jiliko free 100 Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States , died Sunday at age 100. The Carter Center announced he died in his hometown of Plains, Ga. Carter was president from 1977 to 1981 , but he was perhaps more famous for the life he led after leaving office. Carter was one of the biggest advocates for peace, democracy and international human rights. James "Jimmy" Earl Carter Jr. was born in Plains, Ga., on Oct. 1, 1924, and spent his childhood on a farm just outside that tiny southwest Georgia community. His father was a peanut farmer; his mother, "Miss Lillian," was a nurse. He was the first president of the United States to be born in a hospital. "Other than Jimmy Carter, no person from the Deep South since the American Civil War had been elected president," said Steven Hochman , a longtime assistant to the former president who works for the Carter Center . Jimmy who? Growing up on the farm, Carter learned the value of hard work and determination. He qualified for the U.S. Naval Academy and became an engineer, working on submarines . But Carter resigned from the Navy in 1953 after his father died. Back in Plains, he was elected to the Georgia Senate and became the first Georgia governor to speak out against racial discrimination . A lifelong Democrat like most Southerners at the time, Carter was a political unknown when he began a national campaign in 1974 and was first referred to as " Jimmy Who? " But a grassroots effort changed that, Hochman said. "He would campaign on the street corners and go to radio stations. Nobody knew who he was except that he was running for president." Carter's friends and family from Georgia, called the Peanut Brigade , traveled to New Hampshire, Iowa and all over the country talking to voters and campaigning for Carter, the dependable Southerner who wanted to be president. During the campaign, Carter told audiences, "I'll never tell a lie. I'll never make a misleading statement. I'll never betray the trust of those who have confidence in me, and I will never avoid a controversial issue." Carter was elected when the mood of the country was bitter and cynical in the wake of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. The man from Georgia struck out on a different course on his inauguration day: Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, stepped out of the bulletproof limousine and walked to the White House to demonstrate their connection with the American people. "It was mainly an attempt to draw a distinction between what he saw as the people's presidency and the more imperial presidency of Richard Nixon," said historian Dan Carter (no relation to Jimmy Carter). The Carter White House Among Jimmy Carter's accomplishments were the Camp David Accords , which brought together the prime minister of Israel and the president of Egypt in 1978. They signed peace agreements on the White House lawn, and Carter spoke about the dedication and determination of the leaders who had been enemies for so many years. The accords led to a peace treaty, but the relationship between the two Mideast countries remained tenuous. While in office, Carter also worked on the SALT II nuclear weapons agreement and signed the Panama Canal treaties , giving control of the canal to Panama. But Carter's most difficult challenge was the Iran hostage crisis . Militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Iran in 1979 and took dozens of Americans hostage. People were glued to reports on the crisis for more than a year, as Carter continued to negotiate for the release of the hostages. In 1980, a failed rescue attempt led to the deaths of eight American servicemen. The administration also battled domestic problems, including an energy crisis and double-digit inflation . Carter held a series of meetings among his Cabinet members that resulted in a blunt television address in 1979 that came to be known as the "malaise" speech . "It's clear that the true problems of our nation are much deeper — deeper than gasoline lines or energy shortages, deeper even than inflation or recession. And I realize more than ever that as president, I need your help," Carter pleaded . Carter established a federal energy policy. He created the departments of Energy and Education. Still, he lost his bid for reelection by a landslide to Republican Ronald Reagan. And it wasn't until moments after Reagan was sworn in as president on Jan. 20, 1981, that the 52 remaining hostages were released. Carter was allowed to welcome them home. "I had received word officially for the first time that the aircraft carrying the 52 American hostages had cleared Iranian airspace on the first leg of the journey home and that every one of the 52 hostages was alive, was well and free," Carter said as his voice broke. Life after Washington After leaving office, Carter became dedicated to promoting democracy, monitoring elections, building homes with Habitat for Humanity and eradicating disease in some of the world's poorest countries. In 1982, the president and his wife opened the Carter Center in Atlanta. In an interview with NPR in 2007 , Carter talked about his experiences. "And for the last 25 years, my life could not have been more expansive and unpredictable and adventurous and gratifying," he said. In 2002, Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize , an honor some said he had earned a quarter century