ph-lucky-wins.club says

Priyank Kharge challenges PM’s conspiracy claims

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 25, 2024-- Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) (NASDAQ: CENTA) ("Central"), a market leader in the pet and garden industries, today announced results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended September 28, 2024. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241125974807/en/ "We have a lot to be proud of this year. We increased non-GAAP EPS, continued margin expansion, made significant progress on our Cost and Simplicity program, and achieved strong profits in our Pet segment and record cash flow for the company. We accomplished this despite continued soft demand across our Pet segment, in particular in durable pet products, and a difficult garden season," said Niko Lahanas, Central Garden & Pet's new CEO. "While we expect the external environment to remain challenging, I am confident we have the right strategy and people in place to deliver profitable growth in fiscal 2025 and for the long term." Fiscal 2024 Results Net sales were $3.2 billion compared to $3.3 billion in the prior year, a decrease of 3%. Fiscal 2023 benefited from an additional week in the fourth quarter. Organic net sales decreased 4% excluding the impact of the acquisition of TDBBS in fiscal 2024 and the sale of the independent garden channel distribution business in fiscal 2023. Net sales for the Pet segment were $1.83 billion compared to $1.88 billion a year ago, a decrease of 2%. Pet organic net sales decreased 6%. Net sales for the Garden segment were $1.37 billion compared to $1.43 billion in the prior year, a decrease of 5%. Garden organic net sales decreased 1%. Gross margin expanded by 90 basis points to 29.5% from 28.6% in the prior year. On a non-GAAP basis, gross margin expanded by 110 basis points to 30.0% from 28.9% a year ago driven by productivity efforts and moderating inflation. Operating income was $185 million compared to $211 million in the prior year, a decrease of 12%. On a non-GAAP basis, operating income was $223 million compared to $227 million a year ago. Operating margin was 5.8% compared to 6.4% in the prior year. On a non-GAAP basis, operating margin expanded to 7.0% from 6.9% a year ago due to improved gross margin and continued cost discipline in selling, general and administrative expense. Net interest expense was $38 million compared to $50 million in the prior year driven by higher interest income. Other expense was $5.1 million compared to other income of $1.5 million a year ago due to the impairment of two underperforming equity investments in the fourth quarter. Net income was $108 million compared to $126 million in the prior year. On a non-GAAP basis, net income increased to $142 million from $138 million a year ago. Earnings per share were $1.62 compared to $1.88 in the prior year. On a non-GAAP basis, earnings per share increased to $2.13 from $2.07 a year ago. Adjusted EBITDA was $334 million compared to $343 million in the prior year. The effective tax rate for the fiscal year was 23.2% compared to 22.4% a year ago primarily due to an increase in the blended state income tax rate in the current year compared to the prior year. Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2024 Results Net sales were $669 million compared to $750 million a year ago, a decrease of 11%. The prior year quarter benefited from an extra week. Organic net sales decreased 13% excluding the impact of the acquisition of TDBBS and the sale of the independent garden channel distribution business. Gross margin contracted by 110 basis points to 25.2% compared to 26.3% a year ago primarily driven by the impairment of grass seed inventory more than offsetting moderating inflation and productivity efforts. On a non-GAAP basis, gross margin contracted by 60 basis points to 26.0% from 26.6% in the prior year. Operating loss was $32 million compared to operating income of $9 million a year ago. On a non-GAAP basis, operating loss was $11 million compared to operating income of $12 million reflecting lower volumes, the inventory impairment, and the timing of expenses related to productivity and commercial initiatives. Operating margin was (4.8)% compared to 1.2% in the prior year. On a non-GAAP basis, operating margin contracted to (1.7)% from 1.6% a year ago. Other expense was $6 million compared to $2 million in the prior year. Net interest expense was $6 million compared to $8 million a year ago. Net loss was $34 million compared to net income of $3 million in the prior year. On a non-GAAP basis, net loss was $12 million compared to net income $5 million a year ago. Loss per share was $0.51 compared to earnings per share of $0.04 in the prior year. On a non-GAAP basis, loss per share was $0.18 compared to earnings per share of $0.08 a year ago. Adjusted EBITDA was $17 million compared to $42 million in the prior year. Pet Segment Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2024 Results Net sales for the Pet segment were $435 million compared to $483 million in the prior year, a decrease of 10%. The decrease was primarily due to an extra week in the prior year quarter. Organic net sales decreased 14% excluding the impact of the acquisition of TDBBS. The Pet segment’s operating income was $14 million compared to $43 million a year ago. On a non-GAAP basis, operating income was $35 million compared to $48 million in the prior year due to lower volume and the timing of expenses related to productivity and commercial initiatives. Operating margin was 3.3% compared to 9.0% in the prior year. On a non-GAAP basis, operating margin was 8.0% compared to 9.9% a year ago. Pet segment adjusted EBITDA was $45 million compared to $58 million in the prior year quarter. Garden Segment Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2024 Results Net sales for the Garden segment were $234 million compared to $267 million a year ago, a decrease of 12%. The decrease was primarily due to an extra week in the prior year quarter. Organic net sales decreased 11% excluding the impact of the sale of the independent garden channel distribution business. The Garden segment’s operating loss was $29 million compared to a loss of $3 million in the prior year. On a non-GAAP basis, operating loss was $25 million compared to a loss of $5 million a year ago due to lower volume as well as the impairment of grass seed inventory. Operating margin was (12.3)% compared to (1.3)% in the prior year. On a non-GAAP basis, operating margin was (10.6)% compared to (2.0)% a year ago. Garden segment adjusted EBITDA was $(14) million compared to $6 million in the prior year. Liquidity and Debt At September 28, 2024, cash and cash equivalents was $754 million, compared to $489 million a year ago. The increase in cash and cash equivalents was driven by converting inventory to cash over the last 12 months and lower capital expenditures. Cash provided by operations for fiscal 2024 was $395 million, compared to $382 million in the prior year. The increase in cash provided by operations was primarily due to changes in working capital driven by the reduction in inventory. Total debt at September 28, 2024 and September 30, 2023 was $1.2 billion. The gross leverage ratio, calculated using the definitions for Indebtedness and EBITDA in Central's credit agreement, at the end of the quarter was 3.1x, in line with the prior year. Central repurchased 270,032 shares or $9 million of its stock during the quarter. Subsequent to the fiscal year end, Central purchased an additional 1,663,479 shares or $52 million of its stock through November 21, 2024. Non-GAAP Adjustments Fiscal 2024 Central recognized $45 million in non-GAAP charges in fiscal 2024, $28 million of which related to Cost & Simplicity initiatives. Within the Garden segment, this included closure and consolidation of one manufacturing facility, six distribution facilities and one research facility as well as beginning the wind-down of Central's pottery business. Within the Pet segment, this included the announced closure and consolidation of two manufacturing facilities related to a durable pet supply business as well as impairment of intangible assets related to this business due to changing market conditions and increased international competition. In addition to Cost & Simplicity related charges, Central recognized $4 million in charges related to the impairment of equity investments in two underperforming private businesses, partially offset by a gain on the settlement of a litigation. The $45 million overall charge was mostly noncash, with $16 million included in cost of goods sold, $21 million in selling, general and administrative expense, and $8 million in other expense. Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2024 Non-GAAP charges for the fourth quarter were $29 million, $12 million of which related to Cost & Simplicity initiatives, $13 million related to intangible impairments, and $4 million related to the equity investment write downs and partially offsetting a gain on the settlement of a litigation. The $29 million overall charge was mostly noncash, with $5 million included in cost of goods sold, $16 million in selling, general and administrative expense, and $8 million in other expense. Outlook for Fiscal 2025 Central currently expects fiscal 2025 non-GAAP EPS to be $2.20 or better. This outlook takes into consideration deflationary pressure in certain commodity businesses, evolving consumer behavior in an environment of macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, and the challenging brick-and-mortar retail environment. Central expects fiscal 2025 capital spending to be in the range of $60-70 million. This outlook excludes the impact of any acquisitions, divestitures or restructuring activities that may occur during fiscal 2025, including projects under the Cost and Simplicity program. Conference Call Central will hold a conference call today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (1:30 p.m. Pacific Time), hosted by Niko Lahanas, CEO, and Brad Smith, CFO, to discuss these results and to provide a general business update. The conference call and related materials can be accessed at http://ir.central.com . Alternatively, to listen to the call by telephone, dial (201) 689-8345 (domestic and international) using confirmation #13748436. About Central Garden & Pet Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) (NASDAQ: CENTA) understands home is central to life and has proudly nurtured happy and healthy homes for over 40 years. With fiscal 2024 net sales of $3.2 billion, Central is on a mission to lead the future of the pet and garden industries. The Company’s innovative and trusted products are dedicated to helping lawns grow greener, gardens bloom bigger, pets live healthier, and communities grow stronger. Central is home to a leading portfolio of more than 65 high-quality brands including Amdro ®, Aqueon ®, Cadet ®, C&S ®, Farnam ®, Ferry-Morse ®, Four Paws ®, Kaytee ®, Nylabone ® and Pennington ®, strong manufacturing and distribution capabilities, and a passionate, entrepreneurial growth culture. Central is based in Walnut Creek, California, with 6,450 employees primarily across North America. Visit www.central.com to learn more. Safe Harbor Statement “Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements contained in this release which are not historical facts, including statements concerning evolving consumer demand and unfavorable retailer dynamics, productivity initiatives and estimated capital spending, and earnings guidance for fiscal 2025, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in or implied by forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based upon Central's current expectations and various assumptions. