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|KW?dM	˂t>V	7[2T: |KW?dM ˂t>V 7["i owFWj*WuԍjpQEˮAN XEP~O)R.ARC=xz] $7EY'OFMDz V'<ΜHWMkZMN驢X`BB餢iM*eHgTӎףSwift's daily impact on Vancouver may have exceeded 2010 games, says industry figure VANCOUVER — Taylor Swift's three-night run at BC Place, closing out the pop star's global Eras Tour, generated daily economic impact for Vancouver that could rival the 2010 Olympics and smashed data streaming records, industry figures say. Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press Dec 9, 2024 3:07 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Taylor Swift performs during the Eras Tour concert, in Vancouver on December 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck VANCOUVER — Taylor Swift's three-night run at BC Place, closing out the pop star's global Eras Tour, generated daily economic impact for Vancouver that could rival the 2010 Olympics and smashed data streaming records, industry figures say. The CEO of the B.C. Restaurant and Food Services Association, Ian Tostenson, said the shows that ended Sunday had an effect that went far beyond other concert or sporting events in the city. Tostenson said Monday that his group estimates there was a $25 million boost for Metro Vancouver’s establishments for each of the three show days. In comparison, a sold-out, highly anticipated Vancouver Canucks playoff game brings an estimated $3 million a day in economic impact, Tostenson said. “In the context of comparing to anything else, it’s not even believable almost — it’s such a huge impact,” Tostenson said. “I was out a little bit on Friday and Saturday, and every place I went to was absolutely lined up and packed.” Tostenson said the concerts rivalled the Olympics in drawing fans from regions far beyond what a typical playoff hockey game would, and while it is difficult to compare the 2010 Winter Games to the Taylor Swift weekend, the events were in the same magnitude in daily impact on restaurants. “The financial impact of the Olympics was massive, (but) it was spread out over a couple weeks in different venues and stuff,” he said. “So, you didn't sort of feel this concentration that you saw with Taylor Swift.” Tostenson also said Swifties bumped up business across Metro Vancouver all weekend, with one major restaurant owner with multiple locations reporting full capacity not just at its downtown location but also in North Vancouver and Olympic Village. He credits the festive mood brought by fans that had an emotional effect on people in general, which in turn has a major impact on restaurants, an industry built largely on discretionary spending. People consume more when the mood is right, he said. “From a financial point of view, the Olympics probably had a bigger impact,” Tostenson said. “But ... I'm going to venture to estimate that this, on a daily basis compared to the Olympics, was stronger.” Telecommunications giant Rogers said data used during the last show was enough to stream Swift's entire music catalogue 9,450 times. It said in a statement that fans on the company's network set a Canadian record when they used more than 11 terabytes of mobile data in just a few hours at BC Place. The company's chief technology officer Mark Kennedy said Monday that is the equivalent of uploading 307,000 photos and 2,180 hours of video streaming. The previous record was set Nov. 21, when fans at Swift's concert in Toronto used 7.4 terabytes of data on the Rogers network. Music industry publication Pollstar also said Monday that Swift's 149-show worldwide tour brought in revenue of US$2.2 billion in its 20-month run. Vancouver Police thanked residents and visitors for a "safe and memorable weekend." Const. Tania Visintin said in a social media post that police spent months preparing for the shows. "We've had so much fun meeting people of all ages from all around the world, trading friendship bracelets and showing what a great city it can really be when we all look out for one another," she said. Thirteen Swift-themed lighting installations were set up at locations around the city to celebrate the singer's arrival. Suzanne Walters, a spokeswoman for Destination Vancouver, said most of the lit-up letters will be coming down over the next few days, but the “Swiftcouver” display downtown will stay until Dec. 13 — Swift’s birthday. Walters said the letters will be reused for holiday displays over the month of December and then be part of a pool of rentable supplies. Swift told the 60,000 fans in BC Place at Sunday's show that they were part of a tour seen by 10 million people, and that it was the most thrilling chapter of her life to date. She said the legacy of the tour will be "a space of joy and togetherness and love" that the fans have created. Swiftie Alaina Robertson echoed Swift's sentiments after the show, saying she shed lots of tears watching the "once in a lifetime" spectacle. Robertson — who travelled from Camas, Wash., for the show and wore a "Reputation" inspired outfit along with a temporary silver bedazzled snake tattoo — said she doesn't think any other concert will be able to compare. "It's going to be hard to beat," she said of the show. "She's changing the world of music. She's changing entertainment entirely, and to be at the tour with the crowd here, getting to do the friendship bracelets, getting to get dressed up — it's just love and joy and friendship, and it's been really magical to be a part of it." Fan accounts on social media platform X have posted photos showing a number of television and music stars at BC Place Sunday night, including actors Jenna Fischer, Aubrey Plaza and Jesse Tyler Ferguson as well as Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. — With files from Ashley Joannou, Brieanna Charlebois and The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2024. Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message More Entertainment News 10 new TV shows from 2024 that are worth watching before the new year Dec 9, 2024 3:14 PM 'Looking for the Weinstein of Quebec': impresario Gilbert Rozon's civil trial begins Dec 9, 2024 2:58 PM Jay-Z says lawsuit accusing him of raping a child at awards after-party is part of an extortion ploy Dec 9, 2024 2:38 PM Featured Flyer

BLOUNTVILLE – It was a tough start for Carter Jones and West Ridge, but the Wolves were howling at the end of the night. Jones scored 13 of her game-high 17 points in the second half to help West Ridge to 62-52 season-opening Hall of Champions victory over Cocke County on a bitterly cold Friday night outside of Evelyn Rafalowski Athletic Complex. West Ridge (1-0) outscored the Lady Red 22-6 in the fourth quarter to pull away from a squad that advanced to the Class 3A state semifinals last season. "That is a very good team," West Ridge head coach Kristi Walling said, "a lot of good players, they are well coached, that is a big win for us, that is a very good team." Playing their up-tempo style of play, the Wolves led the entire first half, taking a 19-14 lead after one quarter and 28-23 going into the halftime break. Foul trouble prevented Jones from staying on the floor, but that changed after the break. "She couldn't get in the rhythm there in the first because she got two fouls early so she had to sit and go in and come in and out, couldn't really get in a rhythm," Walling said. "I was proud of her for stepping up big there in the second half." West Ridge got nine 3-pointers for five different players, including three by Randi Smith and two each from Jones and freshman Addison Bunn, who had 14 points in her varsity debut. "She did a great job for us. She hit some big shots for us and did a good job on defense." Walling said. "I am super proud of all the kids, every kid that came in tonight contributed." Cocke County (1-1) fought back in the third period, taking its first lead at 33-32 with 4:28 to go in the third quarter. That margin grew to as much as eight before taking a 46-40 in the final period, led by Karmine Carmichael, who paced the Fighting Cocks with 16 points, and Shakira Reed, who added 11. "We switched up our defensive strategy there in the third a little bit, kind changed things a little bit and I think that really helped," Walling said. It was all Wolves from that point, taking the lead back on 3s by Millie Shelton and Jones and a short jumper from Allie Reilly to put West Ridge up to stay. "It was back and forth. That is what I love about this team, they never give up," Walling said. "They are going to fight back, they work hard, they come in every day at practice and work hard. They are great kids to be around, I enjoy being around them every day." Smith added nine points for the Wolves, while Shelton had eight, including a running jumper to put the Wolves up 50-47 with 5:06 to play as the Wolves ran the floor much of the night, which is what Walling wants from her squad this season. "That is our thing this year," she said. "We kind of like to run so we have to be in condition to be in shape because that is our game plan." BOYS West Ridge 66, Cocke County 60 Avery Horne canned four 3-pointers, including three in the third quarter, and finished with 27 points to lead the Wolves to a season-opening victory over the Fighting Cocks. Led by 6-foot-6 Kyler Hayes, Cocke County rallied from a 14-11 deficit after one quarter to take a 32-26 lead into the break. West Ridge (1-0) was able to use the 3-point shot to get ahead of the Fighting Cocks, canning six of them. Horne had three of his four 3s in his own 13-point third quarter for the Wolves. Trey Frazier added 12 points for West Ridge, while Leming and Eli Bright hit late free throws in the final 32 seconds to secure the win. Ethan Fine led the Fighting Cocks (0-2), which dropped a two-point decision against Elizabethton on Wednesday, with 21 points, while Hayes finished with 17. Trent Tatum added eight points and Dylan Bannan had six for West Ridge head coach John Dyer, who picked up his 613th career win in what is the start of his 40th season as a head coach, having also been at Sullivan East and Johnson County.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has died. He was 100 years old and had spent more than a year in hospice care. The Georgia peanut farmer served one turbulent term in the White House before building a reputation as a global humanitarian and champion of democracy. He defeated President Gerald Ford in 1976 promising to restore trust in government but lost to Ronald Reagan four years later amid soaring inflation, gas station lines and the Iran hostage crisis. He and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, then formed The Carter Center, and he earned a Nobel Peace Prize while making himself the most active and internationally engaged of former presidents. The Carter Center said the former president died Sunday afternoon in Plains, Georgia.A chocolate fan who unwrapped a rare smooth Mars bar on his way to Birmingham has been compensated £2 for the find - but the company won't say how it happened. Harry Seager, 34, became an internet sensation when he posted a picture of a Mars Bar with a completely smooth chocolate shell to the Dull Men's Club page on Facebook . The group's thousands of members were shocked to see the fan-favourite bar without its trademark surface ripples, with one social media user even branding the snack "hideous". Mr Seager had picked up the bar at a service station while travelling with friends to a classic car show in Birmingham , and, left bemused, wrote to Mars looking for answers as to how the unusual appearance came about. But he was left without answers and the unexpected recipient of £2 in compensation. Read more: Ambulance service says 'only if' and issues guidance on strict two reasons to call back Speaking to the BBC , Mr Seager, from Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire, said he only wanted to know what "might have caused it to happen". He added: "That is all I wanted to know and they kept side-lining that question." Mr Seager also revealed how he planned to spend his £2, which he received via voucher. He said: "I think £2 is great, it will be two free Mars bars. Maybe they could have sent me more but I’m not being ungrateful. I think it’s amazing after everything that’s happened that I got the £2 voucher." A spokesperson for Mars Wrigley was tight lipped on what left the Mars bar ripple-less, saying they couldn't "reveal all the secrets behind our product line". They said: "With over 2.5 million Mars Bars produced daily at our Slough factory it seems this has slipped through without its signature flourish. While we can’t reveal all the secrets behind our product line, we can promise fans that these smooth Mars Bars are a rare find and the classic swirl isn’t going away." Some social media users commenting on Mr Seager's Facebook post attempted to offer a little more insight into the process behind manufacturing the bars - and what might have caused the irregularity. He said he was told the chocolates go through an "enrober" which shapes their characteristic covering. He said: "A few people who used to work at Mars’ factories commented [on Facebook] and they said it goes through a machine called an enrober, which is like the waterfall the bars go through. Apparently they get blown with air along the top as it comes out of that waterfall. Apparently there’s meant to be somebody at the end who removes the ones which haven’t been hit by the air."

