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SINGAPORE: No doubt policymakers in Tehran and Moscow are asking who lost Syria. In a tectonic rewrite of the Middle East’s geopolitical map, Bashar al-Assad was ousted on Sunday (Dec 8) after 24 years as president, leaving his principal backers struggling to limit their losses. Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to preempt the debate by firing Sergei Kisel, the commander of Russian forces in Syria, a week earlier – as soon as the rebels captured Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city. The Kremlin has since confirmed that Putin personally decided to grant asylum to Assad and his family, who fled the capital Damascus for Moscow. Similarly, Iran quickly contacted the new rebel leadership to prevent what one official described as “a hostile trajectory" between the two countries. Iran’s state television said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the largest, best-armed rebel group, had guaranteed there would be no disturbance to the Sayyida Zeinab and Sayyida Ruqayya Shiite Muslim shrines in Damascus. "The main concern for Iran is whether Assad's successor will push Syria away from Tehran's orbit,” said a second Iranian official. The end of Assad’s reign is an existential threat to Iran, less so to Russia. That was evident in the contrast between the ransacking of the Iranian embassy in Damascus and the calm around Russia's Hmeimim air base and Tartus naval facility. RUSSIA MAKES THE BEST OF A BAD SITUATION Assad’s toppling will probably deprive Moscow of its two foremost military bases in the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean and undermine its positioning as a major regional powerbroker. "What Tartus meant for Russia was the ability to project maritime power and political influence relatively uncontested in the Middle East and allowed it to punch above its weight," wrote retired Belgian naval officer Fredrik Van Lokeren. Leased to Moscow for 49 years in return for military assistance in 2015 during the Syrian civil war, the bases also allowed Russia to use Syria as a transit hub for Russian mercenaries operating in Africa. As Assad arrived in Moscow, Russian state television announced that the rebels had guaranteed the security of the military bases – from which Russian aircraft attacked as they advanced towards Damascus – and diplomatic missions in Syria. The rebel assurances helped soften the blow to Russian prestige. Russia can claim that it stuck by its friends while ensuring that the former president would be limited in his ability to attempt a comeback. In return, state-run Russian media have changed their tone. The press stopped describing the rebels as "terrorists", referring to them instead as the "armed opposition that has taken power in Syria". The Syrian embassy in Moscow raised the opposition flag even as Assad set foot on Russian soil. HIGHER EXISTENTIAL STAKES FOR IRAN The stakes are much higher for Iran. One of the three pillars in its defence strategy is now crippled. Lacking an air force and navy of any repute because of decades of United States and United Nations economic sanctions, Iranian defence relied on Syria and an alliance of non-state actors – dubbed the Axis of Resistance – for its forward defence, alongside the development of ballistic missiles and nuclear programme. The ousting of Assad and the weakening of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia – which reached a recent ceasefire agreement with Israel just weeks ago – have all but neutralised the alliance’s deterrence element along two of Israel’s borders. Even starker, the alliance could have turned from asset into liability. Iran-backed Iraqi politicians and militia officials rejected Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s request that they send reinforcements to Syria in support of Assad. Iran and its allies will no longer be able to maintain a military presence in Syria or use the country as a support hub for Hezbollah. It will be forced to revisit its strategy and broader regional policies. FEARS OF A POPULAR UPRISING The fact that a popular armed insurrection toppled Assad has set off alarm bells in Moscow and Tehran. Russia has long viewed popular revolts in Ukraine and other East European nations as US-engineered efforts to destabilise Russia’s neighbourhood, while Iranians have repeatedly taken to the streets in mass anti-government protests over the years. “The situation in the Islamic Republic is not comparable to Syria at all. Nevertheless, one should take note of public opinion,” said conservative politician and journalist Naser Imani to an Iranian media outlet. Critics removed without explanation social media postings in which they asserted that Iran had wasted resources on supporting an unpopular leader in Syria, an implicit criticism of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, a friend and staunch supporter of Assad. Even so, some fear that the collapse of the Assad regime could strengthen the hand of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its hardline supporters. IRGC members asserted that "abandoning" Assad constituted a "betrayal" that would have serious consequences for Iran. Kasra Aarabi, a Washington-based anti-Iranian activist, quoted a younger IRGC member as saying: “We zealous youth will not forget the cowardice of the decision-makers.” For Russia and Iran, the silver lining is that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham appears more interested in focusing on Syria’s rehabilitation and reconstruction rather than retaliation. In doing so, the rebels may help Assad’s backers save face while taking out one of their foremost regional assets. Dr James M Dorsey is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and the author of the syndicated column and podcast, The Turbulent World with James M Dorsey .WASHINGTON — The House passed a $895 billion measure Wednesday that authorizes a 1% increase in defense spending this fiscal year and would give a double-digit pay raise to about half of the enlisted service members in the military. The bill is traditionally strongly bipartisan, but some Democratic lawmakers opposed the inclusion of a ban on transgender medical treatments for children of military members if such treatment could result in sterilization. The bill passed by a vote of 281-140 and next moves to the Senate, where lawmakers sought a bigger boost in defense spending than the current measure allows. Lawmakers are touting the bill's 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others as key to improving the quality of life for those serving in the U.S. military. Those serving as junior enlisted personnel are in pay grades that generally track with their first enlistment term. Lawmakers said service member pay failed to remain competitive with the private sector, forcing many military families to rely on food banks and government assistance programs to put food on the table. The bill also provides significant new resources for child care and housing. "No service member should have to live in squalid conditions and no military family should have to rely on food stamps to feed their children, but that's exactly what many of our service members are experiencing, especially the junior enlisted," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. "This bill goes a long way to fixing that." The bill sets key Pentagon policy that lawmakers will attempt to fund through a follow-up appropriations bill. The overall spending tracks the numbers established in a 2023 agreement that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reached with President Joe Biden to increase the nation's borrowing authority and avoid a federal default in exchange for spending restraints. Many senators wanted to increase defense spending about $25 billion above what was called for in that agreement, but those efforts failed. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who is expected to serve as the next chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the overall spending level was a "tremendous loss for our national defense," though he agreed with many provisions in the bill. "We need to make a generational investment to deter the Axis of Aggressors. I will not cease work with my congressional colleagues, the Trump administration, and others until we achieve it," Wicker said. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., speaks with reporters Nov. 21 on Capitol Hill in Washington. House Republicans don't want to go above the McCarthy-Biden agreement for defense spending and are looking to go way below it for many nondefense programs. They are also focused on cultural issues. The bill prohibits funding for teaching critical race theory in the military and prohibits TRICARE health plans from covering gender dysphoria treatment for children under 18 if that treatment could result in sterilization. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the ranking Democratic member of the House Armed Services Committee, said minors dealing with gender dysphoria is a "very real problem." He said the treatments available, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, proved effective at helping young people dealing with suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression. "These treatments changed their lives and in many cases saved their lives," Smith said. "And in this bill, we decided we're going to bar service members' children from having access to that." Smith said the number of minors in service member families receiving transgender medical care extends into the thousands. He could have supported a study asking medical experts to determine whether such treatments are too often used, but a ban on health insurance coverage went too far. He said Speaker Mike Johnson's office insisted on the ban and said the provision "taints an otherwise excellent piece of legislation." Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, called the ban a step in the right direction, saying, "I think these questions need to be pulled out of the debate of defense, so we can get back to the business of defending the United States of America without having to deal with social engineering debates." Smith said he agrees with Roy that lawmakers should be focused on the military and not on cultural conflicts, "and yet, here it is in this bill." Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said his team did not tell Democrats how to vote on the bill. "There's a lot of positive things in the National Defense Authorization Act that were negotiated in a bipartisan way, and there are some troubling provisions in a few areas as well," Jeffries said. The defense policy bill also looks to strengthen deterrence against China. It calls for investing $15.6 billion to build military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. The Biden administration requested about $10 billion. On Israel, the bill, among other things, includes an expansion of U.S. joint military exercises with Israel and a prohibition on the Pentagon citing casualty data from Hamas. The defense policy bill is one of the final measures that lawmakers view as a must-pass before making way for a new Congress in January. Rising threats from debt collectors against members of the U.S. armed forces are undermining national security, according to data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a federal watchdog that protects consumer rights. To manage the impact of financial stress on individual performance, the Defense Department dedicates precious resources to improving financial literacy, so service members know the dangers of notorious no-credit-check loans. “The financial well-being of service members and their families is one of the Department’s top priorities,” said Andrew Cohen, the director of financial readiness in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon. But debt collectors are gaining ground. Last quarter, debt collection complaints by U.S. military service members increased 24% , and attempts to collect on “debts not owed” surged 40%. Complaints by service members against debt collectors for deceptive practices ballooned from 1,360 in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 1,833 in the first quarter of 2024. “There’s a connection between the financial readiness and the readiness of a service member to perform their duty,” said Jim Rice, Assistant Director, Office of Servicemember Affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Laws exist to protect the mission readiness of U.S. troops from being compromised by threats and intimidation, but debt collectors appear to be violating them at an alarming pace. “If they’re threatening to call your commander or get your security clearance revoked, that’s illegal,” says Deborah Olvera, financial readiness manager at Wounded Warriors Project, and a military spouse who’s been harassed herself by a collection agency that tried to extort money from her for a debt she didn’t owe. But after she requested the name of the original creditor, she never heard from them again. “The financial well-being of service members and their families is one of the Department’s top priorities.” —Andrew Cohen, Director of Financial Readiness at the Pentagon Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, it’s illegal for debt collectors to threaten to contact your boss or have you arrested because it violates your financial privacy. The FDCPA also prohibits debt collectors from making false, deceptive, or misleading representations in connection with the collection of a debt, even for borrowers with bad credit scores. But according to the data, debt collectors are increasingly ignoring those rules. “Debt collection continues to be one of the top consumer complaint categories,” said a spokesperson at the Federal Trade Commission. The commission released a report earlier this year revealing that consumers were scammed $10 billion in 2023, a new benchmark for fraud losses. In his book Debt: The First 5,000 Years, David Graeber argues that debt often creates a relationship that can feel more oppressive than systems of hierarchy, like slavery or caste systems because it starts by presuming equality between the debtor and the creditor. When the debtor falls into arrears, that equality is then destroyed. This sense of betrayal and the subsequent imbalance of power leads to widespread resentment toward lenders. Photo Credit: Olena Yakobchuk / Shutterstock The debt collector reportedly harassing military service members most was Resurgent Capital Services, a subsidiary of collection giant Sherman Financial Group. The company tacks on accrued interest and junk fees and tries to collect on debts purchased for pennies on the dollar from cable companies, hospitals, and credit card companies, among others. Sherman Financial Group is run by billionaire Benjamin Navarro, who has a reported net worth of $1.5 billion, according to Forbes. Sherman Financial also owns subprime lender Credit One Bank and LVNV Funding, which outsource collections to Resurgent Capital. According to CFPB data, the second worst offender is CL Holdings, the parent company of debt-buyer Jefferson Capital Systems. The company has also been named in numerous complaints to the Better Business Bureau for alleged violations of the FDCPA, such as failing to properly validate debts or update credit reports with accurate information. Under the leadership of CEO David Burton, Jefferson Capital Systems is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CompuCredit Corporation, which markets subprime credit cards under the names Aspire, Majestic, and others. The third most referenced debt collector is publicly traded Portfolio Recovery Associates [NASDAQ: PRAA], which was forced to pay $27 million in penalties for making false representations about debts, initiating lawsuits without proper documentation, and other violations. Portfolio Recovery Associates is run by CEO Vikram Atal. Fourth place for alleged worst offender goes to Encore Capital Group [NASDAQ ECPG], which was required to pay $42 million in consumer refunds and a $10 million penalty for violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Encore collects under its subsidiary Midland Credit Management Group. These debt collectors all operate under a veritable shell game of company and brand names, almost none of which are disclosed on their websites, sending consumers on a wild goose chase to try and figure out how they’re related to each other. But despite their attempts to hide their tracks behind a smoke screen of subsidiaries, a leopard can’t change its