Laura Anne Cousineau, 58, of Patterson, CA, passed away on December 10, 2024 in Santa Rosa, CA. Laura Anne Cousineau was born in Patterson, CA to Frank and Luisa Gonzales on March 17, 1966. Laura went to elementary & junior high school in Patterson, CA and high School in Modesto, CA. Laura was married to Francisco Arturo Cousineau on May 31, 1996 in Modesto, CA. Francisco is currently employed as a lumber salesman for Mead Clark Lumber Company. Laura worked in the restaurant industry, Medtronic, Agilent Technologies, had her own daycare center for children, and for the past 19 years homemaker to her husband Francisco (Paco) and 3 children Christian, Jasmine, & Angelina. Laura was in charge of and never missed doctor appointments for her 3 children and weekly physical therapy sessions for the children's' cerebral palsy. Her children always came 1st, soccer games, baseball games, cheerleading, and her favorite vacation spot Disneyland. In her spare time she very much enjoyed many arts and crafts, knitting, scrap booking, cooking at home and making homemade Tamales at Christmas time, and visiting with her family in Modesto, California. Laura is preceded in death by her parents Francisco and Luisa Gonzales-Reza. Laura is survived by her husband Francisco Cousineau and her 3 children Christian (18), Jasmine (16), and Angelina (14), sister Yvonne Slayton, brother Louis Gonzales, brother Brian Gonzales, and sister Kathy Gonzales. The family of Laura Cousineau wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Satellite Healthcare Windsor, Sutter Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, St Mary's Chapel-Petaluma, St Eugene's Cathedral, Sacred Heart Church-Patterson, and Daniel Chapel of the Roses. Rosary and Visitation, was held Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at Daniels Chapel of the Roses, 1225 Sonoma Ave Santa Rosa, CA 95405 Funeral services where held Wednesday December 18, 2024 at St Eugene's Cathedral, 2323 Montgomery Dr. Santa Rosa, CA 95405 and Friday December 20, 2024 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 529 I St Patterson, CA 95363 Burial will be at a later date at Acacia Memorial Park, Modesto, CA. Arrangements are by Daniels Chapel of the Roses.
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A top hedge fund manager who once likened China 's human rights abuses to being a "strict parent" sits on the board of an NGO whose goal is to advance the priorities of the Chinese Communist Party. Ray Dalio, a self-described moderate who has been critical of Democrats and Republicans, sits alongside several Chinese businessmen with ties to the CCP on the board of the China Global Philanthropy Institute. CGPI, which has received accolades from the Chinese government for its work, conducts research and educates professionals intending to help the CCP achieve its goals in the realm of civil society. Ma Weihua, the chairman of the organization’s board of directors, previously served in China’s National People’s Congress and was a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a government body which describes itself as “a major achievement of the Communist Party of China” that exists to integrate “Marxist-Leninist theories on the united front, political parties, and democratic politics with the unique realities and fine traditional culture of China.” Dalio sits alongside Ma and a number of others with links to the Chinese government on CGPI’s board of directors. Trustee Shen Xuxin is also a member of the CPCC, board supervisor Liu Jing held leadership roles in the Chinese government before joining the CGPI, and trustee Lei Yongsheng is the chief supervisor of the China Charity Alliance, an organization led by China’s minister of civil affairs that undertakes tasks “assigned by the government.” Wang Zhenyao, the founding president of the CGPI and the man who convinced Dalio to co-found the NGO, served as the director of China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs before embarking on transforming Chinese philanthropy. Dalio has landed himself in hot water for his comments on China’s approach to human rights. In 2021, Dalio likened China to a "strict parent" when discussing the disappearances of political dissidents in the country, sparking backlash. He later walked these comments back, saying that he "sloppily answered a question” and affirming his commitment to human rights. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), who also has a background in finance, has criticized Dalio for his activities in China. “Ray Dalio is brilliant and a friend, but his feigned ignorance of China’s horrific abuses and rationalization of complicit investments, there is a sad moral lapse,” the senator wrote in 2021. “Tragically, it is shared by far too many here and throughout the free world.” In addition to being led by former members of the Chinese government, CGPI has also won the praise of the Chinese government for its operations, with the Ministry of Civil Affairs granting it an award for its research on public services. More than 20 individuals trained by CGPI received awards at the state-run China Charity Awards in 2021. The admiration goes both ways as Ma, the CGPI chairman, praised the CCP in 2019 for making “historic progress in its fight against poverty.” The warm relationship between CGPI and the CCP is reflected in the organization’s operations. CGPI is a proponent of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a state-funded global infrastructure investment project that critics argue is being used by China to build political influence in foreign nations. “With the wisdom and responsibility of a great power, China is strengthening international cooperation and promoting exchange and integration of economy and culture of the Belt and Road countries with win-win cooperation,” a 2019 press release reads , describing the infrastructure program. “CGPI is willing to provide academic support for the ‘Belt and Road’ World Charity Journey, jointly contribute to Belt and Road construction, and contribute to the development of philanthropy in China and the world.” CGPI believes in “integrating charity into the Belt and Road Initiative” to help "guarantee" its success in part by encouraging “private foundations to take part in and contribute to the initiative.” In 2019, the organization signed a memorandum of understanding with Italian philanthropists to commemorate Italy’s entrance into the global infrastructure program. It was joined by the China Development Research Foundation in signing the memorandum. The China Development Research Foundation operates under the State Council, which is the “executive body of the supreme organ of state power,” according to the National People’s Congress. The Dalio Foundation granted nearly $6 million to the state-run research foundation between 2018 and 2023, according to tax forms. The Government Accountability Office, the U.S. federal government’s official watchdog agency, worries that China is using the Belt and Road Initiative to purchase influence in the developing world by shackling nations with infrastructure debt, according to a report released in October. CGPI launched a “Global Climate Action” initiative alongside the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2018. The State Council oversees the Chinese Academy of Sciences , and its president, a member of the CCP, wrote that the agency “will be guided by Xi Jinping’s thoughts on socialism with Chinese characteristics for [a] new era.” Among the initiative’s goals were building a “green” Belt and Road Initiative. Aside from lending his name and labor to CGPI, Dalio also donates a considerable amount of wealth to the organization. The Dalio Foundation has donated about $2.2 million to the NGO since 2018, according to the most recently available tax forms. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who helped Dalio found CGPI, himself directs millions of dollars into the arms of the Chinese government and organizations that collaborate with the Chinese military through the Gate Foundation. Robert Rosen, the director of philanthropic partnerships at the Gates Foundation, also sits on CGPI’s board of directors. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Politically, Dalio positions himself as a moderate. He has called the Republican Party “unethical” and “almost fascist” while lambasting Democrats for being “untruthful and enigmatic.” “What the country needs is the moderates coming together to be able to work together and make great reform,” Dalio said in September, criticizing both Vice President Kamala Harris and President-elect Donald Trump. “What the country needs is broad-based prosperity.” Trump and Harris were both critical of China on the campaign trail, often accusing each other of being too weak on the CCP. CGPI and the Dalio Foundation did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s requests for comment.AAP collecting citizens’ data on the pretext of giving them aid: Bansuri Swaraj