earlier when he negotiated the Camp David Accords. He ended his acceptance speech with a plea for peace. "War may sometimes be a necessary evil, but no matter how necessary, it is always evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children," Carter said. The former president continued international peace missions throughout his lifetime, meeting with the leaders of countries that some U.S. presidents refused to acknowledge, including North Korea, Nicaragua and Cuba. In 2008, he met with the exiled leader of the militant Islamist group Hamas, despite harsh criticism from the U.S. government. Historian Dan Carter said that the former president did prove to be a kind of honest broker for peace in many cases and that as Jimmy Carter grew older, he was less afraid of speaking out. "And his meeting with Hamas, sure it was a provocative thing, but he felt it was the right thing to do," said Dan Carter. Jimmy Carter wrote more than 20 books, the most controversial titled Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid . He was a religious man, attending a Baptist church and teaching Bible school for many years. And he was a statesman — hardworking and plain talking. The Carter Center's Hochman said the 39th president was one of the most remarkable leaders in U.S. history. "I think he'll be remembered as a champion of human rights and peace, both as president and as a former president," Hochman said. Carter entered hospice care in February 2023. The longest-lived former president had suffered from a series of health challenges in recent years, including surviving cancer , a broken hip and other recent hospitalizations for a fractured pelvis and a urinary tract infection . He and Rosalynn celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary in 2023, a few months before she died at the age of 96 . Carter's wishes were to be buried next to Rosalynn in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. Copyright 2024 NPR

Ten years of Labor rule in Victoria has changed the state. Login or signup to continue reading Under premiers Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan, Victoria has embarked on a decade-long infrastructure agenda and raft of Australian-leading social reforms. But no state had more COVID-19 lockdowns, net debt is climbing and the government has faced a series of scandals, as well as criticism over its lack of transparency and accountability. The Big Build, social change and scandal The Andrews government ministry was sworn in after Labor ended four years of Liberal rule under Denis Napthine and Ted Baillieu on November 29, 2014. The 2014 state election was effectively a referendum on Melbourne's East West Link project. Mr Andrews had pledged to rip up the contract to build the contentious toll road if Labor was victorious and ordered the suspension of all work in his first weeks as premier. The state's auditor-general later found the total cost of cancelling the project topped $1.1 billion. To soften the blow, Labor promised to build the Metro Tunnel and remove 50 level rail crossings. While over budget, the Metro Tunnel is due to open to fanfare in 2025 and the level crossing removal program has been expanded and hailed as one of Labor's greatest achievements. Socially, Victoria enacted laws to ban anti-abortion protesters harassing women outside clinics and became the first state to pass voluntary assisted dying laws in 2017. But it wasn't long until the government was in turmoil. Minister Adem Somyurek stood down after being accused of bullying, Steve Herbert quit cabinet for using his taxpayer-funded driver to chauffeur his two dogs and former speaker Telmo Languiller and his deputy Don Nardella were exposed rorting an allowance for country members. The biggest scandal of the lot was "red shirts rorts". A 2018 ombudsman investigation found 21 past and present Labor MPs breached parliamentary guidelines by wrongly approving $388,000 in taxpayer funds be spent on campaign staff before the 2014 election. The money was repaid by the party and no charges were laid by police. Nonetheless, Labor swept to a second term with a huge majority in what was known as the "Danslide". Second-term blues Bushfires, a global pandemic and a high-profile corruption probe knocked Labor's second term off course. After setting up a royal commission into the state's "broken" mental health system, Victoria was plunged into one of its worst bushfire seasons in memory. The 2019-20 black summer bushfires burned more than 1.5 million hectares of Victorian land, killing five people and razing more than 400 homes. But the scale of the devastation paled in comparison to what came next. Mr Andrews declared a state of emergency in March 2020 as COVID locked down the entire country. As Victoria was cautiously reopening, cases leaked out of the state hotel quarantine system, sparking a second COVID-19 lockdown for Melbourne that ultimately ran for 112 days. The premier, ministers, bureaucrats and agency officials fronted a judicial inquiry into hotel quarantine breaches, but none said they could recall whose idea it was to use private security. In June 2020, Mr Andrews sacked Mr Somyurek from his cabinet - following his return to the frontbench in 2018 - after Channel Nine aired allegations of branch stacking and a recording of him using offensive language about a ministerial colleague. He was the first