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Revolutionary Single-Layer Film Eliminates Helmet Changes, Enhancing Driver Safety and Performance LAS VEGAS , Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Racing Optics®, the global leader in high-performance tearoff visor film technology, proudly unveils its latest innovation: the Twilight Tearoff . This groundbreaking single-layer tearoff is engineered to elevate driver visibility during late-afternoon and early-evening races, providing superior glare reduction and contrast enhancement. The Twilight Tearoff redefines race-day performance by allowing drivers to maintain focus and adapt seamlessly to changing light conditions, eliminating the need for disruptive helmet changes. This innovation represents a significant leap forward in racing vision technology, delivering immediate and measurable benefits to professional drivers and teams alike. "The Twilight Tearoff solves one of racing's most persistent challenges—ensuring optimal visibility as lighting transitions rapidly during twilight races," said Chris Colton , Chief Applications Engineer at Racing Optics . "Our dedication to driver safety and performance drives every innovation, and the Twilight Tearoff is no exception." Transforming Racing at Twilight Racing teams are already embracing the Twilight Tearoff as a game-changing solution for twilight and low-light racing conditions. One racing team manager shared their experience: "In a recent twilight race, the Twilight Tearoff gave our drivers unmatched visual clarity. Transitioning from glaring sunlight to artificial lighting without pausing to change helmets was a decisive advantage that kept us competitive." By streamlining the driver experience, the Twilight Tearoff enhances safety and helps maintain uninterrupted race momentum—a critical edge in the high-stakes world of motorsports. Exclusive Debut at PRI Show 2024 The Twilight Tearoff will make its debut at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show , held December 12–14, 2024, in Indianapolis, Indiana . This highly anticipated event marks Racing Optics' 25th anniversary , celebrating a legacy of trailblazing innovations in motorsports safety and performance. Availability The Twilight Tearoff is now available for purchase at RacingOptics.com and through authorized dealers. Teams and drivers looking to gain a competitive edge are encouraged to explore this latest advancement. About Racing Optics For 25 years, Racing Optics has led the field in racing vision technology, delivering innovative solutions that enhance safety and performance. With a commitment to collaboration and innovation, the company continues to push the boundaries of motorsports protective equipment. For additional information, please visit RacingOptics.com . Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2577485/Racing_Optics_Logo.jpgRepublican protests in close North Carolina races dismissed by elections board
Jack Eichel says Team USA seeks to prove it has closed the gap on Canada at 4 Nations Face-OffCozy winter fare: Make a French-style cassoulet at home
CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) — Southern Illinois quarterback Michael Lindauer's coming-out party also was a dazzling farewell. The senior graduate assistant, pressed into duty as a player again when injuries left the Salukis in need of a quarterback, made his first career start — on Senior Day, no less — and threw for a school-record seven touchdowns in a 62-0 victory over Murray State on Saturday. “This was incredible,” Lindauer said. “The guys around me — thank the guys. The receivers were making plays, the O-line's blocking. When you get on a roll like that, stuff just starts happening.” The fifth-year senior, a transfer from Cincinnati, completed 20 of 33 passes for 283 yards. Keontez Lewis caught scoring passes of 4 and 64 yards. Bradley Clark had TDs of 35 and 23 yards. Nah’shawn Hezekiah had touchdowns of 19 and 35 yards on his two catches. And Jay Jones caught one pass for 1 yard — also a touchdown. Before the game, Lindauer had attempted 27 career passes. “Now, he's in the record book,” Salukis coach Nick Hill said. “It will be a hard record to beat, seven TDs in one game. ... What he's done ... just being so selfless and coming back and being a player. The team needed it. ... It’s a testament that if you stay committed, do the right things, have a great attitude, you’re going to get rewarded at some point, and he was rewarded in a big way today.” Southern Illinois finished the season 4-8 overall and 2-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference, but “to go out like that, that's a good way to go out,” Hill said. Lindauer was named the MVC offensive player of the week for his performance in his first and last career start. He plans to return in the spring, again as a graduate assistant coach, but this time with a resume to lean on. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballMcDermott, AFC East-leading Bills refreshed coming out of bye week, and looking ahead to host 49ers
NASA Astronauts (from left) Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Loral O'Hara take photographs of Earth from inside the cupola aboard space station. Credit: NASA members participated in research across a variety of scientific disciplines and accomplished milestones demonstrating benefits for... Andrea Lloyd
Thursday’s College of the Redwoods’ men’s basketball game was canceled following Thursday morning’s 7.0 earthquake west of Ferndale. The tournament is now set to begin on Friday and run through Sunday but those plans are still being finalized. “It has not been officially confirmed yet,” Corsairs’ head coach Ryan Bisio said. “The buildings all have to be inspected and assessed for damages. They were in the process of doing that while we were still on campus but with the power out, it was hard to assess the buildings. Now with the power back on, I’m assuming that that protocol is underway right now.” CR was set to begin the annual Coach Tregs Classic tournament on Thursday, with the Corsairs facing Mendocino College for the third time this season and second time in a row, with CR winning each matchup. The format will remain the same with the only difference being that each game will be pushed back one day. “The entire tournament just moved one day. Same game times, same everything,” Bisio said. “That outcome is still viable as long as we get the OK from the decision-makers in the institution.” The earthquake will delay CR until Friday from continuing their 7-1 start to the season. If all goes according to plan with no setbacks, the Corsairs will face Mendocino at 7 p.m. Friday, Southwestern Oregon on Saturday at 7 p.m. and Simpson University’s JV team on Sunday at 3 p.m. “I do know that assessing the buildings and inspecting it for any sort of damage is a high priority and obviously we want to be in a safe building to play these games,” Bisio said.
Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes were both victims of home burglaries in Kansas City, Missouri last month. The two Kansas City Chiefs stars were targets of what the FBI is believed to be an international crime syndicate. The crime syndicate, which is believed to have originated out of South America, is likely targeting the homes of professional athletes . The South American criminals reportedly use social media and home listings to break into player houses, when they are believed to be empty - usually on game days or road trips. The NFL believes that the crime syndicate is specifically targeting the homes of professional athletes. NBA players have been targeted, too. "It's legit," one source familiar with the situation told NFL.com . "It's a transnational crime ring, and over the last three weeks, they've focused on NBA and NFL players, and it's all over the country." Michael Owens/Getty Images Kelce reportedly had about $20,000 in cash stolen from his home. Mahomes, meanwhile, had some valuable items taken, as well. However, the three-time Super Bowl-winning tight end is believed to be "very upset" about losing one "very special" item. Kelce's first Super Bowl jersey was reportedly among the items taken from his home. He is reportedly quite mad about it. "Travis is going to set a new alarm system not to be a target of a possible burglary as he is doing some work in the house and will have more of Taylor's stuff in there, too," a source told the U.S. Sun . The source added: "That first Super Bowl shirt is essential from him. It's a reminder of one of the biggest achievements in his career and life so far, and he hopes to get it back." "For the luxury items, he knows that it will be very complicated to find them and have them back." "It (expletive) him off." PATRICK T. FALLON/Getty Images The Chiefs beat the 49ers, 31-20, in Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Florida. It was the first championship win for Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Co. Kansas City has gone on to win two more Super Bowls, taking down the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII and the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. Hopefully, Kelce will be getting his first Super Bowl jersey back soon. The Chiefs, 10-1 on the year, are set to take on the Raiders in a rare Black Friday NFL game. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. E.T. on Amazon Prime.The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) — Southern Illinois quarterback Michael Lindauer’s coming-out party also was a dazzling farewell. The senior graduate assistant, pressed into duty as a player again when injuries left the Salukis in need of a quarterback, made his first career start — on Senior Day, no less — and threw for a school-record seven touchdowns in a 62-0 victory over Murray State on Saturday. “This was incredible,” Lindauer said. “The guys around me — thank the guys. The receivers were making plays, the O-line’s blocking. When you get on a roll like that, stuff just starts happening.” The fifth-year senior, a transfer from Cincinnati, completed 20 of 33 passes for 283 yards. Keontez Lewis caught scoring passes of 4 and 64 yards. Bradley Clark had TDs of 35 and 23 yards. Nah’shawn Hezekiah had touchdowns of 19 and 35 yards on his two catches. And Jay Jones caught one pass for 1 yard — also a touchdown. Before the game, Lindauer had attempted 27 career passes. “Now, he’s in the record book,” Salukis coach Nick Hill said. “It will be a hard record to beat, seven TDs in one game. ... What he’s done ... just being so selfless and coming back and being a player. The team needed it. ... It’s a testament that if you stay committed, do the right things, have a great attitude, you’re going to get rewarded at some point, and he was rewarded in a big way today.” RELATED COVERAGE No. 4 Penn State hosts Maryland in regular-season finale with CFP seeding in mind No. 18 Tulane’s postseason hopes ride on the Wave’s ability to contain prolific Memphis No. 11 Boise State hosts Oregon State looking for a win in bid to stay in playoff mix Southern Illinois finished the season 4-8 overall and 2-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference, but “to go out like that, that’s a good way to go out,” Hill said. Lindauer was named the MVC offensive player of the week for his performance in his first and last career start. He plans to return in the spring, again as a graduate assistant coach, but this time with a resume to lean on. ___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Medicines sent to help Kurram PESHAWAR: Following the directives of the Advisor Health Ihtisham Ali, the Health Department has dispatched a consignment of emergency medicines to the District Health Officer (DHO) Hangu to address needs created due to the deteriorating law and order situation in Upper and Lower Kurram. The consignment includes essential supplies such as surgical gloves, anti-snake venom, and tetanus toxoid injections to ensure uninterrupted medical support in the affected regions. Additionally, the MERF has provided a large consignment of emergency medicines to the health department for distribution in Upper and Lower Kurram. These supplies cover all critical medical needs during emergencies.According to the Director General of Health Services, Dr Mohammad Saleem, the Department of Health’s Regional Director, along with relevant Medical Superintendents (MSs) and DHOs, remains in constant coordination with district and regional administrations. Until communication networks are restored, medical assistance will continue to be provided from the adjoining district of Hangu.The Department of Health also assured that its warehouses are well-stocked with emergency supplies, and all possible measures are being explored to deliver these medicines to healthcare centers in Upper and Lower Kurram efficiently.
