.Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are not having a $600 million wedding in Aspen, US, this weekend. Late last week, some reports claimed that billionaire Bezos will marry his fiance Lauren Sanchez next Saturday in an extravagant $600 million wedding in Aspen, Colorado. An upset Bezos has strongly denied the extravagant plans. Amazon's former CEO was so angry with the report that he took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to clarify. And what makes this clarification serious is the fact that Bezos is not a regular on Twitter. "Furthermore, this whole thing is completely false — none of this is happening. The old adage “don’t believe everything you read” is even more true today than it ever has been. Now lies can get ALL the way around the world before the truth can get its pants on. So be careful out there folks and don’t be gullible. Will be interesting to see if all the outlets that “covered” and re-reported on this issue a correction when it comes and goes and doesn’t happen," Bezos wrote. Elon Musk's 'comforting' reply Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who is widely known to share a frosty relationship with Bezos, replied to Bezos' angry post. "That said, I hope you do hold an epic wedding. It’s nice to know that epic events are happening somewhere in the world, even if one is not present. A world where there are amazing events somewhere is better than a world where they are happening nowhere," wrote Musk in a post seemingly aimed at comforting Bezos. No wedding dates confirmed The Daily Mail was the first to report the $600 million wedding plan quoting a “well-placed source.” The report was then picked up by the New York Post. Billionaire Bill Ackman then quote-tweeted a now-deleted post from New York Post writing, “This is not credible. Unless you are buying each of your guests a house, you can’t spend this much money.” Ackman's tweet was what Jeff Bezos quoted in his reply. Incidentally, Bezos, 60, and his fiance, 54, have so far remained mum on their wedding plans and have not yet publicly confirmed their wedding date.

ALTOONA, Pa. — The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggled with deputies and shouted Tuesday while arriving for a court appearance in Pennsylvania, a day after he was arrested at a McDonald’s and charged with murder. Luigi Nicholas Mangione emerged from a patrol car, spun toward reporters and shouted something partly unintelligible referring to an “insult to the intelligence of the American people” while deputies pushed him inside. Prosecutors began to take steps to bring Mangione back to New York to face a murder charge while new details emerged about his life and how he was captured. The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family was charged with murder hours after he was arrested in the Manhattan killing of Brian Thompson, who led the United States’ largest medical insurance company. At the brief hearing, defense lawyer Thomas Dickey informed the court that Mangione would not waive extradition to New York but instead wants a hearing on the issue. He has 14 days to challenge detention. Mangione likely was motivated by his anger with what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and a disdain for corporate greed, a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press said. He wrote that the U.S. has the most expensive health care system in the world and that profits of major corporations continue to increase while “our life expectancy” does not, according to the bulletin, based on a review of his hand-written notes and social media posts. Mangione called “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski a “political revolutionary” and may have found inspiration from the man who carried out a series of bombings while railing against modern society and technology, according to the bulletin. Mangione remained jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was initially charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Manhattan prosecutors obtained an arrest warrant, a step that could help expedite his extradition from Pennsylvania. Mangione was arrested Monday in Altoona, Pennsylvania — about 230 miles west of New York City — after a McDonald’s customer recognized him and notified an employee, authorities said. Thompson, 50, was killed Wednesday as he walked alone to a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. Police saw the shooting as a targeted attack. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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Trump offers a public show of support for Pete Hegseth, his embattled nominee to lead the PentagonDoctored images have been around for decades. The term "Photoshopped" is part of everyday language. But in recent years, it has seemingly been replaced by a new word: deepfake. It's almost everywhere online, but you likely won't find it in your dictionary at home. What exactly is a deepfake, and how does the technology work? RELATED STORY | Scripps News Reports: Sex, Lies, and Deepfakes A deepfake is an image or video that has been generated by artificial intelligence to look real. Most deepfakes use a type of AI called a "diffusion model." In a nutshell, a diffusion model creates content by stripping away noise. "With diffusion models, they found a very clever way of taking an image and then constructing that procedure to go from here to there," said Lucas Hansen said. He and Siddharth Hiregowdara are cofounders of CivAI, a nonprofit educating the public on the potential — and dangers — of AI. How diffusion models work It can get complicated, so imagine the AI – or diffusion model – as a detective trying to catch a suspect. Like a detective, it relies on its experience and training. It recalls a previous case -– a sneaky cat on the run. Every day it added more and more disguises. On Monday, no disguise. Tuesday, it put on a little wig. Wednesday, it added some jewelry. By Sunday, it's unrecognizable and wearing a cheeseburger mask. The detective learned these changes can tell you what it wore and on what day. AI diffusion models do something similar with noise, learning what something looks like at each step. "The job of the diffusion model is to remove noise," Hiregowdara said. "You would give the model this picture, and then it will give you a slightly de-noised version of this picture." RELATED STORY | Scripps News got deepfaked to see how AI could impact elections When it's time to solve the case and generate a suspect, we give it a clue: the prompts we give when we create an AI-generated image. "We have been given the hint that this is supposed to look like a cat. So what catlike things can we see in here? Okay, we see this curve, maybe that's an ear," Hiregowdara said. The "detective" works backward, recalling its training. It sees a noisy image. Thanks to the clue, it is looking for a suspect — a cat. It subtracts disguises (noise) until it finds the new suspect. Case closed. Now imagine the "detective" living and solving crimes for years and years. It learns and studies everything — landscapes, objects, animals, people, anything at all. So when it needs to generate a suspect or an image, it remembers its training and creates an image. Deepfakes and faceswaps Many deepfake images and videos employ some type of face swapping technology. You've probably experienced this kind of technology already — faceswapping filters like on Snapchat, Instagram or Tiktok use technology similar to diffusion models, recognizing faces and replacing things in real time. "It will find the face in the image and then cut that out kind of, then take the face and convert it to its internal representation," Hansen said. The results are refined then repeated frame by frame. The future and becoming our own detectives As deepfakes become more and more realistic and tougher to detect, understanding how the technology works at a basic level can help us prepare for any dangers or misuse. Deepfakes have already been used to spread election disinformation, create fake explicit images of a teenager, even frame a principal with AI-created racist audio. "All the netizens on social media also have a role to play," Siwei Lyu said. Lyu is a SUNY Empire Innovation Professor at the University of Buffalo's Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and the director of the Media Forensics Lab. His team has created a tool to help spot deepfakes called "DeepFake-o-meter." "We do not know how to handle, how to deal, with these kinds of problems. It's very new. And also requires technical knowledge to understand some of the subtleties there," Lyu said. "The media, the government, can play a very active role to improve user awareness and education. Especially for vulnerable groups like seniors, the kids, who will start to understand the social media world and start to become exposed to AI technologies. They can easily fall for AI magic or start using AI without knowing the limits." RELATED STORY | AI voice cloning: How programs are learning to pick up on pitch and tone Both Lyu and CivAI believe in exposure and education to help combat any potential misuse of deepfake technology. "Our overall goal is that we think AI is going t impact pretty much everyone in a lot of different ways," Hansen said. "And we think that everyone should be aware of the ways that it's going to change them because it's going to impact everyone." "More than just general education — just knowing the facts and having heard what's going to happen," he added. "We want to give people a really intuitive experience of what's going on." Hansen goes on to explain CivAI's role in educating the public. "We try and make all of our demonstrations personalized as much as possible. What we're working on is making it so people can see it themselves. So they know it's real, and they feel that it's real," Hansen said. "And they can have a deep gut level feel for tthe impact that it's going to have." "A big part of the solution is essentially just going to be education and sort of cultural changes," he added. "A lot of this synthetic content is sort of like a new virus that is attacking society right now, and people need to become immune to it in some ways. They need to be more suspicious about what's real and what's not, and I think that will help a lot as well."By KEVIN FREKING WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans teed up a vote this week on bipartisan legislation to gradually expand by 66 the number of federal judgeships across the country. Democrats, though, are having second thoughts now that President-elect Donald Trump has won a second term. The White House said Tuesday that if President Joe Biden were presented with the bill, he would veto it. A Congress closely divided along party lines would be unlikely to overturn a veto, likely dooming the bill’s chances this year. It’s an abrupt reversal for legislation that the Senate passed unanimously in August. But the GOP-led House waited until after the election to act on the measure, which spreads out the establishment of the new district judgeships over about a decade to give three presidential administrations the chance to appoint the new judges. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said the bill was negotiated with the understanding that three unknown, future presidents would have the chance to expand and shape the judiciary. No party would be knowingly given an advantage. He said he begged GOP leadership to take up the measure before the presidential election. But they did not do so. “It was a fair fight and they wanted no part of it,” Nadler said. Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, explained the timing this way: “We just didn’t get to the legislation.” The change of heart about the bill from some Democrats and the new urgency from House Republicans for considering it underscores the contentious politics that surrounded federal judicial vacancies. Senate roll-call votes are required for almost every judicial nominee these days, and most votes for the Supreme Court and appellate courts are now decided largely along party lines. Lawmakers are generally hesitant to hand presidents from the opposing party new opportunities to shape the judiciary. Related Articles National Politics | Trump lawyers and aide hit with 10 additional felony charges in Wisconsin over 2020 fake electors National Politics | After withdrawing as attorney general nominee, Matt Gaetz lands a talk show on OANN television National Politics | What will happen to Social Security under Trump’s tax plan? National Politics | Republican-led states are rolling out plans that could aid Trump’s mass deportation effort National Politics | Elon Musk warns Republicans against standing in Trump’s way — or his Nadler said that the bill would give Trump 25 judicial nominations on top of the 100-plus spots that are expected to open up over the next four years. “Donald Trump has made clear that he intends to expand the power of the presidency and giving him 25 new judges to appoint gives him one more tool at his disposal to do that,” Nadler said. Nadler said he’s willing to take up comparable legislation in the years ahead and give the additional judicial appointments to “unknown presidents yet to come,” but until then, he was urging colleagues to vote against the bill. Still, few are arguing against the merits. Congress last authorized a new district judgeship more than 20 years ago, while the number of cases being filed continues to increase with litigants often waiting years for a resolution. “I used to be a federal court litigator, and I can tell you it’s desperately needed,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said of the bill. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., first introduced the bill to establish new judgeships in 2020. Last year, the policy-making body for the federal court system, the Judicial Conference of the United States, recommended the creation of several new district and court of appeals judgeships to meet increased workload demands in certain courts. “Judges work tirelessly every day to meet growing demands and resolve cases as quickly as possible, but with the volume we have and the shortage of judges we have, it just makes it a very difficult proposition,” Judge Timothy Corrigan, of the Middle District of Florida, said in a recent blog post on the website of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The blog post states that caseloads are creating delays that will erode public confidence in the judicial process, but the bill would meet many of the federal judiciary’s needs for more judges. Jordan said that as of June 30th, there were nearly 750,000 pending cases in federal district courts nationwide, with each judge handling an average of 554 filings. When asked if House Republicans would have brought the bill up if Vice President Kamala Harris had won the election, Jordan said the bill is “the right thing to do” and that almost half of the first batch of judges will come from states where both senators are Democrats, giving them a chance to provide input on those nominations before Trump makes them. But in its veto threat, the White House Office of Management and Budget said the bill would create new judgeships in states where senators have sought to hold open existing judicial vacancies. “These efforts to hold open vacancies suggest that concerns about judicial economy and caseload are not the true motivating force behind passage of the law,” the White House said. Shortly before the White House issued the veto threat, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he would be curious to hear Biden’s rationale for such action. “It’s almost inconceivable that a lame-duck president could consider vetoing such an obviously prudential step for any reason other than selfish spite,” McConnell said.

