The meme coin sector recently saw the rise of numerous highly successful presales, and the newest one emerged only six days ago in the SOL ecosystem. The new Solana ICO saw the project known as Solaxy (SOLX) kick off its presale on December 12, and by December 18, the project had already raised over $2 million. Solaxy became an instant hit from the start, and there could be several reasons for it. First, it emerged in the Solana ecosystem, which has seen rapid growth of its meme coin sector throughout the year. Some of the top-ranking meme coins right now are Solana-based cryptos that emerged in 2024. Then, there is the fact that the project also uses Pepe’s likeness on its website and promotional posts, which could lead many to it thanks to the fact that Pepe (PEPE) is currently the third-largest meme coin by market cap. There is also the fact that Pepe Unchained, the biggest and most successful ICO of the year, recently finished its presale, only for its price to skyrocket. However, the most important and influential factor is likely the fact that this is Solana’s first Layer-2 project. Solana itself is one of the industry’s fastest and cheapest blockchains, which was by design. It emerged as an Ethereum competitor, seeking to offer a blockchain that would not suffer from Ethereum’s slow transfer speeds and high fees, and it was largely successful. But, it has developed its own issues along the way, including network congestion and a common occurrence where its transactions would fail. By opting to launch on its own Layer-2 blockchain that would operate as a side-chain in Solana’s ecosystem, Solaxy could finally get rid of these issues. BUY SOLX WHILE ITS PRICE IS LOW What Does Solaxy Have To Offer? As mentioned, Solaxy will run on a L2 blockchain, which will allow it to solve issues that trouble Solana, while still maintaining the speed and low cost of its transactions. Also, while it is primarily a SOL project, it will be a multi-chain project that will run on Solana and Ethereum at the same time. This puts it in a perfect position to act as a bridge between the two networks, their ecosystems, and their communities, while its technology will make it a more advanced option than either of the two networks. Solaxy is imagined as an everyday coin to be used by meme coin community members, offering a smooth, fast, and cheap experience. This is what attracted people to its ICO, which raised $2.06 million as of December 18. Its token, SOLX, currently sells for only $0.001566, but anyone interested in buying the token should not wait too long to do it. As with most other ICOs, the Solaxy presale will go through different stages, and each one will bring a small boost to its price. JOIN THE SOLX ICO EARLY FOR THE GREATEST GAINS In other words, the sooner you buy it, the lower the price you’ll pay for it will be. Right now, the price may be at $0.001566, but in less than two days, the project will see its next minor price increase, so do your research and react soon. If you decide to buy the SOLX token , you can do it using ETH, USDT, BNB, or credit/debit cards.NPFL: Idahosa gifts Bendel Insurance N1.5m for win over Kwara United
Analysis: Week 12 full of sloppy play, especially on special teams
US trade body to investigate alleged Adani solar IPR violationsA federal proposal that would redistribute the overall quota for catching highly lucrative baby eels to individual fishers will not compensate commercial licence-holders who employ those workers, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says, leaving owners feeling betrayed by the government. The department first informed Maritime commercial groups and fishermen of the proposed pilot project in a letter in mid-October, designed to combat unlicensed fishing of the baby eels, known as elvers , and violent confrontations that have shut down the last two seasons. The letter of intent said consultations would be held and asked for feedback on the proposal. At the time, the department told elver fishers the quota redistribution program sought to “broaden the distribution of benefits” and “would not be accompanied by financial assistance or compensation to existing licence holders,” according to the letter. More than a month later, a DFO spokesperson told Global News the department is still not considering compensation. “Fisheries and Oceans Canada is currently conducting consultations on the reallocation of elver quota, without compensation,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement Friday. “Given the significant increases in elver value and relatively low input costs, the commercial elver fishery presents a unique opportunity to broaden the distribution of the prosperity that can be generated among various types of harvesters, potentially including young harvesters, employees of existing commercial licence holders, and harvesters who participate in co-operative commercial enterprises.” Commercial licence-holders in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick say the proposal would not only further harm their bottom line but also upset the industry as a whole. “It’s definitely going to be hard to keep employees on,” Stanley King, a commercial licence-holder with Atlantic Elver Fishery and spokesperson for the Canadian Committee for a Sustainable Eel Fishery, told Global News. The DFO proposal