By ZEKE MILLER, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team on Tuesday signed an agreement to allow the Justice Department to conduct background checks on his nominees and appointees after a weeks-long delay. The step lets Trump transition aides and future administration staffers obtain security clearances before Inauguration Day to access classified information about ongoing government programs, an essential step for a smooth transiton of power. It also allows those nominees who are up for Senate confirmation to face the background checks lawmakers want before voting on them. Teams of investigators have been standing by to process clearances for Trump aides and advisers. “This agreement with the Department of Justice will ensure President Trump and his team are ready on Day 1 to begin enacting the America First Agenda that an overwhelming majority of our nation supported on Election Day,” said Susie Wiles, Trump’s designate to be White House chief of staff. The announcement comes a week after the Trump transition team signed an agreement with the Biden White House to allow transition staff to coordinate with the existing federal workforce before taking office on Jan. 20. The White House agreement was supposed to have been signed by Oct. 1, according to the Presidential Transition Act, and the Biden White House had issued both public and private appeals for Trump’s team to sign on. Security clearances are required to access classified information, including on ongoing operations and threats to the nation, and the Biden White House and outside experts have emphasized to Trump’s team the importance of having cleared personnel before Inauguration Day so they could be fully briefed and ready to run the government. Republican Senators have also insisted on FBI background checks for Trump’s nominees before they face confirmation votes, as has been standard practice for decades. Lawmakers have been particularly interested in seeing the findings of reviews into Trump’s designated nominee for defense secretary, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, and for Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence. “That’s why it’s so important that we have an FBI background check, a committee review of extensive questions and questionnaires, and a public hearing,” said. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine on Monday. John Thune, the incoming Senate Republican leader, said the Trump team “understands there’s going to have to be a thorough vetting of all these nominees.” AP congressional correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed.West Yellowstone announces death of police officerOne year on: Husband's tireless search for missing wife with dementia
Biden says the US believes journalist Austin Tice is alive after disappearing in Syria in 2012
Syrian rebels have claimed victory over the Assad regime and taken the capital of Damascus, bringing an end to Bashar al-Assad’s more than two decade rule. What we know: After the military command of the Syrian opposition launched a surprise offensive in Aleppo just a week ago, the rebels over the weekend took control of the key city of Homs and the capital of Damascus ( Reuters ); According to Reuters , Syria’s army command told its officers on Sunday that the Assad government had been toppled and the dictator had fled to an unknown location; The rebel group in a statement claimed that Damascus was free of Assad’s rule, bringing an end to the “dark period and the beginning of a new era in Syria” ( The Age ); Russia confirmed that Assad had left office and fled the country, with a spokesperson for the foreign ministry saying he had given orders for a peaceful handover of power ( The Guardian ); It brings an end to the reign of the Assad family, which ruled over Syria for more than 50 years, while Bashar al-Assad had been in power since 2000; In a televised statement on Sunday afternoon, the Syrian rebels said they had released all the people being held at the large military prison on the outskirts of Damascus ( ABC ); The Syrian civil war has been raging for 13 years, with about 600,000 people killed and 12 million displaced, about half of the country’s population ( The Saturday Paper ); Assad’s family reportedly fled to Russia earlier on the weekend, but the Kremlin has since said that Moscow does not plan to assist the leader ( The Australian ); The Assad regime received little help from its key allies to repel the rebels, with Russia focused on its ongoing war with Ukraine and Hezbollah weakened by its conflict with Israel; UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres overnight praised the end of Syria’s “dictatorial regime” and said that “today the people of Syria can seize an historic opportunity to build a stable and peaceful future” ( Reuters ). Australia’s national science agency has rejected Peter Dutton’s claims that nuclear power is cheaper than renewable energy due to its operating life, with the Opposition Leader expected to reveal costings for the Coalition’s plan this week. What we know: CSIRO has today released its draft GenCost report, an annual assessment of electricity prices, which backs in its previous findings that nuclear energy is too slow to be implemented and too costly ( AFR ); The Coalition has previously railed against these claims and said that nuclear power plants could be established in Australia in less than 15 years, and that their longer operating life makes them cheaper; The CSIRO analysis , conducted with the Australian Energy Market Operator, rejected these claims; CSIRO chief energy economist