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Pro-Palestinian Activists Removed From Michigan’s Student Government

OTTAWA — The RCMP will create a new aerial intelligence task force to provide round-the-clock surveillance of Canada’s border using helicopters, drones and surveillance towers. The move is part of the federal government’s $1.3-billion upgrade to border security and monitoring to appease concerns of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump about the flow of migrants and illegal drugs. Trump has threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian and Mexican exports to the U.S. as soon as he is inaugurated next month unless both countries move to improve border security. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he has discussed parts of the plan with American officials and that he is optimistic about its reception. Canada will also propose to the United States to create a North American “joint strike force” to target organized crime groups that work across borders. The government also intends to provide new technology, tools and resources to the Canada Border Services Agency to seek out fentanyl using chemical detection, artificial intelligence and canine teams. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 17, 2024. Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press

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Threads is introducing AI-powered summaries of trending topics, a feature now being tested in the U.S. This update, , is part of broader improvements to its Search and Trending Now features. Here's the exact quote from Mosseri: Today we’re beginning to test a couple of long-overdue improvements to Search and Trending Now on Threads. In the new Search experience, you’ll be able to search within a specific date range or search for posts from a single account. In the US, where Trending Now is available, we’re testing an expanded set of trending topics, along with AI-powered summaries of what people are discussing. Social media companies are racing to integrate AI into their platforms. For instance, X (formerly Twitter) a feature powered by its AI chatbot, Grok. This tool provides summaries of trending topics curated in the Explore section, specifically for Premium users. When you tap on a trending post in the "For You" tab, Grok offers a quick summary at the top, giving users a snapshot of the conversation The competition between Threads and X has been heating up ever since Threads launched as Meta’s answer to the chaos on X. Threads , compared to X’s estimated 600 million. However, the reception of these new features could play a role in shifting the dynamics. Threads has also been rolling out other updates at a rapid pace, such as and . It’s clear that social media is in an AI gold rush. While some features feel genuinely helpful, others seem like a gimmick to stay on trend. With Threads making these moves, the bigger question is whether these updates will solidify its position as a serious contender against X, or if it will end up being just another Twitter alternative that failed to gain mainstream attention.Their ages vary. But a conspicuous handful of filmmaking lions in winter, or let’s say late autumn, have given us new reasons to be grateful for their work over the decades — even for the work that didn’t quite work. Which, yes, sounds like ingratitude. But do we even want more conventional or better-behaved work from talents such as Francis Ford Coppola? Even if we’re talking about “Megalopolis” ? If Clint Eastwood’s “Juror #2” gave audiences a less morally complicated courtroom drama, would that have mattered, given Warner Bros.’ butt-headed decision to plop it in less than three dozen movie theaters in the U.S.? Coppola is 85. Eastwood is 94. Paul Schrader, whose latest film “Oh, Canada” arrives this week and is well worth seeking out, is a mere 78. Based on the 2021 Russell Banks novel “Foregone,” “Oh, Canada” is the story of a documentary filmmaker, played by Richard Gere, being interviewed near the end of his cancer-shrouded final days. In the Montreal home he shares with his wife and creative partner, played by Uma Thurman, he consents to the interview by two former students of his. Gere’s character, Leonard Fife, has no little contempt for these two, whom he calls “Mr. and Mrs. Ken Burns of Canada” with subtle disdain. As we learn over the artful dodges and layers of past and present, events imagined and/or real, Fife treats the interview as a final confession from a guarded and deceptive soul. He’s also a hero to everyone in the room, famous for his anti-Vietnam war political activism, and for the Frederick Wiseman-like inflection of his own films’ interview techniques. The real-life filmmaker name-checked in “Oh, Canada” is documentarian Errol Morris, whose straight-to-the-lens framing of interview subjects was made possible by his Interrotron device. In Schrader’s adaptation, Fife doesn’t want the nominal director (Michael Imperioli, a nicely finessed embodiment of a second-rate talent with first-rate airs) in his eyeline. Rather, as he struggles with hazy, self-incriminating memories of affairs, marriages, one-offs with a friend’s wife and a tense, brief reunion with the son he never knew, Fife wants only his wife, Emma — his former Goddard College student — in this metaphoric confessional. Schrader and his editor Benjamin Rodriguez Jr. treat the memories as on-screen flashbacks spanning from 1968 to 2023. At times, Gere and Thurman appear as their decades-young selves, without any attempt to de-age them, digitally or otherwise. (Thank god, I kind of hate that stuff in any circumstance.) In other sequences from Fife’s past, Jacob Elordi portrays Fife, with sly and convincing behavioral details linking his performance to Gere’s persona. We hear frequent voiceovers spoken by Gere about having ruined his life by age 24, at least spiritually or morally. Banks’ novel is no less devoted to a dying man’s addled but ardent attempt to come clean and own up to what has terrified him the most in the mess and joy of living: Honesty. Love. Commitment. There are elements of “Oh, Canada” that soften Banks’ conception of Fife, from the parentage of Fife’s abandoned son to the specific qualities of Gere’s performance. It has been 44 years since Gere teamed with Schrader on “American Gigolo,” a movie made by a very different filmmaker with very different preoccupations of hetero male hollowness. It’s also clearly the same director at work, I think. And Gere remains a unique camera object, with a stunning mastery of filling a close-up with an unblinking stillness conveying feelings easier left behind. The musical score is pretty watery, and with Schrader you always get a few lines of tortured rhetoric interrupting the good stuff. In the end, “Oh, Canada” has an extraordinarily simple idea at its core: That of a man with a movie camera, most of his life, now on the other side of the lens. Not easy. “I can’t tell the truth unless that camera’s on!” he barks at one point. I don’t think the line from the novel made it into Schrader’s script, but it too sums up this lion-in-winter feeling of truth without triumphal Hollywood catharsis. The interview, Banks wrote, is one’s man’s “last chance to stop lying.” It’s also a “final prayer,” dramatized by the Calvinist-to-the-bone filmmaker who made sure to include that phrase in his latest devotion to final prayers and missions of redemption. “Oh, Canada” — 3 stars (out of 4) No MPA rating (some language and sexual material) Running time: 1:34 How to watch: Opens in theaters Dec. 13, running 1in Chicago Dec. 13-19 at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St.; siskelfilmcenter.org Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.

Their ages vary. But a conspicuous handful of filmmaking lions in winter, or let’s say late autumn, have given us new reasons to be grateful for their work over the decades — even for the work that didn’t quite work. Which, yes, sounds like ingratitude. But do we even want more conventional or better-behaved work from talents such as Francis Ford Coppola? Even if we’re talking about “Megalopolis” ? If Clint Eastwood’s “Juror #2” gave audiences a less morally complicated courtroom drama, would that have mattered, given Warner Bros.’ butt-headed decision to plop it in less than three dozen movie theaters in the U.S.? Coppola is 85. Eastwood is 94. Paul Schrader, whose latest film “Oh, Canada” arrives this week and is well worth seeking out, is a mere 78. Based on the 2021 Russell Banks novel “Foregone,” “Oh, Canada” is the story of a documentary filmmaker, played by Richard Gere, being interviewed near the end of his cancer-shrouded final days. In the Montreal home he shares with his wife and creative partner, played by Uma Thurman, he consents to the interview by two former students of his. Gere’s character, Leonard Fife, has no little contempt for these two, whom he calls “Mr. and Mrs. Ken Burns of Canada” with subtle disdain. As we learn over the artful dodges and layers of past and present, events imagined and/or real, Fife treats the interview as a final confession from a guarded and deceptive soul. He’s also a hero to everyone in the room, famous for his anti-Vietnam war political activism, and for the Frederick Wiseman-like inflection of his own films’ interview techniques. The real-life filmmaker name-checked in “Oh, Canada” is documentarian Errol Morris, whose straight-to-the-lens framing of interview subjects was made possible by his Interrotron device. In Schrader’s adaptation, Fife doesn’t want the nominal director (Michael Imperioli, a nicely finessed embodiment of a second-rate talent with first-rate airs) in his eyeline. Rather, as he struggles with hazy, self-incriminating memories of affairs, marriages, one-offs with a friend’s wife and a tense, brief reunion with the son he never knew, Fife wants only his wife, Emma — his former Goddard College student — in this metaphoric confessional. Schrader and his editor Benjamin Rodriguez Jr. treat the memories as on-screen flashbacks spanning from 1968 to 2023. At times, Gere and Thurman appear as their decades-young selves, without any attempt to de-age them, digitally or otherwise. (Thank god, I kind of hate that stuff in any circumstance.) In other sequences from Fife’s past, Jacob Elordi portrays Fife, with sly and convincing behavioral details linking his performance to Gere’s persona. We hear frequent voiceovers spoken by Gere about having ruined his life by age 24, at least spiritually or morally. Banks’ novel is no less devoted to a dying man’s addled but ardent attempt to come clean and own up to what has terrified him the most in the mess and joy of living: Honesty. Love. Commitment. There are elements of “Oh, Canada” that soften Banks’ conception of Fife, from the parentage of Fife’s abandoned son to the specific qualities of Gere’s performance. It has been 44 years since Gere teamed with Schrader on “American Gigolo,” a movie made by a very different filmmaker with very different preoccupations of hetero male hollowness. It’s also clearly the same director at work, I think. And Gere remains a unique camera object, with a stunning mastery of filling a close-up with an unblinking stillness conveying feelings easier left behind. The musical score is pretty watery, and with Schrader you always get a few lines of tortured rhetoric interrupting the good stuff. In the end, “Oh, Canada” has an extraordinarily simple idea at its core: That of a man with a movie camera, most of his life, now on the other side of the lens. Not easy. “I can’t tell the truth unless that camera’s on!” he barks at one point. I don’t think the line from the novel made it into Schrader’s script, but it too sums up this lion-in-winter feeling of truth without triumphal Hollywood catharsis. The interview, Banks wrote, is one’s man’s “last chance to stop lying.” It’s also a “final prayer,” dramatized by the Calvinist-to-the-bone filmmaker who made sure to include that phrase in his latest devotion to final prayers and missions of redemption. “Oh, Canada” — 3 stars (out of 4) No MPA rating (some language and sexual material) Running time: 1:34 How to watch: Opens in theaters Dec. 13, running 1in Chicago Dec. 13-19 at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St.; siskelfilmcenter.org Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.In the final stage of a wildly disappointing season, the Jets have dropped to 3-9. They have not seen their Aaron Rodgers trade come close to meeting expectations, and the now-41-year-old quarterback is not believed to be in the team’s plans beyond this season . It would then be understandable if the sides reached a resolution of sorts, as Rodgers has played through injuries separate from his Achilles — an injury that defined his 2023 season — for much of this year. An IR placement or outright benching emerged as a potential solution here , but interim HC Jeff Ulbrich pushed back on that coming out of a bye week . After a loss to the Seahawks, the Jets are not changing course. Ulbrich announced Monday ( via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini ) that Rodgers will remain the team’s starter for its Week 14 game — and for the season’s remainder. Ulbrich was less definitive when asked about his starter following the Jets’ Week 13 loss but returned to form Monday by indicating Rodgers can still play at a “high level.” The interim boss also indicated Rodgers’ decorated resume is part of the conversation here. Rodgers said in mid-November he wanted to keep playing beyond 2024 , comments in line with his previous New York-era stances, but walked that back last week by noting he was not yet sure . The increasingly outspoken QB also said he wanted to play for Ulbrich in New York again next season, though he stopped short ( via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio ) of ruling out playing for another coach in 2025. Considering how poorly the Jets have fared, Ulbrich has next to no chance of returning as their HC. The team has already brought in The33rdteam.com’s Mike Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman to run the upcoming searches , one that will undoubtedly tab outside HC and GM hires. This is potentially the least amount of leverage Rodgers has held in his NFL career. After being given considerable power upon being traded to New York, Rodgers has not shown much of his MVP-level form. That continued Sunday, when the 20th-year veteran missed a wide-open Garrett Wilson for a score and then threw a pick-six to Leonard Williams on the ensuing play. Likely on his way out after two Jets seasons, Rodgers profiles as a lame duck. The Jets appear prepared to eat the second-most dead money for a single player in NFL history ($49M) next year to start fresh. For what it’s worth, Ulbrich attributes ( via SNY’s Connor Hughes ) much of Rodgers’ struggles this season to the injuries he has sustained. Rodgers has battled hamstring, knee and ankle maladies this season. Though, he was off Gang Green’s injury report in Week 13. Rodgers’ Achilles tear and spate of nagging issues this season will naturally affect his chances of playing in 2025. Interest may well emerge for a diminished version of the four-time MVP, but a free-agency foray is highly unlikely to approach the level of interest Tom Brady did when he hit the market ahead of an age-43 season in 2020. That and maybe Warren Moon‘s 1997 free-agency bid (when the former Oilers and Vikings starter joined the Seahawks before his age-41 campaign) are about the only parallels to what a Rodgers FA effort may look like. As for this season, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds Woody Johnson may not have confined his calls for a Rodgers benching to merely the post-Week 4 effort. Johnson making another push for the high-priced passer to be benched for Tyrod Taylor would obviously be notable, as it certainly increases the likelihood Rodgers is off the Jets’ roster next year. It also could point to ownership again intervening at QB late this season. Although a recent report attempted to pour cold water on the drama between Johnson and Rodgers, the 77-year-old owner has taken considerable heat for impeding former GM Joe Douglas during the final year of his run. Johnson’s outsized role figures to be a key topic when interviews for the Jets’ GM and HC positions begin. This article first appeared on Pro Football Rumors and was syndicated with permission.

Marta's magic helped get the Pride to Saturday's NWSL title game against the Washington SpiritEmotion AI Market Current Growth, New Opportunities, Future Scope, Size, Share, Key Segments And Forecast To 2030Ibotta director Thomas Lehrman sells $4.7 million in stock

His research explored the environmental impact of gold and silver nanoparticles on plant germination and growth — an area of increasing importance as nanoparticles become central to modern medicine. These particles, used in applications such as imaging contrast agents and drug delivery systems, often find their way into ecosystems, raising concerns about their long-term effects. Last Summer, Roberts undertook specialised training at the University of NSW to synthesise nanoparticles and impressively continued producing them within his high school science lab. His project showcased not only scientific rigor but also exceptional creativity in tackling an emerging global challenge. The award ceremony, held on Friday, November 22 at the University of Technology Sydney, celebrated his innovative contributions. His work has also earned a nomination for the National ASTA i3 Awards, where he will represent the Central Coast region, further solidifying his role as a young leader in scientific research and innovation.Analysis: Protecting QBs from violent late hits like the one that leveled Trevor Lawrence isn't easy

Global Agritourism Market Growth Driven by Sustainability and Local Experiences | Valuates Reports 12-08-2024 06:35 PM CET | Advertising, Media Consulting, Marketing Research Press release from: Valuates Reports Agritourism Market Size The global Agritourism market was valued at US$ 9178.4 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach US$ 18510 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 12.4% during the forecast period 2023-2029. Get Free Sample: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-30Y8868/Global_Agritourism_Market_Size_Status_and_Forecast_2022 Major Trends in the Agritourism Market: 1.Rise in Sustainable Tourism: Growing consumer preference for eco-friendly and sustainable travel options is boosting demand for agritourism, which emphasizes environmental preservation and community development. 2.Technological Integration: Adoption of digital booking platforms, virtual tours, and augmented reality experiences is enhancing the visibility and accessibility of agritourism destinations. 3.Demand for Local Experiences: Tourists are increasingly seeking authentic cultural and agricultural experiences, such as farm stays, local food tastings, and traditional crafts. 4.Government Support and Subsidies: Policies promoting rural development and funding initiatives are encouraging farmers and landowners to invest in agritourism ventures. 5.Health and Wellness Focus: Post-pandemic, travelers are opting for open, serene environments like farms and countryside areas to de-stress and engage in healthy activities like yoga retreats or organic farming. Major Challenges in the Agritourism Market: 1.Seasonal Dependency: Agritourism activities often rely on specific seasons, limiting year-round revenue generation. 2.Infrastructure Gaps: Many rural areas lack adequate infrastructure, such as proper roads, accommodations, or digital connectivity, deterring potential visitors. 3.Lack of Awareness: Agritourism is still an emerging concept in many regions, requiring extensive marketing and educational efforts. By Type •Direct-market Agritourism •Experience and Education Agritourism •Event and Recreation Agritourism By Application •Below 30 Years Old •30-40 Years Old •40-50 Years Old •Above 50 Years Old Key Companies: Expedia Group, Booking Holdings (Priceline Group), China Travel, China CYTS Tours Holding, American Express Global Business Travel (GBT), BCD Group, Travel Leaders Group, Fareportal, AAA Travel, Corporate Travel Management, Travel and Transport, AlTour International, Direct Travel, World Travel Inc., Omega World Travel, Frosch, JTB Corporation, Ovation Travel Group, World Travel Holdings, TUI Group, Natural Habitat Adventures, Abercrombie & Kent Group, InnerAsia Travels, Butterfield & Robinson Purchase Regional Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/QYRE-Auto-30Y8868/Global_Agritourism_Market_Size_Status_and_Forecast_2022 Agritourism Market Share Global Agritourism key players include Expedia Group, Booking Holdings (Priceline Group), Travel Leaders Group, Travel and Transport, JTB Corporation, etc. Global top five manufacturers hold a share over 25%. North America is the largest market, with a share over 30%, followed by Europe and China, both have a share over 40 percent. In terms of agritourism type, Event and Recreation Agritourism is the largest segment, with a share over 55%. And in terms of traveler, the largest traveler is 40-50 Years Old, followed by Above 50 Years Old. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-30Y8868/global-agritourism Please reach us at sales@valuates.com Address: Valuates, 4th Floor, Balaraj's Arcade, Whitefield Main road, Bangalore 560066 Valuates offers an extensive collection of market research reports that helps companies to take intelligent strategical decisions based on current and forecasted Market trends. This release was published on openPR.

How major US stock indexes fared Thursday, 12/12/2024Minister asks regional administrations to deal with illegal disposal sites

Modern financial markets demand increasingly sophisticated trading tools. Answering this need, Dubai-based technology firm Avenix Fzco has developed FXSentry, an automated trading system for the MetaTrader 4 platform. This new development integrates multiple analytical approaches with advanced risk management protocols. System Architecture and Market Analysis FXSentry distinguishes itself through its comprehensive analytical framework. The forex robot processes real-time market data through multiple analytical filters, employing a range of technical indicators to evaluate trading conditions. These include traditional Moving Averages, sophisticated Momentum analysis, MACD evaluation, and advanced Fractal pattern recognition. The integration of these analytical tools creates a multi-dimensional approach to market interpretation. Pattern recognition algorithms process market data alongside price action analysis, enabling a thorough evaluation of market conditions. This systematic approach allows for detailed market analysis, providing a foundation for informed trading decisions. Technological Development and Evolution The creation of FXSentry reflects a data-driven approach to trading technology. Through collaboration with Thinkberry SRL, Avenix Fzco has conducted extensive historical data analysis, utilizing information dating back to 2016. The implementation of the Tick Data Suite has enabled precise system optimization, establishing a robust operational framework. Risk management protocols form an integral part of FXSentry's architecture. The system eschews high-risk methodologies such as GRID and Hedge trading, instead implementing automatic position management through Stop Loss and Take Profit parameters. This structured approach aims to maintain consistent risk control across all trading operations. The development process continues beyond initial implementation. Regular system updates incorporate new market data and performance metrics, ensuring FXSentry maintains its effectiveness in changing market conditions. This ongoing optimization process represents Avenix Fzco's commitment to continuous improvement. Accessibility and Support Structure While FXSentry incorporates sophisticated technology, its interface prioritizes user accessibility. The system presents complex trading functions through an intuitive design, supported by comprehensive documentation and technical assistance. Avenix Fzco's support team provides guidance across all aspects of system operation, from initial setup to advanced strategy implementation. To facilitate system evaluation, Avenix Fzco offers a demo version of FXSentry. This trial option enables thorough testing through the MT4 Backtester, allowing users to explore the system's capabilities in a simulated trading environment. The demo provides access to all system features, enabling comprehensive evaluation of FXSentry's functionality. About Avenix Fzco Based in Dubai's vibrant financial district, Avenix Fzco specializes in developing advanced trading solutions for the MetaTrader 4 platform. The company combines technological innovation with practical trading expertise, fostering a community of traders who share insights and experiences. Through consistent development and adaptation to market changes, Avenix Fzco maintains its position in automated trading technology. Those interested in exploring FXSentry's capabilities can access the demo version through Avenix Fzco's website. https://fxsentry.com/None

A look back at 2024 in photosOn the night of November 15, at around 12:45 am, a leopard approached a residential area in the Cholicha Mala neighbourhood of Nirgudasar village in Manchar in Ambegaon tehsil. A loud siren began to sound, and a yellow beam of light was reflected as soon as the leopard set his foot close to 30-35 metres from a dwelling. This scared the wild cat, and he fled the area. This warning mechanism prevented a possible leopard attack. This was not the only incident, several other incidents were also reported and recorded in Ambegaon and Junnar tehsils, especially in the hotspot areas, where the newly inducted warning mechanism has proven effective in preventing the leopard attacks. The system is based on the Animal Intrusion Detection and Repellent System (Anider) technology, a state-of-the-art solution designed to detect the presence of wildlife near farmlands and human habitations. It is equipped with sensors that can detect the movement of wild animals near the designated areas. Once detected, the system triggers a response through sound sirens and high beam lights, aimed at deterring wildlife from entering the areas and preventing potential damage to crops, livestock, and human beings. The approximate cost for the Anider ranges between ₹ 18,000 and ₹ 20,000. The Junnar forest department claims that the system is showing good results in preventing the leopard attacks in Junnar and Ambegaon tehsil. Smita Rajhans, assistant conservator, Junnar forest department, said, “Currently, we have 55 Aniders placed at various locations including 20 in Junnar, 20 in Otur 20, 10 in Shirur and 5 in Manchar. The system not only alarms people about the leopard’s presence but also saves the animal. We do not need to harm the leopard or even trap the wild cat, the animal moves away on its own, which also helps keep the big cat safe.” “It is a manually operated system, and we are seeing a decrease in interaction especially in the hotspot areas,” said Rajhans. The forest department is trying to combine this system with its solar fencing project to enhance the safety of villagers and wild animals. So far at least 10 people including 6 in Junnar and 4 in Shirur have received the benefits of the solar fencing scheme. The scheme will be expanded to hundreds of other people in leopard-prone tehsils, said officials. Sagar More, a farmer in Shiroli Khurd village of Junnar tehsil, said, “The leopard recently killed our pet dogs after which we installed the solar fencing around our home. Recently, when the leopard came in contact with this fencing, he suffered a minor current and ran away, since then we haven’t seen a leopard presence around the house.” Apart from solar fencing, the department is also making efforts to protect the marginal community including shepherds, farm workers, and labourers from possible leopard attacks. These people mostly sleep in open places and are very prone to such attacks. To protect such vulnerable people, the forest department has come up with a solar lamp and tent distribution scheme. The department has purchased nearly 400 solar lamps and an equal number of tents. In the first phase 85 lamps and tents were distributed to the shepherds in Junnar tehsil and further distribution is going on. “While Anider system and solar fencing seem effective in protecting the people living in houses, the tents and solar lamps will help protect the marginal community. The tents will not only safeguard the shepherds from leopard attack but also protect them from snakebite and rough weather conditions,” said Amol Satpute, deputy conservator, Junnar forest department.slot fortune gems jili games weapons 。

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Hello, Reader. Most investors missed out on the initial phase of the AI Revolution. You know... that just passed era of advancements marked by ChatGPT, artificial intelligence chips, rapidly evolving robots – and substantial gains. However, another wave of AI innovation is coming... This time, though, it has nothing to do with any of the previous AI advancements that the mainstream media talks so much about. In fact, the opportunity here is significantly larger than any of those AI applications. In this letter, first , let’s chat about how we got to this spot in the AI Revolution. Then, we’ll dive into what to expect from this new wave of winners... And where to find some of that opportunity. The First Winners of the AI Boom Although artificial intelligence has been around since the 1950s, it wasn’t until OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public in November 2022 that interest in AI really caught fire. For perspective, following ChatGPT’s launch, more than 1 million people downloaded it in five days. And over 100 million people signed up for it in two months. In comparison, it took Facebook more than 4.5 years to reach 100 million users. In the early phase of the AI Revolution, in 2023, seven clear winners emerged. You know their names. CNBC’s Jim Cramer dubbed them the “Magnificent Seven.” And their performances certainly were magnificent. They gained an average 111% in 2023. Of course, the biggest winner of 2023’s boom was Nvidia Corp. ( NVDA ) , the AI chip king, which surged 239% in 2023. Since ChatGPT’s debut in late 2022, shares of the company have skyrocketed nearly 765%. In different ways, each of these Magnificent Seven companies has been providing the hardware, software, and processing power that enable enterprises to create and operate AI platforms. They enabled the AI Revolution. For example... Their efforts are why LLMs, like ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude 3, can be developed and improved upon so quickly. Cramer may call these companies the Magnificent Seven, but I think of them more as the “AI Seven.” However, the sudden dawn of the entire AI boom caught most people – and many investors – by surprise. Therefore, a lot of folks missed out on those big gains from the AI Seven. The good news is the AI Revolution is about to enter a new phase, and a different set of companies will lead the way. The AI Seven is about to become the AI Eight... Nine... and beyond... We’ve had the AI enablers. Now enter the “AI appliers. ” The Next Winners of the AI Boom Unlike the AI enablers, these companies are not at the forefront of producing the material needed to create AI. Instead, they are employing AI technology within their own products and services. AI appliers are everywhere ... and growing by the day. That universe includes companies as diverse as beauty-products purveyor Coty Inc. ( COTY ) , gold and copper explorer Ivanhoe Electric Inc. ( IE ) , and industrial-solutions provider Rockwell Automation Inc. ( ROK ) . Clearly, many of these companies operate in niches that are not normally associated with technology. So, they are still lying low. However, they and many others are ready to explode with the next phase of the AI boom, which my InvestorPlace colleagues Louis Navellier and Luke Lango and I are calling AI Day One . AI Day One will be a “phase shift” in artificial intelligence. Without getting too into the weeds, it will involve the development of AI with much deeper, deliberate reasoning abilities. And it will make it much easier for companies – high tech and not – to apply AI to their business models and create huge efficiencies... and profits. However, not all AI appliers will deliver gains like we saw from Nvidia and the rest of the AI Seven. That’s why Louis, Luke, and I are releasing our AI Appliers Portfolio during a special broadcast this week. The portfolio is made up of stocks that could skyrocket from AI Day One. Now, this new opportunity before AI Day One is so fast moving that things can change quickly. The reality is that we don’t know exactly what the world will look like in a year or two; but we do know that AI is moving faster than anything before it. That is why it is important that you prepare yourself now. Go here to watch our broadcast and to learn more about our AI Appliers Portfolio. Regards, Eric Fry Editor, Fry’s Investment Report

Bitcoin breaks $100,000, outshining wavering stock markets

John Stamos defended his actions after facing backlash for wearing a bald cap to show support for fellow “Full House” star Dave Coulier, amid his cancer battle. The internet attacked the famous actor when he shared Instagram posts of himself shaving Coulier’s head , then posed for photographs in a bald cap. Social media users slammed the star for not actually going through the process of shaving his head, and accused him of making a mockery of the situation. TMZ shared a video of Stamos making his way through the Los Angeles Airport, Friday. “I’m so shocked,” he said. “First I’ll say — it’s just embarrassing — they’re embarrassing.” The video can be watched here . A post shared by John Stamos (@johnstamos) He pointed a finger at the critics, making it clear that he was personally offended by the way they interpreted his actions. “What they should be doing instead of making silly little videos or doing comments — they should call their doctor, make an appointment,” Stamos said, as he put the focus on the message behind his post. The “Full House” star went on to say he doesn’t usually follow what people say about him on social media, but this was an exception, and it really got to him. “This one really hurt me — mainly because I didn’t understand it,” Stamos told TMZ. A post shared by John Stamos (@johnstamos) “I’m just sad that they took it — the ones that took it the wrong way. I’m also sad they don’t have anything better to do. What they should do is make an appointment to get checked up — Dave was clear about that,” he said, as he reiterated Coulier’s desire to help others. Stamos continued, “I’m embarrassed for people that waste time on this when all I was doing was cheering up a friend,” he said. (RELATED: Internet Slams John Stamos Over Tone-Deaf Cancer Post) He went on to describe how Coulier himself felt about the situation. “It was incredible. He laughed and cried and we watched old movies and we told stories and I brought videos — it just was a beautiful thing,” Stamos said. Stamos also clarified that he could not shave his head because he is filming a show. Coulier is currently facing stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.The big pullback Carnival Corporation ( CCL 0.60% ) stock's suffered since 2018 makes enough sense on the surface. The COVID-19 contagion wrecked the leisure cruise industry. So -- like so many other companies at the time -- this one borrowed heavily to survive. Although the pandemic's since faded, it doesn't feel like the economy's ever fully healed. All that debt is also still sitting on Carnival's balance sheet, costing the company money that it wasn't paying out just a few years earlier. However, Carnival is faring far better than it seems like it should be, despite the backdrop. The market's starting to see this. Shares are well up from their late-2022 low. This stock's still down 65% from its 2018 high, however, leaving plenty of room for it to keep rising. Carnival, then and now Carnival Corporation operates a major cruise line of the same name. It owns a fleet of nearly 100 boats when including its lesser-known brands like Costa, Aida, and Princess. The $36 billion company is on track to do $25 billion worth of business this year, up 16% from last year's top line. Of that, roughly a couple billion will be converted into net income. Sales now exceed Carnival's pre-pandemic totals, although profits haven't quite been fully restored to 2019's levels. Blame inflation and interest payments, mostly. The company's now dishing out on the order of $400 million in interest payments every quarter, versus one-tenth that amount prior to the pandemic's onset. Operating costs like fuel and payroll are also disproportionately higher for the timeframe. But don't miss the forest for the trees. Carnival stock is as much of a buy now as it's ever been, if not more so. The bullish argument holds plenty of water As strange as it may sound (given the financial strain most households say they're feeling these days), Carnival's business has never been better. Last quarter's revenue of $7.9 billion was not only 14% higher year over year, but record-breaking for any third quarter. Operating income of $2.2 billion was also a record-breaker. Growth on both fronts extended what have become well-established trends. CCL Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts. In fact, the only thing holding the company back is a lack of boats. Nearly half of the coming year's capacity has already been booked, while 2026's trips are also already reserved at record-breaking levels. This demand has allowed the company to raise its prices, which people haven't balked at. What gives? Take the data at face value. While even higher-earning households are keeping a more careful eye on their spending in this environment, maritime cruises remain an amazingly affordable vacation option. For many people, cruising is a splurge that's worth the cost when the alternative might be taking no trip at all. Things are only apt to keep getting better. Analysts with JPMorgan believe the leisure cruise industry is on pace to serve 34.7 million passengers this year, topping last year's record of 31.7 million en route to 39.7 million in 2027. That's not a ton of absolute growth, nor is it a massive number of paying customers. It's huge for the leisure cruise business' key players like Carnival, though. It now reports a return of a little more than 10% on any newly invested capital. The bulk of this capital investment is, of course, the purchase of new ships that will help soak up demand that can't be served now. To this end, there's little doubt that the company will be able to fill up the three ships scheduled for delivery between now and 2028. There's also little doubt that the three additional boats slated for delivery between then and 2031 will fill up quickly. Increasingly convincing The $26.6 billion in long-term debt just sitting on Carnival's balance sheet ? Sure, that's a legitimate concern. It's costing the company more than a little money on a recurring basis. Look deeper, though. The leisure cruise outfit is slowly but surely chipping away this debt -- and its quarterly cost --- with the real profits it's producing. And much of any debt that can't yet be retired or eliminated is at least being refinanced at lower interest rates, leveraging the company's recently raised credit ratings from Standard & Poor's and Moody's . Fitch also just initiated coverage of Carnival's debt, grading the company's bonds a respectable BB. Mostly, Carnival stock is a buy here because it's becoming increasingly clear that its business model still works, and that its pricing power is resilient. It doesn't appear this will change anytime soon, either. Indeed, after a wobbly 2024, the economy may be headed into better days that generate greater discretionary income. Not only does inflation continue to moderate, but The Conference Board reports that U.S. companies are expanding their 2025 payroll budgets by 3.9% versus this year's 3.8% increase. This will leave more discretionary spending dollars in people's pockets, allowing them to afford a vacation they may not have otherwise taken. Carnival stands ready to be one of the chief beneficiaries of this dynamic. Just don't wait too long to jump in if you're interested. As the chart of Carnival stock above illustrates, other investors are quickly turning into believers. They're likely keying in on the profit recovery that's dramatically outpacing the company's top-line growth.

