Biden's Hunter pardon riles Democrats who defended US justice systemWith Wall Street focused on the impact of July's global IT outage on subscription growth, ( ) on Tuesday delivered third-quarter earnings and revenue that topped estimates. CrowdStrike stock dipped as a key financial metric met views. The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based cybersecurity firm reported October-ended quarterly earnings after the market close. CrowdStrike Earnings Top Estimates CrowdStrike earnings climbed 13% to 93 cents a share on an adjusted basis. Revenue, including acquisitions, rose 29% to $1.01 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet had predicted earnings of 81 cents a share, down 1%, on revenue of $983 million. With CrowdStrike, Wall Street analysts focus on annual recurring revenue, or ARR. It's a key financial metric tied to subscription services growth. Amid the , caused by a defective software update, analysts expected lower growth for "net new" ARR because of delays in signing contracts and expectations that many customers will seek price discounts when renewing contracts to help cover the cost of business disruptions. CrowdStrike Stock: Key Metric In-Line In Q3, total ARR increased 27% to $4.02 billion. Analysts had predicted total ARR of $4.01 billion. On the , CrowdStrike stock fell more than 2% to 354.24 in extended trading. Heading into the CrowdStrike earnings report, shares were up 42% in 2024, down from a 56% gain on July 9, before the IT outage. Further, CrowdStrike competes with ( ), ( ), ( ) and others in the "endpoint" market. Endpoint security tools detect malware on laptops, mobile phones and other devices that access corporate networks. Also, CrowdStrike is building a broad, threat-detection cybersecurity platform called XDR, or extended detection and response. It monitors endpoints as well as web/email gateways, web application firewalls and cloud business workloads. Palo Alto and CrowdStrike are building out . Also, CRWD stock is among .As threatens , Premier has launched a multimillion-dollar American ad blitz touting Ontario’s importance to the U.S. economy. “For generations, this ally to the north has been by your side: Ontario, Canada, a partner connected by shared history, shared values and a shared vision for what we can achieve together,” intones the narrator. Against gauzy footage of the Gordie Howe International Bridge being completed between Windsor and Detroit, points out “Ontario is your third-largest trading partner and the number-one export destination for 17 states.” “Our long-standing economic partnership keeps millions of Americans working in a changing world,” continues the ad that also shows Toronto’s CN Tower, the Peace Tower in Ottawa, the Washington monument, Wall Street, Chicago’s skyline, the Thousand Islands and the Ambassador Bridge, among other landmarks. “Stable and secure when the world around us isn’t, you can rely on Ontario for energy to power your growing economy, and for the critical minerals crucial to new technologies,” it says. “It’s time to bring jobs back home and build together — more workers, more trade, more prosperity, more security. For generations, this ally to the north has been here — and for generations more we’ll still be here, right by your side.” Released Monday, the ad, which makes no mention of tariffs, will run throughout the U.S. over Christmas and into the new year ahead of Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. It is aimed at policymakers — and at the president-elect, an avid TV watcher — as well as Americans who may not be aware of Ontario’s role as a major trading partner. “The campaign will launch by running where we know our audience is: during Fox News primetime, NFL football games and at Washington airports over the holidays,” Ford’s office said in a statement Monday. “In the new year, the campaign will expand to include enhanced visibility in Washington through transit shelters and billboards, as well as across target states via digital channels and prime placement for Super Bowl streaming on the Fox Sports app,” his office said. Sources, speaking confidentially in order to discuss internal deliberations, said Ford and his advisers had been gearing up for the advertising campaign long before Trump’s Nov. 5 victory over Vice-President Kamala Harris. “It takes many months to plan and develop an ad campaign this size,” said a senior official, suggesting the provincial government may have been more prepared than Ottawa for a second Trump presidency. Speaking to Newstalk 1010’s Deb Hutton on Monday, Ford emphasized the ad is designed to remind Americans that “working together” is good for both countries. “Will we get hurt if he puts a 25 per cent tariff — 100 per cent it’s going to hurt us,” the premier told Hutton. “Is it going to hurt the U.S. — 1,000 per cent it’s going to hurt the U.S.,” he said. In an interview with Vassy Kapelos that aired Sunday on CTV Question Period, Ford stressed a ” ” approach is vital and that he is backing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc in their push to convince Trump not to slap levies on Canadian goods going into the U.S. “Strength comes from unity. We have to stand as Team Canada. We have to put our political stripes aside and do what’s best for everyone in the country,” the premier told Kapelos. On Friday, dined with the president-elect at his Mar-a-Lago compound in Florida. They flew there after the president-elect’s Nov. 25 social media posting that he would impose 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican products unless America’s neighbours tightened their borders to stem the tide of illegal migrants and fentanyl. Trump’s gambit has led to crisis talks in Ottawa and Mexico City and jolted markets. Ford, chair of the Council of the Federation of premiers, said the provinces and territories are backing the federal government’s plan to bolster RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency in response to the incoming president’s call.188 x2 。