WASHINGTON — The House shut down Democrats' efforts Thursday to release the long-awaited ethics report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, pushing the fate of any resolution to the yearslong investigation of sexual misconduct allegations into further uncertainty. Matt Gaetz talks before President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate Nov. 14 in Palm Beach, Fla. The nearly party-line votes came after Democrats had been pressing for the findings to be published even though the Florida Republican left Congress and withdrew as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., was the sole Republican to support the effort. Most Republicans have argued that any congressional probe into Gaetz ended when he resigned from the House. Speaker Mike Johnson also requested that the committee not publish its report, saying it would be a terrible precedent to set. While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare. Shortly before the votes took place, Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., who introduced one of the bills to force the release, said that if Republicans reject the release, they will have “succeeded in sweeping credible allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug.” Gaetz has repeatedly denied the claims. Earlier Thursday, the Ethics panel met to discuss the Gaetz report but made no decision, saying in a short statement that the matter is still being discussed. It's unclear now whether the document will ever see the light of day as lawmakers have only a few weeks left before a new session of Congress begins. It's the culmination of weeks of pressure on the Ethics committee's five Republicans and five Democrats who mostly work in secret as they investigate allegations of misconduct against lawmakers. The status of the Gaetz investigation became an open question last month when he abruptly resigned from Congress after Trump's announcement that he wanted his ally in the Cabinet. It is standard practice for the committee to end investigations when members of Congress depart, but the circumstances surrounding Gaetz were unusual, given his potential role in the new administration. Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., the committee chairman, said Wednesday that there is no longer the same urgency to release the report given that Gaetz has left Congress and stepped aside as Trump's choice to head the Justice Department. “I’ve been steadfast about that. He’s no longer a member. He is no longer going to be confirmed by the Senate because he withdrew his nomination to be the attorney general,” Guest said. The Gaetz report has also caused tensions between lawmakers on the bipartisan committee. Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the panel, publicly admonished Guest last month for mischaracterizing a previous meeting to the press. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and said last year that the Justice Department’s separate investigation against him into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended without federal charges. His onetime political ally Joel Greenberg, a fellow Republican who served as the tax collector in Florida’s Seminole County, admitted as part of a plea deal with prosecutors in 2021 that he paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men. The men were not identified in court documents when he pleaded guilty. Greenberg was sentenced in late 2022 to 11 years in prison. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio 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 then endorsed Trump . 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 his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . 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. 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.” 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. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. 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, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, 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 has been tapped by Trump 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.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . 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 X , “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. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York 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. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. 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 said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) 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 immigration hardliner , 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, has been tasked 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. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. 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. Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff 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. James Blair, deputy chief of staff 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. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff 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. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.AUSTIN, Texas — A few years ago, with the nation in the throes of a pandemic, Sen. Nathan Johnson’s effort to add 1 million low-income Texans to Medicaid drew support from a handful of Republicans in the GOP-dominated Texas Legislature. Most of those lawmakers are gone from the Capitol, an exodus that strips away at the Dallas Democrat’s slim hope of seeing Texas join 40 other states and Washington, D.C. in expanding Medicaid under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Even so, Johnson filed his bill for the upcoming session — his third try — just in case the leaders of an increasingly conservative Texas Legislature change their minds. “I just want a million people to get health insurance, I want health insurance premiums to come down, and I want to do it without levying any new tax on the people,” Johnson said. “The strategy is to present something that would allow Republican leadership to say, ‘This is a win for all of us.’ I think if there were a signal from leadership, then we would see Republicans fall in line behind this,” he said. Senate Bill 232 would create the Live Well Texas program, which would expand Medicaid while adding elements passed in other conservative states – including incentives to encourage self-sufficiency through health savings accounts, employment assistance and rewards for healthy behaviors. Additionally, the legislation seeks to increase reimbursements to health care providers who see Medicaid patients, potentially expanding access to care for Medicaid patients by bringing more hospitals, doctors and others to the program. In 2021, Johnson’s Medicaid-expansion bill had no Republican support in the Senate, but nine GOP House members joined 67 Democrats as co-authors of an identical House bill. The legislation was bottled up in a committee. Johnson tried again in 2023, but the effort gathered less bipartisan momentum during a particularly contentious session. “I was very serious about passing it when I first filed it, and we had a really good run at it, but I don’t see how the situation has improved,” Johnson said. “But I want something out there to say that if this state wants a conservative way to bring home its own tax dollars and improve the health of its population and bring down health premiums and stabilize family finances and help set people on a path to independence, there is a way to do it that has conservative bona fides.” Opponents of expanding Medicaid say the program is mismanaged, financially unstable, too expensive and fosters government reliance. They also argue that expansion does not improve health outcomes and prioritizes able-bodied adults over children and adults with disabilities who rely heavily on the program. Caroline Welton, who heads health care policy research at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, said talk of expansion should be replaced by talk of reform. “Even to the extent there may be a need or a desire for some state coverage, Medicaid is a failing system which does not provide for the needs of the Texans currently enrolled in it,” said Welton, campaign director of the group’s Center for Health and Families. “So we should fix it and provide better options before expanding this failing system to more people.” Supporters point to billions of dollars in federal incentives available if Texas expands Medicaid, saying the state is rejecting money that would add to the state’s general revenue and lower costs for hospitals, which would lower costs for patients. “There’s no scenario in which this is not a good idea,” Johnson said. “This is the single-largest change we could make, and we’re not doing it. And it’s free.” The fight over the uninsured An estimated 20 percent of adult Texans lack health insurance — the highest rate in the nation. The state also has one of the country’s most restrictive Medicaid programs. Roughly 4.1 million residents are on Medicaid, including 3 million children. The program is also open to pregnant Texans, people with disabilities, and parents who earn up to 15% of the federal poverty level , which comes to about $390 per month for a family of four. Adults with no disabilities and no dependent children don’t qualify for Medicaid, no matter how little income they have. Many children who qualify for Medicaid have parents who don’t. The Affordable Care Act allows states to expand the Medicaid threshold up to 138% of the poverty level, or a monthly income of $3,588 for a family of four, and would allow people in the gap to be covered, including working single adults making $1,731 or less a month. In Texas, an estimated 1 million working adults with no access to job-related insurance make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, yet not enough for the government-subsidized health plans in the ACA marketplace. Prospects for including them in Medicaid will be particularly difficult in the 2025 session because lawmakers will be debating school choice, a divisive issue that could take time and attention away from something as complicated as Medicaid reform, said Tanner Aliff, visiting research fellow with Paragon Health Institute who was formerly with the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “It’s a competition for attention, and I think it detracts legislators from having the adequate amount of time to have the necessary robust and bipartisan conversation to reform Medicaid,” Aliff said. “If there’s anything to be bipartisan on, time-wise, school choice is the priority, and subsequently it will take up much of the political horse-trading dialogue.” Medicaid is significantly limited by a doctor shortage, with up to 30% of doctors not accepting new Medicaid patients and many rural areas being health care deserts where hospitals have closed, Welton said. “If there isn’t a primary care doctor in your county due to the physician shortage, having a Medicaid card won’t help you,” Welton said in an email. Welton also said recent studies show a significant number of uninsured people are eligible for Medicaid — nationally, that number is about 25% . While some say that’s a problem with the enrollment and access system, Welton says it’s also an indicator of the program’s inherent problems. “If more Medicaid were the solution, you’d expect people to be more excited about actually using Medicaid as it stands,” Welton said. Many GOP lawmakers aren’t motivated to debate Medicaid because President-elect Donald Trump is likely to have a very different relationship with Texas than President Joe Biden, who refused to entertain Texas’ suggestions to change the program and criticized how the state was spending its federal contribution for Medicaid, Aliff said. At the same time, enrollment in ACA marketplaces in Texas and other states is at an all-time high after some Biden policies expanded access to low-cost subsidized policies, which “kind of watered down the demonstrated need for Medicaid expansion,” Aliff said. The expanded access, part of Biden’s American Rescue Plan, is set to expire in 2025. ‘No low-hanging fruit’ Both sides of the debate acknowledge Trump’s plans for Medicaid are unclear, which makes it difficult to devote time to debating policy, Aliff said. “Conservatives in Texas are excited about the new freedoms they might have to reform Medicaid with Trump in office and a more friendly-run Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,” he said. Without support from Texas leaders or from Trump, Johnson doesn’t see how expansion can move forward in Texas next year. In its absence, Johnson said, he will look for other ways to improve health outcomes, such as getting more people into the subsidized ACA marketplace. “It’s not easy – there is no low-hanging fruit out there,” Johnson said. “I will support other things. I want people to have health care. ... [But] anything that’s not Medicaid expansion, almost anything we can do to give some identifiable group of people health insurance, is more expensive and covers less people.” ©2024 The Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Reniya Kelly had 18 points and six assists, Maria Gakdeng added 16 points and nine rebounds, and No. 16 North Carolina beat 14th-ranked Kentucky 72-53 on Thursday night in the SEC/ACC Challenge. North Carolina opened the game on a 14-4 run, capped by Alyssa Ustby’s fifth 3-pointer of the season. The Tar Heels led 36-25 at halftime after holding the Wildcats to 36% shooting. North Carolina only made one field goal in the opening five minutes of the third quarter as Kentucky got as close as seven points. But The Tar Heels made five field goals in the final five minutes to take a 50-39 lead into the fourth. Kentucky’s opening four baskets of the fourth were from 3-point range to get within 60-51 with 5:52 left on Dazia Lawrence’s basket off a nice assist from Georgia Amoore on an inbounds play. North Carlina sealed it by scoring the next six points — all from the free-throw line. Ustby scored 13 points with eight rebounds for North Carolina (8-1). The Tar Heels outscored Kentucky 42-10 in the paint. Lawrence scored 17 points and Amelia Hassett had 13 points and 13 rebounds for Kentucky (7-1). Amoore added 10 points and eight assists and Clara Strack, averaging a team-high 18.3 points per game, was held to four points on 2-of-10 shooting. North Carolina stays at home to play Coppin State on Sunday. Kentucky returns home to face Queens University on Monday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketballspinph com login registration 。

