Dragons’ Den star planning $70B Alberta investmentThe Seattle Seahawks placed leading rusher Kenneth Walker III on injured reserve due to an ankle injury and signed George Holani off the practice squad on Thursday afternoon. Walker had been ruled out earlier in the day ahead of Thursday's game against the host Chicago Bears. He returned from a two-game absence due to an ailing calf on Sunday before injuring his ankle in the Seahawks' 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Zach Charbonnet is set to shoulder the load in the backfield for the Seahawks (8-7), who have lost two in a row heading into Thursday's game against the Bears (4-11). Seattle is in a must-win situation. Even if the Seahawks can top Chicago and beat the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18, they still might miss out on the postseason because of the strength-of-victory tiebreaker. Walker, 24, leads Seattle in carries (153) and rushing yards (573) to go along with seven rushing touchdowns. Charbonnet, 23, has a team-best eight rushing touchdowns to go along with 106 carries for 453 yards. Holani, who turned 25 on Dec. 16, has three carries for 10 yards in three games this season. He is an undrafted rookie out of Boise State. The Seahawks also ruled out tight end Brady Russell (foot) and safety K'Von Wallace (ankle) for Thursday's game. Cornerback Artie Burns was elevated from the practice squad to the active roster for the contest. The Bears will be without defensive backs Elijah Hicks (ankle/foot) and Tarvarius Moore (knee), running back Travis Homer (hamstring) and offensive lineman Teven Jenkins (calf). --Field Level Media
By CHRISTINE FERNANDO CHICAGO (AP) — As Donald Trump’s Cabinet begins to take shape, those on both sides of the abortion debate are watching closely for clues about how his picks might affect reproductive rights policy in the president-elect’s second term . Trump’s cabinet picks offer a preview of how his administration could handle abortion after he repeatedly flip-flopped on the issue on the campaign trail. He attempted to distance himself from anti-abortion allies by deferring to states on abortion policy, even while boasting about nominating three Supreme Court justices who helped strike down the constitutional protections for abortion that had stood for half a century. In an NBC News interview that aired Sunday, Trump said he doesn’t plan to restrict medication abortion but also seemed to leave the door open, saying “things change.” “Things do change, but I don’t think it’s going to change at all,” he said. The early lineup of his new administration , including nominations to lead health agencies, the Justice Department and event the Department of Veterans Affairs, has garnered mixed — but generally positive — reactions from anti-abortion groups. Abortion law experts said Trump’s decision to include fewer candidates with deep ties to the anti-abortion movement could indicate that abortion will not be a priority for Trump’s administration. “It almost seems to suggest that President Trump might be focusing his administration in other directions,” said Greer Donley, an associate law professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Karen Stone, vice president of public policy at Planned Parenthood Action Fund , said while many of the nominees have “extensive records against reproductive health care,” some do not. She cautioned against making assumptions based on Trump’s initial cabinet selections. Still, many abortion rights groups are wary, in part because many of the nominees hold strong anti-abortion views even if they do not have direct ties to anti-abortion activists. They’re concerned that an administration filled with top-level officials who are personally opposed to abortion could take steps to restrict access to the procedure and funding. After Trump’s ambiguity about abortion during his campaign, “there’s still a lot we don’t know about what policy is going to look like,” said Mary Ruth Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law. That approach may be revealed as the staffs within key departments are announced. Trump announced he would nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department, which anti-abortion forces have long targeted as central to curtailing abortion rights nationwide. Yet Kennedy shifted on the issue during his own presidential campaign. In campaign videos, Kennedy said he supports abortion access until viability , which doctors say is sometime after 21 weeks, although there is no defined timeframe. But he also said “every abortion is a tragedy” and argued for a national ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a stance he quickly walked back. The head of Health and Human Services oversees Title X funding for a host of family planning services and has sweeping authority over agencies that directly affect abortion access, including the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The role is especially vital amid legal battles over a federal law known as EMTALA, which President Joe Biden’s administration has argued requires emergency abortion access nationwide, and FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Mini Timmaraju, president of the national abortion rights organization Reproductive Freedom for All, called Kennedy an “unfit, unqualified extremist who cannot be trusted to protect the health, safety and reproductive freedom of American families.” His potential nomination also has caused waves in the anti-abortion movement. Former Vice President Mike Pence , a staunch abortion opponent, urged the Senate to reject Kennedy’s nomination. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said the group had its own concerns about Kennedy. “There’s no question that we need a pro-life HHS secretary,” she said. Fox News correspondent Marty Makary is Trump’s pick to lead the FDA, which plays a critical role in access to medication abortion and contraception. Abortion rights groups have accused him of sharing misinformation about abortion on air. Russell Vought , a staunch anti-abortion conservative, has been nominated for director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought was a key architect of Project 2025 , a right-wing blueprint for running the federal government. Among other actions to limit reproductive rights, it calls for eliminating access to medication abortion nationwide, cutting Medicaid funding for abortion and restricting access to contraceptive care, especially long-acting reversible contraceptives such as IUD’s. Despite distancing himself from the conservative manifesto on the campaign trail, Trump is stocking his administration with people who played central roles in developing Project 2025. Trump acknowledged that drafters of the report would be part of his incoming administration during the Sunday interview with NBC News, saying “Many of those things I happen to agree with.” “These cabinet appointments all confirm that Project 2025 was in fact the blueprint all along, and the alarm we saw about it was warranted,” said Amy Williams Navarro, director of government relations for Reproductive Freedom for All. Dr. Mehmet Oz , Trump’s choice to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is a former television talk show host who has been accused of hawking dubious medical treatments and products. He voiced contradictory abortion views during his failed Senate run in 2022. Oz has described himself as “strongly pro-life, praised the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade , claimed “life starts at conception” and referred to abortion as “murder.” But he also has echoed Trump’s states-rights approach, arguing the federal government should not be involved in abortion decisions. “I want women, doctors, local political leaders, letting the democracy that’s always allowed our nation to thrive to put the best ideas forward so states can decide for themselves,” he said during a Senate debate two years ago. An array of reproductive rights groups opposed his Senate run. As CMS administrator, Oz would be in a key position to determine Medicaid coverage for family planning services and investigate potential EMTALA violations. Related Articles National Politics | In promising to shake up Washington, Trump is in a class of his own National Politics | Election Day has long passed. In some states, legislatures are working to undermine the results National Politics | Trump taps his attorney Alina Habba to serve as counselor to the president National Politics | With Trump on the way, advocates look to states to pick up medical debt fight National Politics | Trump taps forceful ally of hard-line immigration policies to head Customs and Border Protection As Florida’s attorney general, Pam Bondi defended abortion restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period. Now she’s Trump’s choice for attorney general . Her nomination is being celebrated by abortion opponents but denounced by abortion rights groups concerned she may revive the Comstock Act , an anti-vice law passed by Congress in 1873 that, among other things, bans mailing of medication or instruments used in abortion. An anti-abortion and anti-vaccine former Florida congressman, David Weldon, has been chosen to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which collects and monitors abortion data across the country. Former Republican congressman Doug Collins is Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs amid a political battle over abortion access and funding for troops and veterans. Collins voted consistently to restrict funding and access to abortion and celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “This is a team that the pro-life movement can work with,” said Kristin Hawkins, president of the national anti-abortion organization Students for Life.