would offer 120 fishers currently employed by the nine commercial licence-holders their own small elver licences for next year’s season, and would also offer elver licences to 30 fishers currently licensed to catch adult eels. The pilot would last for three years and accompany new regulatory changes to the elver fishery the DFO is working to put in place for 2025. The new redistribution scheme would be on top of an earlier proposal in June that would redistribute 50 per cent of the overall quota to local Indigenous groups to recognize their court-approved right to make a moderate living from hunting, gathering and fishing. Combined, King said that could mean 75 per cent of the overall quota — which hasn’t changed since 2005 — will be redistributed away from commercial licensees. The department told Global News in an earlier statement last week that it will set the overall quota before the season opens in the spring. In its October letter of intent, the DFO said it sought to redistribute the quota “without increasing fishing pressure on the stock.” The DFO said last week that consultations on the proposed redistribution program would seek comments on “the potential impacts a pilot might have on existing licence holders’ operations.” The Fisheries Council of Canada wrote to the DFO earlier this month expressing “strong concerns” about the proposal, which it said is “disruptive, lacks a thoughtful policy foundation, and seems driven by objectives that do not consider the full ramifications for the industry.” A meeting held between DFO officials and Nova Scotia elver fishers in late October about the proposal — a recording of which was reviewed by Global News — grew heated as fishers angrily accused the government of putting their livelihoods at risk. “It’s frustrating to have DFO continually say, ‘We realize what your opinion is, we hear you, and we’re going to go ahead and do it anyway,” King said. Elvers are fished at night from coastal rivers in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Maine. They are harvested in the springtime as they return to the rivers from their ocean spawning areas. They can be harvested using minimal equipment, often with a bucket and a fine funnel-shaped net called a fyke net or a dip net, making entry into the lucrative market easy. The federal government closed the commercial baby eel fishery on March 11 after violence and intimidation plagued last year’s fishing season in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The 2020 season was also shut down for similar reasons. At peak value, elvers have sold at about $5,000 per kilogram, according to DFO — more than lobsters, scallops or salmon — making them the most valuable fish by weight in Canada. King and other commercial fishers say the current value is well below that and fluctuates year to year and within seasons. But the potential for sky-high prices has made the fishery highly susceptible to poaching and bad actors from abroad. China is the dominant market for elvers, and some buyers will both under-pay on the black market and overpay for licensed catches, driving out legitimate Chinese buyers, King said. The fear among commercial groups is that individual fishers will sell to the highest bidder rather than resisting the encroachment of bad actors. “The government is going down a path that not only will destroy the incumbent businesses and their futures, but it’s going to basically lead to a situation where the entire landscape of the Canadian glass eel fishery is going to be dominated by numbered companies,” said Mitchell Feigenbaum, an eel exporter and commercial elver licence holder who runs South Shore Trading in Port Elgin, N.B. In May, federal officers seized a shipment of over 100 kilograms of elvers at Toronto Pearson International Airport they said was destined for overseas, valued between $400,000 and $500,000. King said that seizure was “a drop in the bucket” and that overall enforcement of illegal fishing and exporting is nearly non-existent, particularly along the rivers where elvers are actually caught. He said individual licences will make fishers more susceptible not just to the bad actors buying the product, but also the potential of losing entire catches if personal storage and transportation equipment fails. Smaller quotas will also mean lower salaries than what large companies have been able to pay those same workers. “What the government has done with these employees is they have increased their risk dramatically,” King said. Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier defended the quota redistribution proposal at a House of Commons fisheries committee meeting in October, telling MPs in French that licences “should be expanded to enable economic prosperity.” Conservative MP Rick Perkins compared the proposed pilot program to the government telling a Tim Hortons franchisee, “‘Well, I think it’s unfair that you make a lot of money from that franchise, so I will take three-quarters of that business and give it to your employees. It’s too bad you invested all this in the business — so sad — but I’m going to make it more equitable,’ in some strange socialist world.” Lebouthillier said Perkins’ analogy was “not true at all” and that “young people, the next generation, will have access to the resource” under the new program. “She thinks she’s