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Schieffelin has 18 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists as Clemson hands Penn State first loss 75-67Amazon ( AMZN 0.73% ) is one of the best-performing stocks of all time, up more than 200,000% since its IPO in 1997. A $1,000 investment back then would have turned into more than $2 million today. For early investors who held the stock, Amazon has delivered life-changing returns. It's done so by pioneering and establishing itself as a leader in two massive industries, e-commerce and cloud computing, and it has used that to support the growth of high-margin businesses like advertising, its third-party marketplace, and its cloud infrastructure service, Amazon Web Services. However, past performance doesn't guarantee future returns on the stock market. Does Amazon still have the potential to set you up for life? Let's investigate. Amazon's current prospects For nearly all of its history, Amazon grew its revenue by 20% or more every quarter like clockwork. However, those days seem to have finally come to an end as the company has matured. Amazon is now the second-biggest company in the world by revenue behind only Walmart , and it's on track to generate $638 billion this year. In the third quarter, Amazon's revenue rose 11% to $158.9 million, with more than half of its revenue coming from its North America segment, which is primarily made up of e-commerce. Amazon settled into a pattern of revenue growth of around 10% since the end of the pandemic, and the company has shifted from a focus on revenue growth to instead expanding margins. For example, it's added advertising to Amazon Prime and added new fees on its third-party sellers, tightening its grip over a market it already dominates. It also scaled back its global expansion and is now turning a profit in international markets. What works so well about Amazon's business model is that it's used low-margin businesses like its first-party e-commerce and its Prime membership program to grow its customer base and establish trust with consumers. From there, the company has been able to drive margin growth through its third-party marketplace, AWS, and advertising, all businesses that wouldn't exist without the success of the first-party e-commerce business. Amazon seems likely to generate more bottom-line growth, but the company is also focused on new businesses, in particular AI. It has invested $8 billion in Anthropic, an AI start-up known for Claude, its AI chatbot that competes with OpenAI's ChatGPT. The company has made other investments like its acquisition of autonomous vehicle technology company Zoox. The company's position in AI seems uncertain. It's developing its chips for training and inference, called Trainium and Inferentia, and it hosts a managed service for AI workloads called Amazon Bedrock. However, Amazon's AI strategy is not as compelling as many of its "Magnificent Seven" peers', some of whom seem to have been preparing for AI before the launch of ChatGPT. Can Amazon deliver monster returns? Amazon is a different company than it was earlier in its history, and its market cap now tops $2 trillion. At that valuation, the stock is starting to run into the law of large numbers problem. If Amazon stock were to double from here, it would have to grow its market cap from $2.3 billion to $4.6 billion, which is not an easy feat. By comparison, it's much easier for a stock to double from, say, $50 billion to $100 billion. Between its sky-high market cap and its slowing growth rate, Amazon seems unlikely to deliver life-changing returns at this point. That doesn't mean that Amazon isn't worth owning. The stock still looks like a good bet to outperform the market, given its myriad competitive advantages. But if you're looking for a stock with the potential to be a 10-bagger, you're better off looking somewhere else. A smaller company with a faster growth rate will have a better chance of generating life-changing returns.Holiday shopping doesn't have to be stressful

New Mexico's oil income investments now surpass personal income tax revenueDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ian Schieffelin had 18 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in leading Clemson to a 75-67 win over Penn State on Tuesday and the championship of the Sunshine Slam Beach Division. Chase Hunter added 17 points, Chauncey Wiggins 14 and Del Jones 10 for the Tigers (6-1), who shot 44% and made 9 of 19 3-pointers led by Hunter's three. Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 20 points and had 11 assists, Yanic Konan Niederhauser added 14 points and Nick Kern Jr. 11 for the Nittany Lions (6-1), who shot 46% and were just 4 of 18 from the arc. Neither team had a double-digit lead in the game and it was tied with seven minutes to go. But Penn State had a six-minute drought without a field goal while committing three turnovers and the Tigers went up by six. A hook shot from Schieffelin with a minute to go made it a five-point lead and free throws sealed it from there. The eight-point final margin was the largest of the game. Konan Niederhauser's dunk to open the second half tied the game but a Hunter 3-pointer gave the lead back to Clemson. Penn State took its first lead of the second half on a 9-0 run, seven coming from Baldwin, to go up 57-54 with midway through the period. Penn State had its largest lead of seven in the first half but three consecutive 3s put Clemson ahead with three minutes to go and the Tigers led at 38-36 at halftime. Clemson had a 16-9 edge on points off turnovers. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketballJust like its predecessor, with the entirety of planet Earth available to explore, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has a whole lot to do. 2020’s Microsoft Flight Simulator was the first (and, so far, only) 10 I've given in a review, and the enormity of the options available in this year’s follow-up have only been tempered by the lingering problems that accompany them. Because codes weren’t available early and unexpected turbulence at takeoff made it literally impossible to play for the first 24 hours, I’m still working on my up and coming aviation career, as well as this review. For now, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has some extraordinary features to set it apart, but its impact is also falling short of how blown away I was by the last edition, and I really wanted to be blown away. Instead, I'm "merely" impressed. Right off the rip, the biggest new addition to Flight Simulator 2024 is its career mode. You pick a starting airport as your home base, get hired by a fictional aviation company, and begin progressing through your career as a pilot. It all plays out like a traditional video game skill tree: after you master the beginner missions, you open up new options, and completing them opens up further opportunities still. So you can get a tail wheel endorsement, for example, after you complete the requirements for a commercial pilots license, which then opens up options for newer planes and jobs like search and rescue, or you can get certified in rotor craft (helicopters) which leads to stuff like operating a sky crane. Which, to me personally, elicits a "hell yeah." Each new certification or endorsement also opens up different jobs you can pick from, ranging from simple stuff like flightseeing, to more complex operations like, well, anything to do with the helicopters, basically. Eventually you earn enough money and reputation to throw off the bonds of your employment and start your own aviation company. I haven't gotten that far yet, but I am moving along with my fixed wing endorsements at a pretty good pace. To what end, I haven't yet decided, but I'm looking forward to opening my own company and taking the lion's share of the profits. Those profits are used to further grow your business, and I can’t wait until I can afford my own fleet of aircraft. The first few missions in career mode are just basic flight training, meant to familiarize you with the ins and outs of flying a plane. What I found disappointing is that the flight training is pretty much identical to the tutorials from 2020. All the training missions take place at the same airfield in Sedona, Arizona as 2020 and the actual tasks are exactly the same. The only real difference is that the AI-generated instruction and on-screen advice is a little more clear about what's expected of you in any given mission. I do appreciate the default tooltips in 2024 because there are about a million different buttons that do a million different things, and I used to have to go to Google whenever I'd forget how to release my parking brake. (I don't even think I'll end up turning them off like I did in 2020, just because I'm a forgetful fellow.) The further you get in career mode, the more mission types open up. After the initial training missions, you do a few flights to get enough hours in to test for your commercial pilot's license. Taking the tests costs in-game currency, but you only need to pay for it once and you can retake it as many times as you need. You also need to have enough experience and do well enough in the training missions – but if you are already an experienced pilot, you can just jump right into the test and skip the lessons. The further along you get, the more missions and mission types open up. What I thought was a little strange, however, was that they don't all open up near your home airport. I picked a small airfield in the deepest parts of eastern Maine, KMVM Machias Valley Airfield, but after my initial missions, I was being sent to Europe to complete aircraft delivery and skydive missions. It's not something that bothers me too much, but it did come across as odd, which pulled me out of the “career” illusion I had built up for myself. Lousy imagination! Otherwise, I'm actually really loving career mode. In 2020’s iteration, I would make-up little missions for myself, like delivering pizza by air from Knox County Regional Airport in Owl's Head, Maine to the remote Matinicus Island 20 miles off the coast (a real thing that happens, by the way). Having structured reasons to better familiarize myself with the aircraft and patterns in the sky is going to keep me on course, so to speak, and stealthily make me into a better sim-pilot. So far it's my favorite part of Flight Simulator 2024 and I'm looking forward to starting either my own airline or a helicopter sky crane company. Or both! I've got time. Another new addition is the challenge league. This mode is the most game-y of them all, but retains all the simulation flight models and physics I love. There are three challenges each week, as well as leaderboards, which I am a huge fan of because I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed. Of the three available in the first round, my favorite is the F/A-18 rally race through the Grand Canyon. You fly Maverick's modern jet of choice through a section of the canyon, slaloming gates in a hunt for pure speed. Since it's still the same flight model under the hood, that’s not as easy as it seems – but holy crap is it fun as hell. It took me a lot of tries to get to my final score of around 1 minute 54 seconds, and that's not even a good score: it only put me in the Bronze league. But the satisfaction of seeing my time raised up above the Xbox Live Gamertag of someone who I don't know at all, but is unknowingly my arch-nemesis, is great. I'm looking forward to revisiting the challenges each week. The previous Flight Simulator had landing challenges with leaderboards, too, but as fun as those were, they didn't quite hit the dynamism of flying a fighter jet through one of the world's seven natural wonders. Take Your Pic One of the things I liked the most about the last Flight Simulator was how it let me visit places I'd either never been before or would almost certainly never visit again. In Flight Simulator 2024, sightseeing has been placed front and center in the photo challenges mode. You visit famous landmarks and places around the world and take photos of them. The type and criteria of the photos changes with each landmark. For example, in the first photo challenge, you need to take a picture of the Great Sphinx while the sun is above its right shoulder on the equinox. Oh, and you need to do it on foot. And that's one of the biggest and coolest new features: you can land, get out of your plane, and walk around. However, it's not quite as elegant as I had hoped it would be. First of all, your walking speed is paced realistically, just like the rest of the simulator, (who would have guessed?) so if you've been playing first-person video games all your life, walking at an actual human's pace feels almost painfully slow. Secondly, the level of detail is going to depend on a whole bunch of different factors, like the power of your PC, the strength of your internet connection, and the health of the cloud servers, so your mileage can (and probably will) vary. Still, in spite of some weirdly GoldenEye-esque objects around the Great Pyramid complex, the up-close terrain itself is really detailed. The sand and desert rocks look incredibly realistic, and the ground in general now seems to look more like how ground is actually supposed to look around the world. If you taxi through tall grass at the end of a rural runway, for example, the tracks from your wheels remain even when you return later. Same thing with snow or mud. Mud will even stick to your wheels and supposedly have an effect on your aerodynamics, although I can't speak to how true that is on account of never having flown an actual plane with mud-caked tires. There are also way more animals now. Instead of static points on a map telling you "there is a giraffe here," animals now pop up in the places you'd expect them to be. I very much felt like I was actually at an airfield in Maine when a bull moose plodded its way across the airstrip as I held short of the active runway. I haven't seen any other animals myself, but I know they're there because Flight Simulator 2024 uses an open-source database of animal locations to put them where they're supposed to be – so with some luck, I can go to Africa and see some lions before long. And when you lift your head up from the ground, Flight Simulator 2024 can look much better than its predecessor across the board (with an emphasis on can ). The improvement is especially stark in a place like the Grand Canyon, which I visited many times in 2020’s Flight Simulator. Whereas before it looked very obviously like a smooth, texture-mapped computer model up close, now it looks amazingly like the real thing. I am currently running Flight Simulator 2024 on a pretty beastly PC: it has an i9-13900K processor, a Radeon RX 7900XT GPU, and 64GBs of DDR5 RAM (disclosure, the RAM was provided by Corsair). With that setup, this year’s Flight Simulator looks and runs way better. Mostly. The problem comes from the fact Flight Simulator 2024 is streamed from the cloud, and so far they haven't ironed out all the issues. In career mode, I did a flightseeing mission around Venice, Italy, and St. Mark's Basilica was a purple-checkered polygonal model with no textures whatsoever, while the rest of Venice was rendered in perfect detail. I honestly would rather have something like the world map packs of 2020’s Flight Simulator living on my SSD and only stream the boring parts. Right now, though, there's no way to do that, and the reliance on cloud streaming was something the Flight Simulator team really hammered on the importance of leading up to launch, so I'd be surprised if they switched to some kind of hybrid model at this point. And in spite of everything looking really good on my beastly PC, it's worth noting that my GPU is running at 100% capacity at the recommended settings in order to make that happen. When I turned the graphics down to the next lower preset, it only brought GPU usage down to 98%. That ain't good. Current Thoughts In spite of what can reasonably be described as a catastrophic launch, I'm already pretty much in love with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – I'm just not blown away like I was five years ago, when I first found myself faced with the opportunity to fly to literally any place on Earth. That option remains, of course, and it's been vastly improved by some smart new features, but it doesn't have that same impact, either. As we move away from the rocky launch, I'm encountering fewer and fewer issues, which gives me the chance to focus on what I love about Flight Simulator. Usually that’s flying around aimlessly, but this time career mode is also giving me real reasons to take off, as well as a better understanding of the world of commercial aviation. I'm going to keep at it before I render my final verdict, but right now, in spite of its initial problems, I think Flight Simulator 2024 is pretty damn great, even if it hasn’t caught the lightning in a bottle that was the last Flight Simulator once again.

