Montana Technological University will host its commencement at 11 a.m. in the HPER on Saturday. The university will be awarding 207 degrees and certificates to 198 students. Also on Saturday, the nursing pinning ceremony starts at 9 a.m. in the library auditorium. On Friday, the Line Rodeo will take place from 9 a.m. to noon in the pole yard at Highlands College. At 5 p.m., the Order of the Engineer will be in the library auditorium. The Nursing Pinning Ceremony will be in the Library Auditorium on Saturday morning, Dec. 14 at 9:00 am. HELENA — At a virtual town hall, veterans are invited to join Montana VA virtually to discuss updates on policies, programs and services from 5 to 6 p.m. on Thursday. Duane Gill, Montana VA’s executive director, will host and will be discussing how policies and programs have evolved and answer questions from veterans. A variety of issues from veterans’ benefits, community care, tele-health, travel benefits, and more will also be discussed. The event is accessible virtually either by calling in or livestreaming the town hall. To join, veterans and their families should call in at 866-478-3358 or livestream the townhall at . Program experts will share overviews of their services and resources for the first section of the town hall. The final 30 minutes are reserved for a question-and-answer period for veterans. Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.DALLAS — If “better health for my hockey team” was among Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes’ holiday wishes, he instead got a notable lump of coal in his stocking before the team plane had even left the ground at MSP on Friday morning. The seat on the charter aircraft normally occupied by Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizov was empty when the rest of the squad took off for Texas. He was unavailable for the Friday evening game versus the Stars with a lower-body injury that has been a problem for a few days now, Hynes said. ADVERTISEMENT “He was a little sore, I think, going into the break, and then we talked with the doctors and stuff yesterday,” the coach said following the team’s morning skate at American Airlines Center. “Right now, as far as I know, it’s day-to-day ... then we’ll see how he’s feeling each day moving forward here.” Hynes added that the absence is not related to the knee-on-knee check Kaprizov took during a November game in Edmonton, which kept him out of the lineup for one game. The coach added that he has not seen anything to indicate the absence will be long-term. “I don’t have a big concern level as of now because he was a little bit banged up prior to going into the break, but we all saw how he played against Chicago,” Hynes said, referencing the team-leading 23rd goal of the season that Kaprizov scored in a 4-3 win over the Blackhawks on Monday. “We’ll see what he does today with his treatments and see what he does tomorrow.” Stars coach Peter DeBoer got the news of Kaprizov’s absence from the media following his team’s morning skate. “Obviously, an important player. I probably could’ve saved myself some time in my pre-scout this morning if I’d known that earlier,” he said, noting that they weren’t expecting an easy night with or without Kaprizov. “When I look at Minnesota, they’re a team that’s the true sum of their parts rather than one player. “They’ve got four lines, they defend well, they’ve got great goaltending. So, probably a lot like us, you can take a player out of the lineup and still be competitive. But still, that’s a big guy out for them.” The Wild will host Ottawa on Sunday evening and Nashville on Tuesday evening. ADVERTISEMENT ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .
News briefs: Tech commencement, virtual veterans' meeting
Article content WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare the tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — wealthy members of the tech world including billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and their call for more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. The debate touched off this week when Laura Loomer, a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his coming administration. Krishnan favours the ability to bring more skilled immigrants into the U.S. Laura Loomer, the conspiracy theorist and Trump surrogate, as well as other far right accounts are pushing the idea that Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-born, US citizen who was selected to advise Trump on AI policy is not fit for the job seemingly because he was born in India. pic.twitter.com/rInKGOQ9er Loomer declared the stance to be “not America First policy” and said the tech executives who have aligned themselves with Trump were doing so to enrich themselves. Much of the debate played out on the social media network X, which Musk owns. Nobody can afford to live off of $70,000 a year in today’s America. Stop crying about declining birth rates when you want us to live like a bunch of welfare queens. Can’t have a family and keep having more kids while making $70,000 a year and also working 80 hours a week.... pic.twitter.com/l11g1KEMql Loomer’s comments sparked a back-and-forth with venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sacks, whom Trump has tapped to be the “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar.” Musk and Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tasked with finding ways to cut the federal government, weighed in, defending the tech industry’s need to bring in foreign workers. It bloomed into a larger debate with more figures from the hard-right weighing in about the need to hire U.S. workers, whether values in American culture can produce the best engineers, free speech on the internet, the newfound influence tech figures have in Trump’s world and what his political movement stands for. Trump has not yet weighed in on the rift, and his presidential transition team did not respond to a message seeking comment. Musk, the world’s richest man who has grown remarkably close to the president-elect, was a central figure in the debate, not only for his stature in Trump’s movement but his stance on the tech industry’s hiring of foreign workers. Technology companies say H-1B visas for skilled workers, used by software engineers and others in the tech industry, are critical for hard-to-fill positions. But critics have said they undercut U.S. citizens who could take those jobs. Some on the right have called for the program to be eliminated, not expanded. Born in South Africa, Musk was once on an a H-1B visa himself and defended the industry’s need to bring in foreign workers. “There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent,” he said in a post. “It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” Trump’s own positions over the years have reflected the divide in his movement. His tough immigration policies, including his pledge for a mass deportation, were central to his winning presidential campaign. He has focused on immigrants who come into the U.S. illegally but he has also sought curbs on legal immigration, including family-based visas. As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump called the H-1B visa program “very bad” and “unfair” for U.S. workers. After he became president, Trump in 2017 issued a “Buy American and Hire American” executive order, which directed Cabinet members to suggest changes to ensure H-1B visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants to protect American workers. Trump’s businesses, however, have hired foreign workers, including waiters and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago club, and his social media company behind his Truth Social app has used the the H-1B program for highly skilled workers. During his 2024 campaign for president, as he made immigration his signature issue, Trump said immigrants in the country illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country” and promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. But in a sharp departure from his usual alarmist message around immigration generally, Trump told a podcast this year that he wants to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges. “I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country,” he told the “All-In” podcast with people from the venture capital and technology world. Those comments came on the cusp of Trump’s budding alliance with tech industry figures, but he did not make the idea a regular part of his campaign message or detail any plans to pursue such changes.It seems that the older we get the faster time moves. 2024 is just a blur on this journey called life. We start each year with things that we hope to accomplish and before we know it, it’s time to start a new list. Before starting the 2025 list of resolutions, we need to check the 2024 resolutions in case we need to have a carryover. Fly boxes were filled with streamers and dry flies. While streamers with red were the plan, only one red bucktail, the Old Guide Bucktail, was tied. The fly worked flawlessly and caught many trout in stocked and wild trout ponds. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.The New York Times, citing American officials, has reported that Ukraine is reducing its use of long-range ATACMS missiles, primarily due to dwindling stockpiles. Kyiv reportedly has fewer than 50 of the missiles provided by the US. This challenge is compounded by political shifts in Washington that could affect future military support for Ukraine. Source: The New York Times Details: The report notes that when the US decided to provide ATACMS missiles in spring, about 500 units were transferred from Pentagon stockpiles. Initially, Ukraine was restricted from using these missiles to strike Russian territory, instead targeting temporarily occupied territories, including Crimea. However, in mid-November, US President Joe Biden justified granting permission for Kyiv to use these missiles for strikes deep within Russian territory. By then, Ukraine reportedly had only "tens of the missiles" left, approximately 50. The New York Times cited two US officials as