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this release including, but not limited to, the following factors: These risks and others are described in Central’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Central undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise. CENTRAL GARDEN & PET COMPANY CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands) (unaudited) ASSETS September 28, 2024 September 30, 2023 Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 753,550 $ 488,730 Restricted cash 14,853 14,143 Accounts receivable, net 326,220 332,890 Inventories, net 757,943 838,188 Prepaid expenses and other 34,240 33,172 Total current assets 1,886,806 1,707,123 Plant, property and equipment, net 379,166 391,768 Goodwill 551,361 546,436 Other intangible assets, net 473,280 497,228 Operating lease right-of-use assets 205,137 173,540 Other assets 57,689 62,553 Total $ 3,553,439 $ 3,378,648 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 212,606 $ 190,902 Accrued expenses 245,226 216,241 Current lease liabilities 57,313 50,597 Current portion of long-term debt 239 247 Total current liabilities 515,384 457,987 Long-term debt 1,189,809 1,187,956 Long-term lease liabilities 173,086 135,621 Deferred income taxes and other long-term obligations 117,615 144,271 Equity: Common stock ($.01 par value; 80 million shares authorized; 11,074,620 and 11,077,612 issued, respectively) 111 111 Class A common stock ($.01 par value; 100 million shares authorized; 54,446,194 and 54,472,902 issued, respectively) 544 544 Class B stock ($.01 par value; 3 million shares authorized; 1,602,374 and 1,602,374 issued, respectively) 16 16 Additional paid-in capital 598,098 594,282 Retained earnings 959,511 859,370 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (2,626 ) (2,970 ) Total Central Garden & Pet shareholders’ equity 1,555,654 1,451,353 Noncontrolling interest 1,891 1,460 Total equity 1,557,545 1,452,813 Total $ 3,553,439 $ 3,378,648 CENTRAL GARDEN & PET COMPANY CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (in thousands, except per share amounts) (unaudited) Three Months Ended Fiscal Year Ended September 28, 2024 September 30, 2023 September 28, 2024 September 30, 2023 Net sales $ 669,489 $ 750,147 $ 3,200,460 $ 3,310,083 Cost of goods sold 500,537 552,694 2,256,725 2,363,241 Gross profit 168,952 197,453 943,735 946,842 Selling, general and administrative expenses 201,360 188,084 758,348 736,196 Operating (loss) income (32,408 ) 9,369 185,387 210,646 Interest expense (14,115 ) (13,138 ) (57,527 ) (57,025 ) Interest income 7,639 5,075 19,655 7,362 Other income (expense), net (6,137 ) (1,685 ) (5,090 ) 1,462 Income (loss) before income taxes and noncontrolling interest (45,021 ) (379 ) 142,425 162,445 Income tax (benefit) expense (10,621 ) (3,098 ) 33,112 36,348 Net income (loss) including noncontrolling interest (34,400 ) 2,719 109,313 126,097 Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest (242 ) (116 ) 1,330 454 Net income (loss) attributable to Central Garden & Pet Company $ (34,158 ) $ 2,835 $ 107,983 $ 125,643 Net income (loss) per share attributable to Central Garden & Pet Company: Basic $ (0.52 ) $ 0.04 $ 1.64 $ 1.92 Diluted $ (0.51 ) $ 0.04 $ 1.62 $ 1.88 Weighted average shares used in the computation of net income per share: Basic 65,939 65,265 65,711 65,493 Diluted 66,917 66,671 66,860 66,783 CENTRAL GARDEN & PET COMPANY CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS Fiscal Year Ended September 28, 2024 September 30, 2023 September 24, 2022 (in thousands) Cash flows from operating activities: Net income $ 109,313 $ 126,097 $ 152,672 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 90,807 87,700 80,948 Amortization of deferred financing costs 2,687 2,698 2,657 Non-cash lease expense 56,180 51,868 48,656 Stock-based compensation 20,583 27,990 25,817 Debt extinguishment costs — — 169 Gain on sale of business — (5,845 ) — Deferred income taxes (14,482 ) (12,253 ) 28,128 Facility closures and business exit costs 27,842 15,674 — Impairment of intangibles 12,790 — — Other asset impairments 7,462 750 — Other 906 (525 ) (648 ) Changes in assets and liabilities (excluding businesses acquired): Receivables 11,857 43,980 7,004 Inventories 86,980 (256,443 ) Prepaid expenses and other assets 11,944 8,813 (6,031 ) Accounts payable 18,373 (19,962 ) (31,209 ) Accrued expenses 6,766 (33,495 ) Other long-term obligations (12,631 ) 9,595 (7,728 ) Operating lease liabilities (50,197 ) (48,692 ) (44,527 ) Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities 394,892 381,634 (34,030 ) Cash flows from investing activities: Additions to property, plant and equipment (43,135 ) (53,966 ) (115,205 ) Business acquired, net of cash acquired (60,226 ) — — Proceeds from sale of business — 20,000 — Payments for investments (1,650 ) (500 ) (27,818 ) Other investing activities (175 ) (115 ) 40 Net cash used in investing activities (105,186 ) (34,581 ) (142,983 ) Cash flows from financing activities: Repayments on revolving line of credit — (48,000 ) — Borrowings on revolving line of credit — 48,000 — Repayments of long-term debt (370 ) (338 ) (1,096 ) Repurchase of common stock, including shares surrendered for tax withholding (24,075 ) (37,161 ) (62,287 ) Payments of contingent consideration (95 ) (54 ) (216 ) Distribution to noncontrolling interest (899 ) — (806 ) Payment of financing costs — — (2,410 ) Net cash used in financing activities (25,438 ) (37,553 ) (66,815 ) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and equivalents 1,261 1,189 (3,510 ) Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 265,530 310,689 (247,338 ) Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year 502,873 192,184 439,522 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of year $ 768,403 $ 502,873 $ 192,184 Supplemental information: Cash paid for interest $ 57,531 $ 57,143 $ 57,928 Cash paid for income taxes – net of refunds 53,582 17,910 34,964 Non-cash investing and financing activities: Capital expenditures incurred but not paid 1,936 2,243 8,016 Liability for contingent performance based payments (20 ) (374 ) (847 ) Shares of common stock repurchased but not settled 536 — 911 Lease liabilities arising from obtaining right-of-use assets 95,391 42,777 70,794 Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures We report our financial results in accordance with GAAP. However, to supplement the financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP, we use non-GAAP financial measures including non-GAAP net income and diluted net income per share, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP gross profit and gross margin, non-GAAP selling, general and administrative expense, adjusted EBITDA and organic net sales. Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures that exclude the impact of specific items (described below) in making financial, operating and planning decisions and in evaluating our performance. Management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures may be useful to investors in their assessment of our ongoing operating performance and provide additional meaningful comparisons between current results and results in prior operating periods. While Management believes that non-GAAP measures are useful supplemental information, such adjusted results are not intended to replace our GAAP financial results and should be read in conjunction with those GAAP results. Adjusted EBITDA is defined by us as income before income tax, net other expense, net interest expense and depreciation and amortization and stock-based compensation expense (or operating income plus depreciation and amortization expense and stock-based compensation expense). Adjusted EBITDA further excludes one-time charges related to facility closures exits of business, intangible and investment impairments and gains from a litigation settlement. We present adjusted EBITDA because we believe that adjusted EBITDA is a useful supplemental measure in evaluating the cash flows and performance of our business and provides greater transparency into our results of operations. Adjusted EBITDA is used by our management to perform such evaluations. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for cash flow from operations, income from operations or other income statement measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. We believe that adjusted EBITDA is frequently used by investors, securities analysts and other interested parties in their evaluation of companies, many of which present adjusted EBITDA when reporting their results. Other companies may calculate adjusted EBITDA differently and it may not be comparable. The reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP are shown in the tables below. We have not provided a reconciliation of non-GAAP guidance measures to the corresponding GAAP measures on a forward-looking basis as we cannot do so without unreasonable efforts due to the potential variability and limited visibility of excluded items. For the same reasons, we are unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information. Non-GAAP financial measures reflect adjustments based on the following items: From time to time in the future, there may be other items that we may exclude if we believe that doing so is consistent with the goal of providing useful information to investors and management. The non-GAAP adjustments made reflect the following: Facility closures and business exits (1) During the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024, we recognized incremental expense of $7.5 million in our Pet segment in the consolidated statement of operations, from the closure of manufacturing facilities in California and Arizona. Additionally, we recognized incremental expense in our Garden segment of $3.9 million related to facility closures and business exits announced in fiscal 2023 and earlier in fiscal 2024. (2) During the third quarter of fiscal 2024, we recognized incremental expense of $11.1 million in the consolidated statement of operations, from the decision to exit the pottery business, the closure of a live goods distribution facility in Delaware and the relocation of our grass seed research facility. (3) During the second quarter of fiscal 2024, we recognized incremental expense of $5.3 million in the consolidated statement of operations from the closure of a manufacturing facility in California and the consolidation of our Southeast distribution network. (4) During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, we recognized a gain of $5.8 million from the sale of our independent garden center distribution business, which includes the impact of associated facility closure costs. The gain is included in selling, general and administrative expense in the consolidated statement of operations. (5) In fiscal 2023, we recognized incremental expense of $13.9 million in our Pet segment in the consolidated statement of operations from the closure of a manufacturing and distribution facility in Texas. Additionally, we recognized incremental expense of $1.8 million in our Pet segment in the consolidated statement of operations, from the closure of a second manufacturing and distribution facility in Texas. Intangible Impairments (6) During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, we recognized a non-cash impairment charge in our Pet segment of $12.8 million related to the impairment of intangible assets due primarily to changing market conditions resulting from the decline in