For the second straight Major League Baseball offseason, a norm-shattering contract has been the talk of the winter , with Juan Soto agreeing with the New York Mets on a $765 million, 15-year deal that's the richest in baseball history. It comes almost exactly one year after the Los Angeles Dodgers forked out a princely sum of $700 million on a 10-year, heavily deferred deal for two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. They are believed to be the two richest contracts in pro sports history. The way it's going, a contract approaching $1 billion doesn't seem out of the question. But several factors are working against it — at least in the near future. There's reason to believe the megadeals for Ohtani and Soto are unicorns in the baseball world. Both players are uniquely talented, surely, but both also had unusual circumstances propelling their value into the stratosphere. Ohtani is the greatest two-way player in baseball history, capable of improving any team on both sides of the ball. He's also the rare baseball player who has true international appeal . His every move ( like his unexpected marriage announcement ) is followed closely in his native Japan, adding another 125 million potential fans who buy merchandise, watch him play and help fill the Dodgers' coffers. Then there's Soto — a four-time All-Star and on-base machine who won a World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. The X-factor for him is he became a free agent at the prime age of 26, which is extremely hard to do under current MLB rules. Players have to be in the big leagues for six years before testing free agency. The precocious Soto debuted at 19 with the Nats, making him part of a rare group of players who reached the highest level of professional baseball as a teenager. That accelerated his free agency timeline. It's rare for players to debut that young, and rarer still for them to develop into stars and test the open market the first chance they get. Two recent examples are Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, who both reached free agency in 2019. Machado signed a free-agent record $300 million contract with San Diego, and Harper overtook him days later with a $330 million contract to join the Phillies. Most players debut in the big leagues from ages 22 to 26, which means free agency comes in their late 20s or early 30s. A typical example is Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is one of this generation's great players but didn't hit the market until he was 30. Judge played three seasons of college baseball for Fresno State before getting drafted by the Yankees in 2013 at age 21 — already two years older than Soto was when he made his MLB debut. It took a few years for the budding superstar to reach the majors, and he was 25 when he had his breakout season in 2018, smashing 52 homers to earn AL Rookie of the Year honors. By the time he reached free agency after the 2022 season, he had already passed age 30. It's a major factor that led to him signing a $360 million, nine-year deal with the Yankees, which seems downright reasonable these days after the Ohtani and Soto deals. Two major trends are colliding that will make it harder for guys like Soto to hit free agency in their mid 20s. First, MLB teams have been more likely in recent years to take college players early in the draft, betting on more experienced talents. Just 10 high school players were drafted among the top 30 picks in the 2024 draft . Second, teams are more eager to lock up young, premium talent on long-term deals very early in their careers, well before they hit free agency. Sometimes before they even reach the majors. Since Soto, just two players have debuted in MLB before their 20th birthday — Elvis Luciano and Junior Caminero. Luciano hasn't been back to the majors since his 2019 cup of coffee. Caminero is now 21 and has only played in 50 big league games. Among those that debuted at 20: Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a $340 million, 14-year deal with San Diego in 2021, years before reaching the open market. Milwaukee's Jackson Chourio got an $82 million, eight-year deal before even reaching the big leagues. Young stars Corbin Carroll ($111 million, eight years with Arizona), Bobby Witt Jr. ($288 million, 11 years with Kansas City) and Julio Rodriguez ($209.3 million, 12 years with Seattle) also got massive guarantees early in their 20s to forgo an early free agency. The exception and wild card: Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be a 26-year-old free agent next offseason. Guerrero hasn't been as consistent in his young career as Soto, but a standout 2025 season could position him to threaten Soto's deal. More likely is that the player to pass Soto isn't in the majors yet — and might not even be in pro baseball. When 25-year-old Alex Rodriguez signed his record $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas in 2001, it took over a decade for another player to match that total, when Albert Pujols got $240 million over 10 years from the Angels in 2012. For many players, passing up life-changing money in their early or mid 20s is too enticing, even if it means that they might not maximize their value on the free agent market later in their careers. Soto was determined to test the market. He famously turned down a $440 million, 15-year offer to stay with the Washington Nationals in 2022, betting that he could make even more as a free agent. Not many players would turn down that kind of cash. Then again, that's what makes Soto so unique. And it's also why his $765 million deal could be the industry standard for some time. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlbWashington Capitals (16-6-1, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. New Jersey Devils (16-8-2, in the Metropolitan Division) Newark, New Jersey; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Devils -168, Capitals +142; over/under is 6 BOTTOM LINE: The New Jersey Devils host the Washington Capitals after the Capitals knocked off the New York Islanders 5-4 in overtime. New Jersey is 16-8-2 overall with a 4-1-2 record against the Metropolitan Division. The Devils are fifth in the league with 89 total goals (averaging 3.4 per game). Washington is 16-6-1 overall with a 6-4-0 record in Metropolitan Division games. The Capitals have a 5-2-1 record in games decided by one goal. Saturday's game is the fourth time these teams square off this season. The Devils won the last meeting 3-2. TOP PERFORMERS: Jesper Bratt has 10 goals and 19 assists for the Devils. Stefan Noesen has five goals and two assists over the last 10 games. Dylan Strome has eight goals and 26 assists for the Capitals. Connor McMichael has scored five goals and added four assists over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Devils: 7-3-0, averaging 3.1 goals, five assists, four penalties and 10.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.3 goals per game. Capitals: 7-2-1, averaging 4.4 goals, 7.2 assists, 3.9 penalties and 8.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game. INJURIES: Devils: None listed. Capitals: None listed. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar . The Associated Press

Is it real? How AI is warping reality and opening up financial fraudStock market today: Rising tech stocks pull Wall Street toward another recordBy JOSH BOAK WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump loved to use tariffs on foreign goods during his first presidency. But their impact was barely noticeable in the overall economy, even if their aftershocks were clear in specific industries. The data show they never fully delivered on his promised factory jobs. Nor did they provoke the avalanche of inflation that critics feared. This time, though, his tariff threats might be different . The president-elect is talking about going much bigger — on a potential scale that creates more uncertainty about whether he’ll do what he says and what the consequences could be. “There’s going to be a lot more tariffs, I mean, he’s pretty clear,” said Michael Stumo, the CEO of Coalition for a Prosperous America, a group that has supported import taxes to help domestic manufacturing. The president-elect posted on social media Monday that on his first day in office he would impose 25% tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada until those countries satisfactorily stop illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the United States. Those tariffs could essentially blow up the North American trade pact that Trump’s team negotiated during his initial term. Chinese imports would face additional tariffs of 10% until Beijing cracks down on the production of materials used in making fentanyl, Trump posted. Business groups were quick to warn about rapidly escalating inflation , while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she would counter the move with tariffs on U.S. products. House Democrats put together legislation to strip a president’s ability to unilaterally apply tariffs this drastic, warning that they would likely lead to higher prices for autos, shoes, housing and groceries. Sheinbaum said Wednesday that her administration is already working up a list of possible retaliatory tariffs “if the situation comes to that.” “The economy department is preparing it,” Sheinbaum said. “If there are tariffs, Mexico would increase tariffs, it is a technical task about what would also benefit Mexico,” she said, suggesting her country would impose targeted import duties on U.S. goods in sensitive areas. House Democrats on Tuesday introduced a bill that would require congressional approval for a president to impose tariffs due to claims of a national emergency, a largely symbolic action given Republicans’ coming control of both the House and Senate. “This legislation would enable Congress to limit this sweeping emergency authority and put in place the necessary Congressional oversight before any president – Democrat or Republican – could indiscriminately raise costs on the American people through tariffs,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash. But for Trump, tariffs are now a tested tool that seems less politically controversial even if the mandate he received in November’s election largely involved restraining inflation. The tariffs he imposed on China in his first term were continued by President Joe Biden, a Democrat who even expanded tariffs and restrictions on the world’s second largest economy. Biden administration officials looked at removing Trump’s tariffs in order to bring down inflationary pressures, only to find they were unlikely to help significantly. Tariffs were “so new and unique that it freaked everybody out in 2017,” said Stumo, but they were ultimately somewhat modest. Trump imposed tariffs on solar panels and washing machines at the start of 2018, moves that might have pushed up prices in those sectors even though they also overlapped with plans to open washing machine plants in Tennessee and South Carolina. His administration also levied tariffs on steel and aluminum, including against allies. He then increased tariffs on China, leading to a trade conflict and a limited 2020 agreement that failed to produce the promised Chinese purchases of U.S. goods. Still, the dispute changed relations with China as more U.S. companies looked for alternative suppliers in other