jff super ace ultimate Democracy in action with bid to target YoonBy HILLEL ITALIE NEW YORK (AP) — Even through a year of nonstop news about elections, climate change, protests and the price of eggs, there was still time to read books. Related Articles Books | Wonder and joy at the light that breaks the dark: more holiday books for younger readers Books | Right on time for holiday shopping: big names in new bestselling books Books | In bestsellers for young readers, ways to stay occupied on winter break Books | Percival Everett, 2024 National Book Award winner, rereads one book often Books | Gift books for 2024: What to give, and what to receive, for all kinds of readers U.S. sales held steady according to Circana, which tracks around 85% of the print market, with many choosing the relief of romance, fantasy and romantasy. Some picked up Taylor Swift’s tie-in book to her blockbuster tour, while others sought out literary fiction, celebrity memoirs, political exposes and a close and painful look at a generation hooked on smartphones. Here are 10 notable books published in 2024, in no particular order. Asking about the year’s hottest reads would basically yield a list of the biggest hits in romantasy, the blend of fantasy and romance that has proved so irresistible fans were snapping up expensive “special editions” with decorative covers and sprayed edges. Of the 25 top sellers of 2024, as compiled by Circana, six were by romantasy favorite Sarah J. Maas, including “House of Flame and Shadow,” the third of her “Crescent City” series. Millions read her latest installment about Bryce Quinlan and Hunter Athalar and traced the ever-growing ties of “Maasverse,” the overlapping worlds of “Crescent City” and her other series, “Throne of Glass” and “A Court of Thorns and Roses.” If romantasy is for escape, other books demand we confront. In the bestselling “The Anxious Generation,” social psychologist Jonathan Haidt looks into studies finding that the mental health of young people began to deteriorate in the 2010s, after decades of progress. According to Haidt, the main culprit is right before us: digital screens that have drawn kids away from “play-based” to “phone-based” childhoods. Although some critics challenged his findings, “The Anxious Generation” became a talking point and a catchphrase. Admirers ranged from Oprah Winfrey to Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee, who in a letter to state legislators advocated such “commonsense recommendations” from the book as banning phones in schools and keeping kids off social media until age 16. Bob Woodward books have been an election tradition for decades. “War,” the latest of his highly sourced Washington insider accounts, made news with its allegations that Donald Trump had been in frequent contact with Russian leader Vladimir Putin even while out of office and, while president, had sent Putin sophisticated COVID-19 test machines. Among Woodward’s other scoops: Putin seriously considered using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, and President Joe Biden blamed former President Barack Obama, under whom he served as vice president, for some of the problems with Russia. “Barack never took Putin seriously,” Woodward quoted Biden as saying. Former (and future) first lady Melania Trump, who gives few interviews and rarely discusses her private life, unexpectedly announced she was publishing a memoir: “Melania.” The publisher was unlikely for a former first lady — not one of the major New York houses, but Skyhorse, where authors include such controversial public figures as Woody Allen and Trump cabinet nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And its success was at least a minor surprise. Melania Trump did little publicity for the book, and offered few revelations beyond posting a video expressing support for abortion rights — a break from one of the cornerstones of GOP policy. But “Melania” still sold hundreds of thousands of copies, many in the days following her husband’s election. Taylor Swift was more than a music story in 2024. Like “Melania,” the news about Taylor Swift’s self-published tie-in to her global tour isn’t so much the book itself, but that it exists. And how well it sold. As she did with the “Eras” concert film, Swift bypassed the established industry and worked directly with a distributor: Target offered “The Eras Tour Book” exclusively. According to Circana, the “Eras” book sold more than 800,000 copies just in its opening week, an astonishing number for a publication unavailable through Amazon.com and other traditional retailers. No new book in 2024 had a better debut. Midnight book parties are supposed to be for “Harry Potter” and other fantasy series, but this fall, more than 100 stores stayed open late to welcome one of the year’s literary events: Sally Rooney’s “Intermezzo.” The Irish author’s fourth novel centers on two brothers, their grief over the death of their father, their very different career paths and their very unsettled love lives. “Intermezzo” was also a book about chess: “You have to read a lot of opening theory — that’s the beginning of a game, the first moves,” one of the brothers explains. “And you’re learning all this for what? Just to get an okay position in the middle game and try to play some decent chess. Which most of the time I can’t do anyway.” Lisa Marie Presley had been working on a memoir at the time of her death , in 2023, and daughter Riley Keough had agreed to help her complete it. “From Here to the Great Unknown” is Lisa Marie’s account of her father, Elvis Presley, and the sagas of of her adult life, notably her marriage to Michael Jackson and the death of son Benjamin Keough. To the end, she was haunted by the loss of Elvis, just 42 when he collapsed and died at his Graceland home while young Lisa Marie was asleep. “She would listen to his music alone, if she was drunk, and cry,” Keough, during an interview with Winfrey, said of her mother. Meanwhile, Cher released the first of two planned memoirs titled “Cher” — no further introduction required. Covering her life from birth to the end of the 1970s, she focuses on her ill-fated marriage to Sonny Bono, remembering him as a gifted entertainer and businessman who helped her believe in herself while turning out to be unfaithful, erratic, controlling and so greedy that he kept all the couple’s earnings for himself. Unsure of whether to leave or stay, she consulted a very famous divorcee, Lucille Ball, who reportedly encouraged her: “F— him, you’re the one with the talent.” A trend in recent years is to take famous novels from the past, and remove words or passages that might offend modern readers; an edition of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” cuts the racist language from Mark Twain’s original text. In the most celebrated literary work of 2024, Percival Everett found a different way to take on Twain’s classic — write it from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. “James,” winner of the National Book Award, is a recasting in many ways. Everett suggests to us that the real Jim was nothing like the deferential figure known to millions of readers, but a savvy and learned man who concealed his intelligence from the whites around him, and even from Twain himself. Salman Rushdie’s first National Book Award nomination was for a memoir he wished he had no reason to write. In “Knife,” he recounts in full detail the horrifying attempt on his life in 2022, when an attendee rushed the stage during a literary event in western New York and stabbed him repeatedly, leaving with him a blinded eye and lasting nerve damage, but with a spirit surprisingly intact. “If you had told me that this was going to happen and how would I deal with it, I would not have been very optimistic about my chances,” he told The Associated Press last spring. “I’m still myself, you know, and I don’t feel other than myself. But there’s a little iron in the soul, I think.”JERUSALEM/DAMASCUS —Israel aims to impose a "sterile defense zone" in southern Syria that would be enforced without a permanent troop presence, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday, as the military said a wave of air strikes had destroyed the bulk of Syria's strategic weapons stockpiles. Over the past 48 hours, following the collapse of the government of President Bashar al-Assad, the military said jets had conducted more than 350 strikes on targets including anti-aircraft batteries, military airfields, weapons production sites, combat aircraft and missiles. In addition, missile vessels struck the Syrian naval facilities of Al-Bayda port and Latakia port, where 15 Syrian naval vessels were docked. Israeli officials said the strikes across Syria were aimed at destroying strategic weapons and military infrastructure to prevent them being used by rebel groups that drove Assad from power, some of which grew from movements linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State. "We have no intention of interfering in Syria's internal affairs, but we clearly intend to do what is necessary to ensure our security," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. "I authorized the air force to bomb strategic military capabilities left by the Syrian army, so that they would not fall into the hands of the jihadists." Following Assad's flight on Sunday, Israeli troops moved into the demilitarised zone inside Syria created after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, including the Syrian side of the strategic Mount Hermon that overlooks Damascus, where it took over an abandoned Syrian military post. A military spokesperson said Israeli troops remained in the buffer zone as well as "a few additional points" in the vicinity. But he denied that forces had penetrated Syrian territory significantly beyond the area, after a Syrian source said they had reached the town of Qatana, several km (miles) to the east of the zone and just a short drive from Damascus airport. "IDF forces are not advancing towards Damascus. This is not something we are doing or pursuing in any way," Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, the military spokesperson, told a briefing with reporters. 'TEMPORARY, LIMITED MEASURE' Israel, which has just agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon following weeks of fighting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement, calls the incursion into Syrian territory a limited and temporary measure to ensure border security. But the scale of the Israeli strikes echoed a similar wave of attacks in southern Lebanon in September that destroyed a significant quantity of Hezbollah's missile stocks. According to the Israeli military the strikes hit most of the strategic weapons stockpiles in Syria as well as production sites in the cities of Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia and Palmyra. Scud and cruise missiles as well as sea-to-sea missiles, drones, launchers and firing positions were destroyed, it said in a statement. Strikes against military airfields and bases also destroyed Syrian military attack helicopters, fighter jets and tanks. Israel welcomed the fall of Assad, an ally of its main enemy Iran, but has reacted cautiously to the leading rebel faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. HTS has roots in Islamist movements including al Qaeda and Islamic State though it has sought for years to moderate its image. Katz gave no details of the "sterile defence zone" Israel aims to impose in southern Syria but the extent of the operation underlined the power of its air force. "We want relations with the new regime in Syria," Netanyahu said but added that if Iranian weapons were transferred through Syria to Hezbollah or if Israel were attacked "we will respond forcefully and we will exact a heavy price." —Reuters

Diana Shipping DSX is preparing to release its quarterly earnings on Monday, 2024-11-25. Here's a brief overview of what investors should keep in mind before the announcement. Analysts expect Diana Shipping to report an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.09. The announcement from Diana Shipping is eagerly anticipated, with investors seeking news of surpassing estimates and favorable guidance for the next quarter. It's worth noting for new investors that guidance can be a key determinant of stock price movements. Earnings History Snapshot During the last quarter, the company reported an EPS missed by $0.14, leading to a 0.79% drop in the share price on the subsequent day. Here's a look at Diana Shipping's past performance and the resulting price change: Quarter Q2 2024 Q1 2024 Q4 2023 Q3 2023 EPS Estimate 0.10 0.03 0.04 0.07 EPS Actual -0.04 0.01 0.06 0.06 Price Change % -1.0% -1.0% 1.0% 3.0% Stock Performance Shares of Diana Shipping were trading at $2.1 as of November 21. Over the last 52-week period, shares are down 35.5%. Given that these returns are generally negative, long-term shareholders are likely a little upset going into this earnings release. To track all earnings releases for Diana Shipping visit their earnings calendar on our site. This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

When “Justice for All”, a dirge-like version of the national anthem sung by defendants jailed over their alleged roles in the January 6, 2021 insurrection, was played last month at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, guests stood with hand on heart. , the billionaire founder of Facebook. Although it is not clear if Zuckerberg knew of how this tinny version version of The Star-Spangled Banner was recorded over a prison phone line, his mere presence at Donald Trump’s “winter White House” said it all. Facebook had banned Trump after the shocking events of January 6. Now Zuckerberg had come to kiss the ring. He is far from alone in what has been dubbed “ ” following Trump’s re-election. Tech chief executives, media organisations and foreign leaders are seeking the president-elect’s favor through donations, self-censorship and appeasement. Analysts say the surrender is driven by a combination of greed, fear of Trump’s unfettered power and a belief that resistance is futile. “Part of the shock of the Trump win is how quickly and how many people in various areas, from the media to politicians, are acquiescing in advance,” said , a former Republican communications director on Capitol Hill. “People are resigning themselves to self-preservation over the good of maintaining a free and fair democracy and resisting Trump It is an astonishing turnaround. When Trump was impeached in the wake of the January 6 riot nearly four years ago, he appeared to be a political pariah. Dozens of major corporations publicly pledged to to 147 Republican members of Congress who had voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Earlier this year Trump became the first former US president and had three more cases looming over him. Over the years he has has been caught on tape bragging about grabbing women by their private parts, accused of sexual assault by more than two dozen women and found liable by a jury for sexually abusing the columnist E Jean Carroll. He’s entering office is the most powerful president in American history And yet his victory over Kamala Harris in the 5 November election has seemingly expunged his record in the eyes of the rich and powerful. He returns to the White House with the momentum of victory in the national popular vote, a supreme court ruling that implies presidents are above the law and diehard loyalists in the White House and Congress. , a political strategist and former campaign operative for George W Bush and John McCain, said: “He’s entering office is the most powerful president in American history. He is an American Caesar, unrestrained. Trump has made a threat and said, I’m coming after people, and he’s appointed people that will do what he wants without him having to tell them to do it.” Many of those who once condemned him are to an incoming president who offers both a carrot – tax cuts, deregulation, business friendly appointees – and a stick. at Mar-a-Lago: “In the first term, everyone was fighting me. In this term, everybody wants to be my friend. I don’t know, my personality changed or something.” The New York Stock Exchange welcomed Trump to ring its opening bell. Time magazine and the Financial Times newspaper anointed Trump their “person of the year”. Bret Stephens, a longtime Trump foe, in the New York Times that Never Trumpers had “overstated our case and, in doing so, defeated our purpose”. A parade of chief executives have travelled to Mar-a-Lago to bend the knee to Trump. Along with Meta chief executive Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook, Google’s Sundar Pichai and Sergey Brin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos made the pilgrimage. Meta, Amazon, and Open AI chief Sam Altman are all reportedly donating $1m to the fund for the inauguration on 20 January. Bezos, a onetime critic of Trump’s rhetoric, now says he is “optimistic” about Trump’s second term while also endorsing his plans to cut regulations. As owner of the Washington Post newspaper, Bezos killed an endorsement of Harris during the presidential election. The Post is struggling to find a amid fears it will no longer live up to the “Democracy dies in darkness” slogan it championed during Trump’s first term. Other profit-focused media owners have been trying to build bridges with a president-elect who repeatedly dubbed them the “enemy of the people”. The Disney-owned ABC News toward Trump’s presidential library to settle a seemingly flimsy defamation lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos’s inaccurate on-air assertion that Trump had been found civilly liable for raping writer E Jean Carroll. The owner of the Los Angeles Times, Patrick Soon-Shiong, has reportedly , demanding opposing viewpoints be presented alongside negative coverage. Comcast’s plan to spin off MSNBC and other cable TV channels into a separate company has raised further concerns about the liberal network, whose ratings are tanking. The way some in the mainstream media have already decided that acquiescence is their way of self-preservation not only is naive but dangerous The hosts of MSNBC’s Morning Joe show, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, despite previously eviscerating his fascist rhetoric. Scarborough defended the meeting, arguing that any journalist would take an opportunity to meet the president-elect but he and Brzezinski were being penalised for being “transparent” about it. Critics, however, were not persuaded. Schmidt said: “If you go down there and you make an expression, ‘I did this for you’, will you come out of the meeting and either confirm that he is Hitler or we were off on that and we don’t have to worry? It seems like the purpose of the meeting was to make some type of deal with Hitler. This week Trump sued a pollster and a newspaper over survey results published days before the US election showing him behind in Iowa – a state he ultimately won by a landslide. He has also filed a $10bn lawsuit against CBS over a 60 Minutes interview with Harris. There are concerns that his demonstrated willingness to punish his critics could have a chilling effect. Setmayer, who now runs the political action committee, commented: “The way some in the mainstream media have already decided that acquiescence is their way of self-preservation not only is naive but dangerous because without that we don’t have an informed citizenry. It’s supposed to be without fear or favor and media is acting out of fear. And by way of acting out of fear, they are giving Trump the favor that he wants.” Observers warn that acceptance of Trump’s behavior will erode democratic norms and emboldens him to pursue an authoritarian agenda and silence dissent. Some have drawn comparisons with illiberal democracy in Hungary with its combination of overt censorship, loyal state media and tamed private media. , a history professor at Yale University who begins his pamphlet “On Tyranny” with the “Do not obey in advance”, said: “One worries that in the US regime the censorship part is going to be taken over by people who are a million times richer than you suing you. The threat of being sued by a Trump or a Musk or whatever - a person who already controls the government and the economy - means every ‘little person’ has to be worried.” Pro-Trump networks such as and Newsmax, while not state controlled, will be “state proximate”, Snyder added. “But the thing which is closest is the private media which tries to come to some kind of agreement. Putting the moral part aside, if you’re coming to some kind of agreement, conceding in advance is maybe not the best negotiating strategy. Anyone expecting to find serious guardrails in Washington might be disappointed. Republicans in Congress have been largely pliant, with signs of easing opposition towards controversial cabinet picks such as Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, and Robert F Kennedy Jr, his vaccine-sceptic choice for health secretary. Some Democrats, too, have signaled a willingness to work with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s cost-cutting “department of government efficiency”. Asked how she would respond to Trump’s , the New York governor, Kathy Hochul, replied: “Someone breaks the law, I’ll be the first one to call up Ice [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and say, ‘Get them out of here.’” Eric Adams, the Democratic mayor of New York, has also and not ruled out running as a Republican in future. Even Joe Biden has backed off from his previous warnings that Trump is a danger to democracy – apparently seeking the graceful transition that his predecessor denied him. Meanwhile, since the election, a parade of world leaders have made their way to Mar-a-Lago. They range from rightwing ally Orbán to Canada’s Justin Trudeau, facing Trump’s threats of huge new tariffs which have plunged his own domestic politics . Longtime opponents of Trump are worried about what the mass capitulation portends. , director of the advocacy organisation Defending Democracy Together, said: One reason a lot of us were so hostile to Trump is we thought he would do this kind of thing. He’s not a theoretical authoritarian or ideological dictator, though he has elements of that, but he’s like a cunning bully and mob boss and the system can only resist for so long. “The guardrails are good but they they need people to uphold them. This is true of the political guardrails – Congress, the political parties, the courts – but it’s also true of the broader societal guardrails: the private sector, the media, and there I would say I’m struck by the apparent speed of the capitulation.” For all Trump’s claims of an overwhelming majority, more than voted for Harris but some in “the resistance” appear to have lost the will to fight. Kristol warned: “It won’t have the kind of friendly corporate encouragement that it had in the first term. People will have to think more like dissidents and less like we’re the natural majority and Trump just happened to win a fluke election, which was the attitude in 2017. It will be challenging.”

SEBI Takes Strict Action In Front Running Case, Bars 9 Entities, Seizes Over Rs 21 CroreThe Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI 1.18% ) might be the best-known of the major stock market indexes, but experienced investors know that the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC 1.09% ) is the index that best reflects the overall market. As the name implies, the index holds 500 of the top U.S. large-cap stocks. In order to join it, a company must be based in the U.S., be profitable on a generally accepted accounting principles ( GAAP ) basis over its last four quarters, and have a "large-cap" market cap, generally meaning above $10 billion. S&P Global , which runs the index, also considers liquidity, share float, and the stock's contribution to sector balance in the index. The S&P 500's managers review the index every quarter and generally swap one or two stocks in and out based on these criteria, so we're likely to see some more changes and new entrants next year. Two stocks in particular looking ripe to join the vaunted index are AppLovin ( APP 6.98% ) and The Trade Desk ( TTD -0.97% ) . The market's AppLovin it AppLovin has somewhat quietly been one of the best-performing large-cap stocks of 2024, going parabolic following its third-quarter earnings report. Through Dec. 19, the stock is up 700% year to date as the mobile adtech company has posted skyrocketing growth this year. Revenue jumped 39% in the third quarter to $1.2 billion, and its margins have dramatically expanded thanks to its investments in AI, including its Axon engine, an AI-driven platform that optimizes ad placement, enhancing ROI for its customers. Net income in the quarter jumped 300% to $434 million, while adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization ( EBITDA ) rose 72% to $72 million. Its software platform, built on Axon and its AppDiscovery marketing software, has become its primary growth driver, contributing more than two-thirds of its revenue in the quarter. AppLovin's other segment is Apps, which consists of more than 200 free-to-play mobile games, though growth in that segment was essentially flat in the third quarter. The emergence of AI and adtech is clearly what's driving the business. After its surge last year, AppLovin now has a market cap of $107 billion, which would rank it in the top 100 of S&P 500 companies by market cap. Even if the valuation falls, it seems hard to exclude it from the index based on recent trends. The Trade Desk has earned it Another adtech stock deserving of a spot in the S&P 500 is The Trade Desk. The Trade Desk has long been considered the leading independent demand-side platform (DSP) in adtech, as its tools help brands and ad agencies effectively manage and optimize their campaigns across an array of platforms, including Connected TV (CTV) and retail media. The Trade Desk has also established itself as a linchpin of the industry through products like Unified ID 2.0 (UID2), which gives brands a way of tracking users without using cookies, making it more amenable to internet privacy standards. Like AppLovin, The Trade Desk has also delivered solid growth of late. Revenue rose 27% in its third-quarter earnings report, while GAAP net income jumped 141% to $94 million. The business has long earned high marks for customer satisfaction, as it's reported customer retention of at least 95% every quarter for the last 10 years. Additionally, The Trade Desk continues to roll out new products like its Kokai AI platform and Ventura, a new streaming TV operating system, bringing it into direct competition with Roku . The Trade Desk has been profitable for several years now, and its market cap of $62.3 billion would put it well within the 200 most valuable companies in the S&P 500. Why joining the S&P 500 matters Gaining admission to the S&P 500 is about more than just recognition. When stocks are added to the broad-market index, the exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track those indexes must buy them. ETFs like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF now have total assets of more than $1 trillion, meaning an average of more than $2 billion is being invested in each stock in the index, though the fund leans heavily toward the most valuable stocks in the S&P 500, as the current market cap of the index is around $50 trillion. For that reason, stocks tend to jump when they are added to the S&P 500. S&P Global rebalances the index on a quarterly basis, so the next opportunity for these two stocks to gain admission will be in March. Based on this evidence, you shouldn't be surprised to see AppLovin and The Trade Desk join the S&P 500 at some point next year.MTN Ghana Partners with Access Bank to Offer Smartphones on Hire Purchase

The announcement caps a turbulent eight-day period in which Trump sought to capitalize on his decisive election win to force Senate Republicans to accept provocative selections like Gaetz, who had been investigated by the Justice Department before being tapped last week to lead it. The decision could heighten scrutiny on other controversial Trump nominees, including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth , who faces sexual assault allegations that he denies. “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Gaetz, a Florida Republican who one day earlier met with senators in an effort to win their support, said in a statement. “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1," he added. Trump, in a social media post, said: “I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!” He did not immediately announce a new selection. Last week, he named personal lawyers Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and D. John Sauer to senior roles in the department. Another possible contender, Matthew Whitaker, was announced Wednesday as the U.S. ambassador to NATO. The withdrawal, just a week after the pick was announced, averts what was shaping up to be a pitched confirmation fight that would have tested how far Senate Republicans were willing to go to support Trump’s Cabinet picks. The selection of the fierce Trump ally over well-regarded veteran lawyers whose names had circulated as possible contenders stirred concern for the Justice Department's independence at a time when Trump has openly threatened to seek retribution against political adversaries. It underscored the premium Trump places on personal loyalty and reflected the president-elect's desire to have a disruptor lead a Justice Department that for years investigated and ultimately indicted him. In the Senate, deeply skeptical lawmakers sought more information about Justice Department and congressional investigations into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls, which Gaetz has denied. Meanwhile, Justice Department lawyers were taken aback by the pick of a partisan lawmaker with limited legal experience who has echoed Trump's claims of a weaponized criminal justice system. As Gaetz sought to lock down Senate support, concern over the sex trafficking allegations showed no signs of abating. In recent days, an attorney for two women said his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions beginning in 2017, when Gaetz was a Florida congressman. One of the women testified she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old at a party in Florida in 2017, according to the attorney, Joel Leppard. Leppard has said that his client testified she didn’t think Gaetz knew the girl was underage, stopped their relationship when he found out and did not resume it until after she turned 18. The age of consent in Florida is 18. "They’re grateful for the opportunity to move forward with their lives,” Leppard said Thursday of his clients. “They’re hoping that this brings final closure for all the parties involved.” Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. The Justice Department’s investigation ended last year with no charges against him. Gaetz’s political future is uncertain. He had abruptly resigned his congressional seat upon being selected as attorney general, a move seen as a way to shut down the ethics investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He did win reelection in November for the new Congress, which convenes Jan. 3, 2025, but he said in his resignation letter last week that he did not intend to take the oath of office. There are plans for a special election in Florida for his seat. Republicans on the House Ethics Committee declined this week to release the panel's findings, over objections from Democrats in a split vote. But the committee did agree to finish its work and is scheduled to meet again Dec. 5 to discuss the matter. As word of Gaetz's decision spread across the Capitol, Republican senators seemed divided. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who served with Gaetz in the House, called it a “positive move." Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Gaetz “put country first and I am pleased with his decision.” Others said they had hoped Gaetz could have overhauled the department. Florida Sen. Rick Scott, a close ally of Trump, said he was “disappointed. I like Matt and I think he would have changed the way DOJ is run.” Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said he hopes Trump will pick someone “equally as tenacious and equally as committed to rooting out and eliminating bias and politicization at the DOJ.” Gaetz is not the only Trump pick facing congressional scrutiny over past allegations. A detailed investigative police report made public Wednesday shows that a woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth, the former Fox News host now tapped to lead the Pentagon, after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave. “The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared,” Hegseth told reporters Thursday at the Capitol, where he was meeting with senators to build support for his nomination.

