sabong cockfighting Nissan and Honda to attempt a merger that would create the world's No. 3 automakerThe incoming chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is sending a stern message to the owners of television stations and networks. And he is using ABC’s recent settlement with President-elect Donald Trump as a news peg of sorts. Brendan Carr, a Trump-appointed commissioner who will become chairman next month, wrote to Disney CEO Bob Iger over the weekend about the Disney-owned ABC network’s negotiations with its affiliated stations across the United States. Carr used that narrow issue to advance some broad points about the state of the industry and to signal that he intends to wield a heavy hand in the top FCC role — taking a very different approach than his predecessors. The letter, which was obtained by CNN, begins, “Dear Mr. Iger, Americans no longer trust the national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly.” Carr cites polling data and says, “ABC’s own conduct has certainly contributed to this erosion in public trust. For instance, ABC News recently agreed to pay $15 million to President Trump’s future presidential foundation and museum and an additional $1 million in attorney fees to settle a defamation case.” Carr then delineates between national networks and local stations (which are licensed by the FCC), saying, “Americans largely hold positive views of their local media outlets.” He indicates support for more local programming — hardly a controversial idea. But his emphasis on the national media’s trust deficit — and his choice to write to Iger — shows that Carr, a commissioner since 2017, has different priorities than Republican and Democratic chairs in the past. Instead of, say, the digital divide, Carr has highlighted Republican allegations of Big Tech censorship. And now he has advanced Trump’s criticism of ABC — albeit in a much more polite way. He seems happy to accept criticism for using his FCC position and X profile as a bully pulpit. Disney may respectfully shrug off the commissioner’s letter, but he cites multiple areas where the media giant is subject to FCC regulation, including station licensing. Television station license renewals are pro forma — licenses are rarely contested and essentially never denied — but during the presidential campaign Trump said he wanted ABC and other broadcasters to lose their licenses . The FCC also oversees a process called retransmission consent, whereby cable distributors pay local stations for the right to retransmit their signals. When Disney-owned channels disappeared from DirecTV lineups for two weeks in September, retransmission consent was a key part of the dispute. Most stations with ABC shows aren’t actually owned by the network; they are owned by other companies that strike affiliation agreements with ABC. “The approach that ABC is apparently taking in these negotiations concerns me,” Carr says in the letter to Iger. “My understanding is that ABC is attempting to extract onerous financial and operational concessions from local broadcast TV stations under the threat of terminating long-held affiliations, which could result in blackouts and other harms to local consumers of broadcast news and content.” He also raises a concern about Disney prioritizing its global streaming services at the expense of local and freely accessible stations. Similar criticisms could theoretically be lodged against other major media companies. “The fact that a massive trust divide has emerged between local news outlets and national programmers like ABC only increases the importance of retransmission consent revenues remaining available for local broadcast TV stations to invest in their local news operations and content that serves their communities,” Carr writes. In effect, he is positioning himself as a friend to local media — and an antagonist to corporate owners. An ABC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Carr concludes the letter stating that he will be “monitoring the outcome” of the ABC negotiations “to ensure that those negotiations enable local broadcast TV stations to meet their federal obligations and serve the needs of their local communities.” The FCC has historically had little ability to shape the programming and conduct of American media companies — but Carr seems ready to try.TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — A U.S. senator has called for mysterious drones spotted flying at night over sensitive areas in New Jersey and other parts of the Mid-Atlantic region to be “shot down, if necessary,” even as it remains unclear who owns the unmanned aircraft. “We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over airports or military bases,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said Thursday, as concerns about the drones spread across Capitol Hill. People in the New York region are also concerned that the drones may be sharing airspace with commercial airlines, he said, demanding more transparency from the Biden administration. The White House said Thursday that a review of the reported sightings shows that many of them are actually manned aircraft being flown lawfully. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said there were no reported sightings in any restricted airspace. He said the U.S. Coast Guard has not uncovered any foreign involvement from coastal vessels. “We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus,” Kirby said, echoing statements from the Pentagon and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh has said they are not U.S. military drones. In a joint statement issued Thursday afternoon, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said they and their federal partners, in close coordination with the New Jersey State Police, “continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.” The agencies said they have not corroborated any of the reported sightings with electronic detection, and that reviews of available images appear to show many of the reported drones are actually manned aircraft. “There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space,” according to the statement. The drones appear to avoid detection by traditional methods such as helicopter and radio, according to a state lawmaker briefed Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security. The number of sightings has increased in recent days, though officials say many of the objects seen may have been planes rather than drones. It’s also possible that a single drone has been reported more than once. The worry stems partly from the flying objects initially being spotted near the Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster. In a post on the social media platform X, Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia described the drones as up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) in diameter and sometimes traveling with their lights switched off. Drones are legal in New Jersey for recreational and commercial use but are subject to local and Federal Aviation Administration regulations and flight restrictions. Operators must be FAA certified. Most, but not all, of the drones spotted in New Jersey appeared to be larger than those typically used by hobbyists. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said he was frustrated by the lack of transparency, saying it could help spread fear and misinformation. “We should know what’s going on over our skies,” he said Thursday. John Duesler, president of the Pennsylvania Drone Association, said witnesses may be confused about what they are seeing, especially in the dark, and noted it’s hard to know the size of the drones or how close they might be. “There are certainly big drones, such as agricultural drones, but typically they are not the type you see flying around in urban or suburban spaces,” Duesler said Thursday. Duesler said the drones — and those flying them — likely cannot evade detection. “They will leave a radio frequency footprint, they all leave a signature," he said. "We will find out what kind of drones they were, who was flying them and where they were flying them.” Fantasia, a Morris County Republican, was among several lawmakers who met with state police and Homeland Security officials to discuss the sightings from the New York City area across New Jersey and westward into parts of Pennsylvania, including over Philadelphia. It is unknown at this time whether the sightings are related. Duesler said the public wants to know what's going on. “I hope (the government agencies) will come out with more information about this to ease our fears. But this could just be the acts of rogue drone operators, it’s not an ‘invasion’ as some reports have called it,” Duesler said. “I am concerned about this it but not alarmed by it.” Associated Press reporters Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and reporter Darlene Superville and videojournalists Serkan Gurbuz and Nathan Ellgren in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

Assassin's Creed Shadows' Canon Mode Can Make Story Decisions For You - IGN Daily FixFrançois Bayrou, the new French prime minister, called in heavyweights from President Macron’s centrist camp for his cabinet as he sought to end the country’s political crisis on Monday. But critics said his government would be weak, dependent upon Marine Le Pen’s hard-right National Rally and unable to restore stability to a nation facing political chaos on a scale unknown for six decades. Bayrou, 73, had initially wanted to put clear water between himself and the unpopular president. Instead, he seems to have placed himself in the same boat as Macron, prompting commentators to speculate that the new prime minister would prove as ephemeral as the last one. Michel Barnier, also 73, was forced out after just three months when he lost a confidence vote in parliament .

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ISSAQUAH, Wash., Dec. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: COST) today reported net sales of $21.87 billion for the retail month of November, the four weeks ended December 1, 2024, an increase of 5.6 percent from $20.71 billion last year. For the twelve-week first quarter ended November 24, 2024, the Company reported net sales of $60.99 billion, an increase of 7.5 percent from $56.72 billion last year. Net sales for the first thirteen weeks were $66.52 billion, an increase of 7.2 percent from $62.04 billion last year. Comparable sales were as follows: Comparable sales excluding the impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange were as follows: E-commerce sales in November were negatively impacted by an estimated 15 percentage points, due to Thanksgiving / Black Friday / Cyber Monday occurring a week later this year versus last year. Total and comparable sales were negatively impacted by approximately one and one-half percent as a result of the shift in E-commerce sales. Additional discussion of these results is available in a pre-recorded message. It can be accessed by visiting investor.costco.com (click on “Events & Presentations”). This message will be available through 4:00 p.m. (PT) on Wednesday, December 11, 2024. Costco currently operates 897 warehouses, including 617 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 109 in Canada, 41 in Mexico, 36 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 19 in Korea, 15 in Australia, 14 in Taiwan, seven in China, five in Spain, two in France, and one each in Iceland, New Zealand and Sweden. Costco also operates e-commerce sites in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Australia. Certain statements contained in this document and the pre-recorded message constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For these purposes, forward-looking statements are statements that address activities, events, conditions or developments that the Company expects or anticipates may occur in the future. In some cases forward-looking statements can be identified because they contain words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events, results or performance to differ materially from those indicated by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, domestic and international economic conditions, including exchange rates, inflation or deflation, the effects of competition and regulation, uncertainties in the financial markets, consumer and small business spending patterns and debt levels, breaches of security or privacy of member or business information, conditions affecting the acquisition, development, ownership or use of real estate, capital spending, actions of vendors, rising costs associated with employees (generally including health-care costs and wages), workforce interruptions, energy and certain commodities, geopolitical conditions (including tariffs), the ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, regulatory and other impacts related to environmental and social matters, public-health related factors, and other risks identified from time to time in the Company’s public statements and reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company does not undertake to update these statements, except as required by law. Comparable sales and comparable sales excluding impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange are intended as supplemental information and are not a substitute for net sales presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. COST-SalesLONDON & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 23, 2024-- Vertical Aerospace Ltd. (“Vertical” or the “Company”) (NYSE: EVTL; EVTLW), a global aerospace and technology company that is pioneering electric aviation, has entered into definitive documents and received shareholder approval for a transaction that includes up to $50 million in new committed funding. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241223436920/en/ Vertical Aerospace's VX4 prototype, which is currently under going piloted flight tests at its Flight Test Centre. (Photo: Business Wire) Today’s announcement marks the significant advancement of the agreement in principle, announced in November , aimed at strengthening Vertical’s balance sheet by approximately $180 million and accelerating the Company’s Flightpath 2030 strategy . Stuart Simpson, CEO at Vertical, said: “Ending this momentous year with a finalised funding commitment and strong shareholder backing is a tremendous milestone. This moment sets us up perfectly for our biggest year yet - with new investment, piloted testing progress and major technological developments all on the cards." Jason Mudrick, Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Mudrick Capital Management, said: “Vertical is revolutionizing how the world moves, and we are proud to play a pivotal role in positioning the company for success. We look forward to continuing to partner with Vertical’s exceptional team and contributing capital market and other expertise in helping to bring their groundbreaking product offering to reality.” Today’s announcement includes: Notes to Editors About Vertical Aerospace Vertical Aerospace is a global aerospace and technology company pioneering electric aviation. Vertical is creating a safer, cleaner and quieter way to travel. Vertical’s VX4 is a piloted, four passenger, Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with zero operating emissions. Vertical combines partnering with leading aerospace companies, including GKN Aerospace, Honeywell and Leonardo, with developing its own proprietary battery and propeller technology to develop the world’s most advanced and safest eVTOL. Vertical has c.1,500 pre-orders of the VX4, with customers across four continents, including American Airlines, Japan Airlines, GOL and Bristow. Headquartered in Bristol, the epicentre of the UK’s aerospace industry, Vertical was founded in 2016 by Stephen Fitzpatrick, founder of the OVO Group, Europe’s largest independent energy retailer. Vertical’s experienced leadership team comes from top tier automotive and aerospace companies such as Rolls-Royce, Airbus, GM and Leonardo. Together they have previously certified and supported over 30 different civil and military aircraft and propulsion systems. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that relate to our current expectations and views of future events. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Any express or implied statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding completion of the committed funding from Mudrick Capital and use of proceeds therefrom, the sufficiency of the proceeds from the committed funding to meet the Company’s more immediate capital expenditure requirements, the Company’s satisfaction of all closing conditions to the committed funding, our ability and plans to raise additional capital to fund our operations, statements regarding the design and manufacture of the VX4, our future results of operations and financial position and expected financial performance and operational performance, liquidity, growth and profitability strategies, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, including the building and testing of our prototype aircrafts on timelines projected, selection of suppliers, certification and the commercialization of the VX4 and our ability to achieve regulatory certification of our aircraft product on any particular timeline or at all, our plans to mitigate the risk that we are unable to continue as a going concern, our plans for capital expenditures, the expectations surrounding pre-orders and commitments, the features and capabilities of the VX4, the transition towards a net-zero emissions economy, as well as statements that include the words “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “project,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “may,” “should,” “anticipate,” “will,” “aim,” “potential,” “continue,” “are likely to” and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature. Forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, including, without limitation: our limited operating history without manufactured non-prototype aircraft or completed eVTOL aircraft customer order; our potential inability to raise additional funds when we need or want them, or at all, to fund our operations; our limited cash and cash equivalents and recurring losses from our operations raise significant doubt (or raise substantial doubt as contemplated by PCAOB standards) regarding our ability to continue as a going concern; our potential inability to produce or launch aircraft in the volumes or timelines projected; the potential inability to obtain the necessary certifications for production and operation within any projected timeline, or at all; the inability for our aircraft to perform at the level we expect and may have potential defects; our history of losses and the expectation to incur significant expenses and continuing losses for the foreseeable future; the market for eVTOL aircraft being in a relatively early stage; any accidents or incidents involving eVTOL aircraft could harm our business; our dependence on partners and suppliers for the components in our aircraft and for operational needs; the potential that certain strategic partnerships may not materialize into long-term partnership arrangements; all of the pre-orders received are conditional and may be terminated at any time and any predelivery payments may be fully refundable upon certain specified dates; any circumstances; any potential failure to effectively manage our growth; our inability to recruit and retain senior management and other highly skilled personnel; we have previously identified material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting which if we fail to properly remediate, could adversely affect our results of operations, investor confidence in us and the market price of our ordinary shares; as a foreign private issuer we follow certain home country corporate governance rules, are not subject to U.S. proxy rules and are subject to Exchange Act reporting obligations that, to some extent, are more lenient and less frequent than those of a U.S. domestic public company; and the other important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 14, 2024, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and accordingly undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. We disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than to the extent required by applicable law. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241223436920/en/ CONTACT: Justin Bates, Head of Communications justin.bates@vertical-aerospace.com +44 7878 357 463 Samuel Emden, Head of Investor Affairs samuel.emden@vertical-aerospace.com +44 7816 459 904 KEYWORD: NEW YORK EUROPE UNITED STATES UNITED KINGDOM NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ENGINEERING AIR TRANSPORT MANUFACTURING SOURCE: Vertical Aerospace Ltd. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/23/2024 04:37 PM/DISC: 12/23/2024 04:37 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241223436920/en

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Iowa attorney general warns of sweepstakes scams after helping couple save $16,000Valerie Bertinelli says she ‘doesn’t care’ what people think of her body after posting underwear selfieWASHINGTON (AP) — After several weeks working mostly behind closed doors, Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to Capitol Hill this week in a new, more visible role: Helping Donald Trump try to get his most contentious Cabinet picks to confirmation in the Senate, where Vance has served for the last two years. Vance arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday with former Rep. Matt Gaetz and spent the morning sitting in on meetings between Trump’s choice for attorney general and key Republicans, including members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The effort was for naught: Gaetz announced a day later that he was withdrawing his name amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations and the reality that he was unlikely to be confirmed. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

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