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump said he can't guarantee his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won't raise prices for American consumers and suggested once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned. The president-elect, in a wide-ranging interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that aired Sunday, also touched on monetary policy, immigration, abortion and health care, and U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere. Trump often mixed declarative statements with caveats, at one point cautioning "things do change." Here's a look at some of the issues covered: President-elect Donald Trump takes the stage before he speaks at the FOX Nation Patriot Awards, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Greenvale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) Trump threatened broad trade penalties, but said he didn't believe economists' predictions that added costs on those imported goods for American companies would lead to higher domestic prices for consumers. He stopped short of a pledge that U.S. an households won't be paying more as they shop. "I can't guarantee anything. I can't guarantee tomorrow," Trump said, seeming to open the door to accepting the reality of how import levies typically work as goods reach the retail market. That's a different approach from Trump's typical speeches throughout the 2024 campaign, when he framed his election as a sure way to curb inflation. In the interview, Trump defended tariffs generally, saying that tariffs are "going to make us rich." He has pledged that, on his first day in office in January, he would impose 25% tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada unless those countries satisfactorily stop illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the United States. He also has threatened tariffs on China to help force that country to crack down on fentanyl production. "All I want to do is I want to have a level, fast, but fair playing field," Trump said. He offered conflicting statements on how he would approach the justice system after winning election despite being convicted of 34 felonies in a New York state court and being indicted in other cases for his handling of national security secrets and efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden. "Honestly, they should go to jail," Trump said of members of Congress who investigated the Capitol riot by his supporters who wanted him to remain in power. The president-elect underscored his contention that he can use the justice system against others, including special prosecutor Jack Smith, who led the case on Trump's role in the siege on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump confirmed his plan to pardon supporters who were convicted for their roles in the riot, saying he would take that action on his first day in office. As for the idea of revenge driving potential prosecutions, Trump said: "I have the absolute right. I'm the chief law enforcement officer, you do know that. I'm the president. But I'm not interested in that." At the same time, Trump singled out lawmakers on a special House committee who investigated the insurrection, citing Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. "Cheney was behind it ... so was Bennie Thompson and everybody on that committee," Trump said. Asked specifically whether he would direct his administration to pursue cases, he said, "No," and suggested he did not expect the FBI to quickly undertake investigations into his political enemies. At another point, Trump said he would leave the matter up to Pam Bondi, his pick as attorney general. "I want her to do what she wants to do," he said. Such threats, regardless of Trump's inconsistencies, have been taken seriously enough by many top Democrats that Biden is considering issuing blanket, preemptive pardons to protect key members of his outgoing administration. Trump did seemingly back off his campaign rhetoric calling for Biden to be investigated, saying, "I'm not looking to go back into the past." Immigration advocates hold a rally in Sacramento, Calif. on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, to protest President-Elect Donald Trump's plans to conduct mass deportation of immigrants without legal status. (AP Photo/Haven Daley) Trump repeatedly mentioned his promises to seal the U.S.-Mexico border and deport millions of people who are in the U.S. illegally through a mass deportation program. "I think you have to do it," he said. He suggested he would try to use executive action to end "birthright" citizenship under which people born in the U.S. are considered citizens — though such protections are spelled out in the Constitution. Asked specifically about the future for people who were brought into the country illegally as children and were shielded from deportation in recent years, Trump said, "I want to work something out," indicating he might seek a solution with Congress. But Trump also said he does not "want to be breaking up families" of mixed legal status, "so the only way you don't break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back." President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Notre Dame Cathedral as France's iconic cathedral is formally reopening its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019, Saturday Dec.7, 2024 in Paris ( Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP) Long a critic of NATO members for not spending more on their own defense, Trump said he "absolutely" would remain in the alliance "if they pay their bills." Pressed on whether he would withdraw if he were dissatisfied with allies' commitments, Trump said he wants the U.S. treated "fairly" on trade and defense. He waffled on a NATO priority of containing Russia and President Vladimir Putin. Trump suggested Ukraine should prepare for less U.S. aid in its defense against Putin's invasion. "Possibly. Yeah, probably. Sure," Trump said of reducing Ukraine assistance from Washington. Separately, Trump called for an immediate cease-fire. Asked about Putin, Trump said initially that he has not talked to the Russian leader since Election Day last month, but then hedged. "I haven't spoken to him recently," Trump said when pressed, adding that he did not want to "impede the negotiation." Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference at the Federal Reserve in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) The president-elect said he has no intention, at least for now, of asking Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to step down before Powell's term ends in 2028. Trump said during the campaign that presidents should have more say in Fed policy, including interest rates. Trump did not offer any job assurances for FBI Director Christopher Wray, whose term is to end in 2027. Asked about Wray, Trump said: "Well, I mean, it would sort of seem pretty obvious" that if the Senate confirms Kash Patel as Trump's pick for FBI chief, then "he's going to be taking somebody's place, right? Somebody is the man that you're talking about." Trump promised that the government efficiency effort led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will not threaten Social Security. "We're not touching Social Security, other than we make it more efficient," he said. He added that "we're not raising ages or any of that stuff." He was not so specific about abortion or his long-promised overhaul of the Affordable Care Act. On abortion, Trump continued his inconsistencies and said he would "probably" not move to restrict access to the abortion pills that now account for a majority of pregnancy terminations, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. But pressed on whether he would commit to that position, Trump replied, "Well, I commit. I mean, are — things do — things change. I think they change." Reprising a line from his Sept. 10 debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump again said he had "concepts" of a plan to substitute for the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which he called "lousy health care." He added a promise that any Trump version would maintain insurance protections for Americans with preexisting health conditions. He did not explain how such a design would be different from the status quo or how he could deliver on his desire for "better health care for less money." Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China, saying in a social media post that the former CEO “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.” Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a primary against Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Perdue pushed Trump's debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for governor. Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Customs and Border Protection, with its roughly 60,000 employees, falls under the Department of Homeland Security. It includes the Border Patrol, which Rodney Scott led during Trump's first term, and is essentially responsible for protecting the country's borders while facilitating trade and travel. Scott comes to the job firmly from the Border Patrol side of the house. He became an agent in 1992 and spent much of his career in San Diego. When he was appointed head of the border agency in January 2020, he enthusiastically embraced Trump's policies. After being forced out under the Biden administration, Scott has been a vocal supporter of Trump's hard-line immigration agenda. He appeared frequently on Fox News and testified in Congress. He's also a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota is leaving the network: 'Today is my last day'

buying options for slot fortune gems jili games Some quotations from Jimmy Carter: We have a tendency to exalt ourselves and to dwell on the weaknesses and mistakes of others. I have come to realize that in every person there is something fine and pure and noble, along with a desire for self-fulfillment. Political and religious leaders must attempt to provide a society within which these human attributes can be nurtured and enhanced. — from 1975 book “Why Not the Best?” Our government can express the highest common ideals of human beings — if we demand of government true standards of excellence. At this Bicentennial time of introspection and concern, we must demand such standards. — “Why Not the Best?” I am a Southerner and an American, I am a farmer, an engineer, a father and husband, a Christian, a politician and former governor, a planner, a businessman, a nuclear physicist, a naval officer, a canoeist, and among other things a lover of Bob Dylan’s songs and Dylan Thomas’s poetry. — “Why Not the Best?” Christ said, “I tell you that anyone who looks on a woman with lust has in his heart already committed adultery.” I’ve looked on a lot of women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times. This is something that God recognizes I will do — and I have done it — and God forgives me for it. But that doesn’t mean that I condemn someone who not only looks on a woman with lust but who leaves his wife and shacks up with somebody out of wedlock. — Interview, November 1976 Playboy. This inauguration ceremony marks a new beginning, a new dedication within our Government, and a new spirit among us all. A President may sense and proclaim that new spirit, but only a people can provide it. — Inaugural address, January 1977. It’s clear that the true problems of our nation are much deeper — deeper than gasoline lines or energy shortages, deeper even than inflation and recession. ... All the legislation in the world can’t fix what’s wrong with America. ... It is a crisis of confidence. — So-called “malaise” speech, July 1979. But we know that democracy is always an unfinished creation. Each generation must renew its foundations. Each generation must rediscover the meaning of this hallowed vision in the light of its own modern challenges. For this generation, ours, life is nuclear survival; liberty is human rights; the pursuit of happiness is a planet whose resources are devoted to the physical and spiritual nourishment of its inhabitants. — Farewell Address, January 1981. We appreciate the past. We are grateful for the present and we’re looking forward to the future with great anticipation and commitment. — October 1986, at the dedication of the Carter Presidential Library and Museum. War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn to live together in peace by killing each other’s children. — December 2002, Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. Fundamentalists have become increasingly influential in both religion and government, and have managed to change the nuances and subtleties of historic debate into black-and-white rigidities and the personal derogation of those who dare to disagree. ... The influence of these various trends poses a threat to many of our nation’s historic customs and moral commitments, both in government and in houses of worship. — From 2005 book “Our Endangered Values.” I think that this breakthrough by Barack Obama has been remarkable. When he made his speech (on race) a few months ago in Philadelphia, I wept. I sat in front of the television and cried, because I saw that as the most enlightening and transforming analysis of racism and a potential end of it that I ever saw in my life. — August 2008, commenting on then-Sen. Barack Obama’s candidacy. I think it’s based on racism. There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president. ... No matter who he is or how much we disagree with his policies, the president should be treated with respect. — September 2009, reacting to Rep. Joe Wilson’s shout of “You lie!” during a speech to Congress by President Barack Obama. I’m still determined to outlive the last guinea worm. — 2010, on The Carter Center’s work to eradicate guinea worm disease. You know how much I raised to run against Gerald Ford? Zero. You know how much I raised to run against Ronald Reagan? Zero. You know how much will be raised this year by all presidential, Senate and House campaigns? $6 billion. That’s 6,000 millions. — September 2012, reacting to the 2010 “Citizens United” U.S. Supreme Court decision permitting unlimited third-party political spending. I have become convinced that the most serious and unaddressed worldwide challenge is the deprivation and abuse of women and girls, largely caused by a false interpretation of carefully selected religious texts and a growing tolerance of violence and warfare, unfortunately following the example set during my lifetime by the United States. — From 2014 book “A Call to Action.” I don’t think there’s any doubt now that the NSA or other agencies monitor or record almost every telephone call made in the United States, including cellphones, and I presume email as well. We’ve gone a long way down the road of violating Americans’ basic civil rights, as far as privacy is concerned. — March 2014, commenting on U.S. intelligence monitoring after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks We accept self-congratulations about the wonderful 50th anniversary – which is wonderful – but we feel like Lyndon Johnson did it and we don’t have to do anything anymore. — April 2014, commenting on racial inequality during a celebration of the Civil Rights Act’s 40th anniversary. I had a very challenging question at Emory (University) the other night: “How would you describe the United States of America today in one word?” And I didn’t know what to say for a few moments, but I finally said, “Searching.” I think the country in which we live is still searching for what it ought to be, and what it can be, and I’m not sure we’re making much progress right at this moment. — October 2014 during a celebration of his 90th birthday. The life we have now is the best of all. We have an expanding and harmonious family, a rich life in our church and the Plains community, and a diversity of projects at The Carter Center that is adventurous and exciting. Rosalynn and I have visited more than 145 countries, and both of us are as active as we have ever been. We are blessed with good health and look to the future with eagerness and confidence, but are prepared for inevitable adversity when it comes. — From 2015 book, “A Full Life.”

Hugh Grant ‘s career has entered what the actor himself coined the “freak show stage” of his career. From the oh-so-tiny Oompa Loompa in Wonka to the short-lived Edward Keplinger in The Regime , the seasoned British actor has departed from his romantic lead typecast. For his most recent leading role as Mr. Reed in Heretic , Grant traps two young Mormon missionaries in his basement game of faith and horror. Green-haired, dancing orange man aside, Mr. Reed is his most extreme role to date. Playing a man who traps women in cages is as large a departure as he can take, especially when his origins are largely rooted as charming leads in romantic comedies. And not just any romantic leads. Grant has starred in some of the most iconic romantic comedies: Edward Farris in Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility , William Thacker in Richard Curtis ‘ Notting Hill , Charles in Four Weddings and a Funeral (the first of his three films with the famed romance director), David the Prime Minister in Curtis’ Love Actually . Essential to each of these roles, Grant’s charming smile and self-effacing mumble made him a heartthrob of the ’90s and ’00s. But a heartthrob is not exempt from their red flags. Like a wolf in a beloved Englishman’s clothing, Grant’s characters have always been more villainous than they appear. The actor’s breakthrough role as Charles in Four Weddings and a Funeral marked him as good-looking and disarmingly likable. Charles flipped a leading man’s role on his head, appearing as non-threatening and passive, his true motives often taking a backseat to politeness. However, for the friend who forgets rings, arrives late, pursues a woman in a relationship, and abandons his fiancée at the altar, suave and shy are not necessarily the first words that come to mind. Perhaps his most cardinal sin of all was committed in Notting Hill . How did he allow Julia Roberts walk out the door to be ambushed by the paparazzi?! Without her pants?! On multiple occasions, when given the opportunity to profess his feelings to his own heartthrob Anna (played by the real-life movie star Roberts), William chose silence and inaction. He even rejected Anna’s own proposal to pursue the relationship legitimately after he had spent an entire year forlorn about what could have been. Never establishing a backbone to communicate properly with the women he truly loves has perhaps been a throughline of Grant’s romantic career. Even his casting as Edward Farris in the 1995 Sense and Sensibility fits the bill, the price of his inactions and omissions being paid by the woman who loved him most. His most meaningful encounter in the film, in my opinion, came far too late. In the final act, Elinor Dashwood ( Emma Thompson ) realized that Farris had been engaged to and then married a woman of higher society. This was the engagement that Farris had failed to mention during the entirety of their courtship. The man was shelling out his monogrammed kerchiefs left and right. Unforgivable! Lastly, Curtis’ 2003 holiday rom-com Love Actually follows the love stories of 10 different individuals and those in their lives. “Love” is used liberally as Grant is one of the many male characters engaging in inappropriate romantic relationships with his own employees. Grant plays David, the Prime Minister, who initially resists the urge to act on his attraction to a junior member of staff, Natalie ( Martine McCutcheon ). While he presents himself as a moral politician, looking down on the U.S. President ( Billy Bob Thornton ) for making his own advances on Natalie, David acts on his attraction in the end nonetheless. While the pair ends up in a public, seemingly unproblematic relationship (for now) by the end of the film, we can’t overlook their checkered origins. Looking back, Grant has actually always played the villain. We just weren’t looking hard enough. More Headlines:Citius Pharmaceuticals stock hits 52-week low at $0.16As part of the Voyage Sri Lanka 2024 initiative, a group of 20 potential foreign investors from countries including India, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, France, Japan, Thailand, the United States, and Cambodia visited the Trincomalee and Hambantota Ports on 24 and 25 November. The visits aimed to showcase Sri Lanka’s potential as a hub for maritime investments and its growing blue economy. The delegation explored the opportunities across various sectors, such as, marine development, shipbuilding, vessel maintenance, engineering services, bunkering, and related offshore services. Investors also explored prospects for establishing joint ventures with existing local businesses or initiating new enterprises. Organised by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) in collaboration with key maritime stakeholders, the investment tour coincides with the inaugural Voyage Sri Lanka 2024 Marine Conference. Scheduled for today (26) at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo, the conference will spotlight Sri Lanka’s capabilities in marine and offshore sector and its growing reputation as a global maritime hub. The event aims to promote sustainable practices, advanced technologies, and investment opportunities while fostering collaboration between public and private sectors. For more details, visit the official event website at www.voyagesrilanka.lk.

Centurion, Dec 29, 2024 South Africa captain Temba Bavuma revealed it was an emotional moment for him personally as the Proteas sealed a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final after registering a gripping two-wicket win against Pakistan in Centurion on Sunday. “Quite an emotional moment for me. Lot of joy and happiness on our side. We did the hard way. But glad we won. I was still sulking,” Bavuma said after the match. Before the start of the Boxing Day Test in Centurion, South Africa were on the top of the standings for the next year’s summit clash at Lord’s. A win against Pakistan ensured that they would finish the standings in the top two to secure a place in their maiden WTC final. However, the win was not easy for the hosts despite chasing 148 as they crumbled on the way before Kagiso Rabada (31 not out) and Marco Jansen (16 not out) finally got them over the line to seal their maiden WTC final appearance. Bavuma lauded Aiden Markram for scoring 89 in the first innings that set the tone of the win and also earned him Player of the Match. “Aiden get them going. Wasn’t a lot of conversations. We still had the confidence. I didn’t come out to the viewing area and was in the toilet. I came when 15 runs were needed. It is a big win. Not just for myself. But for the coaches. The way we started our campaign against India. We weren’t given much of a chance. We weren’t ruthless. But we kept finding ways. We hope the guys can get confidence from performances like these. Guys get picked on when they do badly. We would like to enjoy the moment and take stock of what we have done,” the skipper said. The Proteas were already on top of the WTC standings after a 2-0 series sweep against Sri Lanka at home. Having played 11 Tests in the ongoing cycle, South Africa boast seven wins and a 66.67 point percentage. Having started off the ongoing cycle with a drawn series at home against India, followed by a clean sweep at the hands of New Zealand, the Proteas bounced back with impressive wins away from home against West Indies and Bangladesh, followed by dominant displays at home. Bavuma-led side pipped Australia, India and Sri Lanka – who are also in contention – to become the first team to book a spot in the final, barring any point deductions owing to slow-over rate.(Agency)Sharks make roster moves ahead of game vs. L.A. Kings

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Foreign Minister Penny Wong has responded to the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defence chief Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict. “Australia respects the independence of the ICC and its important role in upholding international law,” Wong wrote in a statement posted to X. “Australia is focused on working with countries that want peace to press for an urgently needed ceasefire.” Supermarket giant Woolworths has told customers it doesn’t expect any “immediate” impact on stock levels at its stores in two states, after a strike by warehouse workers. Up to 1500 unionised workers at three of the retailer’s distribution centres in Victoria and another in NSW walked off the job indefinitely on Thursday. The workers want better pay amid a cost of living crisis and an end to a performance framework the United Workers Union says pushes them to work faster in ways that risk safety. Striking Woolworths workers warn their industrial action could impact supermarket shelves at Christmas. Credit: Louie Douvis With Christmas just over a month away, the union warned the liquor, frozen and refrigerated goods shelves at Woolworth could run bare unless its conditions are met. But Woolworths, and its distributor Primary Connect, said there would be little impact. Employment Minister Murray Watt was asked about the strikes on Seven’s Sunrise, where he said these types of disputes weren’t unusual, and that he was confident the issue would be resolved. “I would encourage, obviously, the parties to keep trying to work it out,” Watt said. “It is in the interests of workers at Woolworths to come to an agreement about the wages, and it is in the interest of Woolworths to make sure operations keep going, not to mention the rest of us who want to keep shopping at Woolworths.” With AAP Up to 80,000 people of various visa categories could be potentially removed to third countries under the Albanese government’s plan to pay countries to accept its deported non-citizens, as legal experts criticise the bill. The Albanese government has not detailed which countries it has been in discussions with, in a bill that passed the House of Representatives and was examined in a Senate inquiry on Thursday. At the inquiry, several human rights and legal groups, including the Law Council of Australia, slammed the sweeping powers. Greens senator David Shoebridge questioned how many non-citizens could be deported under the bill at a senate inquiry on Thursday. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen “Detaining individuals pre-emptively [in Australia or overseas] to prevent them from committing future crimes must not become normalised in an otherwise free and liberal society,” council president Greg McIntyre told the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation committee. The proposed amendments to the Migration Act seek to deport non-citizens, including not just those convicted of crimes, and to pay those third countries for their part in the removal regime. It would also grant extensive immunity to government officials and those in third countries involved with the removals as well as reversing protection findings for refugees. Greens senator David Shoebridge pushed Department of Home Affairs officials to clarify which categories of visa holders who were not citizens would be affected. They said that 4452 people on Bridging Visa E, 986 in immigration detention, 193 in community detention, 246 on Bridging Visa R from the NZYQ cohort, a further 96 individuals also on the same visa and potentially “a fluid cohort” of up to 75,400 people could be included. Earlier in the hearing, former Manus Island detainee and award-winning Kurdish-Iranian writer Behrouz Boochani said the proposed bill was draconian, citing his personal experience being detained in Papua New Guinea. He pleaded with the senators to vote down the bill: “What Australia has done is to banish refugees to be out of sight and out of mind.” AAP Former treasurer Peter Costello has rounded on Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ plan to have the $230 billion Future Fund favour investment in housing, renewable energy and cybersecurity infrastructure, labelling it a “very bad” idea that would ultimately hurt taxpayers. Costello, who created the fund in 2006 and served as its chairman until this year, said the proposal – which the Coalition has vowed to overturn if it wins office – would reduce international respect for the fund. In an opinion piece in The Australian Financial Review , Costello said Labor never raised the proposal with him during his decade as the chair of the fund’s board and that if they had, he “would not have agreed to it”. “A key reason why [the Future Fund] has done so well is because of its independence from government,” Costello wrote. Meanwhile, in comments given to The Australian, former prime minister John Howard says the changes are “fiscal vandalism with a great dollop of hypocrisy”. But coming in to defend the government was another former treasurer, ALP president Wayne Swan, who questioned “how desperate” the Liberal Party is to “drag out” Howard and Costello. “The fact is, the government has not changed the mandated investment return at all. And that is the critical point,” Swan told Nine’s Today. “I think Australians want their money invested in this country if they can get the required return. What’s wrong with saying that there are some national priorities? “This is just absurd political criticism in the lead-up to the next election. Nothing more, nothing less.” Popular social media platforms Tiktok, Snapchat and Instagram are among the sites that will have to ban children younger than 16, with reforms likely to pass parliament by the end of the fortnight. Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland introduced world-first legislation to the House of Representatives on Thursday, saying it would make the online environment safer for young people. TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) will have to impose age limitations on users. But Messenger Kids, WhatsApp, Kids Helpline, Google Classroom and YouTube are expected to be classified as “out-of-scope services”. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government wanted this “action to happen as soon as possible”, as the opposition confirmed it would work constructively to see the bill passed next week. Concerns with the speed at which the bill is slated to pass through the parliament have been raised, with only 24 hours allowed for submissions to a Senate enquiry initiated on Thursday. It will report its findings on Tuesday. Advocacy groups, including the Australian Human Rights Commission, have come out against the ban. The AHRC said it would likely have negative human rights impacts on young people: “If there are less restrictive options available to achieve the aim of protecting children from harm, they should be preferred over a blanket ban.” Companies that breach the minimum age obligation will face fines of up to $49.5 million. Under the draft laws, the onus will be on social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent children younger than 16 from having accounts. There will be a minimum lead-in period of 12 months before the ban is activated. Parents will not be able to give consent for their children to use social media, and users will not be required to hand over sensitive ID documents to platforms. Australia would be the first country to have an age ban on social media. Age verification trials are underway to determine how the ban will be enforced. AAP with Josefine Ganko The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict. In their decision, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war as part of a “widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza”. Read the full story here. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant. Credit: AP Reuters Good morning and welcome to the national news blog. As always, my name is Josefine Ganko, and I’m here to guide you through the news as it develops through the first half of the day. It’s Friday, November 22. There’s been plenty of international news overnight, so here’s what you might have missed.The player in question is a promising young talent who has been making waves in the football world with his dazzling skills and remarkable performances on the pitch. Hailed as a future superstar, the Real Madrid prodigy has caught the attention of not just domestic clubs but also international giants looking to bolster their squads with fresh talent.

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In a highly-contested match against Manchester City, Munios, the manager of the top-flight football club, expressed his thoughts on the team's performance and the outcome of the game. Despite a hard-fought battle and a remarkable display of skill and determination, Munios believes that his team deserved all three points on the night, but acknowledged that securing a draw against such a formidable opponent is still a commendable result.

