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WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump offered a public show of support Friday for Pete Hegseth, his choice to lead the Defense Department, whose confirmation by the Senate is in doubt as he faces questions over allegations of excessive drinking, sexual assault and his views on women in combat roles. Hegseth, a former Fox News host, Army National Guard major and combat veteran, spent much of the week on Capitol Hill trying to salvage his Cabinet nomination and privately reassure Republican senators that he is fit to lead Trump's Pentagon. "Pete Hegseth is doing very well," Trump posted on his social media site. "He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense." The president added that "Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!" The nomination battle is emerging not only as a debate about the best person to lead the Pentagon, but an inflection point for a MAGA movement that appears to be relishing a public fight over its hard-line push for a more masculine military and an end to the "woke-ism" of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, responds to reporters during a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Military leaders are rattled by a list of “woke” senior officers that a conservative group urged Pete Hegseth to dismiss for promoting diversity in the ranks if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon. The list compiled by the American Accountability Foundation includes 20 general officers or senior admirals and a disproportionate number of female officers. It has had a chilling effect on the Pentagon’s often frank discussions as leaders try to figure out how to address the potential firings and diversity issues under Trump. Those on the list in many cases seem to be targeted for public comments they made either in interviews or at events on diversity, and in some cases for retweeting posts that promote diversity. Tom Jones, a former aide to Republican senators who leads the foundation, said Friday those on the list are “pretty egregious” advocates for diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, policies, which he called problematic. “The nominee has been pretty clear that that has no place in the military,” Jones said of Hegseth. Hegseth embraced Trump’s effort to end programs that promote diversity in the ranks and fire those who reflect those values. Other Trump picks, like Kash Patel for FBI director, have suggested targeting those in government who are not aligned with Trump. Trump's allies forcefully rallied around Hegseth — the Heritage Foundation's political arm promised to spend $1 million to shore up his nomination — as he vows to stay in the fight, as long as the president-elect wants him to. Vice President-elect JD Vance offers a public show of support for Pete Hegseth, the embattled choice to lead the Defense Department. "We're not abandoning this nomination," Vance told reporters during a tour of western North Carolina. "We're not abandoning this nomination," Vice-President-elect JD Vance said as he toured post-hurricane North Carolina. He said he spoke with GOP senators and believes Hegseth will be confirmed. The effort became a test of Trump's clout and of how far loyalty for the president-elect goes with Republican senators who have concerns about his nominees. Two of Trump's other choices stepped aside as they faced intense scrutiny: former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., his first choice for attorney general, and Chad Chronister, a Florida sheriff who was Trump's first choice to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration. Thanking the president-elect for the support, Hegseth posted on social media, "Like you, we will never back down." Hegseth faces resistance from senators as reports emerged about his past, including the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies. He promised not to drink on the job and told lawmakers he never engaged in sexual misconduct, even as his professional views on female troops came under intensifying scrutiny. He said as recently as last month that women "straight up" should not serve in combat. He picked up one important endorsement from Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, whose support was seen as a potentially powerful counterweight to the cooler reception Hegseth received from Sen. Joni Ernst, a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel. Ernst, who is also a sexual assault survivor, stopped short of an endorsement after meeting with Hegseth this week. On Friday, Ernst posted on X that she would meet with him again next week. “At a minimum, we agree that he deserves the opportunity to lay out his vision for our warfighters at a fair hearing,” she wrote. On Friday, Trump put out the statement in response to coverage saying he lost faith in Hegseth, according to a person familiar with his thinking who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. The president-elect and his team were pleased to see Hegseth putting up a fight and his performance this week reiterates why he was chosen, the person said. They believe he can still be confirmed. If Hegseth goes down, Trump's team believes the defeat would empower others to spread what they cast as "vicious lies" against every candidate Trump chooses. Still, Trump's transition team is looking at potential replacements, including former presidential rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis plans to attend the Dec. 14 Army-Navy football game with Trump, according to a person familiar with the Florida governor's plans who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. DeSantis and Trump spoke about the defense secretary post Tuesday at a memorial service for sheriff deputies in West Palm Beach, Fla., according to people familiar with the matter who said Trump was interested in DeSantis for the post, and the governor was receptive. DeSantis is poised to select a replacement for the expected Senate vacancy to be created by Marco Rubio becoming secretary of state, and Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump is seen as the preferred choice by those in Trump's orbit. 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. 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. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Sony reportedly working on a new PlayStation handheld devicePangs of snowfall in Kashmirjili45 。

Moni scores 25 in North Dakota State's 91-62 win against Wisconsin-Stout