playing Robin Hood, and in actuality, she’s putting these fishermen in a worse-off situation than they currently are,” King said. Perkins also suggested at the committee meeting the increase in licensees will make it harder for the government to enforce the law and stop bad actors, to which the minister promised new regulations that will address the issue. King said Lebouthillier has refused to meet with the elver industry despite multiple requests. Feigenbaum said offer letters for individual licences are being sent to his recent, part-time contract workers, rather than to the career employees who have worked for him for decades. “How do I even explain this to DFO?” he said. “I fired a guy (for drug use) and he got a letter... I’ve got 25-year employees that are getting ignored. “In 2024 we lost all our income; 100 per cent of our earnings was destroyed. And in the year 2023, we lost like 75 per cent of our earnings. So after two years in a row of this kind of treatment, we basically had to eliminate our payroll. We mothballed a lot of our facilities. We’re working on a skeleton staff.” Commercial fishers say they have tried to work with the DFO on solutions to the elver fishery for years, but have seen their proposals — which include collaboration with First Nations — shut down by the government. “We think there’s something very stinky going on,” Feigenbaum said. —With files from Global’s Heidi Petracek and The Canadian Press
The Kansas City Chiefs bounced back from their first defeat of the season with a dramatic 30-27 win over the Carolina Panthers. The reigning Super Bowl champions saw their run of 15 straight wins ended by the Buffalo Bills last week, but got back to winning ways thanks to star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. After a late Chuba Hubbard touchdown and two-point conversion had made it 27-27, the Chiefs got the ball back with less than two minutes on the clock and a 33-yard run from Mahomes helped set up Spencer Shrader for a game-winning field goal. THE CHIEFS SURVIVE AGAIN. 🔥 Patrick Mahomes comes up CLUTCH with a 33-yard run late, before Spencer Shrader wins it as time expires! Get your #NFL action on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/POt57HQYig — ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) November 24, 2024 Mahomes finished the game with 269 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Noah Gray in the first half. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored two touchdowns as the Detroit Lions beat the Indianapolis Colts 24-6 to improve their record to 10-1, matching that of the Chiefs. David Montgomery also ran for a score before having to leave the game with a shoulder injury. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended a four-game losing streak with a 30-7 win over the New York Giants, who “mutually agreed” to terminate the contract of quarterback Daniel Jones earlier this week. Jones’ replacement Tommy DeVito was sacked four times while opposite number Baker Mayfield ran for a touchdown and completed 24 of 30 pass attempts for 294 yards. Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker also ran for touchdowns in a one-sided contest. The Dallas Cowboys ended their five-game losing streak with a remarkable 34-26 win over the Washington Commanders, with 30 points scored in the final three minutes. KaVontae Turpin’s 99-yard kick-off return for a touchdown looked to have sealed victory for the Cowboys, only for the Commanders to respond with a field goal before getting the ball back with 33 seconds remaining. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin sprinted 86 yards through the Dallas defence for a touchdown, only for Austin Seibert to miss the extra point. 99 YARDS TO THE 🏡 @KaVontaeTurpin was gone!! 📺: #DALvsWAS on FOX📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LvklCbYJ1e pic.twitter.com/4ckMWDEDPL — Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 24, 2024 The Commanders tried an onside kick and Juanyeh Thomas returned it 43 yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw four touchdown passes as the Miami Dolphins cruised to a 34-15 win over the New England Patriots, while the Tennessee Titans pulled off a surprise 32-27 victory at the Houston Texans. The Minnesota Vikings improved to 9-2 thanks to a 30-27 overtime win against the Chicago Bears, Parker Romo kicking the decisive field goal from 29 yards.Musk and Trump could delete consumer protectionsMIAMI , Dec. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Gary Brecka , wife Sage Workinger and respective entities, IJS and TPH, today filed significant lawsuits related to their partnership with Cardone Ventures, LLC. The first complaint is a $100M defamation lawsuit filed by Brecka and Workinger against Elena Cardone , wife of Grant Cardone who co-founded 10X Health with Brecka and Workinger. It details the process by which Mrs. Cardone launched an allegedly intentional smear campaign designed to damage Brecka's reputation, including making false incendiary social media posts and nefarious public statements. The second complaint names Cardone Ventures LLC, a consulting firm claiming to help founders scale their businesses, and its CEO Brandon Dawson as defendants. The complaint details predatory efforts by Dawson and Cardone Ventures to take over 10X Health and