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HUNTINGTON, W.V. (AP) — Marshall has withdrawn from the Independence Bowl after a coaching change resulted in much of its roster jumping into the transfer portal. The Thundering Herd were slated to play Army on Dec. 28 in Shreveport, Louisiana. But the Independence Bowl and Louisiana Tech announced on Saturday that the Bulldogs will take on the 19th-ranked Black Knights instead. Marshall said it pulled out “after falling below the roster minimum that was deemed medically safe.” The Herd (10-3) beat Louisiana-Lafayette 31-3 last weekend to win the Sun Belt Conference Championship for the first time. The program has won seven games in a row in the same season for the first time since 2020. “We apologize for the nature and timing of this announcement and for the turmoil it has brought to bowl season preparations for Army, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, the American Athletic Conference and ESPN,” Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill said in a statement. Coach Charles Huff left Marshall for Southern Miss last Sunday, and Tony Gibson, the defensive coordinator at North Carolina State, was announced as his replacement less than an hour later. By Thursday, at least 25 Marshall players had entered the transfer portal. Gibson held a meeting shortly after arriving on campus in Huntington to introduce himself to the team. He followed that up with phone calls, text messages and more meetings Friday and Saturday. “Any time coaches leave to take other jobs, it is emotional,” Gibson said at a news conference Thursday. “And kids that are 18-to-22 years old are going to make emotional decisions instead of just breathing for a day or two.” It's the first bowl for Louisiana Tech (5-7) since 2020. The Bulldogs have won two of their last three games, but they haven't played since a 33-0 victory over Kennesaw State on Nov. 30. “We are excited to accept the opportunity to play in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl against a fantastic and storied program as Army,” Louisiana Tech athletic director Ryan Ivey said in a release. “I believe our football program is moving toward positive structure and the opportunity to play in this bowl adds to that momentum. We are looking forward to being in Shreveport for this matchup.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballBIRMINGHAM, Ala. , Dec. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- RxBenefits, Inc., the employee benefits industry's first technology-enabled pharmacy benefits optimizer (PBO), announced today that Robert Gamble has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Gamble succeeds Wendy Barnes , who has decided to pursue another professional opportunity. Gamble has also joined the RxBenefits Board of Directors. Gamble , a seasoned leader with more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare and pharmacy benefits industry, has been an integral part of RxBenefits' executive leadership team for the past nine years. Most recently, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO). As COO, Gamble led the strategy, technology, operations, and account management functions during a period of significant expansion and growth for the company, including launching new products and entering new market segments. Gamble previously held the position of Chief Financial Officer. "I am proud to take the helm of a company whose sole mission is to be a trusted partner to our clients and transparently deliver pharmacy benefits aligned to their unique goals," Gamble said. "We have a strong leadership team, and more than 1,200 employees focused on helping our clients achieve sustainable savings while delivering robust pharmacy benefits to their members." "Over nearly a decade, Robert has proven his strong ability to drive growth as he has helped scale RxBenefits into the pre-eminent and first technology-enabled pharmacy benefits optimizer," said Mark Taber , a Managing Director at Great Hill Partners and member of the RxBenefits Board of Directors. "We are confident that he is the right choice to lead RxBenefits forward, leveraging his deep, nuanced understanding of the industry and company to deliver greater value to clients nationwide." "We're appreciative of Wendy's commitment to the company as well as her efforts to maintain RxBenefits' status as a leading provider of cost-effective pharmacy benefits solutions and exceptional service to clients," said John Maldonado , Managing Partner at Advent International and RxBenefits board member. "We're excited for Robert to take on his new role and believe he is well-positioned to lead the RxBenefits team and propel the company to its next phase of growth." "I am grateful for Wendy's leadership over the last two years. She accelerated our momentum and prepared us for our next phase of expansion," Gamble added. "We had a strong earnings year in 2024, continuing our track record of robust financial performance. We also have an ambitious strategic plan for 2025 and beyond. I