CBC resurrects plans for live New Year’s Eve broadcast specialsF1 expands grid, adds Cadillac brand and new American team for '26half the weight of a typical lithium-ion battery. Netherlands-based VC Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam led the round. It's an extension on CarbonX's €10mn capital injection announced in February, capping off the funding round at a cosy €14mn. Graphite is the go-to material for lithium-ion battery anodes, which is the negative electrode responsible for storing and releasing electrons during the charging and discharging process. Its found in batteries that power everything from EVs to smartphones. The EU imports almost 100% of its graphite from China, which recently imposed restrictions on exports of the carbon-based material amid rising political tensions between Bejing and the West. "A resilient battery supply chain is crucial for global electrification," said CarbonX's co-founder Rutger van Raalten. "Yet, we don't see sufficient alternatives for locally sourcing critical raw materials such as graphite." CarbonX wants to offer European and American battery makers a way to source a... Siôn Geschwindt

Fast Casual Concepts, Inc. Announces Acquisition of CK DistributionCBC is restoring its live New Year’s Eve celebration. A year after the national broadcaster cancelled the 2024 countdown due to “financial pressures,” it says the special event is back on the TV schedule to mark the dawn of 2025. Festivities begin Dec. 31 with the one-hour “22 Minutes New Year’s Eve Pregame Special,” a satirical reflection on the events of 2024 with the cast of the political comedy series “This Hour Has 22 Minutes.” It will be followed by “Canada Live! Countdown 2025,” a special hosted by news anchor Adrienne Arsenault and singer Jann Arden broadcasting live from Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, and anchor Ian Hanomansing and comedian Ali Hassan at Vancouver’s VanDusen Botanical Garden. A representative for the CBC says the coast-to-coast show will feature reporters at more than a dozen community events across the country while a countdown to the new year will take place in each of the six time zones. Throughout the seven-and-a-half-hour program, “many Canadian celebrity guests” will appear in live and pre-taped messages. “Canada Live! Countdown 2025” begins at 8 p.m. ET on CBC News Network and CBC Gem with CBC-TV and CBC Radio picking up the feed at 9 p.m. in local markets. Last year, the CBC replaced its live New Year’s Eve programming with a taped Just For Laughs special hosted by comedian Mae Martin. That left Canadians without a homegrown countdown on any of the major networks, which sparked blowback on social media from some viewers. The CBC began its annual specials in 2017 to mark Canada’s sesquicentennial year. Some of the more recent broadcasts were hosted by comedian Rick Mercer and featured fireworks and musical performances in key cities. But when CBC paused those plans last year, it said the show had become “increasingly expensive to produce.” The decision to sideline the program was made shortly after members of Parliament summoned outgoing CBC president Catherine Tait to testify about job cuts and her refusal to rule out bonuses for CBC executives.

CALGARY, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 12, 2024-- Pembina Pipeline Corporation ("Pembina" or the "Company") (TSX: PPL; NYSE: PBA) announced today its 2025 financial guidance and provided a business update. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212048876/en/ Highlights Business Update Pembina anticipates a record setting financial year in 2024 reflecting the positive impact of recent acquisitions, growing volumes in the WCSB, and a strong contribution from the marketing business. As expected, volumes in the conventional pipelines business have strengthened in the fourth quarter relative to the first three quarters of the year. In 2024, the Company meaningfully advanced its strategy through the full consolidation of Alliance Pipeline and Aux Sable (the "Alliance/Aux Sable Transaction"), and by reaching a positive final investment decision on the Cedar LNG Project. These two accomplishments highlight Pembina’s focus on strengthening the existing franchise, increasing exposure to resilient end-use markets, and accessing global market pricing for Canadian energy products. In addition, Pembina Gas Infrastructure ("PGI") announced transactions with Veren Inc. and Whitecap Resources Inc., creating opportunities with attractive economics that are expected to enhance asset utilization, capture future volumes, and benefit Pembina’s full value chain. Through these two transactions, we are realizing the vision set forth with the creation of PGI in 2022. Other accomplishments over the past year include the completion of the $430 million Phase VIII Peace Pipeline Expansion and the $90 million NEBC MPS Expansion, on time and under budget; sanctioning $210 million (net to Pembina) of new projects, including the Wapiti Expansion and K3 Cogeneration Facility; and entering into long-term agreements with Dow Chemical Canada to supply up to 50,000 barrels per day ("bpd") of ethane for their Path2Zero Project (the "Dow Supply Agreement"). Through its extensive asset base and integrated value chain, Pembina can provide a full suite of transportation and midstream services across multiple hydrocarbons – natural gas, crude oil, condensate, and NGL. This uniquely positions the Company to benefit from a robust, multi-year growth outlook for the WCSB driven by transformational developments that include the recent completion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion, new West Coast liquefied natural gas ("LNG") and NGL export capacity, and the development of new petrochemical facilities creating significant demand for ethane and propane. Growing production and demand for services in the WCSB continues to provide opportunities to increase utilization on existing assets and pursue expansion opportunities. As attention turns to 2025, Pembina is focused on several key priorities including: Alliance Pipeline CER Toll Review The CER initiated a review of Alliance Pipeline’s tolls, which were previously approved by the CER. As such, the CER has ordered Alliance Pipeline to submit for approval a detailed toll application justifying why the current tolling methodology remains compliant with the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, or a new tolling methodology application. Likewise, the CER has ordered that the current tolls shall be deemed interim tolls until resolution of the above. Alliance Pipeline's tolls for the Canadian segment of the pipeline are approved by the CER, while its tolls for the United States segment are approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Alliance Pipeline's Canadian long-term firm service tolls have remained level since they were approved by the CER in 2015, while its full path tolls to Chicago have declined by approximately 15 percent. In comparison, tolls on alternative systems have increased by approximately 30 percent. Likewise, Alliance Pipeline has operated at an industry leading reliability rate. Furthermore, Alliance Pipeline remains an ‘at-risk’ commercial model where returns and cost recovery are squarely driven by the customer demand for its service and Alliance Pipeline's ability to efficiently provide such service. By contrast, the competitive alternatives and the majority of CER regulated Group 1 natural gas pipelines' returns are not materially exposed to volume or cost recovery risk. Alliance Pipeline is working collaboratively with its stakeholders through the CER review process and will remain focused on delivering the highest standards of service that customers have come to expect. Pembina will work expeditiously throughout 2025 with shippers towards a negotiated solution, in accordance with all CER direction. Approximately 60 percent of the adjusted EBITDA contribution from Alliance Pipeline is generated from the Canadian portion of the pipeline. Pembina’s 2025 adjusted EBITDA guidance, discussed below, assumes the existing toll is in effect for the full year. Board of Directors Appointment Pembina is pleased to announce that Mr. Alister Cowan has been appointed to the board of directors effective December 3, 2024. Mr. Cowan has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry and has significant financial executive level experience at various public companies. In 2023, he was Executive Advisor of Suncor Energy Inc. ("Suncor") and was previously Chief Financial Officer of Suncor from 2014 to 2023 where he oversaw financial operations, accounting, investor relations, treasury, tax, internal audit, and enterprise risk management. Prior to joining Suncor, Alister was Chief Financial Officer of Husky Energy Inc. from 2008 to 2014. Before that, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority. Mr. Cowan is a non-executive director of The Chemours Company and of Smiths Group PLC. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Finance from Heriot-Watt University and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. Mr. Cowan has also been appointed to the audit committee. "The board of directors is excited to welcome Alister, and we look forward to working with him. Alister is a seasoned financial executive with extensive experience in Canadian energy. We are sure to benefit from his contribution as we work together to ensure Pembina's continued success during a transformational period of growth in the Canadian oil and gas industry," said Henry Sykes, Chair of the Board. 2025 Guidance Pembina is anticipating 2025 adjusted EBITDA of $4.2 billion to $4.5 billion. Relative to the midpoint of Pembina’s adjusted EBITDA guidance range for 2024, the major factors driving the outlook for 2025 adjusted EBITDA include: Pembina has hedged approximately 32 percent of its 2025 frac spread exposure. For 2025, the weighted average price of Pembina's frac spread hedges, excluding transportation and processing costs, is approximately C$36 per barrel, which compares to the prevailing 2025 forward price at the end of November 2024 of approximately C$37 per barrel. The mid-point of the 2025 adjusted EBITDA guidance range includes a forecasted contribution from the Marketing & New Ventures segment of $550 million. Excluding the contribution from the Marketing & New Ventures segment, the midpoint of the 2025 guidance range reflects an approximately 5.5 percent increase in fee-based adjusted EBITDA, relative to the forecast for 2024. Further, Pembina remains on-track to achieve four to six percent compound annual growth of fee-based adjusted EBITDA per share from 2023-2026. The lower and upper ends of the guidance range are framed primarily as a function of (1) commodity prices and the resulting contribution from the marketing business; (2) interruptible volumes on key systems; and (3) the U.S./Canadian dollar exchange rate. Current income tax expense in 2025 is anticipated to be $415 million to $470 million as Pembina will continue to benefit from the availability of tax pools from assets recently placed into service. Pembina's 2025 adjusted EBITDA may be directly impacted by market-based prices as follows: 2025 Capital Investment Pembina's 2025 capital program is expected to be allocated as follows: Pipelines Division capital expenditures primarily relate to sustaining capital, a terminal expansion within the conventional pipeline system, development spending on potential future projects, including the Fox Creek-to-Namao Peace Pipeline Expansion, and investments in smaller growth projects, including various laterals and terminals. Capital expenditures in the Facilities Division primarily relate to construction of the RFS IV Expansion, smaller growth projects, and sustaining capital spending. Capital expenditures within the Marketing and New Ventures Division and the Corporate segment are primarily targeted at information technology enhancements to further the Company's continuous improvement aspirations. Contributions to Equity Accounted Investees includes approximately $200 million of contributions to Cedar LNG to fund the construction of the Cedar LNG Project, and contributions to PGI to fund development of the Wapiti Expansion, K3 Cogeneration Facility, as well as development activities related to the previously announced agreements with Veren Inc. and Whitecap Resources Inc. The Company's 2025 capital program includes: In addition to the 2025 capital investment program detailed above, Pembina is in development of potential additional projects that, if sanctioned, would increase the 2025 capital program by up to $200 million. These projects primarily include pipeline and terminal upgrades in support of volume growth in NEBC, the Fox Creek-to-Namao Peace Pipeline Expansion, investments related to the Dow Supply Agreement, including the addition of a de-ethanizer tower at RFS III within the Redwater Complex, and optimization of the Prince Rupert Terminal to allow for the use of larger vessels, which would reduce per unit costs. Capital Allocation Pembina continues to execute its strategy within a fully funded model and consistent with its financial guardrails. Within the 2025 adjusted EBITDA guidance range, Pembina expects to generate positive free cash flow with all 2025 capital investment program scenarios being fully funded by cash flow from