Career Horoscope Today for December 11, 2024: Astro insights to avoid turmoils at workWithin a short period, Yashasvi Jaiswal has emerged as the youth icon of Indian cricket. He celebrates his 23rd birthday on December 28, 2024 but already this tall slim youngster has compiled a list of impressive batting performances in his brief career. However, in order to reach the heights he is capable of achieving, he must keep himself mentally steady and not get distracted by early success. Moreover, he must polish his technique in dealing with short pitched deliveries which seems to be a chink in his armour. Jaiswal’s run rate tends to slow down against the genuinely fast bowlers. Against such bowlers 40 percent of the balls that he faced were dot balls. However, Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell has made a bold prediction that if Jaiswal goes on to fulfill his true potential then he will end up with 40 Test centuries before he retires. Jaiswal made his Test debut against the West Indies in 2023 and right away stamped his class in international cricket by scoring 171 as an opener. He followed it up with double centuries in two consecutive Test matches against England in 2024. He became the third Indian batter to achieve the feat after Vinod Kambli and Virat Kohli. Jaiswal is also the third youngest cricketer in Test history to record two double centuries after Sir Don Bradman and Vinod Kambli. After Sunil Gavaskar’s amazing start in the West Indies in 1971, Jaiswal became the second Indian batter to cross 700 runs in a Test series. To understand what has enabled this young man to become such a determined run scorer, we must go back to his childhood. He was born in a small village near Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh, as the fourth of six children, to Bhupendra Jaiswal who owned a small hardware store, and his wife Kanchan Jaiswal, a homemaker. When Yashasvi Jaiswal was only a small lad of ten years, he was sent to Mumbai to further his budding cricket career. It was a very big gamble but it worked. In the initial years, the little boy was provided accommodation in a dairy shop where he did part-time work. But when his cricket schedule interfered with his work, the landlord threw him out. It was a dark period for a small boy who had not even entered his teens. But the little lad showed exemplary determination to achieve his goal. He found accommodation in a tent that was used by groundsmen at the Azad Maidan where he played. It was merely a tent where equipment was stored. That is how the little boy lived. After cricket practice, he took to selling paani-puri on the streets to make an income. The ten-year-old boy had no siblings to play with and his parents were not available to guide him. If he fell ill, he had no one to take care of him. After living in the tent for three years, Jaiswal’s cricketing potential was spotted in 2013 by Jwala Singh, who ran a cricket academy in Mumbai. The coach provided Jaiswal with a place to stay and also guided his cricket career along the right path. Such tremendous determination and willingness to make great sacrifices to achieve a distant goal is extremely rare to find in a small child. But Jaiswal had this golden quality. Those years of loneliness, hardships, and dejections made the boy learn harsh lessons. He realised he must be mentally strong and consistent in his game. All those years of overcoming physical and emotional hardships have made him a tough and hardened young man who can overcome great obstacles. He is like a sword forged in the fire of hardships. Surely his mettle will also show him the way to a magnificent future in cricket.By Yuji Kondo 8:00 JST, December 7, 2024 Less than a year remains until the opening of the Tokyo Deaflympics, an international sports event for the deaf. About 3,000 deaf athletes from 70 to 80 countries and regions will gather for the event. Preparations are progressing rapidly, but there are still a number of issues to be addressed before the opening ceremony, such as raising awareness of the event, promoting accessibility for deaf people, and training sign language interpreters. The Tokyo Deaflympics, the first to be held in Japan, will take place over 12 days from Nov. 15-26 next year, with 21 events at 15 venues in Tokyo, plus one additional venue each in Fukushima and Shizuoka prefectures. Most of the events will be the same as those held at the Olympics and Paralympics, but the Deaflympics will also include bowling and orienteering, in which competitors race to find their way to checkpoints in fields and mountains while reading a map. The first Deaflympics were held in Paris in 1924. They have a history of more than a century and are much older than the Paralympics, which began in 1960. However, compared to the Olympics and Paralympics, the Deaflympics are extremely little known. In a survey conducted by the Tokyo metropolitan government last year among Tokyo residents aged 18 and over, 93% of respondents were aware of the Paralympics, but only 15% were aware of the Deaflympics. In a 2021 nationwide survey conducted by the Nippon Foundation Paralympic Support Center, 97.9% of respondents were aware of the Paralympics, but only 16.3% were aware of the Deaflympics. The surveys showed that more than 80% of people in Tokyo and the rest of Japan were not aware of the Deaflympics. Even so, momentum for the games has been building in various parts of the country, with events such as the Deaflympics Festival organized by local governments and deaf organizations. Mitsuji Hisamatsu, chairman of the Organizing Committee of 2025 Summer Deaflympics, said: “Two years ago, when we were selected as the host city, we received inquiries once or twice a week, but now we receive inquiries from local governments and other organizations every day. I think awareness has increased significantly.” Starting next June, the National Caravan Activity is planned, in which a caravan will visit all 47 prefectures in Japan to hold events in lieu of a torch relay. The Tokyo metropolitan government, which is involved in the operation and preparation of the games, sees the Deaflympics as a great opportunity to promote barrier-free access to public facilities after the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021. In fiscal 2024, the Tokyo metropolitan government is promoting the installation of “light warning devices” at six facilities it owns, including Komazawa Olympic Park, which will be used as a venue for the games. In the event of a disaster, the system will alert people by flashing