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3E<+΀С3E<+΀С"zx[a1\殖68`W0}TThe gunman who stalked and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fled New York City by bus, police officials told CNN on Friday. Video of the suspected shooter leaving the scene of the shooting Wednesday showed him riding a bicycle to Central Park and later taking a taxi cab to a bus depot, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told CNN. Here's the latest: Police believe gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO has left New York City The gunman who killed the CEO of the largest U.S. health insurer may have fled the city on a bus, New York City police officials told CNN on Friday. Video of the suspected shooter leaving the scene of the shooting Wednesday showed him riding a bicycle to Central Park and later taking a taxi cab to a bus depot, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told CNN. “We have reason to believe that the person in question has left New York City,” Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Gunman’s steps after killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO give police new clues The gunman who killed the CEO of the largest U.S. health insurer made sure to wear a mask during the shooting yet left a trail of evidence in view of the nation’s biggest city and its network of security cameras that have aided authorities piecing together his movements and his identity. A law enforcement official said Friday that new surveillance footage shows the suspect riding the subway and visiting establishments in Manhattan and provided more clues about his actions in the days before he ambushed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson . The gunman’s whereabouts and identity remain unknown Friday, as did the reason for Wednesday’s killing. New York City police say evidence firmly points to it being a targeted attack . ▶ Read more about the search for the gunman For many companies, investor meetings are seen as a risk In many companies, investor meetings like the one UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was walking to when he was fatally shot are viewed as very risky because details on the location and who will be speaking are highly publicized. “It gives people an opportunity to arrive well in advance and take a look at the room, take a look at how people would probably come and go out of a location,” said Dave Komendat, president of DSKomendat Risk Management Services, which is based in the greater Seattle area. Some firms respond by beefing up security. For example, tech companies routinely require everyone attending a major event, such as Apple’s annual unveiling of the next iPhone or a shareholder meeting, to go through airport-style security checkpoints before entering. Others forgo in-person meetings with shareholders. ▶ Read more about how companies protect their leaders Police have obtained other surveillance images of the person wanted for questioning Those images include New York’s subway system, a law enforcement official said. In establishments where the person was captured on camera, he always appeared to pay with cash, the official said. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. — Mike Balsamo Another health insurer taking precautions after the shooting Medica, a Minnesota-based nonprofit health care firm that serves 1.5 million customers in 12 states, said it’s temporarily closing all six locations. The firm has offices in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska and North Dakota, and employs about 3,000 people. Employees will work from home, Medica spokesman Greg Bury said in an email Friday. “The safety of Medica employees is our top priority and we have increased security both for all of our employees,” a statement from Medica said. “Although we have received no specific threats related to our campuses, our office buildings will be temporarily closed out of an abundance of caution.” Bury also said biographical information on the company’s executives was taken down from its website as a precaution. Government health insurance provider Centene Corp. says its Investor Day will now be virtual The insurer cited the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in its announcement about the Dec. 12 event. “All of us at Centene are deeply saddened by Brian Thompson’s death and want to express our support for all of those affected. Health insurance is a big industry and a small community; many members of the CenTeam crossed paths with Brian during their careers,” Centene CEO Sarah M. London said in a news release. “He was a person with a deep sense of empathy and clear passion for improving access to care. Our hearts are with his family and his colleagues during this difficult time.” Centene Corp. has grown in recent years to become the largest insurer in Medicaid, the state- and federally funded program that covers care for people with low incomes. Insurers manage Medicaid coverage for states, and Centene has more than 13 million people enrolled in that coverage. UnitedHealth Group says it’s focused on supporting Brian Thompson’s family The insurance company also said it’s focused on ensuring the safety of employees and assisting investigators. “While our hearts are broken, we have been touched by the huge outpouring of kindness and support in the hours since this horrific crime took place,” the company said. NY Mayor Eric Adams provided no new information on investigation’s progress during interviews But he said Friday that he’s confident police will arrest the shooter. “We are on the right road to apprehend him and bring him to justice,” Adams said on TV station WPIX. Hours after the shooting, UnitedHealthcare removed photographs of its executives from its website Later, it removed their names and biographies entirely. Investigators believe the suspect may have traveled to NY last month on a bus that originated in Atlanta Police and federal agents have been collecting information from Greyhound in an attempt to identify the suspect and are working to determine whether he purchased the ticket to New York in late November, a law enforcement official said. Investigators were also trying to obtain additional information from a cellphone recovered from a pedestrian plaza through which the shooter fled. Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO spotlights complex challenge companies face in protecting top brass The fatal shooting of Brian Thompson while walking alone on a New York City sidewalk has put a spotlight on the widely varied approaches companies take to protect their leaders against threats. Experts say today’s political, economic and technological climate is only going to make the job of evaluating threats against executives and taking action to protect them even more difficult, experts say. Some organizations have a protective intelligence group that uses digital tools such as machine learning or artificial intelligence to comb through online comments to detect threats not only on social media platforms such as X but also on the dark web, says Komendat. They look for what’s being said about the company, its employees and its leadership to uncover risks. ▶ Read more about the steps companies take to protect their leadership Police test DNA and fingerprints on discarded bottle as they hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killer Police said Thursday they found a water bottle and protein bar wrapper from a trash can near the scene of the ambush and think the suspect bought them from a Starbucks minutes before the shooting. The items were being tested by the city’s medical examiner. The Associated Press



JERUSALEM — Israel approved a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah on Tuesday, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. In the hours leading up to the Cabinet meeting, Israel carried out its most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 24 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities, as Israel signaled it aims to keep pummeling Hezbollah in the final hours before any ceasefire takes hold. Israel's security Cabinet approved the ceasefire agreement late Tuesday after it was presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. An Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire would mark the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East, but neither he nor Netanyahu have proposed a postwar solution for the Palestinian territory, where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable. Still, any halt to the fighting in Lebanon is expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas and exchanged direct fire with Israel on two occasions earlier this year. Israel says it will ‘attack with might’ if Hezbollah breaks truce Netanyahu presented the ceasefire proposal to Cabinet ministers after a televised address in which he listed a series of accomplishments against Israel’s enemies across the region. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus on its main enemy, Iran, which backs both groups. “If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said. “For every violation, we will attack with might.” Netanyahu's office later said Israel appreciated the U.S. efforts in securing the deal but "reserves the right to act against every threat to its security.” It was not immediately clear when the ceasefire would go into effect, and the exact terms of the deal were not released. The deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor all sides’ compliance. But implementation remains a major question mark. Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Biden said Israel reserved the right to quickly resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce, but that the deal "was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Hezbollah has said it accepts the proposal, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday that it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state” of Lebanon, he said. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” Warplanes bombard Beirut and its southern suburbs Even as Israeli, U.S, Lebanese and international officials have expressed growing optimism over a ceasefire, Israel has continued its campaign in Lebanon, which it says aims to cripple Hezbollah’s military capabilities. An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs killed at least one person and wounded 13, it said. Three people were killed in a separate strike in Beirut and three in a strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Lebanese state media said another 10 people were killed in the eastern Baalbek province. Israel says it targets Hezbollah fighters and their infrastructure. Israel also struck a building in Beirut's bustling commercial district of Hamra for the first time, hitting a site that is around 400 meters (yards) from Lebanon’s Central Bank. There were no reports of casualties. The Israeli military said it struck targets in Beirut and other areas linked to Hezbollah's financial arm. The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously have not been targeted. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks before a ceasefire, sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, and some cars had mattresses tied to them. Dozens of people, some wearing their pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead. Hezbollah, meanwhile, kept up its rocket fire, triggering air raid sirens across northern Israel. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a major presence, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, is headquartered. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told The Associated Press that peacekeepers will not evacuate. Israeli forces reach Litani River in southern Lebanon The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few kilometers (miles) from the Israeli border. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border. Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have been exchanging barrages ever since. Israel escalated its campaign of bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes. More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country’s north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon. Chehayeb and Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press reporters Lujain Jo and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed.