saying that possibilities for securing additional missiles are nearly exhausted. Existing stockpiles were already allocated to regions such as the Middle East and Asia. Meanwhile, the UK, which also allowed Ukraine to use its Storm Shadow missiles on Russian territory following Biden’s decision, recently admitted its own supplies of these missiles are critically low. The situation is unlikely to change under Donald Trump, who in a recent Time interview disagreed "very vehemently" with Ukraine’s use of ATACMS on Russian territory. Trump criticised the Biden administration’s decision to provide the missiles, calling it "foolish". The Kremlin later commented that Trump’s stance "fully aligns" with Moscow’s views. The New York Times, referencing data from Russia's Ministry of Defence and military bloggers, reported that after receiving permission from the US and UK, Ukraine conducted at least six missile strikes, using no fewer than 31 ATACMS and 14 Storm Shadow missiles. While the Ukrainian military has not commented on their use, neither the US nor Ukraine officials have disputed the given numbers. The article also highlights remarks from officials and analysts describing Ukrainian Storm Shadow strike on 20 November against a Russian command bunker near the district of Maryino in Kursk Oblast as one of the most effective attacks. The following day, Russia launched its new hypersonic ballistic Oreshnik missile, targeting the city of Dnipro in Ukraine. General Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s Chief of the General Staff, held a phone call with General Charles Brown, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on 27 November, to discuss concerns about escalation. Quote: "After that 27 November call, Ukraine didn’t fire ATACMS or Storm Shadows for two weeks. Russia also launched few missile or drone attacks into Ukraine, although Russia’s president [sic], Vladimir V. Putin, threatened to launch the Оreshnik at the centre of Кyiv if Ukraine didn’t stop using ATACMS in Russia." More details: Despite public threats, Putin has been cautious in responding to Ukrainian operations, the US officials said. They believe Moscow is unlikely to retaliate directly against the US for long-range missile strikes to avoid dragging Washington into the conflict. Analysts suggest Ukraine has slowed its use of the missiles due to their limited stock and the priority targeting of high-value objectives. Mykola Bielieskov, a military analyst at Ukraine’s government-run National Institute for Strategic Studies, explained: "We decided to wait and find high-value capability, and that’s natural. Don’t expect quick returns, because we need to preserve this capability and spend it judiciously and very wisely". Background: Support UP or become our patron !Verdict for Ex-Marine over subway chokehold death in US
Stock market today: Nvidia drags Wall Street from its records as oil and gold rise
Xsolla has partnered with telecommunications firm StarNest to create a new game development academy. The academy and incubator program established with Azerbaijan's Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA) will train 90 young designers, as well as offer mentorship, financial support, and opportunities to exhibit their games worldwide. Xsolla is also hoping to establish a regional hub in Baku and dedicated facilities that will, according to PocketGamer , "act as a technology hub for central Asia." "This partnership represents a significant milestone for Xsolla as we collaborate with Azerbaijani leaders to unlock the region's potential," said Xsolla SVP of global strategic partnerships Rytis Joseph Jan. "By combining our global expertise with the visionary leadership of our partners, we aim to empower the next generation of talent in Azerbaijan and drive meaningful innovation with global impact." Xsolla has predicted that mobile gaming will produce $98.7 billion in total revenue in 2024 , with China forecast to lead the market by generating $34.6 billion. This is according to its recent Autumn 2024 State of Play report, which has also estimated that the compound annual growth rate from 2024 to 2027 will grow by 6.4%, with the market expected to reach $118.9 billion by 2027.A lot of speculation surrounds if and when Auston Matthews is going to return soon, but for David Pagnotta, he believes the best course of action is a lengthy one. It's not been a fun end to the year for the Toronto Maple Leafs, with them being 5-5-0 over their last 10 games and the fact that Auston Matthews is out yet again after his nagging injury keeps him away from the team. Knowing he's at least out against the Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals in the Leafs back-to-back, it's starting to get concerning. Though NHL insider David Pagnotta thinks the best case scenario for Matthews and the Leafs is a long-term stint on the shelf: Toronto Has Enough Firepower To Weather The Storm Though it hurts to have Matthews out again for a potentially extended period of time again, Toronto needs not to fret. Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares have all played exceptionally this season, and with a bigger role given their captain's injury, they'll carry the load. Not to mention the sudden emergence of Toronto's third line with Nick Robertson, Max Domi and Bobby McMann. Suddenly a viable scoring option for Craig Berube, if they can get on a hot streak and continue it throughout the beginning of 2025 it'll be a huge burden off their stars' shoulders. There's always the potential for Brad Treliving to make a trade in order to gather reinforcements , although he might need to do some extra homework and make sure he's not going to overpay for a short-term issue. Unless Toronto falters completely, he shouldn't act too rashly when it comes to making a deal. Toronto's schedule going forward isn't necessarily a reprieve from their grueling December slate. January offers no back-to-back games but they have several games where they are sitting on one day of rest; not conducive to helping their injured players heal properly. With a strong push without their captain, the Leafs can set themselves up for a wildly successful run and prove they can handle things when the tough times arise. It's going to be a tough stretch, but if anyone can handle it; it's this year's version of the blue and white. This article first appeared on Hockey Patrol and was syndicated with permission.
