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8777‘ 。 - KYIV, Ukraine — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war. The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and “taking on very dramatic dimensions.” Ukraine’s parliament canceled a session as security was tightened following Thursday’s Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro. In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech that the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was in retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Putin said Western air defense systems would be powerless to stop the new missile. Ukrainian military officials said the missile that hit Dnipro had reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six nonnuclear warheads each releasing six submunitions. Speaking Friday to military and weapons industries officials, Putin said Russia is launching production of the Oreshnik. “No one in the world has such weapons,” he said with a thin smile. “Sooner or later other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development.” But he added, “we have this system now. And this is important.” Testing the missile will continue, “including in combat, depending on the situation and the character of security threats created for Russia,” Putin said, noting there is ”a stockpile of such systems ready for use.” Putin said that while it isn’t an intercontinental missile, it’s so powerful that the use of several of them fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons. Gen. Sergei Karakayev, head of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, said the Oreshnik could reach targets across Europe and be fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, echoing Putin’s claim that even with conventional warheads, “the massive use of the weapon would be comparable in effect to the use of nuclear weapons.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov kept up Russia’s bellicose tone on Friday, blaming “the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries” in supplying weapons to Ukraine to strike Russia. “The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns were not taken into account have also been quite clearly outlined,” he said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the European Union, echoed Moscow’s talking points, suggesting the use of U.S.-supplied weapons in Ukraine likely requires direct American involvement. “These are rockets that are fired and then guided to a target via an electronic system, which requires the world’s most advanced technology and satellite communications capability,” Orbán said on state radio. “There is a strong assumption ... that these missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of American personnel.” Orbán cautioned against underestimating Russia’s responses, emphasizing that the country’s recent modifications to its nuclear deployment doctrine should not be dismissed as a “bluff.” “It’s not a trick... there will be consequences,” he said. Separately in Kyiv, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský called Thursday’s missile strike an “escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe.” At a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Lipavský also expressed his full support for delivering the necessary additional air defense systems to protect Ukrainian civilians from the “heinous attacks.” He underlined that the Czech Republic will impose no limits on the use of its weapons and equipment given to Ukraine. Three lawmakers from Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, confirmed that Friday’s previously scheduled session was called off due to the ongoing threat of Russian missiles targeting government buildings in central Kyiv. In addition, there also was a recommendation to limit the work of all commercial offices and nongovernmental organizations “in that perimeter, and local residents were warned of the increased threat,” said lawmaker Mykyta Poturaiev, who added this is not the first time such a threat has been received. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office continued to work in compliance with standard security measures, a spokesperson said. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the Oreshnik missile, whose name in Russian means “hazelnut tree,” was fired from the Kapustin Yar 4th Missile Test Range in Russia’s Astrakhan region, and flew 15 minutes before striking Dnipro. Test launches of a similar missile were conducted in October 2023 and June 2024, the directorate said. The Pentagon confirmed the missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate-range missile based on its RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. Thursday’s attack struck the Pivdenmash plant that built ICBMs when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The military facility is located about 4 miles (6 1/2 kilometers) southwest of the center of Dnipro, a city of about 1 million that is Ukraine’s fourth-largest and a key hub for military supplies and humanitarian aid, and is home to one of the country’s largest hospitals for treating wounded soldiers from the front before their transfer to Kyiv or abroad. The stricken area was cordoned off and out of public view. With no fatalities reported from the attack, Dnipro residents resorted to dark humor on social media, mostly focused on the missile’s name, Oreshnik. Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia struck a residential district of Sumy overnight with Iranian-designed Shahed drones, killing two people and injuring 13, the regional administration said. Ukraine’s Suspilne media, quoting Sumy regional head Volodymyr Artiukh, said the drones were stuffed with shrapnel elements. “These weapons are used to destroy people, not to destroy objects,” said Artiukh, according to Suspilne. Associated Press journalists Lorne Cook in Brussels, Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, contributed.NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction , arguing that continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.“ In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that anything short of immediate dismissal would undermine the transition of power, as well as the “overwhelming national mandate" granted to Trump by voters last month. They also cited President Joe Biden’s recent pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of tax and gun charges . “President Biden asserted that his son was ‘selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,’ and ‘treated differently,’" Trump’s legal team wrote. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, they claimed, had engaged in the type of political theater "that President Biden condemned.” Prosecutors will have until Dec. 9 to respond. They have said they will fight any efforts to dismiss the case but have indicated a willingness to delay the sentencing until after Trump’s second term ends in 2029. In their filing Monday, Trump's attorneys dismissed the idea of holding off sentencing until Trump is out of office as a “ridiculous suggestion.” Following Trump’s election victory last month, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed his sentencing, previously scheduled for late November, to allow the defense and prosecution to weigh in on the future of the case. He also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier. He says they did not and denies any wrongdoing. The defense filing was signed by Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who represented Trump during the trial and have since been selected by the president-elect to fill senior roles at the Justice Department. Taking a swipe at Bragg and New York City, as Trump often did throughout the trial, the filing argues that dismissal would also benefit the public by giving him and “the numerous prosecutors assigned to this case a renewed opportunity to put an end to deteriorating conditions in the City and to protect its residents from violent crime.” Clearing Trump, the lawyers added, would also allow him to “to devote all of his energy to protecting the Nation.” Merchan hasn’t yet set a timetable for a decision. He could decide to uphold the verdict and proceed to sentencing, delay the case until Trump leaves office, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court or choose some other option. An outright dismissal of the New York case would further lift a legal cloud that at one point carried the prospect of derailing Trump’s political future. Last week, special counsel Jack Smith told courts that he was withdrawing both federal cases against Trump — one charging him with hoarding classified documents at his Florida estate, the other with scheming to overturn the 2020 presidential election he lost — citing longstanding Justice Department policy that shields a president from indictment while in office. The hush money case was the only one of Trump’s four criminal indictments to go to trial, resulting in a historic verdict that made him the first former president to be convicted of a crime. Prosecutors had cast the payout as part of a Trump-driven effort to keep voters from hearing salacious stories about him. Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels. Trump later reimbursed him, and Trump’s company logged the reimbursements as legal expenses — concealing what they really were, prosecutors alleged. Trump has said the payments to Cohen were properly categorized as legal expenses for legal work. A month after the verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that ex-presidents can’t be prosecuted for official acts — things they did in the course of running the country — and that prosecutors can’t cite those actions to bolster a case centered on purely personal, unofficial conduct. Trump’s lawyers cited the ruling to argue that the hush money jury got some improper evidence, such as Trump’s presidential financial disclosure form, testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made during his first term. Prosecutors disagreed and said the evidence in question was only “a sliver” of their case. If the verdict stands and the case proceeds to sentencing, Trump’s punishments would range from a fine to probation to up to four years in prison — but it’s unlikely he’d spend any time behind bars for a first-time conviction involving charges in the lowest tier of felonies. Because it is a state case, Trump would not be able to pardon himself once he returns to office.