countries. Economic research also found the United States may have sacrificed some of its “soft power” as the Chinese population began to watch fewer American movies. The Federal Reserve kept inflation roughly on target, but factory construction spending never jumped in a way that suggested a lasting gain in manufacturing jobs. Separate economic research found the tariff war with China did nothing economically for the communities hurt by offshoring, but it did help Trump and Republicans in those communities politically. When Trump first became president in 2017, the federal government collected $34.6 billion in customs, duties and fees. That sum more than doubled under Trump to $70.8 billion in 2019, according to Office of Management and Budget records. While that sum might seem meaningful, it was relatively small compared to the overall economy. America’s gross domestic product is now $29.3 trillion, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The total tariffs collected in the United States would equal less than 0.3% of GDP. The new tariffs being floated by Trump now are dramatically larger and there could be far more significant impacts. If Mexico, Canada, and China faced the additional tariffs proposed by Trump on all goods imported to the United States, that could be roughly equal to $266 billion in tax collections, a number that does not assume any disruptions in trade or retaliatory moves by other countries. The cost of those taxes would likely be borne by U.S. families, importers and domestic and foreign companies in the form of higher prices or lower profits. Former Biden administration officials said they worried that companies could piggyback on Trump’s tariffs — if they’re imposed — as a rationale to raise their prices, just as many companies after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 boosted food and energy costs and gave several major companies the space to raise prices, according to their own earnings calls with investors. But what Trump didn’t really spell out is what might cause him to back down on tariffs and declare a victory. What he is creating instead with his tariff threats is a sense of uncertainty as companies and countries await the details to figure out what all of this could mean. “We know the key economic policy priorities of the incoming Trump administration, but we don’t know how or when they will be addressed,” said Greg Daco, chief U.S. economist at EY-Parthenon. AP writer Mark Stevenson contributed to this report from Mexico City.

WORTHINGTON — Approximately two dozen Nobles County Homeschoolers students will host a Maker’s Market from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Phileo’s in downtown Worthington. The students, which range from kindergarteners through 12th graders, have made a variety of items that they are offering for sale. ADVERTISEMENT Sally Enderson, who has two children participating in the event, said shoppers will find everything from sourdough bread and homebaked goods to bird feeders and bird baths made of wood, candles, blankets and more. “Some of them are a bit more experienced entrepreneurs and there are brand new entrepreneurs,” she said of the students. “There will be an extreme variety of things that people can use for gifts or for their house, stocking stuffers and also food items.” This is the first time the Nobles County Homeschoolers have planned a Maker’s Market. Enderson said the state of Minnesota has a Venture Upward program available to homeschool families to provide students with different opportunities for learning experiences. The online platform can be done as part of homeschooling or to supplement homeschooling education. “This year we had enough kids to actually join the program to start a Venture School, which meets on Thursdays,” Enderson said. The nationwide program incorporates different educational sessions throughout the year. In communities where there is a larger homeschool population, students come together to learn about business, becoming an entrepreneur and developing marketable products. Katie Kouba is Nobles County Homeschoolers’ point person. Thursday’s Makers Market was open to all Nobles County homeschoolers but Venture Upward provided the platform for what it should look like, Enderson said. ADVERTISEMENT She and fellow home educators taught students about creativity and coming up with their own ideas on how to be an entrepreneur. “It’s fun to see their creativity,” Enderson shared, noting that students came up with their own ideas, determined how much they should sell their creations for by considering fair pricing, how to display their goods in a booth, and more. Enderson said her 7-year-old son had an idea to recycle crayons. He peels the paper wrapping off broken crayons, breaks the crayons down further and puts them in molds. His finished product — animal shaped crayons that are ready to be reused. “He has been truly on his own,” Enderson said. “He’s even woken up early in the morning (to work on his business).” Enderson’s 13-year-old, meanwhile, is building wooden bird feeders and bird houses to sell. “There’s a wide range of creativity and it’s exciting,” she said. “We’re asking the community to come and stop by and encourage all of the hard work that these kids have done.” The Maker’s Market will be set up inside Phileo’s Coffee & Eatery, 212 10th St., Worthington, in the back room and/or upstairs. Signs will direct people on where to find the student booths. ADVERTISEMENT Enderson said each student participating will decide what to do with the money they earn on Thursday. Some may donate it, others will use it to buy Christmas gifts or to simply cover their costs involved in making the items.