of four ministers to depart in the fallout. A subsequent report by the corruption watchdog and ombudsman exposed misuse of taxpayer resources but again did not recommend any criminal charges. In the middle of the separate crises, Mr Andrews spent 111 days off work after fracturing his spine and breaking several ribs in a fall. He and other MPs also became the target of fierce, and at times violent, opposition to pandemic-specific laws passed in late 2021 following Melbourne's sixth and final lockdown. The COVID-fuelled community anger and division did not dent Labor electorally as Mr Andrews steered it to another thumping win. Axing the Commonwealth Games, sacked MPs and leadership change Cancelling the 2026 Commonwealth Games in regional Victoria was among Daniel Andrews' final acts as premier. He called a snap press conference in July 2023 to pull the pin on the event, citing estimated costs blowing out from $2.6 billion to between $6 billion to $7 billion. In September 2023, just days after handing down a landmark housing statement , Mr Andrews announced his retirement from politics, paving the way for heir apparent Ms Allan to replace him. Both Mr Andrews and Ms Allan forced backbench MPs Will Fowles and Darren Cheeseman out of the Labor party room over past instances of alleged misconduct, reducing its numbers in the lower house. Mr Fowles was investigated by police but not charged, while Mr Cheeseman has not publicly addressed complaints of inappropriate behaviour towards female staff. Ms Allan's first 12 months in the top job were dogged by a parliamentary inquiry and journalists probing the decision to cancel the Games. She confirmed lawyers were hired to provide advice on Victoria withdrawing on June 14 2023, a full month before the Games decision was announced. The premier denied misleading Victorian parliament on June 13, when as the then responsible minister she told a budget estimates hearing the state was making "tremendous progress" on delivering the Games and gave no indication of budgetary concerns. The auditor-general later estimated that abandoning the event cost the state more than $589 million, including a $380 million settlement. Ms Allan has since backflipped on several controversial policies backed by her old boss, including plans to set up a supervised injecting room in Melbourne's CBD and raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14. The long-serving Bendigo East MP has instead staked her premiership on housing, repeatedly describing herself as a builder not a blocker. For all the controversy surrounding construction of the Suburban Rail Loop, a proposed 90km rail line orbiting Melbourne, a planned statue of Mr Andrews might be the government's most contentious build. State premiers who spent more than 3000 days in the top job are immortalised in bronze statues outside government offices in central Melbourne, under a rule introduced by former Liberal premier Jeff Kennett. The process to install one for Mr Andrews is under way. Australian Associated Press DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Get the latest property and development news here. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. WEEKLY Follow the Newcastle Knights in the NRL? Don't miss your weekly Knights update. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!With recent happenings, those calling for monitoring and regulating the use of social media may, after all, be right. It has become the vogue to use social media to tarnish hard-earned reputations under the guise of freedom of speech, forgetting that where your freedom ends is where someone else’s begins. A recent report in the media space asking the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, to probe his appointment of a veterinarian as the permanent secretary of the FCTA Health and Environment Secretariat is laughable and a desperate craving for cheap publicity. There is no rule that says only medical doctors must head the secretariat. It will be recalled that similar opposition arose during the Ibrahim Babangida era when Pharmacist Julius Adelusi was appointed as minister of health. Medical doctors collectively opposed the appointment and called for his replacement with one of their own. However, the administration swiftly dismissed their claims, reminding them that pharmacists are also integral to the medical field and that the head of government reserves the right to appoint whomever he believes is most capable of delivering results. This resistance from medical doctors was not unique to the health sector. When the late Akinyele Benson was appointed minister of sports, critics questioned his qualifications because he openly admitted knowing little about sports. Despite this, his leadership proved exemplary, outshining expectations of professionals in the field. Similarly, there were murmurs when Prof. Dora Akinyuli, a pharmacist, was appointed as minister of information. However, she silenced critics by excelling in her role and leaving an indelible legacy. Thus, it is not surprising to see this pattern repeated with Dr. Baba-Gana Adam’s appointment, as critics, particularly some medical doctors, raise unnecessary concerns. Indeed, Wike deserves commendation for his judicious selection of permanent secretaries for the various Mandate Secretariats in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA). For the first time