NoneDALLAS — Delta and United became the most profitable U.S. airlines by targeting premium customers while also winning back a significant share of travelers on a tight budget. That is squeezing smaller low-fare carriers like Spirit Airlines , which recently filed for bankruptcy protection. Some travel-industry experts think Spirit’s troubles indicate that travelers on a budget will be left with fewer choices and higher prices. Other discount airlines are on much better financial footing than Spirit, but they too are lagging far behind the full-service airlines when it comes to recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic . Most industry experts think Frontier Airlines and other so-called ultra-low-cost carriers will fill the vacuum if Spirit shrinks , and that there is still plenty of competition to prevent prices from spiking. Spirit Airlines lost more than $2.2 billion since the start of 2020. Frontier has not reported a full-year profit since 2019, though that slump might end this year. Allegiant Air’s parent company is still profitable, but less so than before the pandemic. Those kind of numbers led United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby to declare recently that low-cost carriers were using “a fundamentally flawed business model” and customers hate flying on them. Kirby’s touchdown dance might turn out to be premature, but many analysts are wary about the near-term prospects for budget airlines, which charge cheaper fares but more fees than the big airlines. A traveler speaks with a Spirit Airlines agent May 24 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport ahead of Memorial Day in Atlanta. Low-cost airlines grew in the last two decades by undercutting big carriers on ticket prices, thanks in large part to lower costs, including hiring younger workers who were paid less than their counterparts at Delta Air Lines, United and American Airlines . Wages soared across the industry in the past two years, however, narrowing that cost advantage. The big airlines rolled out and refined their no-frills, “basic economy” tickets to compete directly with Spirit, Frontier and other budget carriers for the most price-sensitive travelers. The budget airlines became less efficient at using planes and people. As their growth slowed, they wound up with more of both than they needed. In 2019, Spirit planes were in the air an average of 12.3 hours every day. By this summer, the planes spent an average of two more hours each day sitting on the ground, where they don't make money. Spirit's costs per mile jumped 32% between 2019 and 2023. Another issue is that airlines added too many flights. Budget airlines and Southwest Airlines were among the worst offenders, but full-service airlines piled on. To make up for a drop in business travel, the big carriers added more flights on domestic leisure routes. The result: Too many seats on flights into popular tourist destinations such as Florida and Las Vegas, which drove down prices, especially for economy-class tickets. Rows of seats are shown Sept. 26 on a retrofitted Southwest Airlines jet at Love Field in Dallas. Low-cost airlines are responding by following the old adage that if you can't beat them, join them. That means going premium, following the rapidly growing household wealth among upper-income people. The top one-fifth of U.S. households by income added $35 trillion in wealth since 2019 and holds nearly nine times the wealth of the middle fifth, according to the Federal Reserve . Frontier Airlines organized its fares into four bundles in May, with buyers of higher-priced tickets getting extras such as priority boarding, more legroom and checked bags. The airline dropped ticket-change or cancellation fees except for the cheapest bundle. Spirit followed in August with similar changes, blocking middle seats and charging passengers more for the comfort of aisle and window seats. Spirit Airlines CEO Ted Christie received a $3.8 million retention bonus a week before the Florida-based carrier filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Christie will retain the bonus if he remains with the company for another year. The airline's stock has dropped over 90% this year. It has faced challenges including a blocked $3.8 billion merger with JetBlue and failed talks with Frontier. The pandemic disrupted Spirit's operations and travel patterns, reducing its daily aircraft utilization and increasing costs. Demand has shifted to full-service airlines as higher-income travelers vacation more, while inflation impacts lower-income consumers. JetBlue Airways , which began flying more than 20 years ago as a low-cost carrier but with amenities, is digging out from years of steady losses. Under new CEO Joanna Geraghty, the first woman to lead a major U.S. airline, JetBlue is cutting unprofitable routes, bolstering core markets that include the Northeast and Florida, and delaying deliveries of $3 billion worth of new planes. Starting next year, Southwest Airlines will toss out a half-century tradition of “open seating” — passengers picking their own seat after boarding the plane. Executives say extensive surveying showed 80% of customers preferred an assigned seat, and that's especially true with coveted business travelers. More crowded planes also might be pushing passengers to spend more to escape a middle seat in the back of the plane. A Frontier Airlines jet takes off July 5, 2022, from Denver International Airport in Denver. In other parts of the world, budget carriers are doing just fine. They bounced back from the pandemic just like their more highbrow competitors. Some industry experts say low-cost carriers in Asia and Europe have always attracted a more diverse mix of passengers, while in the U.S., affluent and middle-class travelers look down their noses at low-cost carriers. Jamie Baker, an analyst for JPMorgan, says he has many college friends who work in London and fly Irish airline Ryanair all the time, but he hardly knows anyone who has ever been on a Spirit or Frontier plane. A small plane tows a banner April 13, 2016, over Flint Bishop International Airport as part of ceremonies marking Allegiant Air joining the airport. Delta CEO Ed Bastian is less dismissive of the “lower-end carriers” in the U.S. than United's Kirby. "I don’t see that segment ever disappearing,” Bastian said after Spirit’s bankruptcy filing. “I think