The Buffalo Bills will face severe winter weather when they host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night, with up to 3 feet of snow expected to hit the Buffalo area this weekend. They'll have a key reinforcement for their on-field efforts, however, with star linebacker Matt Milano activated from injured reserve Saturday. Milano's activation comes two weeks after the Pro Bowler was designated to return, and all but confirms Buffalo's plan to play the veteran against the 49ers. Milano was a full participant at Bills practice this week, taking noticeable strides in his recovery from a torn biceps suffered in August. The 30-year-old Milano has been one of the NFL's most productive linebackers when healthy, but he also missed extensive time in 2023, when a leg fracture cost him all but five games. Third-year veteran Terrel Bernard has served as Buffalo's top linebacker in his absence. In 2022, his last healthy season, Milano logged a career-high 72 solo tackles, 11 pass breakups and three interceptions, helping the Bills advance to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. An All-Pro selection that year, he also posted a career-high 15 tackles for loss the season prior.Militarism has brought us here with lightning speed as the world now stares down the barrel of its own nuclear guns. The two Cold Warriors, NATO and Russia, after half a century of playing their expensive military games, have now snookered themselves and the world into an untenable and ultimately fatal position. A position, that if not resolved, will lead to the end of humanity. And what is clear is that none of the protagonists involved in this growing world war have the capacity within their own means to extricate themselves from this metastasizing conflict. The failed attempts at resolving this growing conflict between NATO and Russia in Ukraine, as it approaches the three years mark have floundered in ineptitude or cosmetic showmanship. No suitable party has come forward to engage the warring parties in constructive sustaining negotiations that have the capacity to resolve differences such that a durable peace might be achieved. The only individual capable of filling that role is UN Secretary-General António Guterres. By virtue of his position and the institute he represents the Secretary-General carries the stature and gravitas and impartiality to conduct a mediation between the parties. As well, personally, Guterres has had extensive and successful careers as a political leader and high-ranking diplomat. And importantly he has indicated to the world community since the outbreak of the Ukraine war his availability and willingness to play a mediating role in quelling this conflict. And this is not a job to be left for the clownish Donald Trump. Guterres’ services are essential in the face of the world’s communal inability to end this war. But rather instead the efforts of the protagonists have only proven to escalate the conflict. As Canadians we should ask that our government put forward the following resolutions to the U.N. General Assembly: That the world calls for an end to all shipments of weapons to the warring factions in the Ukraine war. That the world calls for an end to all future expenditures of weapons with public funds. Require all warring parties in the Ukraine war to meet with the UN Secretary-General and his team on a sustained and constructive basis to complete negotiations towards resolution of all conflictual issues. Without eliminating militarism and the arms industry on which it thrives, we have no chance of eliminating the causes that have brought the world community to this perilous position we find ourselves in today. Further, unless there is sustained dialogue led by an experienced and skillful diplomat this war will only continue to escalate until it reaches the unthinkable. Support rabble today! We’re so glad you stopped by! Thanks for consuming rabble content this year. rabble.ca is 100% reader and donor funded, so as an avid reader of our content, we hope you will consider gifting rabble with a donation during our summer fundraiser today. Nick Seebruch, editor Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet. Become a rabble rouser — donate to rabble.ca today. Nick Seebruch, editor Support rabble.ca

The PGA Tour is making the most sweeping changes to its eligibility in more than 40 years by eliminating 25 tour cards, along with shrinking the size of its fields. The all-exempt tour had been in place since 1983, meaning the top 125 players from the official money list — now the FedEx Cup standings — kept a full PGA Tour card the following season.Underrated Canadian Stocks to Buy Now Before They Rally