A top U.S. cybersecurity official said Wednesday that as she prepares to leave office, on American infrastructure pose the gravest cyber threat to the country. And she believes they will get worse. Jen Easterly, the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, called recent Chinese cyber intrusions the “tip of the iceberg,” and warned of dire consequences for U.S. critical infrastructure in the event of a U.S.-China conflict. “This is a world where a war in Asia could see very real impacts to the lives of Americans across our nation, with attacks against pipelines, against water facilities, against transportation nodes, against communications, all to induce societal panic,” Easterly said during the Winter Summit of the Wednesday. Cyber attacks have increasingly targeted U.S. critical infrastructure — whether the attackers are seeking ransomware or aiming to do damage at the behest of America’s adversaries. Hackers tied to , and particularly have been accused recently of seeking to breach cyber defenses in the transportation, communications and water sectors — for a variety of reasons and with a range of success. And as experts often tell us, these elements of the nation’s critical infrastructure are only as safe as the in a complicated system that sits primarily in . Easterly spoke Wednesday to CEO Suzanne Kelly in a special session of the , about the breach known as Salt Typhoon and why the U.S. government, some six months after discovering the espionage hack believed to have been launched by China, is to help get hackers out of the systems of U.S. telecommunications companies. I’m sure if there are two words you wish you had never heard, they might be “Salt Typhoon.” Both CISA and the FBI have said that spies linked to China are still inside U.S. telecommunications systems, even though it’s been six months now since the government began investigating. What can you tell us about what you’ve learned in the past six months? I think it’s important to recognize the trajectory of this threat from China. Many who’ve been in this business for a long time will recall that some 10, 15 years ago, even as we were looking to develop the plans for, and then to build the U.S. Cyber Command, the big threat from China was all about data theft, espionage, intellectual property theft. And certainly we continue to see that, with this latest intrusion campaign into telecommunications infrastructure. But to me, the big story from the last couple of years that everyone should be paying attention to – businesses large and small, critical infrastructure owners and operators – is really about the actor that is known as Volt Typhoon, that has been working to embed and burrow into our most sensitive critical infrastructure. Not for espionage, but rather for disruption or destruction, in the event of a major crisis in the Taiwan Strait. So this is a world where a war in Asia could see very real impacts to the lives of Americans across our nation, with attacks against pipelines, against water facilities, against transportation nodes, against communications, all to induce societal panic. And to deter our ability to marshal military might and citizen will. And that is a very real, not a theoretical threat. And we know it because our hunt teams, working with federal partners and industry, have gone into certain entities. We’ve identified these actors, we’ve helped the private sector eradicate them. But we think what we’ve seen to date is really just the tip of the iceberg. And that’s why we’ve been so focused on talking about the importance of resilience. We cannot not architect systems for complete prevention. We need to architect them for an ability to adapt, to be able to deal with disruption – to respond, to recover, and to really prepare for that. A recent alert encouraged people who aren’t already using encrypted messaging apps to start using them. It feels like we’re at a point where the general public really needs to have a better understanding of cyberspace and how it touches their everyday lives. How are you thinking about how to make cyber more accessible to more Americans? I’ve been trying to do that for three and a half years. So hopefully, there’s been some progress. When I think about the key initiatives that we’ve been focused on at CISA, there’s having those discussions with CEOs and C-suite executives and board members about the importance of corporate cyber responsibility, really embracing cyber risk as a core business risk and as a matter of good governance. That’s one piece. A second piece is this idea of the need for technology vendors to design and build, test and deliver technology that prioritizes security. For decades, vendors have been pushing out products that have prioritized speed to market and features over security. We’ve been working really hard with our partners – we had a pledge that we unveiled, and we had 68 companies sign up. We’re now at over 250. This is becoming a movement, and one that’s really, really important. I’m not so naive to think this is