maxibet88 slot CHICAGO -- The Seattle Seahawks are in the Windy City to face the Chicago Bears for a pivotal NFC matchup at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois today. The game will be streamed live on Amazon Prime Video with kickoff at 8:15 p.m. Eastern. (7:15 p.m. Central) You can watch the Dec. 26 game with a free trial on Prime Video . Amazon’s video streaming service is the exclusive national home of “Thursday Night Football,” which features play-by-play announcer Al Michaels, game analyst Kirk Herbstreit and sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung. It’s the final installment of TNF in 2024. Note: Viewers in each team’s home television market can also watch the game on a local station. In Chicago, it’s on FOX 32, while KING - 5 NBC will carry the game in the Seattle area. Both are available on Fubo , which comes with a free trial and is offering $30 off your first month. They are also available on DirecTV Stream , which also offers a free trial. The game is a crucial matchup for the Seahawks (8-7), who are trying to make the playoffs and still have a chance to win the NFC West over the Los Angeles Rams. Seattle has lost two in a row, and another loss could eliminate it from playoff contention. The Bears (4-11) have been eliminated from the playoffs after a nine-game slide while firing their head coach and offensive coordinator. Chicago is playing the role of spoiler. Seattle Seahawks playoff scenarios If the Rams win over the Cardinals, and the Seahawks lose or tie with the Bears, Seattle is eliminated from playoff contention. If the Rams win and the Seahawks lose, Los Angeles clinches the division. If the Rams lose and Seahawks win, a potential winner-take-all game will take place at SoFi Stadium. Fifth tiebreaker scenario If both the Rams and Seahawks win this week it would leave both teams with the same record, a head-to-head split, the same NFC West record, the same record in common games, and the same conference record. The fifth tiebreaker is strength of victory. Heading into the Week 17 matchup, the Rams have the edge in that category. Rams could clinch this week with a win even if the Seahawks win. They can do this with 3.5 or more wins from the Vikings (vs. Packers), Bills (vs. Jets), Commanders (vs. Falcons), Bengals (vs. Broncos), 49ers (vs. Lions), and Browns (vs. Dolphins). If the Rams win Sunday, the Seahawks need to win to stay in the NFC West race, and they need at least four wins from the Packers, Jets, Falcons, Lions, Broncos or Dolphins. Other teams in the hunt The NFC South’s Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the same record as the Seahawks heading into Week 17. As of now, Tampa Bay wins the tiebreaker over Seattle based on best win percentage in conference games. Check out a complete rundown of NFL Week 17 action , including the schedule, predictions, previews, TV information and more. SEAHAWKS - BEARS Matchup Preview The Seahawks are coming off a frustrating home loss to the Minnesota Vikings, placing them in a dangerous predicament on the road tonight. Quarterback Geno Smith has thrown for 3,937 yards, which is the fourth-most in the NFL this year. He has 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has amassed 93 receptions for 1,083 yards, which is the fifth-most in the NFL. He has six touchdowns and is averaging 11.7 yards per reception. The second-year receiver is top-10 in receptions, yards and targets (126) this season. He has recorded 70 or more yards in his last seven games. Kenneth Walker III has totaled 153 carries for 553 yards and seven touchdowns. He has played in 11 games this season and will miss the matchup due to an ankle injury. Zach Charbonnet will be the featured back. He has 106 carries for 453 yards and eight touchdowns. The Seahawks are 5-1 on the road this season. Watch Seahawks vs. Bears on Amazon Prime Video for free The Bears were blasted by the Lions in their last game, continuing what has been a nightmare in Chicago this season. The offense has shown flashes, but the defense has been decimated. First overall pick Caleb Williams has thrown for 3,271 yards and 19 touchdowns with five interceptions. The rookie hasn’t thrown an interception in nine straight games. DJ Moore has hauled in 83 receptions for 826 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 10 yards per reception. D’Andre Swift runs the rushing attack, tallying 221 carries for 841 yards and five touchdowns. Opposing offenses are torching Chicago’s secondary during their massive skid, averaging 277.3 yards passing per game in the last six contests. SEAHAWKS - BEARS Last Game Recap The Seahawks lost a thriller against the Vikings while the Bears continued to their slide into the abyss against Lions. SEAHAWKS: Lost against the Minnesota Vikings 27-24 on Dec. 22 BEARS: Lost against the Detroit Lions 34-17 on Dec. 22. SEAHAWKS - BEARS Players to Watch: Seahawks: QB Geno Smith, WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, RB Zach Charbonnet, CB Coby Bryant, S Julian Love Bears: QB Caleb Williams, RB D’Andre Swift, WR DJ Moore, CB Jaylon Johnson, LB T.J. Edwards SEAHAWKS - BEARS Injuries of Note The