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In the second quarter of a September game at Baylor, Air Force trainer Erick Kozlowski stopped coach Troy Calhoun on the sideline. Linebacker Grant Uyl had gone down with an injury, and Kozlowski had the unfortunate update. It was a âpretty seriousâ knee injury. âI said, like, done for a quite a while?â Calhoun said. âHe said, âProbably done for the season.ââ Fast forward three weeks, Koz again updated Calhoun on Uyl. The senior might be ready by the second week of November. Calhoun was taken aback. âCome back? Really come back, practice and play?â Calhoun asked the teamâs longtime trainer. âHe said, âWeâre dealing with a rare guy here.ââ This isnât about the physical recovery Uyl underwent in two months. Air Force football, under Calhoun, doesnât discuss injuries. The diagnosis and treatment are unknown to The Gazette. But they are also irrelevant to the story being told here. Instead, this is a look at the mindset of a young man â backed by a family well-versed in athletics and the unfortunate reality of injuries â who assessed his situation rationally and decided it was worth giving all he had to return. The team was spiraling. He already had accomplished his personal goals. His pilot training slot was already secured. But he wanted to finish strong. This is Uylâs story. But itâs probably emblematic of the 2024 Falcons, a team that has similarly picked itself off the canvas and is in the midst of a memorable finish. *** Grant Uyl sent a text to his parents from the locker room at Baylor. âWell, if this is it,â he wrote. âItâs been a heck of a journey.â Grant, the middle of Marcy and Mark Uylâs three children, had helped DeWitt High School in Grand Rapids, Mich., to its only football championship as a senior. He was accepted to the Naval Academy, but had fallen in love with Air Force on a Junior Day visit and when that acceptance followed he jumped on it. Then he waited. The Falcons' linebacker room was loaded with upperclassmen like T.D. Blackmon, Alec Mock and Johnathan Youngblood, so the younger players had few opportunities. He entered his senior year having appeared in three games and with no statistics to his credit. That changed in the opener, as Uyl made three tackles, forced and recovered a fumble and notched a quarterback hurry against Merrimack. The next week he made seven stops, including two for loss, against San Jose State. At Baylor, he walked out to the coin toss as a team captain and made three early unassisted stops. But when he left the field, his parents knew something was wrong. Had it been a rolled ankle, Grant would have played through it. Instead, he handed off his helmet and went to the medical tent. After the game, strength and conditioning coach Matt McGettigan and linebackers coach Ken Lamendola â both like father figures or older brothers in Grantâs life, his mother said â walked him out of the locker room and to his awaiting parents. He melted into his motherâs arms. âHe was emotional, but he said, you know mom, I have accomplished all of the football goals,â Marcy Uyl said. âI knew he was going to be OK.â Those goals were to win a high school state title. Use football as a means to a free college education. And then become a contributor to that college team. As he faced what, at the time, was believed to be the end, he took comfort in that. His mother, in turn, found comfort in seeing him cope in such a way. âYouâre always OK if your kidâs OK,â Marcy Uyl said. *** Marcy and Mark Uyl rerouted their flight to Colorado Springs, rather than returning to Michigan, following Grantâs injury at Baylor. They wanted to meet the doctors and provide support. Turns out, there was a choice to be made. Again, The Gazette isnât privy to the details, but it sounds like Uyl chose an option that would put off a course of action that would definitively end his season. âAs soon as you tell yourself youâre not going to be able to come back, youâre not going to be able to come back,â he said. âSo my mindset the whole time is that Iâd be able to join the boys back out there on Saturdays.â His parents sought opinions from their vast network of contacts, including sports medical personnel at Michigan State. They were comfortable with the plan that was chosen. And this was from an informed, experienced perspective. Mark and Marcy Uyl were both college athletes. Mark went on to a career as a longtime official â heâs worked College World Series games as an umpire â and is the Michigan High School Athletic Association executive director. Marcy is the varsity girlsâ basketball coach at DeWitt High School. They had seen athletes deal with injuries, including those in their household. Grantâs older brother, Jackson, broke his leg playing football as a freshman in high school. Part of the rehab â at his motherâs insistence â was in the pool. Jackson, who grew to 6-foot-4, ended up swimming collegiately for NCAA Division III Hope College. Madi, a three-sport athlete who signed last week to play NCAA Division II basketball at Grand Valley State, had just recovered from an injury when Grant suffered his. This experience, and Grantâs even-keeled outlook on most things, allowed the family to approach the situation level-headed. It helped that all had full confidence in Air Forceâs medical and training staff â including Kozlowski, Ernie Sedelmyer and McGettigan â and the institution as a whole that they trusted to keep Grantâs long-term health in mind. âThey donât put a kid in harmâs way,â Marcy Uyl said. âAnd he said, âIâm already going to compete at the next level, I want to be a fighter pilot.ââ The decision was made to try to return. âWe both had a conversation with him, heart to heart, to make sure he was doing this for him,â Marcy Uyl said. âNot for his dad, not for his mom, not to prove something, but that he believed he could do it and it was the right thing for him and not to please anybody else. âHe said, âNope, if I can do it Iâm going to do it and Iâm going to help this team.