edge out Brecka and Workinger through nefarious means and breaches of contractual agreements. Individuals who have worked with Cardone Ventures or CEO Brandon Dawson and may have information or similar complaints may call 305-603-0805 to leave confidential information for legal team review. Editor's Note #1: Copies of both complaints are included with this press release or available upon request. Exhibit information is also available upon request. Editor's Note #2: Brecka and Workinger are available for phone and on-camera interviews. Contact: Josh Merkin rbb communications (954) 789-5530 View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/renowned-human-biologist-and-longevity-expert-gary-brecka-files-100m-defamation-claim-against-elena-cardone-and-lawsuit-against-cardone-ventures-in-response-to-questionable-business-practices-302339380.html SOURCE IJS and TPH
CARSON, Calif. — The LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls have been Major League Soccer mainstays since the league's inaugural season in 1996, signing glamorous players and regularly competing for championships through years of success and setbacks in a league that's perpetually improving and expanding. Yet just a year ago, both of these clubs appeared to be a very long way from the stage they'll share Saturday in the MLS Cup Final. The Galaxy were one of MLS' worst teams after a season of internal turmoil and public fan dissent, while the Red Bulls were merely a steady mediocrity seeking yet another coach to chart a new direction. A year later, these MLS founders are meeting in the league's first Cup final between teams from North America's two biggest markets. "Two original clubs being able to put themselves in this situation, I think it's great," Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. "To see two clubs that have been at it as long as this league has been around be here, I think it's a special moment. Couldn't be two more different and contrasting styles as well, which could make for an interesting game, and I would imagine a high-intensity game." Everything changed in 2024 after a dismal decade for the Galaxy, who are favored to cap their transformation by winning their team's record sixth MLS championship with a roster that's dramatically different from its past few groups — albeit with one massive injury absence in the final. The transformation of the Red Bulls happened only in the postseason, when a team that hadn't won a playoff game since 2017 suddenly turned into world-beaters under rookie coach Sandro Schwarz. New York struggled through the final three months of league play with only two wins before posting road playoff victories over defending champ Columbus, archrival New York City FC and conference finalist Orlando to storm into the Cup final. "We know about the history (of our club), and we know tomorrow will define what that could mean," Schwarz said Friday. "To feel the pressure for tomorrow, it's necessary, because it's a final, and without pressure it's not possible to bring the best quality on the field." The Red Bulls have never won an MLS Cup, only reaching the championship match once before. What's more, they've somehow never won a Cup in any tournament, although they've collected three Supporters' Shields for MLS' best regular-season record. The Galaxy's trophy case is large and loaded, and those five MLS Cups are on the top shelf. But not much of that team success happened in the past decade for the club that famously brought David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard and many other international stars to Hollywood. In fact, this season has ended a grim era for the Galaxy, who haven't lost all year at their frequently renamed home stadium — which was the site of protests and boycotts just a year ago. The club's fans were tired of LA's steady underachievement and ineptitude in the front office run by team president Chris Klein, who was fired in May 2023. One year ago Thursday, the Galaxy hired Will Kuntz, a longtime Los Angeles FC executive who engineered his new club's roster transformation, most dramatically by landing new designated players Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil — two international talents that LAFC also had in its sights. "I give Will and the group up there a ton of credit," Vanney said. "It's one thing to have players you like, and it's a whole other thing to get them here and get them to connect with your group." Pec and Paintsil combined for 32 goals and 27 assists while boosting the incumbent talents of striker Dejan Joveljic and Riqui Puig, the gifted Barcelona product who runs the offense from the midfield. The Galaxy clicked in the postseason, scoring a jaw-dropping 16 goals in four matches. Puig has been the Galaxy's most important player all season, but he won't be in the MLS Cup Final after tearing a knee ligament late in last week's conference final victory over Seattle. The loss of Puig — who somehow kept playing on his injured knee, and even delivered the game-winning pass to Joveljic — makes the Galaxy even more difficult to anticipate. "He played a lot in the regular season, so it was not so easy to analyze all these games now without him," Schwarz said. "But the main focus is to analyze what we need to do, because it's not clear now how they're playing without him." The Galaxy could give some of Puig's responsibilities to Marco Reus, the longtime Dortmund standout who joined LA in August. Reus is nursing a hamstring injury, but Vanney expects him to play. Get local news delivered to your inbox!TikTok's future in the U.S. appeared uncertain on Friday after a federal appeals court rejected a legal challenge to a law that requires the social media platform to cut ties with its China-based parent company or be banned by mid-January. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * TikTok's future in the U.S. appeared uncertain on Friday after a federal appeals court rejected a legal challenge to a law that requires the social media platform to cut ties with its China-based parent company or be banned by mid-January. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? TikTok’s future in the U.S. appeared uncertain on Friday after a federal appeals court rejected a legal challenge to a law that requires the social media platform to cut ties with its China-based parent company or be banned by mid-January. A panel of three judges on The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled unanimously that the law withstood constitutional scrutiny, rebuffing arguments from the two companies that the statute violated their rights and the rights of TikTok users in the U.S. The government has said it wants ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to divest its stakes. But if it doesn’t and the platform goes away, it would have a seismic impact on the lives of content creators who rely on the platform for income as well as users who use it for entertainment and connection. Here are some details on the ruling and what could happen next: What does the ruling say? In their lawsuit, TikTok and ByteDance, which is also a plaintiff in the case, had challenged the law on various fronts, arguing in part that the statute ran afoul of the First Amendment and was an unconstitutional bill of attainder that unfairly targeted the two companies. But the court sided with attorneys for the Justice Department who said that the government was attempting to address national security concerns and the way in which it chose to do so did not violate the constitution. The Justice Department has argued in court that TikTok poses a national security risk due to its connections to China. Officials say that Chinese authorities can compel ByteDance to hand over information on TikTok’s U.S. patrons or use the platform to spread, or suppress, information. However, the U.S. hasn’t publicly provided examples of that happening. The appeals court ruling, written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg, said the law was “carefully crafted to deal only with control by a foreign adversary.” The judges also rejected the claim that the statute was an unlawful bill of attainder or a taking of property in violation of the Fifth Amendment. Furthermore, Ginsburg wrote the law did not violate the First Amendment because the government is not looking to “suppress content or require a certain mix of content” on TikTok. What happens next? TikTok and ByteDance are expected to appeal the case to the Supreme Court, but it’s unclear whether the court will take up the case. TikTok indicated in a statement on Friday the two companies are preparing to take their case to high court, saying the Supreme Court has “an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech.” “We expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue,” a company spokesperson said. Alan Morrison, a professor at The George Washington University Law School, said he expects the Supreme Court to take up the case because of the novelty of the issues raised in the lawsuit. If that happens, attorneys for the two companies still have to convince the court to grant them an emergency stay that will prevent the government from enforcing the Jan. 19 divestiture deadline stipulated in the law, Morrison said. Such a move could drag out the process until the Justices make a ruling. Tiffany Cianci, a TikTok content creator who has supported the platform, said she was not shocked about the outcome of the court’s ruling on Friday because lower courts typically defer to the executive branch on these types of cases. She believes the company will have a stronger case at the Supreme Court. “I believe that the next stages are more likely to produce a victory for TikTokers and for TikTok as a whole,” Cianci said. What about Trump? Another wild card is President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term but said during the recent presidential campaign that he is now against such action. The Trump transition team has not offered details on how Trump plans to carry out his pledge to “save TikTok.” But spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement last month that he plans to “deliver” on his campaign promises. After Trump takes office on Jan. 20th, it would fall on his Justice Department to enforce the law and punish any potential violators. Penalties would apply to any app stores that would violate a prohibition on TikTok and to internet hosting services which would be barred from supporting it. Some have speculated that Trump could ask his Justice Department to abstain from enforcing the law. But tech companies like Apple and Google, which offer TikTok’s app on their app stores, would then have