change that we’re going to catalyze in days, weeks, months, or even a year. But we’re getting this movement started, and getting the momentum so that companies understand what they need to do to build secure products. We have also really tried to champion the basics of cyber hygiene. And that’s through our Secure Our World Campaign – folks might’ve seen all of our cyber Schoolhouse Rock PSAs. This is really about getting the American people to understand the basic things that they need to do to keep themselves safe, their family, small businesses. It’s those four things: installing updates; complex, unique passwords for your sensitive accounts, ideally a password manager so you really only have to remember one complex password; making sure that your employees are trained to recognize and report phishing; and then, finally, multi-factor authentication. Those four basic things that we’ve been advocating for can prevent 98% of cyber attacks, is what the research shows. It’s the brushing your teeth, the washing your hands, of cyber. And if you want to ensure that your communications are secure – your texts, your voice comms – it’s important for folks to understand that end-to-end encrypted comms are the best way to do it. You can pick your platform. Obviously, from an enterprise perspective, there are some rules in place in terms of data retention, so companies need to understand what the options are. But at the end of the day, the encrypted comms piece is incredibly important, particularly in a world where we know that our adversaries have attempted to, and succeeded in, exploiting our telecommunications. Let me ask you about ransomware. It’s still a massive problem. How are you thinking about protecting businesses from ransomware now? And I’m really interested to know how your views on it have changed since you’ve been in the director role at CISA. It continues to be a big problem, but until we get the cyber incident reporting for critical infrastructure into place, sometime next year, we really won’t have an idea of what the full range of the ransomware ecosystem is, because I’m sure there are a lot of entities that have had a ransomware attack and it hasn’t been reported. It really has been a scourge. We have seen impacts that we know about on businesses large and small. Since I came into this job, we’ve been focused on this through our stopransomware.gov one-stop shop of all the resources, to help entities understand where they may have external-facing vulnerabilities that we know are being exploited by ransomware actors, and our pre-ransomware notification initiative, where we have actually put out over 3,600 warnings to entities in the country, across the world to prevent them from having a ransomware attack. We are doing a lot of work on this. But look, it’s very tied to this issue around secure-by-design. These ransomware actors are not using exotic, previously unknown vulnerabilities to be able to exploit these entities. They’re using well-known public vulnerabilities, generally, and essentially it’s because many of these entities are using technology that has not been built to be secure. Oftentimes, we’ll say these entities didn’t do X, Y and Z. And that’s a piece of it, depending on the entity and who they are and their level of security team and how much investment they’ve done. I’m not absolving entities, necessarily, of their responsibility to keep their customers safe, but at the end of the day, I think we should stop looking at the victims and stop saying, why didn’t you patch that piece of technology? And really ask the question, why did that piece of technology require so many patches? Secure-by-design is not going to solve the problem, but I do think ensuring that the technology that we rely upon every day for our critical infrastructure is built specifically to dramatically drive down the number of flaws and defects, we will see a world that is much more secure. Since you’ve been in this role, have you seen the private sector’s willingness to share information with the government, which has always been a touchy subject, have you seen it increase? Have you seen those bonds of trust really strengthen? This is one of the reasons I came back into government. Looking at government from the private sector, it was very hard to discern how to effectively collaborate with the government, because we saw so many different actors telling us different things. There was a real lack of coherence. And that is something that I have really tried to champion along with my awesome teammates here. I don’t think we can underestimate what a paradigm shift this is. At the end of the day, we are asking companies three things: First, for any business that is a critical infrastructure owner, or operator, to recognize that a threat to one is a threat to many, given the connectivity, the interdependence, the vulnerability, the underpinning of some very complex supply chains. We’re seeing that with respect to telecommunications infrastructure, certainly. And so it can’t just be about self-preservation, it really has to be a focus on collaboration, in particular with the government. The second point is there also needs to be a recognition that even as we’re asking the private sector to work closer with the government and to provide information, the government has to be coherent. The government has to be responsive and transparent, and for God’s sakes to provide value. And then third, it has to be a frictionless