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The Jacksonville Jaguars have had a frustrating season but somehow they pulled out a win today. At the postgame press conference Doug Pederson said, “Found a way to win. Proud of the guys. So happy for them. Coaching staff, the way these guys hang together, they stick together, there is no quit. They keep fighting. I keep telling them, you never know when the play is coming your way. When it does, just make it. You saw at the end there. Antonio Johnson made the play and you win the game. So, a lot of good effort in this game. Defense created a takeaway; offense was effective and good in the red zone today. Just a good team win.” Pederson also talked about the emotions of the win saying, “It’s definitely emotional the way our season has gone. Obviously, we talked a lot about this, just the disappointment and the expectation not where it is, or should be. But any time you get a chance to win a game, especially against a good football team and division opponent, it's always great. Locker room is excited. Probably a little bit of relief as well just to get another win. It’s part of what we keep talking about every day. We want to finish this thing the right way.” Thanks for the feedback.
Middle East latest: Israel agrees to a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon starting at 4 am
has seen its user base soar since the U.S. presidential election, boosted by people seeking refuge from Elon Musk’s X, which they view as increasingly leaning too far to the right given its owner’s support of President-elect Donald Trump, or wanting an alternative to Meta’s Threads and its algorithms. The platform grew out of the company then known as , championed by its former CEO Jack Dorsey. Its decentralized approach to social networking was eventually . That’s unlikely now that the two companies have parted ways. But Bluesky’s growth trajectory — with a user base that has more than doubled since October — could make it a serious competitor to other social platforms. But with growth comes growing pains. It’s not just human users who’ve been flocking to Bluesky but also bots, including those designed to create partisan division or direct users to junk websites. The skyrocketing user base — now surpassing — is the biggest test yet for a relatively young platform that has branded itself as a alternative free of the problems plaguing its competitors. According to research firm Similarweb, Bluesky added 7.6 million monthly active app users on iOS and Android in November, an increase of 295.4% since October. It also saw 56.2 million desktop and mobile web visits, in the same period, up 189% from October. Besides the U.S. elections, Bluesky also got a boost when X was . “They got this spike in attention, they’ve crossed the threshold where it is now worth it for people to flood the platform with spam,” said Laura Edelson, an assistant professor of computer science at Northeastern University and a member of Issue One’s Council for Responsible Social Media. “But they don’t have the cash flow, they don’t have the established team that a larger platform would, so they have to do it all very, very quickly.” To manage growth for its tiny staff, Bluesky started as an invitation-only space until it opened to the public in February. That period gave the site time to build out moderation tools and other distinctive features to , such as “starter packs” that provide lists of topically curated feeds. Meta recently announced that it is testing a similar feature. Compared to the bigger players like Meta’s platforms or X, Bluesky has a “quite different” value system, said Claire Wardle, a professor at Cornell University and an expert in misinformation. This includes giving users more control over their experience. “The first generation of social media platforms connected the world, but ended up consolidating power in the hands of a few corporations and their leaders,” in March. “Our online experience doesn’t have to depend on billionaires unilaterally making decisions over what we see. On an open social network like Bluesky, you can shape your experience for yourself.” Because of this mindset, Bluesky has achieved a scrappy underdog status that has attracted users who’ve grown tired of the big players. “People had this idea that it was going to be a different type of social network,” Wardle said. “But the truth is, when you get lots of people in a place and there are eyeballs, it means that it’s in other people’s interests to use bots to create, you know, information that aligns with their perspective.” Little data has emerged to help quantify the rise in impersonator accounts, artificial intelligence-fueled networks and other potentially harmful content on Bluesky. But in recent weeks, users have begun reporting large numbers of apparent AI bots following them, or making seemingly automated in replies. Lion Cassens, a Bluesky user and doctoral candidate in the Netherlands, found one such network by accident — a group of German-language accounts with similar bios and AI-generated profile pictures posting in replies to three German newspapers. “I noticed some weird replies under a news post by the German newspaper ‘Die Ziet,’” he said in an email to The Associated Press. “I have a lot of trust in the moderation mechanism on Bluesky, especially compared to Twitter since the layoffs and due to Musk’s more radical stance on freedom of speech. But AI bots are a big challenge, as they will only improve. I hope social media can keep up with that.” Cassens said the bots’ messages have been relatively innocuous so far, but he was concerned about how they could be repurposed in the future to mislead. There are also signs that foreign disinformation narratives have made their way to Bluesky. The disinformation research group Alethea pointed to one low-traction post sharing a false claim about ABC News that