SBP issues updated framework for exchange companies A vendor at an exchange company counts dollars in this undated photograph. — AFP/File KARACHI: Pakistan’s central bank on Friday released a revised set of regulations for exchange businesses, describing corporate governance structures, establishing criteria for information technology systems and internal controls, and strengthening the supervisory and enforcement regime. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1700472799616-0'); }); “The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has undertaken a comprehensive review of the existing regulatory instructions. Accordingly, a consolidated and updated ‘Regulatory Framework for Exchange Companies (RFEC)’ has been developed,” it said in a circular. The framework will replace the existing Exchange Companies Manual and will become effective from January 01, 2025. In order to ensure full compliance with the framework, the exchange companies (ECs) will formulate and align their policies, procedures and systems by June 30, 2025, it added. According to the framework, the exchange company’s minimum paid-up capital will be one billion rupees. The shortfall must be filled by a capital-deficient company by the following deadlines: Rs600 million by December 31, 2025; Rs800 million by December 31, 2026; and Rs1 billion by December 31, 2027. According to the framework, the chief executive officer of the exchange company is any individual who, under the direction and control of the board, is given full or nearly full authority to manage the exchange company’s affairs. Any person holding a director position on the board of an exchange company is considered a director, as are sponsor directors, nominees and substitute directors, among other titles that SBP will periodically examine. Any business that wants to operate as an exchange company and receive authorisation under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act can do so by contacting the SBP. There would be three steps in the approval process: a) certificate of no objection for the establishment of a company; b) approval in principle for the operationalisation of a firm; and c) the granting of an authorisation to start operations.
Stratford police said the man arrested last week following alleged intimate partner violence that resulted in a lengthy standoff is facing 18 charges. Randal Ackersville of Stratford was charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, aggravated sexual assault, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, uttering threats, forcible confinement, intimidation, five firearms offences and five counts of breaching a release order. Stratford police were called Dec. 5 shortly before 5:30 a.m. when an injured woman was spotted by a resident walking along Mornington Street. The resident called police and drove the woman to hospital, where she was treated for injuries allegedly sustained in an incident of intimate partner violence and released the same day. Police said Ackersville, 51, barricaded himself inside a Mornington Street home, prompting officers to close down the area surrounding the residence to contain the situation and attempt to negotiate a peaceful solution. Public safety was also a concern since it was reported a firearm was used during the incident, police said. Officers arrested Ackersville around 11 a.m., and a replica firearm was also seized. He remains in custody for a bail hearing. The Stratford Police Service also wanted to recognize the actions of the bystander who stopped to provide aid to the woman and commend them for the assistance provided. The World Health Organization identifies intimate partner violence as a major global public health concern, as it affects millions of people and can result in immediate and long-lasting health, social and economic consequences. Anyone experiencing intimate partner violence can contact the Emily Murphy Centre at 519-273-7350 or Optimism Place’s 24-hour support line at 519-271-5550. If it’s an emergency, call 911. If you’re looking for advice or guidance, you can also call the Stratford Police Service’s non-emergency line at 519-271-4141, ext. 2.Plans to bring large Kilkenny site back into community use advancing