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As the country inches closer to 2025, with just two years remaining before the 2027 elections, the Peoples Democratic Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Young Progressives Party, and the Coalition for United Political Parties have called for legislation to prohibit political defection. They also reassured the public that the opposition parties would unite to form a formidable front capable of effectively challenging the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government to ensure Nigerians received the best possible leadership and governance. This was as the ruling APC chided the opposition parties over the call for a bill to halt the random defection of politicians from their parties to other political platforms. The APC argued that the constitution had granted politicians the privilege to switch allegiance. Political defection has become a common trend in Nigeria, with politicians switching parties at will. On December 5, four lawmakers from the LP and one from the PDP defected to the ruling APC. The LP lawmakers who switched parties are Chinedu Okere (Owerri Municipal/Owerri North/Owerri West Federal Constituency), Mathew Donatus (Kaura Federal Constituency, Kaduna), Akiba Bassey (Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Federal Constituency, Cross River), and Esosa Iyawe (Oredo Federal Constituency, Edo). A few days later, on December 12, Ajang Iliya, the House of Representatives member representing the Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency in Plateau State, also defected from the LP to the APC. Over a year ago, 26 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, left the PDP for the APC. This mass defection caused political instability in Rivers State, triggering multiple legal battles. The growing trend of defection has raised concerns about the stability and integrity of party politics in Nigeria. Before these recent defections, a significant number of politicians, mainly from opposition parties, had already switched allegiance to the ruling party. This trend has been seen as a reflection of the dynamic and sometimes unpredictable nature of Nigeria’s political landscape. Just recently, several lawmakers left their previous parties—such as the PDP, NNPP, and LP—and joined the ruling APC, offering various political justifications for their decisions. The pattern of defection has raised concerns about the stability and integrity of party politics in the country. In response, the PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, stated that political defections posed a threat to Nigeria’s democracy. Osadolor, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH , lamented that many Nigerian politicians lacked principles and had defected primarily for economic survival rather than for the benefit of the people. He said, “This government is very adept, very skillful in regime security. In doing all this, they have weaponised not only hunger but also destabilised institutions that should have been able to enforce checks and balances. “The man has so firmly placed iron fists on all the institutions in this country that you don’t even have an institution or an opposition. “So, when you see these defections in the National Assembly or state Assemblies, you will just know it is all about economic survival. Most of those you see jumping from one party to another lack principles. “This is a threat to democracy. To curb this reckless defection, I think there is an urgent need to review some of our laws to nip this in the bud.” Osadolor expressed optimism that as long as President Bola Tinubu did not have control over the air Nigerians breathe, there would be strong opposition in 2025 and beyond to challenge the APC government. He stated, “As long as the air we breathe does not come from President Tinubu, the opposition parties will remain united and more formidable in challenging the APC. Therefore, Nigerians still have hope and will wait patiently to cast their votes.” Also speaking, the NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, expressed concern that the defections signalled the erosion of democracy in Nigeria. Speaking with our correspondent, he called for a thorough review of Nigerian laws to address political defections. He stated, “What it shows is that democracy is eroding. It is now becoming, ‘Well, if I can settle myself, then things are fine.’ A lot of the politicians are no longer representing the people; they are no longer representing their constituents; they are representing themselves. “So, we need to look at our laws to checkmate this and do a lot to uphold our democracy to make sure they give a voice to the voiceless and try to maintain democratic structures to bring about good governance for the benefit of the people of the country.” Similarly, the YPP National Publicity Secretary, Egbeola Martins, cautioned that defections could result in a one-party state, which in turn could lead to dictatorship. In an interview with Sunday PUNCH , Martins emphasised that the ongoing electoral reform must take a strong stance against defections and ensure that there must be no ambiguities. He stated, “We can tell that things have been going from bad to worse. Democracy should not benefit only a few; it should be for the benefit of everyone. You can see the unrest in neighbouring countries that led to military takeovers because the people do not see any benefit from democracy. “I think the political class should not allow democracy to deteriorate in this manner. There should be a law to prevent political defections, and politics and political associations should be based on principles.” Related News 2027: Political movements spread as bigwigs plot Tinubu’s ouster APC chieftain urges Bago to pull out of AEDC Stop daydreaming, face reality, APC blasts Kwankwaso “In fact, the government should make it a matter of policy. They must deliberate on this to sustain a strong opposition. We should not allow people to move from one party to another, as it could lead to a one-party state, which in the long run, would not bode well for the nation.” “A one-party state is essentially a dictatorship. Therefore, there is a need to review our laws. There should be a deliberate effort to ensure that laws are in place to discourage the movement from one party to another, particularly to the ruling party.” The YPP Publicity Secretary stated that a one-party state was harmful to Nigeria and emphasised that the political class must act to prevent disillusionment, ensuring Nigerians continued to value democracy. He added, “This is not even healthy for the ruling party. That is why, based on some of the proposals we have submitted as a party, we believe that the ongoing electoral reform should make it difficult for individuals to cross from the party on whose platform they won elections to another party. The legislation should be unambiguous. “Once you leave your party and join another, you should automatically lose your seat. There should be no exceptions, such as in cases where there is a crisis in the party. No! “Look at the PDP as an opposition party; it is struggling, and that should have been the face of a strong opposition in Nigeria. But it is not, because the laws are too weak to address the political class manipulations. “We believe the ruling government should ensure that these laws are enforced. The political class needs to play its role to prevent the point where Nigerians become disillusioned and feel they no longer need democracy.” The CUPP spokesperson, Mark Adebayo, explained that many defectors did so out of fear of persecution. Speaking with Sunday PUNCH , he stated that most of the defectors would regret their actions in 2027 when the APC would be defeated. Adebayo stated, “On the defection by lawmakers, it just shows you the policies of stomach infrastructure that Nigerian democracy is all about. All these are politicians who believe in stomach infrastructure. “They are defecting because they cannot ensure a robust opposition political party. They believe that joining the APC may protect them from future prosecution by anti-graft agencies, especially the EFCC and ICPC. “They are also under the mistaken impression that the power of incumbency will help them win elections. But I can assure you that the APC has performed so poorly that in 2027, the opposition will give them a run for their money.” APC kicks Meanwhile, the National Publicity Director of the APC, Bala Ibrahim, said it was obvious the campaign was being fuelled by the frustration of losing their bigwigs to the ruling party. He said, “I think that legislation is ill-proposed because the legislation permits freedom of movement. There should be freedom to make up and change one’s mind at will without interference from anybody. “The opposition is making this proposal out of frustration because they were not able to manage their affairs. As a result, there is an exodus to the ruling party. However, that is not to say they can’t take their motion to the National Assembly, which will deliberate in the interest of the country if it deems it fit. “But I can tell you with certainty that it is going to be dead on arrival. You cannot deny politicians the right to jump ships. They can move from one party to the other. It is like marriage and divorce. One is at liberty to marry provided the two agree and is also a liberty to divorce once they disagree. “So, if you are in a party and not getting what you want or feel the party cannot meet your aspiration, the constitution has given you the provision and permission to cross over to where you will achieve your aim. That is my personal opinion.” CSOs speak Lending his voice to the matter, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Rafsanjani, attributed the defection of politicians to the ruling party to lack of transparency and accountability in governance. He lamented that Nigerian politics was driven by selfish interests, describing it as a pursuit of “stomach infrastructure.” Rafsanjani emphasised that while politicians had the right to defect to any political party, there was the need for political party reforms to ensure that parties were not used merely as tools for power grabbing and personal agendas but as platforms to foster internal democracy and active participation. “There are legitimate reasons for leaving a party. If one no longer subscribes to the party’s principles, they cannot be compelled to remain. However, we must reform political parties so they will cease to be platforms for personal gains and power plays.” Also, the Chancellor of the International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights, Jackson Omenazu, described the current political situation as a breach of public trust, tarnishing Nigeria’s image globally. He warned that unchecked defections could lead to a one-party system, eroding democracy. Omenazu noted that politicians were bound by the manifestos of the parties under which they were elected, arguing that if they aligned with another manifesto, they should resign and seek re-election under the new platform. He added that defection without returning to the electorate violated public trust and undermined democracy. “The right thing to do is to go back with a new-found manifesto to the people and present it to them. The defector as a lawmaker should resign from his or her position, go back to his people and present a new manifesto. If the people elect you based on the new manifesto, you go back to the National Assembly. “If they don’t elect you, you remain at home. But it’s a complete breach of public trust for you to take another manifesto and get into the National Assembly, find favour in another manifesto, and without recourse to the people, defect. “Systematically, we are heading towards a one-party state, and it is not good for democracy. A good opposition is the strength of democracy and where there is no opposition, there is no democracy.”

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Musk's millions for Trump make him biggest US political donorWayfair Black Friday deals are up to 80% off furniture, decor and moreThe patient is submerged in an ice bath as an anesthetic for its impending surgery. When sufficient numbness is achieved, University of Queensland student Lachlan Fitzgerald begins the procedure, carefully attaching a tiny circuit board to its back to create a part-living, part-machine biohybrid robot. Related video above: How Cyborg Cockroaches Could Help Save Human Lives The patient is, in fact, a beetle, and the backpack-like device sends electrical pulses to its antennae, allowing Fitzgerald to control its movements while tapping into its natural agility. "Only when it leaves the desired path that we want it to be on do we intervene and tell it to actually go this way instead of the way it was actually heading," says Fitzgerald, who is studying mathematics and engineering. He hopes to create an army of insect-machine search and rescue workers. "We see a future where after an urban disaster like an earthquake or a bombing, where humans can't safely access the disaster site, being able to send in a bunch of cyborg beetles to navigate the disaster zone quickly and efficiently," he says. The biorobotics lab where Fitzgerald works is putting control backpacks onto giant burrowing cockroaches, a species native to Australia that can grow up to three inches (eight centimeters) long, and darkling beetles. Species from the darkling family can be found scurrying through environments ranging from tropical savannas to arid deserts across the world . Having to handle the bugs doesn't bother Fitzgerald: "No, they definitely don't gross me out!" he says. Cyborg insects have an edge over traditional robots, according to Fitzgerald. "Insects are so adaptable compared to an artificial robotic system, which has to perform so much computation to be able to deal with all these different scenarios that might get thrown at it in the real world," he explains. Fitzgerald says cyborg search and rescue beetles or cockroaches might be able to help in disaster situations by finding and reporting the location of survivors and delivering lifesaving drugs to them before human rescuers can get there. But first, the Australian researchers must master the ability to direct the movements of the insects, which could take a while. Fitzgerald says that although the work might seem futuristic now, in a few decades, cyborg insects could be saving lives. He's not the only roboticist creating robots from living organisms. Academics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), for example, are implanting electronic pacemakers into jellyfish to control their swimming speed. They hope the bionic jellies could help collect data about the ocean far below the surface. In September, Cornell University researchers released robots controlled by a king oyster mushroom. The robots, which sense and respond to the environment by harnessing electrical signals made by the fungus and its sensitivity to light, could have uses like sensing the soil chemistry near crops to decide when to add more fertilizer. The rise of biohybrid robots has stirred debate about the ethics of the work , and some researchers have advocated for better regulation and oversight. Caltech academics told CNN that they worked with bioethicists to ensure its interventions don't cause any type of stress response in the jellyfish they work with. Fitzgerald says that beetles that have had backpacks attached to them have normal life expectancies. "So I don't think they mind, per se," he says. "The science is out on whether or not they're actually conscious beings," he adds. He agrees that concerns about the welfare of the creatures are valid but urges people to consider the benefits: "I think the potential for this technology to save lives in an urban disaster, it really outweighs any kind of hesitancy you might have towards the field."

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Article content This edition of the Hidden Game is dedicated to Josh Anderson . Say what you will about fighting in hockey and the frontier justice mentality that exists, but the Canadiens’ veteran forward wasted little time Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden settling a five-week-old score. And credit Anderson for taking the law into his own hands; someone had to. Before the game was two minutes old, Anderson put a beating on Rangers’ captain Jacob Trouba, landing right hands, repeatedly, on the New York defenceman. They briefly separated and Anderson, 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds, pounded the crap a second time out of Trouba, no Caspar Milquetoast at 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds. In World Wrestling Entertainment, they would have called this two out of three falls. Trouba, you’ll remember, delivered a clean — albeit vicious — hit on Canadiens’ defenceman Justin Barron when the teams met at the Bell Centre on Oct. 22. Barron suffered an apparent concussion on the play, although that was never confirmed by the organization, and defenceman Mike Matheson subsequently fought Trouba that night. The teams will meet a third time Jan. 19 in Montreal Canadiens fans might want to circle that date, given the hate these two clubs seem to have for each other. Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson fights New York Rangers defenceman Jacob Trouba in the first period of game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in New York. Photo by Adam Hunger / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS News you need (Part I): The Rangers ended a five-game losing streak — their longest in four seasons — with Saturday’s 4-3 victory. Montreal, idle since Wednesday, should have taken better advantage of a team that played in Philadelphia Friday afternoon. It was New York’s first set of back-to-back contests this season. Last season in the second game, the Rangers’ record was 11-1-0. News you need (Part II) : When New York’s Artemi Panarin opened the scoring nine minutes into the game, it was the Rangers’ first power-play goal in nine games, dating back to Nov. 12, against Winnipeg. News you need (Part III): The Rangers continue to beat the Canadiens like a rented mule. New York is 5-0-1 in its last six against Montreal and 9-2-1 dating back to February 2020. News you need (Part IV): The win was the 1,700th in Rangers history on home ice. News you need (Part V): New York has won 13 games this season and has allowed two or fewer goals in all but two of those victories. Another Cy Young candidate: Rangers forward Chris Kreider, who returned to the lineup after missing three games with back spasms, has a 9-0 stats line — the differential between goals and assists. The 33-year-old, who has been with the team since 2012-13, has been the subject of trade speculation. Another $400 stick down the drain: Panarin was at the point in the game’s seventh minute when his stick shattered. Some penalties are good: Kreider would have had a good scoring opportunity off a rebound one minute later — until he was held by Emil Heineman . Some penalties are not: Kreider was guilty of holding Kaiden Guhle in the offensive zone nearly 13 minutes into the game. He doesn’t score much, but ...: Credit Christian Dvorak for his screen on goaltender Jonathan Quick, allowing Matheson to snap the puck past him at 11:47 of the opening period. Late goals are killers: The Canadiens played a decent first period — until Vincent Trocheck scored New York’s second goal with 3.1 seconds remaining in the period. Until they’re not: Montreal came out quickly in the second period, generating three shots in the opening two minutes. NHL officiating at its best (Part I): Kreider blatantly interfered with Anderson early in the period. Nonetheless, no penalty was assessed. Dumb penalty: Seconds later, Sam Carrick was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, with Arber Xhekaj — of all players — unwilling to drop the gloves. This one would have been a mismatch, considering Carrick is four inches shorter and outweighed by 38 pounds. Swedish sandwich : Late in the middle frame, Trouba and Trocheck delivered a one-two punch on Heineman. NHL officiating at its best (Part II): It certainly looked like a routine check to us. Nonetheless, Anderson was penalized for roughing against Ryan Lindgren in the second period. Mika Zibanejad scored on the ensuing power play — his first goal in six games. News you need (Part VI): Cole Caufield is on pace for 50 goals after scoring his 14th from a tight angle at 4:16 of the third period. Hit of the game: Brett Berard, playing only his fourth game this season, left favouring his right shoulder after being crunched against the boards by Kirby Dach in the third period. Pass of the game: Lane Hutson to Nick Suzuki on the Canadiens’ third goal, with six minutes remaining in regulation time. Karma is a bitch: It might have been an unfortunate break, but players must control their sticks. The struggling Dach, with one goal this season, took a double minor for high-sticking Zibanejad at 17:20 of the third period. With 23.3 seconds remaining, Kaapo Kakko scored the winning goal. Next time, decline the penalty: Montreal went 0-for-3 with the man advantage. Braden Schneider of the New York Rangers checks Jake Evans of the Montreal Canadiens during the first period at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in New York City. Photo by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Quick stats: Matheson had four shots, was a plus-3 and logged a team-high 26:07 of ice time. Dach also had four shots. Samuel Montembeault faced 28 shots for a save percentage of .857. They said it: “I loved everything about our game, but I’m not going to talk about the refs,” Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis told reporters in New York following the contest. “I thought we deserved better, obviously,” Suzuki told the media in New York. “I thought we played better than them. It’s a tough way to end the game like that, giving up a goal that late.” “I thought we answered how we had to in the third period,” Alex Newhook said in New York. “It would have been nice to get one more. We had enough looks to get one more.” hzurkowsky@postmedia.com x.com/HerbZurkowsky1