and report lead Paul Graham said that the longer lifetime of nuclear energy gave it “no unique cost advantage” due to the substantial re-investment costs across this time, and that “similar cost savings can be achieved with shorter-lived technologies, including renewables ( The Guardian ); Dutton is expected to this week reveal costings of the Coalition’s plan to build seven nuclear reactors around Australia, with an aim for the first to come online in 2035 or 2037 ( The Saturday Paper ); The CSIRO report claimed that a nuclear reactor would not be able to produce any energy in Australia until at least 2040, and that it would cost between $145 and $238 per unit of generation, well above the price of firmed renewables; The report found the cost of electricity from a grid dominated by renewable energy with firming support in 2030 would be at least 50% and up to 300% cheaper than nuclear energy; It said the cost of building a 1000 megawatt nuclear plant in Australia for the first time would be up to $18bn; Following similar findings earlier this year, opposition energy spokesperson Ted O’Brien met with CSIRO and asked it to redo its modelling with key assumptions changed ( SMH ). The latest draft report has accommodated these changes and still found nuclear power to be far more expensive than “variable renewables” such as wind and solar power backed up with batteries and a transmission-line rollout. Victoria Police and the AFP will meet in Melbourne today to determine whether the firebombing of a synagogue on Friday was an act of terrorism, with the leaders of the two major parties both saying they believe it was ( The Age ). Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday said he believed that the attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea was an act of terrorism ( ABC ). “If you want my personal view , quite clearly terrorism is something that is aimed at creating fear in the community and the atrocities that occurred at the synagogue in Melbourne clearly were designed to create fear in the community and, therefore, from my personal perspective, certainly fulfil that definition of terrorism,” Albanese said. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton earlier described it as a “national disgrace” and an “act of terrorism”, and blamed the federal government for its “grotesque stance” on the Israel-Palestine conflict ( The Australian ). In a social media post over the weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly linked the attack to Australia's voting record on the Gaza conflict at the UN. The federal government on Sunday announced a further $32.5m over 18 months as part of a new round of funding for Jewish communities, aiming to combat the rise in anti-Semitic incidents ( The Conversation ). The number of Australians becoming homeless has increased by more than 20% in the last three years, with a sharp increase in employed people accessing support services, according to a new report ( The Guardian ). The report by UNSW and Homelessness Australia found that an additional 10,000 Australians are becoming homeless every month, with about half of these people sleeping rough and the rest couch surfing or living in short-term accommodation. There has been a major increase in the number of people with jobs accessing homelessness services, up from 10.9% to 15.3% or 33,000, over the five years to 2022-23 ( Canberra Times ). UNSW Professor of Housing Research and report lead Hal Pawson said that the increase was largely driven by the increase in rent prices and that “rental affordability stress has deepened to such a degree that more people are being forced into situations of severe instability and rough sleeping” ( news.com.au ). Homelessness Australia chief Kate Colvin said that support services are “buckling” under pressure and that the new statistics need to be a “wake-up call for action”. South Korea’s former defence minister has been arrested over his role in the brief declaration of martial law in the country last week ( Reuters ). Prosecutors said that Kim Yong-hyun, who stepped down as defence minister last week following the rescinding of martial law, was arrested on Sunday, with reports he directly proposed martial law to President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon survived an attempt to impeach him in parliament on Saturday, but the leader of his party said that he would need to step down eventually ( The Guardian ). Members of the president’s party boycotted the impeachment attempt, with not enough votes cast for it to be counted ( SBS ). It comes after South Korea’s three minority opposition parties filed a complaint with the prosecution against the president, ex-defence minister and the martial law commander, accusing them of treason. Yoon imposed martial law in an unscheduled televised address late on Tuesday night last week, but the order was rescinded by the National Assembly just hours later ( The Saturday Paper ). Insiders have told The Saturday Paper that party members are not happy about the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's treatment of Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek when he overturned a deal on strengthened environmental laws that was struck with concessions from the Greens ( The Saturday Paper ). The creator of Raygun: The Musical, comedian Steph Broadbridge, confirmed on social media the show had been cancelled after receiving notice from lawyers, adding, “We will be back soon and with a whole new story arc to add" ( The Guardian ).As another frigid winter settles over Minnesota, with temperatures dipping into