This Marketing Stunt for Kyle Mooney’s ‘Y2K’ Film Will Take You Back to 1999 AOLDENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 18, 2024-- Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) announces the state’s life sciences ecosystem raised $2.15 billion in 2024, a 46% increase compared to 2023. Colorado, recognized as the Hub for Health Impact , has attracted close to $12 billion for life sciences research and development during the last eight years from public and private sources, as well as federal, state, and foundation grants. Colorado’s life sciences companies and organizations demonstrated fundraising strength throughout 2024, surging past $1 billion in the first two quarters of the year, according to CBSA data. The 2024 numbers mark the second time in a four-year period that funding totals have reached $2 billion. During the record fundraising of 2021, fueled by the pandemic, Colorado companies and organizations raised $2.4 billion. “Colorado BioScience Association applauds our ecosystem’s phenomenal fundraising success. Investors know there’s a unique and powerful convergence of world-changing technologies being developed in Colorado, with life sciences playing an interconnected role,” said Elyse Blazevich, President & CEO of Colorado BioScience Association. “Life sciences investors, companies, and talent are seeing and seizing the opportunities in Colorado because of our collaborative community, top-ranked talent, central location, robust infrastructure, reasonable costs, and unmatched quality of life. It’s no surprise Colorado now ranks in the top quintile for life sciences venture capital funding.” Colorado Life Sciences Financings: Eight-Year History Colorado’s life sciences fundraising is approaching close to $12 billion raised in the last eight years. Funding Sources Colorado companies raised $818.5 million in public capital, a 64% increase compared to 2023 through post-IPO equity and debt, $445.0 million through mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships, and $383.0 million in private capital, primarily from venture funding. Underscoring the ecosystem’s maturity and growth, several high-profile Colorado companies recently announced clinical milestones, including Edgewise Therapeutics , Enveda , OnKure Therapeutics , and Umoja Biopharma . Federal Grants Federal funding provides critical capital for research and development at private companies and academic and research institutions, with grants from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation totaling $496.6 million. In many cases, the grant dollars are deployed through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The University of Colorado System, Colorado State University, and National Jewish Health continue to rank as the state’s leading recipients of federal funding for life sciences research and development. State Grants The State of Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade awarded $5.5 million in Advanced Industries Accelerator Grants to life sciences companies and university researchers in 2024. “Thanks to critical funding from the state’s Advanced Industries Accelerator Grant Program, Colorado companies and researchers are advancing technologies that will revolutionize health and care,” said Blazevich. “CBSA is fighting to preserve this program from projected state budget cuts in 2025, because it saves and changes lives with breakthroughs developed here in Colorado. The program provides significant return on investment to the state, attracting $2.9 billion in follow-on capital for Colorado’s advanced industries since 2016 and creating more than 5,000 jobs.” Colorado’s life sciences community makes a vital contribution to health innovation for patients and the state’s economy, providing mission-driven, high-paying jobs to more than 41,000 Coloradans, according to new data from BIO . The $52.9 billion in economic impact by Colorado’s life sciences ecosystem generates tax dollars, funds critical infrastructure and education, and supports families and communities. CBSA compiles and analyzes annual life sciences financings using publicly available sources, including company news releases, media reports, SEC filings, federal and state databases, as well as Crunchbase. Connect with CBSA: Twitter/X , Facebook and LinkedIn About Colorado BioScience Association Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) creates co-opportunity for the Colorado life sciences community. CBSA champions a collaborative life sciences ecosystem and advocates for a supportive business climate. From concept to commercialization, member companies and organizations drive global health innovations, products, and services that improve and save lives. The association leads Capital and Growth, Education and Networking, Policy and Advocacy, and Workforce Cultivation to make its members stronger, together. Learn more: cobioscience.com View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241218192950/en/ CONTACT: Media Contact:Sheliah Reynolds Primavera Group for Colorado BioScience Association (720) 289-4739 sheliah@theprimaveragroup.com KEYWORD: COLORADO UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: RESEARCH FINANCE PUBLIC POLICY/GOVERNMENT CLINICAL TRIALS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BIOTECHNOLOGY HEALTH STATE/LOCAL SCIENCE SOURCE: Colorado BioScience Association Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/18/2024 04:41 PM/DISC: 12/18/2024 04:40 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241218192950/en

Mumbai: When Highway was released in 2014, it became a special film that touched people’s hearts. Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the movie was a journey full of emotions, growth, and freedom. It gave Alia Bhatt a chance to prove herself as an actor beyond her glamorous debut in Student of the Year. In Highway, Alia plays Veera, a young woman who finds freedom during a road trip with her kidnapper. Her performance was raw, emotional, and deeply moving. It surprised everyone and showed her ability to take on serious, challenging roles. Critics praised her acting, and she even won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. This film changed her image in Bollywood and opened doors to more meaningful projects. Highway wasn’t just a movie; it was an experience. The story about Veera’s journey of self-discovery, the soulful music by A.R. Rahman, and the stunning views of India’s countryside made the film unforgettable. Fans especially loved Veera’s emotional monologues about freedom and her struggles. The film’s honest portrayal of trauma and healing connected with many viewers. Highway wasn’t a typical blockbuster, but it did well for a niche film. Made on a budget of Rs. 25 crore, it earned around Rs. 50 crore worldwide. While not a huge commercial hit, its emotional impact was massive. Even today, Highway remains a favorite on streaming platforms, introducing new audiences to Alia’s powerful performance.