Abu Dhabi: Under the patronage of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence, in strategic partnership with ADNEC Group, will be organising the International Defence Exhibition (IDEX) and the Naval Defence Exhibition (NAVDEX) 2025 on February 17-21. The globally renowned and highly anticipated events in the defence sector will also include the International Defence Conference. The IDEX and NAVDEX 2025 serve as significant global platforms, bringing together leading government officials, executives, and experts from the defence and security sectors worldwide. The two events provide a significant opportunity to network with investors, build new partnerships, and engage with industry leaders. The Ministry of Defence and ADNEC Group are committed to supporting the defence and security industries as a national priority, contributing to the development of a vital sector that strengthens and enhances the UAE's national economy. Staff Major General Pilot Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee for IDEX and NAVDEX , and the accompanying International Defence Conference, stated: "Hosting and organising major exhibitions such as IDEX & NAVDEX has reinforced Abu Dhabi's position as a leading global destination for the defence and military industries. We are confident that these events will continue to achieve remarkable success, reflecting our commitment to building a more prosperous and secure future for the world by advancing a shared vision of maintaining global stability and security." Staff Major General Mubarak Saeed Ghafan Al Jabri, Deputy Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee for the exhibitions, stated: "The national defence and security industries sector enjoys unlimited support from the UAE leadership who seeks to enhance the capabilities of national defence industries as a vital field aligned with the UAE's aspirations for leadership and excellence." He added that organising IDEX & NAVDEX 2025 reflects the country's position as a leading global hub that brings together the largest specialised companies in this sector. "These exhibitions serve as a platform to strengthen cooperation and strategic partnerships with major global companies, contributing to attracting more investments that form a key pillar in supporting the national economy, achieving sustainable development, and building competitive industrial capabilities in accordance with the highest international standards." Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, the Managing Director & Group CEO of ADNEC Group, said: "We anticipate that the upcoming editions of IDEX and NAVDEX will be the largest and most significant in the history of the two events. They will contribute to promoting innovation, building new business partnerships, and shaping a vision for a more secure and stable future, thanks to the distinguished global presence of defence and security sector leaders." "ADNEC Group is committed to organising the largest and most successful editions of the exhibitions to date. And we look forward to providing an exceptional, high-value experience for all international and local exhibitors, as well as visitors from around the world," he added. IDEX returns as a global platform to showcase the latest defence technologies and enhance cooperation between international defence entities, with the participation of leading figures in the defense and security sectors. NAVDEX continues its role as the largest maritime defence and security exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa, focusing on maritime security and advancing efforts toward a safer future. The event will take place on the waterfront at ADNEC Marina, hosting the latest technologies, equipment, and vessels related to coastal and maritime security. The 16th edition of IDEX 2023 and the 7th edition of NAVDEX 2023 achieved significant success, attracting 132,507 participants at ADNEC Abu Dhabi. The exhibitions featured 41 international pavilions and included 1,353 exhibitors from 65 countries. Notable new initiatives included the IDEX NEXT_GEN a dedicated space that brought together over 100 startups from around the world, and the IDEX Think_Tank which organised a series of sessions under the supervision of private partners and resulted in the publication of impactful strategic reports.BOULDER, Colo. — A 72-year-old lifelong Colorado fan with end-stage kidney failure waited to the side of the field in his wheelchair for Travis Hunter and the rest of the Buffaloes. One by one, players strolled over and signed a football for Riley Rhoades, his face lighting up with each signature. Standing close by and taking in the scene was Jeremy Bloom. He's become a wish facilitator for older adults. Bloom, the former Colorado wide receiver and Olympic freestyle skier, started the Wish of a Lifetime foundation in 2008, which has made thousands of aspirations turn into reality for older adults. The list of granted wishes range from taking veterans back to the beaches of Normandy to helping late-in-life authors publish a book. He's staged concerts for musicians, assisted some in daredevil feats such as jumping out of an airplane and even lined up a meeting between an Olympic medalist and former President Barack Obama. For Rhoades, his wish was simply to return to Folsom Field again, the place where he used to have season tickets but hasn't attended a game since 2004. "Everybody has somebody in their life —a grandparent, friend, neighbor — at that age where you wish you had more resources to help," said Bloom, whose college career was cut short two decades ago when the NCAA denied his reinstatement to play football and still ski professionally after receiving endorsement money to fuel his Olympic dreams. "Nothing can compare to seeing someone else's eyes light up because you helped make their dream come true." The foundation is a tribute to his grandparents. But the concept began to take root when he was a teenager. He was in Japan for a World Cup freestyle skiing competition when a woman tried to hop on a crowded bus. There was no room, but everyone in front rose from their seats to make space. That stuck with him, along with seeing these acts of kindness for older adults all over Europe and Asia as he traveled. An idea formed — bring that same level of appreciation to the United States, with a wish-granting element. Bloom's organization has been a charitable affiliate of AARP since 2020. It was the yearning of Rhoades that brought the two of them to Folsom Field last weekend. Rhoades, who had season tickets at Colorado for 27 years, wanted to see the Buffaloes in person after watching the team's resurgence on television. A few years ago, Rhoades, who was born with spina bifida, was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure. Being among the 54,646 fans Saturday stirred up plenty of emotions for Rhoades, as he watched the 16th-ranked Buffaloes (8-2, 6-1 Big 12, No. 16 CFP) beat Utah. Colorado remains in the race for not only a conference title but a spot in the College Football Playoff. "It's just great to be back here again," Rhoades said as he pointed out the section where he used to watch games. "It's just ... so cool." For Bloom, the success that coach Deion Sanders has brought to the program means more reunions with teammates as they pass through town. "I've been through many years where nobody comes to visit," Bloom said. "It's fun that Boulder has become the epicenter of college football." Leading the way for Colorado this season have been quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Hunter, who's the Heisman Trophy frontrunner. But what particularly pleases Bloom is that Sanders, Hunter and the rest of college football players are able to finally profit through name, image and likeness. In his day, Bloom got caught in the NCAA crosshairs for wanting to play both sports and to have sponsors in one (skiing) so he could fund his Olympic aspirations. How time have changed. "I'm just really grateful that this generation of athletes gets to monetize their skills and ability," said Bloom, who finished sixth in moguls at the 2006 Winter Games in Italy. "It's the right thing." He's thrown his passion into fulfilling wishes such as learning ballet, riding in a Formula 1 pace car or taking a flight in a fighter jet. He's also helped reconnect families and friends, including a reunion for a trio of centenarian sisters who hadn't seen each other in more than a decade. This granted wish has stuck with Bloom: A person in Alabama wasn't able to travel after being diagnosed with end-of-life emphysema. So he asked for postcards to be sent, just to learn what made someone's town so special. He received 2,000 postcards from 26 different countries. "There's no end to the things that they've done for us in the world," Bloom said of older adults. "We're one of the organizations that reminds them that their dreams still do matter and that we still appreciate them and we cherish them." Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Fiscal Third Quarter Total Revenues of $2.160 Billion , Up 15.8% Year Over Year Subscription Revenues of $1.959 Billion , Up 15.8% Year Over Year PLEASANTON, Calif. , Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Workday, Inc. (NASDAQ: WDAY ), a leading provider of solutions to help organizations manage their people and money , today announced results for the fiscal 2025 third quarter ended October 31, 2024. Fiscal 2025 Third Quarter Results Total revenues were $2.160 billion , an increase of 15.8% from the third quarter of fiscal 2024. Subscription revenues were $1.959 billion , an increase of 15.8% from the same period last year. Operating income was $165 million , or 7.6% of revenues, compared to an operating income of $88 million , or 4.7% of revenues, in the same period last year. Non-GAAP operating income for the third quarter was $569 million , or 26.3% of revenues, compared to a non-GAAP operating income of $462 million , or 24.8% of revenues, in the same period last year. 1 Diluted net income per share was $0.72 , compared to diluted net income per share of $0.43 in the third quarter of fiscal 2024. Non-GAAP diluted net income per share was $1.89 , compared to non-GAAP diluted net income per share of $1.56 in the same period last year. 1 12-month subscription revenue backlog was $6.98 billion , up 15.3% from the same period last year. Total subscription revenue backlog was $22.19 billion , increasing 20.3% year-over-year. Operating cash flows were $406 million compared to $451 million in the prior year. Free cash flows were $359 million compared to $391 million in the prior year. 1 Workday repurchased approximately 0.6 million shares of Class A common stock for $157 million as part of its share repurchase programs. Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities were $7.16 billion as of October 31, 2024 . Comments on the News "Workday's solid performance in Q3 reflects the trust our customers place in us across industries, the global momentum around our AI-driven innovations, and the strength of our partner ecosystem," said Carl Eschenbach , CEO, Workday. "Organizations are increasingly consolidating on the Workday platform to reduce total cost of ownership, simplify their operations, and to unlock the power of our best-in-class AI solutions. Workday gives them the ultimate advantage – and that positions our business for long-term success." "In Q3, we once again made good progress across a number of our key growth areas," said Zane Rowe , CFO, Workday. "Looking ahead, we expect fiscal 2025 subscription revenue of $7.703 billion , growth of 17%, and fiscal 2025 non-GAAP operating margin of 25.5%. We are focused on executing in our seasonally strongest quarter, as we lay the foundation for durable, profitable growth at scale." Recent Highlights Workday unveiled Workday Illuminate , the next generation of Workday AI, at its annual customer conference, Workday Rising. Workday introduced a set of new AI agents and a new Workday Assistant to streamline and simplify common HR and finance processes. Workday added several full suite customers for Workday Financial Management and Workday Human Capital Management (HCM) , including CommonSpirit Health, Fitness and Lifestyle Group in Australia , New Jersey Institute of Technology , and The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in the UK. Workday appointed Rob Enslin president, chief commercial officer. Workday announced updates to its partner ecosystem, including 12 new Industry Accelerator s ; Workday Wellness ; AI momentum with Workday Ventures ; and a partnership with Compa . Workday closed the acquisition of leading AI-native document intelligence platform, Evisort. Workday was named a Leader in the 2024 Gartner ® Magic QuadrantsTM for Cloud HCM Suites for 1,000+ Employee Enterprises 1 , Cloud ERP for Service-Centric Enterprises 2 , and Financial Planning Software 3 . Financial Outlook Workday is providing guidance for the fiscal 2025 fourth quarter ending January 31, 2025 as follows: Subscription revenue of $2.025 billion , representing growth of 15% Non-GAAP operating margin of 25.0% 1 Workday is updating its guidance for the fiscal 2025 full year ending January 31, 2025 as follows: Subscription revenue of $7.703 billion , representing growth of 17% Non-GAAP operating margin of 25.5% 1 Earnings Call Details Workday plans to host a conference call today to review its fiscal 2025 third quarter financial results and to discuss its financial outlook. The call is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. ET and can be accessed via webcast . The webcast will be available live, and a replay will be available following completion of the live broadcast for approximately 90 days. Workday uses the Workday Blog as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. About Workday Workday is a leading enterprise platform that helps organizations manage their most important assets – their people and money . The Workday platform is built with AI at the core to help customers elevate people, supercharge work, and move their business forever forward. Workday is used by more than 10,500 organizations around the world and across industries – from medium-sized businesses to more than 60% of the Fortune 500. For more information about Workday, visit workday.com . © 2024 Workday, Inc. All rights reserved. Evisort, Workday, and the Workday logo are registered trademarks of Workday, Inc. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements including, among other things, statements regarding Workday's fourth quarter and full-year fiscal 2025 subscription revenue and non-GAAP operating margin, growth, momentum, and innovation. These forward-looking statements are based only on currently available information and our current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. If the risks materialize, assumptions prove incorrect, or we experience unexpected changes in circumstances, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements, and therefore you should not rely on any forward-looking statements. Risks include, but are not limited to: (i) breaches in our security measures or those of our third-party providers, unauthorized access to our customers' or other users' personal data, or disruptions in our data center or computing infrastructure operations; (ii) service outages, delays in the deployment of our applications, and the failure of our applications to perform properly; (iii) privacy concerns and evolving domestic or foreign laws and regulations; (iv) the impact of continuing global economic and geopolitical volatility on our business, as well as on our customers, prospects, partners, and service providers; (v) any loss of key employees or the inability to attract, train, and retain highly skilled employees; (vi) competitive factors, including pricing pressures, industry consolidation, entry of new competitors and new applications, advancements in technology, and marketing initiatives by our competitors; (vii) our reliance on our network of partners to drive additional growth of our revenues; (viii) the regulatory, economic, and political risks associated with our domestic and international operations; (ix) adoption of our applications and services by customers and individuals, including any new features, enhancements, and modifications, as well as our customers' and users' satisfaction with the deployment, training, and support services they receive; (x) the regulatory risks related to new and evolving technologies such as AI and our ability to realize a return on our development efforts; (xi) our ability to realize the expected business or financial benefits of any acquisitions of or investments in companies; (xii) delays or reductions in information technology spending; and (xiii) changes in sales, which may not be immediately reflected in our results due to our subscription model. Further information on these and additional risks that could affect Workday's results is included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including our most recent report on Form 10-Q or Form 10-K and other reports that we have filed and will file with the SEC from time to time, which could cause actual results to vary from expectations. Workday assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release, except as required by law. Any unreleased services, features, or functions referenced in this document, our website, or other press releases or public statements that are not currently available are subject to change at Workday's discretion and may not be delivered as planned or at all. Customers who purchase Workday services should make their purchase decisions based upon services, features, and functions that are currently available. Workday, Inc. Reconciliations of GAAP to Non-GAAP Data Reconciliations of our GAAP to non-GAAP operating results are included in the following table (in millions, except percentages and per share data). See the section titled "About Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for further details. Reconciliation of our GAAP cash flows from operating activities to non-GAAP free cash flow is as follows (in millions). See the section titled "About Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for further details. About Non-GAAP Financial Measures Change in Non-GAAP Financial Measures Effective beginning fiscal 2025, Workday will exclude certain acquisition-related costs, realignment costs, and gains and losses on strategic investments from its non-GAAP results as these items may vary from period to period independent of the operating performance of Workday's business. Prior period amounts have been recast for gains and losses on strategic investments to conform to this presentation. There was no impact to prior period amounts presented in this release for acquisition-related costs or realignment costs since no qualifying costs were incurred in the first three quarters of fiscal 2024. Non-GAAP Financial Measures To provide investors and others with additional information regarding Workday's results, we have disclosed the following non-GAAP financial measures: non-GAAP operating income (loss), non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP diluted net income (loss) per share, and free cash flows. Workday has provided a reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure used in this earnings release to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. Non-GAAP operating income (loss) and non-GAAP operating margin differ from GAAP in that they exclude share-based compensation expenses, employer payroll tax-related items on employee stock transactions, amortization expense for acquisition-related intangible assets, acquisition-related costs, and realignment costs. Non-GAAP diluted net income (loss) per share differs from GAAP in that it excludes share-based compensation expenses, employer payroll tax-related items on employee stock transactions, amortization expense for acquisition-related intangible assets, acquisition-related costs, realignment costs, gains and losses on strategic investments, and income tax effects. Free cash flows differ from GAAP cash flows from operating activities in that it treats capital expenditures as a reduction to cash flows. Workday's management uses these non-GAAP financial measures to understand and compare operating results across accounting periods, for internal budgeting and forecasting purposes, for short- and long-term operating plans, and to evaluate Workday's financial performance. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures reflect Workday's ongoing business in a manner that allows for meaningful period-to-period comparisons and analysis of trends in Workday's business. Management also believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating Workday's operating results and prospects in the same manner as management and in comparing financial results across accounting periods and to those of peer companies. Management believes excluding the following items from the GAAP Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations is useful to investors and others in assessing Workday's operating performance due to the following factors: Share-based compensation expenses. Share-based compensation primarily consists of non-cash expenses for employee restricted stock units and our employee stock purchase plan, and includes share-based compensation associated with acquisitions. Although share-based compensation is an important aspect of the compensation of our employees and executives, this expense is determined using a number of factors, including our stock price, volatility, and forfeiture rates, that are beyond our control and generally unrelated to operational decisions and performance in any particular period. Further, share-based compensation expenses are not reflective of the value ultimately received by the grant recipients. Employer payroll tax-related items on employee stock transactions . We exclude the employer payroll tax-related items on employee stock transactions in order to show the full effect that excluding share-based compensation expenses has on our operating results. Similar to share-based compensation expenses, this tax expense is dependent on our stock price and other factors that are beyond our control and do not correlate to the operation of our business. Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets . For business combinations, we generally allocate a portion of the purchase price to intangible assets. The amount of the allocation is based on estimates and assumptions made by management and is subject to amortization. The amount of purchase price allocated to intangible assets and the term of the related amortization can vary significantly and are unique to each acquisition and thus we do not believe this activity is reflective of our ongoing operations. Although we exclude the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets from these non-GAAP financial measures, we believe that it is important for investors to understand that such intangible assets were recorded as part of purchase accounting and contribute to revenue generation. Acquisition-related costs. Acquisition-related costs include direct transaction costs, such as due diligence and advisory fees, and certain compensation and integration-related expenses. We exclude the effects of acquisition-related costs as we believe these transaction-specific expenses are inconsistent in amount and frequency and do not correlate to the operation of our business. Realignment costs. Realignment costs are associated with a formal restructuring plan and are primarily related to employee severance, the closure of facilities, and cancellation of certain contracts. We exclude these expenses because they are not reflective of ongoing business and operating results. Gains and losses on strategic investments. Our strategic investments include investments in early stage companies that are valuable to Workday customers and complementary to Workday products. Gains and losses on strategic investments may result from observable price adjustments and impairment charges on non-marketable equity securities, ongoing mark-to-market adjustments on marketable equity securities, and the sale of equity investments. We do not rely on these securities to fund our ongoing operations nor do we actively trade publicly held securities, and therefore we do not consider the gains and losses on these strategic investments to be reflective of our ongoing operations. Income tax effects. We utilize a fixed long-term projected tax rate in our computation of the non-GAAP income tax provision to provide better consistency across the reporting periods. In projecting this long-term non-GAAP tax rate, we utilize a three-year financial projection that excludes the direct impact of the items excluded from GAAP income in calculating our non-GAAP income. The projected rate considers other factors such as our current operating structure, existing tax positions in various jurisdictions, and key legislation in major jurisdictions where we operate. For fiscal 2025 and 2024, we determined the projected non-GAAP tax rate to be 19%, which reflects currently available information, as well as other factors and assumptions. We will periodically re-evaluate this tax rate, as necessary, for significant events, relevant tax law changes, material changes in the forecasted geographic earnings mix, and any significant acquisitions. Additionally, with regards to free cash flows, Workday's management believes that reducing cash provided by (used in) operating activities by capital expenditures is meaningful to investors and others because it provides an enhanced view of cash flow generation from the ongoing operations of our business, and it balances operating results, cash management, and capital efficiency. The use of these non-GAAP measures have certain limitations as they do not reflect all items of expense or cash that affect Workday's operations. Workday compensates for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for or in isolation from, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Further, these non-GAAP measures may differ from the non-GAAP information used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore comparability may be limited. Management encourages investors and others to review Workday's financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure. Gartner Disclaimer Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The Gartner content described herein (the "Gartner Content") represents research opinion or viewpoints published, as part of a syndicated subscription service, by Gartner, Inc. ("Gartner"), and is not a representation of fact. Gartner Content speaks as of its original publication date (and not as of the date of this Earnings Press Release), and the opinions expressed in the Gartner Content are subject to change without notice. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark, and MAGIC QUADRANT is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. SOURCE Workday Inc.:Upbound Group said on Thursday it reached agreement on a $460 million cash-and-stock deal for Brigit, a financial technology company that has been backed by investors including the venture capital firms of actor Ashton Kutcher and basketball star Kevin Durant. The move, confirming a Reuters story from earlier on Thursday, will help Upbound expand its product offerings to credit-poor consumers and give it access to Brigit's data modeling and technology platform, allowing it to create more accurate customer financial profiles. Brigit provides financial services including cash advances and credit-profile building through its subscription-based digital app. It currently has nearly 2 million monthly active customers, according to a statement announcing the agreement. Under terms of the deal, Upbound is paying $325 million at a closing date forecast for the first quarter of 2025, of which 75 per cent is in cash and the rest in stock. There are further cash payments due over two years, some of which are dependent on Brigit achieving performance targets. Upbound Chief Executive Mitch Fadel told Reuters the Brigit acquisition would immediately contribute to its business because the app is already profitable, but also in the ways it can interact with its customers. With only 10 per cent overlap between the two companies' customer bases, he said, there was significant opportunity for cross-selling. "When you have more products, you can create more lifetime customers, especially when you are helping to build their credit and access a greater array of financial products," Fadel said. Plano, Texas-based Upbound, whose brands include Rent-A-Center and Acima, offers consumers with low credit scores help to buy products, including furniture, electronics, and other home goods, through so-called lease-to-own agreements. Brigit's founders, Zuben Mathews and Hamel Kothari, will continue to run Brigit as a segment within Upbound, and Brigit will retain its existing branding, the statement said. "By combining forces with Upbound, we can accelerate our impact and better serve the millions of Americans who have been historically underserved by traditional financial institutions," Mathews said.

Breaking News: Italy is Celebrating Ruffo Caselli's Robotics in Art

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Players must be assigned female at birth or have transitioned to female before going through male puberty to compete in LPGA tournaments or the eight USGA championships for females under new gender policies published Wednesday. The policies, which begin in 2025, follow more than a year of study involving medicine, science, sport physiology and gender policy law. The updated policies would rule out eligibility for Hailey Davidson, who missed qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open this year by one shot and came up short in LPGA Q-school. Davidson, who turned 32 on Tuesday, began hormone treatments when she was in her early 20s in 2015 and in 2021 underwent gender-affirming surgery, which was required under the LPGA's previous gender policy. She had won this year on a Florida mini-tour called NXXT Golf until the circuit announced in March that players had to be assigned female at birth. People are also reading... The real reason Corvallis' Pastega Lights moved to Linn County City officials admit Corvallis' flag is 'bad.' Will it change? OSU football: Three takeaways from Oregon State's loss at Boise State Prosecutor: Driver on laughing gas caused double fatal in Sweet Home UPDATED: GAPS teacher strike NOT off after talks over returning to the classroom break down OSU women's basketball: Marotte takes a more aggressive approach on offense Recently made-over park sees this change after Albany got an earful Corvallis chemical manufacturer eyes Albany for expansion Agreement reached (again), GAPS teachers get new contract OSU football: Boise State's pass rush is formidable Strike to end, GAPS reaches tentative deal with Albany teachers Philomath moves forward following July Nazi flag controversy A false start: GAPS strike continues after district, teachers announce deal Philomath's Lumos among 6 wineries suing Pacific Power over wildfires OSU women's basketball: Beavers earn home win over Grambling State “Can't say I didn't see this coming,” Davidson wrote Wednesday on an Instagram story. “Banned from the Epson and the LPGA. All the silence and people wanting to stay ‘neutral’ thanks for absolutely nothing. This happened because of all your silence.” LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan, who is resigning in January, said the new gender policy "is reflective of an extensive, science-based and inclusive approach." By making it to the second stage of Q-school, Davidson would have had very limited status on the Epson Tour, the pathway to the LPGA. The LPGA and USGA say their policies were geared toward being inclusive of gender identities and expression while striving for equity in competition. The LPGA said its working group of experts advised that the effects of male puberty allowed for competitive advantages in golf compared with players who had not gone through puberty. “Our policy is reflective of an extensive, science-based and inclusive approach,” said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan, who announced Monday that she is resigning in January. "The policy represents our continued commitment to ensuring that all feel welcome within our organization, while preserving the fairness and competitive equity of our elite competitions.” Mike Whan, the former LPGA commissioner and now CEO of the USGA, said it developed the updated policy independently and later discovered it was similar to those used by swimming, track and field, and other sports. United States Golf Association CEO Mike Whan said the new policy will prevent anyone from having "a competitive advantage based on their gender." “It starts with competitive fairness as the North star,” Whan said in a telephone interview. “We tried not to get into politics, or state by state or any of that stuff. We just simply said, ‘Where would somebody — at least medically today — where do we believe somebody would have a competitive advantage in the field?’ And we needed to draw a line. “We needed to be able to walk into any women's event and say with confidence that nobody here has a competitive advantage based on their gender. And this policy delivers that.” The “Competitive Fairness Gender Policy” for the USGA takes effect for the 2025 championship season that starts with the U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball on May 10-14. Qualifying began late this year, though there were no transgender players who took part. “Will that change in the years to come as medicine changes? Probably,” Whan said. “But I think today this stacks up.” The LPGA “Gender Policy for Competition Eligibility” would apply to the LPGA Tour, Epson Tour, Ladies European Tour and qualifying for the tours. Players assigned male at birth must prove they have not experienced any part of puberty beyond the first stage or after age 12, whichever comes first, and then meet limitation standards for testosterone levels. The LPGA begins its 75th season on Jan. 30 with the Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Florida. Sports Week in Photos: NBA Cup, NFL snow game and more Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, foreground right, dives toward the end zone to score past San Francisco 49ers defensive end Robert Beal Jr. (51) and linebacker Dee Winters during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus) Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green goes up for a dunk during the second half of an Emirates NBA cup basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) South Carolina guard Maddy McDaniel (1) drives to the basket against UCLA forward Janiah Barker (0) and center Lauren Betts (51) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Mari Fukada of Japan falls as she competes in the women's Snowboard Big Air qualifying round during the FIS Snowboard & Freeski World Cup 2024 at the Shougang Park in Beijing, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) Olympiacos' Francisco Ortega, right, challenges for the ball with FCSB's David Miculescu during the Europa League league phase soccer match between FCSB and Olympiacos at the National Arena stadium, in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) Seattle Kraken fans react after a goal by center Matty Beniers against the San Jose Sharks was disallowed due to goaltender interference during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Seattle. The Sharks won 4-2. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee (27), center, fight for the puck with Boston Bruins defensemen Parker Wotherspoon (29), left, and Brandon Carlo (25), right during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland competes in the women's Freeski Big Air qualifying round during the FIS Snowboard & Freeski World Cup 2024 at the Shougang Park in Beijing, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin cools off during first period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Brazil's Amanda Gutierres, second right, is congratulated by teammate Yasmin, right, after scoring her team's first goal during a soccer international between Brazil and Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher) Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) tries to leap over Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Joshua Williams (2) during the first half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga) England's Alessia Russo, left, and United States' Naomi Girma challenge for the ball during the International friendly women soccer match between England and United States at Wembley stadium in London, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Gold medalists Team Netherlands competes in the Team Sprint Women race of the ISU World Cup Speed Skating Beijing 2024 held at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) reaches for an incomplete pass ahead of Arizona Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. (2) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Melanie Meillard, center, of Switzerland, competes during the second run in a women's World Cup slalom skiing race, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Killington, Vt. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) LSU punter Peyton Todd (38) kneels in prayer before an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. LSU won 37-17. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma misses a catch during the fourth day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, left, is hit by Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, center, as Eagles wide receiver Parris Campbell (80) looks on during a touchdown run by Barkley in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Los Angeles Kings left wing Warren Foegele, left, trips San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, center, during the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) Brazil's Botafogo soccer fans react during the Copa Libertadores title match against Atletico Mineiro in Argentina, during a watch party at Nilton Santos Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado) Jiyai Shin of Korea watches her shot on the 10th hole during the final round of the Australian Open golf championship at the Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake) Lara Gut-Behrami, of Switzerland, competes during a women's World Cup giant slalom skiing race, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Killington, Vt. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) Luiz Henrique of Brazil's Botafogo, right. is fouled by goalkeeper Everson of Brazil's Atletico Mineiro inside the penalty area during a Copa Libertadores final soccer match at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) Sent weekly directly to your inbox!