Authorities in Los Angeles confirmed Tuesday that the cause of death for Ryan Kobayashi, the grief-stricken father who flew from Hawaii to search for his missing daughter , was suicide. A medical examiner’s report said he suffered “multiple blunt force traumatic injuries.” Police said previously he was found around 4 a.m. Sunday in a parking lot at Los Angeles International Airport. Kobayashi, 58, had been in the city for 13 days in search of his 31-year-old daughter, Hannah, who mysteriously disappeared after missing a layover at LAX earlier this month. Hannah’s aunt, Larie Pidgeon, told the Daily Beast on Monday that Kobayashi had gone as far as searching for his child in the city’s seediest areas, like Skid Row. After many sleepless nights while contending with the agony of the situation, however, Pidgeon told the Beast that Ryan “couldn’t take it” anymore and died of a “broken heart.” Pidgeon was emphatic that Ryan’s death didn’t involve foul play and police have since confirmed that to be true. The LAPD have yet to release a significant update on Hannah’s case, but Pidgeon said detectives told her Monday they believe Hannah is still in LA. Donald Trump was caught on camera offering to buy a young girl’s hair in a cringe-worthy encounter at his golf course in Palm Beach, Florida. The president-elect was driving his golf cart when he spotted the girl. “Oh I love that hair! I want her hair! Can I buy your hair? I’ll pay you millions for it,” he said. Trump then invited her to sit next to him and take a photo. The girl smiled while Trump did his signature thumbs up for the picture. ​​“That’s amazing,” an onlooker said. “You can say you were with the president, and you played golf with him.” As Trump patted the girl goodbye and she hopped off the cart, the same onlooker said, “say, ‘Thank you, Mr. President.’” The same golf course was the site of an attempted assassination on the president-elect in September. Trump is shown surrounded by security in the video. "Can I buy your hair?" President-elect Donald Trump complimented a kid's hair while golfing at his club in West Palm Beach. pic.twitter.com/nlH215l6wd Sexual supplements are nothing new, but Popstar Labs is revolutionizing the industry by focusing on an area that has thus far been overlooked: semen health. Crafted by leading men’s sexual health experts, Popstar Volume & Taste is a first-of-its-kind daily supplement that is formulated to enhance semen volume, improve taste, and support semen health. 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Boebert became the first sitting representative of Congress to join the video message platform earlier that day, following the footsteps of disgraced former Reps. Matt Gaetz and George Santos, who both charge hundreds of dollars on Cameo for personalized videos. While House Ethics rules allow for members to make $31,815 outside of their role in Congress, they aren’t allowed to receive “a payment of money or a thing of value for an appearance, speech, or article.’” While it’s untested how this rule applies to Cameo, Boebert likely doesn’t want to be the one to find out. The embattled Republican rep has been at the center of several controversies since joining Congress in 2020. Her more notable incidents include vaping and being disruptive during a performance of Beetlejuice , and live-tweeting Nancy Pelosi’s movements during Jan. 6. She’s also been fined by the Ethics Committee for refusing to wear a mask on the House floor. YouTuber MrBeast said allegations that contestants were mistreated on his Amazon Prime game show were “blown out of proportion.” The influencer, real name Jimmy Donaldson, and Amazon were hit with a class action lawsuit earlier this year that alleged Beast Games contestants were subjected to “unreasonable, unsafe, and unlawful employment conditions.” The suit contains allegations that some contestants were hospitalized and others endured sexual harassment on set. “We have tons of behind the scenes [footage] dropping when the show does to show how blown out of proportion these claims were,” MrBeast tweeted Monday. “Just can’t release it now because it would spoil the games.” He released a trailer for the show, which features 1,000 people in a series of challenges for a $5 million prize. Earlier this month, the online influencer’s company disclosed it had fired 10 employees after an third-party investigation into workplace culture substantiated some harassment and misconduct allegations. The probe found no evidence to support sexual misconduct. We have tons of behind the scenes dropping when the show does to show how blown out of proportion these claims were. Just can’t release it now because it would spoil the games. Tech gifts can be tricky—not everyone is looking for a sophisticated smartwatch or a flashy mechanical keyboard. Tile —a powerful and compact bluetooth tracker—is a practical and affordable tech gift anyone will love—especially those prone to misplacing things. You can attach a Tile tracker to almost anything like wallets, keys, luggage, cars, and even pets. Once paired, you can use the Tile app to play a chime (if your item is within range) or view its last location. As an added bonus, you can use Tile trackers to find your phone. 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During a segment Monday night celebrating a judge’s dismissal of special prosecutor Jack Smith ’s election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump , Fox News host Laura Ingraham turned to the election racketeering charges brought against Trump in Georgia. As she discussed Fani Willis , the prosecutor in the Georgia case, a photo of New York state Attorney General Letitia James appeared on the screen. Both women are Black. Minutes later, The Ingraham Angle host sought to “explain” the mixup. “Earlier we accidentally showed a graphic that had a photo of another vicious anti-Trump figure, Letitia James, when we were talking about Fani Willis,” Ingraham said. “That was our mistake. They both hate Trump.” James brought a civil suit against Trump and the Trump Organization that resulted in a $450 million judgment, which Trump’s lawyers have appealed. Social media users were quick to argue the fraud case probably wasn’t the source of Ingraham’s confusion. Earlier this year, she mixed up attorneys Nathan Wade and Terrence Bradley, both Black men connected to Willis. “We made a mistake, and we are sorry for that,” Ingraham said at the time. Ingraham: Earlier we accidentally showed a graphic that had a photo of another vicious anti-Trump figure, Letitia James when we were talking about Fani Willis. That was our mistake. They both hate Trump pic.twitter.com/CT1cHGO388 Wendy Williams was labeled as “permanently incapacitated” in new court documents by her guardian, less than a year after revealing her dementia and aphasia diagnosis to the public. Her guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, and her legal team, wrote in court documents obtained by The U.S. Sun that Williams “has been afflicted by early-onset dementia and, as a result, has become cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.” The revelation came amid an ongoing legal battle over the Lifetime series Where is Wendy Williams? , a documentary that showed the former TV host dealing with alcohol addiction, alongside health and financial issues. Past court documents claimed that the series exploited Williams, and said that she did not have the ability to consent to the series due to her health ailments. The new filing asked for information of her “health, familial relationships, and finances” to be redacted in an effort of privacy, according to the outlet. Williams was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and primary progressive aphasia in 2023, revealing her health conditions publicly earlier this year. Bird flu has been found in raw milk in California, state regulators said Sunday, prompting a recall. Raw milk with a “best by” date of Nov. 27 from Raw Farm, which is in Fresno County, is being pulled from shelves, and consumers who already bought some are being told by the California Department of Public Health not to drink it. “Public health experts have long warned consumers against consuming raw milk or raw milk products due to elevated risks of foodborne illness,” the state health agency said . “Drinking or accidentally inhaling raw milk containing bird flu virus may lead to illness. In addition, touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands after touching raw milk with bird flu virus may also lead to infection.” Pasteurized milk kills bacteria and viruses like E. coli, listeria, and H5N1, otherwise known as bird flu. And yet an emerging trend is seeing rising demands for raw milk. Among its proponents is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , whom Donald Trump named to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. A vaccine skeptic, Kennedy also wants to remove fluoride from public water, even though it has been shown to prevent tooth decay. President-elect Donald Trump has come out swinging at Mexico and Canada before he’s even taken his seat back in the Oval Office—but the country’s neighbors to the south aren’t taking his threats lying down. Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum responded harshly after Trump announced Monday that goods that enter the U.S. from her country and Canada would be subject to 25 percent tariffs. Warning that Mexico could retaliate with its own tariffs, she said, “One tariff would be followed by another in response, and so on until we put at risk common businesses.” Trump has claimed the tariffs are necessary to encourage both countries to stop the influx of drugs and migrants at the border. But Sheinbaum shot back at his reasoning, saying the flow of drugs “is a problem of public health and consumption in your country’s society.” Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. As a child, receiving socks as a present was your first lesson in accepting disappointment with a smile. Now, socks are one of the best gifts to unwrap during the holidays. Bombas is a mission-driven clothing company that specializes in comfy socks, shirts, slippers, bralettes, and underwear . For every piece of essential clothing you purchase, Bombas will donate one in return. If you buy three pairs of socks today, Bombas will donate three pairs. For the holidays, readers can save 15 percent on select Bombas packs ; new customers can take an additional 25 percent off all socks and get free shipping on orders over $125. What makes Bombas socks special is the innovative design that’s all in service for superior comfort. 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The website for Trump Guitars lists for sale an “American Eagle Series” with the campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” on the neck of the guitar. The instruments are “custom designed and developed by a veteran-owned company with the help of a master luthier,” according to the company, which also says that the guitars are manufactured by “multiple providers” that are “both domestic and international.” A guitar that has been signed by the president-elect costs at least $10,000; a non-signed guitar goes for $1,250. Some of Trump’s other recent money-making endeavors include watches, sneakers, and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). Coming Soon! The Limited Edition “45” Guitar. Only 1,300 of each Acoustic and Electric Guitars MADE — Some personally signed! https://t.co/DY4LkF4feh pic.twitter.com/0ghYmjLxKo A baby gorilla was accidentally killed at a zoo in Canada when it was struck in the head by a door, officials said Thursday. The 2-year-old female gorilla, Eyare, was roaming from room to room when a zookeeper activated the wrong hydraulic door to separate her, according to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo . The accident left the ape with “traumatic head injuries” and veterinary staff administered CPR. The zookeeper “was immediately removed from the workplace following the incident,” the zoo said. The zoo said it launched an investigation into the incident and “doesn’t take these findings lightly.” All zookeepers will undergo retraining to prevent further accidents. “This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable,” said Colleen Baird, director of Animal Care, Health and Welfare, in a statement. “Eyare’s short but impactful life brought so much joy to our community, and she will be deeply missed by all. We will do everything we can to prevent future incidents.”Title: "Ximan: Manchester City Definitely a Contender in the Four-Way Battle for the Premier League Title"

As the story of the Rolls-Royce owner's selfless act continues to circulate, it serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration for those looking to make a difference in the world. It reminds us that love and compassion know no boundaries, and that by spreading kindness and generosity, we can truly make the world a better place for all.

Google’s innovative Circle to Search feature is now available on Nothing smartphones, marking its continued expansion across Android devices. Now, Nothing has joined the fold, integrating the feature into its Phone (2), Phone (2a), and Phone (2a) Plus models. In a community announcement, Nothing revealed that the feature is accessible with devices running Nothing OS 3.0 , based on Android 15. Although the operating system was launched earlier, the company explained that Circle to Search required additional testing before being included. To activate the feature, users must navigate toSettings > Special features > Gestures > Navigation mode > Circle to Search. If the option is not immediately visible, a device reboot is recommended. Notably, the tool works seamlessly with both gesture navigation and traditional 3-button navigation modes. Circle to Search simplifies how users search for on-screen content. By drawing a circle around text, images, or locations, users can instantly access detailed information without the need for copying or pasting into Google Lens. Whether it is translating text, looking up a word, or finding details about a place, the tool streamlines everyday tasks. Google has enhanced the feature since its debut, recently adding the ability to search for songs. There are rumours of further developments, including enabling the tool to work within videos. Nothing has confirmed that other devices in its lineup will receive the feature following their Nothing OS 3.0 update. This includes Phone (2a) models sold in Japan and potentially the CMF Phone 1. Initially introduced with the Galaxy S24 series in early 2024, the feature has swiftly become a favourite among Android users. While it was initially exclusive to Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy flagships, Google began extending its availability to other brands mid-year, including Xiaomi, Oppo, and Motorola. With these advancements, Circle to Search continues to reshape Android’s approach to intuitive and efficient search functionality.

Saquon Barkley becomes ninth running back to rush for 2,000 yards in a season

ATLANTA — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023 , spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the center said in posting about his death on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. In this Nov. 3, 2019, file photo, former President Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga. A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. “It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. FILE - From left, President Barack Obama, former President Jimmy Carter, first lady Michelle Obama and former President Bill Clinton wave from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington during a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. spoke, Aug. 28, 2013. Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. “I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.” That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter’s stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors . He went “where others are not treading,” he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. “I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton’s White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America’s approach to Israel with his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center’s many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee’s 2002 Peace Prize cites his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. “The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.” FILE - Jimmy Carter gives his acceptance speech after accepting the Democratic nomination for president on the convention floor, July 15, 1976, at New York's Madison Square Garden. Carter’s globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little “Jimmy Carters,” so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners . He acknowledged America’s historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. “I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore,” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. “He was not a great president” but also not the “hapless and weak” caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was “good and productive” and “delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office.” Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton’s secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat’s forward that Carter was “consequential and successful” and expressed hope that “perceptions will continue to evolve” about his presidency. “Our country was lucky to have him as our leader,” said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for “an epic American life” spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. “He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history,” Alter told The Associated Press. FILE - President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter are pictured with their daughter Amy at the first of seven inaugural balls in Washington, Jan. 20, 1977, at the Pension Building. James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter’s political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery’s tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. His mother, Lillian , would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith, another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. His decision angered Rosalynn, even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it “inconceivable” not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. “My wife is much more political,” Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 but wasn’t long for the General Assembly and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist “Dixiecrats” as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. And in 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as “Cufflinks Carl.” Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his races by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. FILE - President Jimmy Carter leans across the roof of his car to shake hands along the parade route through Bardstown, Ky., July 31, 1979. The president climbed on top of the car as the parade moved toward the high school gym, where a town meeting was held. His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader’s home state. And he decided, as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were no more talented than he was. In 1974, he ran Democrats’ national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: “Jimmy Who?” The Carters and a “Peanut Brigade” of family members and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter’s ability to navigate America’s complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared “born-again Christian,” Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC’s new “Saturday Night Live” show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. Walter “Fritz” Mondale as his running mate on a “Grits and Fritz” ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady’s office. Mondale’s governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname “Jimmy” even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band’s “Hail to the Chief.” They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington’s social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that “he hated politics,” according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. FILE - Former President Jimmy Carter uses a hand saw to even an edge as he works on a Habitat for Humanity home in Pikeville, Ky., June 16, 1997. Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and nonwhite people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation’s second highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon’s opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn’t immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. And then came Iran. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his “malaise” speech, although he didn’t use that word. He declared the nation was suffering “a crisis of confidence.” By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead sending Rosalynn as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he’d “kick his ass,” but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with “make America great again” appeals and asking voters whether they were “better off than you were four years ago.” Reagan further capitalized on Carter’s lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: “There you go again.” Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages’ freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. FILE - President-elect Jimmy Carter waves to the crowd as he and his wife Rosalynn arrive at the Plains Baptist Church to attend services in Plains, Ga., Nov. 22, 1976. At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with “no idea what I would do with the rest of my life.” Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. “I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything,” Carter told the AP in 2021. “But it’s turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years.” Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a cancer diagnosis in his 10th decade of life. “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” he said in 2015 . “I’ve had a wonderful life. I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” Former Associated Press journalist Alex Sanz contributed to this report. Jimmy Carter is shown at age 6, with his sister, Gloria, 4, in 1931 in Plains, Georgia. (AP Photo) This is a 1932 photo of Jimmy Carter at age 7 in Plains, Ga. (AP Photo) Lt. Jimmy Carter peers at instruments on submarine USS K-1 in a 1952 photo. Directly in front of Carter, smoking a cigar, is Don Dickson. He had forgotten he ever served with Carter until he came upon the photo during Christmas, 1977. A friend got it to the White House where Carter wrote: "To my friend Donald Dickson - Jimmy Carter, USS K-1 to White House." (AP Photo) FILE - In this Sept. 15, 1966 file photo, then Georgia State Sen. Jimmy Carter hugs his wife, Rosalynn, at his Atlanta campaign headquarters. Jimmy Carter, winner in Georgia's runoff primary in the Democratic Party to determine the party's candidate for the November election for governor, 1970. (AP Photo) Former State Sen. Jimmy Carter listens to applause at the Capitol in Atlanta on April 3, 1970, after announcing his candidacy or governor. In background, his wife Rosalyn holds two-year-old daughter Amy who joined in the applause. Carter, 45, of Plains, Ga., finished third in the 1966 Democratic Primary behind Gov. Lester Maddox and Ellis Arnall. (AP Photo/Charles Kelly) Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn clutch the microphones as he claims victory in a runoff election at campaign headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, September 24, 1970. Carter beat former Georgia Governor Carl Sanders for the nomination and will face Republican candidate Hal Suit, veteran television newsman, in the general election Nov. 3, 1970. (AP Photo/Charles Kelly) Former state Sen. Jimmy Carter breaks into a broad smile after early returns gave him a lead of almost 2-1 in the Democratic runoff against former Gov. Carl Sanders, Sept. 23, 1970, in Atlanta, Ga. The winner will meet the Republic Hal Suit for the governorship of Georgia on the Nov. 3 general election. (AP Photo/Charles Kelly) Governor-elect Jimmy Carter and his daughter Amy, 3, walk about the grounds by the fountain at the Governor's Mansion in Atlanta, Ga., Jan. 10, 1971, as they get to know the place where they will live for the next four years. Carter will be sworn in as governor of Georgia Tuesday. (AP Photo) Judge Robert H. Jordan administers the oath of office to Gov. Jimmy Carter during ceremonies at the state capitol in Atlanta. Ga., Jan. 12, 1971. Next to the judge is former Gov. Lester Maddox, who will take over as lieutenant governer of Georgia. (AP Photo) Jimmy Carter of Georgia, seen here Feb. 6, 1971, already described as a symbol of a new breed of moderate southern politician, says that the race question has ceased to be a major issue "between or among candidates" running for office in the old confederacy. (AP Photo) Jimmy Carter, Governor of Georgia, is shown at his desk in Atlanta, on February 19, 1971. (AP Photo) Georgia's Gov. Jimmy Carter reaches for pen February 25, 1972 to sign a Georgia Senate House resolution opposing forced busing to achieve integration in the classrooms of the United States. Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter joins a half-dozen Rockettes in a high kick, September 21, 1973, at Radio City Music Hall in New York, while visiting backstage before an afternoon performance. Carter is in New York to induce the film industry to make pictures in his state. (AP Photo/stf) Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter, right, and Delaware Gov. Sherman Tribbitt say hello to Atlanta Braves Hank Aaron, left, following a rain canceled game with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, Sept. 27, 1973, Atlanta, Ga. The cancellation slowed Aaron’s opportunity to tie or break Babe Ruth’s home run record. (AP Photo) Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter spoke to 18,000 messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention on Thursday, June 13, 1974 in Dallas, Texas. He urged Baptists to use their personal and political influence to return the nation to ideals of stronger commitment and higher ethics. He said "there is no natural division between a man's Christian life and his political life." (AP Photo/Greg Smith) Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter tells a gathering, Saturday, Oct. 5, 1974 at the National Press Club in Washington about his ideas concerning energy conservation. (AP Photo) In this Thursday, Aug. 14, 1975 file photo, former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter announces in Washington that he qualified for federal matching funds to help finance his campaign for the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination. Former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter, right, drew about 5,000 people to Youngstown's Federal Plaza in Youngstown, Ohio, in his quest for support in Tuesday's Ohio Democratic primary, June 7, 1976. The presidential hopeful waded into the crowd, shaking hands and signing autographs. Carter, speaking to the largest crowd to assemble during his Ohio campaign, said 1976 would be a Democratic year because of the Watergate aftermath and other national ills. (AP Photo) In this Monday, Aug. 23, 1976 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter gives an informal press conference in Los Angeles during a campaign tour through the West and Midwest. On Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015. (AP Photo) Democratic Presidential nominee Jimmy Carter, left, eats some freshly roasted barbecue chicken with his brother Billy Carter at Billy's gas station, Sept 11, 1976, Plains, Ga. The nominee had returned the night before from a week of campaigning, and planned to hold an impromptu press conference at the gas station. (AP Photo/Jeff Taylor) Democratic presidential nominee, Jimmy Carter, is all smiles as he talks with his brother Billy at the Carter Family Peanut warehouse, September 18, 1976. (AP Photo) Jimmy Carter stands in a large mound of peanuts at the Carter Peanut Warehouse in Plains, Ga., September 22, 1976. The Democratic party presidential nominee took an early morning walk through the warehouse to inspect some of the harvest. (AP Photo) FILE - In this Oct. 6, 1976 file photo with his wife Rosalynn Carter looking on at center, Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter, center left, shakes hands with President Gerald Ford at the conclusion of their debate at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater in San Francisco, Calif. (AP Photo, File) Jimmy Carter, Democratic candidate for president, is joined by his daughter, Amy, as he waves from the rostrum at Fort Worth Convention Center, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 1, 1976. Carter and his family have been campaigning Texas, making a last minute bid for the state's 26 electoral votes. The others are not identified. (AP Photo) U.S. President-elect Jimmy Carter waves to supporters as he is surrounded by family members at a hotel in Atlanta, Ga., on Nov. 3, 1976. Carter won the presidential election by 297 electoral votes to 241 for Ford. Standing next to him is his wife, Rosalynn, and their daughter Amy Lynn, far right. The others are unidentified. (AP Photo) President-elect Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn wipe tears from their eyes after returning to their home town in Plains, Ga., Nov. 3, 1976. The Carter family was greeted by local residents after returning from Atlanta. (AP Photo) President-elect Jimmy Carter leans over to shake hands with some of the people riding the "Peanut Special" to Washington D.C., Jan. 19, 1977. They will travel all night, arriving in Washington in time for Carter's inauguration as President tomorrow. (AP Photo) Jimmy Carter takes the oath of office as the nation's 39th president during inauguration ceremonies in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 1977. Carter's wife, Rosalynn, holds the Bible used in the first inauguration by George Washington as U.S. Chief Justice Warren Burger administers the oath. Looking on at left are, Happy Rockefeller, Betty Ford, Joan Mondale, Amy Carter, and outgoing President Gerald Ford. Behind Carter is Vice President Walter Mondale. At far right is former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller. (AP Photo) Rosalynn Carter, left, looks up at her husband Jimmy Carter as he takes the oath of office as the 39th President of the United States at the Capitol, Thursday, Jan. 20, 1977, Washington, D.C. Mrs. Carter held a family Bible for her husband. (AP Photo) Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter walk down Pennsylvania Avenue after Carter was sworn in as the nations 39th President, Jan. 20, 1977, Washington, D.C. (AP Photo) FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 20, 1977 file photo, President Jimmy Carter waves to the crowd while walking with his wife, Rosalynn, and their daughter, Amy, along Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House following his inauguration in Washington. (AP Photo/Suzanne Vlamis) In this Jan. 24, 1977 file photo, President Jimmy Carter is interviewed in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. In this file photo dated May 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, right, and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II with French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing, at Buckingham Palace in London. In this Feb. 20, 1978, file photo, President Jimmy Carter listens to Sen. Joseph R. Biden, D-Del., as they wait to speak at fund raising reception at Padua Academy in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma, File) President Jimmy Carter tucks his thumbs into his jeans and laughs as he prepares to head down the Salmon River in Idaho August 1978 for a three day rubber raft float. (AP Photo) United States President Jimmy Carter, on a visit to West Germany in 1978, rides with Chancellor Helmut Schmidt during a review of United States Forces at a base near Frankfurt. (AP Photo) Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, left, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, center, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin clasp hands on the north lawn of the White House after signing the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel on March 26, 1979. (AP Photo/ Bob Daugherty) President Jimmy Carter, left, and Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev, right, sign the documents of the SALT II Treaty in the Vienna Imperial Hofburg Palace, Monday, June 18, 1979, Vienna, Austria. President Jimmy Carter leans across the roof of his car to shake hands along the parade route through Bardstown, Ky., Tuesday afternoon, July 31, 1979. The president climbed on top of the car as the parade moved toward the high school gym, where a town meeting was held. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty) In this April 25, 1980 file photo, President Jimmy Carter prepares to make a national television address from the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, on the failed mission to rescue the Iran hostages. President Jimmy Carter applauds as Sen. Edward Kennedy waves to cheering crowds of the Democratic National Convention in New York's Madison Square Garden, Aug. 14, 1980. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty) President Jimmy Carter raises a clenched fist during his address to the Democratic Convention, August 15, 1980, in New York's Madison Square Garden where he accepted his party's nomination to face Republican Ronald Reagan in the general election. (AP Photo/stf) Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy greets President Jimmy Carter after he landed at Boston's Logan Airport, Aug. 21, 1980. President Carter is in Boston to address the American Legion Convention being held in Boston. (AP Photo) President Jimmy Carter, left, and Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas enjoy a chuckle during a rally for Carter in Texarkana, Texas, Oct. 22, 1980. Texarkana was the last stop for Carter on a three-city one-day campaign swing through Texas. (AP Photo/John Duricka) In this Oct. 28, 1980 file photo, President Jimmy Carter shakes hands with Republican Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan after debating in the Cleveland Music Hall in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Madeline Drexler, File) Former US President Jimmy Carter, who had negotiated for the hostages release right up to the last hours of his Presidency, lifts his arm to the crowd, while putting his other hand around the shoulders of a former hostage in Iran, believed to be Bruce Laingen, at US AIR Force Hospital in Wiesbaden, Germany, Wednesday, January 21, 1981. Former Pres. Jimmy Carter, center, is joined by his wife Rosalynn and his brother Billy Carter during session of the Democratic National Convention, Tuesday, July 19, 1988, Atlanta, Ga. Billy had been recently diagnosed with cancer. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty) Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter speaks to newsmen as PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, right, looks on after the two men met in Paris Wednesday, April 4, 1990. Carter said he felt some leaders did not represent the region's yearning for peace. (AP Photo/Pierre Gieizes) Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, center, introduces his wife Rosalynn, right, to Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Jiang Zemin, April 14, 1991 in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Avery) Former President Jimmy Carter gestures at a United Nations news conference in New York, April 23, 1993 about the world conference on Human Rights to be held by the United Nations in Vienna June 14-25. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Former Presidents George Bush, left, and Jimmy Carter, right, stand with President Clinton and wave to volunteers during a kick-off rally for the President's Volunteer Summit at Marcus Foster Stadium in Philladelphia, PA., Sunday morning April 27, 1997. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia) President Bill Clinton presents former President Jimmy Carter, right, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, during a ceremony at the Carter Center in Atlanta Monday, Aug. 9, 1999. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter adjusts his glasses during a press conference in Managua, Nicaragua, Thursday, July 6, 2006. The former president and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner is heading a delegation from the democracy-promoting Carter Center, based at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, to observe preparations for Nicaragua's Nov. 5 presidential election. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix) In this Friday, Dec. 8, 2006 file photo, former President Jimmy Carter signs copies of his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid" at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ric Feld) Former President George H.W. Bush, left, watches as Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton chat during a dedication ceremony for the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, May 31, 2007. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) Former President Jimmy Carter poses for a portrait during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Monday, Sept. 10, 2007. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Former President Jimmy Carter poses on the red carpet for the documentary film, "Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Monday, Sept. 10, 2007. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Former President Jimmy Carter, right, and his wife Rosalynn wave to the audience at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Monday, Aug. 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Former President Jimmy Carter, right, and former first lady Rosalynn Carter are seen on stage at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Monday, Aug. 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Former President Jimmy Carter waves to the crowd as he goes on stage at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Monday, Aug. 25, 2008.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Former President Jimmy Carter, right, is seen with Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) President-elect Barack Obama is welcomed by President George W. Bush for a meeting at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, with former presidents, from left, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) In this photo taken Saturday, May 29, 2010, former South Africa president Nelson Mandela, right, reacts with former US president Jimmy Carter, during a reunion with The Elders, three years after he launched the group, in Johannesburg, South Africa. (AP Photo/Jeff Moore, Pool) Former US President Jimmy Carter, center, one of the delegates of the Elders group of retired prominent world figures, holds a Palestinian child during a visit to the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Menahem Kahana, Pool) Former President Jimmy Carter, 86, leads Habitat for Humanity volunteers to help build and repair houses in Washington's Ivy City neighborhood, Monday, Oct. 4, 2010. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 22, 2010 file photo, former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson, background right, looks at former U.S. president, Jimmy Carter, center, while visiting a weekly protest in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The protest was organized by groups supporting Palestinians evicted from their homes in east Jerusalem by Israeli authorities. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, his wife, Rosalynn, and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan conclude a visit to a polling center the southern capital of Juba Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Pete Muller) Former President Jimmy Carter signs his name in the guest book at the Jewish Community center in Havana, Cuba, Monday March 28, 2011. Carter arrived in Cuba to discuss economic policies and ways to improve Washington-Havana relations, which are even more tense than usual over the imprisonment of Alan Gross, a U.S. contractor, on the island. C (AP Photo/Adalberto Roque, Pool) Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter pauses during an interview as he and his wife Rosalynn visit a Habitat for Humanity project in Leogane, Haiti, Monday Nov. 7, 2011. The Carters joined volunteers from around the world to build 100 homes in partnership with earthquake-affected families in Haiti during a week-long Habitat for Humanity housing project. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, sits prior to a meeting with Israel's President Shimon Peres at the President's residence in Jerusalem, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012. Peres met two of 'The Elders', a group composed of eminent global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter watches baseball players work out before Game 2 of the National League Division Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Friday, Oct. 4, 2013, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) Former President Jimmy Carter speaks during a forum at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014. Among other topics, Carter discussed his new book, "A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power." (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) President Jimmy Carter, left, and Rosalynn Carter arrive at the 2015 MusiCares Person of the Year event at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) In this July 10, 2015, file photo, former President Jimmy Carter is seen in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) In a Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015 file photo, former President Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday School class at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown, in Plains, Ga. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) Former President Jimmy Carter answers questions during a news conference at a Habitat for Humanity building site Monday, Nov. 2, 2015, in Memphis, Tenn. Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, have volunteered a week of their time annually to Habitat for Humanity since 1984, events dubbed "Carter work projects" that draw thousands of volunteers and take months of planning. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) Former President Bill Clinton, left, and former president Jimmy Carter shake hands after speaking at a Clinton Global Initiative meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter holds a morning devotion in Memphis, Tenn., on Monday, Aug. 22, 2016, before he and his wife Rosalynn help build a home for Habitat for Humanity. (AP Photo/Alex Sanz) Former president Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter arrive during the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) In this Feb. 8, 2017, file photo, former President Jimmy Carter speaks during a ribbon cutting ceremony for a solar panel project on farmland he owns in his hometown of Plains, Ga. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) Former President George W. Bush, center, speaks as fellow former Presidents from right, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter look on during a hurricanes relief concert in College Station, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. All five living former U.S. presidents joined to support a Texas concert raising money for relief efforts from Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria's devastation in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (AP Photo/LM Otero) Former President Jimmy Carter, 93, sits for an interview about his new book "Faith: A Journey For All" which will debut at no. 7 on the New York Times best sellers list, pictured before a book signing Wednesday, April 11, 2018, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis) Former President Jimmy Carter speaks as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams listens during a news conference to announce Abrams' rural health care plan Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018, in Plains, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) Former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter are seen ahead of an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) Former President Jimmy Carter takes questions submitted by students during an annual Carter Town Hall held at Emory University Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis) Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, left, meets with former President Jimmy Carter, center, at Buffalo Cafe in Plains, Ga., Sunday, March 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) In this Nov. 3, 2019, file photo, former President Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga. FILE - Former President Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church, in Plains, Ga., Nov. 3, 2019. Well-wishes and fond remembrances for the former president continued to roll in Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, a day after he entered hospice care at his home in Georgia. (AP Photo/John Amis, File) Former President Jimmy Carter, arrives to attend a tribute service for his wife and former first lady Rosalynn Carter, at Glenn Memorial Church, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Former President Jimmy Carter arrives for the funeral service for his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in Plains, Ga. The former first lady died on Nov. 19. She was 96. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) A sign wishing former President Jimmy Carter a happy 100th birthday sits on the North Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.It was during one of his explorations that Guge stumbled upon a hidden gem—a quaint teahouse nestled in a quiet courtyard, where time seemed to slow down and the aroma of freshly brewed tea filled the air. As he sipped on a fragrant cup of oolong, he felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him, transporting him back to the sun-drenched vineyards of his homeland.