white lights. By next summer, special lights will be installed in the ceilings of 661 toilets, changing rooms and other facilities. In addition, devices that convert speech into text and display it on a screen in front of the user have been installed in about 40 locations, including sports facilities and libraries. The system displays the spoken words of hearing people as text, and deaf users can communicate by typing text on a terminal. The Tokyo metropolitan government’s International Sports Division says the system will also be helpful for elderly people with hearing difficulties. One of the biggest problems is finding international sign language interpreters. Like spoken languages, sign languages vary from country to country and region to region. For example, saying “thank you” in Japanese sign language involves placing the right hand vertically on the back of the left hand and making a gesture similar to a sword cut, while “thank you” in international sign language involves placing the right hand over the mouth and moving it away as if throwing a kiss. At international conferences for the deaf and sporting events such as the Deaflympics, international sign language has become the lingua franca, as the World Federation of the Deaf and other organizations have worked to develop and promote it. According to the Japan Information and Culture Center for the Deaf, there were 4,198 registered sign language interpreters in the nation as of October 2024. However, there are reportedly only a few people in Japan who can use international sign language. In preparation for the Deaflympics, the Japanese Federation of the Deaf has been holding exams for the registration of international sign language interpreters. Seven such interpreters were registered in December 2023. In addition, the Tokyo metropolitan government began subsidizing the fees for attending training courses in 2023, and a total of 331 people received such support in that year. However, there are still not many people in Japan who use international sign language, and there is an urgent need to raise social awareness of international sign language interpreters and to train more interpreters. The organizing committee aims to secure nearly 100 international sign language interpreters for the games. Hisamatsu, the chairman, said: “We want to have interpreters in place to ensure [communication of] information, such as for protests to the judges. We will try to ensure 100% communication.” Adam Kosa, president of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, the international governing body for the Deaflympics, visited the Tokyo metropolitan government building on Nov. 19 and met with Gov. Yuriko Koike. Kosa said: “The Deaflympics will be an opportunity to have a positive impact on Japanese society, just like the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. I believe it will help create a more inclusive Tokyo and Japan.” He called for the games to be a catalyst for creating a more diverse and accepting society. Koike responded in international sign language, saying: “We will create an environment where athletes can perform at their best. I am confident that these efforts will surely make Tokyo evolve and brighten the future.” She showed enthusiasm for further accelerating preparations for the games. The Deaflympics have the potential to bring about significant changes in society. But first we must steadily raise awareness of the games, involve more people, and use the remaining year of preparation to create a society where athletes from around the world and people with hearing disabilities can feel at home. Political Pulse appears every Saturday. Yuji Kondo Yuji Kondo is a senior writer in the Sports Department of The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson defended Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst against conservative criticism over Ernst’s hesitation to back Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s embattled pick to head the U.S. Department of Defense. Ernst declined Thursday to commit to supporting Hegseth, who faces allegations of sexual impropriety, financial mismanagement, public drunkenness and other personal misconduct. Hegseth has denied the allegations. Asked Friday during a conference call with reporters whether attacks over Ernst advocating for a thorough vetting before confirming Hegseth have been unfair, Hinson called Ernst a “fierce conservative fighter.” U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst talks about Rep. Ashley Hinson during Ashley Hinson’s BBQ Bash at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette) “She has dedicated her life to serving our Iowans and her country, and it is her constitutional duty to vet all of these nominees thoroughly, and I think that's what she is doing,” Hinson said. “That's what she has pledged to do. And also, by the way, doing some incredible work with DOGE to help cut government waste and abuse there.” Ernst late last month formed a caucus of Senate Republicans to involve Congress in discussions of spending cuts with tech billionaire Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Trump picked the pair to head the new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, an advisory body to Trump’s incoming administration. Ernst has embraced the DOGE goal of cutting $2 trillion in government spending. “So I can't think of a better person to helm that crucial caucus (and) help President Trump carry out his agenda,” Hinson said. “And I do think that we need to make sure we're giving every single nominee, no matter who it was — she did this in the minority, she is doing this in the majority — a thorough vetting.” Hinson, in a follow-up statement to The Gazette, called Hegseth “a strong pick.” “I was able to hear him speak earlier this week and think he will be a disruptor, end work DEI infecting our military, and cut through the endless bureaucracy at the Pentagon,” Hinson said. During a Fox News interview, Ernst said she had a “very frank and productive discussion” with Hegseth on Wednesday and that his vetting will continue. Ernst, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the first female combat veteran to be elected to the Senate, is seen as a swing vote and crucial barometer for Hegseth’s support among Senate Republicans. She has been rumored as a possible replacement for the post herself. Hegseth also has been critical of women serving in combat. Republicans will hold a slim 53-47 majority in the U.S. Senate next year, making each of the party’s votes crucial to approving Trump’s nominations to federal agency leadership positions. Ernst, a former officer in the Iowa National Guard and a sexual assault survivor who has made combating sexual assault and harassment in the military a key focus, told Real Clear Politics Phillip Wegmann on Thursday that while she has not yet made up her mind on Hegseth’s nomination, “I don’t have a campaign against Pete.” Ernst also told Real Clear Politics she is not seeking to be secretary of defense. “I’ve known Pete for a very long time,” Ernst said of Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I really appreciated the time that he took to sit down with me and walk through a number of issues,” Ernst told Real Clear Politics, adding the pair discussed the misconduct allegations during their 45-minute sit-down. Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, listens to reporters Thursday during a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., at the Capitol in Washington. Ernst said Hegseth “deserves to have a hearing" before the Senate Armed Services Committee to ”recount his service and rebut any allegations.“ Trump on Friday made his first public show of support for Hegseth since the nominee began meeting with Republican senators amid the misconduct allegations. "Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep," Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social. “He was a great student — Princeton/Harvard educated — with a Military state of mind. He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense Defense, one who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that,” Trump added. Trump supporters and MAGA activists took to social media to accuse Ernst of working behind the scenes to sink the President-elect’s nominee, and threatened to support someone to challenger her for the GOP nomination should she run for reelection. Ernst this summer told Iowa reporters she intends to seek reelection to a third term in the Senate in 2026. Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “We are learning a lot about Joni Ernst and the Senate establishment right now. Trump faithful are talking about finding a primary challenger. This is getting very serious.” Republican Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, the first statewide elected official in Iowa to endorse Trump, recently told Breitbart: “What we’re witnessing in Washington right now is a Deep State attempt to undermine the will of the people.” Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of the Christian conservative group The Family Leader, posted to X: “Undermining his nomination is to be in denial of America's clear voice in the November 5 election.” The House earlier this week passed a bill Hinson sponsored to aid federal prosecution of trade-related crimes by Chinese companies. Companies based in the People’s Republic of China frequently violate U.S. trade laws, including trade fraud, forced labor and efforts to evade U.S. tariffs, which undermine U.S. companies and workers, Hinson said. Despite the large volume of trade crime-related cases, the U.S. Department of Justice lacks the resources to prosecute these crimes, she said. The legislation, which Hinson co-introduced, would establish a new task force within the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute trade crimes and would require annual reports to Congress on those efforts. The legislation also would authorize training and technical assistance to other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, “expanding investigations and prosecutions and allowing for parallel criminal and civil enforcement action,” Hinson said. “While tariffs are one tool in our tool kit to level the playing field, we also must enforce our trade laws and hold China accountable for repeated violations that have a catastrophic impact on American workers and industry,” Hinson told reporters Friday. Hinson cited the example of a Chinese auto manufacturer that was shipping its products to Thailand to avoid U.S. customs duties. She said the ripple effect led to layoffs at an Illinois company. “This is far from the only Chinese company taking action to exploit our trade system to bolster China's nonmarket economy, but this is crippling American industry and manufacturing, again, threatening workers wages and livelihoods and enabling slave labor in China,” Hinson said. Hinson said cracking down on unfair trade practices will help boost domestic manufacturing. Hinson, a Republican from Marion, serves on the House Select Committee on China and hopes to remain on the committee when the new Congress convenes in January. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China, saying in a social media post that the former CEO “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.” Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a primary against Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Perdue pushed Trump's debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for governor. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

xAI, Elon Musk’s AI company, has raised $6 billion, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday. Investors gave a minimum of $77,593, per the filing. 97 participated, but the document doesn’t reveal their identities. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Valor Equity Partners, Sequoia Capital, and Andreessen Horowitz were expected to contribute to the round, along with Qatar Investment Authority, Qatar’s sovereign-wealth fund. The new cash brings xAI’s total raised to $12 billion, adding to the $6 billion tranche xAI raised this spring. CNBC reported in November that xAI was aiming for a $50 billion valuation — double its valuation as of six months ago. According to the Financial Times, only investors who’d backed xAI in its previous fundraising round were permitted to participate in this one. Reportedly, investors who helped to finance Musk’s Twitter acquisition were given access to up to 25% of xAI’s shares. Ramping up AI Musk formed xAI last year. Soon after, the company released Grok , a flagship generative AI model that now powers a number of features on X, including a chatbot accessible to X Premium subscribers and free users in some regions. Grok has what Musk has described as “a rebellious streak” — a willingness to answer “spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems.” Told to be vulgar, for example, Grok will happily oblige, spewing profanities and colorful language you won’t hear from ChatGPT . Musk has derided ChatGPT and other AI systems for being