under the Wike administration, permanent secretaries were appointed, and in his quest for excellence, he selected highly qualified individuals, ensuring most of them were square pegs in square holes, professionally suited for their roles. By appointing the first crop of permanent secretaries, the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration is firmly on the right track in the FCT. This baseless media war against selected permanent secretaries, including Dr. Baba-Gana Adam, is therefore unnecessary and inconsequential. Instead, there is a need to commend the minister for prioritising competence and for providing unwavering support to ensure a strong foundation for the secretariat’s operations. Under Wike’s leadership, the FCTA health sector has made remarkable progress in delivering healthcare services to grassroots communities in the nation’s capital. Competence, capability, and capacity should be the watchwords in public service, principles that Dr. Baba-Gana Adam has reinvigorated since his assumption of office. Under his leadership, the secretariat has witnessed the resuscitation of the Drug Revolving Services Fund monthly meeting, which had been abandoned prior to the appointment of Ezenwo Wike, CON, as FCT minister. Dr. Adam also initiated the review and enforcement of technical committees to ensure they function according to laid-out plans and guidelines. Furthermore, billions of naira owed to drug suppliers, which had been withheld by the previous administration, were approved for payment by the minister, showcasing the administration’s commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery and fostering trust in the system. For the purpose of this write-up, we shall focus on the FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat, where Dr. Baba-Gana Adam has been named the pioneer permanent secretary. Whatever anyone may say, Dr. Baba-Gana Adam came prepared for the job. As a seasoned veterinary doctor with over three decades of experience in public service, he has demonstrated competence and commitment to improving healthcare delivery in the FCT. On assuming duty, Baba-Gana expressed gratitude to Wike for appointing him and vowed to make a difference by advancing the secretariat’s goals in alignment with the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda. His proactive response to the cholera outbreak in parts of the city center is a testament to his focus and dedication. The federal government’s commitment to revitalising the health sector is evident from the launch of the National Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) and the endorsement of the Sector-wide Compact by President Tinubu, the 36 state governors, and the FCT in December 2023. In line with this, the FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat has emphasised the importance of medical palliatives, recognising their critical role alongside food palliatives in addressing the nation’s challenges amidst limited resources. Dr. Baba-Gana Adam also highlighted the significant achievements under Wike’s leadership, including improved funding, conducive work environments, and securing accreditation for Postgraduate Medical Residency Training Programmes. He commended the minister for his steadfast commitment to training a highly skilled health workforce, continuous hospital improvement and expansion, and the implementation of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), which has significantly boosted staff morale and success rates in postgraduate medical training. Dr. Baba-Gana noted that Wike, often referred to as “Mr. Projects,” is focused not only on infrastructure but also on building sustainable systems to improve health outcomes. Who is Dr. Baba-Gana Adam? Born in Maiduguri, Borno state, he had his early education at Yerwa Central Primary School and Federal Government College, Maiduguri. Adam pursued tertiary education at the School of Basic Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna state and the University of Maiduguri. Dr. Adam is a seasoned public servant with extensive experience spanning over three decades in areas such as Logistics Planning, Research & Statistics, Project Monitoring & Evaluation, Outdoor Advertisement & Signage, and City Management. Since joining the FCTA in 2002, he has held several leadership roles, including at the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and the Parks and Recreation Department. As the immediate-past record-setting director of the Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage, he oversaw critical operations, including the one-stop-shop vetting and permit processing of Masts & Towers in the FCT. Dr. Adam’s contributions to urban renewal, beautification, and environmental services have been widely recognized. He is a recipient of numerous awards, including the FCTA Merit Award for Outstanding Performance and the Nigerian Institute of Management Fellowship Award. Certainly, since his appointment as permanent secretary, the secretariat has raised its performance bar. Collaborating with the Mandate Secretary, Dr. Adedolapo Ayokunle Fasawe, Dr. Baba-Gana Adam is poised to make significant strides in advancing health services in the FCT. Indeed, Minister Wike deserves commendation for prioritising competence and for identifying the best talents from over 44,000 employees in the FCTA to lead its critical sectors.

