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The Wild acquired 21-year-old defenseman David Jiricek from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, giving up their 2025 first-round pick in the process. Jiricek, a right-shot blueliner who has one goal and 10 assists in 53 NHL games, has been in six games this season for Columbus, which is led by former Wild coach Dean Evason. The first-round pick going to Columbus is top-five protected. In the unlikely event of the Wild picking in the top five in 2025, they’ll send their 2026 first rounder to the Blue Jackets. The Wild also gave up 22-year-old minor league defenseman Daemon Hunt, a second round pick in 2027, a 2026 third rounder (that previously belonged to Colorado) and a fourth round pick (originally Toronto’s) in 2026. Columbus threw in a fifth-round pick in 2025 in the deal as well. The sixth overall choice in the 2022 NHL draft, Jiricek is a native of the Czech Republic and played on the silver medal winning Czech team at the 2023 world junior tournament. He was chosen the best defenseman at that tournament. The 6-3, 210 pounder has split this season between Columbus and its AHL team in Cleveland. Hunt, a third round pick (65th overall) in 2020, played in 12 games for the Wild last season and skated in one with the big club this season. He had 29 points in 53 games for AHL Iowa last season.
India’s architecture fans guard Mumbai’s Art Deco past
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Editor’s note: "Becoming a Digital Nomad" is part 11 of an ongoing series on how to retire early and the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement. Part one is How to Retire Early in Six Steps . To see all early retirement articles, jump to the end. For 99% of human history, humans were nomads. Now, what’s old is new again as more people embrace a modern version of this lifestyle — replacing spears with laptops. These digital nomads leverage technology to work remotely while living location-independent lives, moving between destinations domestically or abroad. For early retirees, it’s a way to blend remote work or passive income with the flexibility to explore the world, enjoying the perks of early retirement without fully stepping away from work. Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Digital nomads as part of the FIRE movement The nomadic lifestyle aligns with the F.I.R.E. (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement. Many nomads choose low-cost countries as their base, reducing expenses and investing their savings for long-term financial growth. According to MBO Partners , 18.1 million Americans — about 11% of the U.S. workforce — identify as digital nomads. As Carl Sagan put it: “We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still.” Take Michael Wardian , a professional ultramarathon runner who ran 2,197 miles of the Appalachian Trail in just 50 days to celebrate his 50th birthday. The twist? He worked remotely the entire time, overseeing humanitarian food aid cargo as an international shipping broker. “Working remotely while running solidified my belief that if you’re dedicated and not afraid to ask for help, anything is possible... you can still do your job and chase your dreams simultaneously,” he says. If retiring early and becoming a digital nomad sounds appealing, careful planning is key. Here’s how to keep both your finances and your wanderlust on track. Financial Planning for Digital Nomads Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, founder of Making Sense of Cents , embraced a nomadic lifestyle after turning her personal finance blog into a full-time business. “Becoming a digital nomad allowed me to combine my love for travel with a career I could take anywhere,” she says. She now travels full-time on a sailboat with her family. Schroeder-Gardner emphasizes the importance of diversified, location-independent income streams, like earnings from her blog and dividend-paying stocks . CFP Board Ambassador Elaine King Fuentes agrees: “Have multiple income streams — a mix of service, like consulting and product-based businesses.” Both stress the need for emergency funds to cover unexpected expenses like medical emergencies or last-minute flights. Fuentes, who has lived and worked in multiple countries, adds, “Start with an emergency fund of at least one month’s expenses, and create a dedicated travel fund to support this lifestyle.” Managing retirement savings abroad presents additional challenges. U.S. citizens must pay federal taxes on worldwide income and may face account restrictions from U.S.-based brokerages. Fuentes suggests maintaining a U.S. address or using global banks like Charles Schwab or E-trade Morgan Stanley that offer fee-free international ATM withdrawals. For day-to-day money management, Schroeder-Gardner advises using travel-friendly credit cards with no foreign transaction fees . Fuentes also suggests multi-currency accounts to mitigate currency risks. Navigating taxes and legal considerations No matter where you go, the IRS follows. Fuentes encourages people to research tax rules in their home country and planned destinations, as “tax treaties can impact the duration of your stay.” U.S. citizens living abroad are taxed on worldwide income, but credits like the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (up to $126,500 in 2024 and $130,000 in 2025) and the Foreign Tax Credit can help offset double taxation. Tax treaties between countries may further simplify filing requirements. Domestically, state taxes depend on primary residency. States like Texas and Florida have no state income tax, while others, like California, aggressively pursue tax liabilities even for those