ââ *** Grant Uyl returned to the field against Army on Nov. 2, making six tackles. He has added three tackles in each of the past two weeks, as Air Force has climbed back from a seven-game losing streak with back-to-back wins. He had 1.5 sacks in a 28-0 shutout of Oregon State last week, adding a stop on fourth down. âAll the intangibles,â Calhoun said of what Uyl brings as a player. âTremendous instincts. Loves to play. Loves contact. Gets it in terms of being part of being something more than just his own shell, his own self. The resiliency. And he made a couple of key plays last week, especially in the open field.â This team, that saw roster inexperience exacerbated by a rash of injuries to Uyl and others, suddenly finds itself as a potential bowl team, should it close with two more wins and certain things play out that calls for 5-7 teams to fill the bowl slate. âItâs awesome to see that we have a lot of guys that will never give up, never quit, no matter how bad circumstances may seem to be,â Uyl said. âIt allows you to have a lot of trust in the people who go out on the field next to you on Saturdays.â Uylâs parents didnât give up on the season, either. With the exception of the game at New Mexico â a time Grant was able to return home to Michigan â Marcy or Mark, or both, have attended every game. That will obviously continue as the season closes with games at Nevada and San Diego State. âAbsolutely, we canât wait,â Marcy Uyl said. âIf heâs going to work this hard and finish this out, we will ride this ride with him, wholeheartedly.â As for Grant, though he remained focused on returning the whole time, heâs too smart to understand that he might have already played his last snap. Getting this new lease â for him, for the team â has helped him savor the final stretch of the season. âIt really puts it into perspective that, being a senior, this is it for me and just being able to cherish every day in practice I have, every day in the weight room, and then obviously the games I have left, it has made it a little bit more special,â he said. âJust super thankful. It feels right that weâre starting to play better defense, but weâve got to string a couple of weeks together and finish this thing out on a high note.âNumaish in Hyderabad to now open on this date
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ZOUK MOSBEH, Lebanon â The crushing reality of homes and businesses reduced to crumbled cement and mangled steel has curdled the joy many in Lebanon felt after Israel and Hezbollah agreed a ceasefire earlier this week. âI have no house. Now weâre looking in the village to rent one apartment,â Ali Eid, 56, told NBC News in a telephone interview Friday after returning to his hometown of Maarakah in southern Lebanonâs Tyre district. âWe, as many other people, are extremely happy to come back, but at the same time, I look at the people who lost their houses and their loved ones, itâs devastating,â added the high school teacher. Eid was one of almost 1.2 million people displaced inside Lebanon as Israel and the Hezbollah militant group traded fire during almost 14 months of conflict that began the day after Hamasâ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack in which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. Thousands of people displaced to northern Lebanon by the fighting have started to make their way back south as the fragile ceasefire negotiated by the United States continues to hold, despite Israel urging them to stay put. Almost 3,500 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to officials in the country. In northern Israel, 60,000 people have been forced from their homes, with 80 soldiers and 50 civilians killed, according to local officials. Imad Komayha is a political activist and writer who moved several times after leaving his home in the village of Kfarsir before he ended up in Lebanonâs north. On his return, he said around 50 homes had been destroyed in the village, but his house was still standing. âSome shattered glass only, but around us, my neighborâs house is on the ground.â âI am happy, scared, in complete shock at the same time. People are in complete shock. Looking at the destruction is devastating,â said Komayha, 58, adding that he had been to the funerals of a mother, her daughter and her son-in-law shortly after he returned. âWeâre trying to do many tasks at the same time, cleaning the house, receiving neighbors, getting news from people who did not show up, asking about the casualties,â he said. âLetâs hope this will be our last displacement. It feels great to get back home,â he added. Others like Elham Ezzeldine were less fortunate. After she returned from her brotherâs house in Lebanonâs capital Beirut to her home in the southern city of Tyre, she estimated it would cost her at least $30,000 to repair it. âI canât describe to you the amount of damage,â the 51-year-old housewife said. âThere are some areas and streets in Tyre that are on the ground. I donât know how long it will take us to go back to our normal life and city. My husband is not working. He used to have a clothing store in Tyre, which was completely demolished.â âI cry for Tyre, my beautiful city, I cry for the people who lost their loved ones and their houses,â she said. âI wonder what everybody gained from this damned war, except death and destruction,â she added. After nearly a year of cross-border clashes in parallel with the Gaza war, Israel stepped up its air and ground campaign in Lebanon in September, while a large number of Hezbollahâs leaders were assassinated including its chief, Hassan Nasrallah. In the village of Niha, Ali Alamine was also âangryâ at the destruction. âI canât describe my feelings, we lost many friends during the war, and I am devastated.â Alamine, 52, said he âcried like a baby,â when he saw the destruction in nearby Dahiya, where his office is based. âHearing the news is one thing and seeing the damage is another story,â he added. While he counts the personal cost of the conflict, the cost of physical damage and economic losses for Lebanon will be around $8.5 billion, according to an estimate from the World Bank â a huge price for a country still suffering the effects of a financial collapse five years ago. And while the truce was the first major sign of progress in the region since war began more than a year ago, it did not address the war in Gaza, where United Nations and aid officials say hunger and desperation are growing among the population, almost all of which relies on humanitarian aid to survive. Meanwhile in Lebanon, Alamine and others are still taking stock of the devastation. âI thank God that we lost material things only, but again it hurts so bad to see all this,â he said, adding: âLetâs hope that everything is over and that we can have a normal life again.