operating activities, net of dividends. Under prevailing market and economic conditions, Pembina expects to prioritize the use of excess free cash flow to debt repayment in 2025. As has been our approach since 2021, Pembina will continue to evaluate the merits of debt repayment relative to share repurchases while considering expected future funding requirements along with prevailing market conditions and the risk-adjusted returns of the associated alternatives. Pembina expects to exit 2025 with a proportionately consolidated debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio of 3.4 to 3.7 times. Excluding the debt related to the construction of the Cedar LNG project this ratio would be 3.2 to 3.5 times. About Pembina Pembina Pipeline Corporation is a leading energy transportation and midstream service provider that has served North America's energy industry for 70 years. Pembina owns an integrated network of hydrocarbon liquids and natural gas pipelines, gas gathering and processing facilities, oil and natural gas liquids infrastructure and logistics services, and an export terminals business. Through our integrated value chain, we seek to provide safe and reliable energy solutions that connect producers and consumers across the world, support a more sustainable future and benefit our customers, investors, employees and communities. For more information, please visit www.pembina.com . Purpose of Pembina: We deliver extraordinary energy solutions so the world can thrive. Pembina is structured into three Divisions: Pipelines Division, Facilities Division and Marketing & New Ventures Division. Pembina's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under PPL and PBA, respectively. For more information, visit www.pembina.com . Forward-Looking Information and Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking information and statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), including forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of applicable securities legislation, that are based on Pembina's current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "continue", "anticipate", "schedule", "will", "expects", "estimate", "potential", "planned", "future", "outlook", "strategy", "project", "trend", "commit", "maintain", "focus", "ongoing", "believe" and similar expressions suggesting future events or future performance. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements, including certain financial outlooks, pertaining to, without limitation, the following: Pembina's anticipated 2025 adjusted EBITDA, 2025 capital investment program costs, 2025 year-end proportionately consolidated debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio and current income tax expenses in 2025; Pembina's capital allocation plans, including with respect to debt repayment and share repurchases; expected cash flow from operating activities in 2025 and the uses thereof; 2024 year-end financial results, including the expectation that 2024 will be a record setting financial year; expectations with respect to the impacts of the Dow Supply Agreement and the transactions with Veren Inc. and Whitecap Resources Inc., as well as future actions taken in relation thereto; future pipeline, processing, fractionation and storage facility and system operations and throughput levels; Pembina's corporate strategy and the development and expected timing of new business initiatives and growth opportunities, including the anticipated timing and impacts thereof; expectations about industry activities and development opportunities, as well as the anticipated benefits and timing thereof; expectations about the demand for services, including expectations in respect of increased utilization across Pembina's assets, future tolls and volumes; planning, construction, capital expenditure and cost estimates, schedules, locations, regulatory and environmental applications and approvals, expected capacity, incremental volumes, power output, project completion and in-service dates, rights, activities and operations with respect to planned construction of, or expansions on, pipelines systems, gas services facilities, processing and fractionation facilities, terminalling, storage and hub facilities and other facilities or infrastructure; the development and anticipated benefits of Pembina's new projects and developments, including the K3 Cogeneration Facility, the Cedar LNG Project, the Wapiti Expansion, the Taylor to Gordondale Project, Fox Creek-to-Namao Peace Pipeline Expansion and the RFS IV Expansion, including the completion and timing thereof; expectations regarding CER's review of Alliance Pipeline's tolls, including the timing and outcome thereof and steps taken in connection therewith; the impact of current and future market conditions on Pembina; Pembina's hedging strategy and expected results therefrom; Pembina's capital structure, including future actions that may be taken with respect thereto and expectations regarding future uses of cash flows and uses thereof, repayments of existing debt, new borrowings and securities issuances; and Pembina's commitment to, and ability to maintain, its financial guardrails. The forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions that Pembina has made in respect thereof as at the date of this news release regarding, among other things: oil and gas industry exploration and development activity levels and the geographic region of such activity; that favourable market conditions exist, and that Pembina has available capital for share repurchases, repayment of debt and funding its capital expenditures; the success of Pembina's operations; prevailing commodity prices, interest rates, carbon prices, tax rates and exchange rates; the ability of Pembina to maintain current credit ratings; the availability of capital to fund future capital requirements relating to existing assets and projects; future operating costs; geotechnical and integrity costs; that all required regulatory and environmental approvals can be obtained on the necessary terms in a timely manner; prevailing regulatory, tax and environmental laws and regulations; maintenance of operating margins; and certain other assumptions in respect of Pembina's forward-looking statements detailed in Pembina's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the "AIF") and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the "Annual MD&A"), which were each filed on SEDAR+ on February 22, 2024, as well as in Pembina's Management's Discussion and Analysis dated November 5, 2024 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 (the "Interim MD&A") and from time to time in Pembina's public disclosure documents available at www.sedarplus.ca , www.sec.gov and through Pembina's website at www.pembina.com . Although Pembina believes the expectations and material factors and assumptions reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date hereof, there can be no assurance that these expectations, factors and assumptions will prove to be correct. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially, including, but not limited to: the regulatory environment and decisions and Indigenous and landowner consultation requirements; the impact of competitive entities and pricing; reliance on third parties to successfully operate and maintain certain assets; the strength and operations of the oil and natural gas production industry and related commodity prices; non-performance or default by counterparties to agreements with Pembina or one or more of its affiliates; actions taken by governmental or regulatory authorities and changes in legislation (including uncertainty with respect to the interpretation of the recently enacted Bill C-59 and related amendments to the Competition Act (Canada)); the ability of Pembina to acquire or develop the necessary infrastructure in respect of future development projects; fluctuations in operating results; adverse general economic and market conditions in Canada, North America and worldwide; the ability to access various sources of debt and equity capital on acceptable terms; changes in credit ratings; counterparty credit risk; and certain other risks and uncertainties detailed in the AIF, Annual MD&A, Interim MD&A and from time to time in Pembina's public disclosure documents available at www.sedarplus.ca , www.sec.gov and through Pembina's website at www.pembina.com . This list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. Readers are cautioned that events or circumstances could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, forecasted or projected by forward-looking statements contained herein. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release speak only as of the date hereof. Pembina does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information contained herein, except as required by applicable laws. Management approved the 2025 adjusted EBITDA, 2025 capital investment program costs, 2025 proportionately consolidated debt-to-adjusted EBITDA and 2025 income tax expense guidance contained herein as of the date of this news release. The purpose of these financial outlooks is to assist readers in understanding Pembina's expected and targeted financial results, and this information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures Throughout this news release, Pembina has disclosed certain financial measures and ratios that are not specified, defined or determined in accordance with GAAP and which are not disclosed in Pembina's financial statements. Non-GAAP financial measures either exclude an amount that is included in, or include an amount that is excluded from, the composition of the most directly comparable financial measure specified, defined and determined in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP ratios are financial measures that are in the form of a ratio, fraction, percentage or similar representation that has a non-GAAP financial measure as one or more of its components. These non-GAAP financial measures and ratios, together with financial measures and ratios specified, defined and determined in accordance with GAAP, are used by management to evaluate the performance and cash flows of Pembina and its businesses and to provide additional useful information respecting Pembina's financial performance and cash flows to investors and analysts. In this news release, Pembina has disclosed adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, and proportionately consolidated debt-to-adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP ratio, which that do not have any standardized meaning under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and may not be comparable to similar financial measures or ratios disclosed by other issuers. Such financial measures and ratios should not, therefore, be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, measures and ratios of Pembina's financial performance or cash flows specified, defined or determined in accordance with IFRS, including revenue or earnings. Except as otherwise described herein, these non-GAAP financial measures and non-GAAP ratios are calculated on a consistent basis from period to period. Specific reconciling items may only be relevant in certain periods. Below is a description of each non-GAAP financial measure and non-GAAP ratio disclosed in this news release, together with, as applicable, disclosure of the most directly comparable financial measure that is determined in accordance with GAAP to which each non-GAAP financial measure relates and a quantitative reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure to such directly comparable GAAP financial measure. Additional information relating to such non-GAAP financial measures and non-GAAP ratios, including disclosure of the composition of each non-GAAP financial measure and non-GAAP ratio, an explanation of how each non-GAAP financial measure and non-GAAP ratio provides useful information to investors and the additional purposes, if any, for which management uses each non-GAAP financial measure; an explanation of the reason for any change in the label or composition of each non-GAAP financial measure and non-GAAP ratio from what was previously disclosed; and a description of any significant difference between forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures and the equivalent historical non-GAAP financial measures, is contained in the "Non-GAAP & Other Financial Measures" section of the Annual MD&A, which information is incorporated by reference in this news release. The Annual MD&A is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca , EDGAR at www.sec.gov and Pembina's website at www.pembina.com . Adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and is calculated as earnings before net finance costs, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (included in operations and general and administrative expense) and unrealized gains or losses on commodity-related derivative financial instruments. The exclusion of unrealized gains or losses on commodity-related derivative financial instruments eliminates the non-cash impact of such gains or losses. Adjusted EBITDA also includes adjustments to earnings for losses (gains) on disposal of assets, transaction costs incurred in respect of