to trust that the administration would not come after them for any violations. Craig Singleton, senior director of the China program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said enforcement discretion — or executive orders — can not override existing law, leaving Trump with “limited room for unilateral action.” There are other things Trump could potentially do. It’s possible he could invoke provisions of the law that allow the president to determine whether a sale or a similar transaction frees TikTok from “foreign adversary” control. Another option is to urge Congress to repeal the law. But that too would require support from congressional Republicans who have overwhelmingly supported the prospect of getting TikTok out of the hands of a Chinese company. In a statement issued Friday, Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, said he was “optimistic that President Trump will facilitate an American takeover of TikTok” and allow its continued use in the United States. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Is anyone trying to buy TikTok? ByteDance has said it won’t sell TikTok. And even if it wanted to, a sale of the proprietary algorithm that powers TikTok is likely to get blocked under Chinese export controls that the country issued in 2020. That means if TikTok is sold without the algorithm, its likely that the buyer would only purchase a shell of the platform that doesn’t contain the technology that made the app a cultural powerhouse. Still, some investors, including Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in buying it. This week, a spokesperson for McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative, which aims to protect online privacy, said participants in their bid have made informal commitments of more than $20 billion in capital. The spokesperson did not disclose the identity of the participants. Advertisement Advertisement
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Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., attends the cocktail hour of New York Young Republican Club’s annual gala at Cipriani Wall Street, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., closes a door to a private meeting with Vice President-elect JD Vance and Republican Senate Judiciary Committee members, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., center, attends the cocktail hour of New York Young Republican Club’s annual gala at Cipriani Wall Street, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., attends the cocktail hour of New York Young Republican Club’s annual gala at Cipriani Wall Street, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) By LISA MASCARO and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Ethics Committee’s long-awaited report on Matt Gaetz documents a trove of salacious allegations , including sex with an underage girl, that tanked the Florida Republican’s bid to lead the Justice Department . Related Articles National Politics | President-elect Trump wants to again rename North America’s tallest peak National Politics | An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump National Politics | Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada and the Panama Canal National Politics | House Ethics Committee accuses Gaetz of ‘regularly’ paying for sex, including with 17-year-old girl National Politics | Trump wants mass deportations. For the agents removing immigrants, it’s a painstaking process Citing text messages, travel receipts, online payments and testimony, the bipartisan committee paints a picture of a lifestyle in which Gaetz and others connected with younger women for drug-fueled parties, events or trips, with the expectation the women would be paid for their participation. The former congressman, who filed a last-minute lawsuit to try to block the report’s release on Monday, slammed the committee’s findings. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and has insisted he never had sex with a minor. And a Justice Department investigation into the allegations ended without any criminal charges filed against him. “Giving funds to someone you are dating — that they didn’t ask for — and that isn’t ‘charged’ for sex is now prostitution?!?” Gaetz wrote in one post on Monday. “There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses.” Here’s a look at some of the committee’s key findings: The committee found that between 2017 and 2020, Gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars to women “likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use.” He paid the women using through online services such as PayPal, Venmo, and CashApp and with cash or check, the committee said. The committee said it found evidence that Gaetz understood the “transactional nature” of his relationships with the women. The report points to one text exchange in which Gaetz balked at a woman’s request that he send her money, “claiming she only gave him a ‘drive by.’” Women interviewed by the committee said there was a “general expectation of sex,” the report said. One woman who received more than $5,000 from Gaetz between 2018 and 2019 said that “99 percent of the time” that when she hung out with Gaetz “there was sex involved.” However, Gaetz was in a long-term relationship with one of the women he paid, so “some of the payments may have been of a legitimate nature,” the committee said. Text messages obtained by the committee also show that Gaetz would ask the women to bring drugs to their “rendezvous,” the report said. While most of his encounters with the women were in Florida, the committee said Gaetz also traveled “on several occasions” with women whom he paid for sex. The report includes text message exchanges in which Gaetz appears to be inviting various women to events, getaways or parties, and arranging airplane travel and lodging. Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg, who pleaded guilty to sex trafficking charges in 2021, initially connected with women through an online service. In one text with a 20-year-old woman, Greenberg suggested if she has a friend, the four of them could meet up. The woman responded that she usually does “$400 per meet.” Greenberg replied: “He understands the deal,” along with a smiley face emoji. Greenberg asks if they are old enough to drink alcohol, and sent the woman a picture of Gaetz. The woman responded that her friend found him “really cute.” “Well, he’s down here for only for the day, we work hard and play hard,” Greenberg replied. The report details a party in July 2017 in which Gaetz is accused of having sex with “multiple women, including the 17-year-old, for which they were paid.” The committee pointed to “credible testimony” from the now-woman herself as well as “multiple individuals” who corroborated the allegation. The then-17-year-old — who had just completed her junior year in high school — told the committee that Gaetz paid her $400 in cash that night, “which she understood to be payment for sex,” according to the report. The woman acknowledged that she had taken ecstasy the night of the party, but told the committee that she was “certain” of her sexual encounters with the then-congressman. There’s no evidence that Gaetz knew she was a minor when he had sex with her, the committee said. The woman told the committee she didn’t tell Gaetz she was under 18 at the time and that he didn’t how old she was. Rather, the committee said Gaetz learned she was a minor more than a month after the party. But he stayed in touch with her after that and met up with her for “commercial sex” again less than six months after she turned 18, according to the committee. In sum, the committee said it authorized 29 subpoenas for documents and testimony, reviewed nearly 14,000 documents and contacted more than two dozen witnesses. But when the committee subpoenaed Gaetz for his testimony, he failed to comply. “Gaetz pointed to evidence that would ‘exonerate’ him yet failed to produce any such materials,” the committee said. Gaetz “continuously sought to deflect, deter, or mislead the Committee in order to prevent his actions from being exposed.” The report details a months-long process that dragged into a year as it sought information from Gaetz that he decried as “nosey” and a “weaponization” of government against him. In one notable exchange, investigators were seeking information about the expenses for a 2018 get-away with multiple women to the Bahamas. Gaetz ultimately offered up his plane ticket receipt “to” the destination, but declined to share his return “from” the Bahamas. The report said his return on a private plane and other expenses paid by an associate were in violation of House gift rules. In another Gaetz told the committee he would “welcome” the opportunity to respond to written questions. Yet, after it sent a list of 16 questions, Gaetz said publicly he would “no longer” voluntarily cooperate. He called the investigation “frivolous,” adding: “Every investigation into me ends the same way: my exoneration.” The report said that while Gaetz’s obstruction of the investigation does not rise to a criminal violation it is inconsistent with the requirement that all members of Congress “act in a manner that reflects creditably upon the House.” The committee began its review of Gaetz in April 2021 and deferred its work in response to a Justice Department request. It renewed its work shortly after Gaetz announced that the Justice Department had ended a sex trafficking investigation without filing any charges against him. The committee sought records from the Justice Department about the probe, but the agency refused, saying it doesn’t disclose information about investigations that don’t result in charges. The committee then subpoenaed the Justice Department, but after a back-and-forth between officials and the committee, the department handed over “publicly reported information about the testimony of a deceased individual,” according to the report. “To date, DOJ has provided no meaningful evidence or information to the Committee or cited any lawful basis for its responses,” the committee said. Many of the women who the committee spoke to had already given statements to the Justice Department and didn’t want to “relive their experience,” the committee said. “They were particularly concerned with providing additional testimony about a sitting congressman in light of DOJ’s lack of action on their prior testimony,” the report said. The Justice Department, however, never handed over the women’s statements. The agency’s lack of cooperation — along with its request that the committee pause its investigation — significantly delayed the committee’s probe, lawmakers said.