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One day, you’re an all-powerful CEO, star wife, and mother, and the next day you're eating out of your young intern’s hand, quite literally. How is this contradiction possible, if it is a contradiction at all? The answer for both Nicole Kidman’s character in Halina Reijn’s film Babygirl and for many others who identify as BDSM submissives lies in the elusive concept of subspace: a metaphorical space and altered state one submits to during a kink scene, thanks to arousal and exchange of consent. The notion is very new to Romy Mathis (Kidman, whose performance won her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at this year's Venice Film Festival). She's the sharply dressed big boss with her hair always pinned up, until she meets Samuel (Harris Dickinson): a much younger, cocky, and borderline rude intern wearing a suit twice his size, filling it with ego. Romy finds herself trembling when Samuel controls a stray dog about to jump on her in the street with a mere whistle and a nod. From this seemingly passing interaction, the flows of her desire steer the narrative into the unknown waters of ambivalent wants and surrender, as Romy and Samuel begin an affair based on the exploration of dominance and submission. "Scene" and its double meaning Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson in "Babygirl." According to Lina Dune , kink educator and host of the Ask a Sub podcast , a Dominant/submissive (D/s) relationship affords "a ritual space," where equal, consenting adults negotiate, establish boundaries and safe words, and create "a container where things can transform and alchemize." The set-up is called a "scene" and within the kink scene, the submissive can experience subspace. In theatre, cinema, or kink, we associate the word "scene" with a curated experience and performance. Speaking to Mashable, director Halina Reijn champions this dual meaning, adding that for her, Babygirl is about performing. "Of course, in a BDSM setting, there’s a lot of performing," she says, "but sex in general can also be very performative." As a result, this theme informed the script and conversations with Kidman, becoming an instrument to explore the character's authentic self. "Romy thinks she has to perform the perfect mother, lover, wife, leader," says Reijn, "and we are all a little bit like that — what we forget to do is be ourselves and accept whoever we are." But what makes Babygirl stand out is that it shows dominance and submission as a process of negotiation, trial and error, rather than a textbook example or a polished act. Babygirl ’s kink scenes feel real and inviting because they lay bare the mechanisms in the inner workings of control exchange. In each scene, Samuel umms and ahhs, trails off, laughs in the middle of his commands, while Romy is shown to resist, back out, and change her mind. For the actors, this means an extra layer of performance that incorporates flippancy and respect for consent; for the viewer it means relatability. Not every scene is a "scene" but subspace is a space Subspace is a term used within the D/s and BDSM communities, according to Dune, to talk about "the altered state that comes about through the experience of submission." She insists that it is a wide category that encompasses individual experiences that may differ from one another, like that of intoxication or alcohol intake, for example. Scientifically , the state is a reaction to adrenaline, oxytocin, and endorphins rushing into the brain, but what does subspace feel like? Dune explains that for some people it may be "a floaty, dreamy, quiet disconnected feeling," while others might giggle or cry. "I like to refer to it as 'getting high on your own supply,'" she says, "because you're not on anything, but the experience of crossing over a taboo." Thinking of cinematic representations of liminal states — hallucinations ( Enter the Void ), drug-induced trips ( Queer ), or drunkenness ( Another Round ) — perhaps film is the most suitable medium to portray a subjective, heightened state of mind. The key is in the spatial metaphor: one "goes into" or "inhabits" a space. Unlike other films, Babygirl doesn’t rely on classical point-of-view shots showing a dizzy, spell-binding world seen through the protagonist's eyes. Instead, the handheld work of Reijn’s long-time collaborator, cinematographer Jasper Wolf is more subtle. Lights, camera, submission! Halfway through the film, Romy and Samuel decide to meet at a cheap hotel. No wonder, their affair belongs to clandestine spaces, the four walls of every office, bathroom stall, and hired bedroom swelling with desire. When it’s just the two of them, they can be free from the outside world’s demands. In that sequence, Romy storms out and comes back, Samuel wrestles her to the ground, and their power dynamics become a source of play: a scene begins. The camera sinks down with her, framing her face in a close-up, while Samuel becomes a blur in the background: where he touches her and how is not as important as Romy’s reactions. Discussing that part of the film, Wolf tells Mashable that the camera is like a third character in the room with them. Instead of story-boarding the shots, he would film long, single takes to capture the erotic flow of power exchange. The camera often remains still and fixed on Romy, letting the viewer accompany her throughout the cascade of emotions coloring her face with arousal: from surprise through shame to blissful release, we partake in her surrender. "It's like an honest and sometimes relentless gaze on what is going to happen between the two," he says. Coordinating subspace Why can’t words accurately describe subspace? "If we lived in a matriarchal utopia, perhaps we would have more words for it," jokes Dune. But in today’s individualistic Western world, she points out that people "are expected to actualize themselves in a way that’s masculine-coded. Submission, in contrast, is understood to be very vulnerable which is more female-coded." In cinema, pop culture, or daily life, the derogatory stereotype for men in power who want to be dominated and/or humiliated is often presented as a point of humor. Admitting a submissive desire costs a lot: "I'll receive at least one phone call per week from someone who says they want to be a sub, but stress on the fact that they are not submissive in their day-to-day life," says Dune. What’s novel about Babygirl is that not only does it show the characters’ vulnerability, but also how much they are willing to reveal to one another. In cinematographic terms, this exchange of consent is translated by panning movements linking Romy and Samuel's faces as they look at each other. "Put simply," says Wolf, "the camera is often a representation of her inner world: it becomes more free and fearless alongside Romy." On set, the cast and production team worked with intimacy coordinator Lizzy Talbot ( No Hard Feelings , Dead Ringers ) to ensure there were no surprises. Dickinson, who had previously worked with Talbot on the TV series A Murder at the End of the World , underscored the importance of clear communication. "If you approach [sex] scenes with too much trepidation and sensitivity, it can be anxiety inducing; you need an intimacy coordinator to be very direct and pragmatic about it," he tells Mashable's Anna Iovine . Reijn also brainstormed with Talbot when writing the intimacy scenes, saying that the work with a coordinator "goes much further than just being on set with her." Facing subspace Later in the film, there is a second hotel room scene, where Samuel "directs" Romy from across the lavish suite. He commands her to strip, tells her where to put her hands and how to pose. Even when both are naked, the camera doesn’t linger on the nudity of their bodies, but their faces. When sharing subspace, they see each other anew, and their newfound intimacy translates into the visuals. To channel the ebb and flow, Wolf used a mix of camera lenses, shifting between spherical and anamorphic. As for the visible effect, "it’s not in your face and it shouldn’t be," he says, "but a slight change of perspective [makes you] suddenly see them with different eyes." The game of letting your guard down plays out on their faces. Unlike films like Steven Shainberg's Secretary, which relates submissive kink to trauma, Babygirl succeeds in telegraphing to a wider audience the message that these are real people, and their desires — even when dangerous to their status quo — don’t have to be as destructive or severely punished. "The BDSM community,” says Dune in relation to Secretary, "wants to see more empowered people portrayed as submissive and break that stereotype." But she is optimistic: "I think we’re getting closer to better representation of BDSM on screen. Obviously, I would be a lot more excited about films that hire sex workers as consultants, but for example, a film like Sanctuary had less research done into the BDSM community, but what I saw on screen rang true to me." Dune admits that she doesn’t expect education from cinema, or at least not the kind that sex and kink educators like herself offer, adding that "film should be about fantasy." By setting Babygirl’ s subspace explorations against a corporate, hetero-mono-normative backdrop, Reijn also makes a political point. However ephemeral, subspace is a consent-bound altered state that resists categorization. Perhaps a way for some of us to survive the capitalist hell is to surrender — to desires or to films like Babygirl — and take Dune’s advice: "Let the film dominate you." Babygirl is now showing in cinemas.

Mexico's president discussed migration and drug trafficking with US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday -- two issues he had raised as justification for raising import tariffs on America's southern neighbor. Claudia Sheinbaum said she had had "an excellent conversation" with Trump, just hours after her economy minister warned that the cost to US companies of Trump's tariffs would be "huge." "We discussed Mexico's strategy regarding the phenomenon of migration," Sheinbaum said on X, adding she had told Trump that caravans of migrants "are not arriving at the northern border because they are being attended to in Mexico." They also discussed "strengthening collaboration on security issues" as well as "the campaign we are conducting in the country to prevent the consumption of fentanyl," the president said. Trump on Monday said he would impose tariffs of 25 percent on Mexican and Canadian imports and 10 percent on goods from China. "This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social page. The Republican, who won an election in which illegal migration was a top issue, has vowed to declare a national emergency on border security and use the US military to carry out a mass deportation of undocumented migrants. Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Wednesday some "400,000 jobs will be lost" in the United States if Trump followed through on his threat. He cited a study based on figures from US carmakers that manufacture in Mexico. - 'A shot in the foot' - Ebrard said the tariffs would also hit US consumers hard, citing the US market for pickup trucks -- most of which are manufactured in Mexico. The tariffs, the minister said, would add $3,000 to the cost of a new vehicle. "The impact of this measure will chiefly be felt by consumers in the United States... That is why we say that it would be a shot in the foot," Ebrard told reporters, speaking alongside Sheinbaum at her regular morning conference. Mexico and China have been particularly vociferous in their opposition to Trump's threats of a trade war from day one of his second presidential term, which begins on January 20. Sheinbaum has declared the threats "unacceptable" and pointed out that Mexico's drug cartels exist mainly to serve drug use in the United States. China has warned that "no one will win a trade war." During his first term as president, Trump launched full-blown trade hostilities with Beijing, imposing significant tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese goods. China responded with retaliatory tariffs on American products, particularly affecting US farmers. The United States, Mexico and Canada are tied to a three-decade-old largely duty-free trade agreement, called the USMCA, that was renegotiated under Trump after he complained that US businesses, especially automakers, were losing out. jla/cb/mlr/bjtIt was December 2, 1805. The fields of Austerlitz were cloaked in fog. Napoleon Bonaparte outnumbered and ostensibly retreating, faced the combined might of the Austrian and Russian imperial armies. The Allies believed they had him cornered. They saw the French emperor’s lines thinning and his forces retreating from a key high ground, the Pratzen Heights. Sensing an opportunity, they charged forward, confident that victory was within their grasp. Yet, what unfolded next would shatter their hopes. As the Allies surged, Napoleon unleashed a meticulously planned counteroffensive, splitting their forces and driving thousands of soldiers onto a frozen lake. When French artillery rained cannonballs onto the fragile ice, it gave way, and entire regiments plunged into the freezing waters below. Austerlitz, later immortalized as the “Battle of the Three Emperors,” was not just a triumph of force but of strategy, deception, and preparation. Fast forward to the 21st century, and the fog of war has moved from battlefields to boardrooms and global markets. The U.S.-China trade war is a modern-day Austerlitz, where tariffs and currency maneuvers have replaced cannonballs and cavalry charges. In 2018, when Donald Trump levied tariffs on Chinese goods, it was an ambush reminiscent of the Allied assault on Napoleon’s ostensibly weakened forces. Trump saw an opening to weaken China’s economic dominance. He expected the tariffs to leave China vulnerable. Initially, the move appeared to succeed. China’s exports faltered, its stock markets stumbled, and Beijing scrambled to contain the damage. But, like Napoleon retreating to draw his enemies into a trap, China was not as vulnerable as it seemed. Over the years, China has hardened its economic defenses, just as Napoleon meticulously prepared his army before Austerlitz. President Xi Jinping’s government has shifted its trade strategies to flood emerging markets with exports, ensuring a broader base of demand. By devaluing the yuan, Beijing made Chinese goods cheaper abroad, effectively neutralizing the tariffs’ impact. This currency manipulation acted like Napoleon’s cannon fire on the ice, destabilizing U.S. manufacturers and forcing global competitors to operate on China’s terms. The infamous “China price” has become a weapon as potent as any artillery barrage, undercutting rivals and consolidating Beijing’s control over key industries. Much like Napoleon’s use of terrain, China has exploited the dynamics of the global economy to its advantage. Trump, for all his strengths and his admirable vision back toward a more just, sustainable U.S. economy, finds himself in a position not unlike the Allies at Austerlitz – overextended and overly confident in its initial moves. The belief that tariffs alone could cripple China underestimated Beijing’s resilience and capacity for adaptation. Chinese leaders, like Napoleon, understand the importance of timing and preparation. They have avoided direct confrontation, opting instead for a strategy of attrition, flooding global markets with inexpensive goods and undercutting U.S. industries. Meanwhile, the devaluation of the yuan functions as a defensive maneuver, absorbing economic shocks and allowing Chinese exporters to remain competitive despite the tariffs. But the parallels between Austerlitz and the trade war extend beyond strategy. They also give us critical lessons about the risks of hubris and the power of long-term planning. Napoleon’s genius lay not only in his military tactics but in his ability to see several moves ahead, anticipating and exploiting the overconfidence of his enemies. Similarly, China’s strategy demonstrates a long view of economic warfare, one that prioritizes resilience and adaptability over immediate victories. By diversifying its trade partners and pouring national resources into its manufacturing base, Beijing has created a buffer against the economic pressures imposed by Washington. The United States, on the other hand, risks repeating the Allies’ mistakes. Overreliance on the dollar’s dominance, combined with political and economic fragmentation at home, has left Trump vulnerable to counterattacks. Just as the Allies underestimated Napoleon’s ability to strike decisively, Trump has underestimated China’s capacity to absorb blows and retaliate in ways that reshape the global economic landscape. The fog of economic war cloaks the real strengths and weaknesses of each side, making it all the more crucial to understand the dynamics at play. At Austerlitz, Napoleon turned the tide of battle with a single decisive move – the destruction of the ice-bound lake that swallowed thousands of Allied soldiers. This dramatic moment was memorably recreated in Ridley Scott’s 2023 film Napoleon. Scott showed the unpredictable, surprising nature of warfare. Similarly, in the trade war, a single misstep – whether a poorly calibrated tariff, an underappreciation of China’s control over supply chains, or a financial crisis – could shatter the fragile balance of power. Both sides are vying for dominance in a global economy that increasingly resembles the thin ice of that fateful battlefield. What if Napoleon could give strategic advice to Trump? Let’s imagine. First, he would likely stress the importance of understanding the opponent’s true strengths and weaknesses. Just as Napoleon studied the terrain and movements of his enemies, Trump must conduct a comprehensive assessment of China’s economic vulnerabilities and strengths rather than relying on outdated assumptions. Second, Napoleon would advise against overextension. He understood that no force, no matter how powerful, can win if it spreads itself too thin. For Trump, this means focusing on shoring up his own economic foundations – investing in domestic manufacturing, securing critical supply chains, and strengthening alliances with other nations to counterbalance China’s global influence. Trump also risks spreading himself too thin if he spends his time and attention encouraging financial market bubbles that risk misallocating scarce capital. Finally, Napoleon would emphasize the importance of timing and decisive strikes. Just as he waited for the perfect moment to counterattack at Austerlitz, Trump must be patient and deliberate in his strategy. Will tariffs with thousands of Commerce Department exemptions be a decisive strike? Or will China view them as bluffs, based on the 2018 experience, as it sets up shell companies in Vietnam and Mexico? It’s hard for me to imagine tariffs being successful in achieving Trump’s goals without at least temporary pain and restructuring in the way many global companies do business. Finally, Napoleon might remind Trump, “Never invade Russia, or shoot missiles at it, in the winter... or in the spring, for that matter.” Although Trump, unlike Joe Biden, long ago realized that extending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, rather than urging peace talks, is one of the most tragic, wasteful, and stupid decisions in history. Editor’s note: Members of Jim Rickards’ Strategic Intelligence Pro can read the rest of Dan’s research, along with the accompanying stock pick, here.De'Vondre Campbell's mid-game quitting overshadowed the 49ers' offensive woes

Edmonton, Dec. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) is pleased to announce that Paul Wynnyk, CMM, MSM, CD, P.Eng., has been selected as its new registrar & CEO (RCEO), effective April 1, 2025. Wynnyk brings a wealth of experience serving the public, spanning four decades in the Canadian Armed Forces and with the Government of Alberta. Wynnyk holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, was commissioned into the Canadian Military Engineers in 1986 and currently serves as the acting deputy minister of Executive Council for the Government of Alberta. “I am honoured to join APEGA as its next registrar & CEO, and I am grateful to be selected for this role where I may continue serving the public interest,” says Wynnyk. “APEGA has a proud history of regulating the engineering and geoscience professions in Alberta, and I am dedicated to ensuring we maintain the high standards that have been built over the past century.” Wynnyk was selected after an extensive search by an executive search firm and a thorough review by an APEGA Council task force. The task force began its work in April 2024 when current RCEO Jay Nagendran, P.Eng., FCAE, ICD.D, FEC, FGC (Hon.), announced his upcoming retirement. “I am proud of what Jay has accomplished in his tenure of almost eight years as registrar & CEO of APEGA,” says APEGA President Tracey Stock, KC, P.Eng., PhD, FEC, FGC (Hon.). “On behalf of council and as the task force chair, it has been a pleasure working with Jay, and we wish him well on his upcoming retirement. I also thank the council task force for finding such an outstanding successor. With Paul’s background as a professional engineer, a dedicated public servant, and an accomplished leader, APEGA will be in capable hands.” -30- BIOGRAPHY, PAUL WYNNYK, CMM, MSM, CD, P.ENG. Paul Wynnyk currently serves as the acting deputy minister of Executive Council with the Government of Alberta, and previously served as the deputy minister for several other ministries, including Health, Intergovernmental Relations and Municipal Affairs. Before joining the government, he served as an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces for more than 38 years, rising to the rank of lieutenant-general. Along with tours and commands overseas in Afghanistan, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Germany, he held numerous high-level positions in Canada, including command of the Canadian Army and vice-chief of the defence staff. Born in Edmonton and raised in Breton, Alberta, Wynnyk attended Royal Roads Military College and the Royal Military College of Canada. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and master’s degrees in war studies and business administration. ABOUT APEGA As the regulator of engineering and geoscience in Alberta for more than 100 years, APEGA continues to drive the province forward with courage and innovation. We are the largest regulator of self-regulated professionals in Western Canada, with nearly 70,000 registrants who safeguard the public welfare and contribute significantly to Alberta’s economic success and quality of life. Attachments APEGA Names Paul Wynnyk, P.Eng., as New Registrar & CEO Paul Wynnyk, P.Eng., New APEGA Registrar & CEOTrump's lawyers rebuff DA's idea for upholding his hush money convictionTweet Facebook Mail Luigi Mangione, the clean-cut 26-year-old accused of killing UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson in New York City, has gained a fervent fan base of social media users hailing him as a hero and a heartthrob. The New York Police Department released surveillance images of the man they suspect had brazenly killed Thompson on a busy street in Midtown Manhattan on December 3 as part of their five-day manhunt across several states. They appealed to the public for their assistance but, instead, the pictures set off an internet frenzy of users complimenting his appearance. READ MORE:  Australian teen 'stabbed to death' in Thailand A man alleged to be Luigi Mangione smiles in surveillance footage released after the shooting. (AP) "He was just demonstrating the true power of having 'looks that could kill'. The only thing criminal is his bone structure," one user said. Officials revealed the words "depose", "deny" and "delay" had been written on bullet casings found at the scene, which seemingly point to Jay Feinman's book Delay, Deny, Defend on tactics used by insurers to deny claims. A tip earlier this week led police to arrest Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a prominent family who is believed to have targeted Thompson. His motive remains unknown. This photo provided by Pennsylvania State Police shows Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, at the police station in Altoona, Pennsylvnia after his arrest. (AP) Despite now facing a murder charge, the public has been overwhelmingly supportive and even branded him a hero in light of criticisms of the country's healthcare system. Mangione's lawyer, Tom Dickey, told CNN that some people had even offered to help pay his legal fees. "He went against private health insurance corporations is what he did ... And in this house, Luigi Mangione is a hero, end of story," one user said, summing up much of the sentiment online. Another said: "The main difference being Luigi Mangione allegedly killed one person while the Insurance CEO killed thousands of people for profit." READ MORE:  Gasps as notorious killer 'excluded' from DNA evidence A report by the Network Contagion Research Institute recorded a surge of highly engaged social media posts glorifying the incident with six of the top 10 posts expressing explicit or implicit support for the killing. "The thing that's odd about about this case is that you've got someone who's committed a horrible crime and yet he seems to have this positive image," Monash University senior media lecturer Andy Ruddock told 9news.com.au. Ruddock said the link between Mangione's support and the frustration of the US healthcare industry is undeniable and pointed to the phrase "desk killers", which refers to someone who indirectly assists in killings through clerical tasks. "People have felt comfortable being as callous as the health industry appears to be," he said. "It does seem to me that people are kind of saying, 'We know what we're doing and this is why we're doing it', and it's also become an event around which people are quite clearly talking about the savageness of the denial of healthcare." READ MORE:  Young Australians have highest rates of bowel cancer in the world Luigi Mangione is escorted into Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Gary M. Baranec) UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson was shot dead as he walked to an investor conference in Manhattan. (UnitedHealth Group) Ruddock said that Mangione's popularity could also be explained by the historical glamorisation of vigilantes and killers, as well as the media storytelling and interest around figures like Robin Hood, Bonnie and Clyde and Ted Bundy. "If you think about someone like Ted Bundy, where people would talk about this serial killer who nevertheless had this curious charm, there are a lot of similarities there because we're talking about someone most people thought was a good-looking guy, well-educated," he said. "We have a number of mythic stereotypes. (Mangione) makes sense from those points of view and then we have the social media use being layered over the top of that." Mangione's looks and Ivy League background have only added to his appeal, Ruddock said. "It's breaking expectations about who would commit these sorts of crimes," he said. READ MORE:  'Human trash': Vandals target police memorial site Ruddock said these types of alleged killings represent a "reversal of power" of someone who may appear to be "untouchable", adding that there is an increased approval for violence if it is exercised for political reasons. "If we think about Trump returning to the presidency, what do we see there? We see political violence being rewarded. There's the insurrection of January the 6th," he said. "It's different directions but the same type of logic." But the reality is that an act of violence occurred and a man is dead, Ruddock said.  "There's the reality and the reality of the way it is being narrated," he said. Luigi Mangione in arrest photos supplied by US police. (Nine) The case has been polarising, according to Altoona Deputy Police Chief Derek Swope, who said his officers have been receiving threats from the community.  Mangione is facing charges in New York and extradition from his jail cell in Pennsylvania.  Social media users are now providing false alibis for Mangione, only fuelling his support. Timeline of a manhunt: How police tracked down alleged CEO assassin View Gallery DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP : Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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Murray – who retired after the summer Olympics at the age of 37 after finally admitting defeat in his battle against his body – will join the Serbian’s team in the off-season and coach him through the opening grand slam of 2025. It will see the Scot surprisingly join forces with the man who was his biggest nemesis during his long career, especially in Australia where he lost to Djokovic in four finals. Murray, who beat Djokovic to win the US Open in 2012 and Wimbledon in 2013, says he wants to help the 24-time grand slam champion achieve his goals. He never liked retirement anyway. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Ga4UlV2kQW — Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) November 23, 2024 “I’m going to be joining Novak’s team in the off-season, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open, he said. “I’m really excited for it and looking forward to spending time on the same side of the net as Novak for a change, helping him to achieve his goals.” Djokovic, a week younger than his new coach, added: “I am excited to have one of my greatest rivals on the same side of the net, as my coach. “Looking forward to start of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on the Australian soil.” In posting a teaser about the appointment on social media, Djokovic said: “He never liked retirement anyway.” He then added: “We played each other since we were boys, 25 years of pushing each other to our limits. We had some of the most epic battles in in our sport. They called us gamechangers, risk takers, history makers. “I thought our story may be over. Turns out it has one final chapter. It’s time for one of my toughest opponents to step into my corner. Welcome aboard coach, Andy Murray.” Djokovic beat Murray in the 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016 Australian Open finals while also losing in the French Open final in 2016. It was his pursuit of toppling Djokovic at the top of the rankings in 2016 which was a precursor to his 2017 hip injury which derailed Murray’s career. Djokovic, who split with coach Goran Ivanisevic earlier this year, hopes that adding Murray to his team will help him get back to the top of the game as he went through a calendar year without winning a grand slam for the first time since 2017. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have developed a stranglehold at the top of the men’s game and Djokovic, who has seen Murray, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal all retire in recent years, is still hoping to move clear of the record 24 grand slams he shares with Margaret Court.