In 2003, Hubble spotted a massive planet around a very old star, almost as old as the Universe. This implied that some planet formation happened when our Universe was very young. And those type of planets had time to form and grow big inside their young discs, to grow even bigger than Jupiter. Yet, back then, stars possessed only small amounts of heavier elements that are the building blocks of planets. So, how could such a planet form? This was puzzling. To answer this question, researchers used Webb to study stars in a nearby galaxy that, much like the early Universe, lacks large amounts of heavy elements. They found that some stars there have planet-forming discs, and those discs are even longer-lived than those seen around young stars in our Milky Way galaxy. “With Webb, we have a strong confirmation of what we saw with Hubble, and we must rethink how we create computer models for planet formation and early evolution in the young Universe,” said study leader Guido De Marchi of the European Space Research and Technology Centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. In the early Universe, stars formed from mostly hydrogen and helium, and very few heavier elements such as carbon and iron, which came through the first generation of supernova explosions. “Current theoretical models predict that with so few heavier elements, the discs around stars have a short lifetime, so short in fact that planets cannot grow big,” said the Webb study’s co-investigator Elena Sabbi, chief scientist for Gemini Observatory at the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab in Tucson, Arizona, USA. “But Hubble did see one of those planets, so what if the models were not correct and discs could live longer?” To test this idea, scientists trained Webb on the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy that is one of the Milky Way’s nearest neighbours. In particular, they examined the massive, star-forming cluster NGC 346, which is also poor of heavier elements. The cluster serves as a nearby proxy for studying stellar environments with similar conditions in the early, distant Universe. Hubble observations of NGC 346 from the mid 2000s revealed many stars about 20 to 30 million years old that seemed to still have planet-forming discs around them. This went against the conventional belief that such discs would dissipate after 2 or 3 million years. “The Hubble findings were controversial, going against not only empirical evidence in our galaxy but also against the current models,” said Guido. “This was intriguing, but without a way to obtain spectra of those stars, we could not really establish whether we were witnessing the stars’ growth and the presence of discs, or just some spurious effect.” Now, thanks to Webb’s sensitivity and resolution, scientists have the first-ever spectra of forming, Sun-like stars and their immediate environments in a nearby galaxy. “We see that these stars are indeed surrounded by discs and are still in the process of gobbling material, even at the relatively old age of 20 or 30 million years,” said Guido. “This also implies that planets have more time to form and grow around these stars than in nearby star-forming regions in our own galaxy.” This finding refutes previous theoretical predictions that the star would very quickly blow away the disc when there are very few heavier elements in the gas. In that case, the disc’s life would be very short, even less than a million years. But if a disc doesn’t stay around the star long enough for the dust grains to stick together and pebbles to form and become the core of a planet, how can planets form? The researchers explained that there could be two distinct mechanisms, or even a combination, for planet-forming discs to persist in environments scarce in heavier elements. First, to be able to blow away the disc, the star’s light applies pressure to the gas in the disc. This process is more efficient when the gas contains elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. The massive star cluster NGC 346 only has about ten percent of the heavier elements that are present in the chemical composition of our Sun. So, perhaps it simply takes longer for a star in this cluster to disperse its disc. The second possibility is that a Sun-like star must form from a larger cloud of gas when there are few heavier elements. A bigger gas cloud will produce a bigger disc. When there is more mass in the disc, it would take longer to blow the disc away. “With more matter around the stars, the accretion lasts for a longer time,” said Elena. “The discs may take ten times longer to disappear. This has implications for how you form a planet, and the type of planetary systems that you can have in these different environments. This is so exciting.” The science team’s paper appears in the 16 December 2024 issue of The Astrophysical Journal. Webb is the largest, most powerful telescope ever launched into space. Under an international collaboration agreement, ESA provided the telescope’s launch service, using the Ariane 5 launch vehicle. Working with partners, ESA was responsible for the development and qualification of Ariane 5 adaptations for the Webb mission and for the procurement of the launch service by Arianespace. ESA also provided the workhorse spectrograph NIRSpec and 50% of the mid-infrared instrument MIRI, which was designed and built by a consortium of nationally funded European Institutes (The MIRI European Consortium) in partnership with JPL and the University of Arizona. Webb is an international partnership between NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). astrobiologyMotorola has just released a brand-new Tag and it’s a shocker considering that the bulk of tags are attached to keys luggage or if flat like the new Cygnett or Tile cards slipped into a wallet. While the Motorola Tag is okay there is no way for it to be fitted to a suitcase or bag, or even a bunch of keys because Motorola a Lenovo Company have decided that there is no need for accessories in Australia. The only alternative is to buy third party accessories from an overseas web site. Moto Tag Accesories are available overseas but not in Australia. Motorola has given no reason as why they are not launching practicle accessories locally. Open up the app for the tag and the first thing you see is the device attached to a bag. The only problem is that the third party provider of the tags does not see it being worthwhile, to launch accessories or a means to attach the device to a key ring in Australia, with Motorola’s PR Company claiming that there are no plans to launch accessories that actually deliver the functional and means to use the device effectively. This is despite Australia’s largest airline Qantas set to use tags such as Apple’s Air Tags which do come with accessories, to track missing luggage. Sadly this type of mont for the Moto Tag is not available. Qantas is one of 15 airlines which are now able to receive tracking information from passengers via Apple’s AirTag and Find My technology such as Google’s Find My Device which the Motorola Tag actually works with. Both Qantas and Virgin have attempted to ease tension with customers via the rollout of baggage tracking features in their mobile apps, which notify passengers when their baggage arrives at the airport. On the positive side the Motorola Tags do take replaceable batteries unlike the Apple Air Tags which is not surprising as Apple likes squeezing as many dollars as they can from an Apple user. Despite complaints from customers about the short battery life the AirTag 2 would still use a coin cell battery. Samsung whose tags do take batteries also appears to have a problem with battery life with ChannelNews having to replace batteries after only a couple of months. But when they do work, they are an excellent solution for tracking keys and bags, as one Samsung PR executive discovered recently. PS: Moto Management. I think your current Moto Tags strategy needs a rethink.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Reniya Kelly had 18 points and six assists, Maria Gakdeng added 16 points and nine rebounds, and No. 16 North Carolina beat 14th-ranked Kentucky 72-53 on Thursday night in the SEC/ACC Challenge. North Carolina opened the game on a 14-4 run, capped by Alyssa Ustby’s fifth 3-pointer of the season. The Tar Heels led 36-25 at halftime after holding the Wildcats to 36% shooting. North Carolina only made one field goal in the opening five minutes of the third quarter as Kentucky got as close as seven points. But The Tar Heels made five field goals in the final five minutes to take a 50-39 lead into the fourth. Kentucky’s opening four baskets of the fourth were from 3-point range to get within 60-51 with 5:52 left on Dazia Lawrence’s basket off a nice assist from Georgia Amoore on an inbounds play. North Carlina sealed it by scoring the next six points — all from the free-throw line. Ustby scored 13 points with eight rebounds for North Carolina (8-1). The Tar Heels outscored Kentucky 42-10 in the paint. Lawrence scored 17 points and Amelia Hassett had 13 points and 13 rebounds for Kentucky (7-1). Amoore added 10 points and eight assists and Clara Strack, averaging a team-high 18.3 points per game, was held to four points on 2-of-10 shooting. North Carolina stays at home to play Coppin State on Sunday. Kentucky returns home to face Queens University on Monday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

People from all over the world have long come to the United States in search of opportunities. That includes immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, and temporary workers and students who come to the U.S. on specialty visas. Among the latter are skilled foreign workers, a select group granted special access by the H-1B visa program, designed to boost innovation and the economy via a “ brain gain ,” according to the Brookings Institute. Since launching in 1990, the program has allowed U.S. employers to hire exceptional foreign-born applicants with bachelor’s degrees or the equivalent by offering them employment in hard-to-fill positions. An H-1B visa allows foreign-born workers to stay in the country for three years, with the option to extend their stay for up to six years. In some cases, workers remain even longer if employers sponsor their green cards. Most jobs filled by H-1B workers are in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. H-1B visa holders tend to have wages within the top 10% of U.S. workers. In computer-related fields, for instance, the average annual income was $129,000 in 2022 for H-1B workers, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Congress has capped the number of H-1B workers since the program began; currently, around 85,000 applicants are accepted each year. Within that total, 20,000 spots are reserved for those with U.S. institution-issued master’s or doctorates. That number has remained unchanged for nearly two decades—even as applications have dramatically risen and backlogs have made it increasingly difficult to get a visa. From 2001 to 2003, the applicant limit was three times as high at 195,000; over the past 10 years, the program received such an influx of applicants it prompted Congress to institute a lottery system in 2014. Although exceptions to the cap are granted for nonprofit research organizations, the government, and colleges and universities, the number of applications far exceeds availability. In fiscal year 2025, for instance, there were an astounding 423,028 for just 65,000 spots. Critics of the cap say that the inability for more workers to land positions in the U.S. creates a number of problems, one of which is a lack of qualified staff for the exploding tech sector. H-1B Employer Data used its own data, news reports, and economic research to explore how a shortage of visas for skilled workers has impacted the U.S. economy. In 2024, Citizenship and Immigration Services changed the process for applying for an H-1B visa after 780,884 applications were filed that year. This process overhaul was meant to increase the odds of applicants vying for a spot and curb abuses of the system. Employers and potential employees were gaming the system, hoping multiple submissions for individual workers would increase their likelihood of being accepted; the barrier to entry had also been lowered to a $10 fee and electronic registration instead of a full application. Employers vying for top talent aren’t the only ones benefitting from the H-1B visa program. Foreign workers tend to have different skill sets than American workers, which is partly why they’re so sought-after. According to the American Immigration Council, workers from abroad may even help create additional jobs by spending and investing their earnings in the U.S. They stimulate the labor market by expanding operations in the U.S. and starting new businesses. This entrepreneurial spirit, long a hallmark of U.S. innovation, drives economic growth. “We don’t know which [immigrant] is going to have the brilliant insight that totally transforms the economy over the next 20-30 years,” David Bier, director of immigration studies at libertarian think tank the Cato Institute, told Vox . Studies show that the business impact of the H-1B visa program extends beyond individual employers as well. A 2024 study from academic researchers and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond found that companies that win H-1B lottery visas hire additional employees, generate more revenue, and survive longer. In 2017, researchers at the National Bureau of Economic Research found that H-1B workers benefit consumers and increase profits in the IT sector. Among the roughly 600,000 H-1B recipients in the country at any time, as many as 75,000 join the STEM workforce every year. Companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Intel, among the top 100 employers of H-1B workers, reap the rewards from foreign-born workers, who tend to fill in gaps in the STEM workforce—and in some cases, create opportunities. Employers, in turn, are eager to hire more H-1B workers to cultivate innovation and growth. Other types of companies, including outsourcing firms, many based in India, also depend on H-1B workers. They are inundated with USCIS applications for employees they consider “interchangeable,” according to Vox. These visa holders, typically junior programmers, will accept lower salaries and relocation requirements, and their hiring companies account for more than half of the top 30 H-1B employers. There is concern, however, that these workers could be underpaid and exploited, giving some credence to the claim that the program allows lower-wage foreign workers to take jobs from higher-earning Americans. However, existing data shows that H-1B workers help raise salaries and expand job opportunities for everyone. Employers of H-1B workers are also required to attest that U.S. workers’ salaries and working conditions will not be negatively affected, and notify incumbent employees when they hire these applicants. As evidenced by continued efforts to reform the system, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. For every one person who is granted an H-1B visa, four are denied. This means the government—Congress sets the quota—leaves $61 billion on the table every year, according to a paper by Bier, who also suggested adjusting the cap to match demand, and making changes to maintain a sufficient population of skilled workers in the U.S. In other words, the current cap on H-1B visas may actually thwart economic growth. Nine jobs are moved out of the U.S. for every 10 unapproved H-1B applications, according to a 2023 study from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, as reported by Bloomberg. Some $86 billion would be lost with a 10% reduction in guest workers, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond economist. Despite fraught debates over immigration and foreign-born workers, they have always been part of the uniquely American story of opportunity and improvement. As Jeremy Neufeld , a policy fellow with the think tank Institute for Progress, told Vox, “It’s always been the case that immigrants have been a secret ingredient in US dynamism.” Story editing by Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. This story originally appeared on H-1B Employer Data and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Founded in 2017, Stacker combines data analysis with rich editorial context, drawing on authoritative sources and subject matter experts to drive storytelling.WASHINGTON — The House shut down Democrats' efforts Thursday to release the long-awaited ethics report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, pushing the fate of any resolution to the yearslong investigation of sexual misconduct allegations into further uncertainty. Matt Gaetz talks before President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate Nov. 14 in Palm Beach, Fla. The nearly party-line votes came after Democrats had been pressing for the findings to be published even though the Florida Republican left Congress and withdrew as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., was the sole Republican to support the effort. Most Republicans have argued that any congressional probe into Gaetz ended when he resigned from the House. Speaker Mike Johnson also requested that the committee not publish its report, saying it would be a terrible precedent to set. While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare. Shortly before the votes took place, Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., who introduced one of the bills to force the release, said that if Republicans reject the release, they will have “succeeded in sweeping credible allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug.” Gaetz has repeatedly denied the claims. Earlier Thursday, the Ethics panel met to discuss the Gaetz report but made no decision, saying in a short statement that the matter is still being discussed. It's unclear now whether the document will ever see the light of day as lawmakers have only a few weeks left before a new session of Congress begins. It's the culmination of weeks of pressure on the Ethics committee's five Republicans and five Democrats who mostly work in secret as they investigate allegations of misconduct against lawmakers. The status of the Gaetz investigation became an open question last month when he abruptly resigned from Congress after Trump's announcement that he wanted his ally in the Cabinet. It is standard practice for the committee to end investigations when members of Congress depart, but the circumstances surrounding Gaetz were unusual, given his potential role in the new administration. Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., the committee chairman, said Wednesday that there is no longer the same urgency to release the report given that Gaetz has left Congress and stepped aside as Trump's choice to head the Justice Department. “I’ve been steadfast about that. He’s no longer a member. He is no longer going to be confirmed by the Senate because he withdrew his nomination to be the attorney general,” Guest said. The Gaetz report has also caused tensions between lawmakers on the bipartisan committee. Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the panel, publicly admonished Guest last month for mischaracterizing a previous meeting to the press. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and said last year that the Justice Department’s separate investigation against him into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended without federal charges. His onetime political ally Joel Greenberg, a fellow Republican who served as the tax collector in Florida’s Seminole County, admitted as part of a plea deal with prosecutors in 2021 that he paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men. The men were not identified in court documents when he pleaded guilty. Greenberg was sentenced in late 2022 to 11 years in prison. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio 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 then endorsed Trump . 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 his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . 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. 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.” 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. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. 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, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, 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 has been tapped by Trump 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.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . 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 X , “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. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York 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. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. 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 said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) 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 immigration hardliner , 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, has been tasked 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. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. 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. Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff 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. James Blair, deputy chief of staff 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. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff 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. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