super. ace The leaders of Kamala Harris ' presidential campaign insist they simply didn't have enough time to execute a winning strategy against Donald Trump , pointing to “ferocious" political headwinds that were ultimately too much to overcome in the 107-day period after President Joe Biden stepped aside, as per a report. Harris' leadership team, speaking on the “Pod Save America” podcast that aired on Tuesday, defended strategic decisions over the campaign's closing days, some of which have faced scrutiny in the weeks since Trump's decisive victory. Specifically, they defended Harris' outreach to Republican voters, her unwillingness to distance herself from Biden, her silence on Trump's attacks on her transgender policies and her inability to schedule an interview with popular podcaster Joe Rogan, AP reported. Also Read : It Ends With Us: Check out Netflix streaming date, storyline, cast and characters “In a 107-day race, it is very difficult to do all the things you would normally do in a year and a half, two years,” said Harris campaign senior adviser Jen O'Malley Dillon. David Plouffe, another senior adviser, added, “There was a price to be paid for the short campaign." Web Development Advanced C++ Mastery: OOPs and Template Techniques By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Leadership Building Your Winning Startup Team: Key Strategies for Success By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Strategy Succession Planning Masterclass By - Nigel Penny, Global Strategy Advisor: NSP Strategy Facilitation Ltd. View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Intermediate C++ Skills: Master Pointers, Structures and File Stream By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Finance: Finance Beginner Course By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Finance Financial Literacy for Non-Finance Executives By - CA Raja, Chartered Accountant | Financial Management Educator | Former AVP - Credit, SBI View Program Finance Tally Prime & GST Accounting: Complete Guide By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Leadership Validating Your Startup Idea: Steps to Ensure Market Fit By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Office Productivity Microsoft Word Mastery: From Beginner to Expert By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Astrology Vastu Shastra Course By - Sachenkumar Rai, Vastu Shashtri View Program Web Development C++ Fundamentals for Absolute Beginners By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Leadership Business Storytelling Masterclass By - Ameen Haque, Founder of Storywallahs View Program Web Development Master RESTful APIs with Python and Django REST Framework: Web API Development By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Strategy ESG and Business Sustainability Strategy By - Vipul Arora, Partner, ESG & Climate Solutions at Sattva Consulting Author I Speaker I Thought Leader View Program Finance Startup Fundraising: Essential Tactics for Securing Capital By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Office Productivity Mastering Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 365 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Basics of Generative AI: Unveiling Tomorrow's Innovations By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By - Neil Patel, Co-Founder and Author at Neil Patel Digital Digital Marketing Guru View Program Office Productivity Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program The pointed reflections on Harris' loss came just before she was scheduled to host a conference call with supporters as the party begins a painful process of self-examination. Trump won every swing state and made gains among key voting groups traditionally aligned with Democrats — young voters and voters of color, among them. Harris' team did not question the legitimacy of Trump's victory. “We lost,” O'Malley Dillon said. But none of the Harris' advisers acknowledged any mistakes during the wide-ranging podcast interview hosted by former Democratic operatives. Instead, they indicated that Harris had few options given the compressed timeframe and the broad anti-incumbent headwinds that have challenged elected officials across the world. They also gave Trump's team some credit. They specifically pointed to Trump's closing attack ad, which highlighted Harris' support for taxpayer-funded sex reassignment surgeries for transgender prisoners. “Obviously, it was a very effective ad at the end,” said Harris deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks. “I think that it made her seem out of touch.” The campaign tested several potential response ads but, in the end, decided it was best to avoid a specific rebuttal. “There’s no easy answers to this,” O'Malley Dillon said. Plouffe said he thought the Trump attack ad against “Bidenomics” was even more effective, but he acknowledged that the transgender attacks were not helpful. “She was on tape," he said. "Surgery for trans people who want to transition in prison was part of the Biden-Harris platform in 2020. It was part of what the administration did, right?” And while the campaign has faced lingering questions about its media strategy, Harris' team said she actually wanted to participate in a podcast with Rogan, who is among the world's most popular podcasters and ultimately endorsed Trump. Stephanie Cutter, another Harris senior adviser, said the campaign wasn't able to “find a date” to make it work. “We had discussions with Joe Rogan’s team. They were great. They wanted us to come on. We wanted to come on,” she said. “Will she do it sometime in the future? Maybe. Who knows. But it didn’t ultimately impact the outcome one way or the other.” Plouffe noted that the campaign offered to do the Rogan podcast on the road in Austin, Texas. Trump ultimately did his interview with Rogan in the podcaster's studio. Harris' campaign brass also defended her decision to court moderate Republicans in the campaign's closing days. The decision has drawn ire from some progressives, who believe Harris should have worked harder to turn out more traditional Democratic voters. “This political environment sucked, OK? We were dealing with ferocious headwinds,” Plouffe said. “So we had a complicated puzzle to put together here in terms of the voters.” Also Read : Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: Disney+ show’s release date, time, storyline and cast He acknowledged some “drift” toward Trump among non-college-educated voters, particularly voters of color, which made Harris' outreach to moderate voters even more important. “Yes, of course you have to maximize your turnout and your vote share amongst liberal voters if you’re a Democrat. That was a huge focus,” he said. He added, “You’ve got to couple that with dominating in the middle. Not just winning it a little. We have to dominate the moderate vote." FAQs Q1. What is the age of Kamala Harris? A1. Kamala Harris is 60-year-old. Q2. What is the age of Donald Trump? A2. Donald Trump is 78-year-old. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )Allu Arjun expresses concern for hospitalized boy after Pushpa 2 stampede

Marc-Andre Fleury’s game still blooms in new Wild role

Oilers President Jeff Jackson Grades Offseason Free Agent and Trade AdditionsSure beats more socks. You won’t find the hot new gift this holiday season on store shelves, or your favorite e-commerce site — unless they sell bulk loads of unclaimed mail where you shop. And you don’t even have to deal with the USPS — companies are snapping up the forgotten finds and selling them off to people who like surprises. For instance, Florida-based Fundelivered has retailed 90,000 bundles in three years, according to founders Rebecca Dallman and Jena Butler — offloading everything from a $39.98 “mini” sampler to a “party-sized” box of hopefully lucrative loot. Some customers are hooked on the homeless hauls, like shopper Rachelle Harris, told the Wall Street Journal she plans to give her family unclaimed mail for the second Christmas in a row this year. And before you laugh, consider the potential — Harris said that last year, her purchase yielded her everything from a knock-off Chanel bag to a human-size Bowser suit, not to mention a bunch of fake IDs. Mostly, for her family, she said, it was about the laughs. “Almost everything that we opened was something funny,” Harris said. “I posted the videos on Facebook and my sister-in-law said she can’t stop watching them because we were laughing so much.” However, one woman, Susan Shuweihat, learned the hard way that not every gamble pays off. Shuweihat told the outlet that her boss adamantly didn’t want a birthday gift, but she went above and beyond regardless. The eager employee hand-delivered a box of unclaimed mail to his home and watched him and his wife open it inside. Like what Buddy the Elf got Walter Hobbs, first a sexy piece of lingerie came out of the box — followed by a much raunchier Fleshlight. “They thought I’d set the whole thing up,” she said. Others, like medical professional Anna Antonopulos of Oregon, have had more professional success with the game of random mystery. She routinely leaves boxes of unclaimed mail in her workplace breakroom. “At the end of the shift, we open them and get some really funny stuff,” she said. Antonopulos boldly gave a box to her 11-year-old niece on her birthday as well. While age-appropriate, it certainly wasn’t a gift most tweens would be clamoring over. The package was a blanket with photos of a bearded man, his partner, and a baby with the message “Happy Mother’s Day, Tiffy.” Regardless, the aunt of the year said, “It’s her favorite blanket.” “She sleeps with it every night.”Arterial and interior stretches in Tambaram remain pothole-riddenPacers vs. 76ers: Odds, expert picks and predictions, recent stats, trends and best bets for December 13

For travelers, Puerto Rico is a floating island of desirabilityIYC: Consumer Discretionary Dashboard For December

Ex-DPM Wissanu says skip charter referendumWelcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! This isn't just any Thursday though: It's the FINAL Thursday of 2024. To celebrate that fact, we're going to list 2,024 reasons why you should watch the Thursday night game between the Bears and Seahawks . Just kidding. I don't have time to write that, you don't have time to read that, and I'm pretty sure I couldn't come up with 2,024 reasons to watch a game involving the Bears. That being said, we will have a preview of the game in today's newsletter, plus we'll be breaking down everything that happened on Christmas Day in the NFL . As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter or you can tell people you run into at the grocery store. That also works. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here . 1. Christmas grades: Steelers and Texans both get coal in their stocking Although Santa delivered on Christmas, it's safe to say these games didn't. Both games ended up being blowouts. Let's take a look at how each team graded out: Chiefs 29-10 over Steelers Chiefs takeaway: The Chiefs always seem to get hot just in time for the playoffs, and that appears to be exactly what's happening this year. Patrick Mahomes , who has a 4-0 career record against Pittsburgh, once again dominated the Steelers. The Chiefs QB diced up Pittsburgh's secondary for 320 yards and three touchdowns, and he did that by spreading the ball around: The Chiefs had seven different players catch at least two passes, including Travis Kelce , who caught eight passes for 84 yards and a TD. As good as the offense was, the defense might have been better. The Chiefs didn't have star pass rusher Chris Jones , but they were still able to terrorize Russell Wilson . The Kansas City pass rush racked up five sacks with Mike Danna recording two of those. Santa always delivers on Dec. 25, and the Chiefs always deliver in big games. Both of them delivered in this rare Wednesday game. Grade: A+ Steelers takeaway: The Steelers are probably going to get coal in their stocking after this Christmas Day performance. With George Pickens back in the lineup, the offense did show some brief signs of life, but overall it was an ugly day. The ugliness started up front with the offensive line getting dominated for five sacks. As if that wasn't bad enough, the Steelers also made two back-breaking mistakes with a red zone interception by Russell Wilson in the first half and a lost fumble by Pat Freiermuth in the second half. It also didn't help that the Steelers defense looked lost while trying to slow down Kansas City's offense. This team feels like it's fading fast, and with three straight losses, it will be a surprise if it gets out of the first round of the playoffs with the way it is currently playing. Grade: D- Andy Reid celebrated the win by dressing up like Santa and you can check out his costume here . You can check out our full takeaways from Kansas City's win here . Ravens 31-2 over Texans Ravens takeaway: Santa wasn't the only one who delivered on Christmas; so did Lamar Jackson . The Ravens QB made an MVP statement with an impressive performance that saw him total 255 yards and three touchdowns. Of that total, Jackson rushed for 87 yards, which moved him past Michael Vick for the most career rushing yards by a QB in NFL history. Jackson did get some help on offense from Derrick Henry , who plowed his way through the Texans defense for 147 yards and a touchdown. The Ravens defense, which had been a weak spot for the first 11 weeks of the season, had another strong game. It beat up on C.J. Stroud , who was sacked five times. The Ravens are getting hot at the right time, and they're now just one win away from winning the AFC North. Grade: A+ Texans takeaway: The only thing that could have been uglier on Christmas than the Texans' performance was if Santa's sleigh had crashed. This game was a total disaster for a Texans team that has now struggled on offense in three straight games. C.J. Stroud couldn't get the passing game going, and that's mostly because he was under constant pressure. Even if the offense had been able to move the ball, it might not have mattered because Houston's defense couldn't stop a Ravens rushing attack that piled up more than 250 yards. The Texans are looking like a team that could go one-and-done in the playoffs unless they can somehow get things turned around before the postseason starts. Grade: F We also have plenty other takeaways from Baltimore's win, and you can check those out there . 2. NFL Christmas overreactions: Steelers should let Russell Wilson leave after the season Everyone on the internet loves to overreact to things, and that's especially true when we're talking about the NFL. With that in mind, Jeff Kerr decided to take a look at several things that happened during yesterday's games to decide if we're all overreacting. Statement: Russell Wilson should NOT return as the Steelers QB next season. Overreaction or reality: Reality. "The Steelers played three games in 11 days, all against teams with 10-plus wins. The offensive numbers weren't good, and neither was Wilson. Pittsburgh averages just 280.7 yards per game and 13.0 offensive points per game over the past three, all with Wilson at quarterback. ... Is Wilson good enough to start? Yes, but the Steelers need an upgrade at quarterback if they are going to compete for a Super Bowl . Pittsburgh is not a Super Bowl contender with Wilson based on how the last three weeks have played out." Statement: Chiefs are getting back to the Super Bowl. Overreaction or reality: Reality. "The road to the Super Bowl in the AFC goes through Kansas City. The Chiefs clinched home-field advantage after their victory over the Steelers, which means AFC teams will have to beat a 15-1 team in Arrowhead Stadium -- a place where the Chiefs haven't lost this season. ... Buffalo has beaten Kansas City this year. Baltimore has challenged them. But the Chiefs are the favorites to get to Super Bowl LIX. Until a team beats them at Arrowhead Stadium, it's a fair assumption to say the Chiefs are coming out of the AFC." Statement: Lamar Jackson will hit 10,000 career rushing yards. Overreaction or reality: Reality. "Jackson has already passed Michael Vick for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history, having 6,110 rushing yards in his career. At just 27 years old (turns 28 in January), Jackson has played seven seasons in the league and averages 872 rushing yards a season. With this pace, Jackson would need five more seasons to reach the mark -- by his age-32 season. With how prolific Jackson is at throwing the ball, he'll remain a dual-threat quarterback even as his speed starts to diminish. Being 32 isn't a deterrent for Jackson, either, as the two-time MVP will still be in the prime of his career. He'll be within striking distance for 10,000 rushing yards in his career, and is already looking like a quarterback who can start until he's 35." There are plenty more overreactions from the two Christmas games, and if you want to check those out, be sure to click here . We also came up with some winners and losers from the Christmas games and you can check those out here . 3. Christmas gets crazy: 10 wild stats from the NFL's holiday doubleheader For the first time since 1936, the NFL held a Wednesday doubleheader and although both games ended up being blowouts, there was still plenty of history made. Let's check out 10 wild stats from yesterday's games (via CBS Sports research): Lamar Jackson makes NFL history. The Ravens quarterback rushed for 87 yards against the Texans and now has 6,110 for his career, which moves him 1 YARD past Michael Vick for the NFL's all-time record for most rushing yards by a quarterback. The impressive part is that it took Vick 143 games to set the record, but it took Jackson just 102 games to break it. Jackson is unbeatable late in the season. The Ravens quarterback has NEVER lost a regular-season game at any point from Week 15 on in his career. The game against the Texans was the 13th game that Jackson has played in that situation and he's now 13-0, so you probably don't want to pick against him next week when the Ravens play the Browns . His 13-0 record is the best mark by any QB since at least 1950. Dynamic Duo. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry combined for 234 yards on Wednesday to give them a combined 2,735 yards on the season, which is a new NFL record for two teammates. Henry and Jackson had already set the record for a QB-RB duo, but now they've got the record for any duo. The previous record was held by Buffalo's O.J. Simpson and Jim Braxton, who rushed for 2,640 yards in 1975. One note here is that Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts rank fourth on the all-time list with 2,468 and they'll get a chance to add to that total on Sunday against the Cowboys . No matter what happens, the Bills ' record still might be the most impressive, though, and that's because they hit their number in just 14 games. Texans pull off unfortunate rarity. The Texans were held to just two points, which is something you don't see very often in the NFL. As a matter of fact, it marks only the second time over the past 30 years that a team has finished with two points in a regular-season game. The last time it happened came in 2013 when the Chiefs beat the Jaguars in 2013. There's also been one playoff game in that span where a team finished with two points and that came in January 2012 when the Giants beat the Falcons , 24-2. Henry rumbles to Ravens franchise record. With one rushing touchdown on Wednesday, Derrick Henry now has 16 on the season, which sets a new franchise record. Going into Week 17, Henry had been tied with Ray Rice (2011) and Mark Ingram (2019) who both scored 15 in a single season for Baltimore. Chiefs join exclusive club. With their win over the Steelers, the Chiefs are now 15-1, which makes them just the eighth team in NFL history to win 15 games in a season and the first team to do it since the 15-1 Panthers in 2015. If the Chiefs win in Week 18, they'll match the 2007 Patriots for the most victories in a single season. The Chiefs are also just the second defending Super Bowl champion to hit the 15-win mark, joining the 2011 Packers . Kansas City has set the franchise record for wins in a season. Travis Kelce sets franchise record. With one receiving touchdown against the Steelers, Kelce now has 77 for his career, which is a new franchise record for the Chiefs. Kelce had been tied with Tony Gonzalez, who caught 76 TD passes in 12 seasons with Kansas City (1997-2008). Kelce also hit 1,000 catches for his career, becoming just the third tight end in NFL history to reach that mark. Kelce is at 1,004 and trails only Gonzalez (1,325) and Jason Witten (1,228) for the most receptions by a tight end. Chiefs set bizarre record . The Chiefs became the first team in 97 years to play on six different days of the week and with their win, they became the first team in NFL history to win on six different days of the week (No other team had even one on five different days of the week before). The Chiefs didn't play on any Tuesdays this year, which was the only day of the week where they didn't pick up a win. Chiefs clinch the top seed in the AFC. With their win, the Chiefs have now clinched the top seed in the AFC, but based on their history, that might not actually be a good thing. This marks the sixth time they've been the No. 1 seed in the AFC and in the previous five instances, they've only won the Super Bowl one time. They've been the top seed three prior times in the Patrick Mahomes era (2018, 2020, 2022) and 2022 was the only time they won the Super Bowl. Steelers' historic collapse. Going into Week 15, the Steelers were 10-3, but now they're now 10-6 after losing three games in a row. The Steelers became just the third team in NFL history to lose three straight games by 14 points or more during a streak that started when the team was at least seven games over .500. They joined the 1986 Jets and the 1987 Chargers . If you see any other fun facts, feel free to tweet them at me . 4. Thursday night preview: Picks and best bets for Seahawks at Bears The final Thursday night game of the season will be going down in Chicago where the Bears will play host to the Seahawks. Although Chicago (4-11) won't have anything to play for tonight, this is a big game for the Seahawks (8-7). If Seattle wins, that will give the Seahawks a shot to play for the NFC West title in Week 18 (There is one scenario where the Rams could clinch the division this week even with a Seahawks win, but it would involve four different teams winning to give Los Angeles the strength of victory tiebreaker). With that in mind, here's one reason why each team should be feeling confident about a possible win: Why the Seahawks can win: If you can throw the ball on the Bears, you can beat them, and not many teams have been better at throwing the ball this season than Seattle. The Seahawks are averaging 244.5 passing yards per game, which is the fourth-best number in the NFL. If Geno Smith can avoid turning the ball over, he should be able to take advantage of the Bears defense. The Bears are 0-8 this season when they surrender more than 210 yards passing, but 4-3 when they hold their opponent to 210 or fewer yards, so if Smith gets hot, the Seahawks should come out on top. That being said, it's supposed to be cold and possibly wet, so there's no guarantee that the Seahawks will be able to easily move the ball through the air. Why the Bears can win: The magic number for the Bears this season has been 21: They're 0-10 this season when they score under 21 points, but 4-1 when they top that number. The Bears offense has struggled at times, especially during the team's nine-game losing streak, but if Caleb Williams can get the offense back on track, that would take some pressure off the defense. If the defense can force a few turnovers, that would also help as the Bears are 4-2 when they force at least two turnovers in a game. You can get a full preview of the game from Cody Benjamin by clicking here . If you're thinking about betting on the game, here are a couple of props. ONE PLAYER PROP I LIKE: Caleb Williams OVER 23.5 rushing yards (-145 at BetMGM ): When it comes to scrambling, Williams has gotten a lot more aggressive over the past few weeks. Since Week 11, Williams has gone over 23.5 rushing yards in five of Chicago's six games. In that same span, he's averaged 34.3 rushing yards per game. When Williams gets in trouble, he likes to take off and I think we'll see him take off quite a few times tonight. ONE KICKING PROP I LIKE: Jason Myers OVER 1.5 field goals (-110 at BetMGM): The Seahawks kicker has hit at least two field goals in three of his past four games and with the way Seattle is playing on offense right now, I think we'll see him get at least two attempts tonight. Also, opposing teams are hitting an average of 2.2 field goals against the Bears this season, which is the third-highest number in the NFL. And in case you're wondering, my props are now 42-31 on the season (20-14 on kicker props and 22-17 on all other props). And finally, here are our picks for the game. PICKS FOR 'TNF' Cody's pick: Seahawks 23-20 over Bears Prisco's pick: Seahawks (-3.5) to cover against Bears My pick: Seahawks 20-17 over Bears Over on our CBSSports.com picks page, you can see who our eight experts are taking by clicking here . 5. NFL playoff-clinching scenarios for Week 17: Five teams can secure a postseason spot There are 14 playoff spots in the NFL and so far, nine of them have been clinched. The final five spots can ALL be clinched as soon as this weekend, which means we could head into the final week of the season with exactly zero playoff berths up for grabs (Of course, even if all the playoff spots are clinched heading into Week 18, there would still be some drama around the playoff seeding). There are multiple playoff-clinching scenarios this week, but we're just going to take a look at the simplest one for each team. BRONCOS (9-6) Easiest path: The Broncos will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Bengals on Saturday. CHARGERS (9-6) Easiest path: The Chargers will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Patriots on Saturday. As for the rest of the AFC, the Chiefs clinched the No. 1 overall seed with their win over the Steelers on Wednesday, which means they'll get a week off during the wild-card round. The Texans also locked themselves into the No. 4 seed due to their loss to Baltimore. In the NFC, there are a total of three spots that can be clinched this week: RAMS (9-6) Easiest path: The Rams will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Cardinals on Saturday COMBINED with a Seahawks loss to the Bears tonight. COMMANDERS (10-5) Easiest path: The Commanders will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Falcons on Sunday night. FALCONS (8-7) Easiest path: There's only one scenario where the Falcons can clinch a playoff spot this weekend and it would involve clinching the NFC South. For that to happen, the Falcons could have to beat Washington COMBINED with the Buccaneers losing to the Panthers. In other clinching news, the Eagles can clinch the NFC East with a win over the Cowboys. The Lions can also lock up the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a win over the 49ers on Monday COMBINED with a Vikings loss to the Packers. Unlike the AFC, we haven't seen a single team clinch a specific seed in the NFC yet. If you want to check out all 14 clinching scenarios that are in play during Week 17, you can do that here . 6. QB Power Rankings: Lamar Jackson on top We usually feature our QB Power Rankings in the Wednesday newsletter, but since there was no Wednesday newsletter this week, we're bumping this to today. This weekly QB ranking comes from Cody Benjamin and when putting this ranking together, one thing that's very important to note is that it's "based more on current standing than the bigger picture." Basically, the quarterbacks are being ranked based on what they're doing this season. With that in mind, let's take a look at Cody's top five quarterbacks in this week's ranking: Lamar Jackson. "This man is a walking highlight reel, effortlessly electric as both a tight-window thrower and play-extending speedster. His magical physical gifts are fully paired with smart, efficient and authoritative play." Joe Burrow . "If the Bengals sneak into the playoffs after an ugly start to the season, it will be almost exclusively thanks to his unbreakable downfield connection with Ja'Marr Chase , a touchdown machine." Josh Allen . "Allen gets the job done however he can. The one worry about his Superman tendencies is durability; he's now banged up both arms/hands during his otherwise dynamic MVP bid." Jared Goff . "The battle-tested vet has seen his touchdown total increase in each of his seasons with Detroit." Jordan Love . " Josh Jacobs ' bruising run game may be the top ingredient for Matt LaFleur's January attack, but it's Love's live-wire arm that truly keeps defenses on their heels. He's just such a gifted thrower." Well, well well. Cody has Lamar Jackson over Josh Allen and it will be interesting to see if MVP voters feel the same way. Right now, Allen is the slight favorite to win the award at -250 at Draft Kings, but Jackson isn't too far behind him at +160 (You can read more about the MVP odds here ). As for Cody's QB ranking, you can check out where every QB ended up by checking out his full story here .British Columbia business owner Joe Chaput will spend $5,500 a month on security guards during the holiday season and plans on upgrading his store’s video camera system for around $5,000 more. He’s not selling luxury brands or expensive jewels. Chaput sells cheese, and at Christmas, cheese is a hot commodity. He is the co-owner of specialty cheese store les amis du Fromage, with two locations in Vancouver. While cheeselifting is rare in their Kitsilano store, the outlet in East Vancouver is hit in waves, with nothing happening for a month, then three of four people trying to steal their inventory within a week. “Sometimes, you miss it. Sometimes, you catch it. The way shoplifters behave ... they tend to gravitate toward expensive things,” said Chaput. Expensive cheese is on shoplifters’ Christmas list, he said. “They tend to do the classic examples of staying away from customer service and trying to go to a different part of the store so they can be left alone to steal.” Chaput isn’t alone. Police say food-related crimes on are the rise in Canada and as prices climb for items such as cheese and butter, they become lucrative on the black market for organized crime groups, not to mention theft for local resale. Sylvain Charlebois, the director of Dalhousie University’s Agri-food Analytics Lab, said a black market tends to emerge as soon as food prices surge. “Organized crime will steal anything (if) they know they can sell it and so, they probably would have known who their clients are before even stealing anything at all, and that’s how a black market is organized,” said Charlebois. He said he believes there are two categories of people shoplifting — those who do so out of desperation because they can’t afford the food, or organized criminals, profiting from sales on the black market. Mounties in North Vancouver made cheesy headlines when they ran into a man with a cart of stolen cheese in the middle of the night in September. The cheese, valued at $12,800, was from a nearby Whole Foods Store. While the cheese was recovered, it had to be disposed of because it hadn’t been refrigerated. Const. Mansoor Sahak, with the North Vancouver RCMP, said officers believe cheese is targeted because it’s “profitable to resell.” “If they are drug addicts, they will commit further crimes with that or feed their drug habits. It’s a vicious cycle,” said Sahak. Sahak said meat is also a top target for grocery thieves, with store losses sometimes in the thousands. “So, we’re not surprised that this happened,” said Sahak. Police in Ontario have been chasing down slippery shoplifters going after butter. Scott Tracey, a spokesman with Guelph Police Service, said there have been eight or nine butter thefts over the last year, including one theft last December worth $1,000. In October, two men walked into a local grocer and filled their carts with cases of butter valued at $936, and four days later a Guelph grocer lost four cases valued at $958. Tracey said he has looked at online marketplaces and found listings by people selling 20 or 30 pounds of butter at a time. “Clearly, somebody didn’t accidentally buy 30 extra pounds of butter. So, they must have come from somewhere,” said Tracey, “I think at this point it appears to be the black market is where it’s headed.” He said the thefts seem to be organized, with two or three people working together in each case. Police in Brantford, Ont., are also investigating the theft of about $1,200 worth of butter from a store on Nov. 4. Charlebois said retailers could invest in prevention technologies like electronic tags, but putting them on butter or cheese is rare. He said up until recently grocery store theft has been a “taboo subject for many years.” Stores didn’t wanted to talk about thefts because they didn’t want to alarm people but now they feel they need to build awareness about what is “becoming a huge problem,” said Charlebois. Chaput, the cheese store owner, said he had been running the East Vancouver store for 15 years while managing the store in Kitsilano for 30 years, and he loves his customers. “It’s really one of the best parts of our businesses, seeing familiar faces and making new customers. It’s why we come to work, really. Partly it’s the cheese, and partly it’s the people,” said Chaput. He said his strategy to combat would-be thieves is to give them extra customer service to make it harder for them to steal. He admits, however, that the shoplifting causes him stress. “It’s challenging. You’re busy trying to run your business day to day and take care of customers and take care of employees. Having to deal with criminals, just kind of scratches away. It can be a bit exhausting,” said Chaput.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — LJ Thomas had 25 points in Austin Peay's 62-50 win over Georgia State on Tuesday. Thomas added five assists for the Governors (4-2). Tekao Carpenter scored 12 points while finishing 4 of 9 from 3-point range. The Panthers (3-3) were led by Zarigue Nutter, who recorded 17 points. Malachi Brown added 10 points and two steals for Georgia State. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing . But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin , gold and other investments also drove higher. Here’s a look at some of the numbers that defined the year. All are as of Dec. 20. 1998 Remember when President Bill Clinton got impeached or when baseball’s Mark McGwire hit his 70th home run against the Montreal Expos? That was the last time the U.S. stock market closed out a second straight year with a leap of at least 20%, something the S&P 500 is on track to do again this year. The index has climbed 24.3% so far this year, not including dividends, following last year’s spurt of 24.2%. 57 The number of all-time highs the S&P 500 has set so far this year. The first came early, on Jan. 19, when the index capped a two-year comeback from the swoon caused by high inflation and worries that high interest rates instituted by the Federal Reserve to combat it would create a recession. But the index was methodical through the rest of the year, setting a record in every month outside of April and August, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. The latest came on Dec. 6. 3 The number of times the Federal Reserve has cut its main interest rate this year from a two-decade high, offering some relief to the economy. Expectations for those cuts, along with hopes for more in 2025, were a big reason the U.S. stock market has been so successful this year. The 1 percentage point of cuts, though, is still short of the 1.5 percentage points that many traders were forecasting for 2024 at the start of the year. The Fed disappointed investors in December when it said it may cut rates just two more times in 2025, fewer than it had earlier expected. 1,508 That’s how many points the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by the day after Election Day, as investors made bets on what Donald Trump’s return to the White House will mean for the economy and the world . The more widely followed S&P 500 soared 2.5% for its best day in nearly two years. Aside from bitcoin, stocks of banks and smaller winners were also perceived to be big winners. The bump has since diminished amid worries that Trump’s policies could also send inflation higher. $100,000 The level that bitcoin topped to set a record above $108,000 this past month. It’s been climbing as interest rates come down, and it got a particularly big boost following Trump’s election. He’s turned around and become a fan of crypto, and he’s named a former regulator who’s seen as friendly to digital currencies as the next chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, replacing someone who critics said was overly aggressive in his oversight. Bitcoin was below $17,000 just two years ago following the collapse of crypto exchange FTX. 26.7% Gold’s rise for the year, as it also hit records and had as strong a run as U.S. stocks. Wars around the world have helped drive demand for investments seen as safe, such as gold. It’s also benefited from the Fed’s cut to interest rates. When bonds are paying less in interest, they pull away fewer potential buyers from gold, which pays investors nothing. $420 It’s a favorite number of Elon Musk, and it’s also a threshold that Tesla’s stock price passed in December as it set a record. The number has a long history among marijuana devotees, and Musk famously said in 2018 that he had secured funding to take Tesla private at $420 per share . Tesla soared this year, up from less than $250 at the start, in part because of expectations that Musk’s close relationship with Trump could benefit the company. $91.2 billion That’s how much revenue Nvidia made in the nine months through Oct. 27, showing how the artificial-intelligence frenzy is creating mountains of cash. Nvidia’s chips are driving much of the move into AI, and its revenue through the last nine months catapulted from less than $39 billion the year before. Such growth has boosted Nvidia’s worth to more than $3 trillion in total. 74% GameStop’s gain on May 13 after Keith Gill, better known as “Roaring Kitty,” appeared online for the first time in three years to support the video game retailer’s stock, which he helped rocket to unimaginable heights during the “ meme stock craze ” in 2021. Several other meme stocks also jumped following his post in May on the social platform X, including AMC Entertainment. Gill later disclosed a sizeable stake in the online pet products retailer Chewy, but he sold all of his holdings by late October . 1.6%, 3.0% and 3.1% That’s how much the U.S. economy grew, at annualized seasonally adjusted rates, in each of the three first quarters of this year. Such growth blew past what many pessimists were expecting when inflation was topping 9% in the summer of 2022. The fear was that the medicine prescribed by the Fed to beat high inflation — high interest rates — would create a recession. Households at the lower end of the income spectrum in particular are feeling pain now, as they contend with still-high prices. But the overall economy has remained remarkably resilient. 20.1% This is the vacancy rate for U.S. office buildings — an all-time high — through the first three quarters of 2024, according to data from Moody’s. The fact the rate held steady for most of the year was something of a win for office building owners, given that it had marched up steadily from 16.8% in the fourth quarter of 2019. Demand for office space weakened as the pandemic led to the popularization of remote work. 3.73 million That’s the total number of previously occupied homes sold nationally through the first 11 months of 2024. Sales would have to surge 20% year-over-year in December for 2024’s home sales to match the 4.09 million existing homes sold in 2023, a nearly 30-year low. The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. A shortage of homes for sale and elevated mortgage rates have discouraged many would-be homebuyers. -- The Associated PressJoel Dahmen's 'half-court' putt keeps PGA Tour status alive