the teens, people like Ed Kranz are embracing the cold—and working up quite a sweat. Kranz and his wife, Colleen, are among the Minnesotans who believe the best way to endure winter is to heat up in saunas, then cool off in their state's icy weather. On a bone-chilling Sunday morning, they set up a mobile wood-fired sauna from their business, Saunable, near a frozen lake in the Minneapolis suburb of Eagan. After about 10 minutes of sweating in the 185-degree-Fahrenheit sauna, they moseyed outside into the 15-degree temps, lingering around a fire in bathing suits before repeating the process three or four more times. One brave soul dipped into a hole in the frozen lake for a post-sauna cold plunge. Their hot-and-cold venture is common in Minnesota, where plenty of residents embrace sauna culture for warmth and community, per the . Devotees say they're mingling Old World traditions with newfangled internet-based communities, and making social connections in a society that can feel isolating. More .Joy to the World is one of those classic Christmas carols. Even if you can’t remember all the words, it’s got all the entrapments of a song you can easily hum along to. And it’s extremely popular. Over the remaining 20-plus days in December, you’ll probably hear it a thousand times on the radio or while being blasted over the loudspeakers at your local shopping mall. The song was written in 1719 by English minister, and highly prolific hymn writer, Isacc Watts. Watts is credited with penning some 750 hymns during his life, with Joy to the World achieving the greatest notoriety. More than 200 years later, his song still remains standard fare among church choirs and holiday revelers. Mark M. Grywacheski Now, for you non-Christmas folk, the holiday version of Joy to the World is not to be confused with the 1971 hit song of the same name by American rock group Three Dog Night. However, you’ve got to admit the Three Dog Night version is still a pretty good song to rock out to. But this is not an article on the history of Christmas carols or of Isaac Watts. Instead, it’s to highlight the exceptional, dare I say joyous, historical performance of the U.S. stock market in the month of December. The S&P 500 tracks the performance of the 500 largest U.S. corporations and is often viewed as the bellwether index for the U.S. stock market. Since 1928, the benchmark S&P 500 has generated a positive return for the month of December 73% of the time – the highest of all months. On average, the S&P 500 has gained 1.25% in December. Its worst performing month is September, which has averaged a loss of 1.13% over the past 97 years. If you include the Thanksgiving holiday, the returns are even more impressive. Since 1928, from Thanksgiving through Dec. 31, the S&P 500 has gained 1.46%. Over the past decade, the S&P 500 has reported a gain in December in seven of the last 10 years with an average gain of around 1.45%. Last year, the S&P 500 posted a hefty 4.42% gain in December but reported a dismal 5.9% loss in December 2022. The worst performing December since 1928 was in 2018 when the S&P 500 declined 9.18%. The best performing December was in 1991 when investors celebrated a massive 11.2% return. There’s no official rationale to the historically strong performance the S&P 500 typically yields in December. Perhaps it’s the general optimism that surrounds the holiday season. Others contend it’s a short-term conviction on the retail holiday shopping season, which is the 61 calendar days in November and December. The holiday shopping season is by far the biggest season for retailers. As consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of all U.S. economic growth, one could argue investors are hopeful the retail holiday shopping season could provide a spark to the economy and future gains in the stock market. But what does history indicate about the first few months of 2025? The results are a bit mixed but certainly don’t match the gusto of historic December returns. Since 1928, the average monthly return for the S&P 500 in January is 1.17% followed by February (-0.9%) and March (0.6%). So far this year, the S&P 500 has gained more than 27%, excluding any dividends. That’s more than three times the historical average annual gain of around 8%. As a side note, when you add-in dividends to the calculation, the average annual return jumps to 10-11%. No one knows for sure exactly what lies ahead for investors in 2025. Each year is a clean slate that starts anew. But I wish you the greatest of success, and fortune, in the upcoming year. For dog lovers and their furry friends, the holidays are all about finding the perfect gift. Buzz60 has the story! Father-son duo, Dev, middle, and Luke Travers, right, make wooden clogs at their booth in the LeClaire Civic Center during the Christmas in LeClaire craft show on Friday, December 6. Luke, of Luke's Lost Arts, is a master carver who travels with his father to sell his goods and teach people about the craft. Luke Travers shaves Aspen wood to make a traditional Dutch clog at his booth at the Christmas in LeClaire craft show on Friday. Wooden show plant holders for sale at the Luke's Lost Arts booth. Wooden clogs for sale line a table at the LeClaire Civic Center on Friday. Luke Travers shaves wood from a wooden clog on Friday at the Christmas in LeClaire craft show. Wood shavings litter Master Carver Luke Travers' workstation at the Christmas in LeClaire weekend event. Dev Travers wood burns a design onto the top of a wooden clog. Small clog keychains for sale at the Travers booth at the Christmas in LeClaire craft