Election Daily: Anti-immigration candidates falterVikings place LB Ivan Pace on injured reserve and sign LB Jamin Davis off Packers practice squad

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Here are Idaho Fish and Game’s top ‘big fish’ stories of 2024

With the January transfer window rapidly approaching its end, Barcelona's new manager Xavi has been working tirelessly to find a solution to the Orhmo registration issue. Xavi, a legendary figure at Barcelona both as a player and now as a coach, recognizes the immense potential that Orhmo possesses and is eager to integrate him into the first team as soon as possible. However, time is running out, and the pressure is mounting on Barcelona to secure Orhmo's registration before it's too late.On the other hand, the spike in oil prices has been welcomed by oil-producing countries, as it could help boost their revenues and support their economic recovery efforts. Countries heavily dependent on oil exports, such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Venezuela, stand to benefit from the increase in oil prices, providing a much-needed impetus to their economies.Jimmy Carter dies at 100: Peanut farmer, president, Nobel Peace Prize winner, humanitarian

Moreover, the customer experience and service quality play a vital role in the profitability of a hotel. Providing excellent customer service, personalized experiences, and top-notch amenities can help create a loyal customer base and attract positive reviews, leading to increased bookings and revenue. Investing in staff training, maintaining cleanliness and hygiene standards, and continuously improving guest satisfaction are essential for hotels in county towns to stay competitive and profitable in the long run.Govt committed to reviving economy: Muqam

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33 "Secret Life Hacks" People Think Everyone Should Know To Make Life A Little Easier For You And Those Around You

Arsenal have moved up to second place in the Premier League with a 1-0 home win against Ipswich. Mikel Arteta's men are now six points behind leaders Liverpool, who enjoy a game in hand. Second-from-bottom Ipswich had won two of their last three away matches but were up against it from the start at the Emirates. The visitors did not have one touch in the Gunners' box during the first 45 minutes and, although Ipswich showed signs of life after the break, it was Arsenal who continued to dominate the game, marshalled by Declan Rice in midfield. Kai Havertz got the only goal midway through the first half when he knocked in a cross from Leandro Trossard. Havertz, Rice, Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus all had chances but none of them could add to Arsenal's tally. Arsenal are a point above third-place Chelsea and two points clear of season surprise team Nottingham Forest in fourth. Earlier, Brighton had most of the chances but could not find the net in a 0-0 draw with Brentford that extended the south coast club's winless run in the Premier League to six games. It was a frustrating night for the home side and especially Julio Enciso. The Paraguay striker had a host of opportunities to score but couldn't make them count. Along with Southampton, Brentford have the worst away record in the league with seven losses and two draws and it was easy to see why in this toothless performance. Brentford had an early goal from Yoane Wissa ruled out for offside and, although they came a bit more into the game in the second half, they failed to pressure Icelandic goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson, who made his Premier League debut eight minutes before half-time when Mark Flekken went off with a thigh injury. One bright spot for the home side was the return of winger Solly March. He came on as a late substitute to make his first appearance for Brighton since injuring a knee against Manchester City 14 months ago. The result leaves Brighton in 10th place with 26 points, one spot and two points ahead of the Bees.None

The Los Angeles Chargers are placing star running back J.K. Dobbins on injured reserve, per a report from NFL insider Tom Pelissero. #Chargers are placing RB J.K. Dobbins on injured reserve, due to the MCL sprain he suffered Monday night, according to @TomPelissero pic.twitter.com/EXPurAlMSK Dobbins suffered a left knee sprain during the Chargers' Week 12 loss to the Baltimore Ravens ( is there a Harbaugh curse? ). He was quickly ruled out for Sunday's matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, and now he will miss the following three games after that as players must miss a minimum of four games when placed on I.R. The earliest Dobbins could return would be Los Angeles' Week 17 matchup against the New England Patriots. The Chargers will sorely miss Dobbins as they enter the most crucial part of their schedule, featuring matchups against three current playoff teams. It's possible that Dobbins doesn't return until the postseason, if L.A. is able to make it there. Dobbins ranks 12th in the NFL in rushing yards with 766, and is tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns with eight. He has struggled staying healthy since being drafted by the Ravens in 2020. In 2021 he missed the entire season with a torn ACL, then missed nine games in 2022 with a knee injury. In 2023 Dobbins tore his Achillies in Week 1, costing him the rest of the year. Dobbins is still just 25 years old, and has shown plenty of times that he can be one of the better running backs in the league when healthy. Hopefully he only misses the four game minimum and can make a big impact for the Chargers during the stretch run. Backup Gus Edwards will be the lead back for L.A. during Dobbin's absence. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.US agencies should use advanced technology to identify mysterious drones, Schumer saysAfter weeks of fear and bewilderment about the drones buzzing over parts of New York and New Jersey, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer is urging the federal government to deploy better drone-tracking technology to identify and ultimately stop the airborne pests. This photo provided by Trisha Bushey shows the evening sky and points of light Dec. 5 near Lebanon Township, N.J. The New York Democrat is calling on the Department of Homeland Security to immediately deploy special technology that identifies and tracks drones back to their landing spots, according to briefings from his office. Schumer’s calls come amid growing public concern that the federal government hasn’t offered clear explanations as to who is operating the drones, and has not stopped them. National security officials have said the drones don’t appear to be a sign of foreign interference. “There’s a lot of us who are pretty frustrated right now,” said Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, on Fox News Sunday. “The answer ‘We don’t know’ is not a good enough answer.” President-elect Donald Trump posted on social media last week: “Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge? I don’t think so. Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down.” Certain agencies within the Department of Homeland Security have the power to “incapacitate” drones, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. “But we need those authorities expanded,” he said, without saying exactly how. The drones don’t appear to be linked to foreign governments, Mayorkas said. “We know of no foreign involvement with respect to the sightings in the Northeast. And we are vigilant in investigating this matter,” Mayorkas said. Last year, federal aviation rules began requiring certain drones to broadcast their identities. It’s not clear whether that information has been used to determine who is operating the drones swarming locations in New York and New Jersey. Mayorkas’ office didn’t immediately respond to questions about whether they’ve been able to identify drones using this capability. Schumer is calling for recently declassified radar technology to be used to help determine whether an object is a drone or a bird, identify its electronic registration, and follow it back to its landing place. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sunday said federal officials were sending a drone detection system to the state. “This system will support state and federal law enforcement in their investigations,” Hochul said in a statement. The governor did not immediately provide additional details, including where the system will be deployed. Dozens of mysterious nighttime flights started last month over New Jersey, raising concerns among residents and officials. Part of the worry stems from the flying objects initially being spotted near the Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility and over Trump’s golf course in Bedminster. Drones are legal in New Jersey for recreational and commercial use, but they are subject to local and Federal Aviation Administration regulations and flight restrictions. Operators must be FAA certified. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. FILE - Former Rep. Doug Collins speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign event at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Oct. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China, saying in a social media post that the former CEO “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.” Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a primary against Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Perdue pushed Trump's debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for governor. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Guilfoyle is a former California prosecutor and television news personality who led the fundraising for Trump's 2020 campaign and became engaged to Don Jr. in 2020. Trump called her “a close friend and ally” and praised her “sharp intellect make her supremely qualified.” Guilfoyle was on stage with the family on election night. “I am so proud of Kimberly. She loves America and she always has wanted to serve the country as an Ambassador. She will be an amazing leader for America First,” Don Jr. posted. The ambassador positions must be approved by the U.S. Senate. Guilfoyle said in a social media post that she was “honored to accept President Trump’s nomination to serve as the next Ambassador to Greece and I look forward to earning the support of the U.S. Senate.” Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Customs and Border Protection, with its roughly 60,000 employees, falls under the Department of Homeland Security. It includes the Border Patrol, which Rodney Scott led during Trump's first term, and is essentially responsible for protecting the country's borders while facilitating trade and travel. Scott comes to the job firmly from the Border Patrol side of the house. He became an agent in 1992 and spent much of his career in San Diego. When he was appointed head of the border agency in January 2020, he enthusiastically embraced Trump's policies. After being forced out under the Biden administration, Scott has been a vocal supporter of Trump's hard-line immigration agenda. He appeared frequently on Fox News and testified in Congress. He's also a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Trump says he’s picking Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, installing a staunch loyalist who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor and a Senate seat to head the congressionally funded broadcaster that provides independent news reporting around the world. Lake endeared herself to Trump through her dogmatic commitment to the falsehood that both she and Trump were the victims of election fraud. She has never acknowledged losing the gubernatorial race and called herself the “lawful governor” in her 2023 book, “Unafraid: Just Getting Started.” Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Ron Johnson, Ambassador to Mexico Johnson — not the Republican senator — served as ambassador to El Salvador during Trump's first administration. His nomination comes as the president-elect has been threatening tariffs on Mexican imports and the mass deportation of migrants who have arrived to the U.S.-Mexico border. Johnson is also a former U.S. Army veteran and was in the Central Intelligence Agency. Tom Barrack, Ambassador to Turkey Barrack, a wealthy financier, met Trump in the 1980s while helping negotiate Trump’s purchase of the renowned Plaza Hotel. He was charged with using his personal access to the former president to secretly promote the interests of the United Arab Emirates, but was acquitted of all counts at a federal trial in 2022. Trump called him a “well-respected and experienced voice of reason.” Andrew Ferguson, Federal Trade Commission Ferguson, who is already one of the FTC's five commissioners, will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behavior. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” Jacob Helberg, undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment Dan Bishop, deputy director for budget at the Office of Budget and Management Leandro Rizzuto, Ambassador to the Washington-based Organization of American States Dan Newlin, Ambassador to Colombia Peter Lamelas, Ambassador to Argentina Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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(The Center Square) – House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., has opened an investigation into the Federal Emergency Management Agency over reports that it discriminated against supporters of Donald Trump. Comer said whistleblower reports suggest anti-Trump discrimination is rampant and has been going on for years. “[O]n the condition of anonymity, a FEMA official stated that the practice avoiding ‘white or conservative-dominated’ areas is an ‘open secret at the agency that has been going on for years,’” Comer said in a letter to FEMA. The investigation comes after FEMA fired one of its hurricane response supervisors after news went viral that she told her workers to avoid “Trump houses.” However, that employee has publicly said she was only following orders and acting according to the culture at FEMA. Comer and more than two dozen Republican lawmakers sent a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell demanding documentation, from internal policies to spending figures to incident reports. Lawmakers have pointed toward more anonymous sources backing up the fired employee’s claims. “Additionally, another whistleblower contacted the Committee during the hearing," the letter said. "This individual informed the Committee that a FEMA contractor warned a disabled veteran’s family in Georgia to remove Trump campaign materials from their home because FEMA supervisors viewed Trump supporters as domestic terrorists. At a hearing this week, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., pointed to 35 of his constituents who shared similar stories with him. Lawmakers grilled Criswell over the discrimination reports at the hearing as well as FEMA’s recent focus on Diversity Equity and Inclusion efforts, something FEMA named as its number one goal in its latest strategic report. Lawmakers also raised concerns about the agency spending hundreds of millions of dollars on helping migrants. Defenders of FEMA have said the migrant funds do not take directly from disaster relief, while critics insist it shows missplaced priorities for the emergency relief agency. “In the fiscal year of 2023, FEMA spent nearly a billion dollars, $789 million, to shelter illegals in the United States,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., said at the hearing, as The Center Square previously reported . “This past year it was $641 million, and this money is largely distributed through NGOs...and this was to house illegal aliens," she added. "Not Americans, who by the way all that money, that comes from Americans bank accounts when they write their checks to pay their taxes." At the hearing this week, Criswell also said she will request the Inspector General investigate the question of political discrimination at FEMA. She also said she does not think this fired employee is indicative of a broader problem in the agency but is looking into it. Criswell said FEMA workers went back to the homes that were skipped over by the fired employee and promised to ensure it doesn't happen again. “The Committee is in the process of investigating these claims,” the Oversight letter said. “If they are true, they would corroborate concerns that political discrimination extends beyond [the fired FEMA employee]. Furthermore, they suggest an apparent culture, whether sanctioned or not, within FEMA to politically discriminate against disaster survivors, specifically those who support President-elect Donald Trump.”AP CM to release Swarnandhra Vision 2047 document on December 12