Seahawks will be missing a key running back while the Bears will have their playmakers available for the primetime matchup. Seahawks: RB Kenneth Walker III (ankle) and TE Brady Russell (foot) are all out. S Jerrick Reed II (quadriceps), S K’Von Wallace (ankle), LB Trevis Gipson (ankle) and G Anthony Bradford (ankle) are all on injured reserve Bears: G Teven Jenkins (calf), S Tarvarius Moore (knee), S Elijah Hick (ankle) and RB Travis Homer (hamstring) are all out. DT Gervon Dexter (knee), C Doug Kramer Jr. and LB Amen Ogbongbemiga are all questionable OT Braxton Jones (ankle), C Ryan Bates (concussion) and WR DeAndre Carter (hamstring) are all on injured reserve. What are the latest odds for Seahawks vs. Bears? Spread: SEA: (+4), CHI: (-4) Moneyline: SEA: (-205), CHI: (+170) Point total: 46.5 Odds from DraftKings How to Watch SEAHAWKS - BEARS Who: Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears When: Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024 Time: 8:15 p.m. Eastern Where: Soldier Field | Chicago, Illinois Channel: Prime Video Only streaming options: Amazon Prime Video (free trial). Also, Fubo (free trial and $30 off your first month) and DirecTV Stream (free trial) are options if you live in the Seattle or Chicago area markets. Channel finder if you have cable You can access the channel by using the channel finders online: Verizon Fios , AT&T U-verse , Comcast Xfinity , Spectrum/Charter , Optimum/Altice , DIRECTV and Dish . About Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video offers a 30-day free trial. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, this video service is included at no extra cost with your membership. Joining Amazon Prime costs $14.99/month or $139 annually. The streaming service features blockbuster movies, hit shows, Amazon Originals and sports, including select NFL games for the 2024 season. About FuboTV Fubo (free trial, $30 off your first month) has three main packages: Pro costs $79.99/month; Elite is $89.99; Premier is priced at $99.99. Cancel before the free trial ends to avoid being charged. Fubo includes access to more than 185 sports, entertainment and news channels. You can record games, TV shows, movies and more. About DirecTV Stream DirecTV Stream , which also gives customers a free trial, offers four packages if you continue with the service after your trial ends: Entertainment for $69.99; Choice for $84.99; Ultimate for $109.99; and premier for $159.99. Choice offers the most channels for sports enthusiasts. For team hats, shirts and more gear: Visit Fanatics , Dick’s Sporting Goods , Lids , Champs Sports and New Era .Stock market today: Wall Street hangs near its records despite tariff talk

Russia missile suspected in Azerbaijani plane crash, Moscow warns against 'hypotheses'None

24X National Exchange Plans to be the First Exchange to Offer U.S. Equities Trading 23 Hours-Per-Day on Weekdays STAMFORD, Conn. , Nov. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 24 Exchange announced today that it has received approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to operate 24X National Exchange as the first national securities exchange in the U.S. that allows trading of U.S. securities 23 hours each workday. The extended hour trading is subject to Equity Data Plans making changes that would facilitate overnight trading hours and 24X National Exchange making an additional rule filing with the SEC confirming the changes and the Exchange's ability to comply with the Securities Exchange Act. 24X National Exchange will be subject to the SEC's ongoing regulatory oversight and full range of investor protections. The new Exchange will enable retail and institutional customers anywhere in the world to trade in U.S. equities via broker-dealers who are approved members of 24X National Exchange. 24X National Exchange will be launched in two stages. A first stage will open in the second half of 2025, with the Exchange operating from 4:00AM ET to 7:00PM ET on weekdays. The second stage, which will launch once the conditions noted above are met, will offer trading in U.S. equities from 8:00PM ET on Sunday through 7:00PM ET on Friday . A one-hour operational pause will occur during each trading day to accommodate routine software upgrades and functionality testing. 24 Exchange CEO and Founder Dmitri Galinov said: "The SEC's approval of our new exchange is a thrilling development that the 24X Team has been working toward for many years. Traders are most at-risk when the market is closed in their geographic location. 24X National Exchange will seek to alleviate this problem by facilitating around-the-clock U.S. equities trading for broker-dealers and their institutional and retail customers." As the first national securities exchange approved by the SEC to operate 23 hours each weekday, subject to the conditions noted above, 24X National Exchange will initially focus on capturing the expanding demand in the APAC region for overnight liquidity in U.S. equities. The 24X National Exchange will run on a proven, state-of-the-art technology platform provided by MEMX Technologies. The new Exchange's executive team will place a high priority on enhancing client experience through continuous technology innovations and improvements. "With this historic SEC approval in place, we will build and operate a customer-driven Exchange that can rapidly align with market demands and adapt quickly to client feedback," Galinov added. "We look forward to bringing a superior trading experience to global customers. 