Harry Kane sets incredible Bundesliga record after bagging another hat-trick for Bayern Munich

GTA 6 Moon Theory Debunked, New Trailer a No-Show - IGN Daily Fix In today's Daily Fix:Leave it to Grand Theft Auto fans to come up with the craziest theories. The popular "moon theory" was recently debunked, however, as no new GTA 6 trailer has dropped. The theory suggests that Rockstar Games has been leaving hints as to when new trailers will drop via lunar clues in screenshots. One image released last year featured the moon in a particular lunar phase, and (likely coincidentally) the GTA 6 trailer dropped the day the real life moon was in the same phase. Didn't work this time, however. In other news, Black Ops 6 was a huge seller...on PlayStation. PS5 sales made up a whopping 82% of the game's sales, but it did move the needle on Game Pass subscriptions on Xbox and PC. And finally, Black Myth: Wukong developer Game Science is teasing something for the end of the year.Advertisement 2 This advertisement has not loaded yet. Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Advertisement 3 This advertisement has not loaded yet. Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Advertisement 4 This advertisement has not loaded yet.

Brett Vance, Test Pilot and Host of 'Jet Jockeys,' Takes on Current Leadership Challenges and Lessons From the FieldWASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Christopher Wray told bureau workers Wednesday that he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden's term in January, an announcement that came a week and a half after President-elect Donald Trump said he would nominate loyalist Kash Patel for the job. Wray said at a town hall meeting that he would be stepping down “after weeks of careful thought,” roughly three years short of the completion of a 10-year term during which he tried to keep the FBI out of politics even as the bureau found itself entangled in a string of explosive investigations, including two that led to separate indictments of Trump last year as well as inquiries into Biden and his son. “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day,” Wray told agency employees. “In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” The intended resignation was not unexpected considering that Trump had settled on Patel to be director and had repeatedly aired his ire at Wray, whom he appointed during his first term. But his departure is nonetheless a reflection of how Trump's norm-breaking style has reshaped Washington, with the president-elect yet again flouting tradition by moving to replace an FBI director well before his term was up and Wray resigning to avert a collision with the incoming administration. “It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — this is not easy for me," Wray said. “I love this place, I love our mission, and I love our people — but my focus is, and always has been, on us and doing what’s right for the FBI.” Wray received a standing ovation following his remarks before a standing-room-only crowd at FBI headquarters and some in the audience cried, according to an FBI official who was not authorized to discuss the private gathering by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. Trump applauded the news on social media, calling it “a great day for America as it will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice" and saying that Patel's confirmation will begin “the process of Making the FBI Great Again.” If confirmed by the Senate, Patel would herald a radical leadership transformation at the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency. He has advocated shutting down the FBI's Washington headquarters and called for ridding the federal government of “conspirators," raising alarms that he might seek to wield the FBI's significant investigative powers as an instrument of retribution against Trump's perceived enemies. Patel said in a statement Wednesday that he was looking forward to "a smooth transition. I will be ready to serve the American people on day one.” It's extremely rare for FBI directors to be ousted from their jobs before the completion of their 10-year terms, a length meant to insulate the agency from the political influence of changing administrations. But Trump has done it twice, placing Wray in the job in 2017 after firing Director James Comey amid an investigation into ties between Russia and the Republican president’s campaign. Despite having appointed Wray, Trump had telegraphed his anger with the FBI director on multiple occasions throughout the years, including as recently as the past week. In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, Trump said, “I can’t say I’m thrilled with him. He invaded my home,” a reference to the FBI search of his Florida property , Mar-a-Lago, two years ago for classified documents from Trump’s first term as president. That search, and the recovery of boxes of sensitive government records, paved the way for one of two federal indictments against Trump. The case, and another one charging him with plotting to overturn the 2020 election, have both been dismissed by the Justice Department special counsel that brought them in light of Trump's November victory. Attorney General Merrick Garland praised Wray for having “served our country honorably and with integrity for decades.” He said: “Under Director Wray’s principled