look forward to what we will achieve and how we will increasingly help our clients contain soaring pharmacy benefits costs while taking great care of their members." RxBenefits continues to grow and innovate to meet its clients' emerging needs for cost-effective pharmacy benefits solutions, adding 500 employees just since 2022 while continuing to deliver industry-leading, award-winning customer and member service. About RxBenefits RxBenefits is the nation's first and leading technology-enabled pharmacy benefits optimizer (PBO) with more than 1,200 pharmacy pricing, data, and clinical experts working together to deliver prescription benefit savings to employee benefits advisors and their self-insured clients. Serving more than 3 million members , RxBenefits brings market-leading purchasing power, independent clinical solutions, and high-touch service to its customers – ensuring that all plan sponsors, regardless of size, can provide an affordable and valuable pharmacy benefits plan to their employees. The company is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rxbenefits-inc-appoints-robert-gamble-chief-executive-officer-302332862.html SOURCE RxBenefits
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RxBenefits, Inc. Appoints Robert Gamble Chief Executive Officer
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Mumbai : Bigg Boss 18 fans are in for a treat as one of the most talked-about contestants, Vivian Dsena, is set to receive an emotional surprise in today’s Weekend Ka Vaar episode. His wife, Nouran Aly, will make her first-ever television appearance to interact with him and provide game tips and insights. This much-awaited moment has created a buzz among fans, with many speculating that Nouran’s presence could be a turning point for Vivian in the game. Known for her strong support of her husband, Nouran has been actively voicing her opinions about the show on her social media. She frequently shares photos and videos of the Sirf Tum actor, rallying support for him while addressing day-to-day happenings in the house. #VivianDsena with Wife #NouranAly pic.twitter.com/LYgXMPrUoC A former entertainment journalist, Nouran first met Vivian during an interview. Their professional encounter soon turned personal, blossoming into a love story that culminated in their marriage in 2023. Nouran’s appearance on Bigg Boss 18 will mark her official television debut, and fans are eager to see the couple’s heartfelt reunion. Recently, in a candid conversation with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, Vivian expressed how much he misses his wife and daughters. He revealed that the separation has often left him feeling anxious, making Nouran’s surprise visit all the more meaningful. Fans have been buzzing with excitement since news of Nouran’s appearance surfaced. Many believe she will provide Vivian with the clarity and motivation he has been seeking, possibly reigniting his drive to win the competition.Trump announces more nominations, including Devin Nunes, Troy Edgar and Bill White
Rethinking government
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma appears to have borrowed from the past to cure its recent offensive ills. The Sooners , best known this century for a passing prowess that has produced four Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks, took it back to the 20th century against then-No. 7 Alabama. Oklahoma ran 50 times for 257 yards while only throwing 12 times in a 24-3 win over the Crimson Tide that took coach Brent Venables off the hot seat. The Sooners more resembled Barry Switzer’s squads that dominated the old Big 8 with the wishbone offense in the 1970s and ’80s than the more recent Air Raid teams. Venables said the change was a matter of necessity for a unit that has been besieged by injuries at receiver and offensive line. “I think this staff has done a really good job with trying to figure that out, get better every week, put together a great gameplan but also figure out, ‘OK, what does this group of guys, what does this team — what do we need to do?'” Venables said. To make it work, Oklahoma needed to trust that such a change would work in the modern Southeastern Conference. They had to implement it with an interim play-caller in Joe Jon Finley, who stepped in after the Sooners fired Seth Littrell last month. Oklahoma (6-5, 2-5 SEC) pulled it off, and LSU coach Brian Kelly has taken notice ahead of their game on Saturday. “This is now much more about controlling the football, running the football, playing with physicality," Kelly said. "They've got perimeter skill, but I think it's centered around much more of a run-centric, quarterback run and take care of the football." The Sooners started to see success on the ground against Maine. They ran 52 times for 381 yards in a 59-14 win that got the wheels turning. Jovantae Barnes ran for career highs of 203 yards and three touchdowns that day. Venables said the timing of the opportunity to play that non-conference game against Maine in early November and figure some things out was perfect. “Everybody has some degree of vulnerability and maybe some self-doubt,” he said. “And just developing some confidence and putting something on tape other than practice, like, ‘Man, look, see what you’re capable of?’ And executing against, again, a well-coached team — certainly, we played off of that in all the right ways like you would expect us to. And so there’s a real place for that.” After a bye week, the Sooners tried the same approach against Missouri. It wasn't as successful — they ran 36 times for 122 yards — but they hung tough before losing 30-23 . The Sooners went all in against Alabama. Jackson Arnold — the same guy who threw 45 times in the Alamo Bowl last year, ran 25 times for 131 yards and threw just 11 passes. The Sooners found something in running back Xavier Robinson. With Barnes out with an injury, Robinson carried 18 times for career highs of 107 yards and two touchdowns. Suddenly, a team that had been forcing the pass and getting sacked at an alarming rate was moving the line of scrimmage and controlling the tempo. Oklahoma had the ball for more than 34 minutes against the Crimson Tide, lending support to a talented defense that had been spending way too much time on the field. The new approach could be helpful on Saturday — LSU (7-4, 4-3) ranks 14th out of 16 conference teams against the run. Venables said the Sooners still need to throw the ball well to win, but he's glad to know his squad can run with force when necessary. “I think that’s the art of having a system that’s adjustable, flexible, adaptable, week in and week out, but also has an identity — toughness, physicality," he said. "You’ve got to be able to run the ball at every level of football, but you do have to throw it. You can’t just do one thing. But we need to be efficient.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballWILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Attorneys for Fox Corp. asked a Delaware judge Friday to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit seeking to hold current and former company officials personally liable for the financial fallout stemming from Fox News reports regarding alleged vote rigging in the 2020 election. Five New York City public employee pension funds, along with Oregon’s public employee retirement fund, allege that former chairman Rupert Murdoch and other Fox Corp. leaders deliberately turned a blind eye to liability risks posed by reporting false claims of vote rigging by election technology companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic USA. Smartmatic is for defamation in New York, alleging damages of $2.7 billion. It recently in the District of Columbia against One America News Network, another conservative outlet, over reports of vote fraud. Dominion also filed several defamation lawsuits against blaming its election equipment for Donald Trump’s loss in 2020. Last year, a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion in Delaware for $787 million. The shareholder plaintiffs also allege that Fox corporate leaders ignored “red flags” about liability arising from a 2017 report suggesting that Seth Rich, a Democratic National Committee staffer, may have been killed because he had leaked Democratic party emails to Wikileaks during the 2016 presidential campaign. Rich, 27, was shot in 2016 in Washington, D.C., in what authorities have said was an attempted robbery. Fox News retracted the Seth Rich story a week after its initial broadcast, but Rich’s parents sued the network for falsely portraying their son as a criminal and traitor. Fox News in 2020 for “millions of dollars,” shortly before program hosts Lou Dobbs and Sean Hannity were to be deposed, according to the shareholder lawsuit. Joel Friedlander, an attorney for the institutional shareholders, argued that Fox officials waited until the company’s reporting about Rich became a national scandal before addressing the issue. Similarly, according to the shareholders, corporate officials, including Rupert Murdoch and his son, CEO Lachlan Murdoch, allowed Fox News to continue broadcasting false narratives about the 2020 election, despite internal communications suggesting that they knew there was no evidence to support the conspiracy theories. “The Murdochs could have minimized future monetary exposure, but they chose not to,” Friedlander said. Instead, he argued, they engaged in “bad-faith decision making” with other defendants in a profit-driven effort to retain viewers and remain in Trump’s good graces. “Decisions were made at the highest level to promote pro-Trump conspiracy theories without editorial control,” Friedlander said. Defense attorneys argue that the case should be dismissed because the plaintiffs filed their lawsuit without first demanding that the Fox Corp. board take action, as required under Delaware law. They say the plaintiffs also failed to demonstrate that a pre-suit demand on the Fox board would have been futile because at least half of the directors face a substantial likelihood of liability or are not