Blackburn defender Dom Hyam scored the only goal of the game in the 77th minute as he slid ahead of Neto Borges to convert Todd Cantwell’s cross from the left of the penalty area. However, replays show Hyam was clearly offside when Cantwell delivered the ball across the area, yet the goal was allowed to stand. Carrick accepts his side were not at their best after scoring 15 goals in their previous three matches, but the Boro boss was still left fuming about the failure to rule out Hyam’s strike. “We weren’t at our best, but we’ve ended up losing the game to a goal that’s not a goal,” said the Boro boss. “It was offside. There’s nothing much else to say, it’s clearly offside. It’s pretty obvious, but the less said the better probably from my point of view. “A point would have been a point really. We had a few opportunities, half-chances really. Manu (Emmanuel Latte Lath) had a header, Neto (Borges) has had a header and Ben’s (Doak) hit the post. We just couldn’t quite find that answer.” READ MORE : Boro started reasonably brightly in the opening quarter-of-an-hour, but seemed to lose their way when a series of lengthy stoppages culminated in Riley McGree being forced off with an injury. “I thought we had a bit of flow at the start of the game, and started okay, but then it was a bit stop-start and the game sort of slowed down really,” said Carrick. “We couldn’t quite find that spark. “It didn’t really suit us because we were trying to create and make something happen, but it ended up just drifting a bit. It wasn’t for the want of trying, the boys wanted to try, it just didn’t quite have that moment or that little something different we were after. “A point would have been a point and we would have moved on, but with the way the goal went in, and with us ending up losing the game, it’s pretty hard to take really.” Boro had won their three matches prior to this evening’s game, and while their winning run is now over, they remain in the play-off places ahead of Saturday’s home game with a Hull side who are managerless after the dismissal of Tim Walter earlier today. “It was going to come at some point,” said Carrick. “You couldn’t keep scoring goals at the rate we were. Some of the football we’ve been playing has been really, really good, and this won’t knock us too much. It’s one of those games that happen. It could have been a draw and should have been a draw. It is what it is.”

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Trump taps retired general for key Ukraine conflict role

Tim Walter vowed to fight on as Hull City boss after Tuesday night's dismal 2-0 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, but admits the current spell is a horror for him. Wednesday now have more wins at the MKM Stadium this season than City, having already won in the Carabao Cup, and this performance left fans calling for owner Acun Ilicali to sack the beleaguered German boss throughout a really poor display, in what became a toxic atmosphere aimed at the Tigers' head coach. A goal in each half from Josh Windass' penalty and a Michael Smith strike late on left City staring down the barrel of a fourth straight loss, and a ninth game without a victory which leaves them mired inside the bottom three. It could have been different had Regan Slater not seen a goalbound effort brilliantly saved by Michael Beadle before Xavier Simons crashed an effort off the post, but the manner of a tepid second half display saw fans again turn on the head coach. Walter, though, remained defiant about the criticism and has no intention of walking away, despite the vociferous anger aimed his way. "For me, it's no problem (the abuse)," Walter told Hull Live. "I can understand everything, but for the lads, it's a problem. They can say what they like against me, it's no problem. "But for the lads, because they are still young and they are not really experienced, it's even harder than for me." Walter admits he can understand the fans' frustrations given the worrying form, and the manner of this display. "I can understand if you don't win nine games in a row, then it's normal," when asked about the fans wanting him to be sacked. "I'm angry about me myself, you know, because I want to win games, I want to win games, and I've never had that situation. If you look at my statistics, I won more games than I lost, and now I have lost that many games. For me, it's a horror, really. "All I want to ask the fans is that they help the players, they don't have to help me, but they should help the players because that's important. It's important that we stay together and that we fight for each other. "We want to give our best for the team, the fans, and the club because we are just employees from the club. We love this club because we play and work for it. All we have to do is do everything we can to work and fight for the club." At the end of the game, Walter went to embrace his wife and two young children behind the dugouts, and in an obviously difficulty situation for them, he says they understand. "They know me, I'm just a father," he said. "I'm not the coach, I'm just the father." Did you know that you can get daily Tigers news sent straight to your device as soon as it happens through WhatsApp? It's quick and easy to join. Just click this link and select 'Join Community' to get started. Your information will be hidden, you'll only ever receive messages from the Hull Live sports team, and you can leave any time you like. For more information, click here . You can read our Privacy Notice here.None