living out of state. Other states do not tax retirement income . Establishing clear domicile records is crucial for defending your obligations. Beyond taxes, research visa requirements for each destination. Some countries offer retirement-specific visas with income or asset requirements, while others allow longer stays with tourist visas. “Keeping important documents in cloud storage is a must,” says Schroeder-Gardner. Digitize essentials like passports, visas and tax returns to stay prepared on the move. Healthcare and insurance while traveling Early retirees under 65 won’t have access to Medicare , so you’ll need alternative health coverage. If not covered by remote work, the Affordable Care Act marketplace is one option. Many countries offer affordable, high-quality care, and some allow foreigners to join their public systems. Fuentes recommends exploring international health plans from providers like Cigna Global or IMG, which cover routine care, emergencies and medical evacuations. Travel medical insurance is also critical. Schroeder-Gardner notes, “Travel insurance has become a must for us.” Look for policies that include medical emergencies, trip cancellations and personal liability. And if you plan to bring medications with you on international travel , don't risk having them confiscated at the border. For those planning to travel abroad, consider focusing your trip on the safest countries to visit . Remote work: staying connected and productive Reliable internet is the foundation of remote work. Schroeder-Gardner ensures connectivity by researching options in advance and carrying backup solutions like multiple mobile hotspots. Similarly, Wardian relied on portable technology during his Appalachian Trail journey. “T-Mobile coverage for my phones and my Surface laptop worked surprisingly well, even in remote sections,” he says. Coworking spaces can also provide stable internet and a professional environment. To protect sensitive data, consider a VPN when working on public Wi-Fi. Adjusting to the digital nomad lifestyle Becoming a digital nomad requires more than packing a laptop — it’s a lifestyle adjustment. Schroeder-Gardner advises starting with short trips to test the waters. “This helps you gauge the impact on your financial and social life,” she says. Maintaining social connections is just as important as staying online. “Being a digital nomad can sometimes feel isolating, so finding online groups or meeting other travelers can make the experience more fulfilling,” she adds. Adjusting to constant change takes time. Wardian found success by creating a system with his team before hitting the trail. “I made myself available as much as possible for work tasks while staying flexible with my running schedule,” he says. For Schroeder-Gardner, “I plan my work schedule around travel activities, dedicating specific blocks of time to focus. ... But for the most part, I try to save the best weather days for traveling and experiencing a new destination.” Ultimately, flexibility may be the greatest need and perk of this lifestyle. You never know when the mountains, beaches or new cities will call and you must go. After all, that’s what we’ve been doing for most of our history. Read More About Early Retirement How to Retire Early in Six Steps How to Retire at 40 How to Retire at 50 or 55 Retire Early for Adventure: Go Travel and Volunteer Will Retiring Early Make You Happier? It's Complicated Early Retirement Withdrawal Strategies for the Long Haul Five Early Retirement Mistakes to Avoid The Rule of 55: One Way to Fund Early Retirement A Sabbatical May Be a Smarter Move Than Early Retirement How SEPP 72(t) Can Help You Retire Early and Dodge Penalties
The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on the founder of Georgia’s ruling political party, which has steered the country away from a pro-Western stance and towards Russia, US officials said. The US State and Treasury departments said they hit Georgian Dream party founder and honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili with penalties “for undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia for the benefit of the Russian Federation”, according to a statement. The designation of Mr Ivanishvili is the latest in a series of sanctions the US has placed on Georgian politicians and others this year. Those sanctions include freezes on assets and properties those targeted may have in US jurisdictions or that might enter US jurisdictions as well as travel bans on the targets and members of their families. “We strongly condemn Georgian Dream’s actions under Ivanishvili’s leadership, including its ongoing and violent repression of Georgian citizens, protesters, members of the media, human rights activists, and opposition figures,” the State Department said in a statement. “The United States is committed to promoting accountability for those undermining democracy and human rights in Georgia.” Mr Ivanishvili is a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia and served briefly as Georgia’s prime minister. In 2012, he founded Georgian Dream, Georgia’s longtime ruling party. Critics have accused Georgian Dream of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted towards Moscow. The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBT+ rights, prompting the European Union to suspend Georgia’s membership application process indefinitely. In October, Georgian Dream won another term in a divisive parliamentary election that has led to more mass protests. Last month, the country’s prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, announced a four-year suspension of talks on Georgia’s bid to join the European Union, fuelling further public outrage.