âFurthermore, the partnership will also focus on providing businesses with access to financing options through Amazon's lending program, which offers short-term loans to eligible sellers to help them manage cash flow and invest in growth opportunities. By leveraging Intuit's financial data and algorithms, Amazon will be able to offer tailored financing solutions to businesses based on their performance and creditworthiness.As the call for action grows louder, the villagers remain hopeful that their voices will be heard, and the necessary steps will be taken to rehabilitate the village roads. They believe that with the support of the authorities and the solidarity of the community, a brighter and more accessible future awaits them.
NEW YORK â President-elect Donald Trump's lawyers urged a judge again Friday to throw out his hush money conviction, balking at the prosecution's suggestion of preserving the verdict by treating the case the way some courts do when a defendant dies. They called the idea "absurd." The Manhattan district attorney's office asked Judge Juan M. Merchan to "pretend as if one of the assassination attempts against President Trump had been successful," Trump's lawyers wrote in a 23-page response. In court papers made public Tuesday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books after Trump's lawyers filed paperwork this month asking for the case to be dismissed. They include freezing the case until Trump leaves office in 2029, agreeing that any future sentence won't include jail time, or closing the case by noting he was convicted but that he wasn't sentenced and his appeal wasn't resolved because of presidential immunity. Former President Donald Trump appears May 30 at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York. Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove reiterated Friday their position that the only acceptable option is overturning his conviction and dismissing his indictment, writing that anything less will interfere with the transition process and his ability to lead the country. The Manhattan district attorney's office declined comment. It's unclear how soon Merchan will decide. He could grant Trump's request for dismissal, go with one of the prosecution's suggestions, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump's parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court, or choose some other option. In their response Friday, Blanche and Bove ripped each of the prosecution's suggestions. Halting the case until Trump leaves office would force the incoming president to govern while facing the "ongoing threat" that he'll be sentenced to imprisonment, fines or other punishment as soon as his term ends, Blanche and Bove wrote. Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. The prosecution's suggestion that Merchan could mitigate those concerns by promising not to sentence Trump to jail time on presidential immunity grounds is also a non-starter, Blanche and Bove wrote. The immunity statute requires dropping the case, not merely limiting sentencing options, they contend. Attorney Todd Blanche listens May 30 as his client Donald Trump speaks at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York. Blanche and Bove, both of whom Trump tapped for high-ranking Justice Department positions, expressed outrage at the prosecution's novel suggestion that Merchan borrow from Alabama and other states and treat the case as if Trump died. Blanche and Bove accused prosecutors of ignoring New York precedent and attempting to "fabricate" a solution "based on an extremely troubling and irresponsible analogy between President Trump" who survived assassination attempts in Pennsylvania in July and Florida in September "and a hypothetical dead defendant." Such an option normally comes into play when a defendant dies after being convicted but before appeals are exhausted. It is unclear whether it is viable under New York law, but prosecutors suggested that Merchan could innovate in what's already a unique case. "This remedy would prevent defendant from being burdened during his presidency by an ongoing criminal proceeding," prosecutors wrote in their filing this week. But at the same time, it wouldn't "precipitously discard" the "meaningful fact that defendant was indicted and found guilty by a jury of his peers." Prosecutors acknowledged that "presidential immunity requires accommodation" during Trump's impending return to the White House but argued that his election to a second term should not upend the jury's verdict, which came when he was out of office. Longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Other world leaders don't enjoy the same protection. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges even as he leads that nation's wars in Lebanon and Gaza. President-elect Donald Trump attends a Dec. 7 meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Trump has fought for months to reverse his May 30 conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors said he fudged the documents to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier, which Trump denies. Trump's hush money conviction was in state court, meaning a presidential pardon â issued by Biden or himself when he takes office â would not apply to the case. Presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes. Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith ended his two federal cases, which pertained to Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and allegations that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. A separate state election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, is largely on hold. Trump denies wrongdoing in each case. Trump was scheduled for sentencing in the hush money case in late November, but following Trump's Nov. 5 election win, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed the former and future president's sentencing so the defense and prosecution could weigh in on the future of the case. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. 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. âHe 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,â Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a âcon 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 Channelâs âFox & Friends Weekendâ 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 â ranging from Russiaâs 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 âThe War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,â 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 Trumpâs 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-electâs 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 âopen for business.â 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 Trumpâs 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. âThere's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,â 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 nationâs first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trumpâs campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. âThis 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,â 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 Departmentâs workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workersâ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employerâs rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the âProtecting the Right to Organizeâ or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workersâ rights. The act would also weaken âright-to-workâ 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 Trumpâs first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person heâs yet selected for his administration, with âhelping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Countryâs most distressed communities.â 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 âThe Bottom Lineâ on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, âFox and Friends Weekendâ 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 â a key pillar of Trumpâs quest to achieve U.S. âenergy dominanceâ in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industryâs loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is âcollapsing under its own weight.â 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 Trumpâs 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 Trumpâs initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. Sheâs 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 Trumpâs transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trumpâs 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. âI know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,â 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. âI look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,â Trump said in a statement, calling him a âfearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americansâ who would ensure âthe Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.â Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administrationâs attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agencyâs 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 reportersâ 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 , âWe will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.â âWe will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,â 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 âDrill, baby, drill,â referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin âwill 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.â 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 FCCâs 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 âFox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on âSaturday Night Live.â 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 âproven leader for common sense regulations.â In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. âHe 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,â 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. governmentâs 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 â 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 Muskâs 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 SpaceXâs 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. Stefanikâs 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 âa strong warrior and loyal Patriotâ who âwill ensure the United Statesâ interests are advanced and defendedâ and âstrengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.â The choice of Whitaker as the nationâs 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 âbrings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.â 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. âIn my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,â Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. âHe 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.â 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. âHe loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,â Trump said in a statement. âMike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.â 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 Godâs 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 âa close friend and allyâ and praised her âsharp intellect make her supremely qualified.â Guilfoyle was on stage with the family on election night. âI 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,â Don Jr. posted. The ambassador positions must be approved by the U.S. Senate. Guilfoyle said in a social media post that she was âhonored to accept President Trumpâs nomination to serve as the next Ambassador to Greece and I look forward to earning the support of the U.S. Senate.â 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 âis a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,â Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. âSteve 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 Trumpâs 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 âbringing 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.