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Alex Berenguer prodded the hosts ahead after 53 minutes before Mbappe – who failed to convert a Champions League penalty against Liverpool last week – sent his kick too close to Bilbao goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala. Jude Bellingham appeared to have rescued a point for Real after scoring for the fourth successive league game 12 minutes from time. But Federico Valverde’s mistake two minutes later gifted Gorka Guruzeta the winner in front of a delirious San Mames crowd. On a busy night of second-round Copa del Rey action, Villarreal suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at Pontevedra while there were wins for Real Betis, Rayo Vallecano and Valencia. Fiorentina went out of the Coppa Italia to Empoli on penalties on an emotional night at Stadio Artemio Franchi. Viola were back in action after Edoardo Bove’s health scare forced their weekend league fixture with Inter Milan to be abandoned during the first half. Midfielder Bove collapsed on the pitch and required emergency medical treatment. He was taken to hospital but regained consciousness in intensive care. Empoli led at half-time through Emmanuel Ekong’s fourth-minute opener before Moise Kean and Riccardo Sottil put Fiorentina ahead. Sebastiano Esposito struck 15 minutes from time to make it 2-2 and take the last-16 tie into extra time, Empoli eventually winning 4-3 on penalties. Benjamin Sesko opened the scoring and Luis Openda struck twice as RB Leipzig brushed aside Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in the German DFB Pokal. Second-half goals from Denis Vavro, Jonas Wind and Yannick Gerhardt saw Wolfsburg beat Hoffenheim 3-0. Cologne knocked out Hertha Berlin 2-1 after extra time with Dejan Ljubicic converting a penalty in the final seconds, while Augsburg prevailed 5-4 on penalties against Karlsruhe after a 2-2 draw.Homeowners will be able to build loft extensions and add storeys more easily under an overhaul of planning laws. Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, said that people would be encouraged to “build up” as part of an effort to end the “acute housing crisis”. Councils would no longer be able to block upward extensions because they were too high, she said, or refuse planning permission because neighbouring houses did not have the extra storeys. Under the new rules , extensions will be considered for approval as long as they complement surrounding buildings and protect local heritage. The government will announce on Thursday a series of planning reforms as Sir Keir Starmer seeks to hit his target of building 1.5 million homes over the courseTelesat Corp (NASDAQ:TSAT) Short Interest Down 21.6% in December

REFORM, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge ruled that the family of former NFL player Glenn Foster Jr., who died in law enforcement custody in Alabama, can pursue a lawsuit alleging his death was the result of excessive force. Foster, a former New Orleans Saints defensive end, died on Dec. 6, 2021, three days after being arrested and taken to jail in rural Pickens County for alleged speeding and attempting to elude police. A judge ordered Foster taken to a medical facility in Tuscaloosa for a mental evaluation. Foster was found unresponsive in the back of a law enforcement vehicle when he arrived at the facility. He was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later. His widow, Pamela Foster, filed a lawsuit against officers at the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and jail saying Foster had been beaten, shocked with a Taser and strangled while at the jail. The defendants then asked a federal judge to dismiss the case. U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon ruled Thursday refused to dismiss allegations of excessive force and failure to intervene. Axon dismissed other portions of the lawsuit. The ruling came a day before the third anniversary of Foster’s death. Foster appeared in 17 games for the Saints in 2013 and 2014.

Secretaries of State are being told that any outgoings which are not contributing towards one of Labour’s “priorities” must be cut as Rachel Reeves vows to wield “an iron fist against waste.” In letters sent by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones, departments will be told to brace for “difficult” spending decisions in order to restore trust in the Government’s handling of the public finances. Every pound of departmental spending will be face a “line-by-line review” involving external finance experts from banks and think tanks in order to ensure it represents value for money, the Treasury said. The Chancellor will on Tuesday launch the next round of Government spending, and is expected to warn departments that they “cannot operate in a business-as-usual way when reviewing their budgets for the coming years”. She will insist that areas focused on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s “plan for change”, which includes targets to improve living standards across the country and build 1.5 million homes, must be prioritised. Ms Reeves said: “By totally rewiring how the Government spends money we will be able to deliver our plan for change and focus on what matters for working people. “The previous government allowed millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to go to waste on poor value for money projects. We will not tolerate it; I said I would have an iron grip on the public finances and that means taking an iron fist against waste. “By reforming our public services, we will ensure they are up to scratch for modern day demands, saving money and delivering better services for people across the country. That’s why we will inspect every pound of Government spend, so that it goes to the right places and we put an end to all waste.” Under the Treasury’s plans, departments will ensure budgets are scrutinised by “challenge panels” of external experts including former senior management of Lloyd’s Banking Group, Barclays Bank and the Co-operative Group. These panels, which will also involve think tanks, academics and the private sector, will advise on which spending “is or isn’t necessary”, the ministry said. The Treasury said work has already begun, with an evaluation of the £6.5 million spent on a scheme that placed social workers in schools finding “no evidence of positive impact on social care outcomes”. “Departments will be advised that where spending is not contributing to a priority, it should be stopped,” it said. “Although some of these decisions will be difficult, the Chancellor is clear that the public must have trust in the Government that it is rooting out waste and that their taxes are being spent on their priorities.” Ms Reeves had already announced efficiency and productivity savings of 2% across departments in her autumn budget as she seeks to put the public finances on a firmer footing. In a speech in east London, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden hinted at a further squeeze. “At the Budget the Chancellor demanded efficiency and productivity savings of 2% across departments – and there will be more to come,” he said. “As we launch the next phase of the spending review at its heart must be reform of the state in order to do a better job for the public.”