SAN DIEGO , Dec. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. announced that a lawsuit was filed for certain investors in DMC Global Inc. ( NASDAQ : BOOM) shares Investors who purchased more than $100,000 in shares of DMC Global Inc. (NASDAQ: BOOM) between May and November 2024 have certain options and there are short and strict deadlines running. Deadline: February 04, 2025 . Those DMC Global Inc. (NASDAQ: BOOM investors should contact the Shareholders Foundation at mail@shareholdersfoundation.com or call +1(858) 779 - 1554. On October 21, 2024 , DMC Global Inc. disclosed that it was "revising its guidance" for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 , stating that the Company's adjusted EBITDA is now expected to be approximately $5 million , down from prior guidance for $15 -18 million, and that the third quarter financial results "will include inventory and bad debt charges at DynaEnergetics totaling approximately $5 million , as well as lower fixed overhead absorption on reduced sales at both Arcadia and DynaEnergetics." The Company also revealed that the financial results will include an approximate $142 million non-cash goodwill impairment charge "associated with DMC's December 2021 acquisition of a controlling interest in Arcadia ." On November 4, 2024 , DMC Global Inc released its third-quarter financial results for the period ending September 30, 2024 . Among other results, the Company reported third quarter sales of $152.4 million , down 11% sequentially and year-over-year, as well as the previously disclosed non-cash goodwill impairment charge. Shares of DMC Global Inc. (NASDAQ: BOOM) declined from $15.98 per share on May 3, 2024 , to as low as $7.16 per share on November 21 , 2024. On December 06, 2024 , an investor in NASDAQ: BOOM shares filed a lawsuit against DMC Global Inc. The plaintiff alleges that between May 3, 2024 and November 4, 2024 , the defendants made materially false and misleading statements and failed to disclose the following adverse facts about DMC Global's business, operations, and prospects which were known to defendants or recklessly disregarded by them: (i) the goodwill associated with the company's principal business segment, Acadia Products, was overstated due to the adverse events and circumstances affecting that reporting segment; (ii) DMC Global's materially inadequate internal systems and processes were adversely affecting its operations; (iii) the company's inadequate systems and processes prevented it from ensuring reasonably accurate guidance and that its public disclosures were timely, accurate, and complete; (iv) as a result, defendants misrepresented DMC Global's operations and financial results; and/or (v) as a result, the company's public statements were materially false, misleading, or lacked a reasonable basis when made. Those who purchased shares of DMC Global Inc. (NASDAQ: BOOM) should contact the Shareholders Foundation, Inc. CONTACT: Shareholders Foundation, Inc. Michael Daniels +1 (858) 779-1554 mail@shareholdersfoundation.com 3111 Camino Del Rio North Suite 423 San Diego, CA 92108 The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is a professional portfolio legal monitoring and a settlement claim filing service, which does research related to shareholder issues and informs investors of securities class actions, settlements, judgments, and other legal related news to the stock/financial market. The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is not a law firm. Any referenced cases, investigations, and/or settlements are not filed/initiated/reached and/or are not related to Shareholders Foundation. The information is only provided as a public service. It is not intended as legal advice and should not be relied upon. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lawsuit-for-investors-who-lost-over-100-000-in-shares-of-dmc-global-inc-nasdaq-boom-between-may-and-nov-2024-announced-by-shareholders-foundation-302325435.html SOURCE Shareholders Foundation, Inc.New tech means customer service chatbots are here to stayChildren of the wealthy and connected get special admissions consideration at some elite U.S. universities, according to new filings in a class-action lawsuit originally brought against 17 schools. Georgetown’s then-president, for example, listed a prospective student on his “president’s list” after meeting her and her wealthy father at an Idaho conference known as “summer camp for billionaires,” according to Tuesday court filings in the price-fixing lawsuit filed in Chicago federal court in 2022. Although it’s always been assumed that such favoritism exists, the filings offer a rare peek at the often secret deliberations of university heads and admissions officials. They show how schools admit otherwise