independent of someone who does. Beyond the “demand futility” issue, defense attorneys also argue that allegations that Fox officials breached their fiduciary duties fail to meet the pleading standards under Delaware and therefore should be dismissed. Defense attorney William Savitt argued, for example, that neither the Rich settlement, which he described as “immaterial,” nor the allegedly defamatory statements about Dominion and Smartmatic constitute red flags putting directors on notice about the risk of defamation liability. Nor do they demonstrate that directors acted in bad faith or that Fox “utterly failed” to implement and monitor a system to report and mitigate legal risks, including defamation liability risk, according to the defendants. Savitt noted that the Rich article was promptly retracted, and that the settlement included no admission of liability. The Dominion and Smartmatic statements, meanwhile, gave rise themselves to the currently liability issues and therefore can not serve as red flags about future liability risks, according to the defendants. “A ‘red flag’ must be what the term commonly implies — warning of a risk of a liability-causing event that allows the directors to take action to avert the event, not notice that a liability-causing event has already occurred,” defense attorneys wrote in their motion to dismiss. Defense attorneys also say there are no factual allegations to support claims that Fox officials condoned illegal conduct in pursuit of corporate profits, or that they deliberately ignored their oversight responsibilities. They note that a “bad outcome” is not sufficient to demonstrate “bad faith.” Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster is expected to rule within 90 days.$2.7 billion would be pumped into Michigan roads under Republican plan
Millions displaced by global conflicts. Communities reeling from unseasonably strong natural disasters. Lives upended due to healthcare inequalities. In the middle of these crises are established nonprofits, everyday individuals and mutual aid groups — all seeking your dollars to make a difference. But with no shortage of worthy causes and the rise of new giving technologies, how should you donate? The choices can be immobilizing for those looking to open up their wallets. Many value conventional charities. But others — Gen Z and millennials, as well as the unmarried and less religious, according to 2021 research by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy — like to crowdfund by pooling donations online for folks in dire circumstances. The approaches reflect differing assessments of impact and trustworthiness. But they aren't necessarily opposed. “It’s really: what is the right type of support that either an organization or a community or an individual needs?” said Bloomerang Chief Customer Officer Todd Baylis, who co-founded a platform that helps nonprofits fundraise online. "And being able to tailor that to the individual giver.” Here are some questions worth considering as you determine which assistance best suits your objectives: It might come down to whether you want to make a big difference for one person or help seed large-scale change. Tiltify is a technology platform that helps nonprofits and individual crowdfunders alike raise money. If donors want to ensure that food gets to communities recovering from disasters, Tiltify CEO Michael Wasserman says a nonprofit contribution is probably best, as established organizations already have distribution pipelines and built-up expertise. But if you want to ensure a particular person can take care of themselves, he said, a direct donation to a crowdfunding campaign might make more sense than sending money “through a charitable funnel.” “It really depends on what your goal is as a donor: if you’re trying to help out somebody specifically or if you’re trying to help out people in plural,” Wasserman said. You could do both at once, according to one nonprofit that delivers cash transfers. GiveDirectly reports sending more than $860 million to 1.6 million people across three continents. Senior Program Manager Richard Nkurunziza says the idea was initially met with fears of misuse. But GiveDirectly finds that cash donations are a dignified way to empower poor people to invest in their unique needs. In Rwandan villages, he said, recipients have spent donations on household renovations, new businesses and youth education — all of which ultimately benefit their entire community. “There’s a bit of agency,” said Nkurunziza. “It gives an opportunity for the recipient to make a decision on how they use the funds for themselves.” Crowdfunding could be considered “more democratic,” according to Claire van Teunenbroek, a University of Twente professor specializing in online giving behavior. That's because donors have more control over their gifts' usage when they choose exactly who benefits. The disadvantage, she said, is that people with the greatest needs aren't always the ones with the most success. Humans are prone to supporting “easily