At times speaking through tears, mothers, health care providers and community advocates implored Texas’ maternal mortality committee to fully review deaths from the first two years since the state banned nearly all abortions. At a public meeting Friday, members of the committee defended the decision to skip from 2021 to 2024 as a necessary step to offer more timely recommendations. “I know that we've always talked about how we want to be as contemporary as possible,” Nakeenya Wilson, a former member of the committee, testified. “What I am concerned about is the fact that the two years that we were skipping are the most crucial years of reproductive health in this country's history.” Texas banned most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy in September 2021, and in summer 2022, expanded that ban to all abortions from the moment of conception, except to save the life of the pregnant patient. There have since been countless stories of doctors delaying or denying pregnancy care due to fear and confusion about how the law would be applied. At least three women have died, ProPublica has reported, due to delayed or mismanaged miscarriage care. Doctors found to have violated the law face up to life in prison, fines of at least $100,000 and the loss of their medical license. Texas’ maternal mortality committee, responsible for reviewing maternal deaths and near-misses, has come under increased scrutiny since these laws went into effect. Some of the criticisms lay at the feet of the Legislature, which created the committee in 2013. The original statute prohibits the review of abortion-related deaths, a caveat that even committee members were not aware of until a few months ago. The Legislature also allocated money last year with the intent of cutting Texas out of the federal maternal death tracking system, despite committee members’ concerns. Lawmakers also expanded the committee, replacing the single community advocate position with two community member roles, one representing urban areas and one for rural areas. This change pushed Wilson, a Black woman who experienced a traumatic birth, off the committee. She was replaced by two doctors; the rural position went to an anti-abortion OB/GYN from San Antonio. The committee’s last report, released in September, showed that maternal deaths surged in 2020 and 2021, even with COVID deaths excluded. Black women remain far more likely to die than anyone else, although every group except white women saw their odds of dying increase. That same month, the committee announced its next report would look at deaths from 2024. The committee, which often works on a several year delay, has previously skipped certain years to try to catch up. At Friday’s meeting, Dr. Carla Ortique, a Houston OB/GYN and committee chair, rejected the implication of political influence and said the fact that the committee was skipping the first two years of the abortion ban was a “coincidence.” “There was no input from the executive or any other branch of our state government regarding our plans for cohort review,” she said. “It is imperative that we become more contemporary in our review process.” Ortique didn’t discuss the recently reported Texas deaths, but did address the fallout from similar reporting in Georgia. After ProPublica reported on two pregnancy-related deaths the Georgia maternal mortality committee deemed preventable, the state dismissed all members of the committee. Ortique reminded members of Texas’ committee that they signed confidentiality agreements, and said that “regardless of personal belief and opinion,” members must respect the integrity of the process. “The work that we do is for the greater good,” she said. “It is critical that none of us act individually in a way that threatens the ability to continue the work assigned to this committee.” She also said the committee would be dropping its request that the state health agency not redact personal information from the files they review. The committee has long argued that the redaction process was an unnecessary delay since their work is confidential. Ortique attributed this change of position to a new feature in the state’s data collection system that can automatically redact information more quickly. These announcements were met with frustration from the community members who filled the room to testify. Judy Ward, of Richardson, north of Dallas, testified as a concerned citizen, and said there was a growing sense that the committee’s work was becoming politicized. “I suggest that this committee needs to bend over backwards to avoid such an interpretation,” she said. “Please, don't be afraid to look at all the data and prove those of us who are skeptical of the motives of some of the committee members, prove us wrong.” Serita Fontanesi, with the advocacy group United for Reproductive and Gender Equity, spoke as a Black woman preparing to start a family. She said she was worried about the high risk of maternal mortality or morbidity in Texas, and whether her doctors would be able to provide the full spectrum of care. “Furthermore, should I or my child not make it, I am not confident that my state and this committee would do their due diligence to ensure that it doesn’t happen to someone else, to investigate what went wrong,” she said. She urged the committee to rethink their decision to not fully review the 2022 and 2023 deaths. “Too many birthing people and their children whose lives were lost, perhaps for preventable reasons, will go unheard, unseen, unremembered,” she said. “Their deaths will be in vain.” Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request.