had circulated on Russian Telegram channels. Copycat accounts are another challenge. In late November, Alexios Mantzarlis, director of the Security, Trust and Safety Initiative at Cornell Tech, found that of the top 100 most followed named individuals on Bluesky, 44% had at least one duplicate account posing as them. Two weeks later, Mantzarlis said Bluesky had removed around two-thirds of the duplicate accounts he’d initially detected — a sign the site was aware of the issue and attempting to address it. Bluesky earlier this month that it had quadrupled its moderation team to keep up with its growing user base. The company also announced it had introduced a new system to detect impersonation and was working to improve its Community Guidelines to provide more detail on what’s allowed. Because of the way the site is built, users also have the option to subscribe to third-party “Labelers” that outsource content moderation by tagging accounts with warnings and context. The company didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment for this story. Even as its challenges aren’t yet at the scale other platforms face, Bluesky is at a “crossroads,” said Edward Perez, a board member at the nonpartisan nonprofit OSET Institute, who previously led Twitter’s civic integrity team. “Whether BlueSky likes it or not, it is being pulled into the real world,” Perez said, noting that it needs to quickly prioritize threats and work to mitigate them if it hopes to continue to grow. That said, disinformation and bots won’t be Bluesky’s only challenges in the months and years to come. As a text-based social network, its entire premise is falling out of favor with younger generations. A recent Pew Research Center poll found that only 17% of American teenagers used X, for instance, down from 23% in 2022. For teens and young adults, TikTok, Instagram and other visual-focused platforms are the places to be. Political polarization is also going against Bluesky ever reaching the size of TikTok, Instagram or even X. “Bluesky is not trying to be all things to all people,” Wardle said, adding that, likely, the days of a Facebook or Instagram emerging where they’re “trying to keep everybody happy” are over. Social platforms are increasingly splintered along political lines and when they aren’t — see Meta’s platforms — the companies behind them are actively working to de-emphasize political content and news. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day More from The Hollywood Reporter
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MADRID (AP) — Spanish King Felipe VI used his traditional Christmas Eve speech to remember the victims of the catastrophic Valencia flash floods , and urged the country to remain calm despite public debates around hot-button issues such as immigration and housing affordability. In a pre-recorded speech that usually reviews the year's most relevant issues, Felipe said Spain “must never forget the pain and sadness" the flood have caused. The Oct. 29 floods killed more than 225 people in eastern Spain, damaging countless homes and leaving graveyards of cars piled on top of each other. In some towns, the heavy downpours that caused the floods dropped as much as a year's worth of rain in just eight hours. In early November, as Spaniards' shock at the wreckage turned into frustration, a political blame game began, directed especially at regional authorities who failed to send timely emergency alerts to cell phones on the day of the floods. The frustration of residents in hard-hit Paiporta near Valencia was on display when people tossed mud and shouted insults at the king and government officials in early November when they made their first visit to the town. “We have seen — and understood — the frustration, the pain, the impatience, the demands for greater and more effective coordination," Felipe said about how the disaster was managed, adding that he had asked that aid be sent to everyone who needed it. He also addressed the country's housing crunch and high rents, which have become a leading concern in this European Union country that is the eurozone's fourth-largest economy. Fast-rising rents are especially acute in cities like Barcelona and Madrid, where incomes have failed to keep up, especially for younger people in a country with chronically high unemployment. Felipe urged that “all the actors involved reflect” and "listen to each other” so that they facilitate bringing access to housing under “affordable conditions.” Spain's immigration debate should keep in mind the country's European partners and immigrants' countries of origin, Felipe said, warning that “the way in which we are able to address immigration ... will say a lot in the future about our principles and the quality of our democracy.” Felipe said Spain need to remain calm in the public sphere, even in the face of a “sometimes thunderous” contest in its politics. Suman Naishadham, The Associated PressSAN DIEGO, Dec. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robbins LLP reminds investors that a class action was filed on behalf of persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired ASP Isotopes Inc. (NASDAQ: ASPI) securities between October 30, 2024 and November 26, 2024. ASP Isotopes is a development stage advanced materials company focused on the production, enrichment, and sale of isotopes. For more information, submit a form , email attorney Aaron Dumas, Jr., or give us a call at (800) 350-6003. The Allegations: Robbins LLP is Investigating Allegations that ASP Isotopes Inc. (ASPI) Misled Investors Regarding its Uranium Enrichment Technology and Facility According to the complaint, during the class period, defendants failed to disclose that the Company: (1) overstated the potential effectiveness of its enrichment technology; (2) overstated the development potential of its high assay low-enriched uranium facility; and (3) overstated the Company’s nuclear fuels operating segment results. Plaintiff alleges that on November 26, 2024, market research firm Fuzzy Panda Research published a report that alleged the Company is “using old, disregarded laser enrichment technology to masquerade as a new, cutting-edge Uranium enrichment.” The report revealed a series of experts interviewed stated the Company’s reported cost estimates and timeline for building its HALEU uranium facilities was misleading to the point of being “delusional.” The report further alleged the Company had significantly overstated the significance of its agreement with TerraPower, which was only a “non-binding” memorandum of understanding entered into to “put pressure on [TerraPower’s] real suppliers.” The report quoted a former TerraPower executives as stating that ASP Isotopes was “missing the manufacturing; They are missing the processes as well; They still have to develop the HALEU...the most important part.” On this news, the Company’s stock price fell $1.80 or 23.53%, to close at $5.85 per share on November 26, 2024, and continued to fall on the subsequent trading date, falling $0.83 or 14.19%, to close at $5.02 per share on November 27, 2024. What Now : You may be eligible to participate in the class action against ASP Isotopes Inc. Shareholders who want to serve as lead plaintiff for the class must submit their application to the court by February 3, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. You do not have to participate in the case to be eligible for a recovery. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. For more information, click here . All representation is on a contingency fee basis. Shareholders pay no fees or expenses. About Robbins LLP : Some law firms issuing releases about this matter do not actually litigate securities class actions; Robbins LLP does. A recognized leader in shareholder rights litigation, the attorneys and staff of Robbins LLP have been dedicated to helping shareholders recover losses, improve corporate governance structures, and hold company executives accountable for their wrongdoing since 2002. Since our inception, we have obtained over $1 billion for shareholders. To be notified if a class action against ASP Isotopes Inc. settles or to receive free alerts when corporate executives engage in wrongdoing, sign up for Stock Watch today. Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/af960bd5-1ae2-4ed3-afe3-591b09ab920bAutry scores 16 as George Washington downs Illinois State 72-64
LOGAN ENERGY CORP. ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC MONTNEY ASSET ACQUISITION, $35 MILLION EQUITY OFFERING AND PRO FORMA GUIDANCE FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2024 AND 20252024 was already a dispiriting year for Boeing, the American aviation giant. But when one of the company's jets crash-landed in South Korea on Sunday, killing all but two of the 181 people on board, it brought to a close an especially unfortunate year for Boeing. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and aviation experts were quick to distinguish Sunday's incident from the company’s earlier safety problems. Alan Price, a former chief pilot at Delta Air Lines who is now a consultant, said it would be inappropriate to link the incident Sunday to two fatal crashes involving Boeing’s troubled 737 Max jetliner in 2018 and 2019. In January this year, a door plug blew off a 737 Max while it was in flight, raising more questions about the plane. The Boeing 737-800 that crash-landed in Korea, Price noted, is “a very proven airplane. "It’s different from the Max ...It’s a very safe airplane.’’ For decades, Boeing has maintained a role as one of the giants of American manufacturing. But the the past year's repeated troubles have been damaging. The company's stock price is down more than 30% in 2024. The company's reputation for safety was especially tarnished by the 737 Max crashes, which occurred off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019 and left a combined 346 people dead. In the five years since then, Boeing has lost more than $23 billion. And it has fallen behind its European rival, Airbus, in selling and delivering new planes. Last fall, 33,000 Boeing machinists went on strike, crippling the production of the 737 Max, the company's bestseller, the 777 airliner and 767 cargo plane. The walkout lasted seven weeks, until members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers agreed to an offer that included 38% pay raises over four years. In January, a door plug blew off a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight. Federal regulators responded by imposing limits on Boeing aircraft production that they said would remain in place until they felt confident about manufacturing safety at the company. In July, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud for deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration regulators who approved the 737 Max. Acting on Boeing’s incomplete disclosures, the FAA approved minimal, computer-based training instead of more intensive training in flight simulators. Simulator training would have increased the cost for airlines to operate the Max and might have pushed some to buy planes from Airbus instead. (Prosecutors said they lacked evidence to argue that Boeing’s deception had played a role in the crashes.) But the plea deal was rejected this month by a federal judge in Texas, Reed O’Connor , who decided that diversity, inclusion and equity or DEI policies in the government and at Boeing could result in race being a factor in choosing an official to oversee Boeing’s compliance with the agreement. Boeing has sought to change its culture. Under intense pressure over safety issues, David Calhoun departed as CEO in August. Since January, 70,000 Boeing employees have participated in meetings to discuss ways to improve safety.