unqualified wealthy children because their parents have connections and could possibly donate large sums down the line, raising questions about fairness. Stuart Schmill, the dean of admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wrote in a 2018 email that the university admitted four out of six applicants recommended by then-board chairman Robert Millard, including two who “we would really not have otherwise admitted.” The two others were not admitted because they were “not in the ball park, or the push from him was not as strong.” In the email, Schmill said Millard was careful to play down his influence on admissions decisions, but he said the chair also sent notes on all six students and later met with Schmill to share insight “into who he thought was more of a priority.” The filings are the latest salvo in a lawsuit that claims that 17 of the nation’s most prestigious colleges colluded to reduce the competition for prospective students and drive down the amount of financial aid they would offer, all while giving special preference to the children of wealthy donors. “That illegal collusion resulted in the defendants providing far less aid to students than would have been provided in a free market,” said Robert Gilbert, an attorney for the plaintiffs. Since the lawsuit was filed, 10 of the schools have reached settlements to pay out a total of $284 million, including payments of up to $2,000 to current or former students whose financial aid might have been shortchanged over a period of more than two decades. They are Brown, the University of Chicago, Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Northwestern, Rice, Vanderbilt and Yale. Johns Hopkins is working on a settlement and the six schools still fighting the lawsuit are the California Institute of Technology, Cornell, Georgetown, MIT, Notre Dame and the University of Pennsylvania. MIT called the lawsuit and the claims about admissions favoritism baseless. “MIT has no history of wealth favoritism in its admissions; quite the opposite,” university spokesperson Kimberly Allen said. “After years of discovery in which millions of documents were produced that provide an overwhelming record of independence in our admissions process, plaintiffs could cite just a single instance in which the recommendation of a board member helped sway the decisions for two undergraduate applicants." In a statement, Penn also said the case is meritless that the evidence shows that it doesn't favor students whose families have donated or pledged money to the Ivy League school. “Plaintiffs’ whole case is an attempt to embarrass the University about its purported admission practices on issues totally unrelated to this case," the school said. Notre Dame officials also called the case baseless. “We are confident that every student admitted to Notre Dame is fully qualified and ready to succeed,” a university spokesperson said in a statement. The South Bend, Indiana, school, though, did apparently admit wealthy students with subpar academic backgrounds. According to the new court filings, Don Bishop, who was then associate vice president for enrollment at Notre Dame, bluntly wrote about the “special interest” admits in a 2012 email, saying that year's crop had poorer academic records than the previous year's. The 2012 group included 38 applicants who were given a “very low” academic rating, Bishop wrote. He said those students represented “massive allowances to the power of the family connections and funding history,” adding that “we allowed their high gifting or potential gifting to influence our choices more this year than last year.” The final line of his email: “Sure hope the wealthy next year raise a few more smart kids!” Some of the examples pointed to in this week's court filings showed that just being able to pay full tuition would give students an advantage. During a deposition, a former Vanderbilt admissions director said that in some cases, a student would get an edge on the waitlist if they didn’t need financial aid. The 17 schools were part of a decades-old group that got permission from Congress to come up with a shared approach to awarding financial aid. Such an arrangement might otherwise violate antitrust laws, but Congress allowed it as long as the colleges all had need-blind admissions policies, meaning they wouldn't consider a student’s financial situation when deciding who gets in. The lawsuit argues that many colleges claimed to be need-blind but routinely favored the children of alumni and donors. In doing so, the suit says, the colleges violated the Congressional exemption and tainted the entire organization. The group dissolved in recent years when the provision allowing the collaboration expired. The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .

Leading technology company NVIDIA Corporation NVDA is one of many companies that could be impacted by the future White House administration under President-elect Donald Trump. Here's a look back at Nvidia's performance during Trump's last term and the potential gains investors could have realized. What Happened: Nvidia was one of the best performing S&P 500 stocks in 2017, the first year Trump served as president of the United States. The stock ranked ninth for the year with a +81% return in 2017. From the date of Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017 to President Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021, Nvidia shares gained more than 400%. Nvidia was also a top performing S&P 500 sock in 2021, the first year of Biden’s term in office. The stock ranked ninth once again, gaining 125.5% in 2021. The semiconductor company has been one of the top performers in recent years, joining the $1 trillion market capitalization club in May 2023 and around a year later becoming the most valuable company in the world. Nvidia passed the milestone of world's most valuable company several times in 2024 and is currently the third most valuable company in the world with a market capitalization of $3.16 trillion, trailing only Apple ($3.76 trillion) and Microsoft ($3.27 trillion). While the impact of Trump on semiconductors, Taiwan, and the broader tech sector—and by extension, Nvidia’s share price—remains uncertain, history shows Nvidia tends to outperform in the first year of a new presidential term. Are you buying when the CEOs of the Magnificent 7 are selling? Stay in the know with our Insider Trades page — see when leaders like Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Jensen Huang are offloading their own shares. Investing $1,000 in NVDA: Investors who bought and held onto Nvidia shares when Trump was inaugurated as president of the United States would likely be happy with their return. Nvidia stock traded at a split-adjusted high of $2.67 on Jan. 20, 2017. A $1,000 investment could have purchased 374.53 NVDA shares at the time. Today, that investment would be worth $48,309.58 based on a $128.97 price for Nvidia at the time of writing. The investment would be up 4,731.0% over the last nearly eight years. For comparison, the same $1,000 invested in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY , which tracks the S&P 500, would have delivered significantly lower returns. The $1,000 investment could have bought 4.40 SPY shares, which would be worth $2,594.06 today based on a price of $589.56 for SPY at the time of writing. This investment would be up 159.4% over the same time period. Read Next: If You Invested $1,000 In Nvidia Stock When Jensen Huang Got Company Logo Tattoo, Here’s How Much You’d Have Today Photo: Shutterstock © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

French President Emmanuel Macron says he will NOT resign as crisis engulfs his Government after extremist parties were accused of playing 'Russian roulette' with the country's future By PETER ALLEN IN PARIS and ED HOLT Published: 20:42 GMT, 3 December 2024 | Updated: 21:38 GMT, 3 December 2024 e-mail 10 View comments French president Emmanuel Macron has tonight said he will not resign over the crisis currently engulfing his government. Macron's comments come ahead of tomorrow's no-confidence vote in his prime minister - Michel Barnier - which he is unlikely to survive. If it passes this will mark the third prime minister Macron has lost this year. However, the president has defiantly claimed he will not leave office until his term ends in 2027. Speaking during a visit to Saudi Arabia today Macron said: 'My priority is stability.' Referring to his two presidential election victories in 2017 and 2022, Macron said: 'It so happens that if I am here before you, it is because I was elected twice by the French people. 'I am extremely proud of it and I will honour this trust with all the energy that is mine until the last second, so as to be useful to the country.' Macron also said 'we must not scare people' by evoking a risk of financial crisis because of government collapse. 'We have a strong economy', he said. ' France is a rich, solid country, which has made many reforms and is maintaining them. It has stable institutions, and a stable Constitution.' French president Emmanuel Macron has tonight said he will not resign over the crisis currently engulfing his government Macron's comments come ahead of tomorrow's no-confidence vote in his prime minister - Michel Barnier - which he is unlikely to survive The right-wing populist National Rally (RN) led by Marine Le Pen (pictured) has pledged to support far-Left MPs from the New Popular Front coalition in the no-confidence motions, meaning Barnier has little chance of survival after just three months in office It came after Macron's Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, accused extremist parties of playing 'Russian roulette' with the future of France as they prepare to bring down the government. The right-wing populist National