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ZNkZб{]Urʧo2~@5(fJ;ڦᐢf'DC`՜t ) ~R<+">ZNkZб{]Urʧo2~@5(fJ;ڦᐢf'"(v\u(HD&[X<3to>DC`՜t ) ~R<+Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of commentary online and in print each day. To contribute, click here . ••• “It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence which should be true in all situations. They presented him the words: ‘And this, too, shall pass away.’ “How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! — how consoling in the depths of affliction!” — Abraham Lincoln, 1859 ••• Weary and wary, Americans have emerged from yet another “most important election in the nation’s history.” By my count it was at least our 17th consecutive most-important-campaign-ever. (Dwight Eisenhower’s re-election in 1956 was something of a snoozer, particularly for us 4-year-olds.) Anyhow, we’re now fully engaged on at least our 17th consecutive post-vote debate over the causes and consequences of the most seismic political realignment in generations (or something like that) — an outcome the estimable Ross Douthat of the New York Times recently labeled “a real turning point in history, an irrevocable shift from one era to another.” Well, maybe. Donald Trump’s restoration might mark a watershed in American culture and governance. We have reached such moments before, and will again. And surely the president-elect’s comeback against an utterly unprecedented grand alliance of establishment institutions determined to stop him by almost any means (two impeachments, four indictments, untold investigations, trials and lawsuits, petitions to banish him from ballots, etc., etc.) does constitute the most astounding personal vindication in the annals of American rabble-rousing. And yet, it’s also quite possible that Trump’s hair-raising triumph remains at bottom a mere continuation of our decadeslong age of indecision and serial upheaval. Republicans have now won two of the last three presidential elections. But Democrats have won three of the last five. The parties have evenly split the last eight. And Republicans hold a one-election edge in the last 12. This is hardly an epoch in which political shifts, however striking, can safely be assumed to be “irrevocable.” The electorate’s affections weren’t always so fickle. Between 1896 and 1928 Republicans won seven of nine presidential contests. Democrats then won seven of the following nine (1932 to 1964) — after which the GOP took five out of six (1968 to 1988). According to Bruce Mehlman’s “Age of Disruption” Substack , the 2024 vote also was the sixth in a row, including off-year elections, to change party control of at least one of Washington’s three elective power centers — presidency, House and Senate. It’s the longest such streak of instability in American history. Meantime, Trump’s margins were shallow, if respectably widespread. And as a lame duck who can never be on the ballot again, he will have to defy historic norms once more to achieve transformative policy change in his final term. One hesitates in his case to say anything is impossible just because it’s unheard of — but still. All this being said in the somewhat forlorn hope of chastening MAGA end zone dancers and consoling afflicted progressives, the 2024 election actually may have revealed that on one big issue a turning point has already been reached. The results suggest that America may at long last be on its way toward a compromise on abortion. Perhaps “settlement” would be a better word for making a hard and bitter peace with differing state-by-state resolutions on legal access to abortion. But if any one public policy choice was squarely before voters this year, it was whether America would continue to tolerate being a “house divided” on abortion. Returning abortion regulation to the separate states was the essence of the Supreme Court’s landmark “Dobbs” decision in 2022, overturning nationwide legal abortion guaranteed for a half century by the Roe vs. Wade ruling. This year’s election was the second in which a vow to restore abortion rights coast to coast was the Democrats’ central, almost single-minded campaign theme. Kamala Harris and company also were foursquare for “Democracy,” of course. But it wasn’t clear what that meant beyond keeping Trump out of office. Otherwise, it was easier to list bold progressive positions Harris had abandoned than ones she championed. She had more to say about small-business subsidies than climate change. But restoring “reproductive freedom” — while preventing Republicans from imposing abortion bans on every state — was a clarion battle cry. Trump helped sharpen the issue when he declared that he did not favor any kind of federal one-size-fits-all policy. In the 2022 off-year election, Democrats’ abortion-centered campaign had enjoyed considerable success, blunting GOP gains in Congress. Along with voter approval of several state ballot measures favoring abortion rights — including one in Republican-leaning Ohio in 2023 — this led to high hopes that the anti-Dobbs backlash could boost Democratic prospects again in 2024. No fewer than 10 states had referenda guaranteeing abortion rights on their Nov. 5 ballots, measures pushed not least in hopes that they would fuel progressive turnout and provide “reverse coattails” for Democratic candidates from Harris on down. It didn’t turn out that way. The abortion rights ballot measures did well; seven out of 10 passed . But Trump carried four of those seven states, including two battleground states (Arizona and Nevada). And of course Trump also carried Ohio, along with Kentucky, Kansas and battleground Michigan, all states whose voters had earlier approved referenda protecting abortion rights. This could be evidence that as the state-by-state abortion debate has unfolded, more voters have accepted the idea of supporting abortion rights in their own states while letting other states go their own way. Or at least that fewer feel they must let the cause of nationwide abortion rights override other considerations in their votes for president and Congress. While 27% of voters in 2022 told exit polls that abortion was their most important issue, barely half that, 14%, said that Nov. 5 . Reinforcing this interpretation, an analysis for KFF Health News shows that in all 10 states with abortion referenda on the ballot, abortion rights polled significantly more votes than Harris did, “indicating that many people voted both to elect Donald Trump and to protect access to abortion.” In Arizona and Nevada, abortion rights outpolled Harris by 14 and 17 percentage points, respectively. If support for or opposition to legal abortion is becoming disconnected from partisan allegiances, at least at the national level, that’s a realignment of some note, with at least some potential to lower the ideological temperature in America. But it won’t necessarily please fevered advocates on either side of the issue. Following this year’s votes, 19 states across the South and Great Plains — what used to be called the Bible Belt — will have abortion bans or limits in place beyond what Roe permitted. The other 31 retain Roe-era laws or have enacted more spacious abortion rights. Hence America now enforces far too much restriction on reproductive freedom for some, and far too little protection for the unborn for others. Doubtless state-level battles will continue. In the near term it’s anti-abortion forces who will feel tempted to reimpose uniformity – to use the GOP’s trifecta control of Washington to enact a nationwide restriction. Despite Trump’s disavowal, I warned of this among other hazards in a recent column making an ill-fated wish for post-election gridlock . Clearly the sentiment that human rights cannot properly differ from one state to another is potent and pungent on both sides of the abortion divide. In “The Party of Lincoln Resurrects the Corpse of Stephen Douglas,” in the Claremont Review of Books, conservative essayist and novelist Mark Helprin denounces Trump and other Republicans who would disinter the pre-Civil War doctrine of “popular sovereignty,” which held that each state was free to decide the issue of slavery for itself. America, Helprin argues, must not again tolerate “two contradictory answers to a fundamental question that demands only one.” Is abortion that kind of question? Or is there some irreducible moral uncertainty, some room for different social settlements, about where to draw the line between a woman’s right to bodily autonomy and a fetus’ right to live? If nothing else, the 2024 election suggests America is irrevocably grappling with that question. D.J. Tice is a retired Minnesota Star Tribune commentary editor.None

No hiding place for new Rangers CEO Patrick Stewart as VAR controversy follows Hampden heartacheWith President-elect Donald Trump poised for office, Mexico is urgently negotiating a deal to avoid accepting deportees from third countries during potential large-scale U.S. deportations, said President Claudia Sheinbaum. Concerns rise as the Bahamas rejected taking in deportees if Trump proceeds with his proposed crackdown on illegal immigration. As Trump's team considers redirecting deportees to other countries, Mexico aims for a pivotal agreement to channel individuals to their original homeland. (With inputs from agencies.)

Knight stops 20 shots, Florida rolls past Carolina 6-0 for 2nd win over 'Canes in as many daysLimited again, 49ers QB Brock Purdy still fighting sore shoulder

Rarely does a college basketball game provide such stark contrast between the sport's haves and have-nots as when Jackson State faces No. 9 Kentucky on Friday in Lexington, Ky. While Kentucky claims eight NCAA Tournament crowns and the most wins in college basketball history, Jackson State has never won an NCAA Tournament game and enters the matchup looking for its first win of the season. Impressive tradition and current record aside, Kentucky (4-0) returned no scholarship players from last season's team that was knocked off by Oakland in the NCAA Tournament. New coach Mark Pope and his essentially all-new Wildcats are off to a promising start. Through four games, Kentucky is averaging 94.3 points per game, and with 11.5 3-pointers made per game, the team is on pace to set a school record from long distance. The Wildcats boast six double-figure scorers with transfer guards Otega Oweh (from Oklahoma, 15.0 ppg) and Koby Brea (from Dayton, 14.5 ppg) leading the team. The Wildcats defeated Duke 77-72 on Nov. 12 but showed few signs of an emotional letdown in Tuesday's 97-68 win over a Lipscomb team picked to win the Atlantic Sun Conference in the preseason. Kentucky drained a dozen 3-pointers while outrebounding their visitors 43-28. Guard Jaxson Robinson, held to a single point by Duke, dropped 20 points to lead the Kentucky attack. Afterward, Pope praised his team's focus, saying, "The last game was over and it was kind of on to, ‘How do we get better?' That's the only thing we talk about." Lipscomb coach Lennie Acuff also delivered a ringing endorsement, calling Kentucky "the best offensive Power Four team we've played in my six years at Lipscomb." Jackson State (0-5) and third-year coach Mo Williams are looking for something positive to build upon. Not only are the Tigers winless, but they have lost each game by nine or more points. Sophomore guard Jayme Mitchell Jr. (13.8 ppg) is the leading scorer, but the team shoots just 35.8 percent while allowing opponents to shoot 52.3 percent. The Tigers played on Wednesday at Western Kentucky, where they lost 79-62. Reserve Tamarion Hoover had a breakout game with 18 points to lead Jackson State, but the host Hilltoppers canned 14 3-point shots and outrebounded the Tigers 42-35 to grab the win. Earlier, Williams, who played against Kentucky while a student at Alabama, admitted the difficulties of a challenging nonconference schedule for his team. "Our goal is not to win 13 nonconference games," Williams said. "We're already at a disadvantage in that regard. We use these games to get us ready for conference play and for March Madness." Jackson State has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2007. The Tigers had a perfect regular-season record (11-0) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 2020-21 but lost in the league tournament. Kentucky has never played Jackson State before, but the game is being billed as part of a Unity Series of matchups in which Kentucky hosts members of the SWAC to raise awareness of Historical Black Colleges and Universities and provide funds for those schools. Past Unity Series opponents have been Southern in December 2021 and Florida A&M in December 2022. --Field Level Media