Home to over 200 residents, The Lima Towers are set to undergo renovations in the third quarter of 2025, according to Essence Development. The building is located at 790 S. Main St., Lima. Cade Higgins | The Lima News LIMA — The Lima Towers will soon undergo major renovations. Essence Development , which owns the Lima Towers and is based out of New York, was awarded $639,000 through the Department of Urban Development (HUD) Green Resilient Retrofit Elements Program (GRRPE). This funding will go toward a portion of the revamping. “Essence was awarded this money to support the sustainability improvements we plan on making to the building throughout the renovations, including the replacement of the domestic boiler, the roof, implementation of low-flow water fixtures, and the replacement of residential and storefront windows,” said Gabriella Rossi via an emailed response. The new windows and roofing system will have improved technology, leading to optimized building efficiency. The low-flow water fixtures are anticipated to yield around 30 percent savings in the building’s water and sewage. The bulk of the renovations will take place in each of the 200 units. Residential units Essence will be putting in new appliances, including refrigerators, stoves, and ovens. All units will receive updated finishes including new flooring, paint, cabinetry, and countertops. All bathrooms will be refinished with a new vanity, toilet, and bathtub. All units will be receiving a new floorboard heating system and a thru-wall AC unit,” Rossi said via email. Accessibility units Twenty of the 200 units will be remodeled to be fully mobility accessible and four of the units will be visually and hearing accessible in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. All public bathrooms and common areas will be mobility accessible. Common area improvements New flooring is expected to be put in common area spaces. A fitness center and computer lab are planned to be furnished, and the library and television lounge will be refurbished. Major building systems updates Renovations are slated to begin in the third quarter of 2025. Located at 790 S. Main St., Lima, the Lima Towers is a seven-story residential tower containing 200 one-bedroom units. Restricted to senior residents aged 62 or older or disabled residents, the Towers has been at least 98.5 percent full over the last five years. Reach Cade Higgins at 567-242-0351Editor’s note: During the holiday season, the Fort Worth Report is looking back at the stories you told us you appreciated the most in 2024. Less than five months after leaving downtown, Four Day Weekend is feeling at home in the Near Southside neighborhood. The comedy group was forced to find a new theater after 26 years when its landlord Sundance Square did not offer Four Day Weekend — or neighboring businesses Reata and Melt Ice Creams — the opportunity to renew their leases. After the Report broke the news in May about Four Day Weekend’s impending move, several readers reached out to share leads on potential locations. By July, Four Day Weekend announced that it found a new stage at Stage West Theatre, 821 W. Vickery Blvd., weeks before the group’s final performance downtown. David Wilk, one of the group’s co-founders, said the move went off without a hitch. “They have been so kind and so generous with their time and space and allowing us to really make that theater the Four Day Weekend theater,” he said. “We completely designed our own vibe. ... And the audiences have followed us.” Loyal fans will be happy to know that Four Day Weekend is continuing its New Year’s Eve tradition and will offer dinner, champagne and a special show to ring in 2025. “It’s the Four Day Weekend show on steroids,” Wilk said. “It’s kind of a one-stop shop. ... You can check your brain at the door. We did all the thinking for you.” Marcheta Fornoff covers arts and culture for the Fort Worth Report. Reach her at marcheta.fornoff@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board . Read more about our editorial independence policy here . Get essential daily news for the Fort Worth area. Sign up for insightful, in-depth stories — completely free. 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). 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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 Marcheta Fornoff, Fort Worth Report December 24, 2024Fluence Energy, Inc. Reports Record Performance in 2024 and Initiates 2025 Guidance
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Amazon's Douglas Herrington sells $1.22 million in stockKendrick Lamar’s GNX has been at the center of attention since its release on November 22nd, and it hasn’t been all positive, partially due to the strays that a few individuals caught, including comedian Andrew Schulz. In the post “ Not Like Us ” summer, Kendrick Lamar emerged victorious against his feud with Drake and left fans on the edge of their seats for his next body of work. Some felt it would likely arrive before the Super Bowl, but no one expected it to drop so soon. “wacced out murals,” the album’s intro, sets the tone while Kendrick gets a few things off his chest. He takes a shot or two at Drake, namedrops Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg , and airs out his grievances surrounding white comedians who make disparaging remarks towards Black women. “ Don't let no white comedian talk about no Black woman, that's law, ” Kendrick raps on the song. The one line in particular caused a storm online and eventually, earned a response from Schulz, who assumed that bar was targeting him. Below, we’ll be breaking down the controversy at large and the escalating feud between Kendrick Lamar and Andrew Schulz. Read More: Kendrick Lamar “wacced out murals” Lyric Breakdown U.K.-based podcast hosts James Duncan and Fuhad Dawodu of Shxtsngigs appeared on Andrew Schulz’s Flagrant podcast in the fall when they engaged in a discussion surrounding the “Black girlfriend effect.” Duncan and Dawodu argued that Black women “glow up the other culture” in mixed relationships. “All of a sudden, they have a line-up, clean shape up. He glows up, bro,” Duncan said. However, Schulz said that it was actually a “protective instinct.” “They shave their hair because they start losing it, because he's so stressed to be around this Black girl complaining about sh*t all the f*cking time. That’s why they shave their head,” Schulz said. “They grow a beard because there’s more cushion when they get slapped the f*ck out of.” The comments earned some widespread backlash from both Schulz and the Shxtsngigs podcast hosts who eventually offered an apology. However, Schulz doubled down on the “edgy” humor without offering an apology to those offended by the misogynoir commentary. In the third verse of the GNX intro, Kendrick Lamar seemingly references the situation, though without mentioning names, it’s really an “if the shoe fits” type of situation, especially since Gary Owen responded to the song . In “wacced out murals,” Kendrick raps, “Don't let no white comedian talk about no Black woman, that's law/ I know propaganda work for them, and fuck whoever that's close to them/ The n***as that’s coon, the n***as that being goons, slide on both of them.” Many assumed Kendrick Lamar targeted Andrew Schulz since the ShxtsNGigs controversy happened a few months prior. And while Kendrick Lamar’s bar could definitely apply to Andrew Schulz, the subsequent bars indicate that the issue is figures like Duncan and Dawodu who let the joke slide unchecked. Shortly after the album dropped, social media dissected every angle of the album. However, Akademiks eventually highlighted this particular bar in a live-stream, revealing that he contacted Schulz who felt as though Kendrick was speaking about him. "Is this guy too woke to understand a joke?" Schulz allegedly told Akademiks who relayed the message to his audience. Read More: Kendrick Lamar Announces 2025 "Grand National" Tour With SZA: Tickets, Dates & More During the latest episode, Schulz o ffered an official response where he deemed Kendrick Lamar hypocritical and a clout-chaser for dissing comedians. “Nobody has respected women more through art than rappers,” he said sarcastically. “So I completely understand how a rapper could look at a comedian telling a joke and be like, ‘Yo, y’all need to switch that sh*t up. How dare y’all keep saying your wives are annoying. Be more like us and... b*tches ain’t nothing but hoes and tricks. I beat my b*tch with a stick, what?’” Schulz continued to group all rappers together, claiming that hip-hop’s long history of misogyny makes Kendrick look like a hypocrite. Moreover, he brought up Kendrick Lamar’s upcoming comedy movie with Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of South Park, who themselves have a history of creating edgy and offensive material. Afterward, Andrew Schulz’s co-host, Akaash Singh, brought up the number of accused abusers that Kendrick has collaborated with over the years, including Kodak Black and Dr. Dre . He also cited the Spotify controversy a few years ago when Kendrick Lamar threatened to remove his music from the streaming platform in response to the Hate Content & Hateful Conduct Policy that removed XXXTENTACION and R. Kelly ’s music from editorial and algorithmic playlists. In the same episode, Schulz told his co-hosts that he would “make love to him and the only thing he could do is decide if it’s consensual or not.” “I would make love to him and there's nothing he could do about it. Just Kendrick Lamar. I would make love to him and the only thing he could do is decide if it's consensual or not," Schulz began. "That's the only thing he could do. If it's me and Kendrick, it's about physics," he continued. "I don't even know if I'll get hard. But, if we're in a cell, and we're bored and we're done tattooing each other–whatever you do in a cell, and we ran out of board games and we did all the other things, and we cleaned everything, and I'm like, 'Man, I might as well f*ck you.' There's nothing he can physically do to stop that. I'd put his legs in the air and choose a position." While Kendrick Lamar hasn’t responded to Andrew Schulz yet, the comedian has felt the wrath of the hip-hop community at large, though the internet at large has been divided. Schulz has faced plenty of condemnation from people like TDE Punch, Meek Mill (who he later responded to), Peter Rosenberg, and many others. However, DJ Akademiks pointed out the contradiction in the public's response , citing the viral moment when Saucy Santana threatened to rape him following a volley of insults between the two. Some agreed with Ak, and others felt it wasn’t similar at all.