there’s a market for it.” At the same time, he said the upscale moves by ultra-low-cost carriers are having no effect on his airline. Delta targets upscale travelers but also introduced basic-economy fares a decade ago, when discounters emerged as a growing threat to poach some of Delta's customers. “Just calling yourself a premium carrier and actually being a premium carrier are two totally different things,” Bastian said “It's not the size of the seat or how much room you have; it's the overall experience.” As frequent flyers know, air travel isn't cheap. With the summer months in full swing, demand for air travel is expected to reach record numbers in 2024 as airlines continue to recover after the COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily for those who are looking for ways to save on travel , one way to cut costs on your next vacation may be in finding the right places to fly in and out of. FinanceBuzz looked at average domestic airfares from the 45 busiest airports in the U.S. to learn which airports are best for travelers on a budget, as well as which ones to avoid if you are trying to travel affordably. Overall, the national average airfare cost decreased by 3.1% from 2022 to 2023 when adjusted for inflation (which translates to a 0.9% increase in non-adjusted dollars). The last time inflation-adjusted airfare costs dropped year-over-year was during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it fell 18% between 2019 and 2020. Largely, this is good news for consumers who can spend less on airfare and have more room in their budget for hotels , restaurants, and other travel fees. In addition to earning rewards on airfare, most travel credit cards offer rewards for spending in these areas, which can offset overall vacation costs. Based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the above chart shows inflation-adjusted average airline fares over the past 25 years. For this report, we compared domestic airfares from the 45 busiest airports in the U.S. using data published by the U.S. Department of Transportation . Orlando International Airport (MCO) had the lowest airfare cost in the country at $265.58 on average. Home to iconic theme parks like Universal Studios, Sea World, and most notably, Walt Disney World, Orlando is one of America's top tourist destinations. This is welcome news for those bracing for expensive park tickets and food prices at the House of Mouse. Beyond saving with a Disney credit card on park-related purchases, visitors can also maximize savings by using a credit card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve which offers an annual travel credit, or even using a 0% APR credit card if you don't want to pay for your entire vacation at once. Another Florida-based airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), has the second-lowest average airfare cost in the country — tickets here are only about $5 more expensive than Orlando's. Just a few dollars behind FLL is Las Vegas's Harry Reid International (LAS), where fares cost $272.15 on average. LAS is also the last airport on our list where average airfare costs are less than $300. Oakland International Airport (OAK) has the fourth-lowest average airfare costs in the country at $303.79. And the fifth-least expensive airport, Chicago Midway International (MDW), comes in at $308.27. For the third year in a row, Dulles International Airport (IAD) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) have the two highest average fares in the country. Flights from Dulles cost $488.40 on average in 2023, while flights from San Francisco cost $444.59. Some silver lining for travelers who need to travel through Dulles: IAD is home to some of the best airport lounges in the country, including the recently-opened Capital One Lounge, available to Capital One Venture X or Venture Rewards credit card holders. With free food, drinks, and recharging stations, lounges can be one easy way to offset otherwise-expensive airport costs. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) has the third-highest average airfare in the country, with an average cost of $438.34. Last on our top-five list of the most expensive airports are Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and Detroit Metro Airport (DTW). Average airfare from Charlotte cost $436.80 last year, while flights from Detroit had an average price tag of $427.05. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) was the biggest affordability winner over the last year, dropping prices by more than $18 on average. SEA jumped from 36th most-affordable place last year to 28th place this year — an increase of eight spots. Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and Portland International Airport (PDX) experienced similar jumps, rising by seven spots each. RDU went from 24th place in 2022 to 17th in 2023, while PDX went from 42nd to 35th. Two different airports fell by eight spots in our affordability rankings, tied for the biggest drop of the year. The average fare at Sacramento International Airport (SMF) rose by $18.66 year-over-year, which led SMF to go from 18th in last year's affordability rankings to 26th this year. Prices rose even more at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), going up by $19.64 on average from one year to the next. Consequently, STL fell from 21st to 29th place in terms of affordability. As you plan your travel, you'll find costs can vary widely at a single airport. With a little research and smart planning, you can find a deal at any airport. Here are a few tips to save on airfare: We looked at 2023 airfare data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation in May 2024 to compare domestic airfares by origin city. This report calculated average fares based on domestic itinerary fares. "Itinerary fares" consist of round-trip fares, unless only a one-way ticket was purchased. In that case, the one-way fare was used. Fares are based on total ticket value, including the price charged by the airline plus any additional taxes and fees levied at the time of purchase. Fares include only the price paid at booking and do not include fees for optional services like baggage fees. Averages also do not include frequent-flyer or "zero fares" or a few abnormally high reported fares. This stor y was produced by FinanceBuzz and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!