Why drone hysteria has taken offDETROIT — Fifty years later, a man who grew up in suburban Detroit tried to return a very overdue baseball book to his boyhood library. The answer: You can keep it — and no fine. Chuck Hildebrandt, 63, of Chicago said he visited the public library in Warren while in town for Thanksgiving, carrying a book titled "Baseball's Zaniest Stars." He borrowed it in 1974 as a 13-year-old "baseball nut" but never returned it. Chuck Hildebrandt of Chicago holds the book "Baseball's Zaniest Stars," which was due Dec. 4, 1974, at the Warren, Mich., library, on Dec. 10. "When you're moving with a bunch of books, you're not examining every book. You throw them in a box and go," said Hildebrandt, who lived in many cities. "But five or six years ago, I was going through the bookshelf and there was a Dewey decimal library number on the book. 'What is this?'" Inside the book was a slip of paper indicating it was due back at the Warren library on Dec. 4, 1974. Hildebrandt told The Associated Press he decided to keep the book until 2024 — the 50th anniversary — and then try to return it. He figured the library might want to publicize the long overdue exchange. Chuck Hildebrandt of Chicago shows the library slip in the overdue book "Baseball's Zaniest Stars" on Dec. 10. He said he recently met library director Oksana Urban, who listened to his pitch. Hildebrandt said he hasn't heard anything since then, though Urban told the Detroit Free Press that all is forgiven. "Some people never come back to face the music," she said of patrons with overdue books. "But there was really no music to face because he and the book were erased from our system." So "Baseball's Zaniest Stars" is back on Hildebrandt's shelf. In return, he's now trying to raise $4,564 for Reading is Fundamental , a nonprofit literacy group. The amount roughly represents a 50-year overdue library fine. Hildebrandt seeded the effort with $457. The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever. These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country. Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the players on this list were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections. There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers. Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are " slightly more likely " than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally. To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft pick by each franchise using data from Baseball Reference . The players were ranked using career wins above replacement , so not one recent choice was named. The amazing Mike Trout, a 32-year-old selected in 2009, is the youngest player. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024. - Draft: 11th overall pick in 2006 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 457 - Career stats: 214 wins, 3.15 earned run average, 1.08 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: University of Missouri (Columbia, Mo.) - Wins above replacement: 75.0 - Draft: 1st overall pick in 1990 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,499 - Career stats: 468 home runs, .303 batting average, .930 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: The Bolles School (Jacksonville, Fla.) - Wins above replacement: 85.3 - Draft: 48th overall pick in 1978 - Position: Third baseman - Games played: 3,001 - Career stats: 431 home runs, .276 batting average, .788 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Aberdeen HS (Aberdeen, Md.) - Wins above replacement: 95.9 - Draft: 31st overall pick in 1984 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 744 - Career stats: 355 wins, 3.16 earned run average, 1.14 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: Valley HS (Las Vegas, Nev.) - Wins above replacement: 106.6 - Draft: 8th overall pick in 1995 - Position: First baseman - Games played: 2,247 - Career stats: 369 home runs, .316 batting average, .953 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: University of Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.) - Wins above replacement: 61.8 - Draft: 2nd overall pick in 2004 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 518 - Career stats: 260 wins, 3.25 earned run average, 1.12 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: Old Dominion University (Norfolk, Va.) - Wins above replacement: 81.7 - Draft: 428th overall pick in 1988 - Position: Outfielder - Games played: 2,103 - Career stats: 130 home runs, .299 batting average, .794 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: University of Arizona (Tucson, Ariz.) - Wins above replacement: 68.4 - Draft: 29th overall pick in 1971 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,707 - Career stats: 317 home runs, .305 batting average, .857 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: El Segundo HS (El Segundo, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 88.6 - Draft: 7th overall pick in 2006 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 425 - Career stats: 210 wins, 2.48 earned run average, 1.00 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: Highland Park HS (Dallas, Texas) - Wins above replacement: 79.7 - Draft: 55th overall pick in 1969 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 692 - Career stats: 287 wins, 3.31 earned run average, 1.20 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: Santiago HS (Garden Grove, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 94.5 - Draft: 295th