sellable” projects with highly emotional appeals. Studies have also shown racial disparities in crowdfunding. The most popular reason donors told Bloomerang they stopped giving was because they did not trust contributions were being used wisely, according to the company’s Generational Giving Report. The second most common response was that donors no longer felt connected to the nonprofit they’d previously supported. The answers underscore the need for recipients to actively prove their trustworthiness. Tax-exempt nonprofits must submit annual financial disclosures to the Internal Revenue Service that include publicly available information, including executives' salaries. Watchdogs, such as Charity Navigator, compile lists of verified nonprofits and assess their work. Crowdfunding, while convenient, is much more susceptible to fraud. The online sites are relatively unregulated, leaving the responsibility for protection up to donors and the platforms themselves. In GoFundMe's case, donations can be refunded up to one year after they are made. The company also advises that organizers identify themselves and their beneficiaries, and specify their plans for spending contributions. Online users mistakenly associate high donation numbers with credibility, according to van Teunenbroek. She said risk is better mitigated by making sure the project's description is detailed. “For a donor, if you prefer more certainty, then traditional nonprofits are probably better because they have an established reputation,” she said. ALSAC CEO Rick Shadyac said his charity works hard to make donors feel confident that their money is supporting the mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: improving pediatric cancer survival rates worldwide by covering the costs of care and researching treatments. Shadyac encouraged people to give regardless of the medium and to always look for reputable causes. Bonafide charities, he said, bring “greater degrees of confidence” while crowdfunding requires more “due diligence.” But he sees room for both. “They should actually complement each other," he said. “Some of this is more in the realm of micro-philanthropy where they may be wanting to help a specific individual because they found themselves in difficult circumstances,” he added. "But if you want to help kids with cancer, you want to help cure heart disease, there are charities that are keenly focused on that.” ALSAC gets nearly one quarter of its annual revenue during the last two months of the calendar, Shadyac said, around the time of year designated as “Giving Season.” The uptick could stem from the spirit of generosity around the holidays, he added. Sure enough, a 2023 study found that people in good moods are more likely to make a charitable donation. They might also be making their year-end tax plans. “Not-for-profits give them the opportunity to address some things that are important to them while also getting a tax deduction,” Shadyac said. Crowdfunding donations to individual campaigns, however, cannot be written off on your taxes. But crowdfunding can make it easier to identify with the ultimate beneficiaries of one's gift, van Teunenbroek said. Mutual aid refers to reciprocal support networks of neighbors who promptly meet each other's most pressing needs when existing systems fail to make them whole. Because of those reciprocal ties, participants often describe the act as “solidarity, not charity.” In the internet age, these groups often solicit cash contributions through online payment processors like Venmo, Cash App, PayPal or Zelle. Anyone can scan QR codes, which are usually reposted across social media accounts, to donate. The money goes straight to those impacted or helps purchase supplies for shared resources like community fridges. Transparency might come in the form of a screenshotted receipt shared by organizers on their profile. Tamara Kneese joined several mutual aid efforts during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic to take care of her neighbors in Oakland. Kneese, a director at the nonprofit research institute Data & Society, said these groups tend to start as immediate responses to crises that are acutely hurting disadvantaged communities. The idea, she added, is that “state abandonment cannot be addressed by charitable giving alone.” Kneese said the challenges of such bottom-up, grassroots groups are that resources dwindle and people burn out. Only so many requests can be fulfilled. Organizers' politics clash. The benefits, she found, are that support comes from within the community and members have direct interactions with those using it. “It is not just a sense of charity, like you make a donation and you're done," she said. "There is more of a relationship involved and it is not just transactional.”Warren Buffett gives away another $1.1B and plans for distributing his $147B fortune after his deathAs Americans are beyond burned out, Tricia Hersey’s Nap Ministry preaches the right to rest
Ware scores 17 points as UT Arlington knocks off UL Monroe 77-68