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Lebawit Lily Girma | (TNS) Bloomberg News When winter rolls around, travelers predictably turn their attention to beaches. And this year, it’s the destination that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” that’s experiencing outsize demand from Americans planning a warm island vacation. Talk about trashing stereotypes. Related Articles Travel | Would you pay $700 a night to sleep under the stars at this Colorado resort? Travel | Thailand’s starring role in ‘The White Lotus’ is about to pay off Travel | 5 under-the-radar travel destinations the UN says you should visit Travel | Gift ideas for people planning their next trip Travel | Lights and decor, réveillon meals make Christmastime special in New Orleans Puerto Rico has recovered overseas visitors (excluding those from Canada and Mexico) faster than any U.S. state or territory — a staggering 85% increase over its 2019 overseas inbound visitor levels as of 2023, according to an October study from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office. There are now more daily flights from the U.S. West Coast, and hotel bookings are 6% higher so far in this last quarter of 2024 year-over-year. It’s a trifecta of tourism growth: more visitors, but also longer stays and a higher spend that reached a record $9.8 billion in 2023, boosting small businesses as well as major brands. “We don’t have a slow season in Puerto Rico anymore,” says Brad Dean, chief executive officer at Discover Puerto Rico. Even if they’re not booking, people are dreaming about “La Isla.” By tracking flight searches for trips between November 2024 and February 2025, a measure of “inspirational” demand, tourism intelligence company Mabrian Technologies reports Puerto Rico is up 9% compared with the same period last year and leads Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas in the Caribbean proper. Only Costa Rica ranked higher in the wider region. Dean attributes Puerto Rico’s ongoing tourism growth to a strategic effort to reposition the island’s brand as more than a sun-and-sea destination, starting back in 2018. That led to the Live Boricua campaign, which began in 2022 and leaned heavily on culture, history and cuisine and was, Dean says, “a pretty bold departure” in the way Puerto Rico was showcased to travelers. He adds that at least $2 billion in tourism spend is linked to this campaign. “We (also) haven’t shied away from actively embracing the LGBTQ+ community, and that has opened up Puerto Rico to audiences that may not have considered the Caribbean before,” Dean says. Hotels are preparing to meet this growing demand: A number of established boutique properties are undergoing upgrades valued between $4 million and more than $50 million, including Hotel El Convento; La Concha, which will join the Marriott Autograph Collection; Condado Vanderbilt Hotel; and the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar. That’s in addition to ultra-chic options that are coming online in 2025, including the adults-only Alma San Juan, with rooms overlooking Plaza Colón in the heart of Old San Juan, and the five-star Veranó boutique hotel in San Juan’s trendy Santurce neighborhood. The beachfront Ritz-Carlton San Juan in Isla Verde will also be reopening seven years after Hurricane Maria decimated the island. The travel industry’s success is helping boost employment on the island, to the tune of 101,000 leisure and hospitality jobs as of September 2024, a 26% increase over pre-pandemic levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Efforts to promote Puerto Rico’s provinces beyond the San Juan metro area — such as surfing hub Rincón on the west coast, historical Ponce on the south coast and Orocovis for nature and coffee haciendas in the central mountains —have spread the demand to small businesses previously ignored by the travel industry. Take Sheila Osorio, who leads workshops on Afro-Puerto Rican bomba music and dance at Taller Nzambi, in the town of Loíza, 15 miles east of San Juan; or Wanda Otero, founder of cheese-producing company Vaca Negra in Hatillo, an hour’s drive west of Old San Juan, where you can join a cheese-making workshop and indulge in artisanal cheese tastings. “The list of businesses involved in tourism has gone from 650 in 2018 to 6,100, many of which are artists and artisans,” Dean says. While New Yorkers and Miami residents have always been the largest visitor demographic, Dean says more mainland Americans now realize that going to Puerto Rico means passport-free travel to enjoy beaches, as well as opportunities to dine in Michelin-rated restaurants, hike the only rainforest in the U.S. and kayak in a bioluminescent bay. Visitors from Chicago and Dallas, for example, have increased by approximately 40% from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, compared with the same period in 2022-2023, and more travelers are expected from Denver now that United Airlines Holdings Inc. has kicked off its first nonstop service to San Juan, beginning on Oct. 29. Previously, beach destinations that were easy to reach on direct flights from Denver included Mexico, Belize and California, but now Puerto Rico joins that list with a 5.5-hour nonstop route that cuts more than two hours from the next-best option. Given United Airlines’ hub in San Francisco, it could mean more travelers from the Golden State in the near future, too. In December, U.S. airlines will have 3,000 more seats per day to the territory compared with the same period last year, for a total of 84,731 — surpassing even Mexico and the Dominican Republic in air capacity, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the island’s primary gateway, is projecting a record volume of 13 million passengers by year’s end — far surpassing the 9.4 million it saw in 2019. As for Hinchcliffe’s “floating island of garbage” line, Dean says it was “a terribly insensitive attempt at humor” that transformed outrage into a marketing silver lining, with an outpouring of positive public sentiment and content on Puerto Rico all over social media. Success, as that old chestnut goes, may be the best revenge. “It was probably the most efficient influencer campaign we’ve ever had,” Dean says, “a groundswell of visitors who posted their photos and videos and said, ‘This is the Puerto Rico that I know.’” ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Global Online Background Check Software Market Size, Share and Forecast By Key Players-Certifix,Checkr, PeopleG2, Sterling Infosystems

Voice Evacuation Systems Market to grow by USD 1.1 Billion (2024-2028), driven by real estate and construction growth, Report with AI-powered insights - TechnavioCHICAGO — With a wave of her bangled brown fingertips to the melody of flutes and chimes, artist, theologian and academic Tricia Hersey enchanted a crowd into a dreamlike state of rest at Semicolon Books on North Michigan Avenue. “The systems can’t have you,” Hersey said into the microphone, reading mantras while leading the crowd in a group daydreaming exercise on a recent Tuesday night. The South Side native tackles many of society’s ills — racism, patriarchy, aggressive capitalism and ableism — through an undervalued yet impactful action: rest. Hersey, the founder of a movement called the Nap Ministry, dubs herself the Nap Bishop and spreads her message to over half a million followers on her Instagram account, @thenapministry . Her first book, “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto,” became a New York Times bestseller in 2022, but Hersey has been talking about rest online and through her art for nearly a decade. Hersey, who has degrees in public health and divinity, originated the “rest as resistance” and “rest as reparations” frameworks after experimenting with rest as an exhausted graduate student in seminary. Once she started napping, she felt happier and her grades improved. But she also felt more connected to her ancestors; her work was informed by the cultural trauma of slavery that she was studying as an archivist. Hersey described the transformation as “life-changing.” The Nap Ministry began as performance art in 2017, with a small installation where 40 people joined Hersey in a collective nap. Since then, her message has morphed into multiple mediums and forms. Hersey, who now lives in Atlanta, has hosted over 100 collective naps, given lectures and facilitated meditations across the country. She’s even led a rest ritual in the bedroom of Jane Addams , and encourages her followers to dial in at her “Rest Hotline.” At Semicolon, some of those followers and newcomers came out to see Hersey in discussion with journalist Natalie Moore on Hersey’s latest book, “We Will Rest! The Art of Escape,” released this month, and to learn what it means to take a moment to rest in community. Moore recalled a time when she was trying to get ahead of chores on a weeknight. “I was like, ‘If I do this, then I’ll have less to do tomorrow.’ But then I was really tired,” Moore said. “I thought, ‘What would my Nap Bishop say? She would say go lay down.’ Tricia is in my head a lot.” At the event, Al Kelly, 33, of Rogers Park, said some of those seated in the crowd of mostly Black women woke up in tears — possibly because, for the first time, someone permitted them to rest. “It was so emotional and allowed me to think creatively about things that I want to work on and achieve,” Kelly said. Shortly after the program, Juliette Viassy, 33, a program manager who lives in the South Loop and is new to Hersey’s work, said this was her first time meditating after never being able to do it on her own. Therapist Lyndsei Howze, 33, of Printers Row, who was also seated at the book talk, said she recommends Hersey’s work “to everybody who will listen” — from her clients to her own friends. “A lot of mental health conditions come from lack of rest,” she said. “They come from exhaustion.” Before discovering Hersey’s work this spring, Howze said she and her friends sporadically napped together in one friend’s apartment after an exhausting workweek. “It felt so good just to rest in community,” she said. On Hersey’s book tour, she is leading exercises like this across the country. “I think we need to collectively do this,” Hersey explained. “We need to learn again how to daydream because we’ve been told not to do it. I don’t think most people even have a daydreaming practice.” Daydreaming, Hersey said, allows people to imagine a new world. Hersey tells her followers that yes, you can rest, even when your agenda is packed, even between caregiving, commuting, jobs, bills, emails and other daily demands. And you don’t have to do it alone. There is a community of escape artists, she said of the people who opt out of grind and hustle culture, waiting to embrace you. The book is part pocket prayer book, part instruction manual, with art and handmade typography by San Francisco-based artist George McCalman inspired by 19th-century abolitionist pamphlets, urging readers to reclaim their divine right to rest. Hersey directs her readers like an operative with instructions for a classified mission. “Let grind culture know you are not playing around,” she wrote in her book. “This is not a game or time to shrink. Your thriving depends on the art of escape.” The reluctance to rest can be rooted in capitalist culture presenting rest as a reward for productivity instead of a physical and mental necessity. Hersey deconstructs this idea of grind culture, which she says is rooted in the combined effects of white supremacy, patriarchy and capitalism that “look at the body as not human.” American culture encourages grind culture, Hersey said, but slowing down and building a ritual of rest can offset its toxicity. The author eschews the ballooning billion-dollar self-care industry that encourages people to “save enough money and time off from work to fly away to an expensive retreat,” she wrote. Instead, she says rest can happen anywhere you have a place to be comfortable: in nature, on a yoga mat, in the car between shifts, on a cozy couch after work. Resting isn’t just napping either. She praises long showers, sipping warm tea, playing music, praying or numerous other relaxing activities that slow down the body. “We’re in a crisis mode of deep sleep deprivation, deep lack of self-worth, (and) mental health,” said Hersey. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2022 , in Illinois about 37% of adults aren’t getting the rest they need at night. If ignored, the effects of sleep deprivation can have bigger implications later, Hersey said. In October, she lectured at a sleep conference at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, where her humanities work was featured alongside research from the world’s top neuroscientists. Jennifer Mundt, a Northwestern clinician and professor of sleep medicine, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, praises Hersey for bringing the issue of sleep and rest to the public. In a Tribune op-ed last year, Mundt argued that our culture focuses too heavily on sleep as something that must be earned rather than a vital aspect of health and that linking sleep to productivity is harmful and stigmatizing. “Linking sleep and productivity is harmful because it overshadows the bevy of other reasons to prioritize sleep as an essential component of health,” Mundt wrote. “It also stigmatizes groups that are affected by sleep disparities and certain chronic sleep disorders.” In a 30-year longitudinal study released in the spring by the New York University School of Social Work, people who worked long hours and late shifts reported the lowest sleep quality and lowest physical and mental functions, and the highest likelihood of reporting poor health and depression at age 50. The study also showed that Black men and women with limited education “were more likely than others to shoulder the harmful links between nonstandard work schedules and sleep and health, worsening their probability of maintaining and nurturing their health as they approach middle adulthood.” The CDC links sleeping fewer than seven hours a day to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and more. Although the Nap Ministry movement is new for her followers, Hersey’s written about her family’s practice of prioritizing rest, which informs her work. Her dad was a community organizer, a yardmaster for the Union Pacific Railroad Co. and an assistant pastor. Before long hours of work, he would dedicate hours each day to self-care. Hersey also grew up observing her grandma meditate for 30 minutes daily. Through rest, Hersey said she honors her ancestors who were enslaved and confronts generational trauma. When “Rest Is Resistance” was released in 2022, Americans were navigating a pandemic and conversations on glaring racial disparities. “We Will Rest!” comes on the heels of a historic presidential election where Black women fundraised for Vice President Kamala Harris and registered voters in a dizzying three-month campaign. Following Harris’ defeat, many of those women are finding self-care and preservation even more important. “There are a lot of Black women announcing how exhausted they are,” Moore said. “This could be their entry point to get to know (Hersey’s) work, which is bigger than whatever political wind is blowing right now.” Hersey said Chicagoans can meet kindred spirits in her environment of rest. Haji Healing Salon, a wellness center, and the social justice-focused Free Street Theater are sites where Hersey honed her craft and found community. In the fall, the theater put on “Rest/Reposo,” a performance featuring a community naptime outdoors in McKinley Park and in its Back of the Yards space. Haji is also an apothecary and hosts community healing activities, sound meditations and yoga classes. “It is in Bronzeville; it’s a beautiful space owned by my friend Aya,” Hersey said, explaining how her community has helped her build the Nap Ministry. “When I first started the Nap Ministry, before I was even understanding what it was, she was like, come do your work here.” “We Will Rest!” is a collection of poems, drawings and short passages. In contrast to her first book, Hersey said she leaned more into her artistic background; the art process alone took 18 months to complete. After a tough year for many, she considers it medicine for a “sick and exhausted” world. “It’s its own sacred document,” Hersey said. “It’s something that, if you have it in your library and you have it with you, you may feel more human.” lazu@chicagotribune.com

Kamala Harris lost to Donald Trump because of this reason? Here's what election campaign leader reveals

The youngest daughter of the late Labour leader John Smith has said it is “a privilege to bask in the reflected glory of her parents” but hoped she would be accepted in Parliament as herself, guided by her own thoughts and beliefs as a leading lawyer. Baroness Smith of Cluny KC expressed the wish as she made her debut at the despatch box in the House of Lords following her appointment as a top legal adviser to the UK Government . The Labour frontbencher also revealed the Government had “enthusiastically” agreed to her request to be primarily based in Edinburgh in her role as Advocate General for Scotland . The mother of a 10-year-old daughter hailed it not only as “family friendly”, but argued it was vital to be “rooted” there to represent the nation’s interests and ensure its voice was heard in UK policy and legislation. Lady Smith took up the job following a distinguished legal career which saw her work first in criminal law, before moving into the fields of public law, personal injury and clinical negligence. She has also been involved in public inquiries, including into the Covid pandemic, and acted as a part-time sheriff. The 51-year-old was a founding member and former vice chair of Justice Scotland, and has travelled extensively in the post-Soviet states to support human rights-focused activities, with this leading her to visit Kyiv and Warsaw in the last year. One of her supporters on being introduced to the upper chamber last month was her own mother and existing peer, Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill. Making her maiden speech at Westminster, Lady Smith said: “The role of Advocate General is vital to the UK Government delivering for Scotland and the devolution settlement of which I passionately believe. “I will make sure Scotland’s voice is heard and properly taken account of in both policy formation and legislation. It is by doing that we can thrive as individual nations as well as strengthening the Union.” She added: “The role of Advocate General and indeed the associated responsibilities in this House have traditionally attracted weekly attendance in London from my predecessors. “Living in Scotland with just my daughter and I at home, I am pleased and proud that this Labour Government immediately and enthusiastically supported my request to undertake the role primarily from Edinburgh. “In doing so we have signalled clearly that this is a family friendly and modern government leading by example. “And there are other advantages. I have long thought that the Advocate General seemed a remote figure on the Scottish legal landscape and it is my view that if you are representing Scotland’s interests it is vital to be rooted in that nation and aware of what those living there want and need.” She also paid tribute to the two “titanic” women who have supported her – her mother and daughter. Lady Smith said: “Being the child of a parliamentarian is not always easy – I know this. “But Ella’s experience is particularly acute. When your only flatmate leaves for a trip to London and you are 10 years old it leaves a big space. “She is finding it very hard but despite this I have lost count of the number of times she has told me she is proud of me. “So I want to pay testimony to her sacrifice and indeed that of the children and families of all parliamentarians who lose out to allow us to serve. “I hope that this lesson in the value of public service stays with her for life as it did for me.” Lady Smith told the chamber: “Now I am very proud of both my parents and it is a privilege to bask in their reflected glory, but only for a while. “I hope that this House will find space here for me to be me, not just my parents’ daughter. I believe I am here because of a hard-earned legal career.” She added: “I will contribute to this House as a product of that with my own thoughts and beliefs guiding me.” Leading the debate on the rule of law, Lady Smith described it as “sacrosanct” and “the bedrock on which democracy sits”. She highlighted the administration’s “unequivocal commitment” to the European Convention on Human Rights and promised to “robustly and swiftly defend” any attacks on the judiciary – both of which have previously faced criticism by the Tories.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pick your adjective to describe the Kansas City Chiefs this season — charmed, serendipitous, fortunate or just plain lucky — and it probably fits, and not just because they keep winning games that come down to the wire. Every time they need help at a position, they've found someone sitting on the couch, seemingly waiting for their call. First it was wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who returned to the Chiefs just before the season after Marquise Brown was lost to shoulder surgery. Then it was running back Kareem Hunt, who likewise returned to his former team when Isiah Pacheco broke his fibula. Left tackle D.J. Humphries came next when other options at the position were struggling, and this week it was Steven Nelson, who came out of retirement to help a secondary that has struggled for weeks. "Just got an opportunity, got a call. Was very excited about it," said Nelson, who spent his first four seasons in Kansas City before stints in Pittsburgh and Houston, and ultimately calling it quits in June so he could spend more time with his family. "I've got two daughters and been spending a lot of time with him," Nelson said, "but still trying to work out. It was kind of the perfect scenario, getting the call, especially where this team has been and this point in the season. Great opportunity." It's been a perfect opportunity for all of them. Perfect fits for the Chiefs, too. Each could have signed just about anywhere else and been able to contribute, yet they were still sitting around when Chiefs general manager Brett Veach reached out. In the case of Smith-Schuster, Hunt and Humphries, there were some concerns about injuries that had kept some teams away, but the Chiefs were willing to take a risk on them. Smith-Schuster, who has dealt with knee trouble for years, missed some time with a hamstring injury this season. But he still has 202 yards and a touchdown receiving, and has provided some veteran leadership in the locker room. Hunt was coming off a sports hernia surgery, a big reason why the Browns — whom the Chiefs visit Sunday — declined to bring him back after five years spent in a one-two punch with Nick Chubb. But when Pacheco went down, Hunt stepped in and their offense barely missed a beat; he has run for a team-leading 608 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games. Humphries was still rehabbing a torn ACL at the start of the season, but the former Pro Bowl tackle was cleared just before the Chiefs called him. Kingsley Suamataia and Wanya Morris had struggled to protect Patrick Mahomes' blind side, so they brought in Humphries to help out. And while he hurt his hamstring late in his debut last week against the Chargers, the Chiefs still hope he'll be recovered and fully up to speed in time for the stretch run and the playoffs. "I'm in Kansas City, bro. I'm pretty ecstatic. It don't get much better than this," Humphries said. "Everybody is excited for me to be here and that's a really good feeling. You're getting All-Pro guys' arms outstretched, like, 'We're so glad you're here.'" The providential signings don't stop at those four players, either. When the Chiefs lost kicker Harrison Butker to knee surgery, they signed Spencer Shrader off the Jets practice squad, and he promptly kicked a game-winner against Carolina. But then Shrader hurt his hamstring and landed on injured reserve. The 49ers had just waived Matthew Wright, and the Chiefs signed him up. He's gone 8 for 9 on field-goal tries, has been perfect on PATs, and banged the game-winner off the upright and through last week against Los Angeles. Just like Smith-Schuster, Hunt and Nelson, Wright had been with Kansas City a couple of years ago. "It definitely helps, him knowing how we do things, how we practice and what we expect," Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub said. "That all helped, for sure. And he's a veteran. He's been a lot of places. It wasn't like he was a rookie off the street." Or off the couch, for that matter. Butker planned to kick again Thursday and could come off IR to face the Browns on Sunday. "He looked good," Toub said. "We have to see how he responds." ... Humphries (hamstring) did not practice Thursday. RT Jawaan Taylor (knee) was limited. ... SS Justin Reid will likely handle kickoffs against Cleveland. He has a stronger leg than Wright and also puts another athletic and adept tackler on the field on special teams.Lions head into NFC title game rematch vs. 49ers seeking top seed more than revengeHorse racing tips: ‘He shapes like a real stayer’ – Templegate’s huge 16-1 NAP can smash the bookies to bits