spots, and the CFPB complaint database makes it harder for them to try. Photo Credit: Bumble Dee / Shutterstock Although widely considered a consumer-friendly state, complaints spiked most in California, which saw a 188% increase in complaints filed from the fourth quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024. California is home to 157,367 military personnel, making it the most populous state for active-duty service members. The second-largest increase in debt collection complaints was in Texas, which saw a 66% jump from the fourth quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024. The U.S. Department of Defense reports 111,005 service members stationed in the Lone Star State, which is the third-most populous state for active-duty military. The rising trends do not correlate to the number of military personnel by state. Complaints against debt collectors in Virginia, the second most populous state with 126,145 active duty personnel, decreased by 29% in the same quarter-over-quarter period. And complaints filed quarter-over-quarter in North Carolina, the fifth most populous state with 91,077 military personnel, decreased by 3% in the same period. The third largest percentage increase in debt collection complaints was from service members stationed in Maryland, where alleged harassment reports jumped 112% from the fourth quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024. Maryland ranks number 12 with just 28,059 active duty service members. Fourth place goes to Ohio – the 28th most populous active-duty state – where complaints doubled, followed by Arizona – the 15th most populous military state – where complaints were up 70% in the same quarter-over-quarter period. Photo Credit: PeopleImages.com - Yuri A / Shutterstock In 2007, Congress passed the Military Lending Act to cap the cost of credit to a 36% annual percentage rate, inclusive of junk fees and late charges, for active duty military service members. That rate is still considerably higher than average credit card rates, which range from 8% for borrowers with excellent credit scores to as high as 36% for borrowers with bad credit. But lenders still get hauled into court for violating the MLA. Don Hankey, the billionaire subprime auto lender who funded Donald Trump’s $175 million appeal bond , is among those violators. His company, Westlake Financial, which markets high-interest car loans for bad credit, has been sued twice by the Department of Justice for harassing military service members. In 2017, the DoJ alleged Hankey’s Westlake Financial illegally repossessed at least 70 vehicles owned by military service members. Westlake Financial paid $700,000 to settle the charges. In 2022, Westlake Financial paid $250,000 for allegedly cheating U.S. troops out of interest rates they were legally entitled to. Westlake Financial continues to receive complaints from military service members alleging abusive debt collection practices on its no-credit-check loans. A steady year-over-year increase in the number of complaints filed against Westlake Financial continued from 2020 to 2023. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau data shows a 13% increase in the number of complaints against the company from 2020 to 2021, a 28% increase from 2021 to 2022, and a torrential 119% surge from 2022 to 2023. The numbers suggest systemic complaint-handling processes and inadequate customer service resources. Photo Credit: Cynthia Shirk / Shutterstock On May 16, 2024, a deceptively named predatory lending industry front group dubbed the Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA) lost a legal attempt to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In an effort to deprive Americans of essential consumer protections, the lobby group argued that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding structure was unconstitutional. But the Supreme Court denied its claim. In a 7-2 ruling, the Court held that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding structure is indeed constitutional. That means the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau cannot be defunded, but it does not mean the agency cannot be defanged. The New York Times suggested that Hankey’s incentive to finance Trump’s $175 million bond could have been a reciprocity pledge to neuter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau if Trump wins the upcoming U.S. presidential election. If Trump wins a second term, he could replace Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Rohit Chopra, an American consumer advocate, with a predatory lending advocate. In 2020, the Trump Administration secured a Supreme Court ruling that made it easier for the president to fire the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The ruling struck down previous restrictions on when a president can fire the bureau’s director. Like other federal agencies, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has also been confronted for overstepping its bounds, pushing too far, and acting unfairly against entities it regulates. Photo Credit: Lux Blue / Shutterstock Seasonality and rising interest rates do not explain the increase in debt collection complaints from service members. The surge in complaints is not tied to predictable seasonal fluctuations or changes in interest rates. The increase in debt collection complaints by service members may point to underlying systemic issues, such as aggressive and predatory debt collection practices that exploit the unique financial vulnerabilities of service members, who face frequent relocations and deployments. Debt Complaints by Service Members The 24% spike in debt collection complaints exhibits no correlation to fluctuations in interest rates. 30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates Pandemic stimulus checks were also not a factor. COVID-19 relief benefit checks went through three major rounds during the pandemic. The final round of Economic Impact Payments went out in March 2021 . To better understand the rising trend of debt collection complaints, we calculated the increase in the total number of complaints and the percentage increase quarter-over-quarter. For example, New Jersey has the second largest percentage increase in complaints quarter-over-quarter, but the total number of complaints increased by just 16. The data for this study was sourced from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) complaint database. The dataset specifically targeted complaints filed by U.S. military service members, identified using the tag “Servicemember” within Q4 2023 and Q1 2024. Readers can find the detailed research methodology underlying this news story in the accompanying section here . For complete results, see U.S. Troops Face Mounting Threats from Predatory Debt Collectors on BadCredit.org . Homelessness reached record levels in 2023, as rents and home prices continued to rise in most of the U.S. One group was particularly impacted: people who have served in the U.S. military. "This time last year, we knew the nation was facing a deadly public health crisis," Jeff Olivet, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, said in a statement about the 2023 numbers. He said the latest homelessness estimates from the Department of Housing and Urban Development "confirms the depth of the crisis." At least 35,000 veterans were experiencing homelessness in 2023, according to HUD. While that's about half of what it was in 2009—when the organization began collecting data—things have plateaued in recent years despite active efforts to get that number to zero. Although they make up just 6.6% of the total homeless population, veterans are more likely to be at risk of homelessness than Americans overall. Of every 10,000 Americans, 20 were experiencing homelessness. Of veterans living in the United States, that number jumps to 22, HUD data shows. Complicated by bureaucracy, family dynamics, and prejudice, the path from serving in the military to homelessness is a long one. According to a 2022 study by Yale School of Medicine researchers, homelessness typically occurs within four years of leaving the military, as veterans must contend with the harsh reality of finding a job in a world where employers struggle to see how skills on the battlefield transfer to a corporate environment. These