demand for durable products and increased international competition. (7) In fiscal 2023, we recognized a non-cash impairment charge in our Pet segment of $2.8 million related to the impairment of intangible assets caused by the loss of a significant customer in our live fish business. Also, we recognized a non-cash impairment charge in our Garden segment of $3.9 million related to the impairment of intangible assets due to reduced demand for products we sold under an acquired trade name. The impairments were recorded as part of selling, general and administrative costs. Gain from litigation and investment impairment (8) Within corporate, the Company received $3.2 million during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 in settlement of litigation which gain is included in selling, general and administrative expense. Additionally, we recognized a $7.5 million non-cash impairment charge for two related private company investments that is included within Other income (expense) in the consolidated statement of operations. Net Income and Diluted Net Income Per Share Reconciliation GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation Three Months Ended Fiscal Year Ended September 28, 2024 September 30, 2023 September 28, 2024 September 30, 2023 (in thousands, except per share amount) GAAP net (loss) income attributable to Central Garden & Pet Company $ (34,158 ) $ 2,835 $ 107,983 $ 125,643 Facility closures (1)(2)(3)(5) 11,457 1,751 27,842 15,672 Intangible impairments (6)(7) 12,790 6,731 12,790 6,731 Litigation settlement (8) (3,200 ) — (3,200 ) — Independent channel distribution business sale (4) — (5,844 ) — (5,844 ) Investment impairment (8) 7,461 — 7,461 — Tax effect of adjustments (6,725 ) (332 ) (10,437 ) (3,705 ) Non-GAAP net (loss) income attributable to Central Garden & Pet Company $ (12,375 ) $ 5,141 $ 142,439 $ 138,497 GAAP diluted net income per share $ (0.51 ) $ 0.04 $ 1.62 $ 1.88 Non-GAAP diluted net income per share $ (0.18 ) $ 0.08 $ 2.13 $ 2.07 Shares used in GAAP and non-GAAP diluted net income per share calculation 66,917 66,671 66,860 66,783 Operating Income Reconciliation GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation Three Months Ended September 28, 2024 Fiscal Year Ended September 28, 2024 GAAP Adjustments (1)(6)(8) Non-GAAP GAAP Adjustments (1)(2)(3)(6)(8) Non-GAAP (in thousands) Net sales $ 669,489 $ — $ 669,489 $ 3,200,460 $ — $ 3,200,460 Cost of goods sold and occupancy 500,537 5,209 495,328 2,256,725 16,349 2,240,376 Gross profit 168,952 (5,209 ) 174,161 943,735 (16,349 ) 960,084 Selling, general and administrative expenses 201,360 15,838 185,522 758,348 21,083 737,265 (Loss) Income from operations $ (32,408 ) $ (21,047 ) $ (11,361 ) $ 185,387 $ (37,432 ) $ 222,819 Gross margin 25.2 % 26.0 % 29.5 % 30.0 % Operating margin (4.8 )% (1.7 )% 5.8 % 7.0 % Operating Income Reconciliation GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation Three Months Ended September 30, 2023 Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2023 GAAP Adjustments (4)(5)(7) Non-GAAP GAAP Adjustments (4)(5)(7) Non-GAAP (in thousands) Net sales $ 750,147 $ — $ 750,147 $ 3,310,083 $ — $ 3,310,083 Cost of goods sold and occupancy 552,694 1,751 550,943 2,363,241 9,761 2,353,480 Gross profit 197,453 (1,751 ) 199,204 946,842 (9,761 ) 956,603 Selling, general and administrative expenses 188,084 887 187,197 736,196 6,798 729,398 Income from operations $ 9,369 $ (2,638 ) $ 12,007 $ 210,646 $ (16,559 ) $ 227,205 Gross margin 26.3 % 26.6 % 28.6 % 28.9 % Operating margin 1.2 % 1.6 % 6.4 % 6.9 % Pet Segment Operating Income Reconciliation GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation Three Months Ended Fiscal Year Ended September 28, 2024 September 30, 2023 September 28, 2024 September 30, 2023 (in thousands) GAAP operating income $ 14,310 $ 43,225 $ 203,425 $ 198,004 Facility closures (1)(5) 7,549 1,751 7,549 15,672 Intangible impairments (6)(7) 12,790 2,785 12,790 2,785 Non-GAAP operating income $ 34,649 $ 47,761 $ 223,764 $ 216,461 GAAP operating margin 3.3 % 9.0 % 11.1 % 10.5 % Non-GAAP operating margin 8.0 % 9.9 % 12.2 % 11.5 % Garden Segment Operating Income Reconciliation GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation Three Months Ended Fiscal Year Ended September 28, 2024 September 30, 2023 September 28, 2024 September 30, 2023 (in thousands) GAAP operating income $ (28,806 ) $ (3,432 ) $ 81,893 $ 123,455 Facility closures (1)(2)(3) 3,908 — 20,293 — Independent channel distribution business sale (4) — (5,844 ) — (5,844 ) Intangible impairments (7) — 3,946 — 3,946 Non-GAAP operating income (loss) $ (24,898 ) $ (5,330 ) $ 102,186 $ 121,557 GAAP operating margin (12.3 )% (1.3 )% 6.0 % 8.6 % Non-GAAP operating margin (10.6 )% (2.0 )% 7.5 % 8.5 % Organic Net Sales Reconciliation GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation Three Months Ended September 28, 2024 Fiscal Year Ended September 28, 2024 Net sales (GAAP) Effect of acquisitions & divestiture on net sales Net sales organic Net sales (GAAP) Effect of acquisitions & divestitures on net sales Net sales organic (in millions) Reported net sales FY 2024 $ 669.5 $ 18.0 $ 651.5 $ 3,200.5 $ 66.4 $ 3,134.1 Reported net sales FY 2023 750.1 3.7 746.4 3,310.1 48.1 3,262.0 $ decrease $ (80.6 ) $ 14.3 $ (94.9 ) $ (109.6 ) $ 18.3 $ (127.9 ) % decrease (10.7 )% (12.7 )% (3.3 )% (3.9 )% Organic Pet Segment Net Sales Reconciliation GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation Three Months Ended September 28, 2024 Fiscal Year Ended September 28, 2024 Net sales (GAAP) Effect of acquisitions & divestitures on net sales Net sales organic Net sales (GAAP) Effect of acquisitions & divestitures on net sales Net sales organic (in millions) Reported net sales FY 2024 $ 435.3 $ 18.0 $ 417.3 $ 1,832.8 $ 66.4 $ 1,766.4 Reported net sales FY 2023 482.8 — 482.8 1,877.2 — 1,877.2 $ decrease $ (47.5 ) $ 18.0 $ (65.5 ) $ (44.4 ) $ 66.4 $ (110.8 ) % decrease (9.8 )% (13.6 )% (2.4 )% (5.9 )% Organic Garden Segment Net Sales Reconciliation GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation Three Months Ended September 28, 2024 Fiscal Year Ended September 28, 2024 Net sales (GAAP) Effect of acquisitions & divestitures on net sales Net sales organic Net sales (GAAP) Effect of acquisitions & divestitures on net sales Net sales organic (in millions) Reported net sales FY 2024 $ 234.2 $ — $ 234.2 $ 1,367.7 $ — $ 1,367.7 Reported net sales FY 2023 267.3 3.7 263.6 1,432.9 48.1 1,384.8 $ decrease $ (33.1 ) $ (3.7 ) $ (29.4 ) $ (65.2 ) $ (48.1 ) $ (17.1 ) % decrease (12.4 )% (11.2 )% (4.6 )% (1.2 )% Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation Fiscal Year Ended September 28, 2024 Pet Garden Corp Total (in thousands) Net income attributable to Central Garden & Pet $ — $ — $ — $ 107,983 Interest expense, net — — — 37,872 Other expense — — — 5,090 Income tax expense — — — 33,112 Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest — — — 1,330 Sum of items below operating income — — — 77,404 Income (loss) from operations 203,425 81,893 (99,931 ) 185,387 Depreciation & amortization 43,642 44,403 2,762 90,807 Noncash stock-based compensation — — 20,583 20,583 Non-GAAP adjustments (1)(2)(3)(6)(8) 20,339 20,293 (3,200 ) 37,432 Adjusted EBITDA $ 267,406 $ 146,589 $ (79,786 ) $ 334,209 GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2023 Pet Garden Corp Total (in thousands) Net income attributable to Central Garden & Pet $ — $ — $ — $ 125,643 Interest expense, net — — — 49,663 Other income — — — (1,462 ) Income tax expense — — — 36,348 Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest — — — 454 Sum of items below operating income — — — 85,003 Income (loss) from operations 198,004 123,455 (110,813 ) 210,646 Depreciation & amortization 41,126 43,375 3,199 87,700 Noncash stock-based compensation — — 27,990 27,990 Non-GAAP adjustments (4)(5)(7) 18,457 (1,898 ) — 16,559 Adjusted EBITDA $ 257,587 $ 164,932 $ (79,624 ) $ 342,895 Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation Three Months Ended September 28, 2024 Pet Garden Corp Total (in thousands) Net loss attributable to Central Garden & Pet $ — $ — $ — $ (34,158 ) Interest expense, net — — — 6,476 Other expense — — — 6,137 Income tax benefit — — — (10,621 ) Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest — — — (242 ) Sum of items below operating income — — — 1,750 Income (loss) from operations 14,310 (28,806 ) (17,912 ) (32,408 ) Depreciation & amortization 10,741 11,375 622 22,738 Noncash stock-based compensation — — 5,445 5,445 Non-GAAP adjustments (1)(2)(3)(6)(8) 20,339 3,908 (3,200 ) 21,047 Adjusted EBITDA $ 45,390 $ (13,523 ) $ (15,045 ) $ 16,822 Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation Three Months Ended September 30, 2023 Pet Garden Corp Total (in thousands) Net income attributable to Central Garden & Pet $ — $ — $ — $ 2,835 Interest expense, net — — — 8,063 Other expense — — — 1,685 Income tax benefit — — — (3,098 ) Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest — — — (116 ) Sum of items below operating income — — — 6,534 Income (loss) from operations 43,225 (3,432 ) (30,424 ) 9,369 Depreciation & amortization 10,479 10,892 825 22,196 Noncash stock-based compensation — — 7,358 7,358 Non-GAAP adjustments (4)(5)(7) 4,536 (1,898 ) — 2,638 Adjusted EBITDA $ 58,240 $ 5,562 $ (22,241 ) $ 41,561 View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241125974807/en/ CONTACT: Investor & Media Contact Friederike Edelmann VP of Investor Relations & Corporate Sustainability (925) 412 6726 |fedelmann@central.com KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: RETAIL CONSUMER HOME GOODS SPECIALTY PETS CONSTRUCTION & PROPERTY LANDSCAPE SOURCE: Central Garden & Pet Company Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/25/2024 04:03 PM/DISC: 11/25/2024 04:03 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241125974807/en

Kylie Kelce steps into spotlight with new talk show as she announces fourth pregnancy

Courtland Sutton's surge is helping rookie Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos make a playoff push

Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Rhode Island Department of Transportation workers cleaning out catch basins made a startling discovery -- two trapped raccoons treading water in a rapidly-filling drain. The Westerly Animal Shelter said on social media that RIDOT crews checking on catch basins discovered two raccoons stranded in one of the drains as it was filling with rainwater. "The raccoons were swimming to stay alive -- they fell in and couldn't get out," the post said. The animal shelter shared video of animal control officers fishing the raccoons out of their predicament. The post said officers were "happy to help these critters go back home." Read MoreGM has a deal to bring a new Cadillac F1 team to the gridTannery owner Sylvanus Reynolds was not only a business leader but magistrate, member of Warrington Borough Council and active and prominent Conservative. He help to build the former Conservative Club on Sankey Street and lived at Raddon Court – formerly the site of the well-known furniture shop. Yet one of the most remarkable things about his life was his death on November 13, 1887. According to reports at the time, it occurred the day after a shooting incident in which, while climbing a fence, his gun was accidentally discharged, causing extensive injury to a leg which had to be amputated at a nearby house. His funeral was an impressive occasion, with hundreds of people lining the road from his home at Raddon Court to watch the procession to St Wilfrid’s CE Church in Grappenhall. Taken by carriage, the mourners included Sir Gilbert and Lady Greenall, together with other dignitaries from politics and industry. He became the sole owner of Latchford Tannery in 1868 and by 1878 was also chairman of companies: Arthur Waring & Co, also tanners, in Winwick Street; the Castle Rubber Company in Bridge Street. He built the Raddon Court mansion in 1883 and he also erected a row of cottages for the workforce. The house has been demolished now and replaced by the current Raddon Court business. A former captain of the Warrington Volunteers force, he also presented the stain glass east window to Christ Church in Latchford, along with wife Jane, a month before his death. Tragically, to mark his services to the Conservative Association, members had subscribed for a marble bust to be sculpted in Italy. But it came in the week that he died. Donated by his wife Jane in 1888, the bust was placed in the foyer of the Conservative Club’s Sankey Street premises, where it remained until 1970 when the building was vacated before it was demolished as part of town centre works. It was later given back to the current Warrington Conservative Club back in 1992.