Scholastic Corporation Announces Third Quarter DividendI n the two years since its formation, Ukraine ’s 13th National Guard Brigade – called “Khartiya” – has gained a reputation not only for prowess in battle but also for its culture of respect and innovative approach to technology. Khartiya helped to halt Russian forces who launched a surprise incursion last May that threatened to overwhelm Kharkiv , from where many of its original members come. The brigade was deployed to confront the Russian incursion around the village of Lyptsi, north of Ukraine’s second-largest city, last June; the forested area has since been a pivotal battleground. And it was there last week that the Khartiya announced it had fought a battle for the first time using only drones – both unmanned aerial vehicles and robotic ground vehicles that sprayed the enemy using remote-control machine guns and laid anti-tank mines, inflicting large casualties and preventing a Russian attack without the loss of a single Ukrainian life. The brigade’s spokesperson, Sergeant Volodymyr Dehtyarev, said Khartiya is committed to creating a “new Ukrainian army” using Nato standards of training that, unlike the Soviet-style hierarchical structures that still linger in many parts of the Ukrainian military, show respect for every member of the fighting force and use education and discussion to cultivate, rather than suppress, individual initiative. He said that the brigade had particularly benefited from British training that emphasised the need for every soldier, of whatever rank, to be able to take part in the planning of a mission or battle and, if necessary, to take over leadership from a superior trank. On Christmas Eve, The Independent was taken in a four-wheel-drive vehicle to one of Khartiya’s drone units covering a section of the brigades’s trenches and bunkers in the Lyptsi area. After leaving the highway northwards from Kharkiv, our vehicles headed along country roads and largely deserted villages cloaked in fog as the temperature dipped toward freezing. Along the way, we visited two bases where Khartiya brigade members were resting for a few days before returning to the front lines. As in many other European countries, Ukrainians have their main festive meal on Christmas Eve rather than 25 December. Dinner traditionally consists of 12 dishes, one for each of the disciples. All 12 courses were not a practical proposition in the spartan conditions of the village houses being used by the resting soldiers. But the brigade provided some dishes while the soldiers themselves prepared others. An essential ingredient of the traditional Ukrainian Christmas meal is kutia, an ancient sweet dish of grains, honey and poppyseed. Dehtyarev, accompanying The Independent , distributed some. The mood was subdued but not sad. A company commander with the call sign “Czech” said: “Of course tonight everybody is thinking about the families they have left behind. I have a wife and a girl aged 18 and a boy 14 years old. I miss them and this is the third Christmas I will not be with them. But I have to be here as long as is needed and I know my family understands that.” Czech said he and his men spent seven days at the front followed by seven days rest. Many of the Ukrainian soldiers have occupied trenches and tunnel networks abandoned by Russians they have driven out. Others they have dug themselves. In a pattern repeated everywhere along the front lines, small groups of Russians, sometimes brought close to Ukrainian lines in armoured personnel carriers, or riding off-load bikes or quad vehicles, try to press forward despite horrendous losses. Ukrainian and western sources estimate Russia ’s daily losses are at 1,200 dead and 1,500 wounded. Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his generals are indifferent to the high losses because Putin has eliminated all opposition voices so there is no political blowback for him. Czech said: “The fighting is intense and the enemy is sometimes only 25 or 50m away. We can see them. There is no let up and after seven days everyone needs a rest. “On a night like this, we’re also thinking about our comrades that have been killed and will never see their families again or those who have been badly wounded.” One of the brigade’s chaplains, protestant Pastor Oleksandr, visited the bases talking with those who wanted to speak with him and leading a short prayer meeting. A family of four, dressed in traditional costumes, also visited the bases to sing carols. Moving along narrow roads that had been turned to mud, Dehtyarev drove The Independent to a concealed location that is home to a drone unit. As the fairy lights on the Yuletide tree in their bunker twinkled in the closing minutes of Christmas Eve, two soldiers, working above ground, adorned a large “Vampire” drone with a deadly 20-pound bomb intended to deliver a lethal greeting behind the Russian lines. The black, lorry wheel-sized drone with six propellers is called Vampire because it is equipped with a thermal imaging camera allowing it to operate by night. The two soldiers worked using red lights that are less visible for an enemy to spot and which bathed the scene in a bizarre, almost festive glow. Controlled by a third member of their unit, the Vampire’s propellers churned the air generating a surprisingly loud, intimidatory clatter as it lifted off the ground, momentarily hovered, and then swung toward its target in the battlegrounds around the village of Lyptsi. Inside the bunker, everyone watched as the lorry wheel-sized Vampire was guided by an operator called Sova – owl, in Ukrainian – using a tiny joystick to keep the drone on course, plotted in blue on one of three screens. Two other screens showed a different version of the map with information about the drone’s height and speed. The drones are called Vampires because they are equipped with thermal imaging cameras enabling them to “see” at night. But the skies over Lyptsi this Christmas Eve were murky with low clouds and fog. The target was a Russian bunker, spotted earlier by another unit operating reconnaissance drones. However, the camera showed the flashes of tracer bullets as the Russians, alerted by the noise of the Vampire’s propellers, tried to down the unmanned craft with machine gun fire. Sova released the bomb around 20 minutes past midnight and into Christmas Day as the monitors showed the drone was precisely above its target. This is only the second Christmas since Ukraine adopted the modern Gregorian calendar that celebrates Christmas on 25 December rather than 27 January. Even without direct sight of the bunker, Sova was confident some of the Russians 130ft below the drone would not live to see the remainder of Ukrainian Christmas Day, let alone the Russian one. The unit’s commander, with the call-sign Makalatura, explained there had been unusually fierce battles raging all day on Christmas Eve as waves of Russian troops accompanied the Khartiya Brigade section he is responsible for protecting. He said that usually, his unit launched planned attacks against targets that had been spotted by reconnaissance drones and scheduled for bombing days or even weeks before by the Khartiya Brigades headquarters. But on Christmas Eve he had sent Vampire drones on three unplanned flights in support of his fellow Khartiya brigade members whose positions had been in danger of falling to Russian forces. In between lethal bombing runs, Makalatura said they use the Vampires to fly food, water and other supplies to their comrades in outposts where deliveries by vehicles on the ground are suicidally vulnerable to the Russians’ own formidable drone forces. The third member of the unit calls himself “Bandera”. Like the other two, he is in his early twenties and like them was thinking of family and friends far away. He said: “My wife and I had a child three and a half months ago, a girl. I’ve only seen her briefly once.” And like most of the Ukrainian soldiers The Independent spoke to, Bandera longs for the war to end but only on terms that guarantee Ukrainian independence and security. “We have to make sure that my child and her generation don’t face another future Russian war.” A few hours after The Independent returned to Kharkiv on Christmas morning the city was hit by at least six missiles as part of an intense aerial attack affecting much of Ukraine. The Ukrainian air force said Moscow had launched more than 180 missiles and drones which caused many casualties and had targeted energy-generating facilities. Moscow said it had “carried out a massive strike with long-range precision weapons and strike drones.”

WASHINGTON — The Senate is pushing toward a vote on legislation that would provide full Social Security benefits to millions of people, setting up potential passage in the final days of the lame-duck Congress. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday he would begin the process for a final vote on the bill, known as the Social Security Fairness Act, which would eliminate policies that currently limit Social Security payouts for roughly 2.8 million people. Schumer said the bill would “ensure Americans are not erroneously denied their well-earned Social Security benefits simply because they chose at some point to work in their careers in public service.” The legislation passed the House on a bipartisan vote, and a Senate version of the bill introduced last year gained 62 cosponsors. But the bill still needs support from at least 60 senators to pass Congress. It would then head to President Biden. Decades in the making, the bill would repeal two federal policies — the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset — that broadly reduce payments to two groups of Social Security recipients: people who also receive a pension from a job that is not covered by Social Security and surviving spouses of Social Security recipients who receive a government pension of their own. The bill would add more strain on the Social Security Trust funds, which were already estimated to be unable to pay out full benefits beginning in 2035. It would add an estimated $195 billion to federal deficits over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Conservatives have opposed the bill, decrying its cost. But at the same time, some Republicans have pushed Schumer to bring it up for a vote. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said last month that the current federal limitations “penalize families across the country who worked a public service job for part of their career with a separate pension. We’re talking about police officers, firefighters, teachers, and other public employees who are punished for serving their communities.” He predicted the bill would pass.

73% of small business owners optimistic about 2025 economy

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Raheem Morris is quickly starting to convince me that he’s in over his head as Falcons head coach. Whether it’s the club consistently shooting itself in the foot with penalties, questionable in-game management, or the quarterback dilemma, Morris is seemingly chasing his tail. His latest comments are quite disturbing if you’re looking for affirmation that he’s the right man for the job, telling Atlanta reporters that Kirk Cousins showed “significant improvement” from the Chargers game to the Vikings game, citing that Cousins nearly threw for 350 yards. This should bother you for several reasons. Most notably, is the bar that low for a 13-year veteran? Kirk Cousins threw two interceptions instead of four and had around 100 yards passing in garbage-time, stat-padding yardage in which the Falcons were down by 14 and 21 points. That’s not exactly the kind of “improvement” most expected. Secondly, Morris is directly contradicting his earlier statements. The head coach notes Cousins’ yardage as one instance of “improvement” but defended Kyle Pitts’ zero-catch performance against the Saints by saying, “Stats are for losers.” “It was just about going out there and winning the game... Stats are for losers, man. I don’t get involved in that stuff,” Morris said following the Saints game. Lastly, this isn’t a path that is dissimilar to the one he took with the Buccaneers. During his first stint as a head coach in Tampa Bay, Morris also used the “stats are for losers” quotes during the 2010 season despite the Bucs winning games in an unsustainable manner. Morris and the Buccaneers were 10-6 when he said that. The next year, they went 4-12, and Morris was fired. The Falcons are beating bad teams and losing to good ones, excluding the victory over the Eagles earlier in the season. Kirk Cousins plays well against bad defenses and poorly against good defenses. Nobody should be surprised when the Falcons and Cousins get back on track against the lowly Raiders, but are we confident the organization has the right man leading them forward? I’m not sure anyone could answer that definitively. Raheem Morris’ latest comments don’t inspire much confidence. Bill Belichick reportedly took issue with Falcons GM Terry Fontenot’s arrogance This article first appeared on SportsTalkATL and was syndicated with permission.

Black plastic kitchen utensil risks were overstated. But you should still toss them, group saysThe Onion's rejected purchase of Infowars in an auction bid supported by families of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting dealt them a new setback Wednesday and clouded the future of Alex Jones' conspiracy theory platform, which is now poised to remain in his control for at least the near future. What's next for Infowars and Sandy Hook families' long-sought efforts to hold Jones accountable over calling one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history a hoax was unclear, after a federal judge in Houston late Tuesday rejected The Onion's winning bid for the site . U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston said he did not want another auction but offered no roadmap over how to proceed. One possibility includes ultimately allowing Sandy Hook families — who comprise most of Jones' creditors — to return to state courts in Connecticut and Texas to collect on the nearly $1.5 billion in defamation and emotional distress lawsuit judgments that Jones was ordered to pay them. “Our hope is that when this process ends, and it will end, and it will end sooner rather than later, is that all assets that Alex Jones has available are paid to the families, and that includes Infowars, and that as a result of that process Alex Jones is deprived of the ownership and control of the platform that he’s used to hurt so many people,” Christopher Mattei, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families, said in a phone interview Wednesday. The families, meanwhile, were preparing the mark the 12th anniversary of the Dec. 14 shooting. The sale of Infowars is part of Jones’ personal bankruptcy case , which he filed in late 2022 after he was ordered to pay the $1.5 billion. Jones was sued for repeatedly saying on his show that the 2012 massacre of 20 first graders and six educators was staged by crisis actors to spur more gun control. Lopez said there was a lack of transparency in the bidding process and too much confusion about The Onion's bid. He also said the amount of money offered in the only two bids was too low and there needed to be more effort to try to raise as much money possible from the selling of Infowars' assets. The Onion's parent company, Global Tetrahedron, submitted a $1.75 million cash offer with plans to kick Jones out and relaunch Infowars in January as a parody . The bid also included a deal with many of the Sandy Hook families for them to forgo $750,000 of their auction proceeds and give it to other creditors. Lopez called it a complex arrangement that led to different interpretations of the bid's actual value as well as last-minute changes to a proposed sale order. The other bidder was First United American Companies, which runs a website in Jones’ name that sells nutritional supplements and planned to let Jones stay on the Infowars platforms. It offered $3.5 million in cash and later, with Jones, alleged fraud and collusion in the bidding process. Lopez rejected the allegations, saying that while mistakes were made there was no wrongdoing. Christopher Murray, the trustee who oversaw the auction, said he picked The Onion and its deal with the Sandy Hook families because it would have provided more money to Jones' other creditors. The next steps remained unclear Wednesday. The judge directed Murray to come up with a new plan to move forward. Murray and representatives of The Onion did not immediately return messages seeking comment. The judge said there was a possibility there could be a trial in 2025 to settle Jones' bankruptcy. He said Murray could try to sell the equity in Infowars' parent company. He also said Murray could abandon the efforts, which could allow the Sandy Hook families to return to the state courts where they won their lawsuits against Jones and begin collection proceedings against him. The judge said he wanted to hear back from Murray and others involved in the bankruptcy within 30 days on a plan to move forward. Mattei, who represented the Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut lawsuit, said everyone is waiting to see what plan the trustee comes up with. Jones, meanwhile, continued to allege fraud and collusion on his show Wednesday and threatened legal action over what he called an attempted “rigged auction.” On the social media platform X, he called the judge's ruling a “Major Victory For Freedom Of The Press & Due Process." “I don’t want to have to go after these people, lawsuit-wise, but we have to because if you don’t then you’re aiding and abetting and they do it to other people. They made some big mistakes," he said. It's a solemn and heartbreaking week for relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The 12th anniversary is Saturday, and some of the victims' relatives were traveling to Washington, D.C., to attend the annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence on Wednesday evening. The families usually mark the anniversary out of the public eye. Many of the families said their lawsuits against Jones bought back the unbearable pain of losing their loved ones, as well as the trauma of being harassed and threatened by believers of Jones' hoax conspiracy. Relatives said they have been confronted in public by hoax believers and received death and rape threats. Robbie Parker, whose 6-year-old daughter Emilie was killed, testified at the Connecticut lawsuit trial in 2022 that the decade of abuse his family suffered made them move across the country to Washington state, and even there he was accosted in person. The families have not received any money from Jones since winning the trials. Jones has been appealing the $1.5 billion in judgments, and has since conceded that the shooting did happen. Last week, a Connecticut appeals court upheld most of the judgment in that state but reduced it by $150 million. Associated Press writer Juan A. Lozano in Houston contributed to this report.

The Onion's rejected purchase of Infowars in an auction bid supported by families of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting dealt them a new setback Wednesday and clouded the future of Alex Jones' conspiracy theory platform, which is now poised to remain in his control for at least the near future. What's next for Infowars and Sandy Hook families' long-sought efforts to hold Jones accountable over calling one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history a hoax was unclear, after a federal judge in Houston late Tuesday rejected The Onion's winning bid for the site . U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston said he did not want another auction but offered no roadmap over how to proceed. One possibility includes ultimately allowing Sandy Hook families — who comprise most of Jones' creditors — to return to state courts in Connecticut and Texas to collect on the nearly $1.5 billion in defamation and emotional distress lawsuit judgments that Jones was ordered to pay them. “Our hope is that when this process ends, and it will end, and it will end sooner rather than later, is that all assets that Alex Jones has available are paid to the families, and that includes Infowars, and that as a result of that process Alex Jones is deprived of the ownership and control of the platform that he’s used to hurt so many people,” Christopher Mattei, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families, said in a phone interview Wednesday. The families, meanwhile, were preparing the mark the 12th anniversary of the Dec. 14 shooting. The sale of Infowars is part of Jones’ personal bankruptcy case , which he filed in late 2022 after he was ordered to pay the $1.5 billion. Jones was sued for repeatedly saying on his show that the 2012 massacre of 20 first graders and six educators was staged by crisis actors to spur more gun control. Lopez said there was a lack of transparency in the bidding process and too much confusion about The Onion's bid. He also said the amount of money offered in the only two bids was too low and there needed to be more effort to try to raise as much money possible from the selling of Infowars' assets. The Onion's parent company, Global Tetrahedron, submitted a $1.75 million cash offer with plans to kick Jones out and relaunch Infowars in January as a parody . The bid also included a deal with many of the Sandy Hook families for them to forgo $750,000 of their auction proceeds and give it to other creditors. Lopez called it a complex arrangement that led to different interpretations of the bid's actual value as well as last-minute changes to a proposed sale order. The other bidder was First United American Companies, which runs a website in Jones’ name that sells nutritional supplements and planned to let Jones stay on the Infowars platforms. It offered $3.5 million in cash and later, with Jones, alleged fraud and collusion in the bidding process. Lopez rejected the allegations, saying that while mistakes were made there was no wrongdoing. Christopher Murray, the trustee who oversaw the auction, said he picked The Onion and its deal with the Sandy Hook families because it would have provided more money to Jones' other creditors. The next steps remained unclear Wednesday. The judge directed Murray to come up with a new plan to move forward. Murray and representatives of The Onion did not immediately return messages seeking comment. The judge said there was a possibility there could be a trial in 2025 to settle Jones' bankruptcy. He said Murray could try to sell the equity in Infowars' parent company. He also said Murray could abandon the efforts, which could allow the Sandy Hook families to return to the state courts where they won their lawsuits against Jones and begin collection proceedings against him. The judge said he wanted to hear back from Murray and others involved in the bankruptcy within 30 days on a plan to move forward. Mattei, who represented the Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut lawsuit, said everyone is waiting to see what plan the trustee comes up with. Jones, meanwhile, continued to allege fraud and collusion on his show Wednesday and threatened legal action over what he called an attempted “rigged auction.” On the social media platform X, he called the judge's ruling a “Major Victory For Freedom Of The Press & Due Process." “I don’t want to have to go after these people, lawsuit-wise, but we have to because if you don’t then you’re aiding and abetting and they do it to other people. They made some big mistakes," he said. It's a solemn and heartbreaking week for relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The 12th anniversary is Saturday, and some of the victims' relatives were traveling to Washington, D.C., to attend the annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence on Wednesday evening. The families usually mark the anniversary out of the public eye. Many of the families said their lawsuits against Jones bought back the unbearable pain of losing their loved ones, as well as the trauma of being harassed and threatened by believers of Jones' hoax conspiracy. Relatives said they have been confronted in public by hoax believers and received death and rape threats. Robbie Parker, whose 6-year-old daughter Emilie was killed, testified at the Connecticut lawsuit trial in 2022 that the decade of abuse his family suffered made them move across the country to Washington state, and even there he was accosted in person. The families have not received any money from Jones since winning the trials. Jones has been appealing the $1.5 billion in judgments, and has since conceded that the shooting did happen. Last week, a Connecticut appeals court upheld most of the judgment in that state but reduced it by $150 million. Associated Press writer Juan A. Lozano in Houston contributed to this report.AP Business SummaryBrief at 11:21 a.m. EST

9 best winter gloves for womenThe tablet market continues to bring inventions one after another into its highly specialized Best tablets to buy in 2025. Whether for a workhorse tool for professionals, gaming with stunning visuals, or even family entertainment, this list reveals the Top Tablets in 2025. 1. Apple iPad Pro (2025 Edition) Price: ₹ 1,299,999 Key Features: Seamless performance with M4 chip Liquid Retina XDR display with Motion technology 10 hours battery life iPadOS 18 with an improved approach to multitasking Apple is betting the bank on the iPad Pro: their heavyweight monster for the professional and creative arena. It promises 20% improved chip performance for design software, which is great for traveling video editing. 2. Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra Price: ₹1,09,999 Key Features: Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 120Hz refresh rate S Pen with reduced latency Exynos 2500 chip for mind-boggling speed Dolby Atmos quad speakers It has an 18-hour battery life, and multitasking features similar to high-performance tablets , making it one of the best devices for work and media. With great features, it stands out and is considered one of the finest Android devices, a one-stop shop for everything to be done or enjoyed in one go. 3. Lenovo Tab Extreme 2 Price: ₹79,999 Key Features: 14.5" OLED display for stunning visuals 8GB RAM; 512GB storage Next-generation dual stylus support Inbuilt dual stand for convenience Tab Extreme 2 is one of those gadgets where Lenovo has blended style, high-performance tablets, and functionality, making it perfect for students and professionals. Magnificently, it packs some punch but is well-constructed for the kind of value proposition it presents. 4. Microsoft Surface Pro 11 Price: ₹99,999 Key Features: 13-inch PixelSense display giving real bright views A 2-in-1 device with detachable keyboard AI-integrated Windows 12 to adaptively work with the use 16 hours of battery life Surface Pro 11 is the limit remade in productivity, with smart AI working smarter, redefining workflow, and making it a perfect device for business and multitasking embedded in economical tablets. 5. Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro Price: ₹34,999 Key Features 11.2-inch WQHD+ display Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor Dolby Atmos quad speakers Fast charging and USB-C available If cost is a major concern, the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro has evaded all entry barriers and justifies its worth as much as possible without being extravagant. It has a very attractive screen that all gamers and binge-watchers will likely remember fondly. 6. Google Pixel Tablet (2nd Gen) Price: ₹54,999 Key Features: Tensor G4 chip performance ideal For 4K UHD streaming Voice Match for access to a smart assistant Matte aluminium design According to Google, it is one of the best tablets to buy for Android users in 2025. It provides seamless access to the entire ecosystem, and its Built-in Hub Mode keeps it useful at home. 2025 Can be an Amazing Year for Tablets Top Tablets 2025, a survey predicts a rise of about 15% in tablet usage worldwide; professionals will account for nearly 40% of this market. Innovative updates regarding chipsets, displays, and AI promise to set a new standard in the requirements of modern technology. Conclusion As we conclude our roundup of the best tablets to buy in 2025, it's clear that there's something for everyone. Whether you're a creative professional seeking powerhouse performance with the iPad Pro, a media enthusiast who wants an immersive experience with the Samsung Tab S10 Ultra, or a budget-conscious buyer looking for affordability without compromise with the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro, the options are endless. With our expert guide, you can confidently choose the perfect tablet that fits your needs, budget, and lifestyle – and discover a world of limitless possibilities.Editorial: Let’s not let political chaos distract us from the unfolding climate catastrophe

Celebrating 49 Years of Innovation: TX RX Systems' Tower Top Amplifier Patent Revolutionized Global CommunicationsOmani space company signs up to China’s ILRS moon base projectUnited, Apple rolling out new way to track lost luggage with AirTags

Smart Home Healthcare Market to See Rapid Expansion Over the Next Decade 2024-2032super ace 2 。

Keir Starmer to set out ‘plan for change’ with ‘milestones’ for key missionsTuesday night at City Hall was full of heartfelt thanks to the service of two former city council members and a big welcome to two new faces joining the council—Kendra Mora and Gabriela Hernandez. Longtime Councilmember Dominic Farinha, District C, and Councilmember Shivaugn Alves, District A, were presented with plaques and proclamations detailing their years of work while serving on the council during their last city council meeting. Farinha served on the council for 18 years, from 2007 to 2024, winning four consecutive elections. As Mayor Michael Clauzel read off all Farinha’s accomplishments over the years, he said, “this is the first two-pager I’ve ever done,” eliciting laughs from the crowd. Clauzel and Councilmember Jessica Romero both talked about how thankful they were for Farinha’s guidance and counsel over the years, providing valuable insight when they first became elected officials. Farinha was also gifted a key to the City of Patterson, and he and Alves were presented with an Assembly Resolution by Justin Farkas, field representative for Assemblyman Juan Alanis. Clauzel also thanked Alves for shaping his ideas on the reservoir project and the depth of the impacts it could have on the city and community. The mayor said she has made a lasting impact on Patterson and added to the quality of life here. A somewhat emotional Alves, who was recovering from a deviated septum surgery with a bandaged nose, thanked everyone, saying she was blessed to have the support of so many and that she will not stop advocating for Patterson, but she is happy to pass the baton to someone she wholeheartedly respects and supports – Gabriela Hernandez. Farinha also said he was thankful for all of the support he received over the years and imparted some words of wisdom to the newcomers. “Campaigning was the easy part; the difficult aspect of this position is just about to start. To be able to demonstrate that you are an independent voice from everyone else on the council and vote accordingly ... keep in mind that there is a beauty in dissent, just as there is in unity. That is democracy in action and healthy for any governmental body,” he said. TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS Before new council members and the returning mayor were sworn in, the council wrapped up some old business on their agenda for the meeting. The council unanimously approved their consent calendar which included some of the following items: - The second reading and adoption of an ordinance revising the maximum height section of the Patterson Municipal Code, “Development Standards for Industrial Districts”. - The second reading and adoption of several ordinances and changes to ordinances mainly regarding camping within city limits, park regulations, depositing/burying of garbage being prohibited, garbage removal, abatement and protection of critical infrastructure. - A resolution accepting the Citywide Water Metering Project, authorizing staff to file the notice of completion and release retention. City notes state that the project is to comply with the state provisions. The city pursued DWSRF construction funding for the project, which aimed to install modern water meters across the city’s residential, commercial, and industrial sectors and upgrade its water metering technology. The goal was to improve water usage efficiency, ensure fair billing, enhance water conservation efforts and provide the city with real-time data to better manage water resources. There is no fiscal impact associated with this item. - A resolution declaring the results of the City of Patterson Municipal Election consolidated with the Presidential General Election held Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. The council also held a public hearing for adopting updated user fees. Finance Director Jennifer Riedeman said the city needed updated user fees in order to cover the cost of services the city provides. The fees adopted included building, engineering, finance, fire, recreation and community services, administration, planning, police, and public works. Recreation and community services sets their fees based on industry standards, rather than cost recover, staff notes state. No public comments were made during the public hearing and a motion to approve the resolution to update the fees was approved unanimously. Riedeman was also later recognized and presented with a plaque, as she announced her retirement. Riedeman thanked the community, city staff, the council, and her family. “To my family – my time is yours,” she said, as the crowd broke out into applause and cries of joy as one of her family members shouted out, “we love you!” The last action item for the old council was to adopt a resolution that made changes in the City Council Rules and Procedures Handbook, which was also approved unanimously. Some of the items changed in the handbook were for the interview and selection process of new committee members to be rotated out between the council members and the mayor, as well as language to address council members adding items to the agenda. During a public comment period over the matter, Patterson resident Kandace Weyhrauch said she was very happy to see the language added for council members to add items to the agenda because council members are there to represent the people in their districts and if the people are going to their representatives with issues, they should be able to get items on the agenda to discuss them. NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS New city council members, Mora (District C) and Hernadez (District A), took their seat at the dais for the first time as the meeting came to a close. The returning mayor, Mora and Hernandez, all made comments to the crowd, before the new council adjourned. “I’m looking forward to working with city staff and departments on anything that we can do to move the city forward and give our residents and business owners a city they’re proud to be a part of,” Mora said. “I’m looking forward to a thriving, safe and inclusive community where every voice matters,” Hernandez said. “I’m committed to working tirelessly for our constituents. Together we’ll ensure that Patterson continues to grow as a place we are all proud to call home. Thank you for your trust and let’s get to work!”