too “woke” and “politically correct,” despite Grok’s own unwillingness to cross certain boundaries and hedge on political subjects. He’s also referred to Grok as “maximally truth-seeking” and less biased than competing models, although there’s evidence to suggest that Grok leans to the left. Over the past year, Grok has become increasingly ingrained in X, the social network formerly known as Twitter. At launch, Grok was only available to X users — and developers skilled enough to get the “open source” edition up and running. Thanks to an integration with the open image generator Flux, Grok can generate images on X (without guardrails, controversially). The model can analyze images as well, and summarize news and trending events ( imperfectly , mind). Reports indicate that Grok may handle even more X functions in the future, from enhancing X’s search capabilities and account bios to helping with post analytics and reply settings. xAI is sprinting to catch up to formidable competitors like OpenAI and Anthropic in the generative AI race. The company launched an API in October, allowing customers to build Grok into third-party apps, platforms, and services. According to The Wall Street Journal, xAI is preparing to release a standalone consumer app similar to OpenAI’s in December. Musk asserts that it hasn’t been a fair fight. In a lawsuit filed against OpenAI and Microsoft, OpenAI’s close collaborator, attorneys for Musk accuse OpenAI of “actively trying to eliminate competitors” like xAI by “extracting promises from investors not to fund them .” OpenAI, Musk’s counsel says, also unfairly benefits from Microsoft’s infrastructure and expertise in what the attorneys describe as a “de facto merger.” Yet Musk often says that X’s data gives xAI a leg up compared to rivals. Last month, X changed its privacy policy to allow third parties, including xAI, to train models on X posts. Musk, it’s worth noting, was one of the original founders of OpenAI, and left the company in 2018 after disagreements over its direction. He’s argued in previous suits that OpenAI profited from his early involvement yet reneged on its nonprofit pledge to make the fruits of its AI research available to all. An xAI ecosystem xAI has outlined a vision according to which its models would be trained on data from Musk’s various companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, and its models could then improve technology across those companies. It is already powering customer support features for SpaceX’s Starlink internet service, according to The Wall Street Journal, and the startup is said to be in talks with Tesla to provide R&D in exchange for some of the carmaker’s revenue. Tesla shareholders, for one, object to these plans. Several have sued Musk over his decision to start xAI, arguing that Musk has diverted both talent and resources from Tesla to what’s essentially a competing venture. Nevertheless, the deals — and xAI’s developer and consumer-facing products — have driven xAI’s revenue to around $100 million a year. For comparison, Anthropic is reportedly on pace to generate $1 billion in revenue this year, and OpenAI is targeting $4 billion by the end of 2024. Musk said this summer that xAI is training the next generation of Grok models at its Memphis data center, which was apparently built in just 122 days and is currently powered partly by portable diesel generators. The company hopes to upgrade the server farm, which contains 100,000 Nvidia GPUs, next year. (Because of their ability to perform many calculations in parallel, GPUs are the favored chips for training and running models.) In November, xAI won approval from the regional power authority in Memphis for 150MW of additional power — enough to power roughly 100,000 homes. To win the agency over, xAI pledged to improve the quality of the city’s drinking water and provide the Memphis grid with discounted Tesla-manufactured batteries. But some residents criticized the move, arguing it would strain the grid and worsen the area’s air quality. Tesla is also expected to use the upgraded data center to improve its autonomous driving technologies. xAI has expanded quite rapidly from an operations standpoint in the year since its founding, growing from just a dozen employees in March 2023 to over 100 today. In October, the startup moved into OpenAI’s old corporate offices in San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood. xAI has reportedly told investors it plans to raise more money next year. It won’t be the only AI lab raising immense cash. Anthropic recently secured $4 billion from Amazon, bringing its total raised to $13.7 billion, while OpenAI raised $6.6 billion in October to grow its warchest to $17.9 billion Megadeals like OpenAI’s and Anthropic’s drove AI venture capital activity to $31.1 billion across over 2,000 deals in Q3 2024, per Pitchbook data.None

ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio (AP) — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow's home was broken into during Monday Night Football in the latest home invasion of a pro athlete in the U.S., authorities said Tuesday. No one was injured in the break-in, but the home was ransacked, according to a report provided by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. Deputies weren't immediately able to determine what items were stolen. A person who is employed by Burrow arrived at the Anderson Township home Monday night to find a shattered bedroom window and the home in disarray. The person called their mother, and then 911 was contacted, according to the report. Deputies reached out to neighbors in an attempt to piece together surveillance footage. “Our investigators are exploring every avenue,” public information officer Kyla Woods said. The homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were broken into in October. In the NBA , Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis had his home broken into Nov. 2 and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr.'s home was burglarized on Sept. 15 while he was at a Minnesota Vikings game. Portis had offered a $40,000 reward for information. Both the NFL and NBA issued security alerts to players after those break-ins, urging them to take additional precautions to secure their homes. In league memos previously obtained by The Associated Press, the NFL said homes of professional athletes across multiple sports have become “increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups.” And the NBA revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Some of the burglary groups have conducted extensive surveillance on targets, including attempted home deliveries and posing as grounds maintenance or joggers in the neighborhood, according to officials. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflChad Bullock to take over as head of Paul Bunyan Communications