Stock market today: Wall Street gains ground as it notches a winning week and another Dow recordNone

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NoneOne person died in Ecuador and ports closed across Peru as massive waves up to four meters (13 feet) high pummeled the region, officials said Saturday. Many beaches along the central and northern stretches of the Peruvian coastline were closed to prevent risk to human life, local authorities said. Waves there submerged jetties and public squares, sending residents fleeing to higher ground, according to images on local media. In neighboring Ecuador, the National Secretariat for Risk Management said a body was recovered in the coastal city of Manta. "The Manta Fire Department reported that, at 6:00 am, the body of a missing person was found lifeless in the Barbasquillo sector," the agency announced on social media. Peru closed 91 of its 121 ports until January 1, the National Emergency Operations Center said on its X social media account. The municipality of Callao, close to the capital Lima and the location of the country's main port, closed several beaches and barred tourist and fishing boats from venturing out. "These waves are being generated thousands of kilometers away from Peru, off the coast of the United States," navy Captain Enrique Varea told Channel N television. "They are waves generated by a persistent wind on the surface of the ocean that is approaching our coasts," he said. Dozens of small fishing boats and businesses near the sea were affected, according to images broadcast on television and social networks. axl/rmb/nro/acb

One of the key advantages of the China Barter Trade Service Platform is its ability to promote collaboration and partnership among businesses. By enabling direct exchanges of goods and services, businesses can leverage their resources more effectively and achieve greater efficiency in their operations.ANDRE ONANA should leave Manchester United if he fails to arrest his nightmare run of form. That is the verdict of former Old Trafford misfit Massimo Taibi, who went down in Red Devils folklore for a massive howler against Southampton’s Matt Le Tissier in 1999. Cameroonian keeper Onana, 28, has had plenty of flak following a string of errors since his arrival from Inter Milan in July 2023. The bloopers culminated in a Boxing Day shocker when he was beaten direct from a Matheus Cunha corner in the defeat at Wolves. And ex-keeper Taibi, 54, reckons Onana might be better off resurrecting his career away from United. He said: “I’d be straight to the point and tell him, ‘Andre, you are one of the best keepers in Europe but in the Premier League, you are under- performing. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL "Block out criticism, do some soul-searching, press the reset and go again. And if things don’t change by June, move on’. “I think subconsciously the United environment isn’t ideal for him and when a marriage is showing cracks, it’s pointless to continue. “Sometimes things don’t work out at a team and it’s best to go separate ways, which would not be a failure. "For me he’s a strong goalkeeper who finds himself in a situation where he can’t show his skills because he is not cut out for the English game. Most read in Football BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKER S “He’s only suited to the Prem when it comes to his ball-playing ability and structure.” Taibi — who allowed Le Tissier’s long-range shot to go through his legs, into the net — believes Onana would excel in Italy or France . Ahead of tomorrow’s visit from Newcastle , he added: “Andre’s a better fit for an Italian or French team. For English football you need a goalkeeper who is more imposing, regularly comes off his line using his fists and with a different saving technique. “In his place I’d not have left Inter, where he was a big-shot. He made a calculated risk thinking he would slot in seamlessly at Manchester United but it backfired. “But even though he hasn’t lived up to expectations he remains a top keeper, one of the best in Europe.” EXCLUSIVE by ALESSANDRO SCHIAVONE MASSIMO TAIBI has warned error-prone Manchester United keeper Andre Onana it is “one hell of task” to come back from the dead once people have written you off. Ex-Red Devils keeper Taibi, 54, even joked the under-fire Cameroon ace should pop up with a GOAL every now and then to bury the memory of his howlers. In two defeats this month, Onana was at fault for a Morgan Gibbs-White goal from long range for Nottingham Forest and for conceding directly from a corner kick from Wolves’ Matheus Cunha. Taibi, infamous for letting a harmless shot from Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier squirm under his body and in at Old Trafford in 1999, said: “He can only erase a mistake from collective consciousness with ten to 15 top performances. “If his howlers are still be a major talking point it’s because he has done nothing to wipe them away. “A keeper sets himself apart as mentally he is normally the strongest. If a striker misses five chances he still gets acclaimed but a goalkeeper who drops a clanger will be crucified for months. “To get out of that is possible — but it is one hell of a task. It’s normal some things stay inside Onana as he’s human. It can affect him but shouldn’t knock him down completely. “A keeper can’t play at the top level if he doesn’t have the ability to let things wash over him — composure is crucial.” Onana, signed in a £47.2million deal last year from Inter Milan, made a number of high-profile blunders last season. He let a weak Leroy Sane shot beat him in a 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich, made a dreadful pass that led to a red card for team-mate Casemiro against Galatasaray, and allowed a weak Mathias Jensen shot to go under his body against Brentford. Taibi said: “Last year he had a poor season but it looked as if he’d recovered. “But sometimes when you get off to a bad start at a new club, even if then you play many blinders, the first mistake you make again they rub it in your face. “At every cock-up, people will point the finger at him due to the amount of errors he made last year. The roots of this season’s problems go all the way back to last term when his stock fell.” Taibi reckons a goal he scored with a header for Reggina in 2001 has helped fans forget his 1999 shocker. He said: “I get remembered for the goal I scored for Reggina otherwise I’d only be remembered for my United howler. A keeper who scores is out of the ordinary, especially in the 2000s. “Higuita is remembered for his scorpion kick and nobody remembers Chilavert for his saves but only for scoring free-kicks. “While Zenga, the best goalkeeper in the world for many years, is often remembered for that Caniggia error at Italia 90. It’s the tough law of a goalkeeper that you cannot change.” Onana has copped lots of flak but Taibi says he is messing up in a particular way. The Italian explained: “We can only talk about a ‘clanger’ if you get off your line and miss the ball or when you let a long-ranger squeeze through your hands and when you drop an easy shot. “But his are positional mistakes. For the corner, he should have stood a bit further forward. “He may have underestimated the trajectory of the ball because it’s unlikely to put the ball where Cunha has from that position. “And for Gibbs-White, he saw that he was getting his shot away and therefore anticipated the movement and when he saw the ball it was too late. “This normally would not have been picked on if he had played ten to 15 great games. But given he’s under heavy scrutiny, mistakes like this are magnified.” Onana, 28, often alternates worldie saves with his bloopers. Taibi warned: “Pulling off a miraculous save is easier than making a routine one as it’s you who makes it look easy when you collect the ball. "But for miraculous ones, if you succeed you’re a genius and if you don’t it’s not your fault anyway. “Keepers sometimes underestimate the so-called ‘easy’ ones. Slipping is avoidable if you’re more careful and maybe he’d have saved it had he made a backwards step. “It’s easier to keep out an impossible shot than being focused for 95 minutes! A split-second distraction can be fatal.” And Taibi joked United fans would “hit” him if they were to meet. He added: “I should never concede through my legs but I slipped while I was diving. If I hadn’t it would never have nestled through the way it has. “I’ve never been back to Old Trafford since I left and never met Le Tissier again. “I’d like to return one day but I don’t think the fans would recognise me. Well let’s hope so as if they do they will hit me! “My only regret is they made me look like someone who left because he failed. I had a four-year contract and nobody pushed me out. "I had private problems, my wife walked out on me, returning to Italy with my two kids on Christmas Eve. “I made a rushed decision based on how lonely I was. If I had my time again I’d have faced my problems in England. “Being branded a ‘flop’ and the worst keeper in Premier League history irks me even today as it’s a wrong assessment. “You cannot judge a keeper on four games, of which two were good performances! I played for Manchester United, you only do so if you were a great player.” By Ken Lawrence WOLVES landed a shock Boxing Day knockout as Manchester United's struggles continued. The 2-0 defeat means Ruben Amorim has won just two of the seven Premier League games he has taken charge of. United find themselves 14th in the table and today were not helped by Bruno Fernandes' red card and Andre Onana letting one in direct from a corner. Here is how SunSport rated the performances... ANDRE ONANA: 4 He needed to make an agile save from Jorgen Strand Larsen in the first half, but badly misjudged the flight of Cunha’s corner for the opening goal - his claim that he was obstructed by Matt Doherty was rejected. LENY YORO: 5 Recalled but booked after only four minutes for a foul on Cunha, so he was walking on eggshells and was tested by Wolves throughout. Subbed just after the hour mark. HARRY MAGUIRE: 6 The England defender did his best to keep United in the game when they were under pressure for long periods - at least he helped to stem the tide until the dying seconds and had a header on target in stoppage time. LISANDRO MARTINEZ: 6 Teamed up well with Maguire to stop Wolves from winning this more easily, he stood his ground and produced some important challenges in the latter stages before Wolves caught him on the break with the last action of the game. NOUSSAIR MAZRAOUI: 5 Tenacious and determined, but was one of several players given a torrid time by the best player on the pitch - Cunha. MANUEL UGARTE: 5 Dispossesed too easily at times, struggled against a lively Wolves attack and was eventually taken off as one of Amorim’s subs following Fernandes’ red card. KOBBIE MAINOO: 5 Looked a threat early on, created some good openings, but he was booked after the break as United looked short on ideas. Faded and was subbed. DIOGO DALOT: 6 Brought a tremendous save from Jose Sa in the first half in what was a rare bright spot for United - but he had no major influence on a poor team display. AMAD DIALLO: 5 Lacked awareness of his team-mates sometimes and looked a shadow of the player who turned the Manchester derby around less than two weeks ago. BRUNO FERNANDES: 3 Sent off early in the second half for a second yellow after a challenge on Nelson Semedo, but the captain had cut a frustrated figure before that. RASMUS HOJLUND: 5 Became visibly annoyed at times at a lack of service from his team-mates, he had no joy up front and was subbed with 10 minutes left. SUBS Casemiro (for Mainoo, 63 mins): 6 Christian Eriksen (for Ugate, 63 mins): 6 Antony (for Yoro, 63 mins): 6 Alejandro Garnacho (for Amad, 79 mins): 5 Joshua Zirkzee (for Hojlund, 79 mins): 5