A new report from the market research firm TrendForce sheds light on the current state of the VR/MR headset industry. As per the report, Meta retains its crown by securing 73% of the VR/MR headset market share in 2024. Much credit goes to the company's strategy of selling cheaper headsets over premium ones. Meta delayed its plans to launch Quest Pro 2 and released the . The affordable headset was responsible for an 11% year-over-year increase in shipments. Meanwhile, Sony's PS VR2 grabbed the second highest market share of 9%, and the remaining 13% goes to other players in the industry. The global VR/MR headset shipment is expected to reach 9.6 million units in 2024, an 8.8% increase year-over-year. As per the report, three trends are shaping the global VR/MR ecosystem. These include the dominance of low-cost headsets on the market, a shift from entertainment accessories to productivity tools, and using OLEDoS (OLED on Silicon) as the preferred display technology for premium headsets. Apple Vision Pro is the first headset in the industry to feature the OLEDoS display technology. The went on sale earlier this year and scored a 5% market share in 2024. However, it's worth noting that Vision Pro costs more than 10 times Meta's Quest 3S. A that Vision Pro is a complex headset with that are bigger than the world has ever seen. Despite its premium price tag, the headset has become a trendsetter, pushing VR/MR devices from "consumer-oriented entertainment toward a broader role as multi-functional productivity tools." In addition to , Vision Pro offers various advanced applications, including document editing, virtual meetings, healthcare, and education. "This paradigm shift is expected to encourage other brands to reevaluate the functional attributes of their own VR/MR devices, expanding their role in both consumer and enterprise markets," the . According to the report, Apple is expected to bring its next-gen VR/MR devices "as early as 2026," which contradicts a from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. A two-way strategy will simultaneously target the premium market and the mainstream segment with an affordable headset. It was only ten new apps made it to the Vision Pro App Store in September this year, suggesting developers may have lost interest due to the high price tag. TrendForce expects Apple to continue using OLEDoS technology with a resolution exceeding 3000ppi for its premium headset. However, it might look for names other than Sony and knock on the doors of Chinese suppliers to source cheaper components and reduce production costs. On the other hand, the Cupertino giant will focus on cost-efficiency and affordability for its mainstream model, targeting price-sensitive customers. It might choose from alternative display options such as glass-based OLED displays and LCDs with LTPO backplane technology.CARLSBAD, Calif. , Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: IONS) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved TRYNGOLZATM (olezarsen) as an adjunct to diet to reduce triglycerides in adults with familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS), a rare, genetic form of severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG) that can lead to potentially life-threatening acute pancreatitis (AP). TRYNGOLZA is the first-ever FDA-approved treatment that significantly and substantially reduces triglyceride levels in adults with FCS and provides clinically meaningful reduction in AP events when used with an appropriate diet (≤20 grams of fat per day). TRYNGOLZA is self-administered via an auto-injector once monthly. Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/ionis-pharmaceuticals/9295551-en-tryngolza-olezarsen-fda-approval "Today's FDA approval of TRYNGOLZA heralds the arrival of the first-ever FCS treatment in the U.S. – a transformational moment for patients and their families. For the first time, adults with FCS can now access a treatment that substantially reduces triglycerides and the risk of debilitating and potentially life-threatening acute pancreatitis," said Brett P. Monia , Ph.D., chief executive officer, Ionis. "We are proud of our long-standing partnership with the FCS community and are grateful to the patients, families and investigators who participated in our clinical studies, enabling Ionis to make this new treatment a reality. The FDA approval of TRYNGOLZA is also a pivotal moment for Ionis, representing our evolution into a fully integrated commercial-stage biotechnology company – a goal we set out to achieve five years ago. With our rich pipeline of potentially life-changing medicines, we expect TRYNGOLZA to be the first in a steady cadence of innovative medicines we will deliver independently to people living with serious diseases." The FDA approval was based on positive data from the global, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind Phase 3 Balance clinical trial in adult patients with genetically identified FCS and fasting triglyceride levels ≥880 mg/dL. In the Balance study, TRYNGOLZA 80 mg demonstrated a statistically significant placebo-adjusted mean reduction in triglyceride levels of 42.5% from baseline to six months (p=0.0084). Reductions from baseline to 12 months were further improved, with TRYNGOLZA achieving a placebo-adjusted 57% mean reduction in triglycerides. TRYNGOLZA also demonstrated a substantial, clinically meaningful reduction in AP events over 12 months; one patient (5%) experienced one episode of AP in the TRYNGOLZA group compared with seven patients (30%) who experienced 11 total episodes of AP in the placebo group. TRYNGOLZA demonstrated a favorable safety profile. The most common adverse reactions (incidence >5% of TRYNGOLZA-treated patients and at a >3% higher frequency than placebo) were injection site reactions (19% and 9%, respectively), decreased platelet count (12% and 4%, respectively) and arthralgia (9% and 0%, respectively). Results from the Phase 3 Balance study were previously published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). "With no treatment options previously available, we were limited to relying only on extremely strict diet and lifestyle changes as the sole preventative treatment option," said Alan Brown , M.D., FNLA, FACC, FAHA, clinical professor of medicine, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science ; Balance trial investigator. "The FDA approval of TRYNGOLZA is an important moment for people living with FCS, their families and physicians who now, for the first time, have a treatment that significantly lowers triglycerides and decreases the risk of potentially life-threatening acute pancreatitis events, as an adjunct to a low-fat diet. I am excited to have a medicine I can prescribe to my patients that has been shown to change the course of their disease." FCS is a rare, genetic, potentially life-threatening form of sHTG that prevents the body from breaking down fats and severely impairs the body's ability to remove triglycerides from the bloodstream due to an impaired function of the enzyme lipoprotein lipase (LPL). While healthy levels for adults are below 150 mg/dL, people with FCS often have triglyceride levels of more than 880 mg/dL and often have a history of pancreatitis. Those living with FCS have a high risk of potentially fatal AP, which is a painful inflammation of the pancreas, and chronic health issues such as fatigue and severe, recurrent abdominal pain. People living with FCS can also experience psychological and financial stress, which can significantly impact their quality of life. In the U.S., FCS is estimated to impact up to approximately 3,000 people, the vast majority of whom remain undiagnosed. "As a rare and difficult to diagnose disease, FCS has a profound impact on the lives of patients and families. Many people living with FCS have experienced severe pain their whole lives – sometimes so intense they require lengthy hospitalization stays – and struggle through life with daily fatigue, nausea, brain fog and stomach pain," said Lindsey Sutton Bryan , co-founder and co-president, FCS Foundation. "Until now, our treatment options have been limited, relying on diet alone to try to manage triglyceride levels and keep acute pancreatitis attacks at bay. For the first time, adults with FCS have seen their hope for a treatment become a reality." TRYNGOLZA will be available in the U.S. before year end. Ionis is committed to helping people access the medicines they are prescribed and will offer a suite of services designed to meet the unique needs of the FCS community through Ionis Every StepTM. As part of Ionis Every Step , patients and healthcare providers will have access to services throughout the treatment journey provided by dedicated Patient Education Managers and Ionis Every Step Case Managers, including insurance and affordability support, as well as services and resources, such as disease and nutrition education. Visit TRYNGOLZA.com for more information. TRYNGOLZA was reviewed by the FDA under Priority Review and had previously been granted Fast Track designation for the treatment of FCS, Orphan Drug designation and Breakthrough Therapy designation. Olezarsen is undergoing review in the European Union and regulatory filings in other countries are planned. Olezarsen is currently being evaluated in three Phase 3 clinical trials – CORE, CORE2 and ESSENCE – for the treatment of sHTG. Olezarsen has not been reviewed or approved for the treatment of sHTG by regulatory authorities. Webcast Ionis will hold a webcast today at 6:45pm ET to discuss the FDA approval. Interested parties may access the webcast here . A webcast replay will be available for a limited time. About TRYNGOLZATM (olezarsen) TRYNGOLZATM (olezarsen) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an adjunct to diet to reduce triglycerides in adults with familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS). TRYNGOLZA is an RNA-targeted medicine designed to lower the body's production of apoC-III, a protein produced in the liver that is a key regulator of triglyceride metabolism. It is the only treatment currently indicated in the U.S. for FCS, a potentially life-threatening disease. For more information about TRYNGOLZA, visit TRYNGOLZA.com . IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION CONTRAINDICATIONS TRYNGOLZA is contraindicated in patients with a history of serious hypersensitivity to TRYNGOLZA or any of the excipients in TRYNGOLZA. Hypersensitivity reactions requiring medical treatment have occurred. WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Hypersensitivity Reactions Hypersensitivity reactions (including symptoms of bronchospasm, diffuse erythema, facial swelling, urticaria, chills and myalgias) have been reported in patients treated with TRYNGOLZA. Advise patients on the signs and symptoms of hypersensitivity reactions and instruct patients to promptly seek medical attention and discontinue use of TRYNGOLZA if hypersensitivity reactions occur. ADVERSE REACTIONS The most common adverse reactions (incidence >5% of TRYNGOLZA-treated patients and >3% higher frequency than placebo) were injection site reactions, decreased platelet count and arthralgia. Please see full Prescribing Information for TRYNGOLZA. About Familial Chylomicronemia Syndrome (FCS) FCS is a rare, genetic disease characterized by extremely elevated triglyceride levels. It is caused by impaired function of the enzyme lipoprotein lipase (LPL). Because of limited LPL production or function, people with FCS cannot effectively break down chylomicrons, lipoprotein particles that are 90% triglycerides. FCS is estimated to impact up to approximately 3,000 people in the U.S. People living with FCS are at high risk of acute pancreatitis (AP) in addition to other chronic health issues such as fatigue and severe, recurrent abdominal pain. People living with FCS are sometimes unable to work, adding to the burden of disease. About the Balance Study Balance is a global, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of olezarsen in patients with FCS at six and 12 months. The primary endpoint was the percent change from baseline in fasting triglyceride levels at six months compared to placebo. Secondary endpoints included percent changes in triglyceride levels at 12 months, percent changes in other lipid parameters and adjudicated acute pancreatitis event rates over the treatment period. Following treatment and the end-of-trial assessments, patients were eligible to enter an open-label extension study to continue receiving olezarsen once every four weeks. About Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. For three decades, Ionis has invented medicines that bring better futures to people with serious diseases. Ionis has discovered and developed six marketed medicines for serious diseases, including breakthrough medicines for neurologic and cardiovascular diseases. Ionis has a leading pipeline in neurology, cardiology and other areas of high patient need. As the pioneer in RNA-targeted medicines, Ionis continues to drive innovation in RNA therapies in addition to advancing new approaches in gene editing. A deep understanding of disease biology and industry-leading technology propels our work, coupled with a passion and urgency to deliver life-changing advances for patients. To learn more about Ionis, visit Ionis.com and follow us on X (Twitter) , LinkedIn and Instagram . Ionis Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding Ionis' business and the therapeutic and commercial potential of TRYNGOLZA, Ionis' technologies and other products in development. Any statement describing Ionis' goals, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions or beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk statement. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those related to our commercial products and the medicines in our pipeline, and particularly those inherent in the process of discovering, developing and commercializing medicines that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around such medicines. Ionis' forward-looking statements also involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove correct, could cause its results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although Ionis' forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of its management, these statements are based only on facts and factors currently known by Ionis. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These and other risks concerning Ionis' programs are described in additional detail in Ionis' annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2023 , and most recent Form 10-Q, which are on file with the SEC. Copies of these and other documents are available at www.Ionis.com . Ionis Pharmaceuticals® and TRYNGOLZATM are trademarks of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Ionis Investor Contact: D. Wade Walke , Ph.D. info@ionis.com 760-603-2331 Ionis Media Contact: Hayley Soffer media@ionis.com 760-603-4679 View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tryngolza-olezarsen-approved-in-us-as-first-ever-treatment-for-adults-living-with-familial-chylomicronemia-syndrome-as-an-adjunct-to-diet-302336747.html SOURCE Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Advocates ask Biden to pardon refugees from the Vietnam War

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Our LGE business has been awarded a contract to deliver six cargo handling and fuel gas supply systems for Ultra Large Ethane Carriers in China. The new supersized ships have 50% more capacity than existing Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLEC), and at 150,000m3, are a world first of this size. The ships, being built at the Jiangnan Shipyard in China, will be fitted with cascade reliquefication plants to manage the Boil Off Gas (BOG), with the contract signalling a continued wave of demand for our globally sought technology in a buoyant market for the transportation of liquefied gas. Neale Campbell, Managing Director of Babcock’s LGE business, said: “The development of these ships is a milestone moment as the industry enters the new era of Ultra Large Ethane Carriers. “We are proud that our leading-edge technology is an intrinsic part of these game changing vessels, with an integrated reliquefaction system and fuel gas supply system providing fuel to the ship’s main engine – helping to support a net-zero future.” The integrated system comprises of LGE’s SuperCoolerTM and ecoETHNTM technologies – both part of LGE’s intellectual property portfolio. SuperCoolerTM improves plant efficiency by increasing reliquefaction capacity whilst reducing energy consumption, while ecoETHNTM integrates the reliquefaction plant with the fuel gas supply system, utilising methane-rich Boil Off Gas as fuel for main engine and auxiliary power generators. The LGE business saw a record order intake of more than £300 million in the first half of 2024, with 63 contracts from international shipyard customers driven by major LNG projects in the Middle East and growing demand in China. Ongoing technology development by LGE this year has already achieved eight patent applications, two patents granted and eleven trademarks granted across the portfolio range including for LNG, Ammonia and CO2. Sales have also been strong across our technology rich portfolio, including the ecoSMRT® for LNG reliquefaction, ecoETHN® for Ethane Cargo Handling Systems and 18 Ammonia ship Cargo Handling Systems. The success of our LGE business was also formally recognised by the award of a King’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category. Source: Babcock International Group

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Damari Monsanto's 22 points helped UTSA defeat Southwestern Adventist 117-58 on Thursday. Monsanto added six rebounds for the Roadrunners (6-5). Sky Wicks scored 20 points while shooting 8 for 12, including 4 for 7 from beyond the arc and added eight rebounds and three steals. Amir "Primo" Spears shot 5 of 10 from the field, including 1 for 5 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 6 from the line to finish with 16 points. Domonique Wilkins and Orlando Gooden each scored 19 points for Southwestern Adventist. Jason Garcia had 13 points, four assists and two steals. Monsanto led his team in scoring with 16 points in the first half to help put them up 61-24 at the break. UTSA extended its lead to 87-38 during the second half, fueled by a 13-3 scoring run. Wicks scored a team-high 10 points in the second half. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by and data from .

President-elect Donald Trump predicted that Taylor Swift would see her sales take a hit after endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president, but new data shows that is far from the case as the musician continues to dominate concerts, movies and streaming lists. Swift is also seeing huge success with her new book. What Happened: Swift launched a new "Eras Tour Book" that provides photos and behind-the-scenes stories and images from the record-breaking Eras Tour. The book was released on Black Friday exclusively in Target Corporation TGT stores. While many holiday shoppers may have chosen to shop online this year and skip standing in lines and waiting outside stores on Black Friday, Target saw lines at stores thanks to the exclusive Swift book. Swift's new book sold 814,000 copies over the Black Friday shopping weekend, according to data from Circana reported by the Associated Press. The sales figures come with Target being the only retailer offering the book and being an in-store item for at least the first day. The number makes Swift's book the top seller for the week and the biggest launch of 2024. According to the report, Circana tracks around 85% of the print market. Swift's book is the second-biggest nonfiction launch of all time, trailing only the first volume of Barack Obama 's 2020 memoir, "A Promised Land," the AP reports. The former president’s book sold 816,000 copies in its first week. Unlike Swift's book, Obama's was widely released. Read Also: Target Black Friday Deals: Pokémon Shoppers Gotta Catch ‘Em All Why It's Important : The strong early sales of Target’s exclusive book highlight Swift’s undeniable success—something Trump may want to keep in mind. Earlier this year, Swift announced her endorsement for Kamala Harris for president in the 2024 election. The endorsement didn't sit well with Trump. Trump said he wasn’t surprised by Swift supporting Harris, saying “she’s a very liberal person.” “She seems to always endorse a Democrat and she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace," Trump said. The suggestion that endorsing Harris could hurt Swift's future album and merchandise sales might be proven untrue already with the book launch. The book’s success comes as the global superstar has witnessed success and helped boost public companies in several sectors previously. Streaming company Spotify Technology SPOT recently named Swift the most streamed artist worldwide for 2024, taking the title for a second straight year. Swift also ranked as the top streamed artist in the United States, with several albums among the most streamed for the year. Swift also saw her concert film set records for AMC Entertainment Holdings AMC , despite the film bypassing the traditional release model. The record-breaking Eras Tour has also boosted the financials of Live Nation Entertainment LYV , which owns Ticketmaster. Read Next: 2024 Was World’s Taylor Swift Era Once Again: Spotify Reveals Top Artists, Songs, Albums, Podcasts Photo: Shutterstock © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Enhanced network solutions and Verizon Frontline assets provide redundancy and reliability so children around the world can track Santa NORTH POLE, Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the North Pole bells ring with activity in preparation for Santa Claus' annual journey, Verizon Frontline is once again stepping in to ensure children worldwide can track the magic on December 24th. For the 22nd consecutive year, Verizon has partnered with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to provide reliable connectivity for the renowned NORAD Tracks Santa initiative. This year, Verizon's robust network will again support the program's toll-free hotline, enabling children to discover Santa's location as he travels the globe. The effort includes leveraging Verizon's C-Band spectrum to deliver high-performance 5G connectivity and redundant Wi-Fi, helping to ensure uninterrupted service for the hotline during its busiest time of year. "We're honored to continue this holiday tradition with NORAD, a partnership that has brought joy and wonder to families for more than two decades,” said Maggie Hallbach, senior vice president, Public Sector at Verizon Business. "By combining innovative technology with holiday spirit, we help bring Santa's journey to life for children everywhere.” Cutting-Edge Tools for Seamless Santa Tracking To bolster NORAD's operations, Verizon provides state-of-the-art equipment, including Cradlepoint routers, Wi-Fi jetpacks, and a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) solution, alongside Verizon Frontline mobile assets for onsite support. Additionally, Verizon's Consulting Services team maintains the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system , an advanced call management solution that helps the hotline manage the 130,000+ calls it receives on Christmas Eve. Santa's Helpers Making the NORAD Tracks Santa initiative possible involves the dedication of nearly 900 in-person and 200 virtual volunteers, including Verizon employees, military personnel, and other government, corporate and community partners. Together, they'll answer questions ranging from "Where is Santa now?” to "What are Santa's favorite cookies?” How to Track Santa Hotline: Call 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) starting at 6 a.m. EST on December 24. Save the number on your Verizon phone as "NORAD Call Center” for quick access. Online: Visit www.noradsanta.org for live updates, games, and interactive features, or check NORAD's social media channels for video footage from SantaCams. Mobile App: Download the NORAD Tracks Santa app on Apple or Google Play for a magical experience right at your fingertips. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) powers and empowers how its millions of customers live, work and play, delivering on their demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity and security. Headquartered in New York City, serving countries worldwide and nearly all of the Fortune 500, Verizon generated revenues of $134.0 billion in 2023. Verizon's world-class team never stops innovating to meet customers where they are today and equip them for the needs of tomorrow. For more, visit verizon.com or find a retail location at verizon.com/stores. VERIZON'S ONLINE MEDIA CENTER: News releases, stories, media contacts and other resources are available at verizon.com/news . News releases are also available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit www.verizon.com/about/rss-feeds/ . Media contact: Geoffrey Basye [email protected] (202) 748-1882The best last-minute New Year's Eve staycations: From cosy cabins to party pads

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Orthobiologics Market Insights: CAGR of 5.7% Projected from 2023 to 2031, Reaching Over USD 10.3 Bn 12-19-2024 08:27 PM CET | Health & Medicine Press release from: Transparency Market Research Orthobiologics Market Orthobiologics are a rapidly advancing sector within the field of medical sciences, specifically tailored to enhance the repair and regeneration of musculoskeletal tissues. These biological products are typically derived from natural substances found in the body and are utilized in orthopedics to accelerate the healing of injuries involving bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. With increasing advancements in biotechnology and a growing focus on personalized medicine, the orthobiologics market is experiencing robust growth. This blog post delves into the market's dynamics, segmentation, and future outlook. The orthobiologics market has grown significantly in recent years due to technological advancements and an increasing focus on regenerative medicine. These products, including demineralized bone matrix, hydroxyapatite, and growth factors, are playing a crucial role in orthopedic surgeries, sports medicine, and trauma recovery. This growth is fueled by a rising incidence of orthopedic disorders, coupled with the growing adoption of minimally invasive surgical techniques. Unlock crucial data and key findings from our Report in this sample - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1747&utm_source=OpenPR_Ajay&utm_medium=OpenPR Additionally, the aging global population and the rise in sports-related injuries are significant drivers of market expansion. Orthobiologics are becoming a preferred choice among healthcare providers due to their ability to enhance recovery time and improve patient outcomes, making them indispensable in modern medicine. Competitive Landscape The orthobiologics market is characterized by intense competition among leading players, including Medtronic, DePuy Synthes, Stryker Corporation, Zimmer Biomet, and Bioventus. These companies are leveraging strategies such as mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and product innovation to gain a competitive edge. Moreover, the emergence of new market entrants focusing on niche applications and innovative products is intensifying competition. Investment in research and development and expansion into emerging markets are also key strategies employed by companies to solidify their market position. Emerging Trends Advancements in biomaterials and the growing integration of technology in orthobiologics are shaping the future of the market. For instance, the use of 3D printing in creating customized implants and grafts is gaining momentum, offering improved precision and patient-specific solutions. Another noteworthy trend is the increasing focus on personalized medicine. Orthobiologics tailored to individual genetic profiles are expected to revolutionize patient care by enhancing treatment efficacy and minimizing adverse effects. Market Dynamics The orthobiologics market is influenced by several factors, including increasing healthcare expenditure, rising awareness about regenerative therapies, and advancements in biotechnology. These dynamics have created a favorable environment for the adoption of orthobiologics in orthopedic procedures. However, high costs associated with orthobiologic products and stringent regulatory requirements pose challenges to market growth. Addressing these barriers through cost-effective solutions and streamlined regulatory pathways will be critical for sustained market expansion. Opportunities and Challenges The growing prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and an aging population present significant opportunities for the orthobiologics market. Emerging economies, with their expanding healthcare infrastructure, offer untapped potential for market players. On the flip side, challenges such as high product costs, limited reimbursement policies, and potential risks associated with certain orthobiologic products need to be addressed. Continued innovation and strategic collaborations will be essential to overcoming these challenges and capitalizing on market opportunities. Future Outlook The future of the orthobiologics market looks promising, with a projected CAGR of 5.7% from 2023 to 2031. Innovations in regenerative medicine, coupled with advancements in biotechnology, are expected to drive market growth and improve patient outcomes. Additionally, the integration of artificial intelligence and data analytics into product development and treatment planning is likely to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of orthobiologics, further bolstering market growth. Review our report to gain deeper insights and understanding - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/orthobiologics-market.html Consumer Behavior Consumers are increasingly seeking minimally invasive and efficient treatment options, driving the demand for orthobiologics. The growing awareness of regenerative therapies and their benefits is influencing patient preferences and healthcare decisions. Furthermore, the shift towards value-based healthcare models emphasizes patient satisfaction and long-term outcomes, making orthobiologics a preferred choice for both patients and healthcare providers. Regional Analysis North America remains the largest market for orthobiologics, supported by a well-established healthcare infrastructure, high adoption of advanced technologies, and significant investments in research and development. The United States, in particular, leads the market due to its robust orthopedic care facilities. The Asia Pacific region, on the other hand, is emerging as a lucrative market, driven by a large patient pool, rising healthcare expenditure, and increasing awareness about advanced orthopedic treatments. Countries like China and India are expected to witness significant growth in the coming years. Explore Latest Research Reports by Transparency Market Research: Surgical Staplers Market - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/surgical-staplers-market.html Spinal Implants Market - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/spinal-implants-market.html Pediatric Medical Devices Market - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pediatric-medical-devices-market.html About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research, a global market research company registered at Wilmington, Delaware, United States, provides custom research and consulting services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insights for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools & techniques to gather and analyses information. Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports. Contact: Transparency Market Research Inc. CORPORATE HEADQUARTER DOWNTOWN, 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, Delaware 19801 USA Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn| Twitter| Blog | YouTube This release was published on openPR.