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After rough start under coach Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks' defense has become a strength SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks rode their dominant defense to a big win over a division rival to vault into first place in the NFC West. No, it isn’t 2013. Shane Lantz, The Associated Press Nov 25, 2024 2:53 PM Nov 25, 2024 3:05 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) celebrates a sack with Dre'Mont Jones (55) and linebacker Derick Hall (58) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear) SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks rode their dominant defense to a big win over a division rival to vault into first place in the NFC West. No, it isn’t 2013. These are the 2024 Seahawks, who, after struggling mightily against the run earlier this season, held the visiting Arizona Cardinals to 49 rushing yards in Sunday's 16-6 victory . The defensive line kept Kyler Murray under consistent pressure thanks to a dominant performance from Leonard Williams, the secondary flew around to smack away passes, and safety Coby Bryant scored on a 69-yard pick-6. Sunday's defensive performance was reminiscent of the Seahawks of a decade ago and a promising sign that first-year coach Mike Macdonald’s system is starting to click. Macdonald, who coordinated Baltimore's NFL-best defense last year, was leading one of the worst rush defenses in the league earlier this season. But Seattle consistently stuffed the Cardinals, who came in as the fifth-best running team in the league at 149.4 yards per game. “Three games in a row now we played pretty decent on defense,” Macdonald said. “There is an expectation and standard here throughout the course of our Seahawks history that we’re trying to live up to and build on. So that’s the idea.” At 6-5, the Seahawks drew even with the Cardinals in the tightly bunched division. The teams play each other again in two weeks at Arizona. What’s working Last month's trade for linebacker Ernest Jones IV has clearly paid off. Seattle hasn't allowed a running back to rush for more than 79 yards since its Week 8 loss to Buffalo, which was Jones' first game in a Seahawks uniform. He has led the team in tackles in every game he's played and has helped resurrect the run defense. What needs help The Seahawks' run game continues to underperform. Seattle got 65 yards on the ground Sunday, with the Cardinals holding Kenneth Walker III to 41 yards on 16 attempts. Zach Charbonnet had 22 yards on six carries. Walker hasn’t topped 100 yards since Week 1. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb needs to think of something different to get the running backs involved. Stock up Williams single-handedly disrupted the Cardinals with 2 1/2 sacks, four quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and one pass defensed. “I thought he was dominant,” Macdonald said. “I knew he played great and then I looked at the stat line and he played out of his mind.” The Seahawks finished with five sacks, seven quarterback hits, five tackles for loss and six pass deflections against the Cardinals, shutting down a team that had averaged 29.3 points over its previous three games. Stock down Geno Smith finished with 254 yards passing and a touchdown, but he threw another momentum-stalling interception. Smith was picked off on a third-and-6 play on the Arizona 18-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter, ending an 11-play, 73-yard drive. Smith has an NFL-most 12 interceptions this season, more than in either of his previous two seasons as the Seahawks' full-time starter. “That was a huge drive for us. ... Obviously made a terrible mistake down there, something I got to clean up,” Smith said. “But it was a big drive. We wanted to put the game ahead at least two scores.” The offensive line has contributed to the problem. Guard Anthony Bradford left with an ankle injury, and the line struggled to protect Smith, who was sacked five times. Injuries Macdonald said Bradford is expected to miss next week's game. Key number 77 — Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the team with six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown, marking the fourth consecutive game that Smith-Njigba has led the team in receptions. He topped 100 yards receiving in the previous two games. “He’s getting open,” Smith said. “He’s catching the ball. He’s doing a great job in the screen game. All-around great player. I just think the way that teams are playing us coverage-wise, I feel like it’s the ultimate sign of respect.” Up next The Seahawks play at the struggling New York Jets on Sunday. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Shane Lantz, 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 Football (NFL) Cardinals' feel-good month comes to a screeching halt after a head-scratching loss to Seahawks Nov 25, 2024 2:58 PM Jaylon Johnson isn't interested in bright spots with the Bears' skid at 5 games Nov 25, 2024 2:46 PM 49ers QB Brock Purdy resumes throwing but status for this week remains unknown Nov 25, 2024 2:37 PM
By Jon Bitner on November 25, 2024 at 3:18PM PST GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links. Walmart is discounting a bit of everything for Black Friday this year, with big savings on everything from video games and controllers to Lego sets and laptops. Walmart+ members were given early access to all the deals, but now the offers are available to everyone--and while some of the best discounts are already sold out, you’ll still find a wealth of great products listed at the lowest prices of the year. Walmart Black Friday deals at a glance Video Game Deals Nintendo Deals PlayStation Deals Xbox Deals PC Gaming Deals Lego Deals Keep in mind that you no longer need to be a Walmart+ member to cash in on these offers, but consider signing up anyway if you’re a frequent Walmart shopper to gain additional benefits throughout the year. And if one of your favorite deals is sold out, check back in the coming days--Walmart is known to restock hot products frequently. The event ends on December 1, so be sure to cash in while you can. For more savings, be sure to check GameSpot's Black Friday deals hub. A few Nintendo Switch console bundles are on sale at Walmart. These bundles were available at other retailers but sold out, so Walmart