â (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. âMike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,â Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!â 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 Trumpâs top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nationâs 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 countryâs ever seen.â Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's âzero toleranceâ 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 âhas worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.â 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 Trumpâs 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 âThe Dr. Oz Show,â 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 âDepartment of Government Efficiency" â which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym âDOGEâ 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 âadvice and guidanceâ and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to âdrive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.â 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 âpave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.â Russell Vought held the position during Trumpâs first presidency. After Trumpâs initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as ârenew a consensus of America as a nation under God.â Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trumpâs 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 heâs 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 âlawful governorâ in her 2023 book, âUnafraid: Just Getting Started.â Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of âTrump's longest serving and most trusted aides,â 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 committeeâs 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 âTrump can fix itâ 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 Weldonâs opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nationâs 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 publicâs 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, âtherefore making it much better for American Workers.â 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 â not the Republican senator â 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 Trumpâs 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 âwell-respected and experienced voice of reason.â 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. âAndrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,â Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, âAndrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Countryâs History.â 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 Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.The news of this unexpected act of kindness quickly spread throughout the community, inspiring many to reflect on the importance of empathy and compassion towards others. In a world that often emphasizes material possessions and personal gain, the Rolls-Royce owner's actions served as a poignant reminder that true wealth lies not in what we own, but in how we choose to impact the lives of those around us.FBI warns NBA of 'sophisticated' home theft groups after break-ins-memo
Need of the hour, Muslim Cabinet Minister or Rule of Law: Muslim perspectiveAs Weaver bids farewell to his colleagues and readers alike, many are left wondering what the future holds for the publication. Will Wilcox be able to fill the void left by Weaver's departure, or will his absence be keenly felt in the pages of the publication?Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday picked a side in Illinoisâ long-running debate over how to regulate delta-8 and other hemp-derived products, throwing his support behind a bill that would effectively ban most sales of the weedlike substances that have soared in popularity thanks to a loophole in federal law. Pritzker called it a matter of protecting children, despite the vehement opposition of hemp industry advocates who say state Sen. Kimberly Lightfordâs bill would wipe out thousands of jobs and criminalize nonintoxicating CBD products at the benefit of billion-dollar cannabis corporations. âAs this market has flourished, there have been far too many stories of people, especially children, ingesting intoxicating hemp products and getting sick,â Pritzker said during a West Loop news conference. He held up bags labeled âNerdy Bears,â an example of the unregulated psychoactive gummies that are packaged to resemble familiar candy brands. The bill sponsored by Lightford, a Hillside Democrat, would limit sales of most hemp-derived products to licensed cannabis dispensaries, except for beverages, which would be allowable for licensed alcohol sellers and distributors. But pending a lengthy evaluation period to set consumer safety and licensing standards, most of the hemp product merchants who have proliferated in an estimated $800 million industry would be cut out completely. Pritzker, who championed weed legalization when he took office, has long called for regulations on hemp products, as have leaders of both the cannabis and hemp lobbies. The governor said Lightfordâs approach was better than alternatives offered up by hemp industry leaders who welcome stringent licensing requirements that would let them stay in business. âI understand that there are a lot of stores that are selling these products that would not be able to sell these products,â Pritzker said. âBut typically, theyâre not stores that are dedicated to this product. There are a few, but mostly these are convenience stores, gas stations. Theyâve got other products that they sell. They wouldnât go out of business not selling this one.â Lightfordâs bill passed the Illinois Senate by a 54-1 vote in the spring, but never made it to the statehouse floor . Itâll require a three-fifths House majority to pass it by the end of the lame duck session Jan. 7. West Side state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, will be fighting it. Heâs pushing to limit sales to people 21 or older, require manufacturers to undergo product testing to obtain $500 licenses, impose a 10% tax rate on sellers and â most importantly â allow current sellers to stay in the market. âTo think weâre going to turn back the hands of time for a prohibition when we thought we learned from the prohibition of cannabis â thatâs whatâs most disappointing,â Ford said. âWith synthetic drugs being spewed in communities, when you drive it to the underground market, it makes it more dangerous for people, and that was the main reason we regulated cannabis.