24X National Exchange will deliver the cost efficiency, speed, resilience, and adaptability that the company's financial institutional customers have long come to expect." 24X National Exchange will close on U.S. market holidays, similar to the schedules maintained by the NYSE and Nasdaq. 24 Exchange through 24X Bermuda Limited, an affiliate of 24X National Exchange, will continue to offer FX NDFs, Swaps and Spot trading to institutional clients. Since its launch in 2019, 24 Exchange's multi-asset offering through a single trading interface has enabled clients to access increased liquidity at lower cost. About 24 Exchange 24 Exchange allows market participants to seamlessly exchange their exposures at the lowest possible cost. 24 Exchange's mission is to enable members to initiate the most cost-effective trades across a growing range of asset classes, 24 hours a day. 24 Exchange lowers the cost of exchanging assets in the global markets while delivering creative and unique workflows catered to each asset class. More information is available at https://24exchange.com/ . Media Contact: Eric Andrus , KARV 24Xmedia@karv.global Phone: +1 (212) 333-0275 View original content: https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/24-exchange-receives-sec-approval-of-its-new-national-securities-exchange-24x-national-exchange-302317888.html

Traffic citations issued to Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill after a September altercation with police have been dismissed after the charging officers didn't attend a court hearing. Hill's tickets for careless driving and failing to wear a seat belt were dismissed after the Miami-Dade Police officers failed to show up for a Monday hearing. The tickets were issued after Hill was stopped outside Hard Rock Stadium for allegedly speeding before the Dolphins' season opener on Sept. 8. The stop escalated and an officer pulled Hill from the car, forced him to the ground and handcuffed him. Hill said in a Tuesday post on the social platform X , "Where all the internet cops now". The Miami-Dade Police Department said it would have a statement later Tuesday. Police body camera video from the September stop showed Hill appeared to speed past two motorcycle officers who were monitoring traffic on a road outside the stadium. They pulled over his McLaren sports car and one tapped on his window. Hill, 30, handed the officer his driver's license, but told the officer repeatedly, "Don't knock on my window like that." He then put his window back up. Their verbal exchange escalated and the officers soon pulled him from the car, forcing Hill face-first to the ground. The officers cursed at Hill but he did not resist their physical force or strike at them in the video. He did tell one officer, "Don't tell me what to do." Hill was eventually stood up, but then an officer dragged him into a sitting position on the curb after he said a knee injury made that difficult. After about 30 minutes, Hill was issued citations and allowed to enter the stadium. One officer was placed on administrative duty and an internal affairs investigation was launched. No results have been released.Dolphins look like completely different teams with and without Tua Tagovailoa this season

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Five Below ( NASDAQ:FIVE – Free Report ) had its target price raised by Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $120.00 in a report published on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Five Below from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $89.00 to $95.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Craig Hallum upped their price target on Five Below from $102.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. KeyCorp cut Five Below from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Gordon Haskett raised Five Below from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Five Below from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.15. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on FIVE Five Below Price Performance Five Below ( NASDAQ:FIVE – Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The specialty retailer reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $843.71 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $801.48 million. Five Below had a return on equity of 18.10% and a net margin of 7.02%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.26 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Five Below will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Five Below Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Five Below by 41.