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From road closures, power outages, weather declarations and nonstop shoveling, Muskoka residents were faced with nearly a metre of persistent snowfall this weekend. According to Environment Canada, storm accumulations reached 140 centimetres of snow in Gravenhurst and 125 centimetres in Bracebridge. Near-whiteout conditions near Orillia Ont., on Sat., Nov. 30, 2024 (CTV News/David Sullivan) The heavy snowfall led to the closure of Highway 11 in both directions between Orillia and Huntsville on Saturday, with the closure persisting through to Monday morning. OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said police expect the northbound lanes along Highway 11 to reopen around noon Monday from West Street in Orillia to Highway 60 in Huntsville. "There will be limited access. Not every exit and entrance will be open in that stretch," he explained. Except for Luigi Road, all ramps are cleared. Schmidt noted southbound lanes are expected to reopen sometime around 4 p.m. on Monday. Additionally, a dozen trucks were trapped on Country Road 6 in Cooper's Falls near Washago Monday morning. Emergency crews and motorists confirmed to CTV News that hundreds of vehicles were stranded without food or water, some for nearly 30 hours. On Saturday, fire crews helped bring motorists to Gravenhurst Town Hall via side-by-side transports for access to generators amid power outages.Lakeland Power and Elexicon Energy – the respective suppliers of electricity for Bracebridge and Gravenhurst – and Hydro One all indicated via their outage maps that tens of thousands of customers were without power on Saturday. The Town of Gravenhurst declared a state of emergency on Sunday after the District Municipality of Muskoka had declared a ‘Significant Weather Event’ on Saturday. Premier Doug Ford posted to social media Monday morning stating the province was working closely with authorities in Gravenhurst and across Muskoka to ensure they have everything they need. “Provincial resources are on hand and more are en route to help where needed. I’m relieved that there are no injuries or fatalities reported.” Ford encouraged residents to stay home until power is restored and roads and highways are safely reopened. Beaver Creek Institution isn’t immune to the power outage, having to switch over to its generator. “We are closely monitoring weather conditions and are prepared to make adjustments as needed to ensure secure access to essential services,” Correctional Service Canada noted in an email to CTV News. Meanwhile, drivers who are low on fuel are advised to find a safe place to park until they can safely access a gas station, or until fuel can be brought to them. OPP add that locals should only dial 911 for life-threatening situations and should contact the non-emergency line at 1-888-310-1122 for all other situations.

Nanaia Mahuta was honoured at the Labour Party conference with a life membership. Photo: RNZ By Lillian Hanley of RNZ Former Labour minister and Hauraki-Waikato MP Nanaia Mahuta says it is an "important" and "exciting" time to be "re-entering" politics. She made the comments during her first public appearance with the party since its election defeat last year. During the party conference in Christchurch on Saturday, Mahuta's 27 years of service was honoured and she was presented with a life membership. Leader Chris Hipkins handed over the award to acknowledge, thank and celebrate an "outstanding member of the Labour whānau and an extraordinary New Zealander". He said she had dedicated her life to being a "servant of the people" and was a "true source of hope, vision and aspiration". Hipkins spoke of Mahuta's work establishing Māori wards and working to implement the Three Waters policy, which saw her face "outright racism" as a result. In accepting the award, Mahuta spoke to members who she said gave her the "great honour of serving a party I believe in". "I am here because of you, the faithful members of the Labour Party who continue to fight the fight day in, day out, for the values that we all believe in." Those were social justice, workable solutions to address inequity and poverty, and building a shared vision for the country, she said. She told the audience to look around the room, "look at the person next to you". "This is New Zealand. This is the New Zealand we want, for our tamariki, for our mokopuna, and it embraces everybody." She encouraged the audience to support the current Labour caucus, "charged with the responsibility of navigating a political system that has to bring everybody with us, whether they voted for us or not". One year on It was the first party-related event Mahuta had attended since taking a year off after losing her seat at the last election. Mahuta told RNZ it was great to "re-enter" the political perspective of the Labour Party one year on. "I gave myself one year post the election to be able to reflect on the 27 years that I've spent serving, and I needed that time for me." But she said she had come back specifically to ensure the party delivered a Labour government that could support the types of issues she believed were core to New Zealand. "For example, Te Tiriti in its place within the constitutional foundation of this country is not negotiable, and it's important to me that Labour continues to ensure that that is the case, and they're doing that." It was an "exciting time" to be re-entering politics, but that it was important as well, she said. When asked if she would be running in the next general election, she said that was not her "intention". "My intention is to be able to support a strong Labour bid to earn the trust of voters to say, 'this is what we stand for'." She said it was going to be a "battle" to pitch in 2026 in a way that would convince a broad range of people that "there's nothing to fear from having a strong foundation and vision for our future". Over the past year, she felt Labour had been more emboldened to say it did stand for "Treaty-based decision making", which would lead to a path of building "our sense of national identity and who we are as a country", she said. That was "unlike the others who want to turn the clock back and want to put all of this in question". Reflecting on the previous term, she said while she was proud of Labour's achievements, it might have "tried to do too much in the period of time that we had the opportunity to govern". "We have to reflect on that. We have to show the constituents and the voters of New Zealand that, on questions like CGT, we've got to take people with us. So that's our aim now, is to build the constituency of support to go forward." Mahuta was unseated in Hauraki-Waikato by Te Pāti Māori's Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, who recently started a haka in Parliament's debating chamber during the first reading of the controversial Treaty Principles Bill. Maipi-Clarke was young, and "her passion should be applauded to the extent that she is not defined by an opinion of what's not right", Mahuta said. "She has been growing in a community of being positively and confidently, Māori, Waikato, Ngāpuhi and everything that she can whakapapa too. That's important, and that's the generation that my kids are growing up in." The important task ahead for Maipi-Clarke was to develop her skill set to "translate that into political capital that delivers to her people", and she should be given "time to grow that talent", Mahuta said. "There's one thing doing the haka, there's another thing delivering to her electorate. "The threshold of expectation is to deliver. It's not what you say, it's what you do."TRYNGOLZATM (olezarsen) approved in U.S. as first-ever treatment for adults living with familial chylomicronemia syndrome as an adjunct to dietEsusu Creates Over $46.9 Billion in New Credit Tradelines for Renters Across the Country

super ace 777 The Falcons are sticking with Kirk Cousins and may get a break thanks to a soft schedule

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has nvited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration next month — extending a diplomatic olive branch even as Trump threatens to levy massive tariffs on Chinese goods. Trump's incoming press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed on Thursday that Trump invited Xi, but said it was “to be determined” if the leader of the United States' most significant economic and military competitor would attend. In fact it seems unlikely. Xi is likely to see the invitation as too risky to accept, and the gesture from Trump may have little bearing on the increasingly competitive ties between the two nations as the White House changes hands, experts say. Danny Russel, vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Xi would not allow himself to “be reduced to the status of a mere guest celebrating the triumph of a foreign leader — the U.S. president, no less.” Still, Leavitt saw it as a plus. “This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies, but our adversaries and our competitors too,” she said in an appearance on Fox News' program ”Fox & Friends." “We saw this in his first term. He got a lot of criticism for it, but it led to peace around this world. He is willing to talk to anyone and he will always put America’s interest first.” CBS News first reported the invitation to Xi. Asked at a Chinese Foreign Ministry briefing on Thursday about Trump's invitation, spokesperson Mao Ning responded: “I have nothing to share at present.” Leavitt said that other foreign leaders have also been invited, but did not provide any details. The move by Trump to invite a leader of an adversarial nation to the American moment that is Inauguration Day is unorthodox. But it also squares with his belief that foreign policy—much like a business negotiation—should be carried out with carrots and sticks to get the United States' opponents to operate closer to his administration's preferred terms. Jim Bendat, a historian and author of “Democracy’s Big Day: The Inauguration of Our President,” said he was not aware of a previous U.S. inauguration attended by a foreign head of state. “It's not necessarily a bad thing to invite foreign leaders to attend,” Bendat said. “But it sure would make more sense to invite an ally before an adversary.” Edward Frantz, a presidential historian at the University of Indianapolis, said the invitation helps Trump burnish his “dealmaker and savvy businessman” brand. “I could see why he might like the optics," Frantz said. “But from the standpoint of American values, it seems shockingly cavalier." White House officials said it was up to Trump to decide whom he invites to the inauguration. “I would just say, without doubt it's the single most consequential bilateral relationship that the United States has in the world,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said. “It is a relationship both fraught with peril and responsibility.” Trump on Thursday during an appearance at the New York Stock Exchange , where he was ringing the opening bell to open the market, said he’s been “thinking about inviting certain people to the inauguration” without referring to any specific individuals. “And some people said, ‘Wow, that’s a little risky, isn’t it?’” Trump said. “And I said, ‘Maybe it is. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens.’ But we like to take little chances.” Meanwhile, a top aide to Hungarian President Viktor Orban, one of Trump's most vocal supporters on the world stage, said Thursday that Orban isn't slated to attend the inauguration. “There is no such plan, at least for the time being," said Gergely Gulyás, Orban's chief of staff. The nationalist Hungarian leader is embraced by Trump but has faced isolation in Europe as he's sought to undermine the European Union's support for Ukraine, and routinely blocked, delayed or watered down the bloc’s efforts to provide weapons and funding and to sanction Moscow for its invasion. Orban recently met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Every country's chief of mission to the United States will also be invited, according to a Trump Inaugural Committee official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Xi invitation comes as Trump has threatened to enact massive tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China to get those countries to do more to reduce illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the United States. He has said that, on his first day in office in January, he would impose 25% tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada and that China could be hit with even higher tariffs. China produces precursor chemicals used in the production of fentanyl, but Beijing has stepped up efforts over the last year to crack down on the export of the chemicals. “We’ve been talking and discussing with President Xi, some things, and others, other world leaders, and I think we’re going to do very well all around,” Trump said in a CNBC interview Thursday. Xi during a meeting with President Joe Biden last month in Peru urged the United States not to start a trade war. “Make the wise choice,” Xi cautioned. “Keep exploring the right way for two major countries to get along well with each other.” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also pushed back on Trump's threats, warning such a tariffs move would be perilous for the U.S. economy as well. Trudeau earlier this week said that Americans “are beginning to wake up to the real reality that tariffs on everything from Canada would make life a lot more expensive” and said he will retaliate if Trump goes ahead with them. Trump responded by calling Canada a state and Trudeau the governor. In addition to the tariff dispute, U.S.-China relations are strained over other issues, including what U.S. officials see as Beijing indirectly supporting Russia's war on Ukraine. The Biden administration says China has supported Russia with a surge in sales of dual use components that help keep its military industrial base afloat. U.S. officials also have expressed frustration with Beijing for not doing more to rein in North Korea's support for the Russian war. China accounts for the vast majority of North Korea’s trade. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dispatched thousands of troops to Russia to help repel Ukrainian forces from the Kursk border region. The North Koreans also have provided Russia with artillery and other munitions, according to U.S. and South Korean intelligence officials. Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration takes place a day after the U.S. deadline for ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of social media giant TikTok, to sell the social media app or face a ban in the United States. — Associated Press writers Didi Tang in Washington and Balint Domotor in Budapest, Hungary, contributed reporting.ANDREW MCCARTHY: Prosecutor, judge make mockery of justice in trial of subway hero Daniel PennyRepublicans made strides on transgender issues this year. More efforts on the horizonBritish-Canadian computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton and co-laureate John Hopfield are set to receive the Nobel Prize for physics on Tuesday in Stockholm. The pair landed the accolade because they used physics to develop artificial neural networks, which help computers learn without having to program them. These networks form the foundation of machine learning, a computer science that relies on data and algorithms to help artificial intelligence mimic the human brain. Hinton and Hopfield’s path to the Nobel began when Hopfield, who is now a professor emeritus at Princeton University, invented a network in 1982 that could store and reconstruct images in data. The Hopfield network uses associate memory, which humans use to remember what something looks like when it’s not in front of them or to conjure up a word they know but seldom use. The network can mirror this process because it stores patterns and has a method for recreating them. When the network is given an incomplete or slightly distorted pattern, the method then searches for the stored pattern that is most similar to recreate data. This means if a computer was shown, for example, a photo of dog where only part of the animal was visible, it could use the network to piece together the missing part of the image and recognize it was depicting a dog. Hinton, who was working at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in 1985, used the Hopfield network as the foundation for a new network he called the Boltzmann machine. Its name came from the nineteenth-century physicist Ludwig Boltzmann. The Boltzmann machine learns from examples, rather than instructions, and when trained, can recognize familiar characteristics in information, even if it has not seen that data before. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which gives out the Nobel, likens this to how humans may be able to identify someone as a relative of one of their friends, even if they’ve never met this person before, because of they share similar traits. The Boltzmann machine works in a similar way, classifying images or creating new examples based on the patterns it was trained on. This kind of technology can help suggest films or television shows based on a user’s preferences and past viewing history The Hopfield network and Boltzmann machine are considered to have laid the groundwork for modern AI. Hinton, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, went on to win the A.M. Turing Award, known as the Nobel Prize of computing, with fellow Canadian Yoshua Bengio and American Yan LeCun in 2018. He is often called the godfather of AI. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2024. Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press

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hile the playoff hopes dimmed further after a disheartening 12-6 loss to the s, , wife of fullback , proved that even under stormy skies, she knows how to steal the spotlight. At Levi's Stadium on Thursday, , paired with a black leather skirt, gloves, and sky-high heels. Despite the rainy conditions, , shielding herself with a black jacket while kissing Kyle in a chic Instagram post captioned, Kristin's impeccable style has recently earned her a spot on the , alongside icons like . Known for her NFL-themed jackets, Kristin has caught the attention of celebrities like , who have donned her creations at games. Marketing analyst Krista Corrigan earlier this year, saying, Kristin always finds the silver lining As the grapple , Kristin remains a beacon of positivity in the WAG (wives and girlfriends) community. Speaking to PEOPLE in October, , saying, The Juszczyks and the 49ers as they face the on December 22. While fans anxiously await a turnaround, , proving that style and optimism go hand in hand-even when the season's outlook is cloudy.Veteran Daniel Penny is acquitted in NYC subway chokehold case over Jordan Neely's deathThe Falcons are sticking with Kirk Cousins and may get a break thanks to a soft schedule

TORONTO (AP) — The Utah Hockey Club said players were forced to walk to their game against the Maple Leafs after their bus got stuck in Toronto traffic Sunday night. The team posted a video on social media of team members walking to Scotiabank Arena, with player Maveric Lamoureux saying the bus was “not moving at all.” Several city streets had been closed during the day for the annual Santa Claus parade. The Maple Leafs earned their fourth consecutive win by defeating Utah 3-2. The viral incident prompted Ontario Premier Doug Ford to call the congestion “embarrassing” and “unacceptable,” highlighting his government’s plan to address the city’s gridlock through bike lane legislation. It wasn’t the first time a Toronto visitor had to ditch their vehicle to make it to an event on time. In June, former One Direction band member Niall Horan had to walk through traffic to get to his concert at Scotiabank Arena. AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhlUK pop superstar Ed Sheeran gatecrashed Ruben Amorim's interview after Manchester United's clash against Ipswich The Grammy award winner was blasted by fans on social media, with some saying he disrespected the coach The game at Portman Road was Amorim's first outing as Red Devils coach, but it ended in a frustrating stalemate CHECK OUT: Learn at Your Own Pace! Our Flexible Online Course allows you to fit copywriting skills development around your busy schedule. Enroll Now! Musician Ed Sheeran irked Manchester United fans when he interrupted Ruben Amorim's interview after the 1-1 draw against Ipswich. The pop superstar has apologised for his appearance in the interview, which went viral after the entertaining clash. What did Ed Sheeran do? After the game, Sky Sports , led by Roy Keane and Jamie Redknapp, interviewed Amorim. Sheeran interrupted the interview and started speaking to Redknapp. PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app! His action was heavily criticised on social media, especially by Man United fans, who felt he disrespected Amorim, who had just coached his first game. The Grammy Award winner is an Ipswich fan and a minority owner of the club. He was in the stands during the game. Read also Why VAR was disabled in Manchester United's game vs Ipswich Town Marcus Rashford opened the scoring early in the game, but Omari Hutchinson equalised late in the first half. Both teams settled for a 1-1 draw. Sheeran apologises to Amorim On Monday afternoon, the Shape of You singer shared a message, apologising for interrupting Amoriom's interview. "Apologies if I offended Amorim yesterday, didn't actually realise he was being interviewed at the time, was popping in to say hi and bye to Jamie," Sheeran said via ESPN . "[Obviously] feel a bit of a (expletive) but life goes on. Great game though, congrats on all involved x." Man United hoped for a win in Amorim's first game in charge. The Red Devils will have a chance to bounce back against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League on Thursday. Amorim calls out one player after Ipswich game Legit.ng has also reported that Amorim called out one player after the Ipswich stalemate. Read also New Man United coach Amorim calls out one player after disappointing EPL debut After the entertaining contest, Amorim warned that his players needed more time to understand his ideas. Amorim's warning to Man United Legit.ng also reported that Amorim warned Man United fans after their frustrating 1-1 draw against Ipswich. The former Sporting CP boss warned that the teams will go through difficult moments in the coming months. PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy! Source: TUKO.co.ke

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With technical prowess and considerable style, Marta danced around two sliding defenders, outwitted a goalkeeper and calmly scored as another player rushed forward in desperation to stop her. It was more Marta Magic. That goal last weekend helped propel the Orlando Pride into Saturday's National Women's Soccer League championship game against the Washington Spirit. Barbra Banda also scored in the Pride's 3-2 semifinal victory over the Kansas City Current . While Banda has had an incredible first season with the Pride, captain Marta has been the talisman that has helped lead the team in its remarkable turnaround this year. The last time the Pride were in the NWSL playoffs was in 2017 — Marta's first year with the club. But this season they nearly went undefeated, going 23 games without a loss to start the season before losing 2-0 to the Portland Thorns with just two regular-season games left. “I think because of the way that we did it, during this season, from beginning to now, it’s something very special that I’ve never had before with any other club that I’ve played for," Marta said. "Plus year by year, we see in America, strong competition. This is the best league in the world. And you never know what’s going to happen, and it’s hard to keep winning the games, being in the first place almost like the whole season. That’s why it’s really different and so special.” Marta’s goal was the latest gasp-inducing moment in a stellar career filled with them. Known by just her first name, the 38-year-old is a six-time FIFA world player of the year. "Let's see if tomorrow I can do something similar — or even better," Marta said on Friday. Her teammate Kylie Strom chimed in: “That was the greatest goal I've ever witnessed, hands down." Appropriate. Earlier this year, FIFA announced that the best goal in women's soccer each year would earn the Marta Award. In a lighthearted moment the day before the title match, Marta was asked if she thought it was possible she might give the award to herself. “You guys need to decide, because who votes for the best goal in the year? It’s you. It’s the people in the public. So it should be really interesting, like Marta’s Award goes to Marta!” she said with a laugh. Marta has played in six World Cups for Brazil and played this summer in her sixth Olympics, winning a silver medal after falling in the final to the United States . She previously said this would be her final year with the national team. But since then Brazil was named the host of the 2027 Women's World Cup. "I had a conversation with my coach, the national team coach, and I was really clear about playing in 2027. I told him it’s not my goal anymore,” she said. “But I’m always available to help the national team. And if they think I still can do something during this preparation for the World Cup, yeah, I would be happy to help them." Marta's club career started in Brazil when she was just 16. She has also played in Sweden and in the U.S. professional women's leagues that came before the NWSL. With nine regular-season goals, Marta has had one of her best seasons since she joined the Pride. “I can never pick a side, I never pick favorites — but I love to see this for Marta," U.S. coach Emma Hayes said. “Marta is someone we all like, admire and are grateful for. And that goal was just like prime Marta at her best. And so grateful for and thankful for her that she got the opportunity with another game with her team.” The Pride went 18-2-6 this season, clinching the NWSL Shield for the first trophy in club history. Orlando also set a record with 60 regular-season points to finish atop the standings. “We are sitting top of the table, but I think there still are a lot of doubters. I think there’s people out there who say, maybe this was a one-off season,” Strom said. “But we’re here to prove them all wrong. So I think we do carry a bit of that underdog mentality still with us.” The second-seeded Spirit advanced to the title match at Kansas City's CPKC Stadium last weekend on a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw against defending champions Gotham FC. The Spirit's roster includes Trinity Rodman, a standout forward who formed the so-called “Triple Espresso” trio with Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith for the United States at the Olympics. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerJacques Audiard’s audacious musical “Emilia Pérez,” about a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirming surgery, led nominations to the 82nd Golden Globes on Monday, scoring 10 nods to lead it over other contenders like the musical smash “Wicked,” the papal thriller “Conclave” and the postwar epic “The Brutalist.” The nominations for the Globes, which will be televised by CBS and streamed on Paramount+ on Jan. 5, were announced on Monday morning by Mindy Kaling and Morris Chestnut. The embattled Globes, which are no longer presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are still in comeback mode after years of scandal and organizational upheaval. Working in the Globes favor this year: a especially starry field of nominees. Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Angelina Jolie, Daniel Craig, Denzel Washington, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Glen Powell and Selena Gomez all scored nominations. The young Donald Trump drama “The Apprentice” also landed nominations for its two central performances, by Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn. The president elect has called “The Apprentice” a “politically disgusting hatchet job" made by "human scum.” How much the recent president election will figure into Hollywood's awards season remains to be seen. In the season's first awards ceremony, the Gotham Awards, Trump went unmentioned but sometimes alluded to. Stan also received a nomination Monday for the dark comedy “A Different Man.” While “Oppenheimer” and, to a lesser degree, “Barbie,” sailed into the Globes nominations as the clear heavyweights of awards season, no such frontrunner has emerged this year — and, with the exception of “Wicked," most of the contenders are far lighter on box office. The Globes don’t often align with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, a much larger group that far more closely reflects the film industry. But they can give movies a major boost, and ripe fodder for their awards marketing. Netflix, which acquired “Emilia Pérez” after its Cannes Film Festival debut, dominated the nominations, leading all studios in both film nods (13) and in the TV categories (23). “Emilia Pérez," an operatic genre-skipping movie that combines elements of a narco thriller, a Broadway musical and a trans drama, scored nominations for its three stars: Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña and Gomez. No comedy or musical has ever received more Globe nominations. Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” landed seven nominations, including best picture, drama, and acting nods for Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce. The soon-to-be-released film, from A24, is uncommonly ambitious, with a runtime of three-and-a-half hours, including an intermission. A24 narrowly trailed Netflix in the film categories, scoring 12 nominations overall, including best actor, drama, for Hugh Grant's darkest turn yet in the horror film “Heretic.” Grant, in a statement, thanked the directors, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods “for spotting my need to kill." Close behind it was Edward Berger’s “Conclave,” starring Ralph Fiennes as a cardinal tasked with leading the conclave to elect a new pope. It landed six nominations, including best picture, drama, and acting nods for Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini. Sean Baker's Palme d'Or-winning “Anora,” starring Mikey Madison as a Brooklyn sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, was nominated for five awards, including best picture, comedy or musical, and best female actor for Madison and best supporting actor for Yura Borisov. The Globes will be hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser, who scored her own nomination for best stand-up special. CBS, which began airing the Globes last year on a new deal, will hope Glaser manages to do better than last year’s emcee, Jo Koy, whose stint was widely panned. The nominees for best motion picture drama are: “The Brutalist”; “A Complete Unknown,”; “Conclave”; “Dune: Part Two”; “Nickel Boys;” “September 5.” The nominees for best film musical or comedy are: “Wicked”; “Anora”; “Emilia Pérez”; “Challengers”; “A Real Pain”; “The Substance.” Coralie Fargeat's gory body horror satire “The Substance," starring Demi Moore as an actress who resorts to extremes to stay young in a Hollywood obsessed with young beauty, landed five nominations overall, including nods for both Moore and her younger doppelganger, Margaret Qualley. Among animated movies, DreamWorks' “The Wild Robot” also had an especially good day. The tale of the shipwrecked robot came away with four nominations, including one for cinematic and box office achievement, a relatively new category populated by big ticket-sellers like “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Inside Out 2.” The strong showing suggests the other animated nominees — “Flow,” “Inside Out 2," “Memoir of a Snail," “Moana 2," “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” — may have a hard time besting “The Wild Robot.” The Bob Dylan film “A Complete Unknown," starring Chalamet, also had a lot to celebrate. Coming off an endorsement from Dylan, himself, the film landed nominations for Chalamet, Edward Norton (who plays Woody Guthrie) and best picture, drama. Pamela Anderson also landed her first Golden Globe nomination. In “The Last Showgirl,” Anderson plays an aging Las Vegas showgirl, a performance that's led to the best reviews of Anderson's career. She was nominated for best female actor, drama, alongside Jolie ("Maria"), Nicole Kidman ("Babygirl"), Tilda Swinton ("The Room Next Door"), Fernanda Torres ("I'm Still Here") and — in a surprise — Kate Winslet ("Lee"). Anderson, reached by video conference Monday, said she put her whole life into the film. “I was making pickles and jam. I didn’t think I’d be doing any more in this industry,” said Anderson. “I was a little disappointed in myself and was kind of reassessing some of my life choices. But then this came up.” “The Bear,” which dominated the 2024 Globes, led all series with five nominations for its third season. That included nods for Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Liza Colón-Zayas and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Its stiffest competition this year might come in the FX series “Shogun" (four nominations, including acting nods for Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada) or Apple TV's “Slow Horses" (nods for Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden). “Only Murders in the Building” again led the comedy or musical category, with nominations for it stars Steve Martin, Martin Short and Gomez, her second nomination to go with hers for "Emilia Pérez." The Globes aren’t ever quite drama-free, but things have settled down for the embattled awards body. After The Los Angeles Times reported that the HFPA voters included no Black members, among other issues, most of Hollywood boycotted the show and the 2022 ceremony was scrapped. Last January's Globes were the first after the disbanding of the HFPA and their acquisition by Dick Clark Productions and billionaire Todd Boehly’s private equity firm Eldridge Industries. However, earlier this fall, the Ankler reported that former members of the HFPA filed a letter with the California attorney general’s office questioning “the validity of the purchase.” Though the 2024 Globes were mostly panned, ratings improved. According to Nielsen, some 9.5 million watched, leading CBS to give the show a five-year deal. Last year, the Globes introduced two new categories that remain this time around: the cinematic and box office achievement award and the best performance in stand-up comedy on television. One tweak this time comes in the lifetime achievement awards. This year, those are going to Ted Danson (for the Carol Burnett Award) and Viola Davis (for the Cecil B. DeMille Award). Those will be handed out in a gala dinner on Friday, Jan. 3, two days before the Globes. AP's Ryan Pearson in Los Angeles contributed to this report. For more coverage of the 2025 Golden Globe Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/golden-globe-awards