is your last chance to grab them. You’ll also find $20 price cuts on both the Switch Pro Controller and Joy-Con (Neon Red/Neon Blue), bringing them to some of their best prices of the year. Nintendo Switch + Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle -- $249 ($ 299 ) Nintendo Switch OLED + Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle -- $299 ($ 349 ) Switch Pro Controller -- $49 ($ 70 ) Joy-Con (Neon Red/Neon Blue) -- $59 ($ 80 ) Tons of retailers are discounting Switch games for Black Friday, but Walmart is beating most offers by $5 to $10. So before you pull the trigger on a great deal at Amazon or Best Buy, be sure to check out this long list of Switch price cuts at Walmart. Notable price cuts include The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for $30 (was $70), Animal Crossing: New Horizons for $30 (was $60), and Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed for $30 (was $60). Animal Crossing: New Horizons -- $30 ($ 60 ) Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed -- $30 ($ 60 ) Hogwarts Legacy -- $30 ($ 60 ) Kirby and the Forgotten Land -- $30 ($ 60 ) The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom -- $45 ($ 60 ) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom -- $30 ($ 70 ) Nintendo Switch Sports -- $30 ($ 50 ) Nintendo World Championships -- $25 ($ 30 ) Pikmin 4 -- $30 ($ 60 ) Pokemon Legends Arceus -- $45 ($ 60 ) Sonic X Shadow Generations -- $30 ($ 50 ) Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury -- $30 ($ 60 ) Super Mario Maker 2 -- $30 ($ 60 ) Super Mario: Odyssey -- $30 ($ 60 ) Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble -- $25 ($ 50 ) DualSense controllers are discounted for Black Friday, including the Midnight Black version for $54 (was $75) and Volcanic Red for $59 (was $80). Most other models are also seeing a $20 price cut. And if you’re in the market for a great headset, check out the Pulse Elite Wireless. On sale for $129 (was $150), it provides you with support for PS5, and PC with the included Link adapter, plus 30 hours of battery life and AI-enhanced noise cancelling for impressive audio. Prepare for the winter by stocking up on affordable PS5 games. Everything from Astro Bot to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is on sale, giving you a chance to load up on titles you may have missed over the past few years. While some of these games are also on sale at other retailers, in some cases Walmart has the best prices. Astro Bot -- $50 ($ 70 ) Days Gone -- $31 ($ 40 ) Demon’s Souls -- $37 ($ 70 ) EA Sports College Football 25 -- $30 ($ 70 ) EA Sports FC 25 -- $30 ($ 70 ) Final Fantasy VII Rebirth -- $40 ($ 70 ) God of War Ragnarok -- $30 ($ 70 ) Gran Turismo 7 -- $30 ($ 70 ) Helldivers 2 -- $30 ($ 40 ) Horizon Forbidden West -- $30 ($ 40 ) Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition -- $45 ($ 70 ) The Last of Us Part 1 -- $30 ($ 70 ) The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered -- $40 ($ 70 ) Madden NFL 25 -- $30 ($ 70 ) Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales -- $20 ($ 50 ) Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition -- $30 ($ 70 ) Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 -- $30 ($ 70 ) NBA 2K25 -- $30 ($ 70 ) Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart -- $37 ($ 70 ) Returnal -- $30 ($ 70 ) Rise of the Ronin -- $30 ($ 60 ) Sackboy: A Big Adventure -- $38 ($ 60 ) Silent Hill 2 -- $30 ($ 70 ) Stellar Blade -- $50 ($ 70 ) Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection -- $31 ($ 50 ) Now is the time to pick up a new Xbox Controller, as just about all colors and patterns are just $45. These typically costs between $60-$70, making Walmart’s Black Friday sale one of the best places to pick up an official Xbox controller. You’ll also find the Elite Series 2 for $141 (was $180) and the Elite Series 2 Core for $107 (was $130). Xbox Wireless Controllers Arctic Camo -- $45 ($ 65 ) Astral Purple -- $45 ($ 65 ) Carbon Black -- $45 ($ 60 ) Daystrike Camo -- $45 ($ 70 ) Deep Pink -- $45 ($ 60 ) Electric Volt -- $45 ($ 65 ) Ghost Cypher -- $45 ($ 65 ) Mineral Camo -- $45 ($ 65 ) Nocturnal Vapor (Green) -- $45 ($ 70 ) Pulse Red -- $45 ($ 65 ) Robot White -- $45 ($ 50 ) Shock Blue -- $45 ($ 65 ) Sky Cypher -- $45 ($ 70 ) Velocity Green -- $45 ($ 60 ) Elite Series 2 Elite Series 2 -- $141 ($ 180 ) Elite Series 2 (Blue) -- $116 ($ 140 ) Elite Series 2 (White) -- $107 ($ 130 ) Three sports games are on sale for $30 each. Consider picking them up for yourself or as a holiday gift, as these are among the best prices of the year. EA Sports College Football -- $30 ($ 70 ) Madden NFL 25 -- $30 ($ 70 ) NBA 2K25 -- $30 ($ 70 ) Fan of The Office? Then don’t miss out on the fantastic Dunder Mifflin Scranton Model, which includes 15 minifigures and is a faithful replica of the iconic floorplan. Now on sale for just $70 (was $120), it’s an easy recommendation for longtime viewers. There’s also a Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle set that clocks in at over 2,600 pieces--snap together all its bricks to create a massive replica of the school and its grounds. Lego Marvel Infinity Gauntlet (590 pieces) -- $45 ($ 80 ) Lego Ideas: The Office (1,164 pieces) -- $70 ($ 120 ) Lego Harry Potter - The Battle of Hogwarts (730 pieces) -- $45 ($ 80 ) Lego Harry Potter - Hogwarts Express & Hogsmeade (1,074 pieces) -- $70 ($ 130 ) Lego Harry Potter - Hogwarts Castle and Grounds (2,660 pieces) -- $136 ($ 170 ) Lego Star Wars - Ahsoka Tano's T-6 Jedi Shuttle (599 pieces) -- $45 ($ 80 ) Amazon is matching Lego Marvel Infinity Gauntlet (590 pieces) -- $45 ($ 80 ) Lego Harry Potter - Chamber of Secrets (1,176 pieces) -- $96 ($ 150 ) with coupon Lego Harry Potter - The Battle of Hogwarts (730 pieces) -- $45 ($ 80 ) Lego Harry Potter - Hogwarts Express & Hogsmeade (1,074 pieces) -- $70 ($ 130 ) Lego Harry Potter - Hogwarts Castle and Grounds (2,660 pieces) -- $136 ($ 170 ) Lego Star Wars - Ahsoka Tano's T-6 Jedi Shuttle (599 pieces) -- $45 ($ 80 ) Empoleon V Collector’s Tin -- $15 Gallade V Collector’s Tin -- $15 ($ 26 ) Giratina V Collector’s Tin -- $15 ($ 26 ) Rotom V Collector’s Tin -- $15 ($ 33 ) Tyranitar V Collector's Tin -- $15 Charizard ex Super Premium Collection -- $57 ($ 100 ) Scarlet & Violet: Paldea Evolved Elite Trainer Box -- $36 ($ 50 ) Scarlet & Violet: Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box -- $33 ($ 39 ) $699 ($ 1,200 ) CPU: Intel Core i5-13600KF GPU: GeForce RTX 4060 RAM: 16GB Storage: 1TB SSD $109 ($ 150 ) Size: 27 inches Resolution: 1080p Refresh rate: 180Hz Response time: 1ms $1,199 ($ 1,599 ) CPU: Ryzen 9-7845HX GPU: GeForce RTX 4070 RAM: 16GB Storage: 1TB SSD $880 ($ 1,200 ) Free copy of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle CPU: Ryzen 7 7435HS GPU: GeForce RTX 4070 RAM: 16GB Storage: 512GB SSD $178 ($ 278 ) Size: 55 inches Resolution: 4K Display: LCD Refresh rate: 60Hz $228 ($ 378 ) Size: 65 inches Resolution: 4K Display: LED Refresh rate: 60Hz $129 ($ 249 ) CPU: Intel Processor N4120 RAM: 4GB RAM Storage: 64GB eMMC $89 ($ 159 ) Connection: Bluetooth ANC: Yes Battery life: Up to 40 hours $89 ($ 180 ) Connection: Bluetooth ANC: Yes Battery life: Up to 30 hours $299 ($ 499 ) Dolby Atmos: Yes Bluetooth: Yes Length: 27 inches $699 ($ 899 ) Dolby Atmos: Yes Bluetooth: No Length: 45 inches $89 Dolby Atmos: No Bluetooth: Yes Length: 35 inches $130 ($ 346 ) Slide Hockey Foosball Billiards Shuffleboard Table Tennis Chess Cards Checkers Bowling Backgammon Upvote Leave BlankLaced Bakes Launches the Dank Decadence Cookie Cake: The Ultimate Luxury Treat That DeliversINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts defense started this season struggling. It couldn’t stop the run, couldn’t keep teams out of the end zone, couldn’t get off the field. Now the script has flipped. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s group is playing stouter, holding teams — even the high-scoring Detroit Lions — largely in check long enough to give Indy a chance to win, and it’s the Colts offense that has struggled. “They are playing their tails off. You don’t want them on the field a bunch and as an offense you want to be able to play complementary football,” running back Jonathan Taylor said after Sunday’s 24-6 loss. “I would say specifically on offense, it sucks when you can’t help your defense out when they are fighting their tails off all game.” Indy’s defense held up its end of the bargain by limiting the Lions (10-1) to 14 first-half points and allowing just 24, matching Detroit’s lowest output since Week 3. The problem: Even when the Colts (5-7) did get Detroit off the field, they couldn’t sustain drives or score touchdowns. Again. Anthony Richardson provided the bulk of the ground game by rushing 10 times for 61 yards, mostly early. Taylor managed just 35 yards on 11 carries and a season-high 10 penalties constantly forced the Colts to dig out from deep deficits. RELATED COVERAGE Rams WR Demarcus Robinson arrested on suspicion of DUI after loss to Eagles Jackson accounts for 3 TDs, John Harbaugh moves to 3-0 vs. brother as Ravens beat Chargers 30-23 Chargers struggle to score after RB J.K. Dobbins hurts his knee in his reunion game with Ravens Part of that was by design. “We knew Jonathan Taylor was going to be the guy we needed to shut down,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “We did that. The quarterback runs. It got us on a couple but overall, we did what we needed to do, and we kept them out of that game.” Part of it could be because of an injury-battered offensive line that has started three rookies each of the past two weeks and finished the previous game with the same three rookies. The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . Whatever the fix, Indy needs a good solution. There is good news for Indy is that its schedule now gets substantially more manageable. After losing four of five, all to teams in playoff position and three to division leaders, Indy faces only one team with a winning record in its final five games. The most recent time the Colts played a team with a losing mark, Richardson rallied them past the New York Jets 28-27. But Colts coach Shane Steichen knows that’s not the answer. The Colts must get this offense righted now. “We’ve got to get that figured out. We’ve got to get him going on the ground,” Steichen said when asked about Taylor, who has 92 yards on his past 35 carries. “We’ll look at the offensive line. We’ll look at everything.” What’s working Pass rush. Pro Bowl DT DeForest Buckner’s presence certainly has been felt since he returned from a sprained ankle Oct. 27. In those past five games, the Colts have had 14 sacks, including three of Jared Goff on Sunday. What needs work Penalties. The Colts have had one of the cleanest operations in the league most of this season. Sunday was an anomaly, but one that can’t merely be written off. Stock up WR Michael Pittman Jr. The five-year veteran is one of the league’s toughest guys, but playing through a back injury appeared to take its toll on Pittman’s productivity. Since sitting out in Week 10, Pittman has 11 receptions for 142 yards including six for 96 yards, his second-highest total of the season, Sunday. Stock down Tight ends. Each week the Colts want their tight ends to make an impact. And each week, they seem to fail. It happened again Sunday when Drew Ogletree dropped a TD pass that would have given Indy a 10-7 lead. Instead, Indy settled for a field goal and a 7-6 deficit. Through 12 games, Indy’s tight ends have a total of 26 catches, 299 yards and two TDs. That’s just not good enough in a league where versatile, productive tight ends increasingly signal success. Injuries Pittman and WR Josh Downs both returned to the game after leaving briefly with shoulder injuries. WR Ashton Dulin did not return after hurting his foot in the second half. But the bigger questions come on the offensive line. LT Bernhard Raimann (knee) was inactive Sunday, and rookie center Tanor Bortolini entered the concussion protocol Monday. Bortolini was one of three rookie starters the past two weeks, replacing Pro Bowler Ryan Kelly who is on injured reserve. Key number 55.88 — Indy has scored touchdowns on 55.88% of its red zone trips this season. While it puts it near the middle of the NFL, it’s cost the Colts multiple wins. Next steps Richardson needs to rebound from this latest 11 of 28 performance and show he can lead the Colts to victories week after week. He’ll get plenty of chances over the season’s final month, starting with next week’s game at the New England Patriots. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflNew Jersey Mystery Drones Caught on Video by Journalists From Fox News and More: ‘The Size of a School Bus!’