Donald Trump is reportedly planning to go after the career prosecutors who worked under special counsel Jack Smith in the two federal cases against him — which legal experts have called a gross violation of precedent . But at least one Republican senator is laying the groundwork to cheerlead Trump's move, according to MSNBC's Steve Benen. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said on last weekend's "Meet the Press," that "First and foremost, the people involved with this should be fired immediately," and that those prosecutors investigated Trump "because they didn’t like his politics," noted Benen. Schmitt did not provide evidence for his statement. This is somewhat in line with what Trump's team has pushed, Benen wrote, with his incoming press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying, “President Trump campaigned on firing rogue bureaucrats who have engaged in the illegal weaponization of our American justice system, and the American people can expect he will deliver on that promise. One of the many reasons that President Trump won the election in a landslide is Americans are sick and tired of seeing their tax dollars spent on targeting the Biden-Harris Administration’s political enemies rather than going after real violent criminals in our streets.” ALSO READ: Merrick Garland and his 'Justice' Department should never be forgiven Everything in this statement is wrong, Benen continued. "Members of the special counsel’s team aren’t 'rogue bureaucrats'; they’re law enforcement professionals who pursued highly credible criminal cases based on voluminous evidence. Meanwhile, there’s literally no evidence of 'illegal weaponization of our American justice system' — at least not from the last four years ." Additionally, Trump's win wasn't a "landslide" — just a narrow plurality — and crime has fallen under the Biden administration. Schmitt's endorsement of the plan, however, is a sign that Republicans in Congress aren't likely to be a check on how Trump interferes with the Justice Department, Benen concluded. Indeed, he wrote, Schmitt's language shows he "sees law enforcement as the bad guys in this story, and the defendant as the victim." "Keep this in mind if/when the incoming president starts targeting Smith’s colleagues early next year," he said.War goes online In today’s interconnected world, national security has ceased to revolve solely around armoured tanks, advanced missiles and formidable fighter jets. A hushed warzone is unfolding where wars are certainly fought, not anymore with guns and conventional weapons, but with malevolent algorithms and programmes. The dilemma becomes: Is Pakistan geared up and equipped to protect itself in this new nickelodeon of warfare? Unfortunately, the answer is a full-throated no. While we rush headlong into cyber age, Pakistan’s readiness to counter cyber threats continues to be alarmingly insufficient, putting the nation’s crown jewels in jeopardy by exposing them to breaches omnipotent to paralyze its economy, undermine its sovereignty and disrupt the fate of millions. Imagine opening you eyes one fine day and there is a blackout, banks cannot carry out transactions and the government’s sensitive information has fallen into the clutches of the enemy. This is not a snapshot from the silver screen but an unsettling reality which looms large and nations across the world have often come across. In 2021, fuel supplies across the East Coast in the USA were halted for approximately five days as a result of a ransomware cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline by a hacker group known as DarkSide. This incident shook one of the world’s most advanced economies. If a powerful nation like the USA is a sitting duck to such nefarious attacks, where do we stand? Can Pakistan manage to pay a ransom to cybercriminals if it falls prey to a large-scale cyberattack? What if our defense systems and critical infrastructure become captives? Pakistan is no stranger to cyberattacks. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) encountered a cyberattack in October 2023, on account of an outdated Microsoft Hyper-V software, resulting in a 72-hour outage of its websites. In addition, the recent power blackout in January 2023 also gives testimony of Pakistan’s power sector’s vulnerability to potential cybersecurity breaches. Pakistan’s banking sector is also in the lion’s den. From January to October 2024, Kaspersky reported a 114 per cent increase in banking and financial malware attacks compared to the same period in the previous year. This is just the tip of the iceberg in an era where states and non-state actors alike have resorted to cyberattacks as a sought-after weapon to bring their sinister objectives to fruition. Pakistan has made significant progress by elevating its position to the top-tier of the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) in 2024. Yet the country’s digital susceptibility is akin to leaving the front door wide open and providing an enemy a foothold. The evolving and complex nature of cyber technology necessitates a top-priority adaptive approach, one that is nimble enough to deal with the labyrinth of cyber technology and robust enough to weather the storm of fluxing cyberattacks. Pakistan’s cybersecurity endeavors are hamstrung by a shoestring budget and a skeleton cadre of well-trained professionals. The incumbent strategies like National Cybersecurity Policy 2021 and Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) although well-intentioned and lay the groundwork are often lackluster in their implementation. Moreover, Pakistan allocates a needle in the haystack for its cybersecurity and its commitment towards cybersecurity is akin to patch a leaky roof with a band-aid, too thin to manage the storm of ever-evolving cyber challenges, in contrast to its neighbors who pour billions to shield their digital borders. The country’s digital infrastructure is significantly exposed and its approach to respond to cyberattacks has often been reactive rather than proactive. The repercussions of cold-shouldering cybersecurity are far-flung. One cyber-attack can block the functioning of the entire country, percolating through the economy, critical infrastructure and national defence, ultimately eroding public trust. Cyber-espionage can disrupt military operations by accessing classified intel and even by exploiting or destroying key technological assets. Our defence systems and once-formidable weapons can be transformed into paperweights by a single perfectly timed strike. Pakistan, embroiled in a tumultuous and fragile political landscape, has already succumbed to disinformation campaigns prevalent on social media fomenting discord and exacerbating existing political and sectarian divisions, making it difficult for denizens to distinguish between the reality and falsehood. Can we choose to gamble with the nations’ stability? After all, in Pakistan, beggars can’t be choosers– inaction and over-caution are luxuries we can’t afford. As the saying goes “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Pakistan must adopt a proactive and an all-encompassing approach to guard its digital borders. The country should opt for a unified Cyber-Command which can serve as a centralized body integrating all branches of military (Navy, Air Force, Army). This command would function as an epicentre for supervising cyber operations, strengthening both sword and shield in the dynamic sphere of offensive and defensive cyber warfare, and stand in as a swift-response task force to counteract cyber threats instantaneously. In addition, cyber ranges where recruits can practically pursue cyberwarfare simulations and drills must be developed. Our military doctrine must fully incorporate cybersecurity to establish a formidable and preemptive cyber deterrence frontline, making a bold statement about Pakistan’s commitment and readiness to protect its physical and virtual borders. Apart from military measures, the country must set an apt and skilled cyber-force as the North Star. Our youth should not only be armed with laptops but with necessary skills to shield the fortress of the homeland in times of need. A synergistic cooperation between public and private sectors can foment innovation and threat intel sharing. Laws like PECA should be strengthened and new legal frameworks akin to cybersecurity must be adopted, agile enough to keep pace with the fickle terrain of cyberspace. It must also be ensured that implementation of these laws proves to be efficient and seamless, with rapid-response forces always on watch in case of a breach. Pakistan should also spearhead international cybersecurity pursuits and align with countries which can equip us with requisite tools and expertise to advance our digital defence as in an increasingly integrated environment, solo efforts wont bear fruit. Cybersecurity is not exclusively the onus of the government; it’s a woven tapestry where each and every individual has a duty. The need of the hour goes beyond protection of the systems. Cultivation of a culture of consciousness and vigilance is the pressing requirement. Our educational curricula should be “cybered”. Educational institutions can play a significant role by incorporating cyber-optimized literacy courses and initiatives. The print and social media can be equally utilized to spread the word about the importance of cybersecurity. A cognizant and vigilant youth would not only make informed decisions but will trailblaze the future of this digital battlefield. Another key aspect is the lack of investment. A skinflinty and overly frugal approach will be the harbinger of devastating consequences. An unforeseen successful cyber strike could drain millions, not to speak of the loss of trust and credibility. Investing in cybersecurity might appear extravagant at the moment but the cost of complacency is going to be much more pronounced. It’s the beginning of the end. Today, cybersecurity is as important to national security as traditional defence. The world is moving in a new dimension where future wars will be fought in the virtual realm, not on conventional battlegrounds. Pakistan must act promptly or risk falling victim to this hushed battle. Will Pakistan answer the call of duty or will it remain a sitting duck? The countdown has begun and the choice is ours. Let’s pick wisely. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

The New Orleans Pelicans (5-27) will attempt to break a nine-game losing streak when they host the Los Angeles Clippers (18-13) on December 30, 2024 at Smoothie King Center. Watch the NBA, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up. Catch NBA action all season long on Fubo. Get tickets for this game at StubHub . Sign up for NBA League Pass to get access to games, live and on-demand, and more for the entire season and offseason. Looking for officially licensed NBA gear? Fanatics has jerseys, hats, apparel, memorabilia, trading cards, collectibles and more. Catch NBA action all season long on Max. Watch ESPN originals, The Last Dance and more NBA content on ESPN+. Use our link to sign up for ESPN+ or the Disney bundle.SAN DIEGO , Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nuvve Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: NVVE) ("Nuvve" or "the Company") would like its shareholders to vote in its upcoming Special Meeting of Stockholders ("Special Meeting") on January 13, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern ( 11:00 am Pacific) Time. The methods for voting and submitting proxies are described in the distributed proxy materials for the Special Meeting. The record date for the Special Meeting is December 6, 2024 . For assistance with voting your shares, please contact Advantage Proxy, Inc. toll-free at 1-877-870-8565 or by e-mail at ksmith@advantageproxy.com . Nuvve asks that all shareholders vote their proxy, no matter how many shares they own. Nuvve strongly encourages all its shareholders to read the company's definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on December 16, 2025 (the "Proxy Statement"), which are available free of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov . About Nuvve Nuvve (Nasdaq: NVVE) is a global technology leader accelerating the electrification of transportation through its proprietary vehicle-to-grid (V2G) platform. Nuvve's mission is to lower the cost of electric vehicle ownership while supporting the integration of renewable energy sources, including solar and wind. For more information, please visit nuvve.com . Nuvve Investor Contact investorrelations@nuvve.com +1 (619) 483-3448 Nuvve Press Contacts press@nuvve.com +1 (619) 483-3448 Nuvve Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "may," "will," "expects," "believes," "aims," "anticipates," "plans," "looking forward to," "estimates," "projects," "assumes," "guides," "targets," "forecasts," "continue," "seeks" or the negatives of such terms or other variations on such terms or comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the Company's expectations, plans, intentions, strategies, prospects, business plans, product and service offerings, new product launches, potential clinical successes, and other statements that are not historical facts. Nuvve cautions you that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of Nuvve. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially. Some of these risks and uncertainties can be found in Nuvve's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov , http://investors.nuvve.com/ or on request from Nuvve. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in the Nuvve's filings with the SEC. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and Nuvve disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers of this press release are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, since there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this press release. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nuvve-holding-corp--announces-date-of-special-meeting-of-stockholders-302338578.html SOURCE Nuvve Holding Corp.

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No. 7 Tennessee outscored UT Martin by 28 points in the second half in routing the visiting Skyhawks 78-35 on Friday afternoon in Knoxville. Chaz Lanier scored a game-high 18 points for the Volunteers (7-0), who expanded on a 35-20 halftime lead with a 43-15 second half. Felix Okpara had 10 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, helping Tennessee command the paint along with Igor Milicic, who added nine points and 13 rebounds. Zakai Zeigler nearly had a double-double with 11 points and nine assists. The Volunteers used their size to their advantage, outscoring UT Martin 36-10 in the paint and out rebounding the Skyhawks 49-24. That included 20 offensive rebounds for Tennessee, which led to 19 second-chance points. UT Martin (2-5) was cold coming out of the locker room after halftime, missing its first eight shots. Conversely, the Vols started the second half with a nine-point run to extend their lead to 24 points. The Vols never let the Skyhawks score consecutive baskets in the first half, holding UT Martin to 25 percent shooting (4 of 16) from beyond the arc and allowing a total of only three points from the starting five. For the game, guard Josue Grullon led UT Martin with 15 points. The leading scorer in the Ohio Valley Conference entering Friday at 18.2 points per game, Grullon has not started any game for head coach Jeremy Shulman. Most of the Skyhawks' points -- 28 of 35 -- came from their reserves. The starting five combined to score seven points -- six points from Matija Zuzic and a free throw for Lamine Niag. The starters went a combined 2 of 18 from the floor, while UT Martin as a team shot 22.6 percent (12 of 53) from the field. The Skyhawks made 5 of 7 free-throw attempts and made 18 turnovers. The Volunteers, who got 23 points off the bench, were 8-for-10 and had 11 turnovers. Tennessee improved to 6-0 all-time against UT Martin since 1993. --Field Level MediaChurchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ:CHDN) Shares Purchased by Empowered Funds LLC

fortune gems 2 demo jili free EDITOR'S NOTE: On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. No one wants to see any player take a vicious hit like the one that knocked Trevor Lawrence out of the game. It’s easy to agree on that point. Eliminating violent shots is the hard part. The NFL has instituted several rules to protect quarterbacks but football is a physical sport and players have to react instantly and make split-second decisions going at high speeds so injuries keep occurring. Lawrence was carted off the field in the first half of Jacksonville’s 23-20 loss to Houston on Sunday after Azeez Al-Shaair leveled the defenseless quarterback with a forearm to the facemask. The late hit put Lawrence in the fencing position — both fists clenched — and he stayed on the ground for several minutes, while a brawl ensued. Lawrence didn’t require hospitalization for his concussion but it’s unknown when he’ll return. “Thank you to everyone who has reached out/been praying for me,” Lawrence wrote on X. “I’m home and feeling better. Means a lot, thank you all.” Al-Shaair was ejected from the game and faces a fine and potential suspension after his latest unsportsmanlike penalty. The Texans' linebacker was flagged and later fined $11,255 for a late hit out of bounds on Titans running back Tony Pollard last week. He was fined earlier this year after he punched Bears running back Roschon Johnson on the sideline in Week 2. That occurred during a scuffle that started after his hard shot on quarterback Caleb Williams near the sideline that wasn’t flagged. Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence slides in front of Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair during the first half of a game on Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla. Lawrence was injured on the play. Al-Shaair once got away with grabbing Tom Brady by the throat on a pass rush in a game between the 49ers and Buccaneers. Outraged Jaguars players called Al-Shaair’s hit “dirty” and Texans coach DeMeco Ryans made it known he didn’t condone it. “It’s not what we’re coaching,” Ryans said. “Want to be smart in everything we do and not hurt the team, get a penalty there. Have to be smarter when the quarterback is going down. Unfortunate play. Not representative of who Azeez is. He’s a smart player, really great leader for us. We felt his presence not being there. His loss really affected us on the defensive side. Just not what we’re coaching. Didn’t want to see the melee and all the aftermath. That’s not what we’re about. Not representative of us. I’ll talk to Azeez, address him personally, and we’ll move forward from it.” Fox Sports color analyst Daryl Johnston, a former fullback for the Dallas Cowboys, didn’t hold back his criticism, calling it a “cheap shot.” “It’s everything you’re not supposed to do,” Johnston said. “Everything. You’ll see this in slow motion and Azeez Al-Shaair does everything you’re trying to prevent in this situation. It’s reckless. It’s disrespectful. There’s an honor that you give to your opponent on the football field and you respect him. And there’s opportunities to be physical and give big hits and play this game in that manner. And there’s other times when there’s a respect that you grant to your opponent.” Some former NFL quarterbacks blasted Al-Shaair on social media. “There is no place in the game of football for dirty hits like this one,” Robert Griffin III wrote on X. Chase Daniel called it “one of the dirtiest hits” he’s ever seen on a quarterback. Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram, right, jumps on Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after his late hit on quarterback Trevor Lawrence, bottom, during the first half of a game on Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla. Even defensive players struggled to defend Al-Shaair. “That was uncalled for,” Hall of Fame defensive lineman Michael Strahan said on Fox’s studio show while fellow Hall of Famer Howie Long agreed. But the play also sparked debate about the quarterback slide. Lawrence slid feet first, which signals that he’s giving himself up on the play. The NFL rulebook states: “A defender must pull up when a runner begins a feet-first slide.” But defensive players aren’t automatically penalized if they make contact with a sliding quarterback if they already committed and the contact is unavoidable. The rules state it’s a foul when “the defender makes forcible contact into the head or neck area of the runner with the helmet, shoulder, or forearm, or commits some other act that is unnecessary roughness.” Al-Shaair did that so he was penalized and will face other repercussions. Still, given the hard-hitting nature of the sport, it won’t be the last time this happens. When Caleb Williams took the field for the Chicago Bears' first regular season game against the Tennessee Titans, the anticipation for the rookie's debut game—possibly the most ever—was on full display. Despite a tough debut for the quarterback, the Bears secured a 24-17 win, a notable feat for the rookie. The victory made Williams the first #1 overall pick with a Week 1 win in over 20 years. Going forward this season, Williams is expected to eclipse C.J. Stroud's record-breaking 2023 rookie campaign with the Houston Texans. However, Stroud's success is an anomaly. Drafting a successful quarterback, especially one who is effective right away, is difficult. When teams have a high first-round draft pick, and they're coming off an unsuccessful few seasons, it's assumed that they will use their first pick on a quarterback . That player will assume the title of "the face of the franchise" and will get the central attention, win or lose. To see which quarterbacks have faced that challenge and triumphed, ATS.io compiled a ranking of the 10 best rookie quarterbacks since 1960 using data from StatHead . Rookies were defined as players who are in their first season of professional football and have not been on the roster of another professional team. Quarterbacks were ranked according to adjusted net yards per pass attempt, which quantifies efficient passing skill. Ties were broken using passer rating. Only rookie quarterbacks with at least 10 games played and 200 total passing attempts were considered. Since 1967, 130 quarterbacks have been drafted in the first round. Of those drafted, only 61 have won a playoff game as a starter, according to The Athletic, which used data from NFL Research . The biggest reason this success rate is not guaranteed is because there are differences between college and pro offensive systems. In the collegiate game, the ball is snapped at different points on the field, passing windows are wider, and defenders and linemen are not as quick, making the adjustment to the pro level more difficult. NFL scouts and general managers are gambling on what skills can be transferable and how long those adjustments might take, which is why some teams prefer redshirt quarterbacks to ease the transition. However, just because a team may not want to use their first-round pick on a quarterback, doesn't mean they can't find a diamond in the rough later in the draft. Think about Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, and Dak Prescott, all of which were not first-round picks, but have gone on to make a name for themselves in the NFL. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 6.44 - Passer rating: 91.2 - Season stats: 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns, 6 interceptions Coming out of college, Gardner Minshew was not a highly sought-after quarterback for NFL teams. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 draft—a draft that was headlined by Kyler Murray, Dwayne Haskins, and Daniel Jones. Nonetheless, Minshew's rookie season with the Jacksonville Jaguars was filled with many accomplishments. He won Rookie of the Week seven times despite not winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Minshew also had the highest passer rating of any rookie quarterback that started in 2019. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 6.77 - Passer rating: 93.7 - Season stats: 3,725 yards, 27 touchdowns, 14 interceptions Pressure was high for Baker Mayfield as the first overall pick in the 2018 draft. When he joined the Cleveland Browns, there was an expectation that once the team figured out the quarterback position, it could be playoff-ready. After trading for Jarvis Landry, a young wide receiver from the Miami Dolphins, in the offseason, the Browns were on their way. Mayfield's rookie season was filled with many firsts, and the Landry-Mayfield connection filled the stat sheet. Mayfield set the record for most passing touchdowns by a rookie quarterback in 2019 with 27 surpassing prior marks from Payton Manning and Russell Wilson. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 6.84 - Passer rating: 98.3 - Season stats: 4,336 yards, 31 touchdowns, 10 interceptions Justin Herbert was the third quarterback selected in the 2020 NFL draft behind Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa. As the No. 6 overall pick, expectations were high, but there was also an assumption that it would be a few years before Herbert's development would take shape. Then, Chargers starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor was accidentally punctured in the lung by a team doctor administering a painkiller before the second game of the season, and it wasn't clear what Taylor's status would be moving forward. When Herbert was given the nod to start minutes before the game, fans didn't know what to expect. Herbert shocked viewers when he threw for over 300 yards and only one interception in that game. He continued his strong rookie showing throughout the season and went on to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 6.93 - Passer rating: 98.1 - Season stats: 2,621 yards, 17 touchdowns, 11 interceptions Ben Roethlisberger was the third quarterback selected in his draft class behind the likes of Eli Manning and Philip Rivers—though fans wouldn't have been able to tell. From the moment Roethlisberger was called up by the Pittsburgh Steelers to play in his first game—Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens—it was clear he had a special arm, gaining the nickname "Golden Arm." While the next several games were bumpy for Steelers fans, it was clear that Roethlisberger was the future of the franchise. The Steelers had a solid running game and its receiving core, led by Hines Ward, was one of the best in the league . Once Roethlisberger gained his footing a few games in, he was unstoppable. He led Pittsburgh to its best record ever: 15-1. He also started the season on an eight-game winning streak, becoming the first rookie to do so. Additionally, Roethlisberger became the first quarterback to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 7.01 - Passer rating: 87.7 - Season stats: 3,440 yards, 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions As the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, there were high expectations on Matt Ryan's shoulders heading to the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons were coming off back-to-back losing seasons and off-the-field legal troubles with its starting quarterback Michael Vick overshadowing the team's play. Ryan was expected to pick up the pieces. He did that immediately, leading the Falcons to an 11-5 record in his rookie season and becoming the clear favorite for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year halfway through the season, which he went on to win. The tag team of Ryan and running back Michael Turner was one of the best offensive forces in the sport that season. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 7.01 - Passer rating: 100 - Season stats: 3,118 yards, 26 touchdowns, 10 interceptions Russell Wilson was drafted in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Considering Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck headlined the NFL Draft that year, it was not believed that Wilson would be a starter come Week 1, but that quickly changed. Going into the 2012 NFL Draft, Tarvaris Jackson was the Seattle Seahawks' starting quarterback, and the team signed NFL veteran quarterback Matt Flynn as an insurance policy on the injury-prone Jackson . It was assumed in the short term that either Jackson or Flynn would lead the franchise. Once training camp arrived, however, the Seahawks' quarterback position was uncertain. Jackson was traded to the Buffalo Bills, and Flynn was underwhelming at camp, forcing Head Coach Pete Carroll to take a gamble on his rookie quarterback, Wilson, in Week 1. Carroll, nor Wilson, ever looked back. Wilson was one of the best passing quarterbacks that season. He led the Seahawks to an 11-5 record and went on to win NFL Rookie of the Year. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 7.39 - Passer rating: 96 - Season stats: 2,210 yards, 20 touchdowns, 6 interceptions When Dan Marino was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1983, the NFL looked very different. Running the ball was the name of the game. The quarterback would either run the football himself at the line of scrimmage or hand it off to the running back, and the offensive linemen would claw and push the pile forward as the runner powered his legs. It was not a pretty sight. However, Marino took a different approach, throwing the ball with a unique quick release for that era. He led the Dolphins to a 9-1 record after replacing David Woodley midway through his rookie season, ending with a 12-4 record. He went on to win Rookie of the Year and was the first rookie to start a Pro Bowl. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 7.47 - Passer rating: 100.8 - Season stats: 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, 5 interceptions When C.J. Stroud was drafted No. 2 by the Houston Texans last year, there were a lot of questions, not about his ability, but about the organization that he would be playing for. The Texans were coming off of a 3-13-1 season in 2022, finishing with the worst record in the league, and a lot of volatility in its front office. The team fired its head coach and a top executive before the draft. Weeks later, the team hired former Texans linebacker DeMeco Ryans as its next head coach. While Ryans is a defensive-minded coach, Stroud was seen as a key ingredient to the team's success since Ryans hired his coaching staff around the quarterback. Stroud led the NFL in yards and TD-to-interception ratio during his rookie season, which is an efficiency statistic considering he didn't get his first interception until his sixth regular-season game against the New Orleans Saints. While Stroud was a part of the league MVP conversation for most of the season, he didn't ultimately win the title. However, he was named 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and his rookie season is seen as one of the best in NFL history. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 7.47 - Passer rating: 102.4 - Season stats: 3,200 yards, 20 touchdowns, 5 interceptions Leading into the 2012 draft, it wasn't a matter of whether Washington would pick a quarterback, it was a matter of who. After several seasons of mediocre quarterback play and losing seasons from the likes of Jason Campbell, Donovan McNabb, and Rex Grossman, it was time for a new face to lead the offense. At No. 2, Washington selected Robert Griffin III making him the second quarterback selected in the 2012 NFL draft behind Andrew Luck. Griffin started his rookie year campaign with one of the best performances football fans have ever seen. He completed 19 of his 26 pass attempts for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns, beating the New Orleans Saints. That game earned him the highest passer rating by a rookie ever, 158.3. He now shares that record with Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota. Griffin III went on to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2012. - Adjusted net yards per pass attempt: 7.86 - Passer rating: 104.9 - Season stats: 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns, 4 interceptions Dak Prescott is statistically the best rookie quarterback ever, racking up the best passer rating as a rookie. After losing his first game, he led the Cowboys on an 11-game winning streak. That season, he led the team to its fourth-best season ever with a 13-3 record. Prescott was the 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and became the first NFL quarterback to be drafted in the fourth round or later to start all 16 regular season games. Data reporting by Karim Noorani. Story editing by Shanna Kelly. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Robert Wickwire. Photo selection by Clarese Moller. This story originally appeared on ATS.io and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Furthermore, the inclusion of rare disease drugs in medical insurance aligns with China's broader efforts to advance healthcare equity and improve healthcare outcomes for all citizens. By prioritizing access to innovative treatments for rare diseases, the government is demonstrating its commitment to ensuring that no patient is left behind due to the rarity of their condition.

To facilitate a smooth transfer of power, a comprehensive plan has been put in place to ensure that all key government departments and agencies are able to continue functioning effectively under the new leadership. This includes a detailed roadmap for the transfer of responsibilities and authorities, as well as mechanisms for oversight and accountability to ensure transparency and integrity in the process.

THE shock of a very right-wing Donald Trump winning a second term as President of the United States – that so-called “shining example of democracy” – made me think about what is happening in Malaysia. I remember hearing “Suara rakyat suara keramat” (the voice of the people is a sacred voice) during those days of the call for “Reformasi” led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim following the Permatang Pauh Declaration in 1998. I was then, and have been since, a strong proponent of democracy. But today, I have actually begun doubting whether we, the rakyat, actually have a “suara keramat” or a “suara keparat” (voice of a scoundrel). The idea of democracy is said to have begun with the ancient Greeks; the word itself is formed from the Greek words demos (people) and kratos (power or rule), meaning “rule by the people”. All free men participated in decision-making by voting for their representatives in assemblies – one man, one vote. Free men meant those who owned property, were not slaves, and who were willing to defend their country to the death. These were obviously educated men who knew what was at stake in their small world. And, no, women were not allowed to vote. So some 2,500 years on, we have the same idea of one person, one vote (women were finally allowed to vote just a little over a century ago). But the people who can now vote are quite different from that small group of educated men. Now voters may not be educated, may not own property, and may be too old to defend the country. Also different from the Greeks, we now have social media, through which one vote may influence thousands of other votes. I’m not so sure it is still one vote, one person anymore. Also different from the Greeks, we, the people, experience an industrial style of education without any philosophical, creative or even critical thinking. In this, we are very different from the ancient Greeks, who were known to highly value philosophy. There are three things I worry about in today’s democracy – what I consider the “sins” of a democracy. Firstly, as I have written before, the voters have no grounding in politics and how a country works. Thus, left floundering, many give in to instilled fears and choose along racial, religious and populist lines when it comes time to vote. If one is a Malay, one votes for a Malay or Malay-dominated party; the same thing happens with other races. This I call “the sin of tribal preference”. The second sin I see emerging from civil society: The idea of civil society is to be the conscience of the nation by airing views and protests – in a calm and dignified manner, mind you. What I can see now is some well-known civil society organisations (CSOs) demanding many reforms in a reckless, demeaning and unfair manner.What do I mean by unfair? Well, people who criticise the government for not carrying out reforms must understand that the government cannot act in a vacuum. CSOs must understand the context of the culture of politics and entrenched administrators as well as the views of a majority race. Politics is about managing all these views; CSOs have the luxury of only managing their own conscience and self-righteousness. Secondly, I am disgusted to see civil society using derogatory means to make their points by grandstanding on issues while shouting or writing as if ministers do not have any feelings. I have seen expressions like “the minister doesn’t seem to have a clue”, “the PM does not seem to care at all about other rakyat of different faiths” or “the PM deserves a D grade”. These criticisms fail in three important ways: Firstly, the criticism is usually unclear in scope and expectation. Change what? How to change and which part exactly? Secondly, the criticism does not take into account administrative procedures and – most importantly – party politics. Party politics among different coalition partners is a real thing and cannot be ignored, and there is, I’m sure some sort of private quid pro quo dealing going on. That is unavoidable. I am not justifying it but it is silly and naive not to understand that it exists and has to be dealt with. Finally, I feel that “grading” a prime minister is rather childish and clearly doesn’t work because grading requires the grader to have been in the position of who the grade is for; grading requires moderation from different sources. Since just one CSO takes on this task, what practical use is it? Also, I personally feel it’s rather rude. The Islamic way of advising leaders, and I believe that it is also the Asian way, is to speak privately, with carefully selected words – with hemah, or wisdom and tact. Not having their grouses splattered all over the media. The final democratic sin is one that we, the rakyat, commit when we refuse to check the facts of an issue and simply make them go viral on Internet platforms, complete with all the lies, propaganda and misinformation. When the facts of the matter are established, the damage is already done. If this country fails and falls into poverty and chaos, I would no longer blame the politicians or the administrators but point the finger back at ourselves, the rakyat, for refusing to learn to change, for allowing knee-jerk reactions and bad manners to threaten unity, and for making untruths go viral willingly and joyfully. We would have only ourselves to blame. Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi is Professor of Architecture at the Tan Sri Omar Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Studies at UCSI University. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.How Band Aid’s stars cancelled Do They Know It’s Christmas?

The tragic loss of the female internet celebrity serves as a poignant reminder of the consequences that can arise when cosmetic surgeries are not approached with caution and informed decision-making. It is a wake-up call for both individuals considering such procedures and the broader society to reevaluate the emphasis placed on physical appearance and the pressures to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.In the era of digital transformation, algorithms have become omnipresent in our daily lives. From recommending products on e-commerce platforms to predicting our online behavior, algorithms play a crucial role in shaping our experiences and decisions. However, as algorithms are increasingly driven by commercial self-interest, a phenomenon known as "algorithmic profiteering" has emerged, leading to a sense of "systemic indifference" in our interactions with technology.