The COVID Cover-Up: 19 Questions We Must AnswerNoneVALENCIA, Calif., Nov. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AVITA Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCEL, ASX: AVH), a commercial-stage regenerative medicine company focused on first-in-class devices for wound care management and skin restoration, today announced that Jim Corbett, Chief Executive Officer, will present at the at the Piper Sandler 36th Annual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time. A live webcast of the fireside chat will be accessible under the Events & Presentations section of the Company's website at https://ir.avitamedical.com . A replay of the webcast will be available following the conclusion of the event. About AVITA Medical, Inc. AVITA Medical® is a commercial-stage regenerative medicine company transforming the standard of care in wound care management and skin restoration with innovative devices. At the forefront of our platform is the RECELL® System, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of thermal burn wounds and full-thickness skin defects, and for repigmentation of stable depigmented vitiligo lesions. RECELL harnesses the regenerative properties of a patient's own skin to create Spray-On SkinTM Cells, delivering a transformative solution at the point-of-care. This breakthrough technology serves as the catalyst for a new treatment paradigm enabling improved clinical outcomes. In the United States, AVITA Medical also holds the exclusive rights to market, sell, and distribute PermeaDerm®, a biosynthetic wound matrix, and CohealyxTM, an AVITA Medical-branded collagen-based dermal matrix. In international markets, the RECELL System is approved to promote skin healing in a wide range of applications including burns, full-thickness skin defects, and vitiligo. The RECELL System is TGA-registered in Australia, has received CE mark approval in Europe, and has PMDA approval in Japan. To learn more, visit www.avitamedical.com . Authorized for release by the Chief Financial Officer of AVITA Medical, Inc. CONTACT: Investor & Media Contact: Jessica Ekeberg Phone +1-661-904-9269 [email protected] [email protected]
Heavy ground game gives Anthony Richardson a chance to shine in Colts' latest victoryUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The deadliest place for women is at home and 140 women and girls on average were killed by an intimate partner or family member per day last year, two U.N. agencies reported Monday. Globally, an intimate partner or family member was responsible for the deaths of approximately 51,100 women and girls during 2023, an increase from an estimated 48,800 victims in 2022, UN Women and the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime said. The report released on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women said the increase was largely the result of more data being available from countries and not more killings. But the two agencies stressed that “Women and girls everywhere continue to be affected by this extreme form of gender-based violence and no region is excluded.” And they said, “the home is the most dangerous place for women and girls.” UN Women’s Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda told a news conference launching the report that women have been killed by their loved ones for a long time and the trend is continuing because underlying issues haven’t been addressed — especially gender stereotyping and social norms. “This is killing which is associated with power over women,” she said, and it continues because of the continuing impunity for violent attacks against women. Gumbonzvanda, a Zimbabwean and longtime advocate for women’s rights, said there is “a lot of perpetrator anonymity” when it comes to the killing of women by partners or family members because “it means the family members have to bring justice against another family member.” UN Women is campaigning for those with economic and political power and for leaders in various traditions not to use their power to perpetuate violence. “Power should be used to facilitate options for prevention,” she said. According to the report, the highest number of intimate partner and family killings was in Africa – with an estimated 21,700 victims in 2023. Africa also had the highest number of victims relative to the size of its population — 2.9 victims per 100,000 people, it said. There were also high rates last year in the Americas with 1.6 female victims per 100,000 and in Oceania with 1.5 per 100,000, it said. Rates were significantly lower in Asia at 0.8 victims per 100,000 and Europe at 0.6 per 100,000. According to the report, the intentional killing of women in the private sphere in Europe and the Americas is largely by intimate partners. By contrast, the vast majority of male homicides take place outside homes and families, it said. “Even though men and boys account for , women and girls continue to be disproportionately affected by lethal violence in the private sphere,” the report said. “An estimated 80% of all homicide victims in 2023 were men while 20% were women, but lethal violence within the family takes a much higher toll on women than men, with almost 60% of all women who were intentionally killed in 2023 being victims of intimate partner/family member homicide,” it said. The report said that despite and girls by countries, their killings “remain at alarmingly high levels.” “They are often the culmination of repeated episodes of gender-based violence, which means they are preventable through timely and effective interventions,” the two agencies said. Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press
Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, has died at 100