Salesforce, Inc. ( NYSE: CRM ) Barclays 22nd Annual Global Technology Conference December 12, 2024 3:10 PM ET Company Participants Brian Millham - President and Chief Operating Officer Conference Call Participants Raimo Lenschow - Barclays Raimo Lenschow Thank you. Maybe take your seats. I'm really happy to have Brian here today from Salesforce. Brian, do you remember the last time we were sitting here was two years ago, and all my questions were about getting your people back into the office? Brian Millham That's right. Raimo Lenschow And efficiency gains. How the world has changed? Brian Millham Yes, we've actually done a pretty good job getting people back in the office. In fact, getting over here was a little difficult because the elevators are so slow because so many people are in the office. So, it's a good sign. Raimo Lenschow That's a really good sign. You made it through all the music, so that was good? Brian Millham Yes, the bands you have outside. Question-and-Answer Session Q - Raimo Lenschow Yes. Just to get everyone grounded again, like, last week you had like Q3 results. They were kind of well received by the market. Share price kind of reacted well. From your perspective looking into the Company and into the operations like how did the quarter play out for you? Brian Millham Yes. It was a great quarter for us. We were thrilled to be able to announce a beat on revenue, CRPO, margin, free cash flow, a lot of the key metrics, almost all the key metrics we beat on, so thrilled with that. Also thrilled with the momentum we have around our AI story on Agentforce. The demand that we're seeing from our customers right now is remarkable, something we haven't seen in quite some time. And so, love the execution. IThe singer, 36, provided the health update in an Instagram post alongside a photo of him giving a thumbs up while lying in a hospital bed. The Bolton School old boy revealed he is awaiting more tests to determine the extent of the issues and what surgery he may need, but said he is expecting it to be a “difficult few weeks/months”. He wrote: “Hey everyone, yesterday I felt really unwell and was taken in to hospital. Unfortunately after some tests they’ve found that I have some issues with my heart. “I have a lot more tests to determine the extent of the problems and what surgery I will need to get me back on my feet. “It’s gonna be a difficult few weeks/months... and Christmas in a hospital bed wasn’t exactly what I had planned.” The singer said he is “surrounded with love and support” from his “wonderful” partner, actress Maisie Smith, as well as his family and friends. He added: “Although this is a huge shock and no doubt a set back, it’s something I’ll take on with all I’ve got. “I count myself very lucky that this was caught when it was.” Friends and famous faces were among those to offer their support including his bandmate Siva Kaneswaran who said: “Here for you brother. Rest up and get well soon.” JLS stars JB Gill and Marvin Humes also commented. Gill wrote: “God bless you bro, wishing you better soon. Sending lots of love”, while Humes added: “Sorry to hear you’re not well geezer, you’re strong and will fight through. Big love mate.” George rose to fame in the 2010s with The Wanted, who had a number of hit songs including All Time Low and Heart Vacancy. His bandmate Tom Parker died in 2022 at the age of 33 after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. George, who helped carry Parker’s coffin at his funeral alongside fellow bandmates Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes, previously said on This Morning that he continued to message his late bandmate following his death as it brought him “a bit of comfort”. He also appeared in the US musical series Glee as Clint and in his band’s reality series The Wanted Life. Over the years, he has competed in a number of competition series including Strictly Come Dancing in 2020, Bear Grylls: Mission Survive and Richard Osman’s House of Games. Earlier this year he made his stage debut in the theatrical adaption of a BBC TV show about a lottery syndicate by Kay Mellor titled The Syndicate. George and soap actress Smith first met when they both competed on Strictly Come Dancing, but have previously said that romantic sparks only began to fly in 2022.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders to his inauguration next month — an unorthodox move that would fold U.S. allies and adversaries into a very American political tradition. Trump said Thursday during an appearance at the New York Stock Exchange , where he was ringing the opening bell to kick off trading for the day, that he’s been “thinking about inviting certain people to the inauguration” without referring to any specific individuals. “And some people said, ‘Wow, that’s a little risky, isn’t it?’” Trump said. “And I said, ‘Maybe it is. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens.’ But we like to take little chances.” His comments came soon after his incoming White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed during a Thursday morning appearance on “Fox & Friends” that Trump had invited Xi and other world leaders to attend his inauguration. No head of state has previously made an official visit to the U.S. for the inauguration, according to State Department historical records. The unprecedented invitations come at a moment when much of the world is bracing for what comes next when Trump and his “America First” worldview return to the White House. The president-elect has vowed to levy massive tariffs against the United States' chief economic competitor, China, as well as neighbors Canada and Mexico unless those countries do more to reduce illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the United States. Trump's also pledged to move quickly to end Russia's nearly three-year war in Ukraine and press NATO allies who are spending less than 2% of their GDP on defense to step up or risk the United States not coming to their defense, as required by the transatlantic alliance's treaty, should they come under attack. “We’ve been talking and discussing with President Xi some things, and others, other world leaders, and I think we’re going to do very well all around,” Trump said. “We’ve been abused as a country. We’ve been badly abused from an economic standpoint, I think, and even militarily, you know, we put up all the money, they put up nothing, and then they abuse us on the economy. And we just can’t let that happen.” Xi is likely to see the invitation as too risky to accept, and the gesture from Trump may have little bearing on the increasingly competitive ties between the two nations as the White House changes hands, experts say. Danny Russel, vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Xi would not allow himself to “be reduced to the status of a mere guest celebrating the triumph of a foreign leader — the U.S. president, no less.” Still, Leavitt saw it as a plus. “This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies, but our adversaries and our competitors, too,” she said on "Fox & Friends." “We saw this in his first term. He got a lot of criticism for it, but it led to peace around this world. He is willing to talk to anyone, and he will always put America’s interest first.” Asked at a Chinese Foreign Ministry briefing Thursday about Trump's invitation, spokesperson Mao Ning responded, “I have nothing to share at present.” Leavitt did not detail which leaders beyond Xi have been invited. But Trump's decision to invite Xi, in particular, squares with his belief that foreign policy — much like a business negotiation — should be carried out with carrots and sticks to get the United States' opponents to operate closer to his administration's preferred terms. Jim Bendat, a historian and author of “Democracy’s Big Day: The Inauguration of Our President,” said he was not aware of a previous U.S. inauguration attended by a foreign head of state. “It's not necessarily a bad thing to invite foreign leaders to attend,” Bendat said. “But it sure would make more sense to invite an ally before an adversary.” Edward Frantz, a presidential historian at the University of Indianapolis, said the invitation helps Trump burnish his “dealmaker and savvy businessman” brand. “I could see why he might like the optics," Frantz said. “But from the standpoint of American values, it seems shockingly cavalier." White House officials said it was up to Trump to decide whom he invites to the inauguration. “I would just say, without doubt, it's the single most consequential bilateral relationship that the United States has in the world,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said. “It is a relationship both fraught with peril and responsibility.” It's unclear which leaders, if any, might show. A top aide to Hungarian President Viktor Orban, one of Trump's most vocal supporters on the world stage, said Thursday that Orban isn't slated to attend the inauguration. “There is no such plan, at least for the time being," said Gergely Gulyás, Orban's chief of staff. The nationalist Hungarian leader is embraced by Trump but has faced isolation in Europe as he's sought to undermine the European Union's support for Ukraine, and routinely blocked, delayed or watered down the bloc’s efforts to provide weapons and funding and to sanction Moscow for its invasion. Orban recently met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Every country's chief of mission to the United States will also be invited, according to a Trump Inaugural Committee official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Such invitations to diplomats stationed in Washington has been customary during past inaugurations. Xi, during a meeting with President Joe Biden last month in Peru, urged the United States not to start a trade war. “Make the wise choice,” Xi cautioned. “Keep exploring the right way for two major countries to get along well with each other.” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also pushed back on Trump's threats, warning that such tariffs would be perilous for the U.S. economy as well. Trudeau earlier this week said Americans “are beginning to wake up to the real reality that tariffs on everything from Canada would make life a lot more expensive” and said he will retaliate if Trump goes ahead with them. Trump responded by calling Canada a state and Trudeau the governor. In addition to the tariff dispute, U.S.-China relations are strained over other issues, including what U.S. officials see as Beijing's indirect support of Russia's war on Ukraine. The Biden administration says China has supported Russia with a surge in sales of dual-use components that help keep its military industrial base afloat. U.S. officials also have expressed frustration with Beijing for not doing more to rein in North Korea's support for the Russian war. China accounts for the vast majority of North Korea’s trade. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dispatched thousands of troops to Russia to help repel Ukrainian forces from the Kursk border region. The North Koreans also have provided Russia with artillery and other munitions, according to U.S. and South Korean intelligence officials. Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration is set to take place a day after the U.S. deadline for ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of social media giant TikTok, to sell the social media app or face a ban in the United States. Associated Press writers Didi Tang in Washington and Balint Domotor in Budapest, Hungary, contributed to this report.Surprise Paramedic of the Year dies after battling cancerNew York judge rejects state efforts to shutter bitcoin mine over climate concerns
President Javier Milei of Argentina announced a new formal alliance with Israel on Thursday, calling it “a bilateral alliance for freedom, democracy, and against terrorism and dictatorships.” The announcement came the same day as the International Criminal Court (ICC) approved warrants for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, over objections from the United States and Argentina as well. Milei, an admirer of Israel and the Jewish faith, slammed his predecessors for their closeness to the Iranian regime, which was responsible for a massive terror attack on the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in 1994. He pledged to support the fight against terrorism, and to stand up for the values of the West against their enemies. Earlier this year, during a visit to Israel, Milei signed a treaty on social rights with the Israeli government. He also visited Jewish holy sites and the community of Kibbutz Nir Oz, which was decimated by the October 7 terror attack. “We will never forget the inhuman attacks with [which] terrorism punished the Argentine people 30 years ago. And we also do not forget barbarism committed by the terrorist group Hamas on October 7th,” Milei said on Friday. He demanded the unconditional release of 101 remaining hostages held by Hamas, including eight Argentinian citizens. Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days , available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency , now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak .Enzo Maresca picks out three Chelsea youngsters for praise after 3-1 win over Astana as the Blues boss hails his young side for their performance The majority of Chelsea's first team were left at home for the European tie Youngsters impressed, however, with the bench made up of academy stars LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! Mason Mount? Marcus Rashford? Joshua Zirkzee? Who should Manchester United sell to raise funds? By LEWIS BROWNING Published: 23:05, 12 December 2024 | Updated: 00:18, 13 December 2024 e-mail 73 shares 1 View comments Enzo Maresca has heaped praise on his young Chelsea side that helped the Blues beat Astana in Kazakhstan on Thursday. Chelsea confirmed their spot in the next round of the Conference League with a 3-1 win, racing into a 3-1 lead before their opponents got one back before half time. Marc Guiu and Renato Veiga were on the scoresheet for the visitors, with an Aleksandr Marochkin own goal putting the icing on the cake to continue the Blues' perfect record in the competition. Chelsea took a fringe side to the game, with a number of key players left at home and the likes of Samuel Rak-Sakyi (19), Josh Acheampong (18) and Tyrique George (18) all afforded starts and, in some cases, 90 minutes. The substitutes' bench was made up entirely of academy products, too, with Harvey Vale, Kiano Dyer and Shumaira Mheuka among those to be afforded minutes in the second half. And after the game, Maresca spoke highly of his young team, picking out three players in particular for praise. Enzo Maresca has heaped praise on his young Chelsea team after their win over Astana Josh Acheampong was on the scoresheet and was one of three players singled out for praise Maresca also praised the efforts of Tyrique George (left) and Samuel Rak-Sakyi (right) 'I was impressed by all of them,' the Italian said. 'The ones that started, Tyrique, Sam and Josh, they all have done very good. Very happy for them. 'Also, the ones that came on in the second half. So I'm pleased for them.' Chelsea were playing in minus 15 degree conditions, with Maresca among those to wrap up in a stadium that saw the pitch at time prove difficult to play on. Blues fans who made the journey to watch Maresca's side were given a touching commerative gift to mark the mammoth journey, with the Conference League tie in Almaty is the furthest that the Blues have ever travelled for a European game , the Almaty Ortalyk stadium a staggering 3,485 miles from Stamford Bridge. Read More From London to Almaty: A Chelsea fan's 7,000-mile journey to watch their Conference League tie But the Blues remained professional to get the job done, and can now look forward to their spot in the next round of a competition they really should be winning. Up next, it's Brentford at the weekend as Maresca and Co look to continue their perhaps shock Premier League title charge. 'We knew it would be cold,' Maresca added. 'We tried to adapt. The players did fantastically with the weather conditions, long flight yesterday and also the pitch probably was not ideal. But I'm very happy for the players. 'We will land at around six o'clock (in the morning) UK time, but we are going to try to prepare the game in the best way we can as we have always done this season.' Enzo Maresca Chelsea Share or comment on this article: Enzo Maresca picks out three Chelsea youngsters for praise after 3-1 win over Astana as the Blues boss hails his young side for their performance e-mail 73 shares Add commentWashington, Nov 22 (AP) After several weeks working mostly behind closed doors, Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to Capitol Hill this week in a new, more visible role: Helping Donald Trump try to get his most contentious Cabinet picks through Senate confirmation in the Senate, where Vance has served for the last two years. Vance arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday with former Rep. Matt Gaetz and spent the morning sitting in on meetings between Trump's choice for attorney general and key Republicans, including members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Also Read | Hush Money Case: Judge Postpones US President-Elect Donald Trump’s Sentencing Indefinitely. The effort was for naught: Gaetz announced a day later that he was withdrawing his name amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations and the reality that he was unlikely to be confirmed. Thursday morning Vance was back, this time accompanying Pete Hegseth, the “Fox and Friends Weekend” host whom Trump has tapped to be the next secretary of defense. Hegseth also has faced allegations of sexual assault that he denies. Also Read | France Shocker: Man Rapes Daughter For Years, Offers Her to Strangers For Sex; Sentenced to 20 Years in Jail. Vance is expected to accompany other nominees for meetings in coming weeks as he tries to leverage the two years he has spent in the Senate to help push through Trump's picks. Vance is taking on an atypical role as Senate guide for Trump nominees The role of introducing nominees around Capitol Hill is an unusual one for a vice president-elect. Usually the job goes to a former senator who has close relationships on the Hill, or a more junior aide. But this time the role fits Vance, said Marc Short, who served as Trump's first director of legislative affairs as well as chief of staff to Trump's first vice president, Mike Pence, who spent more than a decade in Congress and led the former president's transition ahead of his first term. ”JD probably has a lot of current allies in the Senate and so it makes sense to have him utilized in that capacity,” Short said. Unlike the first Trump transition, which played out before cameras at Trump Tower in New York and at the president-elect's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, this one has