Shohei Ohtani made history on Thursday by becoming the first designated hitter in baseball history to win a Most Valuable Player award. The Dodgers' star claimed was a unanimous selection in winning his first National League MVP award, and the second of his career, following his first season in Los Angeles. More news: Dodgers, Red Sox Talking to Same Two Free Agent Starters: Report Ohtani became the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season, a feat he accomplished with a historic 6 for 6, three-homer, 10-RBI game Sept. 19 in Miami . He finished with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases while hitting .310 and leading the Dodgers to the World Series. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor finished second in the MVP voting, collecting 23 of the 30 votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America, and Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks finished third. " I think this MVP, I'm just representing the Dodgers ," Ohtani said through his interpreter, Matt Hidaka, after accepting the award live on MLB Network. " It was just a complete team effort. I wouldn't have been able to receive this award if it weren't for my teammates. If my teammates weren't there, if we didn't play as a team, we would not have gotten to the playoffs or won the World Series. I'm representing the team receiving this award." Ohtani was unable to pitch in 2024 while he rehabilitated his right elbow from surgery at the end of the 2023 season. That did not deter him from leading the Dodgers' offense as a DH — first as their number-2 hitter, then out of the leadoff slot for the second half. Here are the final vote totals for the NL MVP pic.twitter.com/Hm9omu42yg What was he most proud of? "The ultimate goal from the beginning was to win a World Series, which we were able to accomplish," Ohtani told the MLB Network panel. More news: Dodgers Signaling Two Priorities In Free Agency: Report Ohtani joined Frank Robinson as the only players to win an MVP award in both the American and National Leagues. From one MVP to another. 🥹 Clayton Kershaw announces Shohei Ohtani as the 2024 NL MVP! pic.twitter.com/3TpN7Tczxv In 2023, Ohtani became the first player to win the award in a unanimous vote more than once. He signed a landmark 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in Dec. 2023. Now he's won an MVP award unanimously three times. More news : Dodgers Will Consider Juan Soto in 'Unlikely' Event: Report In addition to his historic 50-50 season, Ohtani led the National League in on-base percentage (.390), slugging (.646), OPS+ (190), RBIs (130), runs (134) and Wins Above Replacement (9.2, according to Baseball Reference). No full-time DH had ever compiled 9 WAR in a single season. For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports .In a stunning and controversial decision, a jury has acquitted an American soldier of charges related to the death of a protester during a chaotic demonstration last year. The soldier, who remains unidentified due to security concerns, was accused of fatally choking the protester in an altercation that quickly spun out of control.

Boeing's decision to resume production of the 737 MAX comes at a critical time as the aerospace industry continues to grapple with the ongoing challenges posed by the global pandemic. The resumption of production will allow Boeing to fulfill existing orders for the 737 MAX and work towards delivering the aircraft to customers who have been eagerly awaiting its return to service.

In the days following the press conference, social media platforms buzzed with praise and admiration for Yang Shize's response to the relationship rumors. Fans and followers shared the acrostic poem far and wide, celebrating his creativity and humor in the face of unwarranted speculation.Alibaba Group acknowledges the seriousness of the fire incident at the data center and expresses its deep regret for any inconvenience and impact caused to customers and users. The safety and security of data center facilities are of utmost importance to the company, and every effort is being made to investigate the cause of the fire and implement measures to prevent such incidents in the future.LeBron James has consistently been one of the league leaders in minutes played throughout his career. His durability and ability to maintain a high level of play deep into games have been key factors in his success. However, as age catches up with him, many are beginning to question whether the heavy workload is sustainable for LeBron in the long run.

As he hangs up his boots, Alonso reflects on the journey that football has taken him on. From a young boy kicking a ball in the streets of Spain to a seasoned professional gracing the world's biggest stages, he has lived out his childhood dream to the fullest. Football has been more than just a career for Alonso; it has been his passion, his purpose, and his identity.

Dilraj, Kujur, Kushwaha run riot as India hammer Chinese Taipei 16-0 to make Jr Asia Cup semisWith the strike now over and negotiations between the union and Boeing resolved, the aerospace manufacturer has restarted production of the 737 MAX. The reopening of the production line marks a significant step forward for Boeing as it seeks to regain the trust of customers and regulators and get the troubled aircraft back in the skies.Victor Wembanyama went to a park in New York City and played 1-on-1 with fans on Saturday. He even lost a couple of games. Not in basketball, though. Wemby was playing chess. And this wasn’t on a whim: He knows how to play and even brought his own chess set. Before the San Antonio Spurs left New York for a flight to Minnesota, Wembanyama put out the call on social media: “Who wants to meet me at the SW corner of Washington Square park to play chess? Im there,” Wembanyama wrote. POV: You’re playing chess with @wemby on a Saturday morning in Washington Square Park ♟️🗽 pic.twitter.com/gnxdvPE69l It was 9:36 a.m. People began showing up almost immediately. Washington Square Park is a known spot for chess in New York — Bobby Fischer among others have famously played there, and it’s been used for multiple movie scenes featuring the game. Wembanyama was there for an hour in the rain, from about 10-11 a.m. He played four games, winning two and losing two — he told Bleacher Report afterward that both of the losses were to professional chess players — before departing to catch the Spurs’ flight. Wembanyama had been trying to get somewhere to play chess for the bulk of the team’s time in New York — the Spurs played the Knicks on Christmas and won at Brooklyn on Friday night. The schedule never aligned, until Saturday morning. And even with bad weather, he bundled up to make it happen. He posed for photos with a couple of dozen people who showed up, braving a morning of cold rain to play chess with one of the NBA’s biggest stars. “We need an NBA players only Chess tournament, proceeds go to the charity of choice of the winner,” he wrote on social media after his chess trip was over. Wembanyama is averaging 25.2 points and 10.1 rebounds this season, his second in the NBA after winning rookie of the year last season. The Spurs play at Minnesota on Sunday. Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone. Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you. Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. ___ Related From Our Partner

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams will not be charged with a crime after he was found with a gun in a car driven by his brother, a prosecutor said Monday. The gun on the floor was registered to Williams, but he didn't have a concealed-carry permit. His brother did. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, obituaries, sports, and more.Despite the intensity of the fire, Alibaba's official statement reassured the public that the incident had not impacted their cloud services. A spokesperson for the tech giant stated, "We can confirm that the fire at our data center has been contained, and there has been no disruption to our cloud services. Our team is working diligently to assess the extent of the damage and ensure the safety of our employees and customers."

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It wouldn’t be without a glazed gammon, would it? And there is no need to complicate things. No intricate scoring needed, no need to place an individual clove in each square before roasting. Who started this clove thing? It’s a bit like when you’re eating a nice curry and you crunch through a whole cardamom seed – definitely not enjoyable. Just give me thick slices of sweet, smoky, salty ham. is a must, sweetness is needed – marmalade is the go-to in my house – and lots of black pepper to finish things off. Go big on your gammon, it’s great cold on Boxing Day, or with a fried egg and some chips, in a leftover turkey pie, in a baguette with lots of butter and some cornichons, I could go on... 10 mins 2 hrs 50 mins 10 4-5kg smoked boneless gammon joint 1 onion, roughly chopped 3 carrots, roughly chopped 1 celery stick, roughly chopped 1⁄2 garlic bulb, cut horizontally 4 sprigs of thyme 4 sprigs of rosemary 1 tbsp cracked black pepper 350g marmalade 2 tbsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard There are two options for removing some salt from your , depending on how organised you are. My preferred method is to leave the joint to soak overnight in cold water, then rinse and cook it the next day. You could also bring it to the boil, simmer for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse. Place your soaked or pre-boiled gammon in a large pan of cold water and add , , , and . Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 11⁄2 hours. Remove the gammon from the pan, reserving the stock. Preheat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas mark 5. Peel off the top layer of skin – you want to leave as much fat on the joint as possible for maximum flavour. Roughly score the fat in a criss-cross pattern, season with and and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Pour and over the gammon and spread, then pour over and baste. Return the gammon to the oven for another 20 minutes. Remove and baste again. Continue to cook the gammon in this way, basting every 20 minutes until it is beautifully coloured and glazed all over (about 1 hour). Using a long, sharp knife, slice it with confident strokes. Serve with roast potatoes and braised greens.