American Century STOXX U.S. Quality Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:QGRO) Sees Large Volume Increase – What’s Next?DURHAM, N.H. (AP) — Kinkead Dent threw for 246 yards and ran for another 56 yards and a touchdown as UT Martin rolled to a 41-10 win over New Hampshire in an FCS first-round game on Saturday. The Skyhawks (9-4) advance to face unbeaten and top-seeded Montana State (12-0) in the second round. UT Martin's rushing game amassed 236 yards on 52 carries and five different backs reached the end zone. Meanwhile, the Skyhawks limited New Hampshire to 124 yards of total offense and held the Wildcats' run game to just 53 yards on 16 carries. Rashad Raymond scored from 4-yards out midway through the first quarter to put UT Martin on the board first and All-Big South/OVC first-team running back Patrick Smith added a 3-yard scoring run in the second to take a 17-7 lead. Dent capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive by nosing in from the 2 and Jaren Van Winkle kicked field goals from 30- and 36-yards to make it 24-7 at intermission. Trevonte Rucker scored from the 4 to start the fourth quarter and Glover Cook III punched in from the 1 to complete the scoring. Dent Completed 17 of 26 passes without an interception. Rucker caught nine passes for 98 yards and DeVonte Tanksley caught four for 81, including a 56-yard reception. Smith carried 15 times for 71 yards. Glover had 12 carries for 56. Seth Morgan was held to 14 of 35 passing with an interception for New Hampshire (8-5). Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

David Smick ’s documentary America’s Burning , executive produced and narrated by Michael Douglas , explores the causes and consequences of America’s income inequality. Those consequences include anger and division, but Smick and Douglas are hopeful that the country will come together to resolve its differences, and the film reflects that hope. “I predict 70% of the country, maybe 80%, hasn’t lost its mind,” Smick said. “The others I’m not going after, but I’m just not mentioning them. I just said I’m going to go and do something for that 70% or that 80% and speak to them. [Cable news] can go back and forth with the other 20% to 30% because I do think most people know that we have a history of pulling together, and we have to go back to that.” America’s Burning opened in August. After the re-election of Donald Trump in November, Douglas predicts not catastrophe but rather a period of thoughtful reconnection. “Everybody’s going to kind of think things over again and realize all of the issues that we can agree upon rather than those few that separate us,” he said at Deadline’s Contenders Documentary event. “Hopefully, I like to think that things are going to calm down and become more civil again. I think it’s crucial for our country.” In the film, Smick highlights the stock market growth that paid off well for corporations and investors. However, the disparity between those payoffs and conditions for people collecting paychecks proved stark. Smick said over 40 years, the stock market enjoyed a “5,000% increase and yet at the same time, wages went up during that same period, adjusting for inflation, 15%. So I sat around and said. ‘We’re wondering why everyone hates each other, why there’s such division, why people just have no belief in the future, and it’s that.’” RELATED: Oscars: Academy Reveals List Of Documentary, Animation & International Features Eligible For Consideration Smick’s previous film, Stars and Strife , premiered on Starz during the pandemic. That film is about the growing anger and hate in U.S. politics and society, but Smick regretted he did not focus more on economic factors. “It had mentioned some, but it didn’t address this,” Smick said. “It’s so tied to status and loss of status that has really destroyed the hope in the American dream.” The subject appealed to Douglas, who starred in Oliver Stone’s two Wall Street movies. He also felt that Smick presented a balanced, objective perspective as a registered Independent. RELATED: Contenders Documentary — Deadline’s Complete Coverage “Many people were sort of disenchanted at what was going on out there in the world,” Douglas said. “I saw for the first time kind of an answer, a clarity as to what the hell this is all about and what has happened. That goes back down to economic issues, the huge disparity that exists in this country.” Through that objectivity, Douglas said Smick succeeded in “not picking one side but talking to both of us on both sides and try to embrace and come back from the edge. Check back Monday for the panel video.Devastating Storm Bert damage as flood water rises to house windows & parked cars swamped as major clean up op starts