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As Milan prepares to take on their next opponents in the Champions League, the world will be watching with bated breath, eager to see how Chiesa and his teammates rise to the occasion. With their eyes set on the prize and their hearts filled with determination, the Rossoneri are ready to write the next chapter in their storied history, one that is sure to be filled with drama, excitement, and, hopefully, triumph. In the end, it is not just about winning matches or lifting trophies; it is about honoring the legacy of Milan, paying homage to their storied past, and creating a future filled with glory and success.

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The latest count of homeless people in Saskatoon shows a significant increase over the last one, done two years ago. The point-in-time count, conducted by volunteers on Oct. 8, identified 1,499 people experiencing homelessness that day. That's nearly three times higher than the 2022 count, which identified 550. "The results of this count represent the minimum number of individuals experiencing unsheltered and sheltered homelessness in Saskatoon," Lesley Anderson, director of planning and development for the City of Saskatoon, said in a news release. Saskatoon encampment torn down after tumultuous week What is the future of addressing rising homelessness in Saskatoon? The count was conducted by the city in partnership with the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership, the Reaching Home Community Entity in Saskatoon and the Community-University Institute for Social Research at the University of Saskatchewan — plus more than 200 volunteers. More data from the count will be released in the new year in the Saskatoon PiT Community Report. The last report from 2022 , for example, showed that 83 per cent of those counted that year identified as Indigenous and 49 per cent said they experience chronic homelessness. Housing advocates concerned by high number of homeless people in Saskatoon Facing Winter: A Saskatoon Morning series about homelessness in the city The homelessness count highlights the immense need for a "solid investment" in housing, said Katelyn Roberts, executive director of Sanctum Care Group in Saskatoon. "There's no access to services and supports to recover from trauma, or to even have your basic necessities met, and that's obviously reflected in our homelessness count here today," she told CBC Radio Blue Sky host Leisha Grebinski. "It sounds cheesy, but how we treat our most vulnerable is a reflection of who we are as a society and I think Saskatchewan is failing deeply." WATCH | More homeless people turn to makeshift shelters as winter takes hold: More homeless people turn to makeshift shelters as winter takes hold in Saskatchewan 3 days ago Duration 1:47 In Saskatoon, the fire department has kept track of more than 1,200 homeless encampments so far this year. That’s about 200 more than last year. As of last week, there were 25 encampments on the record in Saskatoon, and 12 in Regina. Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block said many municipalities are struggling with homelessness and called for help from the provincial and federal governments. "[The count is] shocking one way, but also not surprising. Anybody who has been living in our city for the last few years has been able to see how much the situation on the ground has changed and the frustration of realizing that people need help and we don't have all the tools to solve it," Block told reporters after a city council meeting Thursday afternoon. "We can't do it alone." Samantha Weeseekase is homeless in Saskatoon. She said she had been couch surfing for a while, but that wasn't possible anymore, so she's leaning on shelters in the city. "If you aren't dressed up warm enough you'll freeze.... At night time I stay at the Friendship Centre," Weeseekase said. "Throughout the day I'm basically outside. I go to the library to warm up." Weeseekase said this is her first winter on the street. "I recently became homeless," she said. "Bills were too high and I couldn't afford it, and I'm also an addict." She said she wants to get help, but it's difficult to ask. She also said there aren't enough supports available for homeless people.

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A University of Pennsylvania professor who made comments supporting Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has been rebuked by a deputy dean. Julia Alekseyeva, an assistant professor of English and Media and Cinema studies at the Ivy League school, praised Mangione, a Penn album, Tuesday night on social media. MORE : New 200-foot-long pedestrian bridge opens near Forbidden Drive at Wissahickon Valley Park "I have never been prouder to be a professor at the University of P3nnsylvania," Alekseyeva wrote on TikTok, the Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn's student newspaper, first reported . Her post has since been removed. Alekseyeva also had shared another post about Mangione in an Instagram story, calling him the "icon we all need and deserve." Jeffrey Kallberg, deputy dean at Penn's School of Arts & Sciences, issued a statement Wednesday addressing the Alekseyeva's social media posts. "Her comments regarding the shooting of Brian Thompson in New York City were antithetical to the values of both the School of Arts & Sciences and the University of Pennsylvania, and they were not condoned by the School or the University," said Kallberg, who is set to become interim dean of the School of Arts & Sciences in January. "Upon reflection, Assistant Professor Alekseyeva has concurred that the comments were insensitive and inappropriate and has retracted them." Kallberg's statement came after Alekseyeva posted Tuesday night on X, formerly Twitter, that she regretted her comments. "Late last night I posted a TikTok, as well as several stories on my Instagram," Alekseyeva wrote. "These were completely insensitive and inappropriate, and I retract them wholly. I do not condone violence and I am genuinely regretful of any harm the posts have caused." Mangione, 26, is charged in New York with second-degree murder, forgery and gun offenses for allegedly gunning down Thompson outside the New York Hilton Midtown hotel in Manhattan on Dec. 4. He spent nearly six days on the run before an employee at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, reported him to authorities Monday. Mangione also faces separate charges in Pennsylvania. After Mangione's arrest, Penn officials confirmed that he had attended the university and was awarded a bachelor's and master's degree in computer and information science in 2020. He had helped found a video game development club and had been a teaching assistant for an undergraduate class during his time at Penn. The manhunt for Mangione and his arrest prompted a wave of public reaction to the shooting, including many who painted the alleged gunman as a hero for targeting a health insurance executive. After Mangione's arrest, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was among the leaders to condemn politically-motivated violence . "In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint," Shapiro said Monday. "I understand people have real frustration with our health care system. ... In a civil society, we are all less safe when ideologues engage in vigilante justice."They came in hoodies, they came in masks, shuffling their feet and laughing nervously while waiting for a winner to be announced. Just a few days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was murdered on a New York City sidewalk, these young men had lined up in Washington Square Park to compete in a lookalike contest for the man wanted for his murder. It was sparsely attended and seen as a joke by those who did turn up, said Talia Jane, a journalist who was there. But it underlined an obsession with a murder suspect that has gripped social media since the killing on 4 December, fueled by latent anger directed at America's private health insurers. "There was a lot of tinder already there, a lot of discontent, a lot of frustration already there, and [this] sort of threw a match on it," Ms Jane said. And it has only grown since the suspect was named as Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League-educated member of a prominent Baltimore family. In TikTok videos, memes and group chats, a young man accused of shooting a father-of-two in the back on a New York City sidewalk has been fawned over and praised as a kind of folk hero. This fetishisation was remarkably widespread, not limited to radical corners of the internet or any political affiliation, troubling many observers. "We do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint," said Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, where Mr Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's. "In a civil society, we are all less safe when ideologues engage in vigilante justice." Almost immediately after Mr Thompson was shot dead, the internet began to lionise his suspected killer. On TikTok, people posted videos of "CEO assassin" New York City walking tour. On Spotify, playlists dedicated to the suspect started to appear. Once Mr Mangione was arrested, these fans came to his defence. Etsy was flooded with pro-Mangione apparel, while Amazon pulled similar products from their site. The McDonald's worker alleged to have turned him in has become a target for online hate, while the fast-food franchise itself has been spammed with bad reviews. The police department in Altoona, Pennsylvania, that arrested him even received death threats. Much of this online reaction has focused on his looks, with the internet dubbing him the "hot assassin". Indeed, Mr Mangione's conventionally attractive physical appearance, which he showed off in shirtless social media posts, is now clearly part of the appeal, said cultural critic Blakely Thornton. Americans are effectively "programmed" to trust and empathise with men who look like Mr Mangione, he said. "That's why they are the protagonists in our movies, books and stories." Public adoration for handsome men accused of crimes is not new - from Ted Bundy to Jeremy Meeks, violent men have developed cult followings. But Professor Tanya Horeck, an expert on digital culture and true crime from Anglia Ruskin University, says that social media has given those sentiments massive visibility, and helped them spread. The internet has caused "a blurring of the lines between celebrity and criminality", she told the BBC, adding that when people see a good-looking person pop into their feeds, their first thought is lust, not moral criticism. "The mood around Luigi Mangione is 'thirst'," she said. Beyond his appearance, a large part of Mr Mangione's online appeal is clearly his apparent ire against the private healthcare industry and corporate elites in general. US media has reported that Mr Mangione was arrested carrying a hand-written document that said "these parasites had it coming". The Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), a non-profit extremism research group based in New Jersey, said that after the shooting the hashtag #EatTheRich went viral. Since Mr Mangione's arrest, variations of "#FreeLuigi" were posted on X over 50,000 times, likely getting tens of millions of impressions. And by some measures, the NCRI said, engagement with posts about Mr Thompson's killing across platforms like X, Reddit, and others surpassed that of the assassination attempt against Donald Trump in July. An analysis of a sample of comments carried out by market research firm OneCliq found the vast majority - four-fifths - contained criticism of the US healthcare system. Mr Mangione's X account has gained more than 400,000 followers since the shooting. The shooting also seemed to inspire others to take action against healthcare insurers - "wanted" posters of other CEOs appeared around New York City, and a woman in Florida was arrested after telling an insurance agent on the phone "Delay, Deny, Depose. You people are next," alluding to the words inscribed on a bullet casing found at the murder scene. Alex Goldenberg, a senior advisor at the NCRI, called the online reaction a "turning point" and "a catalyst for the normalisation of political violence that was once confined to extremists on the fringes". He compared the wave of comments to the online activity following racist mass murders, designed to defend the killers and signal-boost their beliefs - only more widespread, and happening across mainstream social media networks. "The dynamic we are observing is eerily similar to the activity on platforms like 4chan, 8chan, Discord, and in other dark corners of the internet, where mass shootings are often met with glee," he said. Tim Weninger, a computer science professor at Notre Dame and expert in social media and artificial intelligence, said evidence suggests that the groundswell was authentic - not powered by bots or government influence operations. "People are pissed off at the healthcare industry and they are using social media to express their frustrations," he said. "They're expressing those frustrations by supporting this suspect." Recent research by Commonwealth Fund, a health policy institute, found 45% of insured working-age adults were charged for something they thought should have been free or covered by insurance, and 17% of respondents said their insurer denied coverage for care that was recommended by their doctor. There are indications that the shooting has prompted some introspection on the part of healthcare companies. "I think all of us are taking a step back and trying to understand what's happening with patients and their experiences," Pfizer's chief sustainability officer Caroline Roan told a conference in New York on Wednesday, according to Reuters. Some of the people who have been protesting against health insurance companies for years, before online criticism about UHC took off, understand some of the darker sentiments, even if they don't endorse them. "It's a horrific act of violence, and I absolutely condemn it no matter the motivation," Jenn Coffey, who has been fighting to get UHC to cover her medical bills, said of Mr Thompson's killing. "But I'm not shocked by the reaction." Ms Coffey, 53, from Manchester, New Hampshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 and later fell ill with complex regional pain syndrome, a potentially debilitating neurological condition. When a doctor suggested that she try ketamine therapy, her UHC insurance would not cover the procedure, she said. She has since become involved in a protest campaign organised by activist group People's Action. Ms Coffey's illness forced her to stop working as an emergency medical technician. She said she started a crowdfunding drive and had to sell most of her belongings in order to pay for the treatment herself. "I get to have some normality. I can sit up and paint, or I can enjoy a meal with my family" because of the treatment, she said. "I can have a life that's worth living." UnitedHealth Group told the BBC they could not comment on individual cases for privacy reasons. At the same time, much of the online discussion has effectively ignored the victim, Brian Thompson, who was 50. "It's incredibly bleak that [Thompson's death] hasn't been covered as much because, bottom line, a person died, a person was murdered," Blakely Thornton said. "The collective rage over [the health-care industry] is really outweighing what is still a tragedy." In his last post on LinkedIn, Mr Thompson talked about efforts to make healthcare more affordable - and was criticised in the comments. CBS News, the BBC's US partner, obtained a message that UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty sent to staff this week, memorialising Mr Thompson and calling his murdered colleague "one of the good guys". "He was certainly one of the smartest guys. I think he was one of the best guys. I'm going to miss him. And I am incredibly proud to call him my friend," he wrote. In the email, the company shared messages from customers, including one who wrote about recovering from cancer, saying their treatment was paid for by the insurance company's benefits. "I'm thankful to UHC and everyone there who works within a broken system to help as many people as they can," they wrote, according to the company. Another message said: "So very sad that this world is so hateful. I have always had great experiences with UHC." Ms Coffey, the UHC policyholder and patient, said: "My heart goes out to the family and I can't imagine what they're having to struggle with that [killing]. It's awful to me that this is the catalyst for this debate." "I would have much rather sat down and had a conversation with him." With additional reporting from Grace Dean

ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark took issue with De'Vondre Campbell's refusal to enter the Thursday Night Football game against the Los Angeles Rams. The veteran linebacker Campbell, who was replaced in the lineup by Dre Greenlaw entering the Week 14 game, even left the field altogether during the 49ers ' 12-9 loss to the Rams. After Greenlaw felt knee tightness in the third quarter, Campbell declined to play in the game . After the contest, 49ers players Charvarius Ward and George Kittle aired out their frustrations with Campbell's decision. Clark appeared on ESPN's Get Up and echoed their sentiments. "Why would you want him on your team?” the former Pittsburgh Steelers champion defensive back asked on the Friday edition of the program. Read More on NFL Clark also said that Campbell missed his opportunity to display his talents to the rest of the league. "I’m playing to show... that I could be a valuable piece to [a team's] locker room," he said. "It’s not just about my former All-Pro years and what I can do in the grass, it’s about the leadership that I can provide in the locker room. "It’s about having some sort of football integrity, some sort of football character. Most read in American Football "And for people like us, Bart [Scott], right? The people that weren’t entitled to anything. The people that were cut off of football teams. ... Was to go out and say, ‘Put the film on, look at 57, look at 59, and tell me who played better.' "And what he also has to remember: he has no deposits into the San Francisco 49ers’ emotional bank account. Dre Greenlaw has all of those deposits." Clark then mentioned the fact that Greenlaw tore his Achilles during last season's Super Bowl and that all of the 49ers players were "dejected" to see the team's 2019 fifth-round pick suffer the serious injury. "That’s the sort of man that you’re replacing, and you did a good job,” Clark added. "Now, do the rest of your job. And when you’re called upon again, stand up for your team. The 45-year-old finished his rant, by saying. "As a brotherhood, [Greenlaw] should never play again." 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed on Friday that Campbell will not play another down as a 49er. The team is still figuring out if they will cut Campbell from his one-year, $5 million contract or suspend him. "We're working the semantics of exactly how to deal with it," Shanahan said. "You guys heard from me last night. You guys heard from our players. "His actions from the game is not something you can do to your team or your teammates and still expect to be a part of our team." Read More on The US Sun Campbell entered the Week 14 contest with 79 tackles. He has spent time with the Atlanta Falcons , Arizona Cardinals , and Green Bay Packers .

Ottawa shoppers head to the malls for Cyber Monday dealsPhiladelphia star quarterback Jalen Hurts remains in concussion protocol and has been ruled for Sunday's game against the visiting Dallas Cowboys, with the Eagles expected to start Kenny Pickett. Hurts missed practice all week, and head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed before Friday's session that Hurts remains in the concussion protocol, adding, "It's going to be tough for him to make it this week." Hurts and Pickett (ribs) were both injured during last weekend's 36-33 loss to the Washington Commanders, but Pickett was a full participant in Thursday's practice and was limited on Friday. The Eagles also have Tanner McKee as the emergency third quarterback and signed Ian Book to the practice squad this week. Pickett, who grew up as an Eagles fan in Ocean Township, N.J., will have a chance to help Philadelphia (12-3) clinch the NFC East title in his first start for the franchise. "I'm very excited. It's a big opportunity," he told reporters Thursday. "I've been working hard to stay ready and I felt like I was in a good position last game with my preparation and now having a week to practice, I'll feel even better going into the stadium. So, I'm excited. I just want to get the win." Pickett relieved Hurts in the first quarter against Washington and completed 14 of 24 passes for 143 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Prior to that, he had appeared in three games in mop-up duty. "He's done a great job," Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown said on Friday. "He did a great job last week. I know he had a few hiccups, but overall he's doing a great job. It's not his first rodeo. We have a lot of confidence in him, I do, and I'm excited. "(He's) poised, confident. He comes in, he's commanding the huddle and that's what you want to see." Pickett, 26, compiled a 14-10 record as the starter for the Steelers from 2022-23 after being drafted by Pittsburgh in the first round (20th overall) in 2022. After the Steelers acquired Russell Wilson in March, Pickett was traded along with a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick and two 2025 seventh-rounders. Pickett has completed 62.3 percent of his pass attempts for 4,622 yards with 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 29 career games. He has rushed for 303 yards and four scores. Hurts, 26, has completed 68.7 percent of his passes this season for 2,903 yards with 18 TDs and five picks in 15 starts. He has rushed for 630 yards and is tied for the NFL lead with 14 rushing touchdowns. --Field Level Media

(BPT) - Consumers are facing increasing costs on virtually every purchase these days and auto insurance is no exception. While skyrocketing costs of this auto-related expense can be attributed to everything from parts replacement to service — even health costs as a result of accidents — consumers can better manage these increases with thoughtful study and attention to detail. Some of the common causes for higher insurance rates are Inflation, car accidents, extreme weather conditions such as hail, hurricanes and wind, along with increased vehicle theft claims. Mercury Insurance has partnered with financial literacy influencer Sam Jarman to highlight specific ways consumers can address these rising costs. "Your car is the second biggest expense for most people, right behind your home, and car insurance is a big part of that," said Jarman. "Checking rates and coverage with your Mercury Insurance agent makes sense along with choosing a car with low maintenance costs." According to Consumer Price Index data released earlier this year, car insurance rates are up almost 21% year-over-year for the 12 months which ended in February. The last time car insurance rates rose that much on an annual basis was 1976. Here are some auto insurance statistics recently released from Forbes : "Our goal is to help our customers get the best rates possible because we know that every dollar counts." said Justin Yoshizawa, Director, Product Management, State. "We encourage consumers to build a close relationship with their agent and discuss what discounts they may be eligible to receive. The answer might be surprising." Mercury offers the following tips for lowering your insurance costs: Review your deductibles with your insurance agent – It is recommended that you review your coverage and deductible with your Mercury agent at least once a year. Their wisdom and experience can help you make wise decisions regarding your insurance. Explore car insurance discounts – In addition to bundling your home and auto insurance, Mercury offers discounts for multi-car, good drivers, good students and auto pay. Your agent may have additional discounts to offer. Let Your Insurer Track Your Driving – Most insurers offer discounts for customers who install telematics. This technology allows your insurance company to collect information regarding your mileage and driving habits. This can also provide valuable information regarding your driving as well as saving you money. Drive a safe car with low repair costs – According to Bankrate , some of the cheapest cars to insure are the Subaru Outback, Honda CR-V and Honda Pilot. Also, look for cars with lower repair costs such as the Toyota Corolla, Toyota Prius and Tesla Model 3. Doing some research before you purchase a vehicle can save you money over the length of ownership. Install an anti-theft device on your car – Drivers may receive an additional discount on your auto insurance if you install an anti-theft device on your car. Before you buy a car, compare insurance costs – You can get a fast and easy quote from your Mercury Insurance agent. To receive a quote, you can reach us at 844-514-2893. To learn more about common types of auto insurance discounts, visit https://www.mercuryinsurance.com/resources/auto/understanding-types-of-auto-insurance-discounts.html . For more information on your auto insurance, you can reference the Insurance Information Institute .Lebawit Lily Girma | (TNS) Bloomberg News When winter rolls around, travelers predictably turn their attention to beaches. And this year, it’s the destination that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” that’s experiencing outsize demand from Americans planning a warm island vacation. Talk about trashing stereotypes. Related Articles Travel | Would you pay $700 a night to sleep under the stars at this Colorado resort? Travel | Thailand’s starring role in ‘The White Lotus’ is about to pay off Travel | 5 under-the-radar travel destinations the UN says you should visit Travel | Gift ideas for people planning their next trip Travel | Lights and decor, réveillon meals make Christmastime special in New Orleans Puerto Rico has recovered overseas visitors (excluding those from Canada and Mexico) faster than any U.S. state or territory — a staggering 85% increase over its 2019 overseas inbound visitor levels as of 2023, according to an October study from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office. There are now more daily flights from the U.S. West Coast, and hotel bookings are 6% higher so far in this last quarter of 2024 year-over-year. It’s a trifecta of tourism growth: more visitors, but also longer stays and a higher spend that reached a record $9.8 billion in 2023, boosting small businesses as well as major brands. “We don’t have a slow season in Puerto Rico anymore,” says Brad Dean, chief executive officer at Discover Puerto Rico. Even if they’re not booking, people are dreaming about “La Isla.” By tracking flight searches for trips between November 2024 and February 2025, a measure of “inspirational” demand, tourism intelligence company Mabrian Technologies reports Puerto Rico is up 9% compared with the same period last year and leads Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas in the Caribbean proper. Only Costa Rica ranked higher in the wider region. Dean attributes Puerto Rico’s ongoing tourism growth to a strategic effort to reposition the island’s brand as more than a sun-and-sea destination, starting back in 2018. That led to the Live Boricua campaign, which began in 2022 and leaned heavily on culture, history and cuisine and was, Dean says, “a pretty bold departure” in the way Puerto Rico was showcased to travelers. He adds that at least $2 billion in tourism spend is linked to this campaign. “We (also) haven’t shied away from actively embracing the LGBTQ+ community, and that has opened up Puerto Rico to audiences that may not have considered the Caribbean before,” Dean says. Hotels are preparing to meet this growing demand: A number of established boutique properties are undergoing upgrades valued between $4 million and more than $50 million, including Hotel El Convento; La Concha, which will join the Marriott Autograph Collection; Condado Vanderbilt Hotel; and the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar. That’s in addition to ultra-chic options that are coming online in 2025, including the adults-only Alma San Juan, with rooms overlooking Plaza Colón in the heart of Old San Juan, and the five-star Veranó boutique hotel in San Juan’s trendy Santurce neighborhood. The beachfront Ritz-Carlton San Juan in Isla Verde will also be reopening seven years after Hurricane Maria decimated the island. The travel industry’s success is helping boost employment on the island, to the tune of 101,000 leisure and hospitality jobs as of September 2024, a 26% increase over pre-pandemic levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Efforts to promote Puerto Rico’s provinces beyond the San Juan metro area — such as surfing hub Rincón on the west coast, historical Ponce on the south coast and Orocovis for nature and coffee haciendas in the central mountains —have spread the demand to small businesses previously ignored by the travel industry. Take Sheila Osorio, who leads workshops on Afro-Puerto Rican bomba music and dance at Taller Nzambi, in the town of Loíza, 15 miles east of San Juan; or Wanda Otero, founder of cheese-producing company Vaca Negra in Hatillo, an hour’s drive west of Old San Juan, where you can join a cheese-making workshop and indulge in artisanal cheese tastings. “The list of businesses involved in tourism has gone from 650 in 2018 to 6,100, many of which are artists and artisans,” Dean says. While New Yorkers and Miami residents have always been the largest visitor demographic, Dean says more mainland Americans now realize that going to Puerto Rico means passport-free travel to enjoy beaches, as well as opportunities to dine in Michelin-rated restaurants, hike the only rainforest in the U.S. and kayak in a bioluminescent bay. Visitors from Chicago and Dallas, for example, have increased by approximately 40% from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, compared with the same period in 2022-2023, and more travelers are expected from Denver now that United Airlines Holdings Inc. has kicked off its first nonstop service to San Juan, beginning on Oct. 29. Previously, beach destinations that were easy to reach on direct flights from Denver included Mexico, Belize and California, but now Puerto Rico joins that list with a 5.5-hour nonstop route that cuts more than two hours from the next-best option. Given United Airlines’ hub in San Francisco, it could mean more travelers from the Golden State in the near future, too. In December, U.S. airlines will have 3,000 more seats per day to the territory compared with the same period last year, for a total of 84,731 — surpassing even Mexico and the Dominican Republic in air capacity, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the island’s primary gateway, is projecting a record volume of 13 million passengers by year’s end — far surpassing the 9.4 million it saw in 2019. As for Hinchcliffe’s “floating island of garbage” line, Dean says it was “a terribly insensitive attempt at humor” that transformed outrage into a marketing silver lining, with an outpouring of positive public sentiment and content on Puerto Rico all over social media. Success, as that old chestnut goes, may be the best revenge. “It was probably the most efficient influencer campaign we’ve ever had,” Dean says, “a groundswell of visitors who posted their photos and videos and said, ‘This is the Puerto Rico that I know.’” ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.'Topping out' launches next stage in new State Archives construction