experience, as much as possible. And that’s what we have tried to build through the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative. We started out with 10 companies, we’re now at over 350, over 50 different communications channels where we are sharing information, enriching it with what we know from the federal government perspective, and then planning against some of the most serious threats to the nation. I do think it’s been going well, but this is a major paradigm cultural shift. And getting companies that are sometimes competitors to work together from a collective defense perspective is going to continue to be a project. But I’ve been really pleased to see a lot of our great teammates in the private sector come to the table to focus on what they can do to ensure the collective defense of the nation. Transition between administrations is usually a time of target. Have you noticed anything different [since Election Day]? Have you seen an increase in state-actor or ransomware attacks? No, not specifically, but it wouldn’t surprise me. Threat actors are always looking for those points where there may be leadership turnover, churn, uncertainty, anxiety in the workforce. Change is hard for everybody. So it’s not a surprise. I’ve been through several transitions. I was in the transition from the Obama administration to the Trump administration, and I was on the transition team from the Trump administration to the Biden administration. We at CISA have been looking at our succession planning for months, and I am very, very confident in my senior leaders. The vast majority of CISA is civil servants. And so we have fantastic leaders who are very experienced, and I’m very confident that even if threat actors tried to take advantage of this period of time, or to cause some sort of havoc across the larger threat landscape, that we are prepared along with our partners to be able to respond effectively. Does CISA need more funding to help prevent ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure in the coming years? We’re now at about a $3 billion budget. I think eventually there will need to be growth in both capability and capacity. In terms of ransomware specifically, I wouldn’t focus on specific funding. If I were to advocate for additional funding in the near term, it would really be about this counter-China campaign, and all of the things that we’re trying to do to reduce fundamental risks to our most sensitive, critical infrastructure. I think that’s where we need to focus. You have been in this role for nearly four years now. I would love to get your thoughts on how this role has changed you over the last almost four years. What are you taking away from this job and what do you hope to be able to share with whoever may fill this role under the new Trump administration? Well, first, whoever takes the job, please know that I am here as a resource. When I took this job, [former CISA Director] Chris Krebs was a fantastic teammate and partner. At the end of the day, CISA is a non-political, non-partisan agency. I look forward to having conversations with whoever gets named as my successor. And the first thing I’d say is, you are getting the best job in government because this truly is an amazing place to work. This has been such an absolute honor to take something that was pretty new – CISA is only six years old – and work with this incredible team to build our capability, to build our capacity, to see the budget grow and to really develop operational capacity off that. I think the key lesson learned is the vital importance of one five-letter word, and that’s “trust.” CISA is not a regulator. We’re not an intel collection agency. We’re not a law enforcement agency. We’re not a military agency. Everything we do is by, with and through partners and predicated on our ability to catalyze trust, whether that’s with industry, whether that’s across the federal government, with state and local officials, with election officials. It’s a place we really started out with zero trust and were able to work to much higher trust. And the only way to do that is to get out and engage with people. That’s why I spend so much time across the country, across the world, traveling, explaining what we do, the value that we add, our no-cost services, how we can help everybody across the board. It’s really interesting when you think about the levels of trust in the federal government these days, they’re pretty low. And I think a lot of that is because we’re all in our digital world, where it’s very hard to have conversations with people where you can sit across the table and look them in the eye. Even if you really disagree with somebody politically, I think if you sit down and you have those conversations and you explain where you’re coming from, you really can start to build that trust. And that’s the only way CISA is going to be successful. We bring incredible technical capability, but we also have to bring very high levels of emotional intelligence because if we’re not able to explain how our technical capabilities can help our partners reduce risk, we ultimately will not be successful. And so that’s been a big lesson for me. .France's government has fallen. Germany can't expect a new one until June. Just as Donald Trump prepares to take office in the US, the EU powerhouses face political disarray and economic contraction. Wednesday was a long day for France's shortest-ever serving prime minister. In the evening, 