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 614,288 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $54,272,000 after acquiring an additional 180,902 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Five Below during the 3rd quarter valued at $3,282,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in shares of Five Below by 72.8% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 21,815 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,927,000 after purchasing an additional 9,188 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC increased its position in shares of Five Below by 364.2% during the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 25,830 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,282,000 after purchasing an additional 20,266 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Five Below by 1,842.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 22,528 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,086,000 after purchasing an additional 21,368 shares during the last quarter. About Five Below ( Get Free Report ) Five Below, Inc operates as a specialty value retailer in the United States. The company offers range of accessories, which includes novelty socks, sunglasses, jewelry, scarves, gloves, hair accessories, athletic tops and bottoms, and t-shirts, as well as nail polish, lip gloss, fragrance, and branded cosmetics; and personalized living space products, such as lamps, posters, frames, fleece blankets, plush items, pillows, candles, incense, lighting, novelty décor, accent furniture, and related items, as well as provides storage options. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Five Below Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Five Below and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Is Enbridge Stock a Buy for its Dividend Yield?Monty Rakusen/DigitalVision via Getty Images Writing about Siemens Healthineers AG ( OTCPK:SMMNY ) ( OTCPK:SEMHF ) in July of this year , I saw a mixed outlook with near-term risks to earnings from ongoing weakness in China, but longer-term opportunities tied in large part to the Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of ARAY, RHHBY either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.Quarterback Brock Purdy threw without pain Monday and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan will wait until midweek to determine the progress of edge rusher Nick Bosa and left tackle Trent Williams. It remains to be seen who will and won’t be available when the 49ers embark on a cross country trip to face AFC East power Buffalo, currently 9-2 and the No, 2 seed in the conference. The 49ers are expected to get a practice lift with the activation of linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who will begin his 21-day window off injured reserve after offseason Achilles surgery after being injured in the Super Bowl. Cornerback Charvarius Ward, who worked with the scout team last week as he works through his grief following the loss of his 23-month-old daughter, may also begin getting work again with the first team. Are things actually looking up for the 49ers? One thing’s for sure is that the 49ers are looking up at everybody else in the AFC West but are still only a game out of first place with Seattle and Arizona at 6-5 and the 49ers and Rams at 5-6. It’s clear to Shanahan any pathway to the playoffs would be as a division title rather than as a wild card. “You look at the whole NFC picture and if you don’t win the division, 10-7 is not guaranteed to get in as a wild card by any means this year,” Shanahan told reporters during his weekly conference call. “That is why the Seattle game was so tough, and that’s why last night was even worse. “We know exactly what the playoff situation is, but really all that matters is this week when you do need to go on a run and put a lot of wins to even think of that, then you’d better be thinking of only one thing – and that’s Buffalo.” Should Purdy be unable to go, Shanahan said Brandon Allen would get a second start at quarterback. SNAP JUDGEMENTS 72: Safeties Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha and middle linebacker Fred Warner played every defensive snap. 49: When Allen at quarterback and Jaylon Moore at left tackle play every snap (along with Colton McKivitz, Dominick Puni and Jake Brendel) then you know there’s a problem with injuries. And Allen and Moore were the least of their problems. 44: Leonard Floyd played 61 percent — about his usual number — even without Nick Bosa in the lineup. With 3 1/2 sacks in his last two games, he’s a half-sack behind Bosa fo the team lead. 33: Rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall Jr. played 67 percent of the snaps — the same as Deebo Samuel — and did not have a pass thrown his way. 21: Robbie Beal Jr. played a season-high number of snaps in Bosa’s absence at defensive end and did not appear on the stat sheet for having a tackle or an assist. 9: Running back Jordan Mason has played 14 snaps in three games since McCaffrey’s return and has six carries for 26 yards. 4: Tashun Gipson was promoted to the 53-man roster but still hasn’t played on defense in three games at safety. He had four special teams snaps against Green Bay. More to come on this breaking story . . .