SÃO PAULO — Brazil’s federal police said Thursday they had indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 other people for allegedly attempting a coup to keep him in office after his defeat in the 2022 elections. Police said their findings were being delivered Thursday to Brazil’s Supreme Court, which must decide whether to refer them to Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet, who would either formally charge Bolsonaro and put him on trial or toss the investigation. The right-wing former president has denied all claims that he tried to stay in office after his narrow electoral defeat in 2022 to leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has faced a series of legal threats since then. Police said in a brief statement that the Supreme Court had agreed to reveal the names of all 37 people who were indicted “to avoid the dissemination of incorrect news.” The 700-page police document will probably take several days for the court to review, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said. Dozens of former and current Bolsonaro aides were among those indicted, including Gen. Walter Braga Netto, who was his running mate in the 2022 campaign; former Army commander Gen. Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira; Valdemar Costa Neto, the chairman of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party; and his veteran former advisor Gen. Augusto Heleno. The investigation started last year. On Tuesday, four military men and one federal police agent were arrested as part of the same inquiry. Other investigations focus on Bolosnaro’s potential roles in smuggling diamond jewelry into Brazil without properly declaring it and in directing a subordinate to falsify his and others’ COVID-19 vaccination statuses. Bolsonaro has denied involvement in either. Another investigation found that he had abused his authority to cast doubt on the country’s voting system, and judges barred him from running again until 2030. The far-reaching investigations have weakened Bolsonaro’s status as a leader of Brazil’s right wing, said Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in São Paulo. “Bolsonaro is already barred from running in the 2026 elections,” Melo told the Associated Press. “And if he is convicted he could also be jailed by then. To avoid being behind bars, he will have to convince Supreme Court justices that he has nothing to do with a plot that involves dozens of his aides. That’s a very tall order,” Melo said. On Tuesday, the federal police arrested four military officials and a federal police officer accused of plotting to overthrow the government after the 2022 election, including plans to kill Lula and other top officials. Pessoa and Savarese write for the Associated Press.

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WASHINGTON – President-elect has tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his choice for U.S. attorney general following ’s withdrawal of his nomination. Trump announced late Thursday that he would nominate Bondi to become the nation’s top law-enforcement officer, citing her work as a prosecutor. “Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on Violent Criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida Families,” he said in a statement. “Then, as Florida’s first female Attorney General, she worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs, and reduce the tragedy of Fentanyl Overdose Deaths, which have destroyed many families across our Country.” Bondi is likely to have an easier time winning Senate confirmation than Gaetz, who faced opposition from some Senate Republicans. Bondi, 59, is a Trump ally who served as one of his defense attorneys during his first impeachment trial, when he was accused of abusing his power by withholding military aid from Ukraine to pressure Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce an investigation into a political rival, then-former Vice President Joe Biden. The Senate acquitted Trump of the charges. Bondi also served on Trump's Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during his first term and acted as a campaign surrogate during this year's presidential contest. She was among a group of Republicans who attended Trump's hush-money trial in New York earlier this year to show their support for him. Bondi was Florida's attorney general for eight years, from 2011 to 2019. She was the first woman elected to the position. The covering a broad range of interests. The department prosecutes federal criminal laws through U.S attorneys offices and through its main headquarters, and brings civil lawsuits to enforce civil rights and antitrust laws. The department oversees agencies such as the FBI; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Prisons. "For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans - Not anymore," Trump said in his statement. "Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again. I have known Pam for many years — She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!" Bondi is Trump's second choice for attorney general and the second Floridian has has tapped for the job. Earlier Thursday, Gaetz, a former Florida congressman, withdrew his nomination amid continuing allegations of sexual misconduct. The DOJ – which Gaetz would have led if he became attorney general – investigated allegations that he committed statutory rape by paying for sex with a 17-year-old girl and for her to travel with him across state lines. That probe was dropped without charges. But the , a bipartisan panel equally divided between Democrats and Republicans, was also investigating those and other allegations and had planned to vote on whether to release a report on their findings just two days after Gaetz abruptly resigned his House seat last week. A said his clients testified before the Ethics Committee about the allegations. One said she saw Gaetz allegedly under the influence of drugs and sexually abusing the 17-year-old, though she said she did not think Gaetz knew the girl's age. Gaetz has denied the allegations. But he said he decided to withdraw his nomination because it had become a distraction for Trump's transition team.Jets still struggling to secure wins and stop blowing late leads in another playoff-less season

As we marvel at the beauty of winter and the changing seasons, let us also take a moment to reflect on the wisdom passed down through generations in the form of these simple yet profound proverbs. Whether we believe in their predictive power or not, they serve as a reminder of the interconnectedness of all living beings and the cycles of nature that govern our lives. So, the next time you see an oak tree still holding onto its leaves, ants scurrying to move their hill, or white and fuzzy clouds gathering in the sky, take a moment to appreciate the ancient wisdom contained in these signs of winter's approach.Title: Netanyahu's Strong Stance on the Golan Heights: A Non-Negotiable Part

ST. LOUIS , Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- TricorBraun, a global packaging leader, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Veritiv Containers, previously known as All American Containers. Veritiv Containers is a national distributor of both custom and stock rigid packaging solutions for the food and beverage, wine and spirits, personal care, nutraceutical, and industrial sectors. The business operates from facilities across North America . "This acquisition further enhances our North American footprint, offering customers expanded solutions and supply chain options," said Court Carruthers, president and CEO, TricorBraun. "The Veritiv team is highly respected for their expertise, focus on quality, and customer service, and we are pleased to welcome them to the TricorBraun family." Veritiv Containers' leadership team will remain with TricorBraun and all dedicated team members will be offered positions with the company. Effective with the closing of the transaction, Veritiv Containers will operate as TricorBraun. Guy Considine , leader of the Veritiv Containers business added "we are grateful to have been part of the Veritiv team since the acquisition of All American Containers, and we are excited to join TricorBraun because of its significant focus on rigid packaging, where we can continue to grow, develop, and take terrific care of our customers, suppliers, and team members." The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025 after customary regulatory approval and completion conditions. Advisors Guggenheim Securities, LLC, acted as financial advisor and Sullivan & Cromwell served as legal advisor to TricorBraun on the transaction. About Veritiv Veritiv Operating Company, headquartered in Atlanta , is a leading full-service provider of packaging, jan-san, and hygiene products, services, and solutions. Additionally, Veritiv provides print and publishing products. Serving customers in a wide range of industries both in North America and globally, Veritiv has distribution centers throughout the U.S. and Mexico , and team members around the world helping shape the success of its customers. About TricorBraun Founded in 1902, TricorBraun is a global packaging leader. We leverage our scale, comprehensive scope and unparalleled expertise to solve customers' complex packaging problems and help them win in the marketplace. TricorBraun is composed of more than 2,000 packaging professionals operating from more than 100 locations across the Americas, Europe , Asia , and Australia . Contact: Becky Donner bdonner@tricorbraun.com | 630.645.1272 View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tricorbraun-to-acquire-veritivs-rigid-containers-business-further-expanding-its-north-american-footprint-302326437.html SOURCE TricorBraun

As the saga of Neymar's potential transfer to Barcelona unfolds, one thing is clear: every fan, pundit, and analyst will be eagerly watching, waiting to see where the Brazilian superstar's next chapter takes him. Will it be a return to the Camp Nou, a new adventure in a different league, or a stay at PSG? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain – Neymar's future is a story that every football fan will be following closely.Title: Liverpool's Big Win - Grateful for Letting Him Go, 32-Year-Old Veteran Declines: From a Value of 150 Million to Only 6 MillionMiddle East latest: Israel agrees to a ceasefire with Hezbollah in LebanonIn a surprising turn of events, the highly anticipated mobile game "Marvel Brawl" has raised eyebrows among gaming enthusiasts for allegedly incorporating classic Overwatch 303 tactics. The OW 303 tactic, a well-known strategy in the Overwatch community, has made a resurgence in this new gaming title, sparking debates and discussions within the gaming community.

After drubbing, San Jose Sharks look for response in South FloridaGENEVA: Conflicts, violence and disasters across Africa have dramatically driven up the number of displaced people on the continent over the past 15 years, international monitors said Tuesday. By the end of last year, Africa counted 35 million people living displaced within their own countries, according to a report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). That is nearly half of the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) worldwide, IDMC chief Alexandra Bilak told AFP. “We have seen a tripling of the number of IDPs on the African continent over the last 15 years,” she said, adding that “the majority of this internal displacement is being caused by conflict and violence, but is also now triggered more and more by disasters”. While IDPs typically receive less focus than refugees who flee across borders, they are far more numerous and their lives are equally turned upside down. Displacement disrupts livelihoods, the cultural identity and social ties of entire communities, making them more vulnerable, the IDMC pointed out. It can set back a country’s development agenda by disrupting the ability of those displaced to generate income, pay rent or taxes, as countries are called on to provide additional housing, healthcare, education and protection. Conflict main culprit Tuesday’s report showed that rising levels of conflict and violence were responsible for driving 32.5 million people into internal displacement in Africa. Eighty percent of them were displaced within five countries—the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan. Conflict and violence “cause cyclical patterns of displacement, and the people who were displaced by conflicts already 10, 15, in some cases 20, 25 years ago have not been able to find a solution”, Bilak said. “They haven’t been able to return home,” she said, adding that “new waves of violence and displacement are added on to protracted caseloads”, pushing IDP numbers ever higher. Displacement due to disasters, in particular floods, is also on the rise in Africa, as climate change makes itself increasingly felt. The number of times people were forced to flee disasters rose six-fold between 2009 and 2023, from 1.1 million displacements per year to 6.3 million, the IDMC said. Floods triggered more than three-quarters of these movements, while droughts accounted for another 11 percent, the report showed. Overlap The IDMC cautioned that conflicts, violence and disasters often overlap, driving complex crises, which see many displaced repeatedly or for prolonged periods. The organization highlighted the African Union’s Kampala Convention on protecting and assisting IDPs as an important tool to address the problem. That convention, which was adopted in 2009 and entered into force in December 2012, set an international standard as the first, and still the only, legally-binding regional agreement addressing internal displacement. Thirty-four African countries have since ratified the treaty, with many developing legal frameworks and making significant investments to address the issue. But the IDMC said governments had struggled in the face of rising conflicts and disasters worsened and made more frequent by climate change. “It hasn’t fixed the problem,” Bilak said. With most displacement in Africa due to conflict, she stressed that “much more has to be done when it comes to peace-building and diplomacy and conflict transformation”. “That is really the key of the issue.” - AFP

In a world that is increasingly homogenized and sanitized, the long-shirted influencer serves as a beacon of resistance, championing diversity and celebrating uniqueness in all its forms. Through their bold and unapologetic presence, they are inspiring others to embrace their authenticity and challenge the status quo.Trump promises to end birthright citizenship: What is it and could he do it?A former high school classmate of Luigi Nicholas Mangione, the “strong person of interest” arrested Monday in the brazen Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, said he was surprised to learn of his arrest. Freddie Leatherbury hasn’t spoken to Mangione since they graduated in 2016 from Gilman School in Maryland. He said Mangione was a smart, friendly and athletic student who came from a wealthy family, even by the private school’s standards. “Quite honestly, he had everything going for him,” Leatherbury said. Leatherbury said he was stunned when a friend shared the news of their former classmate’s arrest. “He does not seem like the kind of guy to do this based on everything I’d known about him in high school,” Leatherbury said. Mangione, a high school valedictorian from a Maryland prep school, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a spokesman told The Associated Press on Monday. He had learned to code in high school and helped start a club at Penn for people interested in gaming and game design, according to a 2018 story in Penn Today, a campus publication. His posts also suggest that he belonged to the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. They also show him taking part in a 2019 program at Stanford University, and in photos with family and friends in Hawaii, San Diego, Puerto Rico, the New Jersey shore and other destinations. In an email to parents and alumni, Gilman headmaster Henry P.A. Smyth said it “recently” learned that Mangione had been arrested. “We do not have any information other than what is being reported in the news,” Smyth wrote. “This is deeply distressing news on top of an already awful situation. Our hearts go out to everyone affected.” A poster issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation shows a wanted unknown suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (FBI via AP) AP Luigi Mangione is one of 37 grandchildren of Nick Mangione Sr., according to a 2008 obituary. Mangione Sr. grew up poor in Baltimore’s Little Italy and rose after his World War II naval service to become a millionaire real estate developer and philanthropist, according to a 1995 profile by the Baltimore Sun. He and his wife Mary Cuba Mangione, who died in 2023, directed their philanthropy through the Mangione Family Foundation, according to a statement from Loyola University commemorating her death. They donated to a variety of causes, ranging from Catholic organizations to higher education, to the arts. Mangione Sr. was known for Turf Valley Resort, a sprawling luxury retreat and conference center outside Baltimore that he purchased in 1978. The father of 10 children, Nick Mangione Sr. prepared his five sons — including Luigi Mangione’s father, Louis Mangione — to help manage the family business, according to a 2003 Washington Post report. The Mangione family also purchased Hayfields Country Club north of Baltimore in 1986. On Monday afternoon, Baltimore County police officers had blocked off an entrance to the property, which public records link to Luigi Mangione’s parents. A swarm of reporters and photographers gathered outside the entrance. One of Luigi Mangione’s cousins is Republican Maryland state legislator Nino Mangione, a spokesperson for the delegate’s office confirmed Monday. Healthcare SEO shooting Reviewers slam Pa. McDonald’s after worker tip leads to arrest in CEO killing Ghost gun possibly used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO can be made at home ‘Strong person of interest’ arrested in Pa. in health care CEO’s killing: Here’s what we know

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Nick Kyrgios says positive tests for duo are ‘disgusting’ and ‘a horrible look’Former Kentucky WR Dane Key set for transfer to NebraskaOPEL CORSA HYBRID Rating ★★★★☆ Price range starts from €25,095 - €31,695 as tested in GS spec Engine a really good hybrid system based on the three-pot petrol engine The Spec pretty incredible when you think what used to be on offer in this segment Verdict class leading qualities in many respects This might come as something of a shock to Gen-Z-ers or Millennials, but there was a time in the not so distant past when cars came with few of the creature comforts and safety features that are taken for granted today. Back in the 1970’s, Toyota made a huge impact on the Irish market by selling versions of the Corolla which – gasp – came as standard with a heater; not only that but – roll of drums – it was also fitted with a radio. Such a situation might seem preposterous in the modern era in which cars come with all sorts of electronic driver aids, safety features that will stop you crashing into pretty much anything; then you’ve got all the telecommunications gizmos, paddle-shift gearboxes, torque sensing differentials and all sorts of computer-aided mechanicals. Back in the day you were haunted if you got an ashtray and a cigarette lighter, both of which are now, of course, consigned to history. I mention all this by way of illustrating the kaleidoscopic specification sheet that now comes with even diminutive cars such as this week’s tester – the new Opel Corsa with a 1.2 petrol engine and mild hybrid technology. Standard kit on this supermini includes a bewilderment of stuff: it has an electronic stability programme and electronic brake distribution, while also boasting automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control with an intelligent speed limiter, blind spot assist, hill start assist and lane keep assist. As if that wasn’t enough the entry level model to the Opel range also has a heated steering wheel on which there are controls for the phone/audio/cruise control, electronic climate, control, and door mirrors which are electronically controlled, heated and power folding. Jeez. It used to be the case that you were lucky if you got dust caps on the tyre valves – or hubcaps, for that matter. Nowadays we couldn’t live without our front and rear parking sensors, 180 degree panoramic rear view camera, or the electrochrome anti-dazzle rear view mirror, or the automatic lights or wipers. This latest Corsa is the newest iteration of a car which, on its debut in 2020, got a rare five-star rating in these columns. That was largely down to a relief in this quarter that the Opel brand had been saved from extinction by its purchase by the PSA Peugeot/Citroen group who got it for half nothing from its previous owners, General Motors. Having witnessed the sad demise of such as Saab (another GM failure) pretty much the entire British industry (Rover, Reilly, Hillman, Sunbeam, Morris etc. etc) and a raft of American ones (Plymouth, Fisker, Mercury, Pontiac etc. etc.) we feared Opel would go the same way, but the French outfit came to the rescue in Opel’s case, before being itself subsumed into the newly created Stellantis company. The 2020 Corsa, therefore, gave us reason to cheer and the fact it was an excellent little supermini helped it achieve its five-star status in our eyes. Opel has gone from strength to strength, what with new Astra , Mokka and Grandland model ranges and now this latest Corsa aims to further solidify the brand’s successful re-emergence into the automotive world. And it will. Aside altogether from the cosmetic elements of this new model – it is a fine looking car, by the way – it characterises all the elements that go to make up a serious contender in a market segment that looked for a while like it was going to vanish altogether. With Ford ceasing to make the Fiesta and others looking to make city cars which are EV-only, it looked like there might be a dearth of small five-door cars in the not too distant. But thankfully that will not come to pass as manufacturers have hit the realisation that such things are actually still good for business. The Corsa, then, joins such as the VW Polo , SEAT Ibiza , Skoda Fabia , Peugeot 208 , Citroen C3, Toyota Yaris , Nissan Micra , Hyundai i20 and many more in a competitive marketplace. And it is up there with the best of them. The interior is bright and airy – and roomy too. The GS model we tested has a digital instrument binnacle and there’s a 10” infotainment screen that controls a lot of functions except the climate, which is worked by various dials and buttons. Seating is comfortable and well adjustable and while room in the back might be a bit tight for lanky people, it is good for the segment. The boot too is commodious to a point. On the road it provides a balanced and sturdy proposition and the powertrain design is pretty state-of-the-art hybrid motoring which give you the potential to drive for 50% of the time on electricity only when in urban or low-speed settings. The system is self-charging and the transfer of power from EV to ICE is pretty seamless, although the car is not the quickest (10.7 second 0-100 km/h) in acceleration terms it can most certainly hold its own at motorway speeds and has a good turn of foot for passing manoeuvres. It is economical as well and if you’re modest with the application of your right boot, you should see a return from the three-cylinder engine in the region of 5.0 l/100km (56 mpg), despite there being some 100 bhp on tap. You have the usual choice of Eco, Normal and Sport driving settings to choose from and while the latter probably holds onto any of the six gears on offer with the auto ‘box that’s standard here, it does give you a bit of necessary pep when required. The handling is surefooted and the ride is well capable of dealing with the Irish road network, while the steering is sharp and weights up nicely as you pick up speed. For the class, this is as good as it gets in all three of those departments. Opel, yet again, has done a good job here with the tools at its disposal and I am thrilled that the Russelsheim outfit has found a home where it is treated with due respect and its engineers and designers allowed the freedom to create cars that the public might actually want – unlike its previous owners. While I may have been a little too excited about the Corsa’s revival when we saw and drove it back in 2020, what with that five-star rating, this is still one of the best superminis around and the hybrid choices in the line-up not only give it green credentials and an appeal to the more eco-conscious among us, but make it hugely economic as well. All that considered, it still easily warrants a four-star rating and that’s right up there with the best in class – a class which is now unrecognisable from those cars which first had the ‘supermini’ label attached to them all those years ago.

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Airship AI Holdings, Inc. ( NASDAQ:AISP – Get Free Report ) shot up 7.2% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $6.22 and last traded at $5.94. 2,177,096 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 20% from the average session volume of 2,728,073 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.54. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $6.00 target price on shares of Airship AI in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Read Our Latest Report on Airship AI Airship AI Trading Down 2.6 % Insider Transactions at Airship AI In other news, CTO Yanda Ma sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.39, for a total value of $101,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 60,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $203,400. The trade was a 33.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link . 57.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Airship AI Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Airship AI by 54.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 128,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $296,000 after buying an additional 45,247 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Airship AI by 1,982.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,411 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 26,095 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Airship AI by 12.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 199,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $459,000 after acquiring an additional 21,616 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Airship AI by 70.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 29,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 12,214 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.89% of the company’s stock. Airship AI Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Airship AI Holdings, Inc offers AI-driven video, sensor, and data management surveillance platform in the United States. The company provides Airship Acropolis OS, an IP and analog video surveillance; Airship Command, a suite of visualization tools that allows users to view data and evidence ingested from the edge; and Airship Outpost for high-definition recording with user defined low-bit rate video stream encoding. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Airship AI Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Airship AI and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .The 17 Best Things to Do in TokyoMedtronic (NYSE:MDT) Stock Price Down 0% – Should You Sell?

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EQUITY and Social Justice Minister Joachim Henry provided a robust update last week on the government’s comprehensive stimulus programme through the STEP project, which is designed to enable individuals to earn a sustainable income. Henry confirmed that there has been a significant escalation in the cleanup of roads and their surroundings across communities’ island-wide. “This Stimulus Programme is not merely about cutting grass along the roadside; it involves a thorough examination of our environment, including addressing overhead trees that obstruct visibility for drivers,” he stated. A substantial amount of this vital work is being executed in the Morne Fortune area on the outskirts of Castries, as well as along the southern belt of the island. “There is a lot happening in terms of stimulus activities aimed at maintaining a clean environment and fostering Saint Lucians’ appreciation of their surroundings,” Henry asserted. Earlier this month, the government officially launched the STEP programme, known as the Christmas Stimulus Programme, which is directly focused on supporting social development initiatives. The first phase of this programme was announced by the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund (SSDF), marking its launch for 2024. The STEP programme in Saint Lucia-Strengthening the Economy Through Stimulus and Employment-delivers crucial short-term employment opportunities for citizens and actively stimulates local economic activity. – Job Creation: It provides immediate temporary jobs for unemployed individuals, particularly in response to economic disruptions or crises; – Community Development: Funded projects under STEP enhance local neighborhoods through infrastructure improvements and community clean-ups; – Social Support: By creating job opportunities, the program supports families during challenging economic times, thereby strengthening community resilience. – Economic Stimulus: By offering jobs and skills training, the program is designed to invigorate the local economy and empower individuals to achieve financial independence. Overall, the STEP program is determined to empower individuals and promote sustainable economic growth in Saint Lucia. Individuals interested in applying for the Skills Training Empowerment Programme (STEP) in Saint Lucia can typically follow these steps: Check Eligibility: Ensure you meet the eligibility requirements. Generally, this includes being a resident of Saint Lucia and experiencing unemployment or underemployment. Certain groups may be prioritized. Visit Official Websites: Check the official websites of the Saint Lucia government or the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations, and Sustainable Development for announcements and detailed information about the program. Gather Necessary Documents: Prepare the required documents, which may include identification, proof of residence, and previous employment records. Complete the Application Form: Fill out an application form that typically requires personal details, educational background, and employment history. Submit Supporting Documents: Along with your application, you may need to provide identification, proof of residency, and any other required documentation. Be sure to check for any specific eligibility criteria and recent updates regarding the application process.

PM Modi In Kuwait: 'Hala Modi' Event, 'Mini-Hindustan', Ramayana-Mahabharata In Arabic And More | Details

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