acquisitions, dispositions and restructuring, impairment charges or reversals in respect of goodwill, intangible assets, investments in equity accounted investees and property, plant and equipment, certain non-cash provisions and other amounts not reflective of ongoing operations. In addition, Pembina's proportionate share of results from investments in equity accounted investees with a preferred interest is presented in adjusted EBITDA as a 50 percent common interest . These additional adjustments are made to exclude various non-cash and other items that are not reflective of ongoing operations. The equivalent historical non-GAAP financial measure to 2025 adjusted EBITDA guidance is adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2023. Adjusted EBITDA from Equity Accounted Investees In accordance with IFRS, Pembina's jointly controlled investments are accounted for using equity accounting. Under equity accounting, the assets and liabilities of the investment are presented net in a single line item in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position, "Investments in Equity Accounted Investees". Net earnings from investments in equity accounted investees are recognized in a single line item in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings and Comprehensive Income "Share of Profit from Equity Accounted Investees". The adjustments made to earnings, in adjusted EBITDA above, are also made to share of profit from investments in equity accounted investees. Cash contributions and distributions from investments in equity accounted investees represent Pembina's share paid and received in the period to and from the investments in equity accounted investees. To assist in understanding and evaluating the performance of these investments, Pembina is supplementing the IFRS disclosure with non-GAAP proportionate consolidation of Pembina's interest in the investments in equity accounted investees. Pembina's proportionate interest in equity accounted investees has been included in adjusted EBITDA. Proportionately Consolidated Debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA Proportionately Consolidated Debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP ratio that management believes is useful to investors and other users of Pembina’s financial information in the evaluation of the Company’s debt levels and creditworthiness. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212048876/en/ CONTACT: For further information:Pembina Investor Relations (403) 231-3156 1-855-880-7404 investor-relations@pembina.com www.pembina.com KEYWORD: NORTH AMERICA CANADA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: OIL/GAS ENERGY LOGISTICS/SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT TRANSPORT UTILITIES SOURCE: Pembina Pipeline Corporation Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/12/2024 05:05 PM/DISC: 12/12/2024 05:06 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212048876/en

Conference title games a chance at a banner, bragging rights and, for some, a season-wrecking loss

— Oct. 1, 1924: James Earl Carter Jr. is born in Plains, Georgia, son of James Sr. and Lillian Gordy Carter. — June 1946: Carter graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy. — July 1946: Carter marries Rosalynn Smith, in Plains. They have four children, John William (“Jack”), born 1947; James Earl 3rd (“Chip”), 1950; Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff), 1952; and Amy Lynn, 1967. — 1946-1953: Carter serves in a Navy nuclear submarine program, attaining rank of lieutenant commander. — Summer 1953: Carter resigns from the Navy, returns to Plains after father’s death. — 1953-1971: Carter helps run the family peanut farm and warehouse business. — 1963-1966: Carter serves in the Georgia state Senate. — 1966: Carter tries unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. — November 1970: Carter is elected governor of Georgia. Serves 1971-75. — Dec. 12, 1974: Carter announces a presidential bid. Atlanta newspaper answers with headline: “Jimmy Who?” — January 1976: Carter leads the Democratic field in Iowa, a huge campaign boost that also helps to establish Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus. — July 1976: Carter accepts the Democratic nomination and announces Sen. Walter Mondale of Minnesota as running mate. — November 1976: Carter defeats President Gerald R. Ford, winning 51% of the vote and 297 electoral votes to Ford’s 240. — January 1977: Carter is sworn in as the 39th president of the United States. On his first full day in office, he pardons most Vietnam-era draft evaders. —September 1977: U.S. and Panama sign treaties to return the Panama Canal back to Panama in 1999. Senate narrowly ratifies them in 1978. — September 1978: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Carter sign Camp David accords, which lead to a peace deal between Egypt and Israel the following year. — June 15-18, 1979: Carter attends a summit with Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev in Vienna that leads to the signing of the SALT II treaty. — November 1979: Iranian militants storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 hostages. All survive and are freed minutes after Carter leaves office in January 1981. — April 1980: The Mariel boatlift begins, sending tens of thousands of Cubans to the U.S. Many are criminals and psychiatric patients set free by Cuban leader Fidel Castro, creating a major foreign policy crisis. — April 1980: An attempt by the U.S. to free hostages fails when a helicopter crashes into a transport plane in Iran, killing eight servicemen. — Nov. 4, 1980: Carter is denied a second term by Ronald Reagan, who wins 51.6% of the popular vote to 41.7% for Carter and 6.7% to independent John Anderson. — 1982: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter co-found The Carter Center in Atlanta, whose mission is to resolve conflicts, protect human rights and prevent disease around the world. — September 1984: The Carters spend a week building Habitat for Humanity houses, launching what becomes the annual Carter Work Project. — October 1986: A dedication is held for The Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. The center includes the Carter Presidential Library and Museum and Carter Center offices. — 1989: Carter leads the Carter Center’s first election monitoring mission, declaring Panamanian Gen. Manuel Noriega’s election fraudulent. — May 1992: Carter meets with Mikhail and Raisa Gorbachev at the Carter Center to discuss forming the Gorbachev Foundation. — June 1994: Carter plays a key role in North Korea nuclear disarmament talks. — September 1994: Carter leads a delegation to Haiti, arranging terms to avoid a U.S. invasion and return President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power. — December 1994: Carter negotiates tentative cease-fire in Bosnia. — March 1995: Carter mediates cease-fire in Sudan’s war with southern rebels. — September 1995: Carter travels to Africa to advance the peace process in more troubled areas. — December 1998: Carter receives U.N. Human Rights Prize on 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. — August 1999: President Bill Clinton awards Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter the Presidential Medal of Freedom. — September 2001: Carter joins former Presidents Ford, Bush and Clinton at a prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington after Sept. 11 attacks. — April 2002: Carter’s book “An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood” chosen as finalist for Pulitzer Prize in biography. — May 2002: Carter visits Cuba and addresses the communist nation on television. He is the highest-ranking American to visit in decades. — Dec. 10, 2002: Carter is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” — July 2007: Carter joins The Elders, a group of international leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela to focus on global issues. — Spring 2008: Carter remains officially neutral as Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton battle each other for the Democratic presidential nomination. — April 2008: Carter stirs controversy by meeting with the Islamic militant group Hamas. — August 2010: Carter travels to North Korea as the Carter Center negotiates the release of an imprisoned American teacher. — August 2013: Carter joins President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton at the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech and the March on Washington. — Oct. 1, 2014: Carter celebrates his 90th birthday. — December 2014: Carter is nominated for a Grammy in the best spoken word album category, for his book “A Call To Action.” — May 2015: Carter returns early from an election observation visit in Guyana — the Carter Center’s 100th — after feeling unwell. — August 2015: Carter has a small cancerous mass removed from his liver. He plans to receive treatment at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. — August 2015: Carter announces that his grandson Jason Carter will chair the Carter Center governing board. — March 6, 2016: Carter says an experimental drug has eliminated any sign of his cancer, and that he needs no further treatment. — May 25, 2016: Carter steps back from a “front-line” role with The Elders to become an emeritus member. — July 2016: Carter is treated for dehydration during a Habitat for Humanity build in Canada. — Spring 2018: Carter publishes “Faith: A Journey for All,” the last of 32 books. — March 22, 2019: Carter becomes the longest-lived U.S. president, surpassing President George H.W. Bush, who died in 2018. — September 18, 2019: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter deliver their final in-person annual report at the Carter Center. — October 2019: At 95, still recovering from a fall, Carter joins the Work Project with Habitat for Humanity in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s the last time he works personally on the annual project. — Fall 2019-early 2020: Democratic presidential hopefuls visit, publicly embracing Carter as a party elder, a first for his post-presidency. — November 2020:The Carter Center monitors an audit of presidential election results in the state of Georgia, marking a new era of democracy advocacy within the U.S. — Jan. 20, 2021: The Carters miss President Joe Biden’s swearing-in, the first presidential inauguration they don’t attend since Carter’s own ceremony in 1977. The Bidens later visit the Carters in Plains on April 29. — Feb. 19, 2023: Carter enters home hospice care after a series of short hospital stays. — July 7, 2023: The Carters celebrate their 77th and final wedding anniversary. — Nov. 19, 2023: Rosalynn Carter dies at home, two days after the family announced that she had joined the former president in receiving hospice care. — Oct. 1, 2024 — Carter becomes the first former U.S. president to reach 100 years of age , celebrating at home with extended family and close friends. — Oct. 16, 2024 — Carter casts a Georgia mail ballot for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, having told his family he wanted to live long enough to vote for her. It marks his 21st presidential election as a voter. — Dec. 29, 2024: Carter dies at home.Scientists have taken an unprecedented step forward in understanding the chemical processes occurring as new stars form, thanks to observations of the variable protostar B335, a very young forming star 537 light years away. Using the high-resolution capabilities of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), researchers tracked the behavior of complex organic molecules (COMs) during a rare burst of brightness, providing a real-time glimpse into the universe’s building blocks for life. Stars grow episodically, with periods of slowly increasing mass interrupted by dramatic events when extra-large amounts of matter land on the star. These events increase the star’s brightness, which heats nearby dust and releases previously frozen COMs into the surrounding gas. However, scientists observed a surprising twist: after the burst ended, the COMs did not refreeze onto the dust as quickly as expected. “This discovery challenges previous assumptions about the freeze-out timescale of these molecules,” says Jeong-Eun Lee, the lead researcher from Seoul National University. “The prolonged presence of gas-phase COMs reveals the dynamic and complex chemical processes happening around young stars.” Thanks to ALMA’s unparalleled sensitivity, the study marks the first real-time tracking of molecular changes across a burst cycle. Continuous monitoring of this protostar with ALMA will reveal the timescales for gas cooling, chemical reactions, and interactions between dust grains and gaseous molecules. Unlike laboratory scientists, astronomers cannot experiment on the cosmos. Remarkably, B335 has performed a “natural experiment” in astrochemistry, showing how the ingredients for life might evolve in stellar nurseries. “By combining the ALMA results with data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on the ice component of the COMs in B335, the chemistry of COMs will be fully known,” commented Yao-Lun Yang, another co-author from the RIKEN. The findings, published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters as ”, open a new chapter in studying how the building blocks of life form and transform across the cosmos. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded by ESO on behalf of its Member States, by NSF in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) in Taiwan and by NINS in cooperation with the Academia Sinica(AS) in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). Astrobiology, Astrochemistry,