largely happened behind closed doors in Palm Beach, Florida. There, a small group of officials and aides meet daily at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort to run through possible contenders and interview job candidates. The group includes Elon Musk, the billionaire who has spent so much time at the club that Trump has joked he can't get rid of him. Vance has been a constant presence, even as he's kept a lower profile. The Ohio senator has spent much of the last two weeks in Palm Beach, according to people familiar with his plans, playing an active role in the transition, on which he serves as honorary chair. Mar-a-Lago scene is a far cry from Vance's hardscrabble upbringing Vance has been staying at a cottage on the property of the gilded club, where rooms are adorned with cherubs, oriental rugs and intricate golden inlays. It's a world away from the famously hardscrabble upbringing that Vance documented in the memoir that made him famous, “Hillbilly Elegy”. His young children have also joined him at Mar-a-Lago, at times. Vance was photographed in shorts and a polo shirt playing with his kids on the seawall of the property with a large palm frond, a US Secret Service robotic security dog in the distance. On the rare days when he is not in Palm Beach, Vance has been joining the sessions remotely via Zoom. Though he has taken a break from TV interviews after months of constant appearances, Vance has been active in the meetings, which began immediately after the election and include interviews and as well as presentations on candidates' pluses and minuses. Among those interviewed: Contenders to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray, as Vance wrote in a since-deleted social media post. Defending himself from criticism that he'd missed a Senate vote in which one of President Joe Biden's judicial nominees was confirmed, Vance wrote that he was meeting at the time "with President Trump to interview multiple positions for our government, including for FBI Director”. “I tend to think it's more important to get an FBI director who will dismantle the deep state than it is for Republicans to lose a vote 49-46 rather than 49-45,” Vance added on X. “But that's just me.” Vance is making his voice heard as Trump stocks his Cabinet While Vance did not come in to the transition with a list of people he wanted to see in specific roles, he and his friend, Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who is also a member of the transition team, were eager to see former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. find roles in the administration. Trump ended up selecting Gabbard as the next director of national intelligence, a powerful position that sits atop the nation's spy agencies and acts as the president's top intelligence adviser. And he chose Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, a massive agency that oversees everything from drug and food safety to Medicare and Medicaid. Vance was also a big booster of Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who will serve as Trump's “border czar.” In another sign of Vance's influence, James Braid, a top aide to the senator, is expected to serve as Trump's legislative affairs director. Allies say it's too early to discuss what portfolio Vance might take on in the White House. While he gravitates to issues like trade, immigration and tech policy, Vance sees his role as doing whatever Trump needs. Vance was spotted days after the election giving his son's Boy Scout troop a tour of the Capitol and was there the day of leadership elections. He returned in earnest this week, first with Gaetz — arguably Trump's most divisive pick — and then Hegseth, who has was been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017, according to an investigative report made public this week. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing. Vance hosted Hegseth in his Senate office as GOP senators, including those who sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee, filtered in to meet with the nominee for defense secretary. While a president's nominees usually visit individual senators' offices, meeting them on their own turf, the freshman senator — who is accompanied everywhere by a large Secret Service detail that makes moving around more unwieldy — instead brought Gaetz to a room in the Capitol on Wednesday and Hegseth to his office on Thursday. Senators came to them. Vance made it to votes Wednesday and Thursday, but missed others on Thursday afternoon. Vance will draw on his Senate background going forward Vance is expected to continue to leverage his relationships in the Senate after Trump takes office. But many Republicans there have longer relationships with Trump himself. Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, said that Trump was often the first person to call him back when he was trying to reach high-level White House officials during Trump's first term. “He has the most active Rolodex of just about anybody I've ever known,” Cramer said, adding that Vance would make a good addition. “They'll divide names up by who has the most persuasion here,” Cramer said, but added, “Whoever his liaison is will not work as hard at it as he will.” Cramer was complimentary of the Ohio senator, saying he was “pleasant” and ” interesting” to be around. "He doesn't have the long relationships," he said. "But we all like people that have done what we've done. I mean, that's sort of a natural kinship, just probably not as personally tied.” Under the Constitution, Vance will also have a role presiding over the Senate and breaking tie votes. But he's not likely to be needed for that as often as was Kamala Harris, who broke a record number of ties for Democrats as vice president, since Republicans will have a bigger cushion in the chamber next year. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Ivory Smith's aunt Sharonda Collins joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss the tragic loss of her niece as the family fights for justice and the legacy she left behind. A realtor in Georgia was killed in a suspected DUI crash that allegedly involved an underage illegal immigrant from Honduras who ran through a red light and struck the driver, going 100 miles per hour (mph). Police in Chamblee, Georgia, said that around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, 20-year-old Christian Fernando Irias-Ruiz ran through a red light, going 100 mph, and T-boned another car, killing the driver, according to local station WSB-TV. Family and friends identified the victim of the crash as 37-year-old Jimmy Chang, according to his social media and a GoFundMe page. A source told Fox News Digital that the suspect is an illegal immigrant from Honduras. He was arrested by the Border Patrol in South Texas around June 2021 and released. FAMILY DEMANDS ACTION AFTER 7-YEAR-OLD'S DEATH IN DUI CRASH INVOLVING MIGRANT WHO HAD PRIOR ARREST Jimmy Chang, 37, a Georgia realtor, died in a crash after police say an underage drunk driver ran a red light going 100 mph in Chamblee. (Jimmy Chang Facebook/FOX Atlanta) The source said ICE also placed a detainer with the DeKalb County jail. Irias-Ruiz faces multiple charges including homicide by vehicle in the first degree, DUI, reckless driving, speeding and possession of alcohol by someone under 21. Police told WSB-TV that Irias-Ruiz was also driving with no insurance, no license and a suspended registration. "It’s not going to bring my brother back, but hopefully justice will be served," Jason Chang, Jimmy Changs' brother, told WSB-TV. "We’re kind of at a loss of what to do now." Four people were taken to the hospital from injuries sustained in the crash, including Irias-Ruiz and two passengers in his vehicle and the other being the driver of a third car. HONDURAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED IN ALLEGED DUI CRASH THAT KILLED ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S RESPIRATORY THERAPIST The family of Georgia realtor, Jimmy Chang, is mourning his death after he was killed in a crash by a suspected DUI driver. (GoFundMe) "We are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our beloved Jimmy. The unexpected passing of Jimmy has left us heartbroken," a post on a GoFundMe page reads. The Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) also confirmed Chang's passing and shared a tribute in his memory. "With profound sadness and heavy hearts, the AREAA Atlanta chapter BOD would like to share the news of the sudden passing of our Chapter President and dear friend, Jimmy Chang," the post read. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ALLEGEDLY KILLED MOTHER, SON IN DRUNK DRIVING CRASH DESPITE BEING DEPORTED 4 TIMES A beloved Georgia realtor was killed in a suspected DUI crash over the weekend – sources tell Fox News Digital the suspect that caused the crash was an illegal immigrant. (FOX Atlanta) "Since joining the AREAA Atlanta Chapter in 2017, Jimmy has been an integral part of our community, demonstrating unwavering kindness, dedication, and leadership - all in a style that is uniquely Jimmy." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Chang's brother told WSB-TV that their family is devastated and still in shock that their beloved Jimmy is gone. "It’s devastating for all the family right now, still can’t process that he’s gone. He impacted a lot of lives," Jason Chang said. Fox News Digital reached out to the Chamblee Police Department for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.