Bayan al-Hinnawi, who spent years behind bars in Bashar al-Assad's Syria, joined crowds in the heartland of the Druze minority on Friday to celebrate the president's fall, "a dream" come true for the former prisoner. Hundreds of people descended on Sweida's main square, singing and clapping in jubilation, just days after Islamist-led rebels took the capital Damascus, sending Assad fleeing. The Druze-majority city in Syria's south has been a focal point of renewed anti-government demonstrations over the past year and a half. On Friday, residents waved Syria's pre-Assad flag of white, green and black with three stars, and raised olive branches in a sign of peace. Some of them have lost family members during the anti-government uprising that began in 2011 and spiralled into civil war. Others, like Hinnawi, had languished in prison under the Assad family's five-decade rule. "It was a dream," said 77-year-old Hinnawi of Assad's ouster. Decades ago, a few years after Hafez al-Assad seized power -- which he later handed over to his son Bashar -- a 23-year-old Hinnawi was jailed. He was released 17 years later. The grey-haired man said he had "dreamed that one day the regime would fall", but did not believe that he would live to see the day. "It's a wonderful sight. Nobody could have imagined that this could happen", he said. But his joy was incomplete, remembering the many who have died in jail. "I wish that those who died when I was imprisoned in Mazzeh or Saydnaya could see this scene," said Hinnawi. Since Assad's fall, rebel forces and residents have broken into both detention centres, freeing political prisoners and searching for long-missing loved ones. Activists and rights groups say the Assad government tortured and abused inmates at both facilities. "I got out when I was 40, I missed out of my whole life," said Hinnawi, who served in the Syrian army before being jailed. Recalling torture behind bars, he said that "no oppressor in history has done what they did to us." Since Sunday, the ousted government's security forces were nowhere to be seen in Sweida, and the office of Assad's Baath party has been abandoned, as have army checkpoints on the road to Damascus. Local armed men are present, but not the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham which spearheaded the rebel offensive against Assad. Siham Zein al-Din, who lost her son in 2014 after he defected from the national army to join rebel fighters, said he had "sacrificed his life... for freedom, for dignity". The family was still searching for Khaldun's remains, said his 60-year-old mother. Like her son, some members of the Druze community took up arms against Assad's forces during the war. The Druze, who also live in Lebanon, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, make up about three percent of Syria's population, around 700,000 people. Beyond defending themselves from attacks in the areas where they live, Syria's Druze largely stayed on the sidelines of the civil war. Many managed to avoid compulsory conscription since 2011. Residents of Sweida have long complained of discrimination and the lack of basic services. Many buildings in the city are constructed from black volcanic stone that can be found in the area, and its roads have fallen into disrepair. Sheikh Marwan Hussein Rizk, a religious leader, said that "Sweida province has been marginalised" for decades, with most of its residents living in poverty. But, surrounded by the joyful protesters, Rizk said better days may be coming. "Today, we look to the future and ask for a helping hand... Our hand is extended to all Syrians." Next to him, resident Hussein Bondok held up a poster of his brother Nasser, a journalist and opposition activist who was last heard from in 2014 when he was arrested. Bondok, 54, said he believes his brother was likely killed under torture in one of Damascus's prisons. Nasser struggled for freedom, Bondok said. "I want to congratulate him now, because the seeds he had planted with his brothers-in-arms has become a tree." lk/ami/itENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — What's stoking the Denver Broncos' surprising surge is the growing connection between rookie quarterback Bo Nix and veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton. Whenever the Broncos (7-5) need a clutch catch, a key flag or a timely touchdown, Sutton is usually the one delivering it like he did Sunday when he caught eight passes on 10 targets for 97 yards and a pair of touchdowns that sparked the Broncos' come-from-behind 29-19 win at Las Vegas. “Courtland played tremendous,” coach Sean Payton said. Again. “He’s just reliable,” Nix said. “He's just always there when you need him.” Sutton's size (6-foot-4 and 216 pounds) and experience (he's in his seventh NFL season) make him an ideal target and safety valve for the rookie QB whose confidence is growing by the week. “He’s smart. He’s savvy. He makes plays when the ball’s in the air,” Nix said. “You can trust him. When it’s up in the air, it’s his or nobody’s. It’s not going to be a pick.” Nix's first touchdown toss to Sutton was an 18-yarder that allowed the QB to break Marlin Briscoe's 1968 Denver rookie record of 14 TD passes, and the two connected again with 5:30 left to make it a two-score game. The Broncos trailed 13-9 at halftime and Nix said they knew they had to get the ball into Sutton's hands more in the second half after he had caught the only pass thrown his way in the first half (for 17 yards). “Didn’t target him (much) in the first half,” Nix said. “We come out and say, ‘Look, Courtland, this is your half.’ We take over the game. He goes for two touchdowns. That just kind of speaks for what he means to our team.” Sutton has been on a tear after since he wasn't targeted a single time in Denver's 33-10 win at New Orleans on Oct. 17. (Payton mentioned as recently as last week what an anomaly that game was because there was a heavy diet of plays for Sutton that just didn't pan out for various reasons.) In his six games before that goose egg, Sutton had 21 catches on 49 targets for 277 yards and a touchdown. In the five games since, he's caught 36 of the 48 balls thrown his way for 467 yards and three TDs. Plus, he threw a touchdown pass to Nix on a “Philly Special” at Baltimore in Week 9. “I think we're just scratching the surface,” Sutton said. Thanks in part to the chemistry between Nix and Sutton, the Broncos are in position for the seventh and final playoff spot entering December. The passing game, thanks to the Nix-Sutton connection. The running game. Javonte Williams had just 2 yards on eight carries and Audric Estime ran three times for 15 yards against the Raiders' run-heavy fronts and a steady diet of blitzes. Jaleel McLaughlin saved the day with seven carries for 44 yards. OLB Nik Bonitto. His 10 sacks make him the first Denver defender with double-digit sacks since 2018, when Von Miller did it. Once again, the Broncos' special teams, with the exception of K Wil Lutz, who hasn't missed a field goal attempt or extra point since his protection unit cratered at Kansas City three weeks ago and allowed the Chiefs to block what would have been the game-winning kick as time expired. On Sunday, the Raiders had a successful fake punt and a 59-yard kickoff return. Payton isn't saying much about the injuries to DE Zach Allen (heel) and CB Riley Moss (knee) except that to him they're not serious setbacks for either player. 2 — The Broncos are two games above .500 for the first time since starting the 2021 season with three wins. The Broncos host Cleveland (3-8) on Monday night ahead of their bye week. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and JENNIFER PELTZ NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urged a judge again Friday to throw out his hush money conviction, balking at the prosecution’s suggestion of preserving the verdict by treating the case the way some courts do when a defendant dies. They called the idea “absurd.” Related Articles National Politics | Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time National Politics | Ruling by a conservative Supreme Court could help blue states resist Trump policies National Politics | A nonprofit leader, a social worker: Here are the stories of the people on Biden’s clemency list National Politics | Nancy Pelosi hospitalized after she ‘sustained an injury’ on official trip to Luxembourg National Politics | Veteran Daniel Penny, acquitted in NYC subway chokehold, will join Trump’s suite at football game The Manhattan district attorney’s office is asking Judge Juan M. Merchan to “pretend as if one of the assassination attempts against President Trump had been successful,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in a blistering 23-page response. In court papers made public Tuesday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books after Trump’s lawyers filed paperwork earlier this month asking for the case to be dismissed. They include freezing the case until Trump leaves office in 2029, agreeing that any future sentence won’t include jail time, or closing the case by noting he was convicted but that he wasn’t sentenced and his appeal wasn’t resolved because of presidential immunity. Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove reiterated Friday their position that the only acceptable option is overturning his conviction and dismissing his indictment, writing that anything less will interfere with the transition process and his ability to lead the country. The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined comment. It’s unclear how soon Merchan will decide. He could grant Trump’s request for dismissal, go with one of the prosecution’s suggestions, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court, or choose some other option. In their response Friday, Blanche and Bove ripped each of the prosecution’s suggestions. Halting the case until Trump leaves office would force the incoming president to govern while facing the “ongoing threat” that he’ll be sentenced to imprisonment, fines or other punishment as soon as his term ends, Blanche and Bove wrote. Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. “To be clear, President Trump will never deviate from the public interest in response to these thuggish tactics,” the defense lawyers wrote. “However, the threat itself is unconstitutional.” The prosecution’s suggestion that Merchan could mitigate those concerns by promising not to sentence Trump to jail time on presidential immunity grounds is also a non-starter, Blanche and Bove wrote. The immunity statute requires dropping the case, not merely limiting sentencing options, they argued. Blanche and Bove, both of whom Trump has tabbed for high-ranking Justice Department positions, expressed outrage at the prosecution’s novel suggestion that Merchan borrow from Alabama and other states and treat the case as if Trump had died. Blanche and Bove accused prosecutors of ignoring New York precedent and attempting to “fabricate” a solution “based on an extremely troubling and irresponsible analogy between President Trump” who survived assassination attempts in Pennsylvania in July and Florida in September “and a hypothetical dead defendant.” Such an option normally comes into play when a defendant dies after being convicted but before appeals are exhausted. It is unclear whether it is viable under New York law, but prosecutors suggested that Merchan could innovate in what’s already a unique case. “This remedy would prevent defendant from being burdened during his presidency by an ongoing criminal proceeding,” prosecutors wrote in their filing this week. But at the same time, it wouldn’t “precipitously discard” the “meaningful fact that defendant was indicted and found guilty by a jury of his peers.” Prosecutors acknowledged that “presidential immunity requires accommodation” during Trump’s impending return to the White House but argued that his election to a second term should not upend the jury’s verdict, which came when he was out of office. Longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution . Other world leaders don’t enjoy the same protection. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges even as he leads that nation’s wars in Lebanon and Gaza . Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his May 30 conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records . Prosecutors said he fudged the documents to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier, which Trump denies. In their filing Friday, Trump’s lawyers citing a social media post in which Sen. John Fetterman used profane language to criticize Trump’s hush money prosecution. The Pennsylvania Democrat suggested that Trump deserved a pardon, comparing his case to that of President Joe Biden’s pardoned son Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of tax and gun charges . “Weaponizing the judiciary for blatant, partisan gain diminishes the collective faith in our institutions and sows further division,” Fetterman wrote Wednesday on Truth Social. Trump’s hush money conviction was in state court, meaning a presidential pardon — issued by Biden or himself when he takes office — would not apply to the case. Presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes. Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith has ended his two federal cases , which pertained to Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and allegations that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. A separate state election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, is largely on hold. Trump denies wrongdoing in all. Trump had been scheduled for sentencing in the hush money case in late November. But following Trump’s Nov. 5 election victory, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed the former and future president’s sentencing so the defense and prosecution could weigh in on the future of the case. Merchan also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. A dismissal would erase Trump’s conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office.Gus Malzahn’s career arc took an interesting turn on Saturday. After a 28-14 loss to Utah on Saturday night, Malzahn reportedly decided to resign as head coach at UCF to take an offensive coordinator job elsewhere, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Malzahn’s decision presumably was a surprise to some with head coach-to-offensive coordinator moves not traditionally seen unless the coach was fired beforehand. However, Malzahn, likely seeing the writing on the wall for him with the Knights, decided to get ahead of things before he was fired. Malzahn was a disappointing 28-24 in four seasons at UCF with a 1-2 bowl record. He never won more than nine games. The Knights went downhill the last two seasons, going 6-7 and 4-8, respectively, with Malzahn entering this year on the hot seat. UCF’s only wins this season came against New Hampshire, Sam Houston, TCU and Arizona. Sources: UCF head coach Gus Malzahn is resigning to become the new offensive coordinator at Florida State, sources told ESPN. His UCF tenure will end after four years at 28-24. pic.twitter.com/XHlEFY91T2 After leading Auburn to the BCS national championship game back in 2013, Malzahn’s career has been on a downward spiral. He lasted seven more seasons at Auburn with a 56-33 record before he was fired after producing his eighth winning season and reached fifth on the school’s all-time wins list. With four mediocre seasons at UCF, Malzahn likely believed taking the OC job for a team like Florida State in need of a shakeup could help get his coaching career back on track and lead to a better job than UCF. The 2-9 Seminoles currently rank 88th in red-zone scoring (81.25%), 132nd in total offense (258.9 yards per game) and third-down conversions (24.8%), and 133rd in scoring (13.3 points per game) and yards per play (4.0).Couple charged in ring suspected of stealing $1 million in Lululemon clothesBEIRUT — Israel's military launched airstrikes across Lebanon on Monday, unleashing explosions throughout the country and killing at least 31 while Israeli leaders appeared to be closing in on a negotiated ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. Israeli strikes hit commercial and residential buildings in Beirut as well as in the port city of Tyre. Military officials claimed they targeted areas known as Hezbollah strongholds. They issued evacuation orders for Beirut's southern suburbs, and strikes landed across the city, including meters from a Lebanese police base and the city's largest public park. The barrage came as officials indicated they were nearing agreement on a ceasefire, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet prepared to discuss an offer on the table. Bulldozers remove the rubble of a destroyed building Monday that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. Foreign ministers from the world’s leading industrialized nations also expressed cautious optimism Monday about possible progress on a ceasefire. “Knock on wood,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said as he opened the Group of Seven meeting outside Rome. “We are perhaps close to a ceasefire in Lebanon," he said. "Let's hope it's true and that there's no backing down at the last-minute.” A ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon was foremost on the agenda of the G7 meeting in Fiuggi, outside Rome, that gathered ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, in the last G7 encounter of the Biden administration. For the first time, the G7 ministers were joined by their counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as the Secretary General of the Arab League. Thick smoke, flames and debris erupt Monday from an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in Tayouneh, Beirut, Lebanon. Meanwhile, massive explosions lit up Lebanon's skies with flashes of orange, sending towering plumes of smoke into the air as Israeli airstrikes pounded Beirut's southern suburbs Monday. The blasts damaged buildings and left shattered glass and debris scattered across nearby streets. Some of the strikes landed close to central Beirut and near Christian neighborhoods and other targets where Israel issued evacuation warnings, including in Tyre and Nabatiyeh province. Israeli airstrikes also hit the northeast Baalbek-Hermel region without warning. Lebanon's Health Ministry said Monday that 26 people were killed in southern Lebanon, four in the eastern Baalbek-Hermel province and one in Choueifat, a neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs that was not subjected to evacuation warnings on Monday. The deaths brought the total toll to 3,768 killed in Lebanon throughout 13 months of war between Israel and Hezbollah and nearly two months since Israel launched its ground invasion. Many of those killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah have been civilians, and health officials said some of the recovered bodies were so severely damaged that DNA testing would be required to confirm their identities. Israel claims to have killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Lebanon's Health Ministry says the war has displaced 1.2 million people. Destroyed buildings stand Monday in the area of a village in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel. Israeli ground forces invaded southern Lebanon in early October, meeting heavy resistance in a narrow strip of land along the border. The military previously exchanged attacks across the border with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group that began firing rockets into Israel the day after the war in Gaza began last year. Lebanese politicians have decried the ongoing airstrikes and said they are impeding ceasefire negotiations. The country's deputy parliament speaker accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment to pressure Lebanon to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah. Elias Bousaab, an ally of the militant group, said Monday that the pressure has increased because "we are close to the hour that is decisive regarding reaching a ceasefire." Israeli officials voiced similar optimism Monday about prospects for a ceasefire. Mike Herzog, the country's ambassador to Washington, earlier in the day told Israeli Army Radio that several points had yet to be finalized. Though any deal would require agreement from the government, Herzog said Israel and Hezbollah were "close to a deal." "It can happen within days," he said. Israeli officials have said the sides are close to an agreement that would include withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and a pullback of Hezbollah fighters from the Israeli border. But several sticking points remain. A member of the Israeli security forces inspects an impact site Sunday after a rocket fired from Lebanon hit an area in Rinatya, outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel. After previous hopes for a ceasefire were dashed, U.S. officials cautioned that negotiations were not yet complete and noted that there could be last-minute hitches that either delay or destroy an agreement. "Nothing is done until everything is done," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Monday. The proposal under discussion to end the fighting calls for an initial two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. The withdrawals would be accompanied by an influx of thousands more Lebanese army troops, who have been largely sidelined in the war, to patrol the border area along with an existing U.N. peacekeeping force. Western diplomats and Israeli officials said Israel demands the right to strike in Lebanon if it believes Hezbollah is violating the terms. The Lebanese government says such an arrangement would authorize violations of the country's sovereignty. On paper, being more sustainable and eco-friendly while shopping sounds great—so why don't more people do it? There is growing consumer consciousness about the environmental impact of where people choose to shop and the sustainability of the products they buy. According to McKinsey, over 60% of individuals surveyed in 2020 said they would be willing to pay