Garrity: Unnecessary soul searchingTrump sides with Elon Musk in H-1B visa debate, says he's always been in favor of the program

NoneResponding to a significant increase in potential threats to lawmakers and the public in recent years, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’s office recently implemented new emergency rules requiring nearly anyone to pass through security screening upon entering the Statehouse or any building in the Illinois Capitol Complex. “Unfortunately, the world is not getting safer,” Amy Williams, senior legal adviser in the secretary of state’s office, told a legislative oversight committee Tuesday. One of the more serious threats, Williams said, occurred in March when security officials were notified of an active shooter threat, prompting a lockdown of the complex. The lockdown was lifted after investigators determined there was no credible threat, according to reports at the time. In April, police locked down the Capitol for about an hour as the building was cleared following a bomb threat. Illinois State Police arrested a suspect accused of making the threat the following month. So far in 2024, Williams told the committee, the Secretary of State Police Department has responded to 17 threats to the Capitol, nearly twice as many as any other year since 2018. There have also been threats directed at individual lawmakers. In September, a man was arrested for threatening to assassinate Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore. And on Monday, Dec. 9, Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, reported an employee in her district office became ill after opening office mail, according to a social media post. The employee was transported to a local hospital, prompting police to evacuate the building and cordon off a portion of the street while emergency crews responded. In October, Williams said, the secretary of state’s office was advised by a security consultant to increase the number of people required to go through security screening to include everyone other than lawmakers, state government employees and other elected officials. That meant many people who had previously been given unrestricted access to the building — including lobbyists, vendors and members of the news media — now have to go through security screening as well. “Primarily that decision came about because members of the General Assembly, elected officials, are sensibly background checked by their constituents who choose them to go to the Capitol to do the people's work on their behalf,” she said. “And state government employees are background checked by their respective agencies. Lobbyists, vendors and members of the press are not subject to any background check.” To avoid congestion, Williams said the office has set up a “TSA Express-style” screening point at the east entrance of the building for those individuals who previously had unfettered access. The security changes near the tail end of a three-year, $224 million renovation project that will make permanent changes to the way the public enters and exits the Capitol. That project involves restoration and remodeling of the entire north wing of the Capitol. When it’s completed, sometime in 2025, all public access will be through a new entryway on the north side of the building where people will pass through security screening before entering the building itself. Until then, visitors will continue entering through either the east or west doors of the building where metal detectors and baggage x-ray machines are located just inside the building. Lawmakers are tentatively scheduled to return to the Statehouse Jan. 2 for the start of a brief lame duck session. The regular 2025 session begins Wednesday, Jan. 8.UConn quarterback Joe Fagnano threw for two touchdowns and the Huskies' defense overwhelmed North Carolina for a 27-14 victory in the Fenway Bowl on Saturday in Boston. Mel Brown ran for 96 yards and the Huskies (9-4) reached the nine-win level for the third time in program history. It was a miserable day for the Tar Heels (6-7), who are in transition as they await Bill Belichick, who now takes over as head coach. Freddie Kitchens served as interim coach on Saturday following Mack Brown's departure at the end of the regular season and had praise for his team despite the loss. "I commend them for everything they've done the last three weeks. We didn't really catch any breaks today," Kitchens told reporter after the game. "You've got to make your own breaks sometimes. These guys just kept fighting." North Carolina's Chris Culliver returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and backup quarterback Michael Merdinger threw for 86 yards. Six of the team's 10 first downs came in the final 11 minutes. Fagnano finished 16-for-23 for 151 yards for the Huskies, who were limited to a field goal in the second half after rolling up a 24-7 haltime lead. North Carolina lost starting quarterback Jacolby Criswell to an apparent shoulder injury on the team's second offensive series. The Tar Heels, who were without running back Omarion Hampton (going into NFL draft), didn't pick up a first down until less than 30 seconds remained in the first half, and that was followed by an interception. UConn's first points came on Chris Freeman's 32-yard field goal. Then, with 3:45 left in the quarter, Fagnano connected with Skyler Bell on a 38-yard touchdown. The Huskies led 10-0 before Culliver's ensuing kickoff return, the only glitch for UConn in the first quarter. Fifty seconds into the second quarter, Fagnano hit Alex Honig with a pass for a 4-yard touchdown. The final first-half touchdown came on running back Cam Edwards' leap into the end zone to complete a fourth-and-2 snap. That capped a 14-play drive that consumed almost six minutes. "I feel like a proud father towards this team," UConn head coach Jim Mora Jr. "We ran for 210 yards. That's how you win a football game." North Carolina, which lost its fifth consecutive bowl outing, was credited with 1 rushing yard in the first half. The Tar Heels drove 98 yards on eight plays to score on running back Caleb Hood's 17-yard pass to John Copenhaver with 6:46 left in the game. Hood rushed for a team-high 78 yards. UConn had gone 0-3 against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference this season, but it had no trouble in snapping that streak against the Tar Heels. --Field Level Media