Authored by Jeff Carlson & Hans Mahncke via Truth Over News , Last week we wrote about the central role Obama played in establishing the Russiagate Hoax. This week we’re going to take a closer look at why Obama was so involved. What drove him to push a hoax that had been ostensibly put into place by the Clinton campaign? Many are aware of Biden’s entanglements in Ukraine but most are unaware of Obama’s implicit involvement . For some time now it's been our working theory that Russiagate originated, at least in part, as the result of what Joe Biden was doing in Ukraine - and as a result of Obama’s knowledge of Biden’s actions. Recall that Biden’s involvement in Ukraine traces back to at least early 2014 when he was pulled into the U.S. overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically-held elections by Victoria Nuland, the assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs in the Obama State Department. In November 2013, Ukraine’s president Yanukovych turned down a U.S.-backed trade deal with the European Union in favor of an emergency bailout from Russia, a decision which was understandable from Ukraine’s perspective but one which Nuland and her state department colleagues found deeply upsetting. When the European Union pursued a diplomatic route at resolving the impasse by proposing a power sharing agreement, Nuland was quick to veto the idea, telling Pyatt in a leaked phone call, “[expletive] the EU.” During that same call , Nuland discussed her plans for the ouster of Yanukovych and the installation of opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk as prime minister. Towards the end of their conversation, Nuland noted that Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan had informed her that “you need Biden,” and she concluded by telling Pyatt that “Biden’s willing.” Biden was effectively appointed as the Obama administration’s point man on Ukraine in February 2014. On Feb. 22, 2014, just as Nuland had planned, Yanukovych was removed as president of Ukraine and, three days later, Yatsenyuk, the candidate favored by Nuland, was installed as prime minister. In other words, the U.S. government had effectively enabled a coup that ousted a democratically elected leader and replaced him with their own candidate. The US-led ouster of Yanukovich also had other internal repercussions, most notably the outbreak of an eight-year civil war between western Ukraine and the Russian-speaking Donbass region of Ukraine. The idea that any of this could have been done without the direct approval from Obama, is of course, ridiculous. One of the members of Yanukovych’s government who lost his position in government as a result of the coup was Mykola Zlochevsky, the Oligarch owner of Burisma Energy. He had first served as minister of ecology and natural resources and later as deputy secretary for economic and social security. During his tenure in government, Zlochevsky’s companies, particularly Burisma, reportedly received an unusually large number of permits to extract oil and gas. In April 2014, UK prosecutors seized $23.5 million in assets owned by Zlochevsky that were held at a London bank, alleging that Zlochevsky had engaged in criminal conduct in Ukraine. It was at this same time that Burisma appointed Biden’s son, Hunter, and his close associate, Devin Archer to its board of directors. On April 21, 2014, Joe Biden traveled to Ukraine, offering not only his political support, but also $50 million in aid for Ukraine’s shaky new government. During Joe’s Ukraine visit, on April 22, it was announced that Archer had suddenly joined the board of Burisma. Hunter had also joined Burisma’s board that same month , but curiously Burisma didn’t announce Hunter’s appointment until May 12, 2014—after his father’s visit to Ukraine had concluded. Many have portrayed Hunter’s involvement as little more than a means for the Biden family to extract hefty board fees from Burisma for association with the Biden name. While there is likely a large amount of truth to this, we also suspect something bigger may have been at play—the effective capture of Ukraine’s natural gas assets. In a June 23, 2014 proposal from Boies Schiller, the law firm that employed Hunter, Burisma was provided with what Boies Schiller termed a “Strategic Outline for Legal Defense Plan.” Their proposal stated that they wanted to “Insulate Burisma from politically motivated disruptions in operations , including legal challenges to licenses, now and in the future.” The proposal from Boies Schiller was referring to the natural gas licenses that had been illegally accumulated by Zlochevsky during his time in the Ukrainian government. As part of this strategy, Boies wanted to “Meet with the U.S. officials in Washington, DC who are leading U.S. policy related to Ukraine to brief them on who Burisma is, its significance to the future of Ukraine, and the Investigation