Train collides with fire truck in Florida; police say 3 firefighters and several passengers hurt(BPT) - Has it been a while since you purchased a new TV? You might be surprised by how far TV technology has come since you bought your last set! Today's smart televisions offer dramatic improvements in picture quality and home screens that are far easier to navigate. Plus, they come with a host of cool features like voice control that you may not even know about. It's time to discover what you've been missing — and if you're asking yourself where to start, the Fire TV Buyer Insights Report can help. This independent study surveyed over 2,000 recent purchasers of smart TVs to learn everything from where they did their product research to why they decided to buy. With the holidays almost upon us, the insights in this report can help guide you as you kick off your seasonal shopping. Whether you're buying a gift, hosting a holiday gathering or looking for the perfect game-day screen, read on to find the best TV for your needs. How do you find the right TV? Here's how recent purchasers did it. When it comes to buying a new TV, there are several factors you'll want to consider, starting with who's going to be using it. The study found that spouses (36%), kids (13%), and even grandparents (1%) were involved in the purchase process, so be sure to keep your home's audience in mind. Beyond that, you'll also want to think about: Room size Smart TVs range in size from a 32-inch screen all the way up to a whopping 100 inches or more. To determine the right screen size for your room, follow this guideline: Small rooms: 32"–43" screen Medium rooms: 43"–55" screen Large rooms: 55+" screen As for viewing distance, divide the screen's diameter by 8 to get the ideal viewing distance in feet. For example, a 32-inch screen should be watched from about 4 feet away, while you'll want to be about 8 feet away from a 65-inch screen. Usage How you plan to use your new TV should play a large part in your decision-making process. If you're always looking for the latest show or movie to watch, your smart TV should offer optimal access to the latest streaming services. Gamers will experience better play on a TV with a high refresh rate, while sports enthusiasts will want to watch the big game on a set with smooth motion handling. Connected TV experience One of the most important considerations is how you'll use TV. In the study, 83% of TV purchasers said that easy access to content was one of the things they liked best about their new TV. But beyond being an all-in-one source for entertainment, your smart TV should also play well with other smart home devices. For instance, Fire TV allows you to pair compatible devices seamlessly like video doorbells, smart home devices, and more. And with select models, Fire TV's Ambient Experience can turn the biggest screen in your home into a beautiful, always-on smart display rotating through beautiful art, personal photos, and glanceable information like calendars and reminders. Knowledge is power Before you land on the perfect TV, you'll need to do a little research first. The study found that only 12% of shoppers bought their TV on an impulse, while 65% engaged in some form of product research. Most (82%) respondents conducted some or all of their research online for instant access to smart TV reviews and feature comparisons. In fact, over half of respondents who searched online mentioned digital retailers like Amazon as a great source for honest ratings and buyer reviews. Timing is everything According to the study, the time from research to purchase takes about two weeks, so plan ahead — especially if you're thinking about giving a TV as a holiday gift. There are also some great deals available during this time of year, so keep an eye out for sales and promotional offers. The big picture A new TV is a big purchase, so don't make it an impulsive one. Take the time to do your research and remember that everyone takes a different path to finding the perfect TV. Whether your search begins online, offline, or with a mix of both, it will end with a next-level viewing experience that's just right for the way you watch.

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A former Tesco employee has revealed some home truths they wish they could share with customers. With the Christmas rush over, people across the country have recently experienced the stress of heading to the supermarket to stock up on festive items. Indeed, many of us will be repeating this stressful cycle in preparation for New Year's Eve. Retail giants like Tesco, Aldi, Sainsbury's and more see a significant surge in footfall during this period, as shoppers ensure they have all their necessities. As such, it's understandable that tensions can escalate among both customers and staff who are under immense pressure due to high demand. A previous Tesco worker shared with the Mirror what they'd like to tell customers during these challenging times, from disliking asking for ID to the plastic bag charge. Here's what they had to say. 1. I know it's three minutes until we open, but I can't unlock the doors just because you're standing there. The former employee stated: "You're early, that's great. But unfortunately when we open at 7am, that means 7am.", reports . "I'm sorry if it's raining, or you're cold. But looking at me with a face like thunder isn't going to speed this process up." 2. Huffing and puffing in the queue won't make me go any quicker on the checkouts. They added: "I'm not deliberately going slow - it's just busy in here." 3. Asking for ID is a chore, especially when the person is clearly over the age limit. The ex-Tesco worker shared some light-hearted truths about the trade: "Feel flattered I'm asking you to prove you're old enough to buy that bottle of vodka, because I'm not doing it for fun." They also touched on winter workwear, confessing: "They aren't the most flattering items of clothing to wear, but they are amazingly warm in those chilly winter months." Discussing the customer rush for bargains, the former employee remarked: "Those yellow stickers are coming out, and it's like shoppers can smell them a mile off." Filling shelves comes with its own challenges, as they explained: "We all know those huge cages can get in the way, but getting the products off them is the real task." Debunking any myths about staff perks, they divulged: "Going on lunch and finding yourself short of a few quid so you opt for that Tesco Everyday Value thick sliced bread that your managers generously left in the staff room." Being asked for discounts is common too, which prompts a reserved reaction: "The last box of 10 pack fish fingers has been opened - it's probably just a damaged box but hey, I'll knock 10 per cent off to avoid the drama," the shop worker disclosed. On the subject of carrier bags, they made their stance clear: "Rolling your eyes when a customer blames Tesco for the 5p plastic bag charge - I'm all for saving the planet, but don't take it out on the messenger." Lastly, they noted their insight into loyal customers' routines. They've got their eye on regulars, with a touch of humour: "That's right, Barbara. I see you doing the weekly shop at 7pm every Wednesday. I saw you last week, and the week before that, and the week before that..." They're not fans of self-checkouts either, as one ex-employee confessed: "And impatiently waving your product in front of the scanner isn't going to make my life any easier." "I hold the power to unlock these bad boys, and the red light flashing above you has already told me you need my help."Stock market today: Tech stocks and AI pull Wall Street to more records

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spinph5 By JESSICA DAMIANO Finding the perfect gift can be daunting. The only way to truly ensure you get it right would be to ask the recipient what they want, but that wouldn’t be much fun for either of you. Luckily, there’s another tactic to help you earn a “gift whisperer” reputation: seeking out unique, practical, game-changing gifts that will truly surprise and delight. But that’s about as easy as it sounds, which is to say it’s not easy at all. So, we’ve done the legwork for you. Start making your list with this compilation of some of the most innovative, functional and fun gifts of 2024. There’s something for every budget. Bear with me: The new FinaMill Ultimate Spice Grinder set elevates the pedestrian pepper and spice mill in both function and style. Available in three colors (Sangria Red, Midnight Black and Soft Cream), the rechargeable-battery unit grinds with a light touch rather than hand-tiring twists. That’s easier for everyone and especially helpful for those experiencing hand or wrist issues such as arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome or tendinitis. And it’s fun to use. The set includes a stackable storage tray and four pods that can be easily swapped as needed: The GT microplane grater for hard spices, nuts and chocolate; the MAX for large spices and dried herbs; the ProPlus for smaller and oily spices; and the Pepper Pod for, well, pepper. $110. Campers and backyard firepit lovers who have experienced the heartbreak of wet wood will appreciate having a three-pack of Pull Start Fire on hand. Made of 89% recycled materials, including sanding dust, wax and flint, the food-safe, eco-friendly, 3-by-2-by-1-inch fire starters will light a fire quickly without matches, lighters or kindling. Just loop the attached green string around a log, incorporate it into a wood stack, and pull the attached red string to ignite. Each windproof, rainproof block burns for 30 minutes. $29.99. The No Mess Utensil Set from Souper Cubes , a company known for its portioned, silicone freezer trays, lives up to its name. The utensils — a serving spoon and a ladle — have innovative, S-shaped handles designed to rest on the edge of a pot, keeping them upright so they won’t slip in. The design also eliminates the need for a spoon rest or, worse, placing dirty utensils on the kitchen counter or stovetop between stirs. A silicone coating in a choice of Aqua, Charcoal, Cranberry or Blueberry keeps handles cool to the touch. $24.99. The FeatherSnap Wi-Fi smart bird feeder could turn anyone into an avid birdwatcher. Equipped with an HD camera, the dual-chamber feeder enables up-close livestreaming of avian visitors, as well as species-logging via the free mobile app. An optional premium subscription ($59.99 annually or $6.99 monthly) includes unlimited photo and video storage, AI identification with species-specific details, and the opportunity to earn badges for logging new visitors. Turn on notifications to get alerts sent to your phone whenever there’s activity at the feeder. $179.99. Fujifilm’s Instax Mini Link 3 smartphone printer offers a touch of nostalgia without sacrificing technology. Just load the 4.9-by-3.5-by-1.3-inch printer with Instax Mini instant film and connect it to your Android or iOS device via Bluetooth to print wallet-size photos. If you want to get fancy, you can adjust brightness, contrast and saturation, or apply filters, including 3D augmented-reality effects, via the free Instax Mini Link app. It can also make collages of up to six images, or animate photos to share on social media. Available in Rose Pink, Clay White and Sage Green. $99.95. The appropriately named easyplant is one of the best gifts you can give your houseplant-loving friends, regardless of their experience level. Select a pot color, size and plant (or get recommendations based on sunlight requirements, pet friendliness and other attributes) and fill the self-watering container’s built-in reservoir roughly once a month. Moisture will permeate the soil from the bottom as needed, eliminating the often-fatal consequences of over- or under-watering. It’s also a literal lifesaver come vacation time. $49-$259. Related Articles Things To Do | US airports with worst weather delays during holiday season Things To Do | The right book can inspire the young readers in your life, from picture books to YA novels Things To Do | Holiday gift ideas for the movie lover, from bios and books to a status tote Things To Do | ‘Gladiator II’ review: Are you not moderately entertained? Things To Do | Beer pairings for your holiday feasts If you’ve got a no-dairy friend on your list, a plant-based milk maker could save them money while allowing them to avoid sugar, stabilizers, thickeners and preservatives. The Nama M1 appliance both blends and strains ingredients, converting nuts, seeds, grains or oats into velvety-smooth milk in just one minute, with zero grit. And for zero waste, the pasty leftover pulp can be used in other recipes for added nutrients. The device also makes infused oils, flavored waters and soups. And, importantly, cleanup is easy. Available in white and black. $400. For friends who prefer stronger beverages, the QelviQ personal sommelier uses “smart” technology to ensure wine is served at its ideal temperature. Unlike traditional wine refrigerators, this device doesn’t take up any floor space. It also doesn’t chill wine to just one or two temperatures based on its color. Instead — paired with the free QelviQ app — the tabletop chiller relies on a database of more than 350,000 wines to bring a bottle to its specific recommended serving temperature in as little as 20 minutes. It also suggests food-wine and wine-food pairings. Plus, the appliance serves as a great icebreaker to inspire dinnertime conversation. Available in Exciting Red, Dashing Black and Dreamy White. $495. Grilling food after dark — and ascertaining its doneness — can prove challenging without outdoor lighting, and it’s nearly impossible to cook while holding a flashlight. But as is often the case, the simplest of solutions can make the biggest of impacts: Uncommon Good’s 2-piece LED Grilling Tool Set puts illumination into the handles of its stainless-steel spatula and tongs. After use, the lights can be removed and the utensils run through the dishwasher. $40.