Rally (RN) has pledged to support far-Left MPs from the New Popular Front coalition in the no-confidence motions, meaning Barnier has little chance of survival after just three months in office. Concerns have been raised that political turmoil in France could turn into economic turmoil for the rest of European Union. Following years of extravagant spending, France's deficit now stands at over six per cent of the entire economy which is twice as much as the limit imposed by the EU. Barnier, who has prioritised sorting the country's disastrous finances, and the French Parliament have been at loggerheads for weeks as he attempted to pass his proposed budget that includes 60 billion euros in tax hikes and spending cuts. Investor are concerned that if the government does fall any effort to cut borrowing will be jettisoned and without a credible alternative plan from the opposition parties there is a risk of an economic crisis. And with echoes of the economic crisis that started in Greece in 2008, which had a budget deficit that reached a dizzyingly high 15 percent, many economists are concerned about it spreading to other Eurozone countries. 'We are in a critical moment for France,' Mr Retailleau told TF1. 'We risk chaos, we risk a financial crisis' similar to the 'public debt crisis in Greece in 2008'. Mr Retailleau continued: 'It is not those who are rich who are the first to be impacted, it is the most modest, the most fragile. Macron with Barnier during commemorations for Armistice Day. If the no-confidence vote passes Barnier will become the third prime minister Macron has lost this year Macron's Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau (pictured), accused extremist parties of playing 'Russian roulette' with the future of France as they prepare to bring down the government 'And during this time we have a part of the political class playing Russian roulette. Let's wake up and prevent what seems inevitable – chaos.' Mr Retailleau was particularly critical of Marine Le Pen, of the RN, saying she was 'totally irresponsible – irresponsible because she is going to mix her votes and those of her deputies with those of the far-Left.' On Monday, Barnier pushed through a controversial new social security budget using a presidential decree, while bypassing parliament. Read More France is heading for 'chaos' and a financial crisis equal to Greece's 2008 collapse, minister warns This is perfectly legal under Article 49.3 of the French Constitution, but the move has been viewed as an attack on democracy. President Macron frequently uses such decrees to get unpopular legislation on to the statute book, leaving his lieutenants to take the criticism. Barnier, the former EU Brexit negotiator, is Macron's fifth prime minister in seven years. Aged 73, and without a seat in parliament, he will become the first serving PM to be ousted by parliament since 1962, if the no-confidence vote goes against him. RN spokesman Jean-Philippe Tanguy on Tuesday said his party's decision to try and bring down the Barnier government was designed 'to protect the French'. He added: 'The budget was dangerous and toxic for France and did not respect the red lines that had been set.' Tanguy said his party – the largest in the National Assembly – was not supporting the far-Left, but 'defending the national interest'. Ms Le Pen and other senior RN figures are fighting a court case over the alleged embezzlement of millions of pounds worth of cash from the EU Macron with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Concerns have been raised that political turmoil in France could turn into economic turmoil for the rest of European Union The RN's position is complicated by a court case against Ms Le Pen and other senior party figures over the alleged embezzlement of millions of pounds worth of cash from the EU. If the judgment, due in March, goes against the RN, Le Pen is facing prison, and could be barred from standing for political office in the next five years, ruling her out of the 2027 presidential election. The New Popular Front alliance won the most seats in the National Assembly during a snap election called by President Macron in June, but has not been allowed to play any part in government since. Two motions of no-confidence will be debated in the National Assembly in Paris from 4pm on Wednesday, with a vote at around 7pm. Greece France Michel Barnier Emmanuel Macron Share or comment on this article: French President Emmanuel Macron says he will NOT resign as crisis engulfs his Government after extremist parties were accused of playing 'Russian roulette' with the country's future e-mail Add comment