Late Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, the first former women prime minister of the Muslim World and twice premier of Pakistan, was paid rich tributes by political leaders, civil society and academia for her great services to democracy on her 17th death anniversary on Friday. “The sweet memories of charismatic leader Benazir Bhutto are still alive in the hearts and minds of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who remembered her as a true champion of democracy, a role model and harbinger of peace,” said Sardar Ali Khan, former senator while talking to APP. Besides collective prayers, Quran Khwani and condolence references were also being held by PPP workers in KP where speakers paid glowing tributes to her political services to the nation. On December 27, 2007, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a terrorist attack after addressing a mammoth election rally at historic Liaquat Bagh Rawalpindi that left the entire nation in endless mourning and deep shock. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, 54, was one of the very few international stature personalities, who embraced martyrdom while being surrounded by a sea of supporters outside Liaquat Bagh and immortalized forever. A leader of great quality of head and hearts with a taste of political know-how, Benazir Bhutto had left a luxurious life and came to Pakistan after the exile on October 18, 2007, with an aim to rid the country of dictatorship and put it on path of democracy, peace and development. “Despite severe threats to her life, the daughter of one of Pakistan’s most charismatic politicians and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, had followed the rich tradition of her illustrious family and did not flee danger, but instead embraced martyrdom by not bowing to pessimists and dictatorial forces,” said Sardar Ali. On October 18, 2007, when she arrived at Karachi from Dubai, hundreds of thousands of her supporters from across Pakistan thronged the port city to welcome her beloved leader. “Even the deadly explosion at Karsaz Karachi’s rally where about 140 people were killed and more than 450 wounded could not deter her from political struggle as the celebrated leader knew that only democracy was a remedy to the topsy-turvy setup of the country, elimination of terrorism, solutions of economic and peoples’ problems at that time,” he said. “Death was meaningless for Benazir Bhutto Shaheed as she came to Pakistan for the socioeconomic emancipation of poor and underprivileged, revival of genuine democracy and peace in the country despite severe threats to her life and was imortalized while staying among people outside Liaquat Bagh,” said Malik Azmat, former Minister of State while talking to APP. “BB Shaheed lived for people and died for them,” he said, adding Benazir Bhutto always thought about the welfare of 240 million Pakistanis being an international leader and openly condemned terrorism that cost her life.” He said Benazir Bhutto was martyred when she tried to restore genuine democracy and peace in Pakistan besides bringing Muslim countries and the West closer. Azmat said the imperialists and inimical forces removed her from the political scene in a bid to destabilise Pakistan and keep people backward. “Benazir Bhutto Shaheed loved Islam from the core of her heart and had a great regard for eastern values and culture. In spite of her education in top universities and colleges of the west and two-times elected former PM, she upheld the eastern traditions and did not deviate from the Islamic teachings,” he said. “Benazir Bhutto proved her claim to be the “Daughter of the East” as she always covered her head with her traditional white headscarf and never shook hand with any dignitary, which spoke of her great love for Islam.” He said even the opponents and critics believe that the country had never produced the leaders that matched Bhuttos politcal acumen and democratic struggle. Hamza Khan, PMLN Nowshera President said Benazir Bhutto’s thinking was democratic and progressive as she wanted to strengthen democracy in Pakistan. He said BB kept the torch of democracy alive by shedding her blood at Liaquat Bagh. Professor Dr AH Hilali, former Chairman, Political Science Department, University of Peshawar said that Benazir Bhutto’s assassination was a great loss to the country as she was the identity of Pakistan. He said her assassination had saddened entire progressive and democratic leaders in the world. He said the forces loyal to democracy should now learned that wrangling between the political parties would only strengthen hands of anti democratic forces. Senator Sardar Ali said that ‘Shaheed-e-Jamhooriat’ considered KP as her second home and loved Pasthuns as she knew that they had greatly suffered during the war on terror. “On December 1, 2007, when she came to Peshawar during her election campaign amid “Geye Bhutto and Long Live Benazir” full throated slogans from hundreds of thousands of PPP supporters, BB said, I seek your help and cooperation to turn this land of Pashtuns into a peaceful zone. “I appeal to you not to fall into the trap of those, who believe in violence and extremism. Reject those who want to form their government at gunpoint. I ask my Pashtun brothers to come forward for peace and support the People’s Party.” He said Benazir Bhutto was very keen in renaming NWFP, provincial autonomy to smaller federating units and setting up of trade activities with regional countries on the pattern of European Union, adding BB’s wishes were later materialized by PPP led Govt.
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Nebraska will be trying to preserve its perfect in-state record when it hosts South Dakota on Wednesday night in a nonconference game in Lincoln, Neb. The Cornhuskers (4-1) are 3-0 at home and also won Friday at then-No. 14 Creighton, beating their in-state rivals on the road for the second straight time. But the last time they did that, in 2022, they followed that win with a 16-point loss at Indiana to open Big Ten Conference play. "Believe me, we've addressed a lot of things," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. "A lot of people are saying some really positive things. You've got to find a way to put that behind you. I've liked how our team has responded and come back to work after that great win at Creighton." Brice Williams leads the Cornhuskers with 18.2 points per game and was one of five players in double figures against Creighton. Juwan Gary topped the list with 16. South Dakota (6-2) comes to town off a 112-50 home win Monday night over Randall, the third non-Division I school it has beat. The Coyotes' last game against a D1 opponent was Friday at Southern Indiana, resulting in a 92-83 loss. This will be South Dakota's second nonconference game against a Big Ten opponent, after a 96-77 loss at Iowa on Nov. 12. In December, the Coyotes also visit Santa Clara, hovering near the top 100 in KenPom adjusted efficiency, before jumping into Big Sky play. "The schedule is very good and that should help us," third-year South Dakota coach Eric Peterson said before the season. "We have some good nonconference games that should help prepare us for the end of the season." Nebraska has held four of its opponents to 67 or fewer points, with Saint Mary's the only one to top that number in the Cornhuskers' lone loss. Opponents are shooting 38.1 percent this season. South Dakota shot below 40 percent in its two previous games before shooting 62 percent against Randall. Isaac Bruns, who scored 20 to lead South Dakota in the Randall game, paces the Coyotes with 12.9 points per game. --Field Level Media
By MICHELLE L. PRICE WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare the tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — wealthy members of the tech world including billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and their call for more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. The debate touched off this week when Laura Loomer , a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his coming administration. Krishnan favors the ability to bring more skilled immigrants into the U.S. Loomer declared the stance to be “not America First policy” and said the tech executives who have aligned themselves with Trump were doing so to enrich themselves. Much of the debate played out on the social media network X, which Musk owns. Loomer’s comments sparked a back-and-forth with venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sacks , whom Trump has tapped to be the “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar.” Musk and Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tasked with finding ways to cut the federal government , weighed in, defending the tech industry’s need to bring in foreign workers. It bloomed into a larger debate with more figures from the hard-right weighing in about the need to hire U.S. workers, whether values in American culture can produce the best engineers, free speech on the internet, the newfound influence tech figures have in Trump’s world and what his political movement stands for. Trump has not yet weighed in on the rift. His presidential transition team did not respond to questions about positions on visas for highly skilled workers or the debate between his supporters online. Instead, his team instead sent a link to a post on X by longtime adviser and immigration hard-liner Stephen Miller that was a transcript of a speech Trump gave in 2020 at Mount Rushmore in which he praised figures and moments from American history. Musk, the world’s richest man who has grown remarkably close to the president-elect , was a central figure in the debate, not only for his stature in Trump’s movement but his stance on the tech industry’s hiring of foreign workers. Technology companies say H-1B visas for skilled workers, used by software engineers and others in the tech industry, are critical for hard-to-fill positions. But critics have said they undercut U.S. citizens who could take those jobs. Some on the right have called for the program to be eliminated, not expanded. Born in South Africa, Musk was once on an a H-1B visa himself and defended the industry’s need to bring in foreign workers. “There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent,” he said in a post. “It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” Trump’s own positions over the years have reflected the divide in his movement. Related Articles National Politics | Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopes National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of federal death row National Politics | Elon Musk’s preschool is the next step in his anti-woke education dreams National Politics | Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’ His tough immigration policies, including his pledge for a mass deportation, were central to his winning presidential campaign. He has focused on immigrants who come into the U.S. illegally but he has also sought curbs on legal immigration , including family-based visas. As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump called the H-1B visa program “very bad” and “unfair” for U.S. workers. After he became president, Trump in 2017 issued a “Buy American and Hire American” executive order , which directed Cabinet members to suggest changes to ensure H-1B visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants to protect American workers. Trump’s businesses, however, have hired foreign workers, including waiters and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago club , and his social media company behind his Truth Social app has used the the H-1B program for highly skilled workers. During his 2024 campaign for president, as he made immigration his signature issue, Trump said immigrants in the country illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country” and promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. But in a sharp departure from his usual alarmist message around immigration generally, Trump told a podcast this year that he wants to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges. “I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country,” he told the “All-In” podcast with people from the venture capital and technology world. Those comments came on the cusp of Trump’s budding alliance with tech industry figures, but he did not make the idea a regular part of his campaign message or detail any plans to pursue such changes.
Kim on target as Bayern pile on Champions League misery for misfiring PSGMore targets bombed in Yemen; another missile fired at Tel Aviv. Israel bombed Yemen yet again, hitting the main airport and port city. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned there is more to come. In response, another Houthi missile was fired at Tel Aviv. So, how dangerous are these escalating hostilities? Presenter: James Bays Guests: Mustapha Noman – Former Yemeni deputy foreign minister Yossi Beilin – Former Israeli cabinet minister Elijah Magnier – Military and political analyst and Middle East specialist Hussain al-Bukhaiti – Pro-Houthi journalist and political commentator