Jimmy Butler says he's not worrying about his future with Heat amid trade speculation Jimmy Butler knows there are tons of questions about his future with the Miami Heat. He might get traded, he might leave as a free agent next summer, he might exercise a $52.4 million option to return to the Heat or he might get a new contract. He isn't sure what will happen. The Heat forward spoke out about trade speculation Wednesday, telling reporters after practice that he doesn’t mind his name being in the rumor mill. Rape allegation against Jay-Z won’t impact NFL's relationship with music mogul, Goodell says IRVING, Texas (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says a rape allegation against rapper Jay-Z won’t impact the NFL's relationship with the music mogul. Jay-Z's company Roc Nation has produced some of the NFL’s entertainment presentations including the Super Bowl halftime show. A woman who previously sued Sean “Diddy” Combs alleging she was raped at an awards show after-party in 2000 amended the lawsuit Sunday to include an allegation that Jay-Z was also at the party and participated in the sexual assault. Jay-Z says the rape allegation made against him is part of an extortion attempt. The NFL teamed up with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in 2019 for events and social activism. The league and the entertainment company extended their partnership a few months ago. Reports: North Carolina reaches an agreement with Bill Belichick to become the Tar Heels' next coach Multiple media outlets are reporting that North Carolina has reached an agreement with former New England Patriots coach and six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick to become the next coach of the Tar Heels. The Athletic, ESPN and NFL Network reported, based on sources, that Belichick and UNC had agreed on a deal. The Athletic and NFL Network reported that the financial terms of the deal were expected to be for three years and $30 million. Neither North Carolina nor Belichick have announced that a deal has been completed. Juan Soto gets free luxury suite and up to 4 premium tickets for home games in $765M Mets deal DALLAS (AP) — Juan Soto gets free use of a luxury suite and up to four premium tickets behind home plate for regular-season and postseason New York Mets home games as part of his record $765 million, 15-year contract. The Mets agreed to provide personal team security for the All-Star outfielder and his family at the team’s expense for all spring training and regular-season home and road games, according to details of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press. New York agreed to assist Soto’s family for in-season travel arrangements, guaranteed he gets uniform No. 22 and included eight types of award bonuses. Tulane QB Mensah transfers to Duke; Mississippi State’s Van Buren, Cal’s Mendoza enter portal Former Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah has already found a new program in Duke, while Mississippi State’s Michael Van Buren Jr. and Cal’s Fernando Mendoza are exploring changes of their own in the transfer portal. Mensah is a redshirt freshman with three years of eligibility remaining. He told ESPN on Wednesday he has transferred to Duke. He attended the Blue Devils men’s basketball game against Incarnate Word on Tuesday night. The Blue Devils will face Mississippi in the Gator Bowl, but without 2024 starting quarterback Maalik Murphy and backup Grayson Loftis, who also entered the portal. Ohio politician proposes make flag planting a felony after fight in Michigan rivalry game An Ohio politician has seen enough flag planting. Republican state Rep. Josh Williams said Wednesday on social media he's introducing a bill to make flag planting in sports a felony in the state. His proposal comes after the Nov. 30 fight at the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry football game when the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes 13-10 and then attempted to plant their flag at midfield. A fight ensued and police had to use pepper spray to disperse the players. Former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield famously planted a flag in the middle of the field at Ohio State after the Sooners beat the Buckeyes in 2017. Made in America: McKennie and Weah link up for goal to help Juventus beat City TURIN, Italy (AP) — Weston McKennie waved an imaginary wand and American compatriot Tim Weah joined him in celebration. The pair had just linked up with Weah assisting McKennie for Juventus’ second goal in a 2-0 win over Manchester City — marking the first time in Champions League history that two players from the United States combined for a goal. That lifted Juventus up to 14th place in the 36-team standings, with the top 24 advancing. It was also important for McKennie and Weah, who are both battling for minutes after recovering from injuries. Man City crisis deepens with loss to Juventus in Champions League as Barcelona and Arsenal win Manchester City plunged deeper into trouble in the Champions League by losing 2-0 at Juventus in the latest setback in a scarcely believable run of poor results for the ailing English champions. City dropped to 22nd place in the 36-team standings and only the top 24 advances. Reaching the knockout stage looked a certainty before the season for a team that was European champion in 2022 and has won the last four Premier League titles. It's not anymore as City manager Pep Guardiola battles injuries and an apparent loss of belief among his players. Arsenal beat Monaco 3-0 and Barcelona won 3-2 at Borussia Dortmund. Lake Placid working with Italian officials as a backup sliding site for 2026 Winter Games Lake Placid would play host to bobsled, luge and skeleton events for the 2026 Olympics if a track currently being rebuilt in Italy isn’t finished in time for the Milan-Cortina Games, officials said Wednesday. There has been no indication from Italian officials that the track — a century-old facility that has been dormant for nearly 20 years — won’t be ready in time. Lake Placid would be serving only as a backup site, just in case. FIFA confirms Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup host despite human rights concerns ZURICH (AP) — Saudi Arabia has been officially confirmed by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men’s soccer. The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted in Zurich on Wednesday by the soccer body’s president Gianni Infantino. The decision was combined with approving the only candidate to host the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host in a six-nation project, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each getting one of the 104 games. The South American connection will mark the centenary of Uruguay hosting the first World Cup in 1930.Face yoga gives healthy glow