overall pick in 1965 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 807 - Career stats: 324 wins, 3.19 earned run average, 1.25 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: Alvin HS (Alvin, Texas) - Wins above replacement: 81.3 - Draft: 6th overall pick in 1992 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,747 - Career stats: 260 home runs, .310 batting average, .817 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Central HS (Kalamazoo, Mich.) - Wins above replacement: 71.3 - Draft: 96th overall pick in 1976 - Position: Outfielder - Games played: 3,081 - Career stats: 297 home runs, .279 batting average, .820 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Oakland Technical HS (Oakland, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 111.1 - Draft: 30th overall pick in 1971 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,404 - Career stats: 548 home runs, .268 batting average, .908 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Ohio University (Athens, Ohio) - Wins above replacement: 106.9 - Draft: 86th overall pick in 1977 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,573 - Career stats: 28 home runs, .262 batting average, .666 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 76.9 - Draft: 2nd overall pick in 1985 - Position: First baseman - Games played: 1,976 - Career stats: 284 home runs, .303 batting average, .880 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Mississippi State University (Mississippi State, Miss.) - Wins above replacement: 56.5 - Draft: 1st overall pick in 1993 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,784 - Career stats: 696 home runs, .295 batting average, .930 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Westminster Christian School (Miami, Fla.) - Wins above replacement: 117.6 - Draft: 3rd overall pick in 2006 - Position: Third baseman - Games played: 1,986 - Career stats: 342 home runs, .264 batting average, .804 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: California State University, Long Beach (Long Beach, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 58.6 - Draft: 4th overall pick in 1986 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 486 - Career stats: 211 wins, 3.28 earned run average, 1.22 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, Ga.) - Wins above replacement: 67.8 - Draft: 17th overall pick in 1995 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 416 - Career stats: 203 wins, 3.38 earned run average, 1.18 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: Arvada West HS (Arvada, Colo.) - Wins above replacement: 64.2 - Draft: 36th overall pick in 1985 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 618 - Career stats: 303 wins, 3.29 earned run average, 1.17 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: University of Southern California (Los Angeles, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 101.1 Data reporting by Karim Noorani. Story editing by Carren Jao. 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. - Draft: 19th overall pick in 1983 - Position: Pitcher - Games played: 709 - Career stats: 354 wins, 3.12 earned run average, 1.17 walks plus hits per inning - College/HS: University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Texas) - Wins above replacement: 139.2 - Draft: 7th overall pick in 1989 - Position: First baseman - Games played: 2,322 - Career stats: 521 home runs, .301 batting average, .974 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Auburn University (Auburn, Ala.) - Wins above replacement: 73.8 - Draft: 36th overall pick in 1965 - Position: Catcher - Games played: 2,158 - Career stats: 389 home runs, .267 batting average, .817 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Binger HS (Binger, Okla.) - Wins above replacement: 75.1 - Draft: 333rd overall pick in 1989 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,543 - Career stats: 612 home runs, .276 batting average, .956 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Illinois Central College (East Peoria, Ill.) - Wins above replacement: 73.1 - Draft: 25th overall pick in 2009 - Position: Centerfielder - Games played: 1,518 - Career stats: 378 home runs, .299 batting average, .991 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Millville Senior HS (Millville, N.J.) - Wins above replacement: 86.1 - Draft: 76th overall pick in 2007 - Position: First baseman - Games played: 1,589 - Career stats: 417 home runs, .258 batting average, .874 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Notre Dame HS (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 44.3 - Draft: 3rd overall pick in 1973 - Position: Shortstop - Games played: 2,856 - Career stats: 251 home runs, .285 batting average, .772 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: William Howard Taft Charter HS (Woodland Hills, Calif.) - Wins above replacement: 77.4 - Draft: 6th overall pick in 1985 - Position: Outfielder - Games played: 2,986 - Career stats: 762 home runs, .298 batting average, 1.051 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Arizona State University (Tempe, Ariz.) - Wins above replacement: 162.8 - Draft: 402nd overall pick in 1999 - Position: Third baseman - Games played: 3,080 - Career stats: 703 home runs, .296 batting average, .918 on-base plus slugging - College/HS: Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods (Kansas City, Mo.) - Wins above replacement: 101.4 Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!
Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. Declares Quarterly Common Stock DividendIreland's centre-right parties close in on re-electionIreland's two large centre-right parties look on course to be returned to power but they will likely need at least one smaller partner to secure a majority, raising questions about the stability of the next government. Login or signup to continue reading That could leave the parties facing prolonged negotiations or an unstable coalition ahead of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, whose pledge to slash corporate tax and impose tariffs poses a threat to the Irish economy. After voters went to the polls on Friday, governing parties Fine Gael and Fianna Fail were on 20.5 per cent and 21.9 per cent of first-preference votes respectively, according to a tally by Virgin Media News with left-wing Sinn Fein on 19.1 per cent. With the two centre-right parties ruling out a deal with Sinn Fein, the main question was how close to the 88 seats needed for a majority the pair can get - and whether they would need one or two more coalition parties to get over the line. "Clearly there is a route there to government," Fianna Fail's leader and deputy prime minister, Micheal Martin, told state broadcaster RTE when asked about a deal with Fine Gael and another party. "But a lot will depend ... on how many seats the respective parties get." It was "far too early" to discuss possible coalition partners or whether he might be the next prime minister, he said. Fianna Fail could get as many as 48 seats and Fine Gael could take 39, leaving them on the cusp of 88 seats, former Trinity College Dublin political science professor Michael Gallagher told RTE, citing vote tallies. The most obvious candidates for a coalition partner would be centre-left parties Labour and the Social Democrats, who Gallagher said could take eight seats each. But if those numbers are lower when votes are counted under Ireland's complex system of proportional representation, four parties could be needed to form a government, making it much more fragile. A clear outline of final seat numbers was not expected to emerge until Sunday. The current junior coalition party, the Greens, were in danger of losing all 12 of their seats, party leader Roderic O'Gorman said. Prime Minister Simon Harris called the election on the heels of a 10.5 billion euro ($A17 billion) giveaway budget that began to put money into voters' pockets during the campaign, largesse made possible by billions of euros of foreign multinational corporate tax revenues. However, a campaign full of missteps for his Fine Gael party, culminating last weekend in a viral clip of Harris walking away from an exasperated care worker, cost them their pre-election lead. The government parties also faced widespread frustration during the campaign at their inability to turn the healthiest public finances in Europe into better public services. Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army, appeared on course to lead the next government a year ago but suffered a slide in support from 30 per cent to 35 per cent, in part due to anger among its working-class base at relatively liberal immigration policies. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, former rivals that have between them led every government since the foundation of the state almost a century ago, agreed to share the role of prime minister during the last government, switching roles halfway through the five-year term. Australian Associated Press DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Get the latest property and development news here. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. WEEKLY Follow the Newcastle Knights in the NRL? Don't miss your weekly Knights update. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!
WASHINGTON — As a former and potentially future president, Donald Trump hailed what would become Project 2025 as a road map for "exactly what our movement will do" with another crack at the White House. As the blueprint for a hard-right turn in America became a liability during the 2024 campaign, Trump pulled an about-face. He denied knowing anything about the "ridiculous and abysmal" plans written in part by his first-term aides and allies. Now, after being elected the 47th president on Nov. 5, Trump is stocking his second administration with key players in the detailed effort he temporarily shunned. Most notably, Trump has tapped Russell Vought for an encore as director of the Office of Management and Budget; Tom Homan, his former immigration chief, as "border czar;" and immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of policy. Those moves have accelerated criticisms from Democrats who warn that Trump's election hands government reins to movement conservatives who spent years envisioning how to concentrate power in the West Wing and impose a starkly rightward shift across the U.S. government and society. Trump and his aides maintain that he won a mandate to overhaul Washington. But they maintain the specifics are his alone. "President Trump never had anything to do with Project 2025," said Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt in a statement. "All of President Trumps' Cabinet nominees and appointments are whole-heartedly committed to President Trump's agenda, not the agenda of outside groups." The Office of Management and Budget director, a role Vought held under Trump previously and requires Senate confirmation, prepares a president's proposed budget and is generally responsible for implementing the administration's agenda across agencies. The job is influential, but Vought made clear as author of a Project 2025 chapter on presidential authority that he wants the post to wield more direct power. "The Director must view his job as the best, most comprehensive approximation of the President's mind," Vought wrote. The OMB, he wrote, "is a President's air-traffic control