â The hemp-based brouhaha centers around delta-8, the mind-altering substance that can be derived from the plant, which federal lawmakers didnât account for when they legalized sales of hemp derivatives in 2018. Other derivatives like CBD are used in a wide array of lotions, oils, shampoo and more popular wellness products that donât have psychoactive effects. Lightford said her bill âprotects consumers, helps our cannabis industry flourish, keeps the promise to our social equity communities and doesnât stifle reputable hemp business establishments.â But Jennifer Weiss said sheâs terrified the proposed legislation would drive her out of business at Cubbingtonâs Cabinet, her Victorian-inspired apothecary in the Roscoe Village neighborhood. âAlmost every single thing that I sell, due to the various components of the bill, would be banned,â said Weiss, who added that she opened the shop in 2020 specifically because of the lack of regulations around hemp products. âI wanted to provide a trustworthy source of these products. Weâve been pushing for thoughtful regulation.â Charles Wu, CEO of ChiâTiva locations and director of the Illinois Hemp Business Association, estimated 10,000 people would be put out of work from the hemp product industry if Lightfordâs bill becomes law. He called it âan unjust and cynical attempt to protect the handful of billionaires who own most of the licensed cannabis industry.â âItâs like a Coke vs. Pepsi situation, and Coke gets to make all the rules, which is not cool,â Wu said. âWeâre not the bad guys. Weâre not like the out-of-staters who are shipping in this [lookalike packaging] crap that the cannabis side tries to paint us as. We have been willing and asking for much more strict, limiting licensing.â Tiffany Chappell Ingram, director of the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, said in a statement that âwe look forward to working collaboratively to put in place a measure that will empower consumers, protect public health and help ensure our stateâs legal cannabis industry can reach its full potential.âAn October 2021 photo of Mexican soldiers on patrol in the state of MichoacaĚn in Mexico. A California couple with Mexican roots went south for the holidays to visit relatives, an annual tradition among many U.S. residents of Mexican ancestry. But tragedy struck: Both were shot dead in Mexico's violence-plagued MichoacaĚn state, Mexican authorities said Friday. The couple fell victim to the violence that has been pummeling Mexico. Police were investigating but had no immediate word on a motive or possible suspects, said Magdalena GuzmaĚn, a spokeswoman for the state prosecutor's office. Advertisement The two were shot just before midnight Thursday while inside a pickup truck on a road in rural Angamacutiro, a municipality of about 15,000 in northern MichoacaĚn. In the last few months, Angamacutiro has seen its chief of security murdered and an ex-mayor disappeared â crimes indicative of the violence that has convulsed the western state of MichoacaĚn. The victims of Thursday's double homicide were identified as Rafael Cardona Aguilera, 53, and his wife, Gloria Ambriz de Cardona, 50, according to authorities and a mourning notice posted on social media.... Patrick J. McDonnell
In a significant development, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has reportedly arrived in Moscow and been granted asylum by the Russian government, as reported by Russian media outlets. This unexpected turn of events has sparked a wave of speculation and debate about the potential implications for the ongoing conflict in Syria and the wider geopolitical landscape.The incident took place at a remote location, hidden from the public eye but not from the lenses of vigilant netizens. Images of individuals kneeling on the ground while being struck by batons raise serious concerns about the working conditions and treatment of employees in such establishments.
In conclusion, Munir El Haddadi's perspective on the upcoming match against Manchester City reflects his dedication to the game and his team's pursuit of victory. The Spanish forward's words inspire confidence and determination in his teammates as they prepare to face a strong opponent in the Champions League. As Sevilla gears up for the showdown with City, Munir's mindset encapsulates the spirit of competition and the drive to succeed at the highest level of football.
The U.S. government's decision to mull over the ban on DJI and Da-Jiang Innovations reflects a broader trend of heightened vigilance towards foreign technology companies, particularly those with ties to China. The ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China have further exacerbated suspicions surrounding the use of Chinese-manufactured drones for espionage or other illicit purposes.Turkish Airlines to Begin Operations at The New Terminal One at JFK and Unveil World-Class Lounge
Jimmy Carter, a one-term president who became a globe-trotting elder statesman, dies at 100The Israeli military's incursion into the military buffer zone is a clear violation of established norms and agreements, further destabilizing an already volatile region. The move has sparked widespread condemnation from the international community, with many countries calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to the negotiating table."The Artful Escape," developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur and published by Annapurna Interactive, is a psychedelic platformer that follows the journey of a young musician seeking to find their true self through music and exploration. With its vibrant visuals, musical storytelling, and platforming gameplay, "The Artful Escape" offers a surreal and immersive experience that pushes the boundaries of traditional gaming narratives.