The Latest: UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect contests his extradition back to New York

Infosys Ltd. ADR remains steady Friday, underperforms market

The past two years have seen Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) dominate market headlines as the cornerstone of the AI stock boom. With its shares catapulting by over 800% recently, Nvidia continues to draw investor attention for its role in bolstering the S&P 500, thanks to its prowess in artificial intelligence chipmaking. This year alone, Nvidia’s stock has skyrocketed 174%, outpacing its closest Magnificent 7 competitor, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), which noted a 74% increase. However, despite such remarkable performance, questions arise about whether Nvidia can sustain this momentum, especially with new AI chip challengers and potential geopolitical trade hurdles on the horizon. Data centers offer broad growth avenues for Nvidia, while new consumer market opportunities loom. Nonetheless, increasing AI chip competition and political uncertainties could present obstacles. Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) and Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) are already nipping at Nvidia’s heels, with lesser-known contenders like Marvell Technology (NASDAQ:MRVL) gaining traction by partnering with tech giants. Despite this, Nvidia’s innovation continues to fuel demand—its forthcoming Blackwell chip is anticipated to match hyperscaler data center needs. Unprecedented pre-orders suggest a promising start for Nvidia in 2024, as indicated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing’s plans to magnify chip production capacity. Wall Street anticipates Nvidia’s sales and profits to surge over 50% by 2025. Yet, growth forecasts predict a slowdown by 2026. While continued gains are expected, replicating past explosive growth might prove challenging. Nvidia, while still a potential investment gem, might face headwinds in maintaining its rapid ascent. With tempered expectations, it remains key for investors to monitor the evolving market landscape for AI technologies. Nvidia’s AI Chip Dominance: Opportunities and Challenges Ahead Nvidia has been a cornerstone in the AI stock boom, capturing global attention with its exceptional growth. While its shares have soared by over 800% recently, questions abound about whether the company can maintain this trajectory amid rising competition and geopolitical challenges. Pros and Cons of Nvidia’s Growing Influence Pros: – AI Leadership: Nvidia’s unmatched prowess in AI chipmaking positions it as a leader in the industry. The anticipated release of the Blackwell chip is set to meet the demands of hyperscaler data centers, suggesting continued dominance. – Market Expansion: With data centers and new consumer markets, Nvidia has multiple avenues for growth. The company’s innovation garners substantial pre-orders, pointing to a promising outlook. Cons: – Growing Competition: AMD and Broadcom are intensifying the competitive landscape, while companies like Marvell Technology are gaining traction through strategic partnerships. This rising competition could affect Nvidia’s market share. – Geopolitical Risks: Potential trade restrictions could pose significant hurdles for Nvidia, affecting global operations and sales. Market Predictions and Trends Wall Street analysts predict Nvidia’s sales and profits could surge over 50% by 2025. However, growth may slow by 2026, indicating that while gains are expected, recreating past explosive performance might be challenging. Innovations and Future Insights Nvidia’s forthcoming innovations, especially in AI chip technology, keep the market optimistic about its future. The collaboration with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing to enhance chip production capacity supports this optimistic outlook. The ongoing pre-orders highlight the market’s confidence in Nvidia’s new products. Industry Comparisons and Market Analysis When comparing Nvidia with competitors like Tesla and AMD, it’s clear that Nvidia’s focus on AI chipmaking has offered unique growth opportunities. However, with AMD and Marvell Technology expanding their foothold, remaining vigilant to industry shifts is imperative. For more business insights into artificial intelligence, visit Nvidia’s official website . Sustainability and Security Aspects As AI technology continues to evolve, sustainability and security remain crucial concerns. Nvidia is expected to prioritize eco-friendly chip design and robust security features to cater to market demands and regulatory requirements. Summary: Navigating Challenges and Capitalizing on Opportunities In conclusion, Nvidia stands out as a potential investment gem, though sustaining its rapid ascent will require navigating industry challenges and geopolitical risks adeptly. Investors should watch market trends and Nvidia’s strategic initiatives closely. With tempered expectations, Nvidia’s future remains promising in the dynamic AI landscape.He’s one of the most famous corporate leaders in the world, delivering products embraced by billions. But it’s the haters that companies like Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta worry about. In an era when online anger and social tensions are increasingly directed at the businesses consumers count on, Meta last year spent $24.4 million on guards, alarms and other measures to keep Zuckerberg and the company’s former chief operating officer safe. Some high-profile CEOs surround themselves with security. But the fatal shooting this week of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson while he walked alone on a New York City sidewalk has put a spotlight on the widely varied approaches companies take in protecting their leaders against threats. Thompson had no personal security and appeared unaware of the shooter lurking before he was gunned down. And today’s political, economic and technological climate is only going to make the job of evaluating threats against executives and taking action to protect them even more difficult, experts say. “We are better today at