days, veterans also deal with historically high rent and home prices, which causes many to rely on family generosity while figuring out a game plan. Stacker examined academic studies, analyzed government data, and spoke with members of the Biden administration, experts, and former members of the armed forces to see the struggles members of the military face when leaving the armed forces. The Department of Veterans Affairs offers transition assistance to the roughly 250,000 service members who leave each year. However, those programs can be burdensome and complex to navigate, especially for those who don't have a plan for post-military life. Only a small portion of veterans have jobs lined up when they leave, according to 2019 Pew Research. Many also choose to live with relatives until they get on their feet, which can be longer than anticipated. Some former service members are unsure what kind of career they'd like to pursue and may have to get further education or training, Carl Castro, director of the Military and Veteran Programs at the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at the University of Southern California, told Stacker. "It takes years for that kind of transition," Castro said. Many have trouble finding a job after leaving the service, even if they are qualified. Some employers carry misconceptions about those who have served. A 2020 analysis from the journal Human Resource Management Review found that some veterans face hiring discrimination due to negative stereotypes that lead hiring managers to write them off as a poor culture fit. Underemployment, or working low-wage jobs below their skill level, is also an issue. While the unemployment rate for veterans was 3% in March 2024, a study released by Penn State at the end of 2023 found three years after leaving the service, 61% of veterans said they were underemployed because of perceived skill mismatches . This phenomenon can have long-term economic effects, and eventually, that frustration can boil over, strain relationships, and potentially lead to housing instability. Working, especially a low-wage job, is not protection against homelessness. A 2021 study from the University of Chicago found half of people living in homeless shelters and 2 in 5 unsheltered people were employed, full or part-time. For veterans, housing costs certainly play a role, but those who leave the military also face systemic barriers. "It's worrying there are people that continue to fall through the cracks," said Jeanette Yih Harvie, a research associate at Syracuse University's D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families. Just under a quarter of adults experiencing homelessness have a severe mental illness , according to 2022 HUD survey data. They are also likely to have chronic illnesses but are unable to maintain preventative care, which only exacerbates these problems. Veterans facing homelessness are more likely to have experienced trauma , either before or after joining the military, according to Yale researchers who analyzed the 2019-2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. Childhood trauma was among the most significant commonalities among vets who become homeless. Substance use disorder is also widespread and can indicate an undiagnosed mental illness . Racial and ethnic disparities are at play, too. A 2023 study in the Journal of Psychiatric Research showed that Hispanic and Black veterans were more likely to screen positive for PTSD, and Hispanic veterans were more likely to report having suicidal ideation. Overall, access to mental health care has improved in the last decade or so. In December 2023, the VA announced it would open nine additional counseling centers. However, the stigma of getting help remains, especially after years of being conditioned to be self-reliant and pull oneself up by their bootstraps. That help, in the form of public policy, is slowly working to catch up to the need. In 2023, the Biden administration invested millions into research programs and studies on suicide prevention by the VA office in addition to a proposed $16 billion to improve quality and lower-cost mental health care services for veterans. And, in February of this year, HUD and the VA announced they would give up to $14 million in vouchers to public housing agencies for veterans experiencing homelessness. The program would also offer case management and other services. Still, with a culture that pushes people to keep going, it can be challenging for servicemembers to take advantage of these opportunities, Harvie said. "When you've been doing that for the last 15 or 20 years, it's difficult to stop and say, 'I'm the person that needs help.'" Story editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
Shareholders in Matthew Moulding’s beauty and wellness business have voted in favour of a plan to spin off its Ingenuity ecommerce platform at a valuation of £90 million. THG, formerly known as The Hut Group, will press ahead with a divestment of its technology platform after 89 per cent of voting shareholders backed the plan at a general meeting on Friday. Ingenuity provides technology to support the online operations of retailers including Holland & Barrett, The Range and L’Oréal. The division has 13 distribution centres and employs about 3,500 people. THG launched a funding round to raise capital of £95.4 million to fund the transaction, and has secured debt funding of £55 million. The company has told investors the money will be used to fundIzabel Goulart, 40, shows off her impossibly fit figure while in a blue bikini in the Caribbean Have YOU got a story? Email tips@dailymail.com By HEIDI PARKER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 21:54 GMT, 27 December 2024 | Updated: 21:57 GMT, 27 December 2024 e-mail View comments Izabel Goulart has showed off her impossibly fit figure once again. On Friday the model took to Instagram to share an eye-popping new video clip with her loyal fans. The 40-year-old Brazilian beauty was in a blue bikini as she presented her diving skills. The star dove into the swimming pool at her hillside resort in St Barts in the Caribbean. She first pushed off on the side of the pool, then went in the water arms first. Next with the help of an underwater camera she was seen diving down to the bottom of a pool then effortlessly turning her body and swimming up to the top. Izabel is then seen pushing herself up over the top of the pool as water falls off her toned and tanned body. The model has been on vacation with her fiancé Kevin Trapp . Izabel Goulart has showed off her impossibly fit figure once again. On Friday the model took to Instagram to share an eye-popping new video clip with her loyal fans With the help of an underwater camera she was seen diving down to the bottom of a pool then effortlessly turning her body and swimming up She gave a view of her backside as she made her way up to the top The day before she did a difficult yoga move with her love. The model was clad in a stringy, red, thong bikini and a matching Santa Clause hat. Meanwhile, her longtime beau, 34, wore the same hat and added black swimming trunks. The two, who have been engaged since summer 2018, performed a seamlessly coordinated move, which ended with Izabel hitting a scorpion post while upside down. And the lovebirds even snuck in kisses while oceanside as Goulart invited fans to join her challenge. She wrote in the caption, 'Who’s up for a little yoga challenge? Tag me.' The post collected more than 56,000 likes within just a few hours and friends and fans dropped heart eye emoji in the comments. Izabel is then seen pushing herself up over the top of the pool as water falls off her toned and tanned body. The model has been on vacation with her fiancé Kevin Trapp The 40-year-old Brazilian beauty was in a blue bikini as she presented her diving skills The star dove into the swimming pool at her hillside resort in St Barts in the Caribbean. She first pushed off on the side of the pool, then went in the water arms first Read More Izabel Goulart puts on a cheeky display in barely-there bikini while flaunting her incredible figure On Christmas day the brunette stunner shared a video clip and photos showing off a festive, strapless, green LaQuan Smith mini dress. She frolicked with her feet in the ocean at