In his book published this summer, “The War on Warriors,” Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, described being called up to active duty to guard the streets of Washington, D.C., during the Black Lives Matter protests that followed the police killing of George Floyd. He acknowledged protesters’ First Amendment rights but also seethed at “violent professional agitators” and “armies of armed and violent left-wing extremists” who he said behaved “like twenty-first century hoplites,” referring to a term for well-armed citizen soldiers in ancient Greece. In a recurring theme for the man who might soon lead history’s most powerful military, he fantasized about treating Americans like overseas combatants. “Most of us [National Guard soldiers] wanted to fight back,” Hegseth wrote. “Within ten minutes, I became one of them. As your muscles ache and your eyes fill with sweat and dust, you begin to seek closure with a sense of resolve. We could easily have pushed this line back, snatched the leaders or the loudest protesters in Antifa, and sucked them back behind the lines.” “If this engagement were to occur in Damarra or Kandahar,” Hegseth continued, “we would be home by breakfast.” Hegseth, a Princeton grad who worked as an analyst at Bear Stearns, deployed overseas three times between 2004 and 2012 — to Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan — before becoming a Fox News personality and an advocate for accused and convicted war criminals . As Trump’s pick for Pentagon chief, his nomination faces turbulence in the Senate both for his far-right beliefs and for an allegation of sexual assault made against him , which Hegseth denies, though his attorney has acknowledged a settlement agreement involving paying his accuser not to tell her story publicly. In “The War on Warriors,” Hegseth painted the military as a civilizing force for America’s young men. “Who knows what the untrained and unconstrained world would have made of these alpha males, but the military made great warriors–and now great citizens,” he wrote of two friends, “masculine football-playing studs” who served their country. But he’s also explicit that the military — and therefore America — is under attack from supposed left-wing ideologies, and that the military should fight back against the “woke” tide just as it would a foreign enemy. America, he said, is “in a cold civil war” and under attack by “a confederacy of radicals.” In the book, he dedicated considerable time railing against modern laws of war and called on the United States to rewrite them and “fight by its own rules.” Hegseth’s conception of the American left as the enemy within is the defining theme of “The War on Warriors.” On its surface, the book answers the question, “How did the military allow itself to go woke?” According to Hegseth, the existence of women in combat roles, the presence of transgender people in the military, the requirement that soldiers take the “experimental” COVID-19 vaccine, his perception of affirmative action in military promotions, the renaming of military bases named after Confederate generals, and the military’s efforts to root out violent extremism — an effort that affected him at one point — all flow from the same source. You guessed it: It’s the Marxists in academia, hell-bent on shoving “DEI” and “CRT” — diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory, respectively — down everyone’s throats, along with an “unholy alliance of political ideologues and Pentagon pussies [that] has left our warriors without real defenders in Washington.” The effects are obvious, according to Hegseth’s book. “When I think about my career in uniform, in almost every instance where there has been poor leadership or people in positions they’re not qualified for, it was based on either the reality or the perception of a ‘diversity hire,’” Hegseth wrote. On the other hand, he claimed that woke military bureaucrats have “said Trump supporters are extremists, full stop.” He also linked the supposed push toward progressivism in the military to recruiting troubles. “For the past three years, the Pentagon–across all branches–has embraced the social justice messages of gender equality, racial diversity, climate stupidity, vaccine worship, and the LGBTQA+ alphabet soup in their recruiting pushes,” Hegseth wrote. “Only one problem: there just aren’t enough trannies from Brooklyn or lesbians from San Francisco who want to join the 82nd Airborne.” Hegseth’s view that “woke” ideology is specifically weakening the military — and America overall — is the generic Republican Party position in 2024. It remains to be seen if Trump bans transgender people from the military , bans women from combat roles, or pursues Hegseth’s other ideological battles once in office. Elsewhere in the book, Hegseth described fighting “a war on two fronts” — against both “radical Islamist ideology” abroad and also left-wing “domestic enemies at home.” Just like “an enemy at war,” Hegseth wrote, “The radical Left never stops moving and planning. They do not respect cease-fires, do not abide by the rules of warfare, and do not respect anything except total defeat of their enemy – and then total control.” In the book, he proposed “a frontal assault” to reclaim the military from the left. And he’s quite explicit this isn’t a political difference of opinion: In the military, Hegseth wrote, “The expectation is that we will defend [the Constitution] against all enemies–both foreign and domestic. Not political opponents, but real enemies. (Yes, Marxists are our enemies.)” He added in the next paragraph that the left wants America to turn away from the Constitution and “let America’s dynasty fade away.” “Those who