leadership, the FBI has worked to fulfill the Justice Department’s mission to keep our country safe, protect civil rights, and uphold the rule of law.” Natalie Bara, the president of the FBI Agents Association, said in a statement that Wray had led the FBI “through challenging times with a steady focus on doing the work that keeps our country safe. ” Throughout his seven years on the job, the self-professed "low-key, understated" Wray brought a workmanlike approach to the job, repeatedly preaching a “keep calm and tackle hard” mantra to bureau personnel despite a steady drumbeat of attacks from Trump and his supporters. He also sought to avoid public conflict when possible with the Trump White House, distancing himself and his leadership team from the FBI's Russia investigation over errors that took place before he took office and announcing dozens of corrective actions meant to prevent the recurrence of the surveillance abuses that plagued the inquiry. But there were other instances when he memorably broke from Trump — he did not agree, for instance, with Trump’s characterization of the Russia investigation as a “witch hunt." He made known his displeasure when the White House blessed the declassification of materials related to the surveillance of a former Trump campaign aide and contradicted a Trump talking point by stating that Ukraine had not interfered in the 2016 election. He repeatedly sought to keep the focus on the FBI's day-to-day work, using the bulk of his resignation announcement to praise the bureau's efforts in countering everything from violent crime and cyberattacks to Chinese espionage and terrorism. Yet as he leaves office at a time of heightened threats , much of the public focus has been on the politically sensitive investigations of his tenure. Besides the inquiries into Trump, the FBI in recent years also investigated Biden's handling of classified information as well as Biden's son Hunter for tax and gun violations. Hunter Biden was pardoned by his father last week. A particular flashpoint came in August 2022, when FBI agents searched Mar-a-Lago — an action officials defended as necessary given the boxes of documents that were being concealed at the Palm Beach property and the evidence of obstruction that the Justice Department said had been gathered. Trump railed against the FBI over that search and has kept up his criticism ever since. Trump was angered by Wray's comment at a congressional hearing that there was “some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel” that struck Trump's ear during an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in July. The FBI later stated unequivocally that it was indeed a bullet. Before being named FBI director, Wray worked at a prestigious law firm, King & Spalding, where he represented former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during the “Bridgegate” scandal. He also led the Justice Department’s criminal division for a period during President George W. Bush’s administration. Eric Tucker, The Associated Press

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Wilmington, Del., Dec. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Participating in a tradition that has evolved since 1792, today, employees from Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) gathered on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange as Guillermo Novo, chair and chief executive officer, Ashland, joined by company executives, rang the trading day’s opening bell . The event signifies a decade of evolution, resilience and sustainable solutions for the additives and specialty ingredients company and recognizes its 100-year anniversary. “I want to thank our employees for their dedication, our customers for their trust and our shareholders for their support over the years which continues to be the foundation of our success,” said Guillermo Novo, chair and chief executive officer, Ashland. From its origin of gavel banging to the modern workday bell ringing , the ritual marks the start and end of trading through the years and has come to celebrate economic growth and progress. One year ago, Ashland introduced seven new technology platforms aligned to the company’s pharmaceutical, personal care and specialty additives core, that extend to secondary markets with new and differentiated capabilities to unlock organic growth for Ashland and its customers worldwide. The platform solutions bring “new to the world” sustainable innovations, offering tunable choices to customers to enable the reshaping of their product portfolios, answering global megatrends, and responding to various regulatory landscapes. “As the stock market has demonstrated resilience through devastating lows and exuberant highs over time, Ashland has consistently transformed itself ahead of market trends from an oil and refining company to a matrixed chemical company, and from a broad chemicals and materials provider to the focused additives and specialty ingredients company we are today; integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) in our operating plans to responsibly solve for a better world,” said Novo. strategy update event Ashland is hosting a strategy update event for analysts and investors on December 10, 2024, in New York City. The company will provide an in-depth review of Ashland’s strategic priorities, key initiatives and financial objectives while emphasizing a proactive approach to market uncertainty in fiscal year 2025. The event includes presentations and prepared remarks from members of Ashland’s executive team, as well as breakout sessions for in-person attendees and an opportunity for both live and webcast attendees to ask questions during moderated