Children of the wealthy and connected get special admissions consideration at some elite U.S. universities, according to new filings in a class-action lawsuit originally brought against 17 schools. Georgetown’s then-president, for example, listed a prospective student on his “president’s list” after meeting her and her wealthy father at an Idaho conference known as “summer camp for billionaires,” according to Tuesday court filings in the price-fixing lawsuit filed in Chicago federal court in 2022. Although it’s always been assumed that such favoritism exists, the filings offer a rare peek at the often secret deliberations of university heads and admissions officials. They show how schools admit otherwise unqualified wealthy children because their parents have connections and could possibly donate large sums down the line, raising questions about fairness. Stuart Schmill, the dean of admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wrote in a 2018 email that the university admitted four out of six applicants recommended by then-board chairman Robert Millard, including two who “we would really not have otherwise admitted.” The two others were not admitted because they were “not in the ball park, or the push from him was not as strong.” In the email, Schmill said Millard was careful to play down his influence on admissions decisions, but he said the chair also sent notes on all six students and later met with Schmill to share insight “into who he thought was more of a priority.” The filings are the latest salvo in a lawsuit that claims that 17 of the nation’s most prestigious colleges colluded to reduce the competition for prospective students and drive down the amount of financial aid they would offer, all while giving special preference to the children of wealthy donors. “That illegal collusion resulted in the defendants providing far less aid to students than would have been provided in a free market,” said Robert Gilbert, an attorney for the plaintiffs. Since the lawsuit was filed, 10 of the schools have reached settlements to pay out a total of $284 million, including payments of up to $2,000 to current or former students whose financial aid might have been shortchanged over a period of more than two decades. They are Brown, the University of Chicago, Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Northwestern, Rice, Vanderbilt and Yale. Johns Hopkins is working on a settlement and the six schools still fighting the lawsuit are the California Institute of Technology, Cornell, Georgetown, MIT, Notre Dame and the University of Pennsylvania. MIT called the lawsuit and the claims about admissions favoritism baseless. “MIT has no history of wealth favoritism in its admissions; quite the opposite,” university spokesperson Kimberly Allen said. “After years of discovery in which millions of documents were produced that provide an overwhelming record of independence in our admissions process, plaintiffs could cite just a single instance in which the recommendation of a board member helped sway the decisions for two undergraduate applicants." In a statement, Penn also said the case is meritless that the evidence shows that it doesn't favor students whose families have donated or pledged money to the Ivy League school. “Plaintiffs’ whole case is an attempt to embarrass the University about its purported admission practices on issues totally unrelated to this case," the school said. Notre Dame officials also called the case baseless. “We are confident that every student admitted to Notre Dame is fully qualified and ready to succeed,” a university spokesperson said in a statement. The South Bend, Indiana, school, though, did apparently admit wealthy students with subpar academic backgrounds. According to the new court filings, Don Bishop, who was then associate vice president for enrollment at Notre Dame, bluntly wrote about the “special interest” admits in a 2012 email, saying that year's crop had poorer academic records than the previous year's. The 2012 group included 38 applicants who were given a “very low” academic rating, Bishop wrote. He said those students represented “massive allowances to the power of the family connections and funding history,” adding that “we allowed their high gifting or potential gifting to influence our choices more this year than last year.” The final line of his email: “Sure hope the wealthy next year raise a few more smart kids!” Some of the examples pointed to in this week's court filings showed that just being able to pay full tuition would give students an advantage. During a deposition, a former Vanderbilt admissions director said that in some cases, a student would get an edge on the waitlist if they didn’t need financial aid. The 17 schools were part of a decades-old group that got permission from Congress to come up with a shared approach to awarding financial aid. Such an arrangement might otherwise violate antitrust laws, but Congress allowed it as long as the colleges all had need-blind admissions policies, meaning they wouldn't consider a student’s financial situation when deciding who gets in. The lawsuit argues that many colleges claimed to be need-blind but routinely favored the children of alumni and donors. In doing so, the suit says, the colleges violated the Congressional exemption and tainted the entire organization. The group dissolved in recent years when the provision allowing the collaboration expired. The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .