BMW praises Tesla's Full Self-Driving technology on social media
The Latest: UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect contests his extradition back to New York
NoneNEW ORLEANS (AP) — A scruffy little fugitive is on the lam again in New Orleans, gaining fame as he outwits a tenacious band of citizens armed with night-vision binoculars, nets and a tranquilizer rifle. Scrim, a 17-pound mutt that's mostly terrier, has become a folk hero, inspiring tattoos, t-shirts and even a ballad as he eludes capture from the posse of volunteers. And like any antihero, Scrim has a backstory: Rescued from semi-feral life at a trailer park and adopted from a shelter, the dog broke loose in April and scurried around the city until he was cornered in October and brought to a new home. Weeks later, he'd had enough. Scrim leaped out of a second-story window, a desperate act recorded in a now-viral video. Since then, despite a stream of daily sightings, he's roamed free. The dog’s fans include Myra and Steve Foster, who wrote “Ode to Scrim” to the tune of Ricky Nelson’s 1961 hit, “I’m a Travelin’ Man.” Leading the recapture effort is Michelle Cheramie, a 55-year-old former information technology professional. She lost everything — home, car, possessions — in Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and in the aftermath, found her calling rescuing pets. “I was like, ‘This is what I should be doing,’” Cheramie said. “I was born to rescue.” She launched Zeus’ Rescues, a nonprofit shelter that now averages 600 cat and dog adoptions a year and offers free pet food to anyone who needs it. She helped Scrim find the home he first escaped from. It was Cheramie's window Scrim leaped from in November. She's resumed her relentless mission since then, posting flyers on telephone poles and logging social media updates on his reported whereabouts. She's invested thousands of dollars on wildlife cameras, thermal sensors and other gear. She took a course offered by the San Diego Zoo on the finer points of tranquilizing animals. And she's developed a network of volunteers — the kind of neighbors who are willing to grid-search a city at 3 a.m. People like writer David W. Brown, who manages a crowd-sourced Google Map of all known Scrim sightings. He says the search has galvanized residents from all walks of life to come together. As they search for Scrim, they hand out supplies to people in need. "Being a member of the community is seeing problems and doing what you can to make life a little better for the people around here and the animals around you," Brown said. And neighbors like Tammy Murray, who had to close her furniture store and lost her father to Parkinson's Disease. This search, she says, got her mojo back. “Literally, for months, I’ve done nothing but hunt this dog,” said Murray, 53. “I feel like Wile E. Coyote on a daily basis with him.” Murray drives the Zeus' Rescues' van towards reported Scrim sightings. She also handles a tactical net launcher, which looks like an oversized flashlight and once misfired, shattering the van's window as Scrim sped away. After realizing Scrim had come to recognize the sound of the van's diesel engine, Murray switched to a Vespa scooter, for stealth. Near-misses have been tantalizing. The search party spotted Scrim napping beneath an elevated house, and wrapped construction netting around the perimeter, but an over-eager volunteer broke ranks and dashed forward, leaving an opening Scrim slipped through. Scrim's repeated escapades have prompted near-daily local media coverage and a devoted online following. Cheramie can relate. “We’re all running from something or to something. He's doing that too,” she said. Cheramie's team dreams of placing the pooch in a safe and loving environment. But a social media chorus growing under the hashtag #FreeScrim has other ideas — they say the runaway should be allowed a life of self-determination. The animal rescue volunteers consider that misguided. “The streets of New Orleans are not the place for a dog to be free,” Cheramie said. “It’s too dangerous.” Scrim was a mess when Cheramie briefly recaptured him in October, with matted fur, missing teeth and a tattered ear. His trembling body was scraped and bruised, and punctured by multiple projectiles. A vet removed one, but decided against operating to take out a possible bullet. The dog initially appeared content indoors, sitting in Cheramie's lap or napping beside her bed. Then while she was out one day, Scrim chewed through a mesh screen, dropped 13 feet to the ground and squeezed through a gap in the fence, trotting away. Murray said Cheramie's four cats probably spooked him. “I wholeheartedly believe the gangster-ass cats were messing with him,” Murray said. Cheramie thinks they may have gotten territorial. Devastated but undeterred, the pair is reassessing where Scrim might fit best — maybe a secure animal sanctuary with big outdoor spaces where other dogs can keep him company. Somewhere, Murray says, “where he can just breathe and be." Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96
New Delhi: The BJP on Sunday took a swipe at the opposition over the violence in Sambhal, alleging that the “ghamandia alliance” has been trying to stoke unrest since the Lok Sabha poll results but it will not succeed. BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said no one can claim that it is his constitutional right to break the law or throw stones to stop a court order from being implemented. Police will take action against those breaking the law, he said, adding those who do not agree with any court order should take legal recourse. “Nobody has any right to break the law. If a court has passed an order, it will be implemented. Judicial process is available for those who want the order amended,” he said. Another BJP spokesperson Ajay Alok alleged that it is a deliberate attempt to cause instability. He blamed what he called the “ghamandia alliance” (an alliance full of arrogance), a term BJP leaders have often used for the INDIA bloc, for the violence. Three people were killed and scores of others, including around 20 security personnel, were injured as protesters opposing a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque clashed with police on Sunday in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. Tension has been brewing in Sambhal since Tuesday when the Jama Masjid was surveyed on the orders of a local court following a petition that claimed that a Harihar temple stood at the site. District officials said the survey could not be completed on Tuesday and was planned for Sunday morning to avoid interference with prayers that are usually held in the afternoon.Mics Picked Up Jameis Winston's Comical Four-Word Plea to Steelers' Defense - Sports Illustrated
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- If last month's election wasn't painful enough for Florida Democrats, they're losing another state House seat after one of their members announced Monday that she's switching parties. State Rep. Susan Valdés, a former school board member who was reelected as a Democrat last month, said on X that she is “tired of being the party of protesting.” Valdés ran to be chairperson for her local county’s Democratic executive committee earlier this month. She won her current term by nearly 5 percentage points but can't run for reelection again because of term limits. Republicans have controlled the governor’s office and both branches of the Legislature since 1999. Valdés is serving her final two years before leaving office due to term limits. Republicans now have an 86-34 majority in the House. “I got into politics to be part of the party of progress,” Valdés wrote. “I know that I won’t agree with my fellow Republican House members on every issue, but I know that in their caucus, I will be welcomed and treated with respect.” House Speaker Daniel Perez reposted Valdés’ statement and welcomed her into the House, where Republicans have a supermajority of 86-34. House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell said she was surprised and disappointed by Valdés’ announcement. “It is sad that she has elevated her own aspirations above the needs of her district,” Driskell wrote in a statement on X.Stocks closed higher on Wall Street as the market posted its fifth straight gain and the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched another record high. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%. The benchmark index’s 1.7% gain for the week erased most of its loss from last week. The Dow rose 1% as it nudged past its most recent high set last week, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.2%. Markets have been volatile over the last few weeks, losing ground in the runup to elections in November, then surging following Donald Trump's victory, before falling again. The S&P 500 has been steadily rising throughout this week to within close range of its record. It's now within about 0.5% of its all-time high set last week. “Overall, market behavior has normalized following an intense few weeks,” said Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide, in a statement. Several retailers jumped after giving Wall Street encouraging financial updates. Gap soared 12.8% after handily beating analysts' third-quarter earnings and revenue expectations, while raising its own revenue forecast for the year. Discount retailer Ross Stores rose 2.2% after raising its earnings forecast for the year. EchoStar fell 2.8% after DirecTV called off its purchase of that company's Dish Network unit. Smaller company stocks had some of the biggest gains. The Russell 2000 index rose 1.8%. A majority of stocks in the S&P 500 gained ground, but those gains were kept in check by slumps for several big technology companies. Nvidia fell 3.2%. Its pricey valuation makes it among the heaviest influences on whether the broader market gains or loses ground. The company has grown into a nearly $3.6 trillion behemoth because of demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology. Intuit, which makes TurboTax and other accounting software, fell 5.7%. It gave investors a quarterly earnings forecast that fell short of analysts’ expectations. Facebook owner Meta Platforms fell 0.7% following a decision by the Supreme Court to allow a multibillion-dollar class action investors’ lawsuit to proceed against the company. It stems from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm. All told, the S&P 500 rose 20.63 points to 5,969.34. The Dow climbed 426.16 points to 44,296.51, and the Nasdaq picked up 42.65 points to close at 2,406.67. European markets closed mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Crude oil prices rose. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.41% from 4.42% late Thursday. In the crypto market, bitcoin hovered around $99,000, according to CoinDesk. It has more than doubled this year and first surpassed the $99,000 level on Thursday. Retailers remained a big focus for investors this week amid close scrutiny on consumer spending habits headed into the holiday shopping season. Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, reported a quarter of strong sales and gave investors an encouraging financial forecast. Target, though, reported weaker earnings than analysts' expected and its forecast disappointed Wall Street. Consumer spending has fueled economic growth, despite a persistent squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. Inflation has been easing and the Federal Reserve has started trimming its benchmark interest rates. That is likely to help relieve pressure on consumers, but any major shift in spending could prompt the Fed to reassess its path ahead on interest rates. Also, any big reversals on the rate of inflation could curtail spending. Consumer sentiment remains strong, according to the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index. It revised its latest figure for November to 71.8 from an initial reading of 73 earlier this month, though economists expected a slight increase. It's still up from 70.5 in October. The survey also showed that consumers' inflation expectations for the year ahead fell slightly to 2.6%, which is the lowest reading since December of 2020. Wall Street will get another update on how consumers feel when the business group The Conference Board releases its monthly consumer confidence survey on Tuesday. A key inflation update will come on Wednesday when the U.S. releases its October personal consumption expenditures index. The PCE is the Fed's preferred measure of inflation and this will be the last PCE reading prior to the central bank's meeting in December. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Jude Bellingham hits out at English media for hounding family during Euros
Syrian government forces withdraw from central city of Homs as insurgent offensive acceleratesA group of climate vulnerable nations is pushing for a credit ratings overhaul, arguing ratings should reflect climate resilience measures, an advisor to the group told Reuters at a U.N. meeting. The U.N. meeting in New York is the second of four to set goals for a major finance conference in Spain next year, where heads of state will look to step up efforts to meet the world's climate and sustainability targets. At the forefront of the talks are 39 so-called Small Island Developing States (SIDS) - including Cuba, Haiti, Fiji and the Maldives - that are bearing the brunt of increasing tropical storms, flooding, erosion and rising sea levels. Proponents of the initiative say the current ratings system undermines their ability to raise funds because it focuses on the potential economic damage from their exposure to the effects of climate change. "For the first time, the credit rating issue is on the table and it's being negotiated," said Ritu Bharadwaj, director of climate resilience and finance at the International Institute for Environment and Development. Ratings given by the "Big Three" agencies - Moody's, S&P Global and Fitch - consider the risks and potential for economic harm from climate change. However, they do not typically factor in the social and economic benefits of investing in climate resilience, said a report by the institute. In response, a Fitch spokesman referred to several documents on the company's methodology while Moody's pointed to its latest credit risk assessments on Fiji, Barbados and Bermuda, where it acknowledged climate risk but also pointed to mitigation efforts. Neither commented on the criticism directly. S&P did not immediately respond. A credit rating is essential to attract money from the world's biggest pools of cash – pension funds and other institutional investors. But just 13 of the SIDS have a Big-Three credit rating, and most of those are classified as sub-investment grade or 'junk'. For others, the cost of obtaining one can be prohibitive. Many nations are expected to struggle to access the private finance seen vital to the total annual $1.3 trillion climate finance goal agreed at COP29 in Baku last month. "We are pushing to redefine the credit rating and look at the opportunities as well as the risks, so it gives a more balanced view on returns on investment," Bharadwaj said. The process of assigning credit ratings has come under scrutiny in recent years. The African Union plans to launch a new African ratings agency, arguing the Big Three do not fairly assess the risk of lending to the continent. Describing the current ratings process as "illogical, punitive, and backward looking", Gastone Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, told Reuters he wanted to see a "more equitable" system that was "fit for purpose".
Let’s protect habitat of wild animalsThe recent sell-off in renewable energy stocks might be an opportunity to get in cheap, analysts at UBS said this week. They wrote in a note on Thursday that US and EU renewables have jumped to their top-ranking stock theme in recent weeks after the sector saw steep losses in the wake of 's election win. Now, with a cheap point of entry and huge and growing demand for power, it might be time to jump into the space, the analysts said. "The environment of an unrelenting power demand shock puts just about every source of power generation in a solid position to capitalize. Against a backdrop where positioning was not overweight, it seems the sentiment-driven downdraft presents an attractive entry point," the analysts said in a Wednesday note. The analysts said their optimism about surging power demand comes from rapid growth in AI and data center buildouts to power the technology. need a huge amount of power to operate, and their is set to exceed supply in just two years, according to a recent estimate from Bernstein Research. The analysts suggested that data centers' outsized power needs mean they will likely need energy from all available sourcs, including renewables. "The rapid growth in AI and the subsequent Data Center buildout have resulted in an unrelenting demand for increased power generation. This, combined with continued emphasis on the importance of low-carbon solutions from Hyperscalers should pave the way for continued growth in Renewables," they said. The analysts' call comes as Trump's win has sent tumbling, even as much of the rest of the market has on the promise of lower taxes and less regulation. Stocks like Plug Power and Enphase Energy have shed over 24% since the election, while SolarEdge Technologies has plunged 42%. The President-elect, who said he wants to "drill baby, drill," is expected to scale back many of the Biden administration's clean-energy initiatives, including billions of dollars in solar and wind subsidies that were part of the Inflation Reduction Act. But the analysts said that investors' worst fears about the sector likely won't be realized. Companies using Biden-era subsidies could "grandfather" in support at the start of construction rather than risk losing it during a project, and states will likely continue to aim for lower emissions, they say. "We think that the concerns are overdone. In the view of our US utilities analyst, growth in renewables is likely to continue (solar installs were +50% in Trump's last term, compared to the previous 4 years) driven by state and corporate emission goals," the analysts said. Within the sector, the analysts said names poised for gains include US renewables stocks like NextEra and Generac, plus European stocks like Iberdrola, Siemens Energy, EDP, and developers like Ørsted and RWE. Read the original article on
None
None