more for a product that is packaged in an eco-friendly way. Since 2019, products marketed as being environmentally sustainable have seen a 28% growth in revenue compared to 20% for products with no such marketing, a 2023 McKinsey and NielsenIQ report found. Much of this is thanks to the preferences and attitudes of Gen Z, who, on average, care more than their older counterparts about being informed shoppers. The younger generation also has more social justice and environmental awareness altogether. Shoppers are willing to spend around 9.7% more on a product they know is sourced or manufactured sustainably, with 46% saying they would do so explicitly because they want to reduce their environmental footprint, according to a 2024 PwC report. Sustainable practices consumers look for from companies include production methods, packaging, and water conservation. But despite the growing consciousness around being more environmentally responsible, consumer actions don't always align with their values. In psychology, this is defined as the "say-do gap": the phenomenon wherein people openly express concern and intention around an issue, but fail to take tangible action to make a change. According to the Harvard Business Review in 2019, most consumers (65%) say they want to buy from brands that promote sustainability, but only 1 in 4 follow through. So why don't people actually shop sustainably, despite how much they express a preference for eco-friendly products—and how can we close the gap? The RealReal examined reports from the Harvard Business Review and other sources to explore why some shoppers want to buy sustainably but struggle to follow through. This lack of action isn't due to a lack of caring—in many cases, it's hard to know how to be a sustainable consumer and other factors are often outside of shoppers' control. But the more people shop sustainably, the easier and more accessible that market will be for everyone—making it much easier for folks to buy aligned with their values. There are many obstacles preventing shoppers from upholding eco-friendly habits as much as they may want to—but not all of these barriers are necessarily real, or accurately understood. Shopping sustainably simply isn't convenient or accessible for many. Those who live in apartment buildings are 50% less likely to recycle , according to Ipsos. Reasons for this can vary from lack of space to buildings being excluded altogether because of recycling contamination issues. Many believe that sustainable products are too expensive or of a lower quality. The former is often true, which does create a hurdle for many: The manufacturing processes and materials for sustainable products are pricey. For instance, organic cotton requires an intensive production process free of certain chemicals or pesticides; by definition, true eco-friendly products can't be mass-produced, further upping their price tag. Using recycled materials for packaging, or obtaining an eco certification, can also be expensive. However, although the narrative of eco-friendly products being more expensive is true, there is often more of an effort to use better quality materials that last longer than their noneco-friendly counterparts. This could end up saving consumers money in the long run: By paying more upfront, they can get more wear out of sustainable fashion, for instance. There is also undeniable political rhetoric surrounding eco-friendly products—however, despite many Conservative politicians decrying sustainable products, members of all generations are increasingly choosing to prioritize shopping sustainably regardless of their political affiliation, according to research from NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business . This finding shows a trend toward seeing sustainability as a nonpartisan subject everyone can benefit from, no matter where they lie on the political spectrum. Some might think eco-friendly clothing, in particular, is not fashion-forward; after all, many of the top clothing retailers in the world partake in fast fashion. However, brands are increasingly being recognized as 'cool' and 'trendy' for supporting environmentally ethical practices, particularly as younger generations prioritize sustainability, as noted before. Many increasingly popular online stores are taking advantage of this paradigm shift by offering secondhand shopping options that are not only fashionable, but also more affordable, like ThredUp or Poshmark. Additionally, many legacy large-name brands are hopping on the sustainability movement and are gaining appreciation from loyal customers. Amazon's Climate Pledge Friendly program partners with third-party certification bodies to make it easier for shoppers to identify eco-friendly products as they browse the website. H&M's newly launched H&M Rewear program debuts a resale platform that allows the resale of all clothing brands—not just their own. Similarly, Patagonia's Worn Wear program allows shoppers to trade in and buy used gear and clothing. The federal government is also working to close this gap. The Environmental Protection Agency's Safer Choice program is attempting to make sustainable shopping easier for consumers and companies alike. It includes a directory of certified products, a list of safer chemicals to look out for on labels, a "Safer Choice" label that products can earn to denote they are eco-friendly, and resources for manufacturers looking to adopt more sustainable practices. Most of all, though, the biggest way shoppers can shift toward sustainable shopping is through their behaviors and attitudes amongst their peers and communities. Studies show that humans largely care what others think of their actions; the more shoppers make environmentally conscious shopping the norm, the more others will follow suit. From an economic perspective, the more consumers shop eco-friendly, the more affordable and accessible these products will become, too: Sustainable products are currently more expensive because they are not in high demand. Once demand rises, production rates and prices can lower, making these products more accessible for all. Story editing by Carren Jao. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. This story originally appeared on The RealReal and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Want to Try Elden Ring Nightreign Early? Here's How You CanSocial media users are misrepresenting a report released Thursday by the Justice Department inspector general's office, falsely claiming that it's proof the FBI orchestrated the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The watchdog report examined a number of areas, including whether major intelligence failures preceded the riot and whether the FBI in some way provoked the violence. Claims spreading online focus on the report's finding that 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests on Jan. 6, including three who had been tasked with traveling to the city to report on others who were potentially planning to attend the events. Although 17 of those informants either entered the Capitol or a restricted area around the building during the riot, none of the 26 total informants were authorized to do so by the bureau, according to the report. Nor were they authorized to otherwise break the law or encourage others to do so. Here's a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: A December 2024 report released by the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General is proof that the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was a setup by the FBI. THE FACTS: That's false. The report found that no undercover FBI employees were at the riot on Jan. 6 and that none of the bureau's informants were authorized to participate. Informants, also known as confidential human sources, work with the FBI to provide information, but are not on the bureau’s payroll. Undercover agents are employed by the FBI. According to the report, 26 informants were in Washington on Jan. 6 in connection with the day's events. FBI field offices only informed the Washington Field Office or FBI headquarters of five informants that were to be in the field on Jan. 6. Of the total 26 informants, four entered the Capitol during the riot and an additional 13 entered a restricted area around the Capitol. But none were authorized to do so by the FBI, nor were they given permission to break other laws or encourage others to do the same. The remaining nine informants did not engage in any illegal activities. None of the 17 informants who entered the Capitol or surrounding restricted area have been prosecuted, the report says. A footnote states that after reviewing a draft of the report, the U.S. attorney's office in Washington said that it “generally has not charged those individuals whose only crime on January 6, 2021 was to enter restricted grounds surrounding the Capitol, which has resulted in the Office declining to charge hundreds of individuals; and we have treated the CHSs consistent with this approach.” The assistant special agent in charge of the Washington Field Office's counterterrorism division told the inspector general's office that he “denied a request from an FBI office to have an undercover employee engage in investigative activity on January 6.” He, along with then-Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Steven D'Antuono, said that FBI policy prohibits undercover employees at First Amendment-protected events without investigative authority. Many social media users drew false conclusions from the report's findings. “JANUARY 6th WAS A SETUP!" reads one X post that had received more than 11,400 likes and shares as of Friday. “New inspector general report shows that 26 FBI/DOJ confidential sources were in the crowd on January 6th, and some of them went into the Capitol and restricted areas. Is it a coincidence that Wray put in his resignation notice yesterday? TREASON!” The mention of Wray's resignation refers to FBI Director Christopher Wray's announcement Wednesday that he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden's term in January. Other users highlighted the fact that there were 26 FBI informants in Washington on Jan. 6, but omitted key information about the findings of the report. These claims echo a fringe conspiracy theory advanced by some Republicans in Congress that the FBI played a role in instigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when rioters determined to overturn Republican Donald Trump's 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden stormed the Capitol in a violent clash with police. The report knocks that theory down. Wray called such theories “ludicrous” at a congressional hearing last year. The inspector general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the false claims about its report. In addition to its findings about the the FBI's involvement on Jan. 6, the report said that the FBI, in an action its now-deputy director described as a “basic step that was missed,” failed to canvass informants across all 56 of its field offices for any relevant intelligence ahead of time. That was a step, the report concluded, “that could have helped the FBI and its law enforcement partners with their preparations in advance of January 6.” However, it did credit the bureau for preparing for the possibility of violence and for trying to identify known “domestic terrorism subjects” who planned to come to Washington that day. The FBI said in a letter responding to the report that it accepts the inspection general’s recommendation “regarding potential process improvements for future events.” — Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck .

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — said Saturday he had an “excellent conversation” with at his Mar-a-Lago club after the president-elect’s threat on two of America’s leading trade partners raised alarms in and . It was unclear, as Trudeau headed back to Canada from Florida, whether the conversation had alleviated Trump’s concerns. A person familiar with the details of the leaders’ hastily arranged meeting Friday night said it was a “positive wide-ranging dinner that lasted three hours.” The official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said topics included trade, border security, fentanyl, defense, Ukraine, NATO, China, the Mideast and pipelines, as well as the the Group of Seven meeting in Canada next year. The Republican president-elect has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products from Canada and as one of his first executive orders when he takes office in January. As he was leaving his West Palm Beach hotel, Trudeau stopped briefly to answer a reporter’s question about the dinner meeting, saying it was “an excellent conversation.” Trump’s transition team did not respond to questions about what the leaders had discussed. Trump, during his first term as president, once called Trudeau but it was the prime minister who was the first G7 leader to visit Trump since the Nov. 5 election. “Tariffs are a crucial issue for Canada and a bold move was in order. Perhaps it was a risk, but a risk worth taking,” Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. Among those at the dinner were Howard Lutnick, Trump’s pick for commerce secretary; North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, in line to lead the Interior Department; and Mike Waltz, Trump’s choice to be his national security adviser. Accompanying Trudeau were Canada’s public safety minister, Dominic LeBlanc, whose responsibilities include border security, and Katie Telford, Trudeau’s chief of staff. Trudeau had said earlier Friday that he would resolve the tariffs issue by talking to Trump. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said a day earlier after speaking with Trump that she is confident will be averted. Trudeau said Trump got elected because he promised to bring down the cost of groceries but now he’s talking about adding 25% to the cost of all kinds of products including potatoes from Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada. “It is important to understand that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There’s no question about it,” Trudeau said before his leaving for Florida. “Our responsibility is to point out that he would not just be harming Canadians, who work so well with the United States, but he would actually be raising prices for Americans citizens as well and hurting American industry and business,” he added. To Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, Trump “doesn’t need convincing that new tariffs on Canadian products would not be in U.S. interests. He knows that, but cannot say it because it would detract from what he has said publicly. His goal is to project the image that he gets action when he talks.” Those tariffs could essentially blow up the North American trade pact that Trump’s team negotiated during his first term. Trudeau noted they were able to successfully renegotiate the deal, which he calls a “win win” for both countries. Trump made the tariff threat Monday while citing an influx of migrants entering the country illegally, even though the numbers at the Canadian border pale in comparison to those at the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump also spoke about fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, even though seizures from the Canadian border are few in comparison to the Mexican border. Canadian officials say lumping Canada in with Mexico is unfair but say they are ready to make new investments in border security. When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term in office, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced against the U.S. in a response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US $2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. ___ Gillies reported from Toronto. Rob Gillies And Fatima Hussein, The Associated Press

A week after a demoralizing loss to the Tennessee Titans, the AFC South-leading Houston Texans might have a perfect opportunity to reboot when they face the host Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Then again, maybe not. It depends, Houston coach DeMeco Ryans said, if the Texans (7-5) are "locked in" and able to make a December push. "I just look at it as being intensely focused on your job and being where you're supposed to be, executing the minor details of your job," Ryans said. "It all comes down to minor, minute details that you get exploited if you don't do them the correct way and teams find those and they make you pay. "And a lot of the things, as I talked to our guys about, are things that we can control." Jacksonville (2-9), sitting at the bottom of the AFC South, is coming off a humiliating 52-6 loss to the Detroit Lions. It marked the fourth straight setback for the Jaguars, who had dropped their previous three games by a combined 13 points. Jaguars coach Doug Pederson noted that changes are coming, although he opted not to show his cards. "I'm not going to get into the whole details of things, but there are things in the run game that we have to get back to," Pederson said. "Even in the passing game, tweaking some things there. There are things that can, hopefully, help our production over the last six weeks." One of those things could be the return of starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who has not played since Nov. 3 due to a left shoulder injury. Lawrence was a limited participant during practice on Wednesday, with Pederson telling reporters Monday that the signal-caller's status for Sunday would be determined as the week progresses. Pederson has also had his eye on Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud, who has run into some struggles during his sophomore season. Stroud has thrown nine interceptions in 12 games (all starts) after throwing only five as a rookie. He was picked off twice in the 32-27 setback against Tennessee, also throwing for 247 yards and two touchdowns on 20-for-33 passing. Pederson still believes the 23-year-old can hurt the Jaguars, though. "Playing the quarterback position is hard," Pederson said. "I don't know everything that goes on down there. I'm sure there's been injury, guys have missed (time). He's missed his playmakers from time to time. And then there's the film. There's the film out there." The Texans have lost three of their past four games and four of their past six as defenses continue to solve Stroud. Defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. (ankle) and Denico Autry (knee) were among those who didn't practice for Houston on Wednesday, and safety Jalen Pitre is expected to miss several weeks because of a shoulder injury. Linebacker Yasir Abdullah (hamstring) was the only Jaguar to miss practice on Wednesday. Cornerback Tyson Campbell (shoulder) joined Lawrence as limited. Sunday marks the second meeting of the season between the teams. The Texans topped Jacksonville 24-20 back on Sept. 29. --Field Level MediaLONDON (Reuters) - Back-in-form Arsenal completed a high-scoring day in the Premier League with a 5-2 mauling of West Ham United as they sent out a message of intent to leaders Liverpool on Saturday. All seven goals arrived before halftime at the London Stadium as Mikel Arteta's side moved up to second in the table with a superb display of attacking football. They were not the only London club to hit the goal trail on Saturday, with Brentford hammering Leicester City 4-1 to move seventh. Bournemouth won 4-2 at Wolverhampton Wanderers with Justin Kluivert making Premier League history by becoming the first player to score a hat-trick of penalties. Nottingham Forest returned to winning ways with Chris Wood's penalty enough for a 1-0 victory over Ipswich Town that left them in sixth place in the standings. Crystal Palace scored late on to secure a useful 1-1 draw at home to Newcastle United and stay out of the bottom three. Arsenal's title hopes appeared to be in danger of disappearing before Christmas when they went four Premier League games without a win earlier this month but, with captain Martin Odegaard back from injury, they have rebounded in style. Odegaard and Bukayo Saka were the architects of a resounding Arsenal display which took their goal tally from the last three games to 13. It was only the fourth time a Premier League game had contained seven first-half goals and, despite his joy, Arteta said the head-spinning opening period was a little too exciting. "It tells you how crazy it was, how efficient both teams were in front of the goal. It was a spectacular 30 minutes," the Spaniard, whose side have 25 points -- six behind Liverpool -- told reporters. "I think it was great to score the fifth one as that calmed everything down and we could play a very different game that was much more suited to us." Saka's corner was headed in by Gabriel after nine minutes and Arsenal then tore West Ham to shreds, with Saka and Odegaard combining to tee up Leandro Trossard before Odegaard tucked away a penalty after Saka was hacked down. A minute after Odegaard's penalty, Trossard sent Kai Havertz away to make it 4-0 but West Ham hit back with Aaron Wan-Bissaka played through to score and Emerson then finding the net with a sensational free kick. For a while Arsenal were rocking but when West Ham keeper Lukasz Fabianski inadvertently punched Gabriel trying to reach a corner cross in a crowded area, the inspirational Saka slotted home the penalty for his fifth league goal of the season. VAN NISTELROOY SEES LEICESTER DEFEATED Bournemouth forward Kluivert said he was thrilled with his rare hat-trick at Wolves who dropped back into the bottom three. "That sounds beautiful (the record). To go in the history books, that's amazing, super happy with it," Dutchman Kluivert told Premier League Productions. Brentford have scored 26 Premier League goals, the same as Arsenal and only one fewer than top scorers Tottenham Hotspur. With new Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy watching from the stands, Kevin Schade netted a hat-trick for Brentford after Yoane Wissa's close-range goal had cancelled out Facundo Buonanotte's opener for the visitors. Palace were heading for a fourth home defeat as they trailed to an own goal by their England defender Marc Guehi but Daniel Munoz headed in a stoppage-time equaliser. Palace are in 17th place with nine points, the same as Wolves and Ipswich Town but with a better goal difference. Ipswich went down to Forest, for whom New Zealander Wood's penalty made him the club's joint-record Premier League scorer with 24, the same as Bryan Roy. Forest are in sixth place with 22 points. Attention now turns to Sunday's big clash at Anfield where victory for Arne Slot's Liverpool side over Manchester City would put them 11 points clear of the champions. Fifth-placed Chelsea host Aston Villa on Sunday while Manchester United are at home to Everton and Tottenham Hotspur take on Fulham. (Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Clare Fallon)