system" and should be "involved in all aspects of the White House policy process," becoming "powerful enough to override implementing agencies' bureaucracies." Trump said Vought "knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State" — Trump's catch-all for federal bureaucracy — and would help "restore fiscal sanity." The strategy of further concentrating federal authority in the presidency permeates Project 2025's and Trump's campaign proposals. Vought's vision is especially striking when paired with Trump's proposals to dramatically expand the president's control over federal workers and government purse strings — ideas intertwined with the president-elect tapping mega-billionaire Elon Musk and venture capitalist Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a "Department of Government Efficiency." Trump in his first term sought to remake the federal civil service by reclassifying tens of thousands of federal civil service workers — who have job protection through changes in administration — as political appointees, making them easier to fire and replace with loyalists. Currently, only about 4,000 of the federal government's roughly 2 million workers are political appointees. President Joe Biden rescinded Trump's changes. Trump can now reinstate them. Meanwhile, Musk's and Ramaswamy's sweeping "efficiency" mandates from Trump could turn on an old, defunct constitutional theory that the president — not Congress — is the real gatekeeper of federal spending. In his "Agenda 47," Trump endorsed so-called "impoundment," which holds that when lawmakers pass appropriations bills, they simply set a spending ceiling, but not a floor. The president, the theory holds, can simply decide not to spend money on anything he deems unnecessary. Trump's choice of Vought immediately sparked backlash. "Russ Vought is a farright ideologue who has tried to break the law to give President Trump unilateral authority he does not possess to override the spending decisions of Congress (and) who has and will again fight to give Trump the ability to summarily fire tens of thousands of civil servants," said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, a Democrat and outgoing Senate Appropriations chairwoman. Trump's protests about Project 2025 always glossed over overlaps in the two agendas. Both want to reimpose Trump-era immigration limits. Project 2025 includes a litany of detailed proposals for various U.S. immigration statutes, executive branch rules and agreements with other countries — reducing the number of refugees, work visa recipients and asylum seekers, for example. Miller is one of Trump's longest-serving advisers and architect of his immigration ideas, including his promise of the largest deportation force in U.S. history. As deputy policy chief, which is not subject to Senate confirmation, Miller would remain in Trump's West Wing inner circle. "America First Legal," Miller's organization founded as an ideological counter to the American Civil Liberties Union, was listed as an advisory group to Project 2025 until Miller asked that the name be removed because of negative attention. Homan, a Project 2025 named contributor, was an acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director during Trump's first presidency, playing a key role in what became known as Trump's "family separation policy." John Ratcliffe, Trump's pick to lead the CIA, was previously one of Trump's directors of national intelligence. He is a Project 2025 contributor. The document's chapter on U.S. intelligence was written by Dustin Carmack, Ratcliffe's chief of staff in the first Trump administration. Reflecting Ratcliffe's and Trump's approach, Carmack declared the intelligence establishment too cautious. Ratcliffe, like the chapter attributed to Carmack, is hawkish toward China. Throughout the Project 2025 document, Beijing is framed as a U.S. adversary that cannot be trusted. Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, wrote Project 2025's FCC chapter and is now Trump's pick to chair the panel. Carr called for the FCC to address "threats to individual liberty posed by corporations that are abusing dominant positions in the market," specifically "Big Tech and its attempts to drive diverse political viewpoints from the digital town square." Carr and Ratcliffe would require Senate confirmation for their posts. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!Donald Trump said Saturday that a surprise meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Florida was "very productive," days after the incoming US leader rattled Ottawa with a vow to impose tariffs on Canadian imports. Trudeau, on an unannounced visit, had been seen smiling Friday as he exited a hotel in West Palm Beach to head to a dinner at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Afterward, Trump posted on his Truth Social website that he had had "a very productive meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau." He said the two men had discussed issues including "the Fentanyl and Drug Crisis that has decimated so many lives as a result of Illegal Immigration." He added, "Prime Minister Trudeau has made a commitment to work with us to end this terrible devastation of U.S. Families." Trudeau told journalists that he had had an "excellent conversation" with Trump, but did not elaborate. Trump has blamed Canada and Mexico for not stemming an influx of undocumented migrants and he blames them, and China, for drug problems in the United States. Trudeau's trip came after Trump sent shockwaves through the region Monday when he announced 25 percent import tariffs against Canada and Mexico and 10 percent against China if they failed to address the drug and migration problems. Such tariffs could have a devastating impact if imposed. More than three-quarters of Canadian exports, or Can$592.7 billion ($423 billion), went to the United States last year, and nearly two million Canadian jobs are dependent