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McGhie scores 27, UC San Diego downs La Salle 72-67

The Inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was the highest-profile new sporting event in the world last year. The collision of luxury and high-octane adrenaline left spectators in awe, showcasing the extravagant lifestyle and hospitality synonymous with Las Vegas. Stretching over 3.8 miles, the custom-designed street circuit features 17 high-speed turns and two DRS zones against the dazzling Las Vegas backdrop. Last year's event garnered 315,000 fans to witness drivers racing down the strip at 215 mph. The last time Las Vegas hosted a Grand Prix was in 1982 when Formula One drivers competed on a track set up in a parking lot next to Caesars Palace. The success of Netflix reality show Drive to Survive has boosted Formula One's stateside popularity in the United States in recent years. But the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix isn't just about what happens on the track; Sin City also offers high-end hospitality options for attendees. VIP packages include exclusive lounges, gourmet dining experiences, and up-close views of the action from private suites. The ultimate ticket to this year's Grand Prix race is the Bellagio Fountain Club , which sits mere feet from the 1.2-mile high-speed straight. This exclusive package constructed next to the city's famous fountains is a powerhouse trifecta of indulgence, hospitality, and exhilaration. "Bellagio Fountain Club's debut at last year's Las Vegas Grand Prix event surpassed all expectations," said Andrew Lanzino, MGM Resorts' Vice President of Citywide Events Strategy. The private indoor and rooftop deck gives guests unobstructed trackside viewing. Celebrity chefs like Mario Carbone, David Chang, Alain Ducasse, Masaharu Morimoto, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten serve exquisite culinary offerings. At the same time, drinks flow at the open bar from master sommeliers and mixologists. The Bellagio Fountain Club is a highly sought-after ticket for race weekend, yet the hotel offers numerous activities everyone can enjoy. The Shoey Bar is back! Drink from a newly designed white shoe at the wildly popular tribute to one of racing's most iconic celebrations (thanks to Daniel Ricciardo). The Bellagio's Ferrari pop-up boutique returns for the second consecutive year, exclusively housing men's and women's collections, luxury leather accessories, one-of-a-kind items, and signed collectibles. Exclusive Balmain Racing menswear capsule and the French house's iconic ready-to-wear, handbags, and shoes will be available at a temporary boutique at the Bellagio through January 5. The Fontainebleau Las Vegas is a luxurious new addition to the Vegas Strip. A long-anticipated sister property to the iconic Fontainebleau Miami Beach, this Las Vegas counterpart brings high-end design and world-class dining. As the official event partner for the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix, Fontainebleau will host the international elite at Papi Steak Garage, fusing high-energy dining and trackside action. Hosted by Papi Steak, a renowned David Grutman's Groot Hospitality hotspot, this package places guests within the pulse of the race, the Pit Lane. Known for its signature "Papi Steak," a richly seasoned and expertly cooked Tomahawk, the restaurant blends vintage glamour with a vibrant, high-energy atmosphere. For racing enthusiasts looking to pair fine dining with Formula 1 excitement, the VIP ultra-luxe package experience includes: F1 Paddock Pass Trackside Dining by Papi Steak Paddock Club Rooftop Access LIV on the Grid Pit Lane Walk Guided Track Tours F1 Podium Celebration Access Paddock Club Transportation No matter what team you cheer for, Sin City comes alive during race weekend. For those looking to get a taste of the action off-track, F1-themed activations throughout the city keep the energy high. The lobby at ARIA is the epicenter of excitement for Mercedes-AMG Petronas fans. A fully decked-out installation features race simulators, team merchandise, and photo opportunities with a show car, among other specialized experiences. The Cosmopolitan elevates race weekend with The Boulevard Experience, a souped-up watch party atop the Boulevard Pool. New for this year's race is a closed-circuit viewing of the live Las Vegas Grand Prix TV feed. The Brooklyn Bridge will transform into a motorsport fan's dream with Williams Racing team-curated interactive experiences. The free event offers fans an inside look at what it means to be on the team. Guests wandering The Cosmopolitan will find a variety of complimentary race weekend experiences, including MoneyGram Haas F1 Team memorabilia and photo opportunities with a team show car. As an official partner of the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix, the resort is a high-energy destination for sports, entertainment, and exclusive experiences. More than 20 displayed Aston Martin models give fans unprecedented opportunities to experience the exquisite craftsmanship and advanced technology defining this prestigious brand. Aston Martin's Global Chief Brand and Commercial Officer, Marco Mattiacci, says, "It's an opportunity to connect with our community of owners and bring our brand to enthusiasts from across North America during a landmark moment in the F1 calendar." The exclusive Aston Martin British Bloodline experience presents a curated selection of current and rare vintage performance cars. Among them is the return of an icon, the Vanquish, Aston Martin's V12 flagship. This collection also features the newly launched Vantage sports car, the groundbreaking DB12 Super Tourer, and the DBX707, hailed as the supercar of SUVs. "As the excitement builds toward Race Week, we are thrilled to offer our guests an intimate look at the history and evolution of Aston Martin, a brand that symbolizes both excellence and sophistication," says Fontainebleau Las Vegas President Maurice Wooden. "As a resort, we pride ourselves on bringing top-tier experiences to our guests, creating once-in-a-lifetime memories. Fontainebleau Las Vegas is extremely proud to be the exclusive partner of Aston Martin, and we are honored to bring this iconic luxury brand for the ultimate Race Week experience." The hotel invites guests to experience Race Week in VIP style with the Aston Martin Million Dollar Package . This epitome of luxury allows guests to tailor their own Race Week adventure. It offers the extraordinary opportunity to take home an Aston Martin Vanquish, the stunning new flagship model from the prestigious British performance car brand. The Aston Martin Million Dollar Package also includes: Private roundtrip domestic flight for up to six guests Roundtrip ground transportation A five-night stay in the luxurious Fleur de Lis Chateau three-bedroom suite Six tickets to Fontainebleau Race Club suite One VIP table in the DJ booth at LIV Las Vegas Four memberships to the Poodle Room A private buyout of Lapis Spa & Wellness, redeemable at a later date A private dinner for six at ITO Complimentary upgrade to Fontainebleau Rewards Royal Tier status A $20,000 food and beverage credit A $20,000 resort credit Experience the Grand Prix without the craziness of The Strip with a retreat to Crockfords Las Vegas , an ultra-luxe property located directly on Las Vegas Boulevard just outside the high-energy zone. Recharge at this exclusive hotel within Resorts World after an action-fueled day at the track. The Chairman's Villa is an exclusive four-bedroom suite with direct views of the strip and race track from its private balcony on the 65th floor. This opulent suite includes a private lobby experience, a personal butler, and access to all of Crockford's amenities. A large media room, formal dining room, chef's kitchen, and billiards table bar mean guests can relax in the expansive living room while enjoying cocktails from a private bar or watching the drivers speed down the straight from the strip-facing balcony. The Chairman's Villa is also supreme for hosting exclusive events or parties during race weekend. It is truly a one-of-a-kind accommodation that embodies the glamour and extravagance of Las Vegas and Formula 1. Inspired by his nickname "Smooth Operator," Carlos Sainz will bring the vibes to Las Vegas with the 'Smooth Operator' Dance Lounge at ARIA Resort & Casino. Sainz famously earned his moniker by singing the song while overtaking competitors during global Grand Prix events. The charismatic Grand Prix driver will take over ARIA's ALIBI Ultra Lounge before racing around the Las Vegas streets. "Collaborating with Carlos Sainz on this exclusive party further strengthens the way we're delivering the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix experience to fans unlike any other race of the year," continues Lanzino. "Whether it's one-of-a-kind dining experiences with world-famous chefs, virtual reality Grand Prix moments with championship teams, or dancing with the Smooth Operator himself, we are creating a variety of ways for visitors and locals to have the time of their lives."