Pay first, deliver later: Some women are being asked to prepay for their babyRetailers coax Black Friday shoppers into stores with big discounts and giveaways NEW YORK (AP) â Retailers in the U.S. have used giveaways and bigger-than expected discounts to reward shoppers who ventured out on Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving still reigns for now as the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season even if itâs lost some luster. Analysts reported seeing the biggest crowds at stores that offered real savings. They say many shoppers are being cautious with their discretionary spending despite the easing of inflation. Stores are even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there are five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Online sales figures from Thanksgiving Day gave retailers a reason to remain hopeful for a lucrative end to the year. Canada's Trudeau says he had an 'excellent conversation' with Trump in Florida after tariffs threat WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) â Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he had an âexcellent conversationâ with Donald Trump in Florida after the president-electâs threat to impose significant tariffs on two of Americaâs leading trade partners raised alarms in Ottawa and Mexico City. It's unclear, as Trudeau headed back to Canada on Saturday, whether the conversation had alleviated Trumpâs concerns. Trumpâs transition team hasn't responded to questions about what the leaders had discussed at their dinner Friday night at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club. The Republican president-elect has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries donât stop what he said was the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders. Trump and Republicans in Congress eye an ambitious 100-day agenda, starting with tax cuts WASHINGTON (AP) â Republicans swept to power on Election Day and now control the House, the Senate and the White House, with plans for an ambitious 100-day agenda come January. Their to-do list includes extending tax breaks, cutting social programs, building the border wall to stop immigration and rolling back President Joe Biden's green energy policies. Atop that list is a plan to renew some $4 trillion in expiring tax cuts that were a signature domestic achievement of Republican Donald Trumpâs first term as president. It's an issue that may define his return to the White House. The ruble's in a slump. For the Kremlin, that's a two-edged sword Russiaâs ruble is sagging against other currencies, complicating the Kremlinâs efforts to keep consumer inflation under control with one hand even as it overheats the economy with spending on the war against Ukraine with the other. Over time a weaker ruble could mean higher prices for imports from China, Russia's main trade partner these days. President Vladimir Putin says things are under control. One wild card is sanctions against a key Russian bank that have disrupted foreign trade payments. If Russia finds a workaround for that, the ruble could regain some of its recent losses. Why your favorite catalogs are smaller this holiday season PORTLAND, Maine (AP) â While retailers hope to go big this holiday season, customers may notice that the catalogs arriving in their mailboxes are smaller. Many of the millions of catalogs getting sent to U.S. homes were scaled down to save on postage and paper. Some gift purveyors are sending out postcards. In a sign of the times, the American Catalog Mailers Association rebranded itself in May as the American Commerce Marketing Association. Despite no longer carrying an extended inventory of goods, industry experts say catalogs help retailers cut through the noise and still hold their own in value because of growing digital advertising costs. Iceland votes for a new parliament after political disagreements force an early election REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) â Icelanders are electing a new parliament after disagreements over immigration, energy policy and the economy forced Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to pull the plug on his coalition government and call early elections. This will be Icelandâs sixth general election since the 2008 financial crisis devastated the economy of the North Atlantic island nation and ushered in a new era of political instability. Opinion polls suggest the country may be in for another upheaval, with support for the three governing parties plunging. Benediktsson, who was named prime minister in April following the resignation of his predecessor, struggled to hold together the unlikely coalition of his conservative Independence Party with the centrist Progressive Party and the Left-Green Movement. Massachusetts lawmakers push for an effort to ban all tobacco sales over time BOSTON (AP) â A handful of Massachusetts lawmakers are hoping to persuade their colleagues to support a proposal that would make the state the first to adopt a ban meant to eliminate the use of tobacco products over time. Other locations have weighed similar âgenerational tobacco bans.â The bans phase out the use of tobacco products based not just on a person's age but on birth year. Lawmakers plan to file the proposal next year. If approved, the bill would set a date and ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born after that date forever, eventually banning all sales. Vietnam approves $67 billion high-speed railway project between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city HANOI, Vietnam (AP) â Vietnam has approved the construction of a high-speed railway connecting the capital Hanoi in the north with the financial capital of Ho Chi Minh in the south. It is expected to cost $67 billion and will stretch 1,541 kilometers (957 miles). The new train is expected to travel at speeds of up to 350 kph (217 mph), reducing the journey from the current 30 hours to just five hours. The decision was taken by Vietnamâs National Assembly on Saturday. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and Vietnam hopes that the first trains will start operating by 2035. But the country has been beleaguered by delays to its previous infrastructure projects. Inflation rose to 2.3% in Europe. That won't stop the central bank from cutting interest rates FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) â Inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro currency rose in November â but that likely wonât stop the European Central Bank from cutting interest rates as the prospect of new U.S. tariffs from the incoming Trump administration adds to the gloom over weak growth. The European Unionâs harmonized index of consumer prices rose 2.3 percent, up from 2.0% in October, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat. However, worries about growth mean the Dec. 12 ECB meeting is not about whether to cut rates, but by how much. Market buzz says there could be a larger than usual half-point cut in the benchmark rate, currently 3.25%. Stock market today: S&P 500 and Dow post gains and close out best month of 2024 NEW YORK (AP) â Stocks closed with solid gains as Wall Street put the finishing touches on one of its best months of the year. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 188 points, or 0.4%. The Nasdaq added 0.8%. Friday was an abbreviated trading day, with stocks closing at 1 p.m. ET and the bond market an hour later. Investors were looking to see how much shoppers are willing to spend on gifts for the holidays. Black Friday unofficially kicked off the holiday shopping season, although retailers had been offering early deals for weeks. Macyâs and Best Buy each gained around 2%.