on trade. A Canadian government source had told AFP that Canada was considering possible retaliatory tariffs against the United States. Trudeau was the first foreign leader to meet with the US president-elect. But on Wednesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke to Trump by phone and later ruled out a trade war with the United States. "There will not be a potential tariff war," she told reporters Thursday. Trump later said that Sheinbaum had "agreed to stop migration through Mexico... effectively closing our Southern border." But she said that there would be no closing of the border, stating: "Of course we do not agree with that." Some have suggested Trump's tariff threat was bluster, or an opening salvo in future trade negotiations. But Trudeau rejected those views when he spoke with reporters earlier in Prince Edward Island province. "Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out," Trudeau said. "There's no question about it." amc/jgc/nro/bbk/bfm
A ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday. Biden administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies, as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, told reporters Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. The update from Neuberger is the latest development in a massive hacking operation that has alarmed national security officials, exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the private sector and laid bare China's hacking sophistication. The hackers compromised the networks of telecommunications companies to obtain customer call records and gain access to the private communications of “a limited number of individuals." Though the FBI has not publicly identified any of the victims, officials believe senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures are among those whose whose communications were accessed. Neuberger said officials did not yet have a precise sense how many Americans overall were affected by Salt Typhoon, in part because the Chinese were careful about their techniques, but a “large number" were in the Washington-Virginia area. Officials believe the goal of the hackers was to identify who owned the phones and, if they were “government targets of interest,” spy on their texts and phone calls, she said. The FBI said most of the people targeted by the hackers are "primarily involved in government or political activity.” Neuberger said the episode highlighted the need for required cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry, something the Federal Communications Commission is to take up at a meeting next month. “We know that voluntary cyber security practices are inadequate to protect against China, Russia and Iran hacking of our critical infrastructure,” she said. The Chinese government has denied responsibility for the hacking.Home not-so-sweet home
Downtown Durango was mostly quiet the morning of Black Friday – the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States – but as the day warmed, residents and visitors emerged from their post-Thanksgiving dormancy to stroll the sidewalks, step into stores and open their wallets. Families traveled from New Mexico, Arizona and Texas to enjoy the cooler weather in Durango, ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad’s Polar Express, enjoy local food and even purchase Christmas trees. Albuquerque residents Jason Bennett and Danielle Lavar arrived in Durango on Friday. They said they used to visit Durango at least once a year, but it’s been about two years since their last visit. They are staying in Durango until Sunday, and the Polar Express ride on Saturday is at the top of their list of attractions. Bennett said they’re spending their time walking downtown and seeing the sights. His daughter was with his grandmother at their hotel room. He said Durango mostly feels the same since his last visit – “cozy, comfortable” with a “warm, inviting atmosphere” – although he noted the now completed Grandview Interchange near Three Springs. If there’s one place he just has to visit whenever he’s in town, it would be El Moro Spirits and Tavern, he said. “They’re just a wonderful restaurant. Great spot,” he said. “Always had a great customer service, wonderful selection and craft beers, cocktails and the food has always been spectacular.” Lavar planned to attend the annual community festival Singing With Santa later Friday evening. Some families on Main Avenue were on their way out of Durango after visiting family for Thanksgiving. Not having time to dawdle, one woman said she, her husband and their son were headed off to Durango-La Plata County Airport to catch a return flight. Steve, an Albuquerque man who declined to share his last name, said he brought his family to Durango for Thanksgiving to ride the Polar Express. He’s no stranger to the city, though, because he used to live in Farmington and has visited the city often over the years. The Thanksgiving holiday falls squarely within Durango’s business shoulder season, but depending on who one asks, it doesn’t seem like it. Clint McKnight at Maria’s Bookshop said on Friday he doesn’t notice the shoulder season anymore. “Maria’s is very fortunate. It stays very busy ... consistently throughout the year,” he said. “It does drop off after the kids go back to school, but it didn’t drop off much this year. It ramped up pretty quickly. And we’re just very lucky to have that kind of interest in a small bookstore.” On Friday morning, he said the bookstore had a steady stream of shoppers, but nothing overwhelming. “On these cold mornings, it takes a little while for things to warm up, quite literally, but I’ll bet this afternoon, you come in here and we’ll have all three registers busy,” he said. Durango resident Robert Didomizio was showing his daughter, Taryn, who traveled from Austin, Texas, around town. Taryn said they went skiing at Wolf Creek Ski Area and are among the many riding the Polar Express