Techmediabreaks Senestech Inc. (NASDAQ: SNES) Reports 51% Revenue Increase In Q3 2024, Highlights Growth In Evolve Product Line And International ExpansionLebawit Lily Girma | (TNS) Bloomberg News When winter rolls around, travelers predictably turn their attention to beaches. And this year, it’s the destination that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” that’s experiencing outsize demand from Americans planning a warm island vacation. Talk about trashing stereotypes. Related Articles Travel | Would you pay $700 a night to sleep under the stars at this Colorado resort? Travel | Thailand’s starring role in ‘The White Lotus’ is about to pay off Travel | 5 under-the-radar travel destinations the UN says you should visit Travel | Gift ideas for people planning their next trip Travel | Lights and decor, réveillon meals make Christmastime special in New Orleans Puerto Rico has recovered overseas visitors (excluding those from Canada and Mexico) faster than any U.S. state or territory — a staggering 85% increase over its 2019 overseas inbound visitor levels as of 2023, according to an October study from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office. There are now more daily flights from the U.S. West Coast, and hotel bookings are 6% higher so far in this last quarter of 2024 year-over-year. It’s a trifecta of tourism growth: more visitors, but also longer stays and a higher spend that reached a record $9.8 billion in 2023, boosting small businesses as well as major brands. “We don’t have a slow season in Puerto Rico anymore,” says Brad Dean, chief executive officer at Discover Puerto Rico. Even if they’re not booking, people are dreaming about “La Isla.” By tracking flight searches for trips between November 2024 and February 2025, a measure of “inspirational” demand, tourism intelligence company Mabrian Technologies reports Puerto Rico is up 9% compared with the same period last year and leads Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas in the Caribbean proper. Only Costa Rica ranked higher in the wider region. Dean attributes Puerto Rico’s ongoing tourism growth to a strategic effort to reposition the island’s brand as more than a sun-and-sea destination, starting back in 2018. That led to the Live Boricua campaign, which began in 2022 and leaned heavily on culture, history and cuisine and was, Dean says, “a pretty bold departure” in the way Puerto Rico was showcased to travelers. He adds that at least $2 billion in tourism spend is linked to this campaign. “We (also) haven’t shied away from actively embracing the LGBTQ+ community, and that has opened up Puerto Rico to audiences that may not have considered the Caribbean before,” Dean says. Hotels are preparing to meet this growing demand: A number of established boutique properties are undergoing upgrades valued between $4 million and more than $50 million, including Hotel El Convento; La Concha, which will join the Marriott Autograph Collection; Condado Vanderbilt Hotel; and the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar. That’s in addition to ultra-chic options that are coming online in 2025, including the adults-only Alma San Juan, with rooms overlooking Plaza Colón in the heart of Old San Juan, and the five-star Veranó boutique hotel in San Juan’s trendy Santurce neighborhood. The beachfront Ritz-Carlton San Juan in Isla Verde will also be reopening seven years after Hurricane Maria decimated the island. The travel industry’s success is helping boost employment on the island, to the tune of 101,000 leisure and hospitality jobs as of September 2024, a 26% increase over pre-pandemic levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Efforts to promote Puerto Rico’s provinces beyond the San Juan metro area — such as surfing hub Rincón on the west coast, historical Ponce on the south coast and Orocovis for nature and coffee haciendas in the central mountains —have spread the demand to small businesses previously ignored by the travel industry. Take Sheila Osorio, who leads workshops on Afro-Puerto Rican bomba music and dance at Taller Nzambi, in the town of Loíza, 15 miles east of San Juan; or Wanda Otero, founder of cheese-producing company Vaca Negra in Hatillo, an hour’s drive west of Old San Juan, where you can join a cheese-making workshop and indulge in artisanal cheese tastings. “The list of businesses involved in tourism has gone from 650 in 2018 to 6,100, many of which are artists and artisans,” Dean says. While New Yorkers and Miami residents have always been the largest visitor demographic, Dean says more mainland Americans now realize that going to Puerto Rico means passport-free travel to enjoy beaches, as well as opportunities to dine in Michelin-rated restaurants, hike the only rainforest in the U.S. and kayak in a bioluminescent bay. Visitors from Chicago and Dallas, for example, have increased by approximately 40% from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, compared with the same period in 2022-2023, and more travelers are expected from Denver now that United Airlines Holdings Inc. has kicked off its first nonstop service to San Juan, beginning on Oct. 29. Previously, beach destinations that were easy to reach on direct flights from Denver included Mexico, Belize and California, but now Puerto Rico joins that list with a 5.5-hour nonstop route that cuts more than two hours from the next-best option. Given United Airlines’ hub in San Francisco, it could mean more travelers from the Golden State in the near future, too. In December, U.S. airlines will have 3,000 more seats per day to the territory compared with the same period last year, for a total of 84,731 — surpassing even Mexico and the Dominican Republic in air capacity, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the island’s primary gateway, is projecting a record volume of 13 million passengers by year’s end — far surpassing the 9.4 million it saw in 2019. As for Hinchcliffe’s “floating island of garbage” line, Dean says it was “a terribly insensitive attempt at humor” that transformed outrage into a marketing silver lining, with an outpouring of positive public sentiment and content on Puerto Rico all over social media. Success, as that old chestnut goes, may be the best revenge. “It was probably the most efficient influencer campaign we’ve ever had,” Dean says, “a groundswell of visitors who posted their photos and videos and said, ‘This is the Puerto Rico that I know.’” ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Judge rejects Elon Musk request to reinstate his $56 billion pay packageCytovale Recognized as One of Modern Healthcare's 2024 Best in BusinessFor a top-to-toe wellbeing boost , some time out from the daily grind or a slow-paced getaway with your nearest and dearest, there’s nothing quite like a spa break for a recharge and reset. For those who don’t fancy the faff of heading abroad for an R&R fix , there are plenty of exceptional spa hotels right here in the UK . Spas have come a long way in recent years. No longer simply offering a whirl in a singular jacuzzi followed by a cream tea, wellness spaces are now equipped with the latest innovations designed to boost longevity and reset the mind and body. Whether you’re more partial to swimming laps or lazing poolside, lavender-scented thermal suites or bespoke facials, the pampering properties on our list all have serious credentials. You’ll find plenty of fine dining, healthy spreads and local and seasonal produce on offer – some hotels even have a Michelin star or two. From blowout country house breaks to eco-friendly finds and slick urban retreats, we’ve rounded up the best UK spa hotels below. So get ready to don a fluffy robe and relax. If cosy is what you crave, Dormy House is the one. This handsome 17th-century farmhouse-turned-39-room-boutique-hotel just outside Broadway village sits inside the 400-acre Farncombe Estate and serves up Cotswolds conviviality in such abundance that it’s impossible not to leave with a spring in your step. Flagstone-floored lounges with sofas draped in blankets by log fires invite guests to kick off their wellies and stop for a cuppa. It makes for a lovely spot to retreat to after yomps to Broadway Tower. At the House Spa, there’s a candlelit indoor infinity pool, a hydrotherapy hot tub fringed by pots of violet fauxliage, a gym, and thermal suite, salt steam room, lavender-infused number and experience shower, which mimics being caught in a rainforest downpour in the loveliest of ways. A raft of treatments using Temple Spa and Proverb products range from a sugar buff scrub and warm oil massage combo to body massages. Also on offer are mani-pedis, flotation tank experiences and therapist-free ‘wave touch’ massages – a lie-on waterbed with choose-your-own-strength jets. As well as a spa cafe with sun terrace, there’s the slow-food Back Garden restaurant. For slumbering, bedrooms blend Scandi-style interiors with wooden beams, floral fabric walls, and glinting roll-top bathtubs. Ianthe Butt Read more: Best spa hotels in the Lake District for outdoor saunas and forest views As famed for its honey-hued Georgian buildings as the ancient thermal waters it was founded on, Bath makes for a brilliant wellness break. The place to bed down is the Gainsborough Bath Spa, which has 99 bedrooms with monochrome palettes and is the only hotel with a spa directly fed by Bath’s mineral-rich spring water. A handful of spa bedrooms even have the thermal water piped straight into roll-top bathtubs, while for blowout group getaways, there’s a four-floor Georgian townhouse set adjacent to the main hotel. The Spa Village’s centrepiece is a dramatic mosaic-tiled thermal pool set underneath a glass atrium and surrounded by Romanesque columns. Offering a more boutique experience than the city’s popular Thermae Baths, the Gainsborough Spa also has two smaller soaking pools, an ice alcove and relaxation terrace, which form an invigorating self-guided bathing circuit. Unknotting aromatherapy, Swedish essential oil and thermal candle massages are on offer in 11 treatment rooms, alongside rejuvenating Hungarian mud detoxes. IB Set in the New Forest National Park, where wild ponies meander through woodland and violet-tinged heather scrub, Lime Wood is the ultimate rural retreat. The 13th-century lodge, transformed into a country house hotel with glorious grounds, has lounges with roaring fires, an Italian restaurant helmed by Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder and 33 rooms with botanical artwork, antique furniture and bloom-festooned cushions. Facilities at the calming, three-level Herb House spa nail serenity, with a 16m indoor lap pool (floor-to-ceiling glass windows mean front crawl comes with a side of dappled sunlight and forest views), two hydropools, an outdoor hot pool set underneath olive trees and 10 treatment rooms. The spa menu includes massages using seaweed-infused VOYA or Bamford products, reflexology sessions and OPI mani-pedis. Plus, Lime Wood is the first spa in Britain to offer Ground treatments, created by wellness expert Peigin Crowley, this series of rituals targets the likes of anxiety and hormone change, combines Gua Sha, breathwork, cold-stone therapy and lymphatic drainage. Personal trainers are on hand in the Technogym to ramp up fitness regimes, there are energetic aqua resistance sessions in the pool, plus pilates and yoga in the herb-filled rooftop garden. Afterwards, there’s healthy grub – freshly pressed greens and ginger juices and seasonal soups – on offer at spa restaurant Raw and Cured. IB Price: Doubles from £419, room only, including spa access. Spa days from £185pp Book now Read more: Best spa hotels in Edinburgh - Where to stay for luxury rooms and rejuvenation Surrounded by 380 acres of parkland by the tranquil River Maine, 40 minutes from Belfast, the atmosphere at the 125-room Galgorm is refreshingly relaxed and jolly (it has a 500-strong gin library for one thing). Accommodation – with all lodges dog-friendly – ranges from business-style bedrooms to Scandi-style cottages and rustic log cabins. There are four restaurants, including laidback AA Rosette-awarded Italian joint Fratellli plus rousing live music each night at Gillies Grill. The property’s award-winning Spa Village is one of Europe’s largest thermal spas, with a whopping six acres in which to bliss out, including a trio of gardens (alpine, walled and riverside) and a raft of facilities, including an indoor infinity hydrotherapy pool, riverside hot tubs, an indoor pool, snow cabin, salt room, aroma grotto and herb caldarium. Massages use Aromatherapy Associates oil or CBD-infused OTO products, plus there’s an only-available-at Galgorm iDome Detox Therapy – a touchless treatment that uses colour and plasma therapy to rejuvenate skin. For post-relaxation fuel, order pho and virgin watermelon lemonades at timber-dome restaurant Elements. It’s a good pick for golfers, as there’s a par-72 championship course on the grounds of the nearby Galgorm Castle Estate, a six-hole pitch and putt, and a golf academy. IB A seaside break is an instant reviver, and the adults-only Scarlet, with its cliffside setting above Mawgan Porth’s butterscotch sands, eco-architecture and wonderful spa, is a breath of fresh air for the soul. The 37 rooms – all pale wooden floorboards, decorated in mossy green and dusky blues inspired by wildflowers and sea mosses – each have a sea view, be it full-facing or from an upper-level sitting room. Popular with couples, the spa is heavy on wild-at-heart romance, with blue-on-blue seascape panoramas from the indoor pool, outdoor natural pool (a bracing, freshwater number, filtered by a living reed bed system) and a clifftop barrel cedar wood sauna. Ayurvedic treatments, including Shirodhara and Mukhabyanga facial massage, offer a taste of longer, four-hour ‘journeys’ (solo, couples, pregnancy) alongside hot herb and oat-filled poultice massages and Tula facials. Hands-on DIY hammam experiences for two, which involve slathering one another with mineral mud and an aromatic scrub atop a heated ceramic bed, are a hoot, and leave skin silky-smooth. Afterwards, laze in slumber-inducing hanging canvas pods, do outdoor yoga and tai chi, or head out surfing. A visit to the restaurant is a must – it’s overseen by chef Jack Clayton, known for his focus on sustainable, responsibly sourced cuisine, and good-natured sommelier Nick Bryant. Pick from seven-course fine-dining suppers or afternoon cream teas; just be sure to layer jam before clotted cream, in keeping with the Cornish tradition. IB Read more: The Gainsborough Bath Spa hotel review Historic Rudding Park, a quick drive from former spa town Harrogate, will suit spa junkies looking for a retreat with a modern, unstuffy vibe. The Georgian Hall-turned-90-room-hotel has comfortable rooms with colour-pop touches, 300 acres of gardens, a cinema, two golf courses and Horto, where the likes of courgette and feta tarts and white chocolate and passion fruit fondants are served. It’s the innovative spa, fed in part by natural spring waters, that’s the real masterstroke. Alongside an indoor pool, juniper log sauna, rasul (for mud masks and scrubs), nail studio and gym, there are audio meditation pods, an AV relaxation room and Mandala colour therapy zone. Outside, on the shrub-filled rooftop, there’s even more: a hydrotherapy pool, steam room, a tranquillity space with heated Evo loungers, glass-fronted sauna with astonishing panoramas of the Yorkshire countryside, sunlight therapy room and oxygen pod. Treatments run the gamut from Natura Bissé facials to hot stone massages, and spa rates include a daily Aufguss session – 15-minute sauna rituals where an Aufguss master uses water, essential oils and clever towel movements to circulate the heat to lift endorphins. The property also caters for those with accessibility needs, with level access across the spa, a pool lift for indoor and hydro pools, and an adapted treatment room and accessible shower/changing room. IB In 1990, long before it became de rigueur , Chewton Glen was one of the first country house hotels to create a purpose-built spa, and it has been winning accolades ever since. The straight-out-of-Austen hotel sits in 130 acres of grounds on the fringe of the New Forest National Park, and many ingredients used at the Dining Room come from the kitchen garden. Rooms range from traditional affairs with mallard-print cushions, mahogany furniture and rose colour palettes to high-in-the-canopy tree house suites with balcony hot tubs. The 1,350sq m spa has a 17m Roman-style indoor lap pool, a hydrotherapy pool, outdoor whirlpool and cold drench showers. On the spa menu are Mii gel mani-pedis and oil massages. Can’t decide? Book a slot and the therapist will craft something bespoke. Also on offer are brand new body rituals using CBD brand OTO products, which are tailored to ramp up energy levels or rebalance, as required. Mindfulbuffets are served in the Pool Bar, for those watching their PH balance, and junior spa treatments, a nine-hole par three golf course, dance and fitness studio, tennis courts, and a cookery school – recently taken over by Chef Gerard Molloy – make Chewton a good family pick. IB Read more: Why this Caribbean island is the perfect place for a female-focused wellness break Want a spa break with a horticultural hit? This ivy-covered, buttermilk-stone Jacobean country pile in West Sussex has it covered, with 93 acres of beech and oak woodland, rhododendron-filled ornamental gardens and breathtaking South Downs panoramas. The old-world main house – all ornate peacock ceiling carvings, dark wood panelling and 18th-century oil portraits – also has excellent restaurants Camellia and The Pass, overseen by Ben Wilkinson. Suites are relaxing spaces with velvet throws, fireplaces, bold striped wallpaper and mosaic-tiled bathrooms. The real serenity, however, is at the 4,087sq m, green oak-clad, meadow-roofed spa, which blends into the South Downs scenery beautifully. There’s plenty to keep swimmers happy, with a trio of dipping spots – an indoor infinity pool, an outdoor hydrotherapy number, and a back-to-nature 18m wild swimming pond too. Unwind-in-an-instant body massages use bespoke products and take place in nature-inspired treatment rooms, there’s a beauty bar for glam Jessica mani-pedis, a spin studio and gym, and plant-based food on offer at the Botanica restaurant. IB Not many spas are akin to immersive art, but that’s exactly the case at Beaverbrook’s Coach House Health Club and Spa. Offering a zeitgeist-y foil to the 19th-century Victorian mansion and its sprawling Surrey Hills grounds, the spa’s vivid stained-glass ceiling, designed by artist Brian Clarke, makes you feel as though you’re wrapped up in a rainbow. Wellness here focuses on the power of nature, with a roster including tailored, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, IV vitamin infusions, Therapi facials and osteopathy as well as a calendar of experiences ranging from winter signatures to full moon ceremonies, The pretty indoor pool is a delight – with a design that looks as though there are flowers bobbing on the water’s surface – plus there’s a splash pool, Coach House Spa, thermal suite, gym, and relaxation room. Spoiling spa aside, Beaverbrook is all polished razzle-dazzle – in keeping with the spirit of its former owner, press baron Lord Beaverbrook, who was renowned for his Gatsby-esque parties. Some of the bedrooms, decked out with abstract art prints and antiques, are named after Lord Beaverbrook’s pals, including Rudyard Kipling and Elizabeth Taylor. Evenings can be spent in the cinema, feasting on sushi at the Japanese Grill or rustic Mediterranean at the Garden House, before lemon, ginger ale and peach Spitfire Collins cocktails at Art Deco style Sir Frank’s Bar. IB Price: Spa escapes from £992 Book now Read more: The world’s best hotel tennis courts Moments from the Thames, and a hop, skip and a jump from Trafalgar Square, this five-star hotel has an unrivalled riverside setting, and is home to ESPA Life at Corinthia. Spread across four floors, the 3,300sq m spa is all high-drama Game of Thrones sultriness. Curved, gold corridors and a marble staircase descend to a thermal floor, where midnight black Italian marble rubs up against a vitality pool lit by a flickering fireplace. As well as a mosaic-tiled steam room, ice fountain and 9m stainless steel swimming pool – embedded with golden lights that create swooshing patterns as you swim – there’s a roomy, amphitheatre-style glass-walled sauna soundtracked by classical music. Even the changing rooms are a thing of beauty – the women’s have heated marble loungers, a sauna and steam room, the men’s a sauna and tepidarium. The range of expert-led treatments – performed in 17 pods – is second to none. ESPA therapies – including a full body vitality massage, featuring a warm rose quartz crystal scalp massage, ‘natural facelift’ facials inspired by Japanese Kobido – reflexology, and Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments are just a handful of what’s on offer. The cutting-edge gym has small group personal training sessions led by AMP coaches, and a Daniel Galvin Hair Salon ensures locks look as good as the swish surrounds. Plus, just opened is a new partnership with The London Regenerative Institute, for consultations with regenerative medicine practitioners for the likes of oxygen therapies and aesthetic treatments in a dedicated Lab Room. As for the rest of the hotel? Expect a wow-factor glass dome ceiling and Baccarat chandelier, two occasion restaurants – Kerridge’s Bar and Grill and European-style brasserie The Northall – sexy cocktail bar Velvet, and bedrooms that channel smart London residences, with leather furniture and Calacatta marble bathrooms. IB For a pampering getaway rooted in sustainability smarts, this eco-spa in the Pennines is the one to book. Housed inside a beautifully restored 20th-century textile mill in Huddersfield, it’s powered by solar photovoltaic roof panels and uses its own natural borehole for water. Single-use plastic is banned, appliances are energy-efficient, and Titanic is working towards becoming carbon neutral too. The well-equipped spa has a 15m indoor pool, given a gentle glow by blush rose lighting, as well as a heat and ice circuit, including herbal infusion and aromatherapy rooms, crystal steam bath, sauna, foot baths, ice room, plunge pool and experience showers – plus a sunken hot tub on the patio for outdoor soaks. While this isn’t a boutique experience (the spa can get quite busy), treatments – ranging from Decleor and Elemis facials and massages to reflexology, reiki and hopi ear candling – are spoiling, and there’s a beanbag-filled relaxation lounge to retreat to afterwards. Aparthotel-style accommodation – 33 contemporary-looking, one- or two-bed apartments (sleeping up to six with additional sofa beds) with kitchen-dining rooms – in the Titanic’s former mill makes self-catering a breeze. That said, there’s good grub on offer, with dishes at The Titanic Bistro – such as cumin spiced sweet potato and dal – made using seasonal, locally sourced, organic or Fairtrade ingredients. It’s hard to beat Titanic in terms of value for money; three-hour twilight packages start from £55pp. The £199 Green Futures package includes a £38 donation to a local charity that helps to empower young people to create positive environmental change. IB Price: Doubles from £189 B&B with spa access. Spa experiences from £45pp. The Green Futures package is from £199pp (Monday to Thursday, including meals, 25-minute body scrub and spa access) Book now Read more: This is what it’s really like on a silent meditation retreat – and it might terrify you This ritzy countryside crashpad meets 2500sq m spa opened in late 2021, and swiftly established itself as top of the list for many dedicated spa-goers. While the property’s Jacobean-style exterior is in keeping with its English countryside locale, with 40 acres of gardens next to Windsor Park, interiors are more-is-more opulent. Think mirrored corridors, a triple-height atrium, striking bar with a sunbeam ceiling pattern and a fine-dining restaurant – 1215 – adorned with hand-painted forest murals. The spa has more of a sanctuary feel, with silvery floral mosaic walls, a 20m indoor pool lined by waterside loungers, and tucked-back daybeds to curl up in. At one end, a Japanese Ashiyu foot ritual bath sits in a bower of everlasting cherry blossom, while, outside, there’s a courtyard hydro vitality pool – lovely during sunnier months. As well as a Himalayan salt room and thermal suite with Finnish sauna, steam room, ice fountain and hot tub, a relaxation room is kitted out with Aeyla weighted blankets to snuggle under. Other flashpoints include a six-person hammam, sports massage therapy, gym with reformer Pilates studio, padel and tennis courts and a cryotherapy chamber. As well as 18 rooms for treatments using Comfort Zone and Natura Bissé and La Sultane de Sabana products and Nailberry manicures. IB Another Surrey spa hotspot with oodles of facilities is long-established Pennyhill Park. Ringed by 120 acres of parkland, with a whopping 4,181sq m spa to explore – spa-ing here is a laid-back, all-day affair. As for swims, there’s a pic ’n’ mix of dipping possibilities – from an elegant 25m indoor pool in the columned ballroom, which has music piped underwater, to an 18m outdoor pool and indoor-outdoor hydrotherapy pool, next to a trio of outdoor Canadian-style hot tubs. Another highlight is the fragrant thermal circuit, a mix of saunas, steam rooms and the like at varying temperatures, it includes a fig and vanilla-scented laconium, rose steam room and a Thai basil and eucalyptus-infused herbal sauna to warm up in, as well as drench buckets, an ice igloo, bracing plunge pool and bubbling foot spa. Despite there being 21 therapy rooms, it’s best to book ahead, as treatments are in hot demand, from Natura Bissé’s famed diamond energy facials to the pro-sleep ritual using warm oil applied in gentle brushstrokes. On the whole, the property’s 124 individually styled bedrooms are contemporary and colourful, the most plush have their own spa touches – a private cedar hot tub on the terrace, sunken Roman-style shower or copper roll-top tub. Pennyhill’s also a strong choice for foodie travellers, thanks to Michelin-starred Latymer restaurant, where Steve Smith magics up inventive, modern fine-dining in historic, oak-beamed surrounds. IB Read more: The best spas in Eastern Europe for an affordable, yet luxurious, break A haven for the wellness crowd, Calcot and Spa is replete with two buildings dedicated to fitness, recovery and relaxation. The spa and the Grain Store bookend the impressive Cotswolds manor house, fronted by a croquet lawn and leafy avenues to roll through on rented bikes. The classic country house hotel alone provides enough cosy nooks, green terraces and an excellent cafe, restaurant and bar in which to while away the hours, but you’d be remiss to swerve the spa and fitness centre as these facilities are perhaps most deserving of the awards the venue has won. The spa building houses a large heated pool, a traditional sauna and steam room, three beautiful relaxation rooms and individual treatment rooms These encircle a bright cafe with lofty ceilings and huge windows that look out at the star of the show – an outdoor hot tub banked by lavender and hydrangea bushes with a log fire offering the comforting scent of woodsmoke. Though if sipping your matcha latte with a view of the tub isn’t for you, there’s also a cosy library area offering views of the grounds in which to relax. Treatments are tailored to your individual needs – ideal for working out stressed muscles or topically treating skin concerns with a range of products from Comfort Zone and Caci. By contrast to the hyper-modern facilities, the rooms are refreshingly rustic. Exposed beams and farmhouse-style furniture provides a classic Cotswolds vibe to settle into. Designated family areas and individual cottagesque suites ensure total privacy and peace and quiet too. The Grain Store – a huge barn kitted out with dance, fitness and spin studios, a gym and cafe – is possibly the best hotel gym in the UK. With a giant gym floor lined with top-of-the-range Technogym machines and personal trainers on hand to offer assistance, fitness enthusiasts will not be disappointed. Classes here range from Pilates to boxfit and sound healing. Emilie Lavinia Price: Spa experiences from £110 pp. Book now If a ramble through an idyllic national park followed by a trip to a tepidarium sounds like your idea of a good time, Carey’s Manor blends the soothing art of the woodland walk with a fabulous mix of spa facilities. The 18th Century New Forest manor house boasts a great deal of character, complete with Victorian wood panelling and open fireplaces. Though be advised that many of the rooms and suites are housed in a modern annexe. Regardless, the rooms are comfortable and decked out to complement the hotel’s country heritage aesthetic. Many look out onto private gardens with individual terraces and booking a specialist package will see you greeted with a gift box of wellness products from the likes of Dirtea and Pure Earth and Scentered in your room. The SenSpa is laid out across two floors with an abundance of therapeutic rooms to suit all tastes. Guests can move between the herbal sauna, laconicum and tepidarium to a crystal steam room and sensory showers that mimic tropical rain and thunderstorms. Swimming pools and hydropools are banked by relaxation areas and treatment rooms – in which the best Thai massage to be found outside of Thailand can be booked at the spa reception. The gym is small but well equipped with a variety of machines and a separate fitness studio offers a bright space for yoga classes. These aren’t the only events on offer, though. Carey’s Manor offers sensehacking spa days, retreat weekends and an upcoming wellness festival in 2025. Though you could spend days enjoying all the spa has to offer, the surrounding woodland populated by wild ponies and winding trails is too good to be missed. The concierge team can help with wellingtons, picnics, walking maps and advice on the best walking routes. Beautiful dining areas, including a Thai restaurant, French brasserie and the Cambium restaurant serving locally-sourced fare and an impressive breakfast spread, provide an opportunity to refuel. Though of course, there is the option of a cream tea in the gardens between meals. EL Read more: Finding the secret to why Sardinians live to 100 Set in 12 acres of grounds, Sopwell House marries the classic features of an imposing Georgian manor with its spa’s ultra-modern architecture and facilities. The interiors are modern too, with comfortable rooms and cosy public sitting rooms decked out with plush velvet furnishings, ambient lighting and eclectic wallpapers. The Cottonmill spa is a warren of pools, saunas, steam rooms and treatment areas, all beautifully decorated. The spa areas can get very busy and you’ll likely find the small hydropool filled with people sipping bubbly. But for a little space, head outside through the novel glass pool door to enjoy the heated waters in the brisk air. The crystal steam room and panoramic sauna are also well worth visiting. Access to certain parts of the spa is reserved for those who’ve booked specific packages or rooms so bear this in mind when booking. However, a large swimming pool, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna are available to all guests. If you’d like to make sure you nab a lounger or a seat by the fire in the more exclusive areas at Cottonmill, visiting during a weekday or off-peak hours is recommended because booking a particular package or room won’t guarantee you a space to sit down. Though with that said, there are some beautiful relaxation rooms away from the pool area. There’s an impressive treatment menu of advanced skincare and body treatments, from relaxing bespoke facials to recovery-focused massages. Therapists rely on Elemis and Aromatherapy Associates for soothing scents and hardworking results. The gym is excellent too and a hit with visiting football teams – one of the Sopwell’s corridors is lined with the shirts of players who frequent the hotel for a spot of R&R. For food and drink, guests can visit the brasserie, the Octagon bar and Omboo – an opulent pan-Asian restaurant. Breakfast is a fabulous serve-yourself spread with a range of healthy, continental and fully loaded options. The spa also houses the Pantry offering light lunches and drinks for those enjoying a spa day without the overnight stay. For those who are staying over, the rooms come equipped with a secret mini bar stocked with everything you’ll need to whip up a G&T whenever you fancy one. EL If the bracing draw of the outdoors is just as vital to your wellbeing as a dip in a heated pool, the location of your spa hotel will no doubt matter as much as its facilities. Perched within an estuary of the Irish sea, The Quay hotel and spa embraces the wilder aspects of wellness bearing witness to coastal winds and golden sunsets. The Welsh coastline offers beaches and hills for those keen to hit their 10,000 steps and the nearby marina provides a vista of bobbing boats and the soothing sound of lapping waves. The newly renovated spa is small but well equipped with a hi-tech infrared sauna, steam room and Himalayan salt room, along with footbaths, relaxation areas and a hydropool – the ideal recovery method after a long walk. Treatments, which are carried out in a separate wing, range from personalised massages to soothing facials with Oskia products. The gym is also very good, housed in the main hotel building with plenty of fitness machines and PTs on hand to help with your workout. The hotel itself offers spacious modern rooms and suites with large windows and balconies offering views of the estuary and marina. The decor isn’t a maximalist slap in the face – though if that’s your preference there are plenty of hotels on this list that offer more outlandish design features – it’s pared back, neat and comfortable with considered touches. Blue hues are a nod to the nautical and the stone-toned bathrooms are minimalist too. The Cove bar and Ebb and Flow restaurant are also in-keeping with The Quay’s seaside theme, serving up local flavours via an award-winning chef. You’ll also find Welsh ales on the drinks menu and an impressive wine list. Mornings are brightened by views of the historic Conwy Castle whilst enjoying a well-stocked buffet and à la carte breakfast menu. EL Read more: The best health and wellness retreats across Europe A manor house steeped in history, Seaham Hall houses eclectic rooms that have played host to the likes of Lord Byron before becoming wards for a military hospital and later, a secret whiskey dispensary. Today the Georgian manor house is the epitome of luxury, surrounded by grounds that meet the sea on the north east coast. Suites and the hotel’s self-contained lodges are plush, comfortable and offer every amenity – including super king beds, a pillow menu and private hot tubs with views of the North Sea. The Serenity Spa houses a 20-metre pool, Hammam, hydrotherapy and plunge pools and relaxation areas. There’s also a range of therapy rooms ranging from a salt sauna to a eucalyptus steam room. An ambient walkway over indoor ponds filled with fish leads the way from the main hotel to pools and treatment rooms where an Ishga seaweed wrap or hot stone massage come highly recommended. If the weather permits, the outdoor infinity hydropool and food terrace are worth spending a little time in too. Fitness fans will be pleased to hear that the Seaham Hall gym is expansive, offering a range of machines. There’s also a fitness studio with TechnoGym spin bikes and a host of classes to book, from HIIT to body pump. But if you’re more interested in food than fitness, you’ll eat well. The menu in The Dining Room is seasonal and locally sourced, inspired by what the north east has to offer, including beautiful views of the gardens. There’s also an alternative restaurant, Ozone, serving pan-Asian fare and excellent cocktails. EL Price: Spa experiences from £99pp. Book nowWASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is expected to announce that it will send $1.25 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Friday, as the Biden administration pushes to get before leaving office on Jan. 20. The large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defense system. It also will provide Stinger missiles and 155 mm- and 105 mm artillery rounds, officials said. The officials, who said they expect the announcement to be made on Monday, spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. The new aid comes as Russia has launched a barrage of attacks against Ukraine’s power facilities in recent days, although Ukraine has said it intercepted a significant number of the missiles and drones. Russian and Ukrainian forces are also still in a bitter battle around the Russian border region of Kursk, where Moscow has to help reclaim territory taken by Ukraine. Earlier this month, senior defense officials acknowledged that that the all of the remaining $5.6 billion in Pentagon weapons and equipment stocks passed by Congress for Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in. Trump has talked about getting some type of negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia, and spoken about . Many U.S. and European leaders are concerned that it might result in a poor deal for Ukraine and they worry that he won't provide Ukraine with all the weapons funding approved by Congress. The aid in the new package is in presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to take weapons off the shelves and send them quickly to Ukraine. This latest assistance would reduce the remaining amount to about $4.35 billion. Officials have said they hope that an influx of aid will help strengthen Ukraine’s hand, should Zelenskyy decide it’s time to negotiate. One senior defense official said that while the U.S. will continue to provide weapons to Ukraine until Jan. 20, there may well be funds remaining that will be available for the incoming Trump administration to spend. According to the Pentagon, there is also about $1.2 billion remaining in longer-term funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to pay for weapons contracts that would not be delivered for a year or more. Officials have said the administration anticipates releasing all of that money before the end of the calendar year. If the new package is included, the U.S. has provided more than $64 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.