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With the holidays taking up much of your time, you may not be concentrating on retirement moves to make before 2025. But if youâre the type of person who does everything to the max, investing in your future retirement now could be a game changer. In 2024, you can invest up to $23,000 into your 401(k) retirement plan as per IRS contribution limits. If youâre over 50 and need to play catch-up, you can invest an extra $7,500. That means your total possible contribution for 2024 is $30,500. If that seems like a lot, it is. But you donât have to max out your contributions if you canât afford it. Employer matching can help. In 2025, you can invest $23,500, bringing your possible contribution up to $31,500. If youâre over 50, the catch-up contribution remains at $7,500 for 2025. But a huge change was made in SECURE 2.0 for employees aged 60 to 63 who participate in workplace retirement plans. Starting in 2025, this super catch-up contribution limit is $11,250 instead of $7,500. ďżź Figure out how much you contributed. If youâve contributed as much as possible for the year, youâre in good shape going into 2025. If youâre not sure, you changed jobs or havenât contributed consistently in 2024, you still have time to make adjustments to max out your 401(k) contributions for the year. ďżźCheck your employerâs match. Employer matching is a job benefit not to be overlooked. After all, for every dollar you save in your 401(k), your employer matches your contributions dollar-for-dollar or offers a partial match up to a certain percentage of your wages. Knowing where you stand can help you make the most of this opportunity. For example, letâs say you earn $50,000 per year and contribute $3,000 to your 401(k), or 6% of your salary. If your employer offers to match 50 cents of each dollar you contribute up to 6% of your pay, they would add $1,500 each year to your 401(k) account, boosting your total annual contributions to $4,500. ďżźLook at your budget. Maxing out your 401(k) is always a good move. However, retirement planning can be a balancing act; sometimes, your budget is downright against it. If you have high debt or no money set aside for emergencies, you may want to hold off a bit. That doesnât mean you shouldnât contribute to your retirement plan at all. Maintaining contributions is important, even if it means not maxing it out. Still, if you wait too long to save, youâll have to play catch-up. If you save too much, you may have to tap into your account early, which can mean early withdrawal penalties if you are under age 591â2. ďżźBoost your contributions. If you have enough cash stashed away to cover a large lump sum contribution to your 401(k), you could max out your 401(k) contributions before the end of the year. You can do this by increasing the percentage you contribute monthly from your paycheck. Youâll want to speak with your employer or HR department to see if this is possible and fill out the necessary paperwork. Keep in mind that how often you increase it or even if you can will depend on your plan rules. You may also want to check to be sure your contributions are still automatic. Since itâs usually easier to save money if itâs automatically deducted from your paycheck, it may be worth reviewing your budget to see if you can boost your contribution amount to max out your 401(k). If you havenât set up automatic payroll contributions, now is a good time to do so. Maxing out your 401(k) has some clear benefits. This is especially true if youâve fallen behind on your savings goals or you simply want to grow your retirement nest egg faster. The main advantage is that youâll have more money saved for retirement. According to Northwestern Mutualâs 2024 Planning & Progress Study, most retired Americans believe they will need nearly $1.5 million in the bank to retire comfortably. Thatâs a 15% increase â which far outpaces the 3% to 5% inflation rate â over 2023 and is up 53% from 2020. The money you put into your 401(k) lowers how much youâll pay in taxes for the year, which may put you in a lower tax bracket. Also, 401(k) investments grow tax-deferred, so you wonât pay taxes on the money until you withdraw the funds in retirement. If you have a Roth 401(k), you donât get a tax break on contributions because you fund your account with after-tax dollars. But the money you contribute grows tax-free and you wonât pay any taxes on your withdrawals in retirement. Maxing out your 401(k) each year may not be enough to retire comfortably, but it is a great start. Thatâs why enlisting the help of a financial adviser in 2024 can help you get a head start on 2025 and a happy retirement down the road. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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