in order to seek their advice and assistance.” The proposal noted that “we are starting the process of creating an echo-chamber of U.S. officials discussing Burisma between and amongst themselves and encouraging each other to meet with Burisma.” Boies disclosed in their proposal that they had already spoken to a number of congressional members and their staff, including Senator Chris Murphy and his chief of staff. Amos Hochstein, Obama’s U.S. Special Envoy for International Energy , was also mentioned in the Boies proposal - which focused on establishing a meeting between Hochstein and Burisma’s CFO Vadym Pozharskyi in the coming month of July 2014. It appears that meeting never happened - although Hochstein did meet with Burisma lobbyist David Leiter and Boies law partner Heather King. Meanwhile, efforts by Hunter continued. In a November 2014 email, Hunter told his long-time money-man Eric Schwerin to "Pls send D Amos' contact info... Amos is 'Acting Special Envoy, Bureau of energy Resources' at State." What is clear from these documents is that Hunter and Archer were working to bring in high-level political support for Burisma from members of Congress and officials in the Obama administration at a time when it was very clear that Burisma was run by a corrupt Ukrainian Oligarch. And all of that support appeared to be centering around protecting the natural gas assets of Burisma. We’ve written a number of times on Joe Biden’s efforts to get Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin removed so we won’t rehash that entire story here. But it’s worth noting that it may have been around the sequence of events leading to Shokin’s firing that Obama may have become alarmed. The level of involvement from Obama officials would only accelerate in 2015 after the Bidens were further pulled into the legal entanglements of Burisma , which was under ongoing investigations into the theft of Ukraine’s natural gas assets. After receiving a new demand for help in ending the investigations into Burisma from Zlochevsky on November 2, 2015, Hunter immediately reached out to the previously-mentioned Hochstein. Hunter would meet in-person with Hochstein four days later, on November 6, 2015. Hochstein later reluctantly (and evasively) told congressional investigators that Hunter “wanted to know my views on Burisma and Zlochevsky.” Hochstein, who was Obama’s U.S. Special Envoy for International Energy at the time, privately expressed his concerns about Hunter’s role at Burisma to Joe Biden in October 2015 and again during a flight to Ukraine on December 7, 2015. We’ve mentioned Hochstein a number of times for a reason. Hochstein had been appointed by Obama to “help Ukraine, and other European countries, find new supplies of natural gas after Russia invaded” Crimea in 2014 . Hochstein “also worked on energy issues related to sanctions on Iran and Russia” and “worked closely with officials at the White House's National Security Council and government agencies.” Hochstein was Obama’s point man on the energy situation in Ukraine. If Hochstein knew everything the Biden’s were doing, so did Obama. More proof of this comes from a series of meetings between prosecutors from Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and officials from Obama’s National Security Council, the FBI, the State Department, and the DOJ that took place in January 2016. The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington later “confirmed the Obama administration requested the meetings.” Present at these January 2016 meetings was Andrii Telizhenko, then an employee at the Ukrainian embassy. According to Telizhenko, a recurring theme at these meetings was “how important it was that all of our anti-corruption efforts be united.” Additionally, Telizhenko was told that U.S. officials “had an interest in reviving a closed investigation into payments to U.S. figures from Ukraine’s Russia-backed Party of Regions.” The focus of US officials was almost certainly Trump’s future Campaign Manager Paul Manafort. We know that “Agents interviewed Manafort in 2014 about whether he received undeclared payments” and “whether he engaged in improper foreign lobbying in Ukraine.” According to Telizhenko “DOJ officials asked investigators from Ukraine’s NABU if they could help locate new evidence about the Party of Regions’ payments and its dealings with Americans.” Trump’s soon-to-be campaign manager, Paul Manafort, would later be implicated in the Party of Regions payments, leading to his ultimate removal from the Trump Campaign. In January 2016, right at the time of the NABU’s meeting with Obama’s officials, Alexandra Chalupa, who had been investigating Manafort’s work in Ukraine, informed an unknown senior DNC official that she believed there was a Russian connection with the Trump campaign. This theme would be picked up by the Clinton campaign and the Intelligence Community