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Hope Walz, Gov. Tim Walz's daughter, says Joe Rogan fandom is "red flag" in her dating "litmus test"U.S. women's national team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, known for her unflappable demeanor in the face of pressure, is retiring from international soccer. Naeher was on the team's roster for a pair of upcoming matches in Europe but those games will be her last after a full 11 years playing for the United States. Naeher was the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. team that won the Women's World Cup in 2019 and the gold medal at this year's Olympics in France. She's the only U.S. goalkeeper to earn a shutout in both a World Cup and an Olympic final. She made a key one-handed save in stoppage time to preserve the Americans' 1-0 victory over Brazil in the Olympic final. Mallory Swanson, who scored the only goal, ran down the length of the field to embrace Naeher at the final whistle. Naeher announced her retirement on social media Monday . “Every tear shed in the challenging times and disappointments made every smile and celebration in the moments of success that much more joyful. This has been a special team to be a part of and I am beyond proud of what we have achieved both on and off the field," she wrote. “The memories I have made over the years will last me a lifetime.” Naeher has been known throughout her career for her calm and steady leadership. She is one of just three goalkeepers to make more than 100 appearances for the United States. Naeher made her debut with the national team in 2014 and was a backup to Hope Solo at the 2015 World Cup, which the United States won. She became the team’s regular starter following the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and was on the squad that repeated as World Cup winners in 2019. For her career, Naeher has appeared 113 games with 110 starts, 88 wins and 68 shutouts. She had four shutouts over the course of the Olympic tournament in France. In all, she was on the U.S. roster for three World Cups and three Olympic teams. The 36-year-old has also played for the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women’s Soccer League since 2016. She plans to play for Chicago next season. The United States is headed to Europe for a match against England at Wembley Stadium on Saturday and on Dec. 3 against Netherlands in The Hague. In addition to her save at the Olympics, Naeher has had many other memorable moments. In the 2019 Women's World Cup semifinals against England, she stopped Steph Houghton’s penalty kick in the 83rd minute. The Americans won 2-1 before downing the Netherlands 2-0 in the final. Earlier this year in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup, Naeher made three saves during a penalty shootout with Canada and also converted a penalty kick herself — tucking the ball neatly into the corner of the net. Afterward she said: “Winning is the best feeling.” AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Brazilian vets race to save heron with cup lodged in its throatLAS VEGAS (AP) — Formula 1 on Monday at last said it will expand its grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. “As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It’s an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," GM President Mark Reuss said. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.” The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti. Andretti in September stepped aside from leading his namesake organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. Towriss is the the CEO and president of Group 1001 and entered motorsports via Andretti's IndyCar team when he signed on financial savings platform Gainbridge as a sponsor. Towriss is now a major part of the motorsports scene with ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports' NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car team. Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the controlling owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea. “We’re excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," Towriss said. “Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world.” Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1. But his son, Michael, will have no official position with the organization now that he has scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global. “The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team,” Michael Andretti posted on social media. “I’m very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!” The approval has been in works for weeks but was held until after last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix to not overshadow the showcase event of the Liberty Media portfolio. Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Saturday night's race, the third and final stop in the United States for the top motorsports series in the world. Grid expansion in F1 is both infrequent and often unsuccessful. Four teams were granted entries in 2010 that should have pushed the grid to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made it to the grid and the other three had vanished by 2017. There is only one American team on the current F1 grid — owned by California businessman Gene Haas — but it is not particularly competitive and does not field American drivers. Andretti’s dream was to field a truly American team with American drivers. The fight to add this team has been going on for three-plus years and F1 initially denied the application despite approval from F1 sanctioning body FIA . The existing 10 teams, who have no voice in the matter, also largely opposed expansion because of the dilution in prize money and the billions of dollars they’ve already invested in the series. Andretti in 2020 tried and failed to buy the existing Sauber team. From there, he applied for grid expansion and partnered with GM, the top-selling manufacturer in the United States. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti’s application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1’s current grid. “General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners," Ben Sulayem said Monday. "I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application." Despite the FIA's acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn't interested in Andretti — but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete. “Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024,” F1 said in a statement. “Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process." Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry. “With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Maffei said. "We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1." AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Graphjet Technology Schedules Business Update Call"Everything is just...", Danielle Peazer's Touching Tribute To Liam Payne After His Funeral | WATCH Recommended Playlist Kate Cassidy 'Breaks Down' Over Liam Payne's 'Painful' & 'Devastating' New CCTV Footage Brad Pitt Spotted Collapsing During Filming of Crash Scene Zayn Malik Pays Emotional Tribute to Liam Payne At Leeds Concert, Leaves Fans in Tears Justin Trudeau Grooves at Taylor Swift’s Show Amid Montreal Riots Lyle Menendez Finds 'Young' Love From Behind-The-Bars, Wife Rebecca Sneed Responds Top Viral Videos Diljit Dosanjh's Cool Comeback to 'Patiala Peg' Controversy Diljit Dosanjh addressed the ongoing criticism surrounding his hit song Patiala Peg during his concert in Lucknow. The Chamkila star responded by stating that singers are unfairly targeted for glorifying alcohol, especially in comparison to actors. He pointed out that alcohol in films receives little scrutiny, despite its frequent glamorization on-screen. Diljit's response was shared on his Instagram, where it quickly went viral. IFFI 2024: Amar Kaushik's Move From Horror To Mythology Finds Roots In Childhood Tales Imtiaz Ali At IFFI 2024: Women Power & Representation In Bollywood And The' Rockstar' Madness Diljit Dosanjh Explores 'City of Nawabs', Enjoys 'Makhan Malai' Ahead Of Lucknow Concert | WATCH Shah Rukh Khan Death Threat: Accused Stalked SRK's Family, Tracked Aryan Khan's Movements AR Rahman's 'Pre-Marriage Agreement' With Saira Banu Grabs Attention As Old Video Resurfaces Bollywood music composer AR Rahman and his wife Saira Banu have announced their separation after 29 years of marriage. The couple released a joint statement on November 19 revealing their decision. Amid big reactions from fans on unexpected split, an old clip of Rahman discussing his marriage has resurfaced. Watch- Aishwarya Rai Celebrates Aaradhya's 13th Birthday, Throws A Party Sans Abhishek Bachchan Kangana Ranaut Praises A Star Kid For A Change, Cheers For SRK's Son Aryan Khan Before Debut Liam Payne's Funeral Today, 'One Direction' Reunite After 9 Years For Painful Final Farewell AR Rahman Pens Separation Note With A Bizarre Sign-Off, Leaving Fans 'Disappointed' Fans Pay Heavy Price To Attend Diljit Dosanjh's Ahmedabad Concert Without Ticket | WATCH Diljit Dosanjh paused his Ahmedabad concert on noticing a crowd of ticketless fans. While fans got creative to attend their favourite's show, they did end up paying a heavy price for it. How? Watch video for details- Liam Payne's Funeral Finalised, Suspect Rogelio 'Roger' Nores Barred From Attending Private Ceremony Viral Video: Hania Aamir Attends Badshah's Dubai Concert, Rumoured Couple Sparks Social Media Frenzy Mukesh Khanna Blasts Paps At 'Shaktimaan' Event; Netizens Give Creative Take | WATCH Aamir Khan & Anees Bazmee's Chat On 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3' & 'Singham Again' Clash Goes Viral Zayn Malik Look-Alike Contest Disappoints Fans, 'ZSquad' Apologises For 'Failing' The Star Zayn Malik fans were not impressed by the verdict of a look-alike concert held in New York. Many expessed frustration over judges selecting the winner and runner-ups, despite the contestant looking 'barely' anything like Zayn. Watch- Diljit Dosanjh Calls For 'Dry Nation Movement' At Ahmedabad Show, Responds To Legal Notice Swara Bhasker Faces Social Media Backlash After Maulana Sajjad Nomani Meeting Diljit Dosanjh Receives Legal Notice Ahead Of Hyderabad Concert For 'These' Songs Liam Payne Faced Heartbreaking Ultimatum: Girlfriend Kate Cassidy Asks Him To Choose | WATCH Short Videos Priyanka Chopra's Hand Gestures Spark Curiosity SRK Avoids Fall During Wild Airport Scene Sonu Nigam Always Leaves Us In Awe With His Presence Hina Khan Stuns In A Pink Kashmiri Salwar Suit Kareena Kapoor's Birthday Bash: A Glimpse of Her Fabulous Gift and Cake Aditya Roy Kapur’s Drool-Worthy Transformation Wamiqa Gabbi's Bold Look Steals All the Spotlight Neil Nitin Mukesh’s Emotional Goodbye to Bappa with Final Aarti Jackie’s Ganpati Aarti Moment; You Won’t Believe What He Brings Along Siddhant & Raghav’s Bromance Related Articles We tried everything but nothing worked against Virat Kohli: Josh Hazlewood Will The Empress return for season 3? Everything we know so far Exclusive - Vihan Verma expresses gratitude on World Television Day: TV has given me everything I have today, I truly owe it to television Who is Anthony Edwards’ girlfriend Shannon Jackson? Here’s everything you need to know about Wolves star’s love life Who is Sean Duffy? Everything you need to know about early life of Donald Trump’s choice of Transport secretary Sara Ali Khan gives credit to Kedarnath for changing her life: 'Everything I am has come from that place' Meet Joe DiMeo the first man to undergo a face and double hand transplant; he just got engaged "It has a little bit of everything": Chariah Gordon reveals Chiefs WAGs group chat secrets, showcasing their close-knit bond MORE FROM E TIMES

CROPPS welcomes new assistant director for researchDow Jones Futures: Google, Tesla Strong But Palantir, Nvidia Fall Amid Growth Woes; CPI Inflation Due - Investor's Business DailyThe Buffalo Bills are back from their bye week and gearing up for a six-week sprint to the end of the regular season. At 9-2, the team has surpassed any reasonable expectations set for it coming into the season. A fifth straight AFC East title is all but guaranteed, and could be wrapped up as soon as Sunday if things go right. The No. 1 seed in the conference playoffs is still in play. As the team prepares to welcome the San Francisco 49ers to Highmark Stadium on Sunday night in a nationally televised game, here is a look at three things that have gone right and three that have gone at least partially wrong thus far: Let’s start with the good: Bills quarterback Josh Allen, left, celebrates after running for the game-winning touchdown against the Chiefs at Highmark Stadium on Nov. 17. 1. MVP Allen The Bills’ star quarterback has elevated his game to another level this season, even if he’s not statistically on pace to have his best season. Allen is projected to throw for 3,930 yards and 28 touchdowns, while completing 64.0% of his passes this year. His best season came in 2020, when he threw for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns while completing 69.2% of his passes. Still, Allen’s generally considered to be having his best NFL season to date. He’s on pace to throw a career-low eight interceptions (he threw 10 in 2020), but his MVP case goes beyond just that. Right or wrong, the MVP discussion will inevitably look at a team’s record, and the Bills are 9-2 in a year many had them pegged as a 10- or 11-win team at max. Allen’s leadership and command of the offense have never been greater, thus strengthening his MVP case. 2. Thefts As the Buffalo Bills come out of their bye weekend, they are 9-2, running away with the AFC East and off to their best start since the 1992 season. Here's a roundtable discussion of The News' Bills writers on the state of the team. The Bills’ defense always stresses the importance of taking the football away, and few teams in the league have been better at it thus far. Buffalo’s 21 takeaways currently ranks fifth, just two behind league-leading Houston with 23 and one behind a three-way tie for second with 22 between Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Minnesota. Buffalo’s 13 interceptions rank fourth in the league, and its eight recovered fumbles is tied for fifth. Conversely, the Bills’ offense is taking good care of the football, with just seven giveaways. Buffalo’s five interceptions is tied for sixth fewest in the league and its two lost fumbles is second to only Detroit (one lost). That’s led to a plus-14 turnover differential that is tops in the NFL. 3. The offensive line The Bills are allowing sacks on just 3.7% of their pass plays – the best number in the NFL. That’s not totally an offensive line stat, as Allen’s elusiveness plays into it, but it definitely says a lot about how the group up front is performing. The Bills have started the same five – left tackle Dion Dawkins, left guard David Edwards, center Connor McGovern, right guard O’Cyrus Torrence and right tackle Spencer Brown – in every game, save the Week 11 win over the Chiefs, which Brown missed with a sprained ankle. On the ground, the Bills are third in expected points added per rush, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. That number quantifies the net value a ball carrier adds on run plays by translating yards gained into points scored. Again, that’s not totally an offensive line stat, but as Bills head coach Sean McDermott points out after every game, success most frequently starts up front at the line of scrimmages. Here are three things that haven’t always been great: How do the Bills believe they will ever get to the more than 5,000 potential season ticket holder accounts on their waitlist for the new stadium and why advertise for more of them? It likely comes down to the natural attrition that will come with moving to a new stadium − especially when it involves buying a personal seat license, which is relatively new to the Buffalo market, as well as the effort to minimize just how many seats one account holder can purchase, reducing the number of seats held by ticket brokers. 1. Run defense While the Bills are in the middle of the pack in terms of yards allowed per game, ranking 14th at 119.1, they are 30th in terms of yards allowed per carry, at 4.85. Take a look at the upcoming schedule of running backs the team faces: Christian McCaffrey (49ers), Kyren Williams (Rams) and David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions). This concern goes beyond just the short term, though. The Week 4 loss to Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens is tough to forget. It feels like any path to the Super Bowl is going to have to go through Baltimore and/or Kansas City, and the Chiefs should get Isiah Pacheco back soon. The Bills are going to have to get tougher against the run, or else teams will be able to control the clock, and thus the pace of the game. Buffalo is allowing 1.79 yards per carry before contact, which is eighth most in the NFL, according to the league’s Next Gen Stats. That speaks to the defensive line’s inability at times to get to the opposing running back. It’s not been all bad for the run defense, as the team has stuffed opposing rushing attempts, meaning holding them to no gain or for a loss of yardage, on 23.3% of carries, which is the second-best rate in the league. The consistency, however, has lacked, and that’s a potential problem moving forward. 2. Tyler Bass The 61-yard field goal that won the game against Miami was one of the best kicks in team history. Bass followed that up with another good showing against Indianapolis in Week 10, but a missed extra point against Kansas City once again led to some doubt creeping in. It felt for most of that game against the Chiefs like the missed extra point was going to loom large, but the rest of the team eventually made sure that didn’t happen. Nevertheless, it feels certain that there is going to come a time that the Bills need to rely on Bass down the stretch, and their confidence in doing so might have understandably been shaken by his miss against the Chiefs. Bass has made 86.4% of his field goals this season (19 of 22), which ranks 15th among qualified kickers (those with at least 16 attempts). Of the 40 kickers in the league who have an attempted an extra point, however, Bass ranks 36th, with a conversion rate of 89.2%. The Bills don’t currently have a kicker on their practice squad, so they’re all in on Bass coming through. He needs to reward them for their confidence. Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard, middle, celebrates his interception against the Chiefs in Week 11. The Bills have 13 interceptions this season, which is fourth most in the NFL. 3. The injury report The Bills’ weekly injury report has needed subtitles at times this season because it’s been so long. By unofficial count, the Bills have had 15 players classified as starters or key contributors who have missed at least one game because of injury. That’s a lot of bumps and bruises. The good news, however, is that the bye week came at the right time. The team opened linebacker Matt Milano’s practice window before the bye, meaning his return should come soon. If he can get back up to speed before the playoffs, he gives the team a great 1-2 punch at linebacker with Terrel Bernard (and if not, Dorian Williams has looked just fine in Milano’s place). Ideally, the team’s run of wrist injuries is behind it. Amari Cooper and rookie Keon Coleman should be closer to 100% coming out of the bye. Rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter, who had put together a few nice performances before suffering a wrist injury, is eligible to return from injured reserve starting this week. Veteran defensive end Dawuane Smoot has to miss at least two more games while on injured reserve with a wrist injury of his own, while linebacker Baylon Spector is out for at least two more games because of a calf injury. All of them should be able to return in time for the playoffs, giving the Bills the chance to be as healthy as they’ve been all season at exactly the right time. Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter Sent weekly directly to your inbox! 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By Jordan Rubin Welcome back, Deadline: Legal Newsletter readers . Donald Trump’s first attorney general pick quit before he could be fired (or, rather, not hired), the president-elect’s hush money sentencing was further postponed , and the Supreme Court issued an opinion that wasn’t much of an opinion at all. We’ll get to all that — but first, let’s talk judges. Not the justices who get most of the attention , but the judges on the nation’s trial and appellate courts. Although Democrats will lose the White House and Senate come January, they’ve been confirming key jurists to these lower courts during the post-election “lame duck” period before Republicans take over. Among President Joe Biden’s nominees who won lifetime appointments this week is Amir Ali, who’ll serve on Washington, D.C.’s federal trial court. Don’t be surprised if this young and accomplished civil rights lawyer is floated as a high court pick for a future Democratic president. Indeed, Biden’s lone justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, also began her judicial career on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Democrats are closing in on the 234 judges seated in Trump’s first term . Whether they meet or beat that number remains to be seen , as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and company race the clock before they lose power. Meanwhile, Matt Gaetz won’t be attorney general. He withdrew after it became clear the incoming GOP-majority Senate wouldn’t confirm him . In keeping with the Florida loyalist theme, Trump quickly announced Pam Bondi as the next top cop contestant. Like Gaetz, she’s an avatar for MAGA vengeance, but unlike Gaetz, she has criminal experience beyond being investigated . The former Florida attorney general led a “lock her up” chant against Hillary Clinton at the 2016 Republican National Convention. When it turned out that Trump would be the one facing lockup, Bondi said on Fox News last year that his prosecutors “will be prosecuted.” Bondi also backed Trump’s effort to overturn 2020 election results ; she defended him in his first impeachment ; and, as Florida AG, she didn’t take action against Trump’s fraudulent for-profit university — after his foundation gave $25,000 to a political action committee supporting her. That last move led Stephen Colbert to call Bondi “the only person in the world ever to make money from Trump University ... other than Donald Trump.” In his criminal cases , the main action (or lack thereof) was in New York. Judge Juan Merchan approved Trump’s request to file a motion to dismiss the case outright due to his impending White House return. That motion is due Dec. 2 and the state’s response is due Dec. 9, after which Merchan can rule on that request as well as Trump’s pending motion to overturn his guilty verdicts based on the Supreme Court immunity ruling. Only then can the case proceed to sentencing, which is by no means a certainty before Trump takes office. (More on that in this week’s “Ask Jordan.” ) We also got a mysterious piece of news in the Georgia election interference case. The state appeals court was supposed to hear arguments next month in the defense effort to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. But the court abruptly canceled the hearing without explanation. The court’s next move could shed light on the cancellation. As in New York, it’s unclear what will happen in the state case that — unlike the federal ones — Trump can’t get dismissed or pardon away by virtue of being president. Unlike the New York case, where Trump is the only defendant, he has many co-defendants in Georgia who could face televised trials while he’s in office. The Supreme Court issued its first opinion of the term in an argued case on Friday (the court’s first opinion overall was in a capital case summarily decided without argument). But the court’s “ruling” in Facebook v. Amalgamated Bank was a one-sentence order dismissing the case as improvidently granted , meaning the court realized after the fact that it shouldn’t have taken up the appeal in the first place. Whoops! The justices also added to their docket on Friday, taking up a new appeal over the scope of federal agency power. Elsewhere on the high court docket, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pressing his luck with an application to halt misinformation investigations of doctors in Washington state. Justice Elena Kagan rejected his attempt on Wednesday, but now he’s shopping it to Justice Clarence Thomas . Former Trump White House advisor Peter Navarro tried a similar move of turning to another justice when he fought to stay out of prison for Jan. 6 committee contempt, but the full court ultimately rejected him . We’ll see if Trump’s pick for Health and Human Services fares better in his high court quest. Finally, a programming note: The newsletter is off next week for Thanksgiving and will return the first week of December. It should be a busy one, with special counsel Jack Smith slated to update the courts about his plans for Trump’s federal cases, Trump’s New York dismissal motion due to Merchan, and the justices set to hear arguments over transgender rights in United States v. Skrmetti . Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for expert analysis on the top legal stories of the week, including updates from the Supreme Court and developments in Donald Trump’s legal cases. Jordan Rubin is the Deadline: Legal Blog writer. He was a prosecutor for the New York County District Attorney’s Office in Manhattan and is the author of “Bizarro," a book about the secret war on synthetic drugs. Before he joined MSNBC, he was a legal reporter for Bloomberg Law.

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NoneU.S. shares higher at close of trade; Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.69%

Wake up the ghosts! Texas, Texas A&M rivalry that dates to 1894 is rebornVikings blow a late fourth-quarter lead, but beat the Bears in overtime 30-27

Proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons is halted by federal, state judges The proposed $24.6 billion merger between supermarket giants Kroger and Albertsons floundered on Tuesday after judges overseeing two separate cases both halted the merger. A federal judge in Oregon temporarily blocked the proposed merger until an in-house administrative judge at the Federal Trade Commission considers it. Shortly afterward, a judge in Washington state issued a permanent injunction barring the merger in that state, saying it lessens competition. Kroger and Albertsons in 2022 proposed what would be the largest grocery store merger in U.S. history. But the Federal Trade Commission and the state of Washington sued earlier this year. Biden says he was 'stupid' not to put his name on pandemic relief checks like Trump did WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says he was “stupid” not to put his own name on pandemic relief checks in 2021, like Donald Trump had done in 2020. He noted Tuesday in a speech at the Brookings Institution that Trump likely got credit for helping people out through this simple, effective act of branding. Biden did the second-guessing as he defended his economic record and challenged Trump to preserve Democratic policy ideas when he returns to the White House next month. Trump’s decision to add his name to the checks sent by the U.S. Treasury to millions of Americans struggling during the coronavirus marked the first time a president’s name appeared on any IRS payments. Former chairman of state-owned bank China Everbright Group jailed for 12 years for corruption BEIJING (AP) — Chinese official broadcaster CCTV says a former chairman of the state-owned bank China Everbright Group has been jailed 12 years for embezzlement and bribery. Tang Shuangning, who had also held senior posts at the People’s Bank of China and the China Banking Regulatory Commission, was arrested in January, part of a wider wave of prosecutions of senior officials accused of financial crimes. A court in the city of Tangshan, about 100 miles east of Beijing, found him guilty of taking advantage of his position at the state-owned bank in “seeking convenience for others” in jobs and loans, in exchange for illegal payments. The court said he had accepted illegal property with a total value of more than $1.5 million. What did you Google in 2024? From the elections to Copa América, here's what search trends show NEW YORK (AP) — Remember what you searched for in 2024? Google does. Google has released its annual “Year in Search," rounding up 2024's top trending searches. It shows terms that saw the highest spike in traffic compared to last year. Sports — particularly soccer and cricket — dominated overall search trends, led by queries for Copa América, the UEFA European Championship and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, the U.S. election led news-specific searches worldwide. Queries about excessive heat and this year’s Olympic Games followed. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump topped searches in Google’s people category this year — followed by Catherine, Princess of Wales, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. US defense secretary in Japan to support alliance as Osprey aircraft safety causes concern TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has met with officials in Japan to reaffirm the importance of their alliance and Washington's commitment to regional security as threats rise from China and North Korea. Austin’s visit on Tuesday also came amid growing concerns over the safety of Ospreys. The military aircraft have been grounded in the United States following a near crash at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico last month. The incident was caused by weakened metal components. It was similar to a fatal crash off southwestern Japan last year. The U.S. measure prompted the suspension of Ospreys operated by Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force. Trustee over Infowars auction asks court to approve The Onion's winning bid A trustee who oversaw the bankruptcy auction of Alex Jones’ Infowars is asking a judge to approve The Onion’s winning bid for the conspiracy-filled platform. Trustee Christopher Murray took the stand Tuesday in the second day of testimony at a hearing where a judge is scrutinizing the satirical news outlet’s winning offer. He told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston that he was there asking a court to approve the sale of Infowars’ parent company to The Onion’s parent company. It is not clear how quickly Lopez will rule. The Onion wants to turn Infowars’ website and social media accounts into parodies. Small businesses plan events, start marketing earlier to deal with shorter holiday shopping season The holiday shopping season is underway, and this year small businesses have less time to capitalize on the busy shopping period. Only 27 days separate Thanksgiving and Christmas — five fewer than last year. But there are still ways to make the most of a shorter season. One key strategy is for owners to promote deals to customers wherever they can, from social media to physical ads. The National Retail Federation predicts that retail sales will rise between 2.5% and 3.5% compared with same period a year ago. Online shopping is expected to grow too. Adobe Digital Insights predicts an 8.4% increase online for the full season. 10 notable books of 2024, from Sarah J. Maas to Melania Trump NEW YORK (AP) — Even through a year of nonstop news about elections, climate change, protests and the price of eggs, Americans still found time to read. Sales held steady according to Circana, which tracks around 85% of the print market. Many chose the release of romance, fantasy and romantasy. Some picked up the tie-in book to Taylor Swift’s blockbuster tour, which had the best opening week of 2024. Others sought out literary fiction, celebrity memoirs, political exposes and a close and painful look at a generation hooked on smartphones. Boeing is building new 737 Max planes for the first time since workers went on strike Boeing is resuming production of its bestselling plane, the 737 Max. It's the first time that Max jets have moved down the assembly line since September, when about 33,000 workers went on strike for higher pay. Boeing said Tuesday that work on the Max has resumed at its factory in Renton, Washington, near Seattle. Both the Max and another Boeing plane, the 787 Dreamliner, have been plagued by manufacturing problems in recent years. The Federal Aviation Administration is limiting Boeing’s production of Max jets until the agency is convinced that Boeing has corrected quality and safety issues during manufacturing. Stock market today: Wall Street slips to a rare back-to-back loss NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes drifted lower in the runup to the highlight of the week for the market, the latest update on inflation. The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% Tuesday for its first back-to-back losses in nearly a month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite also fell 0.3%. Oracle dragged on the market after reporting weaker growth than analysts expected. Treasury yields rose in the bond market ahead of Wednesday’s inflation report, which will be among the final big pieces of data before the Federal Reserve's meeting on interest rates next week.A top aide for Mayor Brandon Johnson tried to take the high road Tuesday after President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for border czar, Tom Homan, promised to make Chicago ground zero for mass deportations and warned Johnson that “if he doesn’t want to help, get the hell out of the way.” Senior mayoral adviser Jason Lee said Homan’s comments came before a “partisan” and “political audience,” adding that Chicago can only hope “those contexts are different” from “how he might communicate in a formal capacity” with the mayor of Chicago. “If he assumes the position to which he’s been nominated, he will then have responsibility to the people of the United States, just as the mayor has a responsibility to the people of Chicago. And any dealings will be on those terms,” Lee said Tuesday. “Hopefully, the rhetoric will live on one sphere and the governing will live in another.” Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), chair of the City Council’s Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said it’s “unfortunate to start off that way” with Trump’s pick for border czar. But Vasquez hinted strongly that Johnson’s own post-election anti-Trump rhetoric may have exacerbated tensions even before the second Trump administration begins. “I wouldn’t want to get into a chest-bumping exercise with these guys. I don’t think it’s particularly productive,” Vasquez said. “We just want to make sure that, if you’re living in Chicago, you feel safe. That’s our priority.” Lee denied that the mayor has been as provocative with his own rhetoric as Homan and Trump have been with theirs. “They don’t respond well to weakness or displays of weakness. They don’t necessarily respond to supplication, either,” Lee said. “That doesn’t mean that anyone should be going out of their way to be disrespectful. But the mayor’s comments were rooted in deep conviction about the values he holds and the values most Chicagoans hold that are threatened. He’s making sure he does what he can within the law to protect the people of Chicago.” Lee was asked whether he’s concerned about Trump’s threat to withhold funding from local police departments that refuse to cooperate with mass deportations, as embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams has promised to do. “I don’t live by fear I don’t think the mayor lives by fear,” Lee said. “You can just live by preparedness and prepare for different outcomes. There’s a significant effort to be prepared. That’s all you can do.” Johnson criss-crossed the country in support of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris after hosting her coronation at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Ever since Harris’ defeat, the mayor has said repeatedly that he would not allow Chicago police to be used essentially as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, saying it would “undermine” the “constitutional policing” reforms mandated by a federal consent decree. “This is about restoring trust in the communities. You place police officers in a position where the local community can’t trust them? ... It’s just not responsible,” Johnson told reporters last month. With both houses of Congress in Republican control, Johnson said Trump will have “more power than any president” in decades, but the “first thing” he wants to do is mass deportations, causing “upheaval and chaos” in Chicago and across the country. He branded Trump a “threat to everything that is sensible” and urged the president-elect to “stop playing games with the people.”Excerpt from Carol Mithers’ book, ‘Rethinking Rescue’