How major US stock indexes fared Friday, 12/13/2024WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has a broken left fibula and is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks.-- Amazon Web Services Recognizes Solution as a Top AI/Blockchain Product at re:Invent Conference -- NEW YORK and CHESTERFIELD, Mo. and BOISE, Idaho , Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bridgetower Capital, a leading global provider of AI and Web3 platform services and infrastructure, InterVision Systems, a premier Managed Service Provider and leader in innovative IT solutions, and ProvLabs, a provider of enterprise-grade APIs and SaaS solutions that enable regulated firms to deploy digital assets on Provenance Blockchain, have launched a breakthrough Sovereign AI Data Lineage solution solving significant corporate and regulatory concerns about data use in AI LLM models globally. The solution was recognized by Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a top Blockchain/AI solution at its re:Invent 2024 conference last week. "This is an extremely strong solution expertly filling a growing need in a massive market," said Jonathan Lerner , CEO of InterVision Systems. "We are excited to partner with Bridgetower and to have the solution recognized and validated by AWS is encouraging and gratifying." Bridgetower's Sovereign AI Data Lineage Solution is a part of a transformative proprietary suite of AI and Web3 services developed in partnership with InterVision Systems to accelerate adoption of the technologies in a variety of industries around the world. The solution is being integrated by Provenance, the world's largest public Layer 1 blockchain measured by real-world assets controlling approximately 70% of all RWAs ledgered on public blockchains. As a leading financial services blockchain, Provenance has facilitated more than $41 billion in financial transactions. "The Provenance Blockchain was purpose-built for regulated financial and data services, with interoperability, confidentiality, and privacy incorporated directly into the protocol," said Anthony Moro , ProvLabs CEO. "Sovereign data lineage is crucial for highly regulated entities and is a perfect fit for the Provenance Blockchain ecosystem. ProvLabs' ProvConnect and BlockVault services remove the friction of bringing this solution to life on-chain. We are thrilled to be participating." "Bridgetower's roots are anchored in blockchain technology aimed at real world solutions. By partnering with world-class companies, we are seeing the results of a patient and purposeful strategy," Bridgetower CEO Cory Pugh . "Our Sovereign AI Data Lineage solution is at the nexus of blockchain and AI – two of the centuries most transformative technologies - and will have a meaningful impact on the continued acceleration of AI models for the public and private sectors." Bridgetower's solution innovatively uses Blockchain-Integrated Traceability to maintain immutable records of data transformations and robust traceability of data being sourced and utilized across the full stack of AI services including model creation, fine tuning and inference. The solution provides rich benefits of explainability, transparency and predictability for all solution sets inside the AI stack. It addresses a high-demand and critical need for corporations and regulators around the world who are rapidly developing their own LLM models in every sector of public and private entities.The solution solves cross-border compliance, complex proof-of-authenticity, and data immutability via decentralized autonomous consensus and secure deployment and directly addresses concerns held by regulators and corporations around the world regarding data protection and authenticity for the rapidly developing use of AI and LLM models. The AI Data Lineage solution features: To view a demonstration of the solution click here. About Bridgetower Bridgetower Capital is a global leader and pioneer in the convergence of blockchain and AI, the most transformative technologies of the 21st century. Bridgetower's blockchain offerings include a customizable Web3 architecture with robust API layers and a full end-to-end Web3 platform. Bridgetower's AI services include AI modeling, training Large Language Models (LLM), offering GPUs as a service, and complete blockchain data authenticity and validation. Bridgetower is strategically located in global blockchain hubs including the United States , the UK, Switzerland and Abu Dhabi . About InterVision Systems InterVision is a leading IT managed services provider, delivering and supporting cloud, security and innovation for mid-to-enterprise and public sector organizations throughout the US. With 30 years of experience and one of the most comprehensive solution portfolios, InterVision drives business outcomes with an unparalleled focus on the customer and employee experience to help organizations be more competitive, compliant, and secure. The company has headquarters in St. Louis with locations in Boston , Richmond , Roanoke, Sacramento , San Francisco , Seattle , San Jose , Kosovo and India . Experience us at intervision.com . About ProvLabs ProvLabs (Provenance Blockchain Labs, Inc.) is a blockchain infrastructure technology company that provides mission-critical APIs and SaaS solutions that enable the deployment of real-world assets at scale on Provenance Blockchain. ProvLabs' solutions provide a frictionless path to Web3 enablement and are built specifically for Provenance Blockchain Network, the world's largest public Layer 1 blockchain network as measured by real-world assets with over $13 billion in total value locked and over $41 billion in supported transactions. Learn more at ProvLabs.io, and follow us on X and LinkedIn. Notes to editors Media contacts: Bridgetower Capital: Todd Wolfenbarger / todd@bridgetowercapital.com InterVision Systems: kate_johnson@blastmedia.com Alyssa Rinehart BLASTmedia for InterVision intervision@blastmedia.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bridgetower-capital-launches-sovereign-ai-data-lineage-solution-and-partners-with-intervision-systems-and-provlabs--facilitator-of-41b-of-financial-transactions--to-authenticate-ai-data-globally-302330822.html SOURCE InterVision