show. Dev and Luek Travers at their booth at the Christmas in LeClaire. Wooden clogs are carved and decorated at Luke' Lost Arts vendor booth. Scenes from the Christmas in LeClaire craft show on Friday, December 6, in LeClaire. Scenes from the Christmas in LeClaire craft show on Friday, December 6, in LeClaire. Scenes from the Christmas in LeClaire craft show on Friday, December 6, in LeClaire. Scenes from the Christmas in LeClaire craft show on Friday, December 6, in LeClaire. Scenes from the Christmas in LeClaire craft show on Friday, December 6, in LeClaire. Dev Travers poses for a photo at he and his son's booth at the Christmas in LeClaire craft show on Friday, December 6, in LeClaire. Dev Travers shows off his wooden clog bolo tie at Christmas in LeClaire on Friday. Father-son duo, Dev, middle, and Luke Travers, right, make wooden clogs at their booth in the LeClaire Civic Center during the Christmas in LeClaire craft show on Friday, December 6. Luke, of Luke's Lost Arts, is a master carver who travels with his father to sell his goods and teach people about the craft. Mark Grywacheski is an expert in financial markets and economic analysis and is an investment adviser with Quad-Cities Investment Group, Davenport. Disclaimer: Opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. Any prices or quotations contained herein are indicative only and do not constitute an offer to buy or sell any securities at any given price. Information has been obtained from sources considered reliable, but we do not guarantee that the material presented is accurate or that it provides a complete description of the securities, markets or developments mentioned. Quad-Cities Investment Group LLC is a registered investment adviser with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.
NEW YORK, Dec. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading securities law firm Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP announces that a lawsuit has been filed against Symbotic Inc. (NASDAQ: SYM) and certain of the Company’s senior executives for potential violations of the federal securities laws. If you invested in Symbotic, you are encouraged to obtain additional information by visiting https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/symbotic-inc . Investors have until February 3, 2025, to ask the Court to be appointed to lead the case. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of investors in Symbotic securities. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and is captioned Decker v. Symbotic Inc., et al. , No. 24-cv-12976. What is the Symbotic Class Action Lawsuit About? Symbotic Inc. develops and operates robotics systems to automate and optimize warehouse and supply chain operations for major retailers and distributors. During the relevant period, the company represented that its financial statements were accurate and that its internal controls over financial reporting were effective. In contrast with these representations, on November 27, 2024, Symbotic announced a delay in filing its Form 10-K for its fiscal year 2024 due to identified errors in revenue recognition and announced material weaknesses in its internal controls over financial reporting. Symbotic revealed that it discovered issues related to premature expense recognition and unbillable cost overruns, which affected system revenue recognition in multiple quarters of its fiscal year 2024. The company estimated a $30–$40 million reduction in system revenue, gross profit, and adjusted EBITDA for its fiscal year 2024 and reduced its revenue outlook for the first quarter of fiscal 2025 to $480–$500 million, from $495–$515 million, and adjusted EBITDA of $12–16 million, from $27–$31 million. This news caused the price of the company’s stock to decline over 35% during the course of trading on November 27, 2024. Click here if you suffered losses: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/symbotic-inc . What Can You Do? If you invested in Symbotic you may have legal options and are encouraged to submit your information to the firm. All representation is on a contingency fee basis, there is no cost to you. Shareholders are not responsible for any court costs or expenses of litigation. The firm will seek court approval for any potential fees and expenses. Submit your information by visiting: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/symbotic-inc Or contact: Ross Shikowitz ross@bfalaw.com 212-789-3619 Why Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP? Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP is a leading international law firm representing plaintiffs in securities class actions and shareholder litigation. It was named among the Top 5 plaintiff law firms by ISS SCAS in 2023 and its attorneys have been named Titans of the Plaintiffs’ Bar by Law360 and SuperLawyers by Thompson Reuters. Among its recent notable successes, BFA recovered over $900 million in value from Tesla, Inc.’s Board of Directors (pending court approval), as well as $420 million from Teva Pharmaceutical Ind. Ltd. For more information about BFA and its attorneys, please visit https://www.bfalaw.com . https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/symbotic-inc Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.Freshly fried kartoffelpuffer next to southern barbecued ribs. Hand-carved nutcrackers neighboring kitchen utensils made from bullets. A snow machine spouting flurries in the shade of Choctaw Stadium. The blending of Bavarian and Arlington culture at the Texas Christkindl Market brings a smile to Sheri Capehart’s face. Get Arlington