in the summer of 2016 . Chalupa also told the official to expect Manafort’s involvement in the Trump campaign. How Chalupa knew this in advance has never been fully explained. NABU was established in October 2014 with assistance from the US government - led by a big push from vice-president Joe Biden and Victoria Nuland . In January 2016, NABU director Artem Sytnyk announced that his bureau was close to signing a Memorandum of cooperation with the FBI and by February 9th, the FBI had had a permanent representative onsite at the NABU offices . One week after the first FBI representative was installed at NABU, on February 18, 2016 - while Joe Biden was actively pushing for Shokin’s removal - authorities in Latvia flagged a series of ‘suspicious’ financial transactions linked to Hunter Biden, Devon Archer and two other unknown individuals involved with Burisma. It was later reported that “a series of loan payments totaling about $16.6 million that were routed from companies in Belize and the United Kingdom to Burisma through Ukraine’s PrivatBank between 2012 and 2015.” Latvian officials claimed that a portion of these funds were transferred to Hunter, Devon and the two unnamed individuals - one of whom was a US citizen. Despite requests for assistance, a Latvian official said his government received no criminal evidence from Ukraine and thus took no further action on the investigation. It seems implausible to us that the FBI, with its active presence within Ukraine’s anti-corruption offices, was not aware of these transactions - along with everything else the Bidens were doing. From the perspective of Obama and Biden, this situation with Latvian authorities needed to be fully contained before it exploded. Indeed, Shokin later said that it was this information that “made it impossible” to shut down his investigation of Burisma. Once Biden succeeded in getting Shokin officially fired on March 29, 2016, there was a new focus and a new directive for Biden —finding the proper replacement for Shokin. Despite Shokin's removal, the Burisma investigation was still technically open. Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko appointed Yuriy Sevruk as Shokin's replacement the same day as Shokin's firing. At this same time, Blue Star (hired by Burisma at Hunter's urging) began vetting Sevruk. It appears that Blue Star decided that Sevruk wasn’t the right person to wrap up all the investigations into Burisma. We know this because on May 12, 2016, Former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko was suddenly appointed as Ukraine’s new prosecutor general - replacing Sevruk. The day after Lutsenko was appointed, Biden finally freed up the $1 billion funding to Ukraine that had been originally slated for November 2014 during a call with Poroshenko. This unexplained delay in funding is important because the Obama White House had been deeply involved in the funding of Ukraine from the very start. It seems totally implausible that Biden could simply delay $1 billion in funding that had been approved by Obama’s White House six months earlier without Obama’s sign off. On May 27, 2016, there was another call between Biden and Poroshenko (Hunter was inexplicably cc'd on the scheduling email). Three days later , on May 30, 2016, Lutsenko fired Sevruk. There was now an entirely new team at the prosecutor's office. Not so coincidentally, it was on this same day that groundwork for attacks on the Trump campaign really began. Fusion GPS’s Nellie Ohr, wife of DOJ official Bruce Ohr, sent an email to Bruce and three other DOJ officials disclosing the existence of the Ukraine Black Box that was later used to target Paul Manafort. No one outside of Ukraine knew of the Black Box - or Black Ledger as it was later known. Once Biden had finally sorted out the prosecutor situation in Ukraine, he needed to make sure his actions stayed hidden from public inquiry. All the more so because any serious investigation might ultimately shift towards Obama. Which made the ascending Trump Campaign a clear and present threat to Obama. Obama and Biden couldn't afford to have Trump poking around Ukraine as the new president. This helps to explain the sudden targeting of the Trump campaign in late spring 2016—just as Biden put the finishing touches on Shokin’s firing. This also explains the explosion of attacks on Trump once he became president. As we moved further into Trump’s presidency, it also explains the ferocious response from the DNC when Trump started to ask questions regarding Biden’s actions in Ukraine. If Trump was allowed to continue, he would have discovered all of the Biden misdeeds, Obama’s knowledge of everything, and perhaps other misdeeds from the others among the larger DC Establishment as well. Everything circles back to Ukraine. And Obama.7 tips to prepare for next year’s taxes now

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