Trump wants pardoned real estate developer Charles Kushner to be ambassador to FranceLuca Guadagnino Slams Turkish ‘Queer’ Ban As “Obtuse Censorship”Drake eases by Stetson 49-10 to secure a second straight outright Pioneer Football League title

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Looking ahead, the impact of the "Spring Dawn Plan" and "Factory Direct Sales" is poised to reshape the landscape of e-commerce and redefine the way businesses operate in the digital era. By empowering merchants with the tools, support, and resources they need to thrive, this initiative is set to drive innovation, growth, and success in the industry. As more businesses embrace this transformative model, the future of online commerce looks brighter and more promising than ever before.Jigsaw Puzzle Market is Touching New Level | Ceaco ,SunsOut, Jumbo 12-19-2024 08:06 PM CET | IT, New Media & Software Press release from: HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited Jigsaw Puzzle Market According to HTF Market Intelligence, the Global Jigsaw Puzzle market is expected to grow from USD 7.5 Billion in 2023 to USD 12 Billion by 2032, with a CAGR of 6.5% from 2024 to 2030. HTF MI recently introduced Global Jigsaw Puzzle Market study with 143+ pages in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status (2024-2032). The market Study is segmented by key regions which is accelerating the marketization. At present, the market is developing its presence and some of the key players from the complete study are Ravensburger, Buffalo Games, Springbok, Clementoni, Eurographics, Cobble Hill, Educa Borras, Ceaco, White Mountain, Schmidt Spiele, Tenyo, Hape, Robotime, Gibsons, Trefl, SunsOut, Castorland, Jumbo, Tomax. Download Sample Report PDF (Including Full TOC, Table & Figures) 👉 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/3088572-jigsaw-puzzle-market-1?utm_source=Tina_OpenPR&utm_id=Tina The Jigsaw Puzzle market is segmented by Types (Wooden puzzles, Cardboard puzzles, 3D puzzles, Personalized puzzles, Educational puzzles.), Application (Entertainment, Educational tools, Stress relief, Team building, Cognitive development.) and by Geography (North America, LATAM, West Europe, Central & Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, Oceania, MEA). Definition: A jigsaw puzzle is a popular recreational activity that involves assembling a picture or design from many small, interlocking pieces, each with a unique shape. Jigsaw puzzles vary in complexity, ranging from simple designs with just a few pieces for young children to intricate puzzles with thousands of pieces for adults. They are designed to improve cognitive skills such as problem-solving, spatial reasoning, and memory. In addition to being a form of entertainment, jigsaw puzzles are also used in therapy, helping individuals with dementia, Alzheimer's, and other cognitive disorders to maintain mental sharpness. Puzzles are produced in various themes, from scenic landscapes and famous artworks to custom designs featuring family photos or personal images. The material used for making the puzzle pieces typically includes cardboard or wood, and many modern puzzles come with a glossy finish or texture to enhance the tactile experience. In the digital age, the puzzle industry has expanded to include virtual jigsaw puzzles, which can be played on computers, tablets, or smartphones, offering a new dimension to the traditional activity. The growing interest in puzzles, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, has resulted in a surge in demand for both physical and digital versions, with puzzle enthusiasts creating online communities to share experiences, tips, and new designs. Market Trends: •Increasing popularity of custom and theme-based puzzles. Market Drivers: •Growing focus on educational and stress-relieving activities. Market Opportunities: •Expansion in online platforms and educational institutions. Dominating Region: •Europe Fastest-Growing Region: •Asia-Pacific Have a query? Market an enquiry before purchase 👉 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/3088572-jigsaw-puzzle-market-1?utm_source=Tina_OpenPR&utm_id=Tina The titled segments and sub-section of the market are illuminated below: In-depth analysis of Jigsaw Puzzle market segments by Types: Wooden puzzles, Cardboard puzzles, 3D puzzles, Personalized puzzles, Educational puzzles. Detailed analysis of Jigsaw Puzzle market segments by Applications: Entertainment, Educational tools, Stress relief, Team building, Cognitive development. Geographically, the detailed analysis of consumption, revenue, market share, and growth rate of the following regions: •The Middle East and Africa (South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, Egypt, etc.) •North America (United States, Mexico & Canada) •South America (Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, etc.) •Europe (Turkey, Spain, Turkey, Netherlands Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Russia UK, Italy, France, etc.) •Asia-Pacific (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Korea, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Australia). Buy Now Latest Edition of Jigsaw Puzzle Market Report 👉 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=3088572 Jigsaw Puzzle Market Research Objectives: - Focuses on the key manufacturers, to define, pronounce and examine the value, sales volume, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis, and development plans in the next few years. - To share comprehensive information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (opportunities, drivers, growth potential, industry-specific challenges and risks). - To analyze the with respect to individual future prospects, growth trends and their involvement to the total market. - To analyze reasonable developments such as agreements, expansions new product launches, and acquisitions in the market. - To deliberately profile the key players and systematically examine their growth strategies. FIVE FORCES & PESTLE ANALYSIS: In order to better understand market conditions five forces analysis is conducted that includes the Bargaining power of buyers, Bargaining power of suppliers, Threat of new entrants, Threat of substitutes, and Threat of rivalry. • Political (Political policy and stability as well as trade, fiscal, and taxation policies) • Economical (Interest rates, employment or unemployment rates, raw material costs, and foreign exchange rates) • Social (Changing family demographics, education levels, cultural trends, attitude changes, and changes in lifestyles) • Technological (Changes in digital or mobile technology, automation, research, and development) • Legal (Employment legislation, consumer law, health, and safety, international as well as trade regulation and restrictions) • Environmental (Climate, recycling procedures, carbon footprint, waste disposal, and sustainability) Get 10-25% Discount on Immediate purchase 👉 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/request-discount/3088572-jigsaw-puzzle-market-1?utm_source=Tina_OpenPR&utm_id=Tina Points Covered in Table of Content of Global Jigsaw Puzzle Market: Chapter 01 - Jigsaw Puzzle Executive Summary Chapter 02 - Market Overview Chapter 03 - Key Success Factors Chapter 04 - Global Jigsaw Puzzle Market - Pricing Analysis Chapter 05 - Global Jigsaw Puzzle Market Background or History Chapter 06 - Global Jigsaw Puzzle Market Segmentation (e.g. Type, Application) Chapter 07 - Key and Emerging Countries Analysis Worldwide Jigsaw Puzzle Market Chapter 08 - Global Jigsaw Puzzle Market Structure & worth Analysis Chapter 09 - Global Jigsaw Puzzle Market Competitive Analysis & Challenges Chapter 10 - Assumptions and Acronyms Chapter 11 - Jigsaw Puzzle Market Research Methodology Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter-wise sections or region-wise report versions like North America, LATAM, Europe, Japan, Australia or Southeast Asia. Contact Us: Nidhi Bhavsar (PR & Marketing Manager) HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited Phone: +15075562445 sales@htfmarketreport.com About Author: HTF Market Intelligence Consulting is uniquely positioned to empower and inspire with research and consulting services to empower businesses with growth strategies, by offering services with extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events, and experience that assist in decision-making. This release was published on openPR.3. Focus on Structural Reforms:9בt35FQ㓕gѧ˙xi.}}1z7|qz^9~tuSrܑZ\w<hb g8Y #Z34bTN+u.ͣ"ӷ~Pu8HsIOHeIyXFMJ4%О9Ixܽ?YÀI8iq:N>i!Gӳ}xiEփUp4a)ə1b"g?¾|>l\W2yG:p#E}/g11cL*o?a/'*h'C+㍕~=\uyyUaʊ>uZDpZBax LPBlo}

While the proposal has garnered support from various stakeholders, there are also concerns about the potential implications of this policy change. Some experts worry that the exemption of the land value added tax may lead to speculative behavior in the real estate market, driving up housing prices and creating housing bubbles. It will be crucial for the government to closely monitor market dynamics and implement additional measures to prevent any adverse effects on housing affordability and market stability.

By ERIC TUCKER WASHINGTON (AP) — A ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday. Biden administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies , as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, told reporters Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. The update from Neuberger is the latest development in a massive hacking operation that has alarmed national security officials, exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the private sector and laid bare China’s hacking sophistication. The hackers compromised the networks of telecommunications companies to obtain customer call records and gain access to the private communications of “a limited number of individuals.” Though the FBI has not publicly identified any of the victims, officials believe senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures are among those whose whose communications were accessed. Neuberger said officials did not yet have a precise sense how many Americans overall were affected by Salt Typhoon, in part because the Chinese were careful about their techniques, but a “large number” were in the Washington-Virginia area. Officials believe the goal of the hackers was to identify who owned the phones and, if they were “government targets of interest,” spy on their texts and phone calls, she said. The FBI said most of the people targeted by the hackers are “primarily involved in government or political activity.” Neuberger said the episode highlighted the need for required cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry, something the Federal Communications Commission is to take up at a meeting next month. “We know that voluntary cyber security practices are inadequate to protect against China, Russia and Iran hacking of our critical infrastructure,” she said. The Chinese government has denied responsibility for the hacking.Trump threatens 100% tariffs on BRICS nations over dollar

As the debate over NATO's future continues, it remains to be seen how other member countries will respond to Trump's demands for fair payment. Some allies have pledged to increase their defense spending in line with NATO guidelines, while others remain reluctant to make significant changes to their budgets.The director's return to social media was met with an outpouring of support from fans and colleagues, who praised her courage and resilience in the face of adversity. Many expressed their admiration for her willingness to speak out against injustice and stand up for what she believes in, while others welcomed her back with open arms and offered words of encouragement.In a surprising move, Tencent Video recently announced changes to their membership plans, resulting in a reduction of available screens and devices for new subscribers. Previously offering access on up to 5 screens and 2 devices, the popular video streaming platform has downsized its offerings, leading to a phenomenon commonly referred to as "shrinking" memberships.

USWNT's Emma Hayes reacts to fans booing Korbin Albert at Wembley: 'I understand'Recently, an incident at Shanxi University has sparked controversy and concern within the academic community. Reports emerged that an international student at the university had allegedly touched a female student inappropriately by placing his hand on her buttocks. The incident has raised questions about campus safety, cultural differences, and the rights and responsibilities of both domestic and international students. In response to the incident, Shanxi University has issued a statement addressing the situation and reaffirming its commitment to creating a safe and respectful campus environment.As the club looks to part ways with their once-promising talent, they will be hoping to learn from this experience and avoid making the same mistakes in the future. Only time will tell if this decision proves to be the right one, but one thing is for certain - Manchester United must do whatever it takes to return to their former glory and compete with the best once again.

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Mbappé, who led France to World Cup glory in 2018 at the tender age of 19, has already achieved what many seasoned footballers can only dream of. His speed, skill, and composure on the field have marked him as a rising star in the footballing world. However, it is Messi's recognition of Mbappé's achievements and his open declaration of his own ambitions that highlight the importance of humility and respect in a sport that is often characterized by fierce competition and rivalries.Qlik Reveals Top AI and Data Trends for 2025Despite the dangers they faced, the evacuees remained resolute and determined to reach their destination. With the support of the Chinese government and the tireless efforts of the evacuation team, the citizens were able to navigate through the green corridors and eventually reach the designated extraction point. The successful evacuation of the Chinese nationals from Syria was a testament to the strength and resilience of both the evacuees and the officials involved in the operation.

The news of the director's departure from social media sent shockwaves through the entertainment community, with many fans expressing their disappointment and concern. However, just when it seemed like the director had disappeared from the spotlight, her social media account was unexpectedly unlocked. This sudden turn of events sparked a wave of interest and speculation, as fans and industry insiders wondered whether the director would return to the platform and how she would address the recent controversy.In response to the changing market landscape, companies have been forced to rethink their business strategies and adapt to new consumer behaviors. One such initiative is the "Spring Dawn Plan," which has recently launched a "Factory Direct Sales" model to help businesses traverse the challenges brought about by the new economic environment.