push DEI/CRT ideology,” Hegseth wrote, are not only hypocrites and Marxists but “traitors.” While regular citizens have First Amendment protections for bad ideas, military leaders who seek to retrain soldiers based on those ideas “are guilty of coercive violence against their neighbors,” he argued. “The Constitution is our lodestar,” he added later. “Marxists hate the Constitution. DEI and CRT are Marxist philosophies. Therefore DEI and CRT are enemies of our Constitution – domestic enemies.” Perhaps most notably in a book obsessed with fighting against perceived “domestic enemies,” Hegseth spent a considerable amount of time in “The War on Warriors” criticizing the military’s rules of engagement, and modern international laws of warfare more generally. Military lawyers and limited rules of engagement, he posited, are the real reasons America can’t seem to take its gloves off and win a war. Speaking on his time in Iraq, for example, Hegseth recalled a judge advocate general — or, as Hegseth wrote, “jagoff” — telling his men that they were not allowed to fire on a hypothetical man carrying a rocket-propelled grenade launcher “until that RPG becomes a threat. It must be pointed at you with the intent to fire.” Hegseth told his men to disregard the instruction: “Men, if you see an enemy who you believe is a threat, you engage and destroy the threat. That’s a bullshit rule that’s going to get people killed.” “Our enemies should get bullets, not attorneys,” he wrote later. “The fact that we don’t do what is necessary is the reason wars become endless. Modern wars never end, because we won’t finish them.” Don't let this be the end of the free press. The free press is under attack — and America's future hangs in the balance. As other newsrooms bow to political pressure, HuffPost is not backing down. Would you help us keep our news free for all? 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. So what is “necessary” to win modern wars? The likely future defense secretary has an answer — in a chapter called “The Laws of War, for Winners.” In it, Hegseth decried “hopelessly outdated international laws,” which he argued clash with ancient theories of proportionality and just war, particularly when groups like Al Qaeda don’t respect the Geneva Conventions. “If our warriors are forced to follow rules arbitrarily and asked to sacrifice more lives so that international tribunals feel better about themselves, aren’t we just better off winning our wars according to our own rules?! Who cares what other countries think,” he wrote. “The question we have to ask ourselves is, if we are forced to fight, are we going to fight to win? Or will we fight to make leftists feel good – which means not winning and fighting forever.” In the same chapter, he took particular issue with a 2023 update to the Department of Defense’s Law of War Manual — that commanders and other decision-makers must assume people are civilians if there is nothing indicating they are combatants — writing: “In short, this means our troops are going to have to hesitate every time they fire.” “Our boys should not fight by rules written by dignified men in mahogany rooms eighty years ago,” Hegseth wrote. “America should fight by its own rules. And we should fight to win, or not go at all.” Related From Our PartnerIowa officials certify Miller-Meeks’ narrow win, other election results

Apple’s investment in the UK over the last five years has now surpassed £18 billion, with the technology giant’s engineering teams in the country doubling in that time, the iPhone maker has said. The US tech giant said it now supported 550,000 jobs in the UK through direct employment, its supply chain and the economy around its App Store – with app developers having earned nearly £9 billion since it launched in 2008. Apple said its engineering teams were carrying out critical work on the firm’s biggest services, including key technology within Apple Intelligence, the iPhone maker’s suite of generative AI-powered tools which are expected to launch in the UK for the first time this week. Elsewhere, the firm said its growing TV empire, spearheaded by its Apple TV+ streaming service and production arm, had also helped boost its investment in the UK with Apple TV+ production in this country tripling in the last two years, the company said. Chief executive Tim Cook said: “We’ve been serving customers in the UK for more than 40 years, and we’re proud of our deep connection with communities across this country. “We’re thrilled to be growing our Apple teams here, and to keep supporting the extraordinary innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs who are pushing the boundaries of technology in so many ways.” The Chancellor Rachel Reeves said companies such as Apple were “intrinsic” to the UK’s prosperity by boosting jobs. “This government is laser focused on creating the right conditions for growth to help put more money in people’s pockets. “That’s what underpins the Plan for Change and is what has driven £63 billion worth of inward investment in the UK through our first international investment summit. “Companies like Apple are intrinsic to the success of our nation’s prosperity – helping deliver jobs, innovative technology, and boost infrastructure.”

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