In his 2023 book, “Government Gangsters,” Kash Patel, whom Donald Trump says he intends to nominate as the next director of the F.B.I., named 60 people whom he classified as “members of the executive branch deep state” — a “cabal of unelected tyrants” who posed “the most dangerous threat to our democracy.” Mr. Patel has since said that the incoming Trump administration must deal with the “deep state,” be it “criminally or civilly.” The White House is reportedly considering whether President Biden should issue blanket pardons for many of Mr. Trump’s perceived enemies, such as the people on Mr. Patel’s list. The goal would be to pre-emptively protect them from groundless and vengeful prosecution. I’m on Mr. Patel’s list. I don’t want a pardon. I can’t speak for anyone else on the list, but I would hope that none of them would want a pardon, either. If we broke the law, we should be charged and convicted. If we didn’t break the law, we should be willing to show that we trust the fairness of the justice system that so many of us have defended. And we shouldn’t give permission to future presidents to pardon political allies who may commit real crimes on their behalf. This past spring, arguing in a brief to the Supreme Court that Mr. Trump shouldn’t have immunity from prosecution, Mr. Biden’s Justice Department reminded the justices that “the executive branch and the criminal justice system contain strong safeguards against groundless prosecutions.” Many former government lawyers — including a number of us on Mr. Patel’s list — were quick to publicly agree, stressing how dangerous and unnecessary such a grant of blanket immunity would be. We emphasized the importance of the rule of law and the trust we had in the jury system. Yet now that the shoe is on the other foot, suddenly we would accept total immunity from prosecution for anything we did during our time in government? Mr. Biden has made clear that he is comfortable with that sort of duplicity. Despite having his Justice Department argue against immunity for Mr. Trump, he pardoned his son Hunter on the unconvincing ground that his son was “selectively and unfairly prosecuted” by a special counsel appointed by the president’s own attorney general. But Mr. Biden’s hypocrisy should not be ours. A pardon would also let Mr. Patel off the hook. If he wants to prosecute everyone on his list, it’s going to require a lot of law enforcement resources. At a time when much of the American public wants the president to focus on inflation, crime and immigration, voters may not be pleased if drug cartels are a lower priority than prosecuting Liz Cheney for treason. And as Americans start to see his lack of evidence, Mr. Patel will look ridiculous. If anything, he may end up making heroes out of his targets, who would, in turn, be able to raise money for the exorbitant cost of their legal defense from outraged Americans until judges would predictably throw out these frivolous cases. If I accepted a pardon, Mr. Patel could also claim that it proved the “deep state” rigged the system. He could argue that he would have gotten convictions against all of us, without ever having to make his case — to a jury or to voters. In case you’re wondering: I have no idea why I’m on Mr. Patel’s list. I did work at the Justice Department during the investigation into the Trump team’s connections with Russia, but so did a whole lot of people who are not named. I’m hardly the only person whose inclusion is perplexing. Mr. Patel also names Kamala Harris, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. The whole idea of the “deep state” is a group of executive branch employees who work behind the scenes to thwart the president’s agenda. The past three Democratic presidential nominees aren’t the “deep state.” They are Mr. Trump’s political opponents.President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday he would pick Kash Patel, the former chief of staff to to the acting secretary of defense during the first Trump administration, to serve as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation . "Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and “America First” fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People," Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social, arguing Patel would "bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI." Patel, who will have to earn Senate confirmation to become FBI director, has earned a reputation as the ultimate Trump loyalist who has called for a purge of perceived enemies in the Justice Department and intelligence agencies. A former public defender who rose to increasingly senior national security posts in the final year of Trump’s first term, Patel has promoted the falsehood that the 2020 election was “stolen” from Trump as well as baseless claims that federal bureaucrats in the “deep state” tried to overthrow the former president. Patel has called for replacing “anti-democratic” civil servants in law enforcement and intelligence with “patriots” who he says will work for the American people, and in his memoir described the current political moment as “a battle between the people and a corrupt ruling class." “The Deep State is an unelected cabal of tyrants who think they should determine who Americans can and cannot elect as president, who think they get to decide what the president can and cannot do, and who believe they have the right to choose what the American people can and cannot know,” Patel wrote in "Government Gangsters." Former intelligence officers, Democratic lawmakers and Western officials worry that a hard-line Trump loyalist like Patel could reshape the makeup and mission of the nation’s intelligence apparatus, stripping it of its apolitical outlook and skewing assessments to adhere to a White House agenda. And they fear a worst-case scenario in which the spy agencies could be turned into tools to target political opponents. During the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, Patel gained favor with Trump as a congressional staffer after drafting a memo that accused the FBI of making mistakes in how it obtained a warrant to conduct surveillance of a former Trump campaign volunteer. Many of the memo’s assertions were later disproved. An inspector general report found fault with the FBI’s surveillance during the Russia investigation, but also found no evidence that federal authorities had acted in a politically partisan way. Patel went on to serve in Trump’s White House National Security Council, briefly as an adviser to the acting director of national intelligence and as chief of staff to Defense Secretary Chris Miller at the end of Trump’s first term. During the closing months of Trump’s tenure, the former president proposed Patel to serve as the deputy CIA director or to take over the FBI. Then-CIA Director Gina Haspel, a career intelligence officer, threatened to resign if Patel was installed and the attorney general at the time, William Barr, vehemently objected. Trump ended up dropping his plans. “Patel had virtually no experience that would qualify him to serve at the highest level of the world’s preeminent law enforcement agency,” Barr later wrote in his memoir. Patel and some other Trump loyalists suspected there was information hidden away in the intelligence community that could shed more light on bureaucratic plotting against Trump and in favor of Joe Biden, former officials said. “It was a fairly conspiratorial environment at that point,” said Marc Short, who served as chief of staff to then-Vice President Mike Pence. Patel has echoed Trump’s rhetoric labeling journalists as traitors and calling for “cleaning out” allegedly disloyal federal bureaucrats. In an interview last year with longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon, Patel vowed to go after “conspirators” who he claimed had abused their positions in government. “The one thing we learned in the Trump administration the first go-around is that we have to put in all-American patriots top to bottom,” Patel told Bannon. “And the one thing that we will do that they never will do is that we will follow the facts and the law and go to courts of law and correct these justices and lawyers who have been prosecuting these cases based on politics and actually issuing them as lawfare,” he said. “We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media — yes, we’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections. Whether it’s criminally or civilly, we’re going to figure that out — but yeah, we’re putting you all on notice,” Patel said. Trump and his allies first started referring to a “deep state” soon after the 2016 election, viewing the investigation into Russia’s interference in the election — and its outreach to the Trump campaign — as an attempt to sabotage his presidency. Patel joined Trump on the 2024 campaign trail and has promoted his memoir, a film adaptation of the memoir and a line of children’s books featuring him as a “wizard” defending “King Donald.” He has touted his charity, the Kash Foundation, as a way of helping the needy and providing legal defense funds to whistleblowers and others. But the foundation has released few details of its finances. According to tax filings for 2023, revenue for the foundation increased to $1.3 million last year, compared with $182,000 in 2022, with much of the money coming from donations. The foundation listed expenses of $674,000, with about $425,000 spent on advertising and marketing. He also has appeared on Truth Social peddling “Warrior Essentials” anti-vaccine diet supplements, which are supposed to “reverse” the effects of Covid-19 vaccines. In his memoir, Patel recounts how after law school he dreamed of landing a job with a law firm and a “sky-high salary” but “nobody would hire me.” Instead, he became a public defender in Miami. Referring to his stint at the Justice Department after his work as a public defender, Patel has claimed he was the “lead prosecutor” for a federal case against a Libyan accused of taking part in the lethal 2012 attack on a U.S. compound in Benghazi. “I was the main Justice lead prosecutor for Benghazi,” Patel said in an interview on a YouTube channel hosted by a former Navy SEAL, Shawn Ryan. But in Justice Department announcements at the time, Patel was not listed as the lead prosecutor or as part of the legal team. At a 2016 proceeding in Houston for a case involving a Palestinian refugee who pleaded guilty to supporting ISIS, a federal judge, Lynn Hughes, dressed down Patel and kicked him out of the chambers, according to a court transcript . The judge repeatedly questioned why Patel had flown all the way from Central Asia to be present at the proceeding, as the judge said his presence was unnecessary. And he scolded Patel for failing to dress appropriately. “Act like a lawyer,” the judge said. He accused Patel of being a Washington bureaucrat who would interfere in a case where he was not needed. “‘You’re just one more nonessential employee from Washington.” In his memoir, Patel wrote that he had rushed back from Tajikistan and did not have a suit to wear to the courtroom, and that he chose not to talk back to the judge “who had it out for me” to avoid damaging the government’s terrorism case. This article first appeared on NBCNews.com . Read more from NBC News here: Rush orders, cut costs, crossed fingers: How small businesses are preparing for Trump tariffs Trump threatens a 100% tariff on BRICS countries if they abandon U.S. dollar Trump picks Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner, for ambassador to France