3. Xiaomi Unveils its First SUV Model YU7:By taking these precautions and being mindful of the weather conditions, we can better protect ourselves from the cold and stay healthy and cozy during the winter days. Remember, staying warm and taking care of yourself is essential for overall well-being, especially during the colder months.

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Tired of thinking about what gifts to get everyone this year? Artificial intelligence chatbots might help, but don’t expect them to do all the work or always give you the right answers. Anyone scouring the internet for Cyber Monday deals is likely going to encounter more conversational iterations of the chatbots that some retailers and e-commerce sites have built to provide shoppers with enhanced customer service. Some companies have integrated models infused with newer generative AI technologies, allowing shoppers to seek advice by asking naturally phrased questions like “What’s the best wireless speaker?” Retailers hope consumers use these chatbots, which are typically called shopping assistants — as virtual companions that help them discover or compare products. Prior chatbots were mostly used for task-oriented functions such as helping customers track down online orders or return ones that didn’t meet expectations. Amazon, the king of online retail, has said its customers have been questioning Rufus — the generative AI- powered shopping assistant it launched this year — for information such as whether a specific coffee maker is easy to clean, or what recommendations it has for a lawn game for a child’s birthday party. And Rufus, which is available for holiday shoppers in the U.S. and some other countries, is not the only shopping assistant out there. A select number of Walmart shoppers will have access this year to a similar chatbot the nation’s largest retailer is testing in a few product categories, including toys and electronics. Perplexity AI added something new to the AI chat-shopping world last month by rolling out a feature on its AI-powered search engine that enables users to ask a question like “What’s the best women’s leather boots?” and then receive specific product results that the San Francisco-based company says are not sponsored. “It has been adopted at pretty incredible scale,” Mike Mallazzo, an analyst and writer at retail research media company Future Commerce, said. Retailers with websites and e-commerce companies started paying more attention to chatbots when use of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence text chatbot made by the company OpenAI, went mainstream in late 2022, sparking public and business interest in the generative AI technology that powers the tool. Victoria’s Secret, IKEA, Instacart and the Canadian retailer Ssense are among other companies experimenting with chatbots, some of which use technology from OpenAI. Even before the improved chatbots, online retailers were creating product recommendations based on a customer’s prior purchases or search history. Amazon was at the forefront of having recommendations on its platform, so Rufus’ ability to provide some is not particularly groundbreaking. But Rajiv Mehta, the vice president of search and conversational shopping at Amazon, said the company is able to offer more helpful recommendations now by programming Rufus to ask clarifying or follow-up questions. Customers are also using Rufus to look for deals, some of which are personalized, Mehta said. To be sure, chatbots are prone to hallucinations, so Rufus and most of the tools like it can get things wrong. Juozas Kaziukenas, founder of e-commerce intelligence firm Marketplace Pulse, wrote in a November blog post that his firm tested Rufus by requesting gaming TV recommendations. The chatbot’s response included products that were not TVs. When asked for the least expensive options, Rufus came back with suggestions that weren’t the cheapest, Kaziukenas said. An Associated Press reporter recently asked Rufus to give some gift recommendations for a brother. The chatbot quickly spit out a few ideas for “thoughtful gifts,” ranging from a T-shirt and a keychain with charms to a bolder suggestion: a multifunctional knife engraved with the phrase “BEST BROTHER EVER.” After a 5-minute written conversation, Rufus offered more tailored suggestions — a few Barcelona soccer jerseys sold by third-party sellers. But it wasn’t able to say which seller offered the lowest price. When asked during another search for a price comparison on a popular skin serum, Rufus showed the product’s pre-discounted price instead of its present one. “Rufus is constantly learning,” Amazon’s Mehta said during an interview. Shop AI, a chatbot that Canadian e-commerce company Shopify launched last year, can also help shoppers discover new products by asking its own questions, such as soliciting details about an intended gift recipient or features the buyer wants to avoid. Shop AI has trouble, however, recommending specific products or identifying the lowest-priced item in a product category. The limitations show the technology is still in its infancy and has a long way to go before it becomes as useful as the retail industry — and many shoppers — wish it could be. To truly transform the shopping experience, shopping assistants will “need to be deeply personalized” and be able — on their own — to remember a customer’s order history, product preferences and purchasing habits, consulting giant McKinsey & Company said in an August report. Amazon has noted that Rufus’ answers are based on information contained in product listings, community Q&As and customer reviews, which would include the fake reviews that are used to boost or diminish sales for products on its marketplace. The large language model that powers the chatbot was also trained on the company’s entire catalog and some public information on the web, Trishul Chilimbi, an Amazon vice president who oversees AI research, wrote in the electrical engineering magazine IEEE Spectrum in October. But its unclear how Amazon and other companies are weighting different training components — such as reviews — in their recommendations, or how exactly the shopping assistants come up with them, according to Nicole Greene, an analyst at management consulting firm Gartner. Perplexity AI’s new shopping feature allows users to enter search queries such as “best phone case” and to receive answers derived from various sources, including Amazon and other retailers, such as Best Buy. Perplexity also invited retailers to share data about their products and said those that do would have an increased chance of having their items recommended to shoppers. But Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, suggested in a recent interview with Fortune magazine that he didn’t know how the new shopping feature recommended products to customers. But in an interview with the AP, Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko pushed back on that characterization, saying Srinivas’ comment “was probably taken out of context.” The context, he said, is that with generative AI technology “You can’t know in advance exactly what the output will be just based off of knowing what the inputs” are from the training materials. Shevelenko said retailers and brands need to know they can’t have their products recommended in Perplexity’s search engine because they’re “jamming key words” into their websites or using different techniques to show up better on search results “The way you show up in an answer is by having a better product and better features,” he said.\&˖q>+E7*6{txA40݇`7ƴ\I~Lr]Ț%z8J JV?,cp~KO)'DL{:MCsh.QB8[ |GfJr)L> ^>ٚ"QdlvkdH,zMgmc.UJ#JT(uxNU\u cjC}u|G"8zvmFm.} ,N:YɻK `Wʌ=ZAZKr#7绺>YGC]dTWuEH[]-bc waq5dLl=ǫl%B/%GfzZ}[c}pXHpD&ypWTX_2TD -|H?&P*OrJjXɕu#[xW:tdo!7Ad]R[ChT` `d

Ministers have been accused of "burying their heads in the sand" about the potential benefits of a youth mobility scheme with the EU . Despite repeatedly citing economic growth as a number one priority , the Treasury and Home Office have refused to conduct an assessment of how a deal for young people to live and work across the bloc could boost the economy. Despite repeated requests, Sir Keir Starmer ’s cabinet have refused to look into the potential economic benefits of a deal with Brussels, or with the countries Britain has already signed agreements with. Liberal Democrat EU spokesman James MacCleary said: “It’s astonishing that ministers are burying their heads in the sand over the potential benefits of a youth mobility scheme with the EU. Such a scheme would not only deliver economic benefits but also help businesses address labour shortages in key sectors such as hospitality. “Young people contribute significantly to the economy while living and working here, and for a government that claims to prioritise growth, refusing even to assess this opportunity is deeply disappointing.” Asked to conduct an impact assessment of the UK’s existing youth mobility schemes, which include ones with Japan, Australia and New Zealand, Home Office minister Seema Malhotra declined. She said the schemes are “not designed, nor intended, to be a route for economic growth or to address any specific labour shortages”. It comes after the EU’s former chief negotiator piled pressure on Sir Keir to strike a deal with Brussels that would allow young people to live and work in Europe as part of his much-hyped post- Brexit reset. In a policy brief setting out the potential future EU-UK relationship, Ignacio Garcia Bercero called on the prime minister to strike an agreement on youth mobility and cultural facilitation as part of a series of deals with Brussels to complement the existing trade and cooperation agreement (TCA), which currently governs trade with the bloc. Sir Keir has so far ruled out agreeing to such a scheme, which would let under-30s live, study and work across the bloc for a period, despite it being one of the EU’s top priorities in renewed talks. When Britain was part of the EU, freedom of movement allowed people to live and work freely across the bloc. The deal on offer from Brussels would let British people live and work in Europe, with Europeans welcome to do the same in Britain, for two or three years. Emma Knaggs, Deputy CEO, European Movement UK, said: "The potential benefits of a Youth Mobility deal are huge. There is no price you can put on the opportunity for young people to experience cultural, educational and social exchanges by living and studying in other countries. That does not mean there aren’t also measurable economic benefits for the UK to be found in such a scheme, and it’s right that the Government should assess the potential economic boost that reaching an agreement with the EU could bring. “The UK has youth mobility schemes with 13 other countries - including Australia and Japan - so it makes sense to have one with our nearest neighbours and closest partners. And it makes sense to analyse the boost that could bring to our struggling economy. Dismissing the idea of reciprocal youth mobility simply means letting down British young people who face all sorts of difficulties and have seen their horizons curtailed by Brexit. Young people want and deserve the chance to study or work in Europe. The government owes it to them to make sure they get that chance." A government spokesman said: “There are no plans for a Youth Mobility Scheme and we will not return to freedom of movement.”Walmart has this massive 75-inch 4K UHD TV on sale for less than $480 — and you can get it delivered ASAP

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Datasource Background Screening Partners with Cerebrum to Elevate Client Experience with Integrated Identity Verification ServicesToronto Sceptres open PWHL season with 3-1 comeback win over Boston Fleet

TORONTO — Hannah Miller scored a power-play goal with 1:38 remaining in the game, lifting the Toronto Sceptres to a 3-1 victory over the Boston Fleet in the Professional Women's Hockey League season opener on Saturday. With Boston standout Hilary Knight in the penalty box for a vicious boarding penalty on Sceptres defender Renata Fast, Miller made good on her rebound attempt on a Daryl Watts shot with a half-open net. Fast recovered for an assist on the winner before 8,089 fans at Coca-Cola Coliseum. The Fleet (0-1-0) challenged the goal, but video review deemed Miller's shot was good. Sarah Nurse got Toronto (1-0-0) on the board with a short-handed tally 11:50 into the first period and Emma Maltais added an empty-net strike to seal the score at 3-1 with 12 seconds left on the game clock. Boston's Hilary Knight opened the scoring at the 3:00 mark of the opening frame, sending a slap shot past Toronto goalie Kristin Campbell, who registered 18 stops on the night. Toronto outshot Boston 41-19. Boston goalie Aerin Frankel, a big reason why her team advanced to the Walter Cup final last spring, was outstanding with 38 saves. Frankel made a significant glove-hand stop on Toronto defender Jocelyne Larocque with 6:36 remaining in the third period. Larocque was alone when a rebound caromed to her in front. But the puck was rolling, and she could only lift her shot straight into Frankel's glove. Nurse's goal tested the league's new jailbreak rule that sees a minor penalty — in this case, Izzy Daniel's tripping infraction — wiped out when a team scores a short-handed goal. . Takeaways Sceptres: Billie Jean King MVP Natalie Spooner missed the season opener. The PWHL scoring champion underwent left knee surgery last June after getting injured in Game 3 of Toronto's first-round series against Minnesota. Fleet: Defender Emma Greco of Burlington, Ont., played her first game for Boston. She was part of the Walter Cup-winning Minnesota team that defeated Boston in a three-game series last spring. Greco is one of five Ontario-born players on the Fleet roster. Key moment With the game tied 1-1, the Sceptres failed to score during a 59-second 5-on-3 advantage midway through the second period. Boston blocked five shots during the span. Key stat Last year, Toronto enjoyed an 11-game win streak en route to its regular-season championship, including three wins against Boston. Up next Toronto visits Ottawa on Tuesday. Boston will play its home opener on Wednesday, a rematch with the Walter Cup-champion Minnesota. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 30, 2024. Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press

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