[Source: Reuters] Bukayo Saka said “this is where we belong” after Arsenal got back to winning ways in the Champions League with a resounding victory over Sporting at Estadio Jose Alvalade. Mikel Arteta’s side were comfortable throughout, in what could have been a tricky away fixture, as Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel, Saka and Leandro Trossard all scored. The Gunners registered as many goals at Sporting as they managed in their previous eight Champions League away matches combined, in a result that lifts them to seventh in the table. “We’ve shown the level we can play at,” Saka said. “We know they haven’t lost here this season but we believed in ourselves. “Everyone was top, I’m really proud of all the boys today.” Martinelli tapped home from Jurrien Timber’s low cross as Arteta’s side went in front early on. They doubled the lead in similar fashion, Saka getting in behind the Sporting defence and firing the ball across the box for Havertz to prod in from close range. Gabriel scored his first Champions League goal on the stroke of half-time, powering in a header from a Declan Rice corner. Shortly after the break Goncalo Inacio got a goal back for Sporting with a smart left-footed strike but it was a mere consolation for the hosts. Ousmane Diomande was lucky to avoid a second yellow card when he went straight through the back of Martin Odegaard and conceded a penalty. Saka scored the resulting spot-kick, whipping it into the bottom corner. Mikel Merino’s fierce strike from the edge of the area was then parried by home goalkeeper Franco Israel into the path of Trossard, who headed into an empty net for Arsenal’s fifth.JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Clarke Reed , a Mississippi businessman who developed the Republican Party in his home state and across the South starting in the 1960s, died Sunday at his home in Greenville, Mississippi. He was 96. Reed was chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party from 1966 to 1976, beginning at a time when Democrats still dominated in the region. During the 1976 Republican National Convention, delegates were closely divided between President Gerald Ford and former California Gov. Ronald Reagan. Reed united the Mississippi delegation behind Ford — a move that created a decadeslong feud with William D. “Billy” Mounger, another wealthy businessman who was prominent in the Mississippi Republican Party. Reed recalled in a 2016 interview with The Associated Press that delegates faced considerable pressure. Movie stars visited Mississippi's 30 delegates to push for Reagan, and Betty Ford called on behalf of her husband. Reagan met twice with the Mississippi delegation — once with his proposed running mate, Pennsylvania Sen. Richard Schweiker — and once without, according Haley Barbour, who was executive director of the Mississippi Republican Party in 1976 and served as the state's governor from 2004 to 2012. “Everybody was coming to see us," Reed said. “These poor people had never seen this before, the average delegate.” Mississippi delegates were showing the stress at a meeting away from the convention floor in Kansas City, Reed said. “I looked out, and about half of them were crying," he said. Reed initially supported Reagan, but said he moved into the Ford camp because he thought Reagan made “a hell of a mistake” by choosing a more liberal northeastern running mate in a gambit to win support of the unpledged Pennsylvania delegation. “In my opinion, Reagan was the best president of my lifetime. I didn’t know that then,” Reed said in 2016. “And had he been elected with Schweiker, he might’ve gotten a bullet one inch over and Schweiker would’ve been president.” Ford won the party nomination during the convention, then lost the general election to Jimmy Carter, the Democratic former governor of Georgia. Reed was born in Alliance, Ohio, in 1928, and his family moved to Caruthersville, Missouri, when he was about six months old. He earned a business degree from the University of Missouri in 1950. He and Barthell Joseph, a friend he had met at a high school boarding school, founded an agriculture equipment business called Reed-Joseph International, which used technology to scare birds away from farms and airports. Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi said Monday that Reed was “a mentor, supporter and advisor to me for over 56 years." Wicker said he was 21 when Reed put him on the Republican Platform Committee in 1972. “There is no more significant figure in the development of the modern day Mississippi Republican Party than Clarke Reed,” Wicker wrote on social media. “Our state has lost a giant."
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