AP News Summary at 2:20 p.m. ESTThe Los Angeles Lakers’ three-point shooting hasn’t been stellar to begin the 2024-25 season, but they could make a wise move to help bolster that aspect of their team. Trading away a reliable role player and acquiring a near-automatic perimeter shooter would instantly solve the Lakers' long-range shooting woes. “The Lakers have shown promise this season, but their roster still lacks an elite shooter to space the floor consistently for Anthony Davis and LeBron James,” Fadeaway World’s Eddie Bitar wrote Saturday. “Michael Porter Jr. would address this need perfectly. His career 40.9% three-point shooting makes him one of the league’s top marksmen, and his ability to stretch defenses would open up driving lanes for LeBron and opportunities for Davis to dominate inside.” “Porter Jr. also adds versatility with his 6-foot-10 frame, making him a tough matchup on both ends of the floor.” "Adding Porter Jr. would bolster the Lakers' title hopes, as his shooting complements their star duo's strengths and he would be a "Splash Brother" alongside Dalton Knecht as well." “Playing alongside elite playmakers in James and Davis would likely improve Porter Jr.’s efficiency, pushing him closer to his career shooting norms.” "While Porter Jr.’s defensive limitations might pose challenges, the Lakers’ existing defensive structure could mitigate his weaknesses, especially with Davis anchoring the paint." “Essentially, the Lakers having two shooters who can nail over 38% consistently would be a perfect case for their starting lineup.” “The downside of this trade for the Lakers is losing Austin Reaves, who has emerged as a reliable role player and secondary ball-handler.” “However, the upgrade in shooting and offensive firepower Porter Jr. provides outweighs the loss of Reaves, (Jarred) Vanderbilt, and (Gabe) Vincent, none of whom offer the same game-changing skillset. This trade could cement the Lakers as a top contender in the West.” Bitar’s proposed trade would send Reaves, Vanderbilt, Vincent, and a 2029 first-round pick to the Nuggets for Porter Jr. Porter Jr. has been one of Denver’s most consistent outside shooting threats since making his Nuggets debut in 2019. The Missouri product has utilized his impeccable off-ball instincts, impressive manipulation tactics, and clean release to shoot above 39% from three-point land during five of his first six NBA seasons. Without Porter Jr.’s significant contributions from deep, there’s a good chance the Nuggets wouldn’t boast a 9-6 record through the first 15 games of the 2024-25 season. The Lakers could use a three-point shooting specialist like Porter Jr., but the franchise would likely be reluctant to pull the plug on Reaves. The 6-foot-5 guard is a steady contributor who’s earned James’ trust over time, but landing Porter Jr. would give the Lakers the boost they desperately need from beyond the arc. If Los Angeles truly wants to frighten teams in the Western Conference, they’ll consider contacting Porter Jr. More NBA: Warriors may part ways with future All-Star in trade for $215.2 million Hawks phenomKylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham help Real Madrid stay on Barcelona’s heels
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