news that matters. Sign up for local stories in your inbox every Thursday. Every Christmas for the past 14 years, the Texas Christkindl Market has given Arlington a taste of its German sister city, Bad Königshofen . The bazaar draws inspiration from traditional Christmas markets across Europe, putting vendors from around the world behind holly-decorated wooden stalls. The market is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day from Nov. 29 to Dec. 23. Each afternoon features a new form of entertainment on the market’s main stage, with performances from local school choirs, North Texas bands and dance groups. The market is a passion project for Capehart, who served on Arlington City Council for 16 years before retiring in 2020. She serves as director of Arlington Sister Cities and now sits on Sister Cities International’s board of directors. Her idea for the festival sprouted during an official winter visit to Bad Königshofen, where she was visiting to honor the retirement of the town’s burgomeister, effectively its mayor. Arlington’s relationship with Königshofen dates back to 1951, when a relationship formed between the German town’s city manager and 23-year-old Arlington mayor Tom Vandergriff. At the time, the cities were similar in size with populations of about 7,000. Bad Königshofen, located a few miles west of the East German border, was overwhelmed by an influx in refugees from the east in the post-World War II political climate, and it needed help supplying food and clothing. Arlington residents, excited to form healing relationships with Germans, started donating supplies to help Bad Königshofen. The relationship has continued since, now evolving into a cultural exchange between Germany and North Texas. In fall 2024, Arlington also became an official friendship city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, another German city. Capehart knew the German markets would appeal to Texans. When she returned to Arlington, she set to work to win the city’s support, eventually debuting the market in 2011. The market started small, only operating for four days in its first year, but it drew crowds from across North Texas and quickly sold out of German chocolate and crafts. Eric and Kathryn Escutia stumbled upon the market on its 2024 opening day on their way to the Texas Live! entertainment venue. It was a pleasant surprise to find the cozy pocket of Europe among the stadiums, they said. They’ve lived in Arlington for over five years, but this was the first time they heard about the market or the city’s German ties. As Christkindl grew in its early years, Capehart set her eyes on getting on the radar of Käthe Wohlfahrt , a renowned German boutique craft-making brand, to set up shop in Arlington. The company is picky where it shows face, Capehart said, with 10 seasonal locations in North America including the Texas Christkindl Market. Käthe Wohlfahrt would only agree to come to Arlington if the market was open for four weeks — long enough to justify importing products from Germany. Capehart was happy to oblige. Around 20 vendors come from across the world, with most returning each year, said Henry Lewczyk, who manages the market. Vendors sell clothing weavings from Peru, ornaments from Egypt and German concessions from Montana. Robb Pocklington spends his time at the market sitting behind a table of polished gemstones, custom jewelry and geodes. He’s the face of Doc Pock’s Harmonious Rocks and has been a vendor since its first year. Often surrounded by visitors gawking at his geode cracking and polished stone jewelry, he’s watched the market grow, change locations and attract new vendors. “It keeps me busy,” he said. Lewczyk has managed the market since it first opened. Year-round, he keeps in touch with vendors, city officials and stadium managers to ensure Christkindl can open smoothly for the holiday season. Lewczyk’s favorite parts of the job are admittedly cliche, he said. He loves watching children grow up taking photos each year with the market’s Santa Claus, whose face hasn’t changed since 2011. He loves showering families with synthetic snow each night — some of whom have never experienced a flurry. Most of all, Lewczyk loves seeing people smile. So, at a place as jolly as the Christkindl Market, he feels he’s in the right line of work. Drew Shaw is a reporting fellow for the Arlington Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org or @shawlings601 . At the Arlington Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here . Related Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism . Republish This Story Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Do not copy stories straight from the front-end of our web-site. You are required to follow the guidelines and use the republication tool when you share our content. The republication tool generates the appropriate html code. You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you use our stories in any other medium — for example, newsletters or other email campaigns — you must make it clear that the stories are from the Fort Worth Report. In all emails, link directly to the story at fortworthreport.org and not to your website. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. You have to credit Fort Worth Report. Please use “Author Name, Fort Worth Report” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by Fort Worth Report” and include our website, fortworthreport.org . You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. by Drew Shaw, Arlington Report December 3, 2024
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