night and wrote, 'A tropical Christmas it’s always a vibe.' Earlier this year Izabel celebrated her husband-to-be on social media as she wished him a happy birthday. In one black and white image she hugged her soccer star beau and wrote, 'Today we celebrate you mein schatzi. Happy Bday!!!' Another capture showed the lovebirds relaxing in a scenic outdoor area as Izabel rested in Kevin's lap. She added a heartfelt caption that read, 'It is easy to fall in love with you. And staying in love with you is even easier. Everything is special and unique when I’m by your side ! Today we celebrate you with all the love and happiness that you deserve !!' The model was clad in a stringy, red, thong bikini and a matching Santa Clause hat In May, the influencer was spotted holding hands with Kevin at Monaco Grand Prix. The couple looked cozy, amid claims that the soccer star's performance has taken a hit because Izabel 'wants sex all the time.' Bundesliga club football team Eintracht Frankfurt has reportedly been concerned that Kevin's relationship with Izabel is affecting his abilities as the team's star goalkeeper. The athlete had a rough season and missed out on Germany's provisional Euro 2024 squad. At the start of their relationship, when Trapp was playing for PSG, Goulart opened up about their sex life, claiming Trapp put a strict rule in place if his team lost. 'Kevin and I make love a lot — four or five times a week,' she said in a 2018 interview with YouTuber Matheus Mazzafera. 'But if he has played in an important game and his team loses, I can make myself beautiful, have my nails done and wear my best lingerie - and there still won’t be any sex,' she dished. Izabel Goulart Share or comment on this article: Izabel Goulart, 40, shows off her impossibly fit figure while in a blue bikini in the Caribbean e-mail Add comment
North Korean nationals indicted in scheme using IT workers to funnel money for weapons programs ST. LOUIS (AP) — Fourteen North Korean nationals have been indicted in a scheme using information technology workers with false identities to contract with U.S. Jim Salter, The Associated Press Dec 12, 2024 12:10 PM Dec 12, 2024 12:20 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message The FBI in St. Louis, on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, announced the indictments of 14 North Korean nationals in a scheme using IT workers who used false identities to get remote jobs with U.S. companies, then funneled their wages and other funds back to North Korea for use in weapons programs. (AP Photo/Jim Salter) ST. LOUIS (AP) — Fourteen North Korean nationals have been indicted in a scheme using information technology workers with false identities to contract with U.S. companies — workers who then funneled their wages to North Korea for development of ballistic missiles and other weapons, the head of the FBI office in St. Louis said Thursday. The scheme involving thousands of IT workers generated more than $88 million for the North Korean government, Ashley T. Johnson, special agent in charge of the St. Louis FBI office, said at a news conference. In addition to their wages, the workers stole sensitive information from companies or threatened to leak information in exchange for extortion payments, Johnson said. Victims included defrauded companies and people whose identities were stolen from across the U.S., including Missouri, Johnson said. The indictments were filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. All 14 people face wire fraud, money laundering, identity theft and other charges. Most of those accused are believed to be in North Korea. Johnson acknowledged that bringing them to justice will be difficult. To help, the U.S. Department of State is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to any of the suspects. Federal authorities said the scheme worked like this: North Korea dispatched thousands of IT workers to get hired and work remotely or as freelancers for U.S. companies. The IT workers involved in the scheme sometimes used stolen identities. In other instances, they paid Americans to use their home Wi-Fi connections, or to pose in on-camera job interviews as the IT workers. Johnson said the FBI is going after those “domestic enablers,” too. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Johnson said. “If your company has hired fully remote IT workers, more likely than not, you have hired or at least interviewed a North Korean national working on behalf of the North Korean government,” Johnson said. The Justice Department in recent years has sought to expose and disrupt a broad variety of criminal schemes aimed at bolstering the North Korean regime, including its nuclear weapons program. In 2021, the Justice Department charged three North Korean computer programmers and members of the government’s military intelligence agency in a broad range of global hacks that officials say were carried out at the behest of the regime. Law enforcement officials said at the time that the prosecution highlighted the profit-driven motive behind North Korea’s criminal hacking, a contrast from other adversarial nations like Russia, China and Iran that are generally more interested in espionage, intellectual property theft or even disrupting democracy. In May 2022, the State Department, Department of the Treasury, and the FBI issued an advisory warning of attempts by North Koreans “to obtain employment while posing as non-North Korean nationals.” The advisory noted that in recent years, the regime of Kim Jong Un “has placed increased focus on education and training” in IT-related subjects. In October 2023 , the FBI in St. Louis announced the seizure of $1.5 million and 17 domain names as part of the investigation. The indictments announced Tuesday were the first stemming from the investigation. Johnson urged companies to thoroughly vet IT workers hired to work remotely. “One of the ways to help minimize your risk is to insist current and future IT workers appear on camera as often as possible if they are fully remote,” she said. Officials didn’t name the companies that unknowingly hired North Korean workers. Jim Salter, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Science News US senator says mysterious drones spotted in New Jersey should be 'shot down, if necessary' Dec 12, 2024 2:14 PM Nearly half of US teens are online 'constantly,' Pew report finds Dec 12, 2024 2:03 PM DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints Dec 12, 2024 1:06 PMLamar Jackson says a lot without saying anything before characterizing his time under former Ravens coach
LINCOLN — Nebraska landed a commit from one of its top transfer targets Tuesday when Kentucky receiver Dane Key, who has nearly 2,000 career receiving yards, picked the Huskers over Georgia, Mississippi State and others. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder has one year of eligibility left and gives NU the big-bodied, No. 1 receiver it sought after the graduation of both Jahmal Banks and Isaiah Neyor, who completed their final seasons at Nebraska. Key will be paired with Nebraska’s other transfer portal receiver, Nyziah Hunter, a 6-2, 210-pound sophomore-to-be who transferred in from California. Key is also reunited with Daikiel Shorts, the Kentucky wide receivers coach who took the same job at Nebraska under offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, who coached Shorts at West Virginia. Shorts was Holgorsen’s one coaching request during the hiring cycle. All other NU offensive assistant coaches have remained, for the time being, on the staff. In Shorts’ one year at UK, Key caught 47 passes for 715 yards and two touchdowns in a Wildcat offense that averaged just 22.1 points and 184 passing yards per game. His career line in 38 games (35 starts) includes 126 receptions for 1,870 yards and 14 scores. The son of former Kentucky linebacker Donte’ Key, Dane grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, graduated from Frederick Douglass High School, and picked, as a four-star recruit the hometown Wildcats over Oregon, South Carolina and Michigan out of high school. “Not only did I have my parents come to the University of Kentucky, but I also had a couple of old teammates from high school that came to the University of Kentucky before me,” Key said in April 2024 on ESPN’s Paul Finebaum Show. “Those guys were always in my ear to come, and my mom and my grandma — all my family members were in my ear about staying close to home and being somewhere they can watch every game.” He caught 37 passes for 519 yards and six touchdowns as a true freshman and 42 passes for 636 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore. Both UK teams finished 7-6. This year, Kentucky backslid to 4-8, the second-worst record in coach Mark Stoops’ 12-year tenure. In joining Nebraska, Key will be catching passes from his fourth different starting quarterback. Will Levis was UK’s starter in 2022, followed by Devin Leary in 2023 and Brock Vandagriff in 2024. Key visited several schools in the transfer portal recruiting process, including Nebraska last week, just before the visit dead period began. He’s another addition to NU’s transfer portal haul on offense that includes Hunter and backup quarterback Marcos Davila, who came from Purdue. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Some tech industry leaders are pushing the incoming Trump administration to increase visas for highly skilled workers from other nations. Related Articles National Politics | Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopes National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Court rules Georgia lawmakers can subpoena Fani Willis for information related to her Trump case National Politics | New 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire guns National Politics | Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen The heart of the argument is, for America to remain competitive, the country needs to expand the number of skilled visas it gives out. The previous Trump administration did not increase the skilled visa program, instead clamping down on visas for students and educated workers, increasing denial rates. Not everyone in corporate America thinks the skilled worker program is great. Former workers at IT company Cognizant recently won a federal class-action lawsuit that said the company favored Indian employees over Americans from 2013 to 2022. A Bloomberg investigation found Cognizant, and other similar outsourcing companies, mainly used its skilled work visas for lower-level positions. Workers alleged Cognizant preferred Indian workers because they could be paid less and were more willing to accept inconvenient or less-favorable assignments. Question: Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers? Caroline Freund, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy YES: Innovation is our superpower and it relies on people. Sourcing talent from 8 billion people in the world instead of 330 million here makes sense. Nearly half our Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Growing them also relies on expanding our skilled workforce. The cap on skilled-worker visas has hardly changed since the computer age started. With AI on the horizon, attracting and building talent is more important than ever. Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research YES: After years of openly allowing millions of undocumented entrants into the country, why is there controversy over legally increasing somewhat the number having desirable skills? Undocumented immigration significantly impacts lower skill level jobs and wages competing with domestic workers at every skill level. Why should special cases be made against those having higher skills? Could they just not walk across the border anyway, why make it more inconvenient to those with desirable skills? James Hamilton, UC San Diego YES: Knowledge and technology are key drivers of the U.S. economy. Students come from all over the world to learn at U.S. universities, and their spending contributed $50 billion to U.S. exports last year. Technological advantage is what keeps us ahead of the rest of the world. Highly skilled immigrants contribute much more in taxes than they receive in public benefits. The skills immigrants bring to America can make us all better off. Norm Miller, University of San Diego YES: According to Forbes, the majority of billion-dollar startups were founded by foreigners. I’ve interviewed dozens of data analysts and programmers from Berkeley, UCSD, USD and a few other schools and 75% of them are foreign. There simply are not enough American graduates to fill the AI and data mining related jobs now exploding in the U.S. If we wish to remain a competitive economy, we need highly skilled and bright immigrants to come here and stay. David Ely, San Diego State University YES: Being able to employ highly skilled workers from a larger pool of candidates would strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. companies by increasing their capacity to perform research and innovate. This would boost the country’s economic output. Skilled workers from other nations that cannot remain in the U.S. will find jobs working for foreign rivals. The demand for H-1B visas far exceeds the current cap of 85,000, demonstrating a need to modify this program. Phil Blair, Manpower YES: Every country needs skilled workers, at all levels, to grow its economy. We should take advantage of the opportunity these workers provide our employers who need these skills. It should be blended into our immigration policies allowing for both short and long term visas. Gary London, London Moeder Advisors YES: San Diego is a premiere example of how highly skilled workers from around the globe enrich a community and its regional economy. Of course Visa levels need to be increased. But let’s go further. Tie visas and immigration with a provision that those who are admitted and educated at a U.S. university be incentivized, or even required, to be employed in the U.S. in exchange for their admittance. Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates NO: While attracting high-skilled immigrants can fill critical gaps in sectors like technology, health care and advanced manufacturing, increasing high-skilled immigration could displace American workers and drive down wages in certain industries. There are already many qualified American workers available for some of these jobs. We should balance the need for specialized skills with the impact on the domestic workforce. I believe we can begin to increase the number of visas after a careful review of abuse. Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth YES: We should expand skilled visas to drive innovation and economic growth. Individuals who perform high-skilled work in labor-restricted industries or graduate from respected colleges with relevant degrees should be prioritized for naturalization. We depend on immigration for GDP growth, tax revenue, research, and so much more. Despite the abhorrent rhetoric and curtailing of visas in the first term, I hope the incoming administration can be persuaded to enact positive changes to a clearly flawed system. Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health YES: But it should be based upon need, not politics. There are several industries that have or could have skilled workforce shortages, especially if the next administration tightens immigration as promised and expected. Over the years, there have been nursing shortages that have been met partially by trained and skilled nurses from other countries. The physician shortage is expected to get worse in the years to come. So, this visa program may very well be needed. Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere NO: While skilled immigration could boost our economy and competitiveness, the U.S. should prioritize developing our domestic workforce. Hiring foreign nationals in sensitive industries or government-related work, especially in advanced technology or defense, raises security concerns. A balanced approach could involve targeted increases in non-sensitive high-demand fields coupled with investment in domestic STEM education and training programs. This could address immediate needs while strengthening the long-term STEM capabilities of the American workforce. Not participating this week: Alan Gin, University of San DiegoHaney Hong, San Diego County Taxpayers AssociationRay Major, economist Have an idea for an Econometer question? Email me at phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com . Follow me on Threads: @phillip020THE MOJ: Lengthy list of coaching candidates as new Lions regime vows toughnessDesigns for the new 25-metre lap pool planned for Phillip show it will be built alongside, not underneath, a tower of units. Subscribe now for unlimited access . Login or signup to continue reading All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper Breaking news alerts direct to your inbox Interactive Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia All articles from the other regional websites in your area Continue A development application shows the pool would have its own roof, with skylights. Geocon is proposing to eventually build 696 apartments on the site of the current Phillip swimming pool and ice skating rink. The first stage in Irving Street encompasses two 13-storey residential towers with 286 units, a 25-metre swimming pool on the ground floor, a cafe and other facilities, including a learn-to-swim pool. Geocon plans to redevelop Phillip pool. Pictures Sitthixay Ditthavong, supplied Geocon wants to develop the site progressively so that the existing 50-metre swimming pool remains open throughout the building work and so that the current ice skating rink can also remain operating until a new ice sports facility is built in Tuggeranong . Stage one of the development includes demolition of the existing toddler pool at Phillip and the construction of the 25-metre lap pool, warm water program pool, indoor water play splash pad and outdoor splash pad. The design for the pool - located on the ground floor between the two tower blocks - at Phillip shows it would have a roof with skylights. Picture supplied A cafe, office and showers would also be built. Stage one of the residential side of the development comprises two 13-storey towers "rising above the swimming pool". There would be 286 units built in the first stage. This image shows the impact of shadows in winter over the proposed new aquatic facilities. Picture supplied The first stage also includes four levels of basement parking including 347 residential parking spaces and 55 public parking spaces. Geocon's DA has flagged "three stages of development" on the Phillip site. "Key points of this application include our partnership with Cox Architecture for the project and staged delivery to ensure that the ice-skating rink and the existing pool can remain operational while the first stage is being delivered," a statement from Geocon read. "The design will adhere to the requirements set out in the Territory Plan 2023 and our commitment to maintaining the existing privately-owned asset for public use with no proposed changes in the new design." Another view of the design of the pool roof. Picture supplied Geocon said its plans for the site aligned with what was required in the Territory Plan. Stages two and three would add another 410 apartments to the site, bringing the total to 696 dwellings, according to a report by consultants Purdon Planning. The Labor ACT government changed the planning laws so Geocon only has to provide a 25-metre indoor pool at the site as part of any new apartment complex, as well as some associated facilities. Geocon bought the lease to the site in late 2022 and never made any promises about the long-term future of the pool. It has confirmed the Phillip pool will remain open for the 2024-25 season. Save Phillip Pool organiser Sarah Ransom has previously said the group would continue to try to save the pool, saying feedback from the community confirmed it valued a 50-metre pool that was outside and had green space around it. "A 25-metre pool that would be indoors is pretty disappointing," she said. The public can comment on the development application until January 13. Share Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Email Copy Megan Doherty Journalist I like telling local stories and celebrating Canberra. Email: megan.doherty@canberratimes.com.au I like telling local stories and celebrating Canberra. Email: megan.doherty@canberratimes.com.au More from Canberra More details revealed of Geocon's plans for the Phillip Pool redevelopment 26m ago No comment s Trump wins the election and now liberals can't stand to watch the news 26m ago No comment s Voters across the world are resentful and angry and are lashing out 26m ago No comment s Red tape and fine print won't make the world a better place for not for profits 26m ago No comment s When a heartbreaking Christmas tradition was about to fall apart, the community stepped up 26m ago No comment s Thought that friendly 'Desert Wave' was dead? Not quite yet 26m ago Newsletters & Alerts View all DAILY Your morning news Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. Loading... 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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Greg McGarity had reason to be concerned. The Gator Bowl president kept a watchful eye on College Football Playoff scenarios all season and understood the fallout might affect his postseason matchup in Jacksonville. What if the Southeastern Conference got five teams into the expanded CFP? What if the Atlantic Coast Conference landed three spots? It was a math problem that was impossible to truly answer, even into late November. Four first-round playoff games, which will end with four good teams going home without a bowl game, had the potential to shake up the system. The good news for McGarity and other bowl organizers: Adding quality teams to power leagues — Oregon to the Big Ten, Texas to the SEC and SMU to the ACC — managed to ease much of the handwringing. McGarity and the Gator Bowl ended up with their highest-ranked team, No. 16 Ole Miss, in nearly two decades. "It really didn't lessen our pool much at all," McGarity said. "The SEC bowl pool strengthened with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma. You knew they were going to push traditional SEC teams up or down. Texas ended up pushing just about everyone down." The long waiting game was the latest twist for non-CFP bowls that have become adept at dealing with change. Efforts to match the top teams came and went in the 1990s and first decade of this century before the CFP became the first actual tournament in major college football. It was a four-team invitational — until this year, when the 12-team expanded format meant that four quality teams would not be in the mix for bowl games after they lose next week in the first round. "There's been a lot of things that we've kind of had to roll with," said Scott Ramsey, president of the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee. "I don't think the extra games changed our selection model to much degree. We used to look at the New York's Six before this, and that was 12 teams out of the bowl mix. The 12-team playoff is pretty much the same." Ramsey ended up with No. 23 Missouri against Iowa in his Dec. 30 bowl. A lot of so-called lesser bowl games do have high-profile teams — the ReliaQuest Bowl has No. 11 Alabama vs. Michigan (a rematch of last year's CFP semifinal), Texas A&M and USC will play in the Las Vegas Bowl while No. 14 South Carolina and No. 15 Miami, two CFP bubble teams, ended up in separate bowls in Orlando. "The stress of it is just the fact that the CFP takes that opening weekend," Las Vegas Bowl executive director John Saccenti said. "It kind of condenses the calendar a little bit." Bowl season opens Saturday with the Cricket Celebration Bowl. The first round of the CFP runs Dec. 20-21. It remains to be seen whether non-CFP bowls will see an impact from the new dynamic. They will know more by 2026, with a planned bowl reset looming. It could include CFP expansion from 12 to 14 teams and significant tweaks to the bowl system. More on-campus matchups? More diversity among cities selected to host semifinal and championship games? And would there be a trickle-down effect for everyone else? Demand for non-playoff bowls remains high, according to ESPN, despite increased focus on the expanded CFP and more players choosing to skip season finales to either enter the NCAA transfer portal or begin preparations for the NFL draft. "There's a natural appetite around the holidays for football and bowl games," Kurt Dargis, ESPN's senior director of programming and acquisitions, said at Sports Business Journal's Intercollegiate Athletics Forum last week in Las Vegas. "People still want to watch bowl games, regardless of what's going on with the playoff. ... It's obviously an unknown now with the expanded playoff, but we really feel like it's going to continue." The current bowl format runs through 2025. What lies ahead is anyone's guess. Could sponsors start paying athletes to play in bowl games? Could schools include hefty name, image and likeness incentives for players participating in bowls? Would conferences be willing to dump bowl tie-ins to provide a wider range of potential matchups? Are bowls ready to lean into more edginess like Pop-Tarts has done with its edible mascot? The path forward will be determined primarily by revenue, title sponsors, TV demand and ticket sales. "The one thing I have learned is we're going to serve our partners," Saccenti said. "We're going to be a part of the system that's there, and we're going to try to remain flexible and make sure that we're adjusting to what's going on in the world of postseason college football." Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Applied Therapeutics plunges 83% following Complete Response Letter