73-year-old Michel Barnier's minority government was toppled in a no-confidence vote in the French lower house, the National Assembly, that saw sworn enemies from the left and the far-right team up against him. "This no-confidence motion will make everything more serious and more difficult. That's what I'm sure of," Barnier said ahead of the vote. On Thursday morning, he officially tendered his resignation. He will continue as acting prime minister until a new government is formed. French President Emmanuel Macron wasted no time seeking a replacement; within hours he was seeing candidates. Not for the first time Macron, whose second and final presidential term expires in 2027, is batting away calls to resign himself. What's next for France? Macron appointed Barnier out of the blue in September to end months of political uncertainty. The president had called snap legislative elections that in July left the National Assembly divided into three camps, none strong enough to govern alone. A broad left-wing coalition, the New Popular Front, won the polls, but the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen won the most votes as a single party. French PM Barnier toppled in no-confidence vote To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Macron's pro-business centrist Ensemble group did not want to work with either. So instead, they formed a minority government with Barnier's right-wing Republican party despite its historically poor performance in the parliamentary polls. In office, old-hand conservative Barnier made France's finances one of his top priorities. At 6.1% this year, the French gross domestic product-to-debt ratio is twice as high as EU rules allow; the country is among several EU states to be officially reprimanded by the European Commission. Barnier proposed a 2025 budget and social security reform that would have brought down public debt but necessitated tax hikes and spending cuts which the left and far-right slammed as austerity measures neglectful of citizens' needs. He presented parliament with a choice: vote for this budget or the government falls. They chose the latter, triggering the no-confidence motion that toppled him. Headcount is unchanged in National Assembly It is unclear what lies ahead for France, which is in an era of political volatility unprecedented since the end of the World War II. The balance of power in the National Assembly remains the same. It is divided into three blocs that are reluctant to enter coalition with each other. Government formation looks just as difficult as it did in July. Macron has made clear he will stay, and fresh legislative polls can't be called until mid-2025. Whoever follows Barnier as prime minister will be in a similarly weak position, struggling to get their political vision approved by the French parliament. Under the country's presidential system, most power is concentrated in Macron's hands, though he appears to have an ever-loosening grip. Tough times ahead for Paris and Berlin For Europe, all this likely means a more preoccupied France, and a potential slowdown of important collective decisions. "We need a French government that works for European legislation to also pass through, so the quicker we get a government the better," Sophie Pornschlegel of the Jacques Delors Centre, a think tank in Berlin, told DW. France's three-month stint without a government before Barnier's appointment didn't cause too many issues, she pointed out, but that period was less crucial because the new European Commission had not yet taken office. But Pornschlegel also warned against being too alarmist: "There's also possibility that it's not that much of a huge political crisis because they relatively quickly form a new government." At the same time, Germany is also somewhat out of action . Chancellor Olaf Scholz called time on his uncomfortable coalition government last month, with elections set for February. A new government should take office in Berlin by June. Until then, the government is likely to refrain from bold policy decisions. "It's bad news. What we need in times of crisis and times of geopolitical turmoil is to have strong and stable leadership," Pornschlegel said. Germany and France also face a bleak economic outlook . In November, investment bank Goldman Sachs predicted that both countries ― the two largest economies in the Eurozone ― would contract economically in 2025, though the closely interlinked single market as a whole would swerve recession. "Despite those challenges, economic activity data for the euro area indicates modest but positive growth," economist Sven Jari Stehn wrote. Trump 2.0 on the horizon Paris and Berlin are normally deemed the key axis of power in the European Union, driving policy and setting the main contours of the 27-member bloc's agenda. Their preoccupations at home come at a critical moment. In January, Donald Trump will return to the White House a for a second term as US president. For the EU, that likely means a return of escalating tit-for-tat tariffs, which spell bad news for the German auto industry in particular. Within NATO, European states can expect regular blasting from Washington for lower defense spending that amounts to perceived free-riding on US military might. Trump has previously threatened to leave NATO members under attack to fend for themselves if they hadn't spent enough on their militaries. The "America First" Republican president-elect has also said he will quickly wrap up the Ukraine war by pushing Kyiv to negotiate with Moscow. If Trump withdraws US military support for Ukraine, the EU will be under pressure to dig very deep to fill the gap. For Pawel Zerka of the European Council on Foreign Relations, regardless of what's going on in Paris and Berlin, Trump's return means others must step up. "Europeans simply need to take a greater share of the burden when it comes to defending Europe and supporting Ukraine," he told DW. "Surely, a weakened French participation in these discussions will be felt. But this simply means other countries will need to take a greater role, leave the shade and their comfort zones." Edited by: Carla Bleiker