Q&A sessions. “This was a year marked by recovery from prolonged inventory destocking in the materials sector, yet Ashland was able to deliver strategic progress, margin expansion, high-quality free cash flow, and disciplined execution across our global portfolio,” continued Novo. “Despite a complex operating environment, we demonstrated our ability to drive value through portfolio optimization, commercial excellence, and focused growth in our core markets. As we execute our strategy, we remain focused on delivering sustainable, profitable growth and long-term shareholder value. I look forward to providing more context during our upcoming event,” concluded Novo. To participate in Ashland’s strategy update event, interested participants must register for the event and have the option to attend via live webcast or in person. Presentations are expected to begin at 9:00 a.m. ET and conclude following Q&A sessions at 11:00 a.m. ET. After Q&A, in-person attendees will have the opportunity to discuss key initiatives with business line leaders and scientists in breakout sessions until 12:00 p.m ET. To register, participants should use the following link: registration page . Registration information and further event details will be posted on Ashland’s investor website at http://investor.ashland.com . A webcast of the event will be available live and can be accessed, along with supporting materials, through the Ashland website. A replay will be available within 24 hours of the live event and will be archived, along with supporting materials, on Ashland’s website for 12 months. Copies of the presentation may also be requested by sending an email to investor_relations@ashland.com About Ashland Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) is a global additives and specialty ingredients company with a conscious and proactive mindset for environmental, social and governance (ESG). The company serves customers in a wide range of consumer and industrial markets, including architectural coatings, construction, energy, food and beverage, personal care and pharmaceutical. Approximately 3,200 passionate, tenacious solvers thrive on developing practical, innovative and elegant solutions to complex problems for customers in more than 100 countries. Visit ashland.com and ashland.com/ESG to learn more. TM Trademark, Ashland or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Attachments Press_Release_ASH_100_Yr_Bell_Ringing_20241209 100 yr anniversary lockup for PR Dec 2024

BOSTON -- A Massachusetts judge dismissed criminal charges Monday against a backer of Karen Read who admitted placing dozens of yellow rubber ducks and fake $100 bills around town in support of Read. Richard Schiffer Jr. had argued in Stoughton District Court that he had a First Amendment right to support the defense theory that Read — accused of ramming into her boyfriend John O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving the Boston police officer to die in a snowstorm — has been framed in the polarizing murder case. Schiffer's attorney Timothy Bradl said Monday that the judge made the right call by quickly tossing the felony witness intimidation and criminal harassment charges against Schiffer. The ruling comes as another judge decided Monday to push back Read's retrial to April after a mistrial was declared in July when jurors couldn’t reach an agreement. Read was facing second-degree murder charges and two other charges. Her attorneys have argued that other law enforcement officers were responsible for O’Keefe’s death. Regarding Schiffer's charges, Bradl said, “There wasn't a leg to stand on.” “Hats off to the judge. He didn’t make everyone wait and ruled from the bench. Everything was completely protected by the First Amendment. This was political speech," Bradl said. The Norfolk District Attorney’s office declined to comment. Schiffer has said he got the ducks idea after thinking about a defense lawyer’s closing argument that Read was framed . Alan Jackson told jurors that “if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s a duck.” Schiffer's actions did not rise to the level of witness intimidation and criminal harassment "nor does his speech, or in this case his written word on fake currency and use of rubber toys, which are afforded the protections of the First Amendment," Judge Brian Walsh wrote. “It is the view of this Court that the defendant's conduct and speech, though a rather sophomoric expression of his opinion, is nonetheless protected speech,” he wrote. Walsh concluded the two-page ruling with quotes from Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley, believed to have coined the “walks like a duck” phrase, and Robert McCloskey, author of the children's book “Make Way For Ducklings.” The defense alleged that O’Keefe was actually killed inside the home of his fellow Boston officer Brian Albert and then dragged outside. They argued that investigators focused on Read because she was a “convenient outsider” who saved them from having to consider law enforcement officers as suspects. Schiffer has been among the dozens of Read supporters who accuse state and local law enforcement of a widespread cover-up. Their demonstrations have led to confrontations, especially in the town of Canton where the murder happened, between those who support Read and others who believe she is guilty. Schiffer, who owns Canton Fence and has said that he knows practically everyone in town through his contracting work, was accused of placing some of the ducks outside a pizza shop run by Brian Albert’s brother, Canton Selectman Chris Albert. Other ducks appeared in O’Keefe’s neighborhood.

Jimmy Carter, 39th U.S. president, Nobel winner, dies at 100