Skier/snowboarder Ester Ledecka has 2 Olympic races on same day in 2026, hoping for schedule changeTheoretically, Congress must pass two things every year. One is the set of appropriations bills—often a single omnibus—to fund the government, and the second is the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Congress has passed this defense bill without fail for sixty-three consecutive years, making its passage a near certainty. As a result, the NDAA has become one of the most potent legislative vehicles for policy related to national security. In the last few years, this legislation has carried important authorizations and codifications for advancing regional Middle East defense integration and, through such integration, the Abraham Accords. As congressional leaders negotiate a final product between the House and Senate versions of the NDAA, which is due to be completed later this month, several vital provisions might soon be signed into law. Notably, these provisions have not been advanced by a single member or along partisan lines. The bipartisan nature of these efforts is a strong signal that Congress has remained committed to the future of the Abraham Accords despite the setbacks of October 7, 2023. Key provisions in both versions of the NDAA This year, congressional champions for the accords worked diligently to include several provisions in the House ( H.R. 8070 ) and Senate ( S. 4638 ) versions of the NDAA. These provisions will likely survive the current informal conference process and make it into the final passed NDAA. First, the Learning Integrated National Knowledge ( LINK ) for the Abraham Accords Act is included as Section 1211 of the Senate bill and Section 1216 of the House bill. This legislation is led in the Senate by Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and in the House by Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and a broad bipartisan coalition of Abraham Accords champions. Unlike predecessor bills like the Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defenses ( DEFEND ) and Maritime Architecture and Response to International Terrorism in the Middle East ( MARITIME ) Acts, which primarily focused on authorizing new types of regional cooperation, the LINK the Abraham Accords Act seeks to enhance existing integration efforts by requiring the secretary of defense to design and implement a military subject-matter exchange program for US partners in the region. If passed, this provision will build on the foundation of existing authorizations to expand regional military-to-military relationships—an often overlooked, but important, asset that should strengthen the ability of US partners to respond to a security crisis. Importantly, it will also solidify the United States’ role as a host and convener of such exchanges, reducing the political costs to the United States’ Arab partners of having Israel at the table. Second, the Space Technology and Regional Security ( STARS ) Act is included as Section 1288 of the Senate and Section 1607 of the House bill. This legislation is also led by Senators Rosen and Ernst in the Senate and Representative Panetta and others in the House. The STARS Act would expand defense cooperation by requiring the secretary of defense to develop an integrated regional space and satellite strategy, including a data-sharing agreement. If operationalized, such a strategy could improve the ability of US regional partners to detect threats and develop a common operating picture, building on the integrated air- and missile-defense efforts already authorized under the DEFEND Act in 2022. This effort would improve US partners’ ability to defend their sovereign airspace from Iranian and other attacks by operating under a US umbrella. Key provisions only in the Senate NDAA Due to differences in clearance policies between the House and Senate versions of the bill, the Senate version holds more provisions that would advance the Abraham Accords. These provisions would broadly expand congressional engagement and breadth on integration and indicate a positive trend in these efforts. One provision included in the Senate version is the Artificial Intelligence Allied Cooperation for Crucial Operations, Research, and Deployment ( AI ACCORD ) Act, or Section 1615 of the Senate bill. This legislation is led by Senators Ernst and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in the Senate. While a House companion led by Representative Jim Banks (R-IN) exists, it is not presently included within the House NDAA. This legislation directs the secretary of defense to develop a strategy to enhance defense information sharing among US regional partners. To execute the strategy, the Department of Defense will need to overcome the technical challenges of securely sharing data in real time between a multitude of different systems—and will also need to build trust between the countries sharing the data. Though the challenges are significant, tools like zero-trust networks and artificial intelligence, coupled with strong leadership by incoming President Donald Trump and Congress, could pave the way for a far more robust integrated defense architecture. The AI Accord Act—like the STARS Act—could be an important step in that direction. The US-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act , or Section 1536 of the Senate bill, is another provision that enhances regional defense cooperation. This legislation is led by Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rosen. While there is a House companion , it is not included in the House NDAA. This legislation would, in part, direct the secretary of defense to work with Jordan to enhance its ability to counter air and missile threats from Iran and to participate in a regional integrated air- and missile-defense architecture, supporting the implementation of the DEFEND Act and providing important hardware for the software and information advances of the STARS and AI Accord Act. This legislation could greatly enhance Jordan’s defensive capabilities, thereby strengthening the regional defense architecture. While some excellent legislative provisions currently appear only in the Senate version of the NDAA, there will still be an opportunity for leadership on the Senate Armed Services Committee to advocate for the inclusion of the AI ACCORD Act and the US-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act in the final version of the compromise text. In either case, this year’s NDAA will likely contain powerful legislative catalysts for deepening regional defense at the integration stage. Despite Iran’s increasingly belligerent role in the region and the uncertainty that Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel has placed on regional integration, Congress has remained a champion and stabilizing influence for the Abraham Accords and the vision for a peaceful future for the region. Adam Kozloski is a nonresident senior fellow in the N7 Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs . In his former role as Senator Joni Ernst’s foreign policy adviser, he drafted or assisted in developing the DEFEND, MARITIME, LINK the Abraham Accords, AI ACCORD, and STARS Acts.Thousands more face prosecution under LNP’s crackdown on drug use