MIT’s (mostly) secret society– a son of the Deep South devoted to civil rights, a small businessman wary of his party’s labor union base, a devout Baptist abhorred by the rising religious right, a submarine officer who was reluctant to commit American forces in war and a ferocious campaigner who disdained the compromises of governing. He parked politics at the Oval Office door, believing he would be reelected if he did “the right thing,” freeing him to take on challenges other presidents shirked. Congress , a record surpassed only slightly by the fabled President Lyndon Johnson. at his home in Plains, Georgia, was our most accomplished one-term modern president, whose enduring achievements were eclipsed by inflation, Iran, inexperience and interparty warfare. The energy security America enjoys rests on the foundation of his three , ending price controls on domestic production of oil and natural gas, focusing on conservation, and inaugurating the era of wind and solar energy. Average Americans benefited from the consumer advocates he placed in regulatory agencies, along with legislation that opened up transportation to competition, from trucking to railroads to airlines, making for the middle class and clearing the way for new carriers like Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways. He even removed Prohibition-era regulations that had blocked the rise of the and began telecommunications deregulation that ushered in the cable era. Carter was the greatest environmental president since Theodore Roosevelt, through the Alaska Lands Act. With typical attention to detail, he on the Oval Office rug and on his hands and knees persuaded Alaska’s senior Republican senator to accept setting aside over for protection against development. In ethically challenged Washington, Carter's campaign pledges – “ ” and seeking a government “ " as the American people – were translated into lasting reforms: the , prohibiting companies from paying bribes to foreign officials to get business; the , creating independent inspectors general to root out fraud and abuse in federal agencies; and the , requiring senior officials to disclose their assets, restrict gifts and limit post-employment lobbying, and authorizing the appointment of special prosecutors to investigate wrongdoing – the precursor to special counsel Robert Mueller and his Russia investigation during the Trump presidency. With Walter Mondale, Carter created the modern vice presidency, making his running mate a full partner in government with a West Wing office and access to all classified papers. He appointed to judgeships and senior posts than all the previous 38 presidents together, and he , angering his conservative Southern base. Carter's domestic Achilles' heel was also his finest hour: tackling a decade of runaway inflation impervious to traditional remedies. Inflation was high during the Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford presidencies and rose further under Carter, with the oil shock and gas lines from the radical Iranian revolution. He told us that every measure he tried had failed, and that even if it doomed his reelection he would choose Paul Volcker to chair the Federal Reserve, knowing full well it would mean tight money and sky-high interest rates that his advisers, including me, warned would be political poison. Carter never complained. Volcker’s prescription worked – not in time to earn him a second term, but it laid the we enjoy today, even with the temporary spike from the pandemic recovery. In foreign policy, Carter's most lasting success was the greatest feat of personal presidential diplomacy in American history. Deliberately for 13 agonizing days in September 1978 with the mutually distrustful Menachem Begin of Israel and Anwar Sadat of Egypt, Carter crafted more than 20 successive draft agreements seeking common ground. With all participants exhausted, Begin was ready to go home. Carter applied a personal touch by inscribing photographs of the three leaders to . The Israeli prime minister’s eyes teared, he relented and the rest is history: For more than four decades, the peace treaty Carter negotiated between Egypt and Israel has been central to Israel’s security and to America’s national interest. Carter made human rights a central tenet and applied those principles to the Latin American dictatorships, creating a new era in hemispheric relations along with the Panama Canal Treaty. With the Soviet Union, he combined soft and hard power: championing human rights for Soviet Jews and others, increasing defense spending, greenlighting military modernization programs (that President Ronald Reagan later built upon) and taking a tough stand on the Soviet . Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? . It was confrontation with the Iranian revolution, a conundrum no president has resolved, that brought down Carter. He supported our ally, the shah of Iran, to the bitter end, and urged the shah's army to stand up to the Islamic regime that followed. Carter was the last holdout, and after he agreed to let the shah enter the United States for cancer treatment, radical students took American diplomats hostage in our Tehran embassy. Carter mistakenly promised their families he would put their safety first, giving the Iranians leverage, and refused to blockade Iran’s oil export ports. He holed himself up in the White House to concentrate on their release, keeping the humiliating story on television . The crowning blow was a bold but unsuccessful rescue mission doomed by too few helicopters, unexpected sandstorms, and the to coordinate the complex mission. But as commander in chief, he took sole responsibility. David Jones, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time, recounted to me in an interview for my book what Carter had told him: If the mission succeeded, it would be their success; if it failed, it would be on his shoulders. Carter’s enemies dismissed him as ineffectual, and former "peanuts," but they were wrong. Jimmy Carter does not deserve a place on Mount Rushmore with our greatest presidents, but he belongs in the foothills with others who strengthened our country and its place in the world. His vice president, Walter Mondale, put it succinctly in words now etched on the : “We told the truth, we obeyed the law, we kept the peace.”Hub Group Declares Quarterly Dividend