collecting signals. I’m not sure we’re any better at making sense of the signals we collect,” says Fred Burton of Ontic, a provider of threat management software for companies. After Thompson’s shooting, Burton said, “I’ve been on the phone all day with some organizations asking for consultation, saying, ’Am I doing enough?” Since the killing, some health insurers have taken steps to safeguard their executives and rank-and-file workers. Medica, a Minnesota-based nonprofit health care firm, said Friday it is temporarily closing its six offices for security reasons and will have its employees work from home. “Although we have received no specific threats related to our campuses, our office buildings will be temporarily closed out of an abundance of caution,” the company said in a statement. A Medica spokesman said the company had also removed biographical information about its executives from its website as a precaution. UnitedHealth Group, parent of the insurer Thompson led, removed photos of its top executives from its website hours after the shooting, later removing their names and biographies. But well before the attack, some of the biggest U.S. companies, particularly those in the tech sector, were spending heavily on personal and residential security for their top executives. Meta, whose businesses include Facebook and Instagram, reported the highest spending on personal security for top executives last year, filings culled by research firm Equilar show. Zuckerberg “is synonymous with Meta and, as a result, negative sentiment regarding our company is directly associated with, and often transferred to, Mr. Zuckerberg,” the Menlo Park, California, company explained earlier this year in an annual shareholder disclosure. At Apple, the world’s largest tech company by stock valuation, CEO Tim Cook was tormented by a stalker who sent him sexually provocative emails and even showed up outside his Silicon Valley home at one point before the company’s security team successfully took legal action against her in 2022. Cook is regularly accompanied by security personnel when he appears in public. Still, the company’s $820,000 allotted last year to protect top executives is a fraction of what other tech giants spent for CEO security. Just over a quarter of the companies in the Fortune 500 reported spending money to protect their CEOs and other top executives. Of those that did, the median payment for personal security doubled over the last three years to about $98,000. In many companies, investor meetings like the one UnitedHealthcare’s Thompson was walking to when he was shot are viewed as very risky because details on the location and who will be speaking are highly publicized. “It gives people an opportunity to arrive well in advance and take a look at the room, take a look at how people would probably come and go out of a location,” said Dave Komendat, president of DSKomendat Risk Management Services, which is based in the greater Seattle area. Some firms respond by beefing up security. For example, tech companies routinely require everyone attending a major event, such as Apple’s annual unveiling of the next iPhone or a shareholder meeting, to go through airport-style security checkpoints before entering. Others forgo in-person meetings with shareholders. Government health insurance provider Centene Corp. joined that group Thursday, citing the UnitedHealthcare executive’s death in announcing that its upcoming Investor Day will be held online, rather than in-person as originally planned. “But there are also company cultures that really frown on that and want their leaders to be accessible to people, accessible to shareholders, employees,” Komendat said. Depending on the company, such an approach may make sense. Many top executives are little known to the public, operating in industries and locations that make them far less prone to public exposure and to threats. “Determining the need for and appropriate level of an executive-level protection program is specific to each organization,” says David Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations at the National Retail Federation. “These safeguards should also include the constant monitoring of potential threats and the ability to adapt to maintain the appropriate level of security and safety.” Some organizations have a protective intelligence group that uses digital tools such as machine learning or artificial intelligence to comb through online comments to detect threats not only on social media platforms such as X but also on the dark web, says Komendat. They look for what’s being said about the company, its employees and its leadership to uncover risks. “There are always threats directed towards senior leaders at companies. Many of them are not credible,” Komendat said. “The question always is trying to determine what is a real threat versus what is someone just venting with no intent to take any additional action.” Burton, a former special agent with the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, points out that despite the current climate, there is little in the way of organized groups that target companies. Today, one of the primary worries are loners whose rantings online are fed by others who are like-minded. It’s up to corporate security analysts to zero in on such dialogue and decide whether or not it represents a real threat. And CEOs aren’t the only targets of disgruntled customers. In the U.S., there were 525 workplace fatalities due to assault in 2022, according to the National Safety Council. Industries including healthcare, education and service providers are more prone to violence than others, and taxi drivers are more than 20 times more likely to be murdered on the job than other workers, the group said. But the ambush of UnitedHealthcare’s Thompson this week is bound to get some CEOs second-guessing. “What invariably happen at moments like this in time is you will get additional ears listening” to security professionals seeking money to beef up executive protection, Burton says. “Because I can guarantee you there’s not a CEO in America who’s not aware of this incident.” ___ Associated Press writers Anne D’Innocenzio and Haleluya Hadero in New York and Jim Salter in St. Louis contributed. He’s one of the most famous corporate leaders in the Chipotle is raising its U.S. prices to offset inflation and The U.S. government on Friday ordered testing of the nation's A 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook a large area of Northern

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