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke continued to push back against potential changes to U.S. Postal Service operations in Montana last week, arguing that the changes would alienate rural residents and delay services. Republican Zinke joined 11 other members of Congress signing a letter to the Postal Regulatory Commission on Nov. 22 asking that it keep rural processing centers and limit consolidation. The commission is reviewing the Postal Service's long-term plan to change how it processes mail, known as its Delivering For America plan. U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, pictured in 2023, pushed back on potential changes to U.S. Postal Service operations in Montana last week, arguing that the changes would alienate rural residents and delay services. THOM BRIDGE, Independent Record Sherry Patterson, a strategic communications specialist for the Postal Service, told the Missoulian in an email on Monday that the regulatory commission has yet to offer an advisory opinion on the plan. Man fatally shot by Ravalli County Sheriff's deputy near Stevensville Group launches fundraiser in suit challenging approval of Florence subdivision Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy. What does that mean for holiday season travelers? Stevensville schools closed Tuesday citing 'unsafe' driving conditions Citizen grand juries and county militias: The quiet rise of Tactical Civics in Montana Women report widespread misogyny in churches tied to religious group 'The Message' Sheehy endorses some Trump cabinet picks, declines to respond on others Bitterroot Health recruiting locals for new medical assistant training Bitterroot Health Athletes of the Week: Isaac Bates and Ella Goeltz 3 bulls, 3 bucks, 31 charges: Montana suspects accused of Elkhorn Mountains poaching spree Live updates: No. 2 Montana State Bobcats vs No. 9 Montana Grizzlies in Brawl of the Wild Revenue department says property taxes could rise again Rewind: How Tactical Civics ideology traces the Montana Freemen blueprint Bill Speltz: Don't blame the Montana defense for Saturday's Brawl debacle in Bozeman State Sen. Kathy Kelker resigns, Yellowstone County Commission to appoint a successor Once an opinion is finalized from the commission, which is an independent agency that oversees the Postal Service, Patterson said USPS will consider the opinion and then finalize its decision. Previously, USPS had plans to consolidate Missoula's regional processing center with Spokane's, adding a roughly 400-mile roundtrip for some packages. Backlash from congressional leaders led Postmaster Louis DeJoy in May to delay any changes to the system until at least January. The $40 billion Delivering for America plan that started in 2021 is meant to add new technology and streamline the mail processing system to create long-term savings. “This is a classic example of decisions coming down from D.C. that just don’t make any sense in Montana,” Zinke said in a Friday press release. “Mail service in Montana is already a logistical nightmare. Sending the Missoula Processing and Distributing Center out of the State will slow things down, add confusion, and lead to more Montanans being unable to receive their mail in a timely manner. Just because it works in Baltimore or New York, doesn’t mean it will work in Ravalli or Lincoln.” Zinke joined Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming to pen the letter. Ten Republican and two Democrat House representatives signed the letter. The lawmakers said they understood the need for USPS to modernize its mail system, but warned cutting programs and costs in rural states would lengthen delivery times. "Despite the USPS's repeated assurances, we struggle to see how on-time delivery rates, which are already below the USPS goals, will improve," the letter read. The plan has already seen pushback from other members of Montana's delegation, including Sen. Steve Daines, incoming Sen. Tim Sheehy and outgoing Sen. Jon Tester. Daines previously expressed opposition to the consolidation plan and also criticized the Postal Service for ending air mail service to the state in July. "The Postal Service's decision to suspend air service in Montana is going to hurt Montanans who rely on the mail to receive prescription medication, pension payments, disability benefits and more," Daines said in July. "And I urge Postmaster General DeJoy to reconsider this decision. I look forward to working with Mr. DeJoy to find ways to reverse years of sustained financial losses that don't affect Montanans." Incoming U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy told the Missoulian on Monday that rural Montanans must depend on timely mail service to keep their economies and communities strong. "Montanans do not want to see bureaucrats in D.C. leave rural America behind by imposing top-down plans that don’t work for Montana," Sheehy said in an email. "As we consider reforms and work to improve mail service in Montana, it’s absolutely critical we hear local voices, build consensus, and forge a path forward that makes sense for Montanans.” U.S. Sen. Jon Tester gives remarks about the USPS decision to halt plans to move Missoula mail processing to Spokane during a press conference at the John Engen Local Government Building in downtown Missoula on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. ANTONIO IBARRA OLIVARES, Missoulian Sheehy defeated Tester to win a U.S. Senate seat earlier this month and will assume office on Jan. 3. Tester previously introduced a bill to halt the consolidation plans, but no action was taken on the legislation. He said at a May press conference that postmaster DeJoy is a "lost cause" and that the Postal Service should remove him from office. "This would have major impacts, particularly on western Montana," Tester said in May. "Let's say that you're diabetic and you need insulin. You don't have an extra day. You can't wait around."The Inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was the highest-profile new sporting event in the world last year. The collision of luxury and high-octane adrenaline left spectators in awe, showcasing the extravagant lifestyle and hospitality synonymous with Las Vegas. Stretching over 3.8 miles, the custom-designed street circuit features 17 high-speed turns and two DRS zones against the dazzling Las Vegas backdrop. Last year's event garnered 315,000 fans to witness drivers racing down the strip at 215 mph. The last time Las Vegas hosted a Grand Prix was in 1982 when Formula One drivers competed on a track set up in a parking lot next to Caesars Palace. The success of Netflix reality show Drive to Survive has boosted Formula One's stateside popularity in the United States in recent years. But the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix isn't just about what happens on the track; Sin City also offers high-end hospitality options for attendees. VIP packages include exclusive lounges, gourmet dining experiences, and up-close views of the action from private suites. The ultimate ticket to this year's Grand Prix race is the Bellagio Fountain Club , which sits mere feet from the 1.2-mile high-speed straight. This exclusive package constructed next to the city's famous fountains is a powerhouse trifecta of indulgence, hospitality, and exhilaration. "Bellagio Fountain Club's debut at last year's Las Vegas Grand Prix event surpassed all expectations," said Andrew Lanzino, MGM Resorts' Vice President of Citywide Events Strategy. The private indoor and rooftop deck gives guests unobstructed trackside viewing. Celebrity chefs like Mario Carbone, David Chang, Alain Ducasse, Masaharu Morimoto, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten serve exquisite culinary offerings. At the same time, drinks flow at the open bar from master sommeliers and mixologists. The Bellagio Fountain Club is a highly sought-after ticket for race weekend, yet the hotel offers numerous activities everyone can enjoy. The Shoey Bar is back! Drink from a newly designed white shoe at the wildly popular tribute to one of racing's most iconic celebrations (thanks to Daniel Ricciardo). The Bellagio's Ferrari pop-up boutique returns for the second consecutive year, exclusively housing men's and women's collections, luxury leather accessories, one-of-a-kind items, and signed collectibles. Exclusive Balmain Racing menswear capsule and the French house's iconic ready-to-wear, handbags, and shoes will be available at a temporary boutique at the Bellagio through January 5. The Fontainebleau Las Vegas is a luxurious new addition to the Vegas Strip. A long-anticipated sister property to the iconic Fontainebleau Miami Beach, this Las Vegas counterpart brings high-end design and world-class dining. As the official event partner for the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix, Fontainebleau will host the international elite at Papi Steak Garage, fusing high-energy dining and trackside action. Hosted by Papi Steak, a renowned David Grutman's Groot Hospitality hotspot, this package places guests within the pulse of the race, the Pit Lane. Known for its signature "Papi Steak," a richly seasoned and expertly cooked Tomahawk, the restaurant blends vintage glamour with a vibrant, high-energy atmosphere. For racing enthusiasts looking to pair fine dining with Formula 1 excitement, the VIP ultra-luxe package experience includes: No matter what team you cheer for, Sin City comes alive during race weekend. For those looking to get a taste of the action off-track, F1-themed activations throughout the city keep the energy high. The lobby at ARIA is the epicenter of excitement for Mercedes-AMG Petronas fans. A fully decked-out installation features race simulators, team merchandise, and photo opportunities with a show car, among other specialized experiences. The Cosmopolitan elevates race weekend with The Boulevard Experience, a souped-up watch party atop the Boulevard Pool. New for this year's race is a closed-circuit viewing of the live Las Vegas Grand Prix TV feed. The Brooklyn Bridge will transform into a motorsport fan's dream with Williams Racing team-curated interactive experiences. The free event offers fans an inside look at what it means to be on the team. Guests wandering The Cosmopolitan will find a variety of complimentary race weekend experiences, including MoneyGram Haas F1 Team memorabilia and photo opportunities with a team show car. As an official partner of the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix, the resort is a high-energy destination for sports, entertainment, and exclusive experiences. More than 20 displayed Aston Martin models give fans unprecedented opportunities to experience the exquisite craftsmanship and advanced technology defining this prestigious brand. Aston Martin's Global Chief Brand and Commercial Officer, Marco Mattiacci, says, "It's an opportunity to connect with our community of owners and bring our brand to enthusiasts from across North America during a landmark moment in the F1 calendar." The exclusive Aston Martin British Bloodline experience presents a curated selection of current and rare vintage performance cars. Among them is the return of an icon, the Vanquish, Aston Martin's V12 flagship. This collection also features the newly launched Vantage sports car, the groundbreaking DB12 Super Tourer, and the DBX707, hailed as the supercar of SUVs. "As the excitement builds toward Race Week, we are thrilled to offer our guests an intimate look at the history and evolution of Aston Martin, a brand that symbolizes both excellence and sophistication," says Fontainebleau Las Vegas President Maurice Wooden. "As a resort, we pride ourselves on bringing top-tier experiences to our guests, creating once-in-a-lifetime memories. Fontainebleau Las Vegas is extremely proud to be the exclusive partner of Aston Martin, and we are honored to bring this iconic luxury brand for the ultimate Race Week experience." The hotel invites guests to experience Race Week in VIP style with the Aston Martin Million Dollar Package . This epitome of luxury allows guests to tailor their own Race Week adventure. It offers the extraordinary opportunity to take home an Aston Martin Vanquish, the stunning new flagship model from the prestigious British performance car brand. The Aston Martin Million Dollar Package also includes: Experience the Grand Prix without the craziness of The Strip with a retreat to Crockfords Las Vegas , an ultra-luxe property located directly on Las Vegas Boulevard just outside the high-energy zone. Recharge at this exclusive hotel within Resorts World after an action-fueled day at the track. The Chairman's Villa is an exclusive four-bedroom suite with direct views of the strip and race track from its private balcony on the 65th floor. This opulent suite includes a private lobby experience, a personal butler, and access to all of Crockford's amenities. A large media room, formal dining room, chef's kitchen, and billiards table bar mean guests can relax in the expansive living room while enjoying cocktails from a private bar or watching the drivers speed down the straight from the strip-facing balcony. The Chairman's Villa is also supreme for hosting exclusive events or parties during race weekend. It is truly a one-of-a-kind accommodation that embodies the glamour and extravagance of Las Vegas and Formula 1. Inspired by his nickname "Smooth Operator," Carlos Sainz will bring the vibes to Las Vegas with the 'Smooth Operator' Dance Lounge at ARIA Resort & Casino. Sainz famously earned his moniker by singing the song while overtaking competitors during global Grand Prix events. The charismatic Grand Prix driver will take over ARIA's ALIBI Ultra Lounge before racing around the Las Vegas streets. "Collaborating with Carlos Sainz on this exclusive party further strengthens the way we're delivering the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix experience to fans unlike any other race of the year," continues Lanzino. "Whether it's one-of-a-kind dining experiences with world-famous chefs, virtual reality Grand Prix moments with championship teams, or dancing with the Smooth Operator himself, we are creating a variety of ways for visitors and locals to have the time of their lives."

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Down by two shots with two holes to play, Jeeno Thitikul knew exactly what was needed to capture the biggest prize in women’s golf history. And another eagle-birdie finish — for the second straight day — made it happen. Thitikul claimed the record-setting $4 million first-place check by winning the CME Group Tour Championship on Sunday. It’s the biggest money prize in women’s golf history, bigger than even the winner’s shares in three of the four men’s major championships this year. “Today, standing here with the trophy, it’s more than I can ask for,” Thitikul said. Thitikul shot a 7-under 65 on Sunday and finished the week at 22 under, one shot ahead of Angel Yin (66). Yin had a two-shot lead walking to the 17th tee, only to wind up settling for the $1 million runner-up check. Yin — who missed the start of the season after breaking her leg over the winter — hardly sounded defeated after finishing second and more than doubling her 2024 earnings in four days. “I’m pretty awesome. ... I’ve learned that I just need to believe my myself and that’s what I did,” Yin said. Brooke Henderson (66) of Smiths Falls, Ont., tied for eighth at 13-under overall. The win and the massive check came down to the 18th hole, Thitikul and Yin tied at 21 under after a back-and-forth day atop the leaderboard — both knowing a mistake would likely come at a $3 million cost. Both hit the fairway on 18. Thitikul’s approach was nearly perfect, stopping about 5 feet from the cup. Yin’s response stopped maybe 15 feet away, giving Thitikul the edge as they walked up the fairway. She was smiling broadly as she approached the green, almost as if she knew what was about to happen. Yin’s birdie putt just missed. Thitikul’s was dead center. And history was hers. Her plans for all that cash? “Definitely spend it,” Thitikul said. “That’s an honest answer, for sure. Definitely going to spend it for a little while.” She already had clinched a $1 million bonus this week through the Aon Risk-Reward Challenge, a competition based on how players score on a designated hole each week. In the end, it wound up as a whopping $5 million week for the 21-year-old from Thailand — and going 8 under on the Nos. 17 and 18 over the four days at Tiburon Golf Club made the difference. “All the hard work paid off,” said Thitikul, whose eagle-birdie close to Saturday’s round pulled her into a tie for the lead with Yin going into Sunday at 15 under. It didn’t take long on Sunday for Thitikul to jump in front, with birdies on two of the first three holes to grab a two-shot edge. Her lead vanished with a two-shot swing on the par-4 fourth; Yin made birdie, Thitikul bogey. It seemed like Yin grabbed control on the par-3 16th. Her birdie putt from across the green — about 25 feet — rolled in for a two-shot lead with two holes to play. But her second shot at the par-5 17th missed the green right, and the door was opened for Thitikul. The eagle-birdie finish Saturday gave her hope. The eagle-birdie finish Sunday gave her so much more — even though, it turns out, the second shot on the par 5 wasn’t one that she caught flush. It worked out anyway. “Just lucky enough,” Thitikul said. Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko (63) finished third at 17 under, her nine birdies coming in a 13-hole span. “I’m excited to be able to work hard this offseason and have another great 2025,” Ko said. Ruoning Yin (68) was alone in fourth at 16 under, and LPGA player of the year Nelly Korda (66) finished at 15 under along with Narin An (68). Ayaka Furue finished at 13 under, good enough to give her the Vare Trophy as the LPGA’s season-long scoring champion over Haeran Ryu. “I feel very happy to have this trophy in my hands,” said Furue, the first Japanese player to win the Vare. Lexi Thompson — a 15-time winner as a pro who plans to step away from full-time golf — finished at 2 under. It’s not clear how often Thompson plans to play in 2025 and beyond; that said, she returns to Tiburon the week of Dec. 9 for the Grant Thornton Invitational, where she’ll team with Rickie Fowler in the event featuring PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players. “I’m not going anywhere, guys.” Thompson said. “I’ll be back in two weeks.” There were two players who said they were retiring after Sunday’s round: Marina Alex, who shot 66 to finish at 12 under, and Ally Ewing, who closed with a 68 to wrap up the week at 11 under. “I’m happy to have ended on my best,” said Alex, a bottle of sparkling wine in her right hand, a bouquet of flowers in the other. Added Ewing: “I’ve been at peace with my decision. It’s just so nice to be able to share the walk with my family this week.” But in the end, the week belonged to Thitikul. And as the sun was setting over Tiburon on Sunday, she was ready for her offseason to begin with a well-deserved celebration. “Anybody hungry?” she asked. “I am.” With Sunday’s check in her pocket, she can dine anywhere she wants for a while. ___ AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf Tim Reynolds, The Associated PressStock market today: Wall Street hits records despite tariff talkNewbury Park, Simi Valley have Ventura County well-represented in the CIF-SS football finals