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NonePITTSBURGH — Maybe the most deflating aspect of the Steelers' last-minute loss in Cleveland was the second-stingiest defense in the NFL failing to protect another lead against one of the worst offenses in the league. And it wasn't the first time. Not only did the Steelers allow the Browns, the lowest-scoring team in the AFC, to top 18 points for only the second time this season in a 24-19 defeat, but they failed to stop them after the Steelers battled back from an 18-6 deficit in the fourth quarter to take a 19-18 lead with 6:15 remaining. The Steelers allowed Browns quarterback Jameis Winston to complete three consecutive passes after tight end Jordan Akins dropped what appeared to be an easy walk-in touchdown to set up Nick Chubb's winning score with 57 seconds remaining. "It is very deflating," outside linebacker T.J. Watt said. "We need to close out games and we were not able to do that. It sucks that we could not hold on, but a loss is a loss." The Steelers have not been very good at closing out games. They did the same thing in the home loss to Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 6, giving up a touchdown to receiver Jalen Tolbert with 20 seconds remaining in a 20-17 defeat. Even against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, the Steelers let Lamar Jackson complete 6 of 8 passes for 74 yards on a nine-play, 69-yard drive, including a 16-yard touchdown with 1:06 remaining, to come within a failed two-point conversion of forcing overtime. Just as disturbing was the Steelers lack of pressure on Winston, who was sacked only once — by outside linebacker Nick Herbig, who forced a fumble that DeShon Elliott recovered and led to the go-ahead touchdown throw to Calvin Austin III. The Browns had allowed a league-high 46 sacks and were using their fourth different starter at left tackle, Germain Ifedi, against the Steelers. But it didn't lead to any extra pressure by the Steelers, who are on pace to have 39 sacks — their fewest since the 2016 season (38). That was especially evident on the third-and-6 play with 1:55 remaining, when Winston had plenty of time to throw against a four-man rush and completed a 15-yard pass to receiver Jerry Jeudy to the Steelers' 9 to set up Chubb's winning touchdown. "They were able to convert when they were able to and make plays in big time moments and we were not able to," Watt said. Well received? Wide receiver Mike Williams played 19 snaps against the Browns and, for the second game in a row, did not even get a target. That means Williams has played 44 snaps since his winning touchdown catch in his Steelers debut in Washington without getting a pass thrown in his direction. The good news: The Steelers got their other receivers involved in the offense for a change. Receiver Calvin Austin had catches of 45 and 23, the latter for the go-ahead touchdown with 6:15 remaining; Van Jefferson had a 35-yard catch that led to a field goal; and tight end Pat Freiermuth re-emerged to have his most receptions (four for 57 yards) since Week 4 in Indianapolis. "We had some really good explosive plays down the field, throwing the ball to Van," quarterback Russell Wilson said. "He made some great catches.... Calvin, too. I thought the guys, the receivers, did a really good job of making plays tonight in tough weather conditions. We were able to put the ball down the field and make plays in key moments, and that was really good." Wilson had his highest completion percentage of the season (21 of 28, 75%) and second-highest yardage total (270) despite the snowy conditions. It was his third game in five starts with a 100-plus passer rating. But after cornerback Donte Jackson intercepted Winston with 4:22 remaining, the Steelers went three-and-out from their own 24 with Justin Fields, not Wilson, taking two of the final three snaps. Fields did not run the ball on either of his two plays. What's more, it seemed like a dubious decision to have Fields throw on third-and-4, especially a deep incompletion to George Pickens. That failed series led to a chunked 15-yard punt by Corliss Waitman to the Steelers 45, leading to the Browns' winning touchdown. Fields played seven snaps against the Browns, which, in the end, was one too many. "I think that we all as a team, we're trying to make plays," Wilson said. "We're trying to do different things. Obviously, we have trust in Justin, too, and what he can do and what he's capable of. Listen, I always want to be in there. That's just the competitor in me. But at the same time, we have great trust in Justin, and our team, our coaches, and everything we're doing." (c)2024 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at www.post-gazette.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.