on Saturday. She said she visits her family in Durango every year for the holidays. Durango Business Improvement Director Tim Walsworth, busy preparing for Singing With Santa, said December is a huge month for businesses all over town, matching if not surpassing July business at the height of summer. BID implemented a new gift card promotional program for Black Friday this year called the Holly Jolly Gift Card Drawing. Similar to past promotional programs, it encourages people to shop locally by offering the chance to win a $1,000 Heart of Durango gift card. Walsworth said December gives local businesses a “giant bump” ahead of the new year through Black Friday sales, Noel Night scheduled for Dec. 6 and other holiday rewards programs. “Kudos to our community members for shopping local,” he said. “I will tell you that (the) Polar Express train that brings 35,000 riders to downtown does not hurt at all. That’s a really, really awesome, fun thing to do for families, and then it has economic impact with all those riders that need to eat and do a little shopping too.” The San Juan Mountains Association launched its annual Christmas Trees for Conservation sale at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad on Friday. The sale, SJMA’s biggest fundraiser of the year, is yet another opportunity to circulate local dollars and contribute to forest health at the same time, said Stephanie Weber, SJMA executive director. “People are in good spirits and ready for the holidays,” she said. The sale started with about 940 trees, white furs harvested at Beaver Meadows estate of Bayfield and traditional balsams sourced from a commercial farm in Wisconsin. Weber said she expects to sell about a third of the trees by the weekend’s end. Most of the trees range from 5 feet to 18 feet tall. She said harvesting the white furs contributes to conservation efforts because white furs are ladder fuels, meaning they ignite easily and they quickly go up in flames, allowing flames to spread higher into the forest canopy. SJMA partners with the U.S. Forest Service and other land management agencies through the Coordinated Forest Landscape Restoration Plan, and harvesting white furs contributes to the plan, she said. She added the balsams are one’s traditional commercial Christmas tree, and SJMA stocks up on them so people looking for the perfect tree can find it at the sale. cburney@durangoherald.comIt’s official: Dodgers sign Blake Snell for 5 years, $182 million
How about those Bears , everybody? To put a finer point on it: Will they ever win again? In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on the social platform X, we asked what the Bears’ record will be after the 17-game season. They’re 4-6 heading into Sunday’s game against the Vikings at Soldier Field. “Could be 7-10, but probably 6-11,” @JeffreyCanalia commented. “All these choices are pathetic,” @JTurco60 wrote. “What a freaking embarrassment from top to bottom.” Next, we asked about the Bulls ’ projected season win total of 291⁄2. Over or under? “Over,” @DeyoSahler replied. “The East is bad, and the team plays hard. Young guys will carry them even if [Zach] LaVine and [Nikola] Vucevic are traded.” Finally, got any plans for New Year’s Eve? We asked if you’d go to the Blackhawks’ Winter Classic game at Wrigley Field that night if offered a free ticket. “Saying no to this is crazy work,” according to @arrosen76. “I’d pay $100 not to have to go,” @TheChrisSchultz wrote. On to the polls: Poll No. 1: Some are saying the Bears (4-6) might not win another game. With seven to go, predict their final record. Upshot: Bears fans, bless ’em, somehow keep getting out of bed on Sundays anyway. Poll No. 2: The over/under on wins for the Bulls (who are 6-10 with 66 games left) is 291⁄2. What are you taking? Upshot: One of these years, the Bulls will have a team we all can’t help but be excited about. OK, fine, one of these decades. Poll No. 3: If you were offered a free ticket to the Blackhawks-Blues Winter Classic game at Wrigley Field on New Year’s Eve, would you go? Upshot: Just so everyone knows, this New Year’s gala is black-tie optional. Alas, it’s also Blackhawks-score-a-goal optional.CHANGES NECESSARY?
Analytic Partners Placed Highest for Ability to Execute and Furthest for Completeness of Vision MIAMI , Nov. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Analytic Partners, the Commercial Intelligence company for insights-driven brands, today announced it has been recognized as a Leader in the inaugural Gartner® Magic QuadrantTM for Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) Solutions. Analytic Partners is positioned highest in Ability to Execute and furthest in Completeness of Vision. "We believe our position as a Leader underscores our dedication to our customers and our ongoing commitment to innovation," said Nancy Smith , President and CEO of Analytic Partners. "We appreciate the extensive research Gartner has done in guiding our industry forward. This recognition, we feel, highlights the critical role Commercial Analytics plays in delivering forward-looking decisioning for lasting, meaningful growth." Elevating Insights Beyond MMM and MTA Analytic Partners' longstanding commitment to deliver insights and solutions extends well beyond Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA) and MMM. Analytic Partners' Commercial Analytics solution integrates all factors driving performance outcomes – including finance, supply chain and other enterprise functions. This holistic, company-wide approach provides a forward-looking decisioning framework that brands rely on to measure both short-term and long-term impact, ensuring sustained growth. GPS Enterprise: A Powerful Platform for Enabling Growth Powered by the GPS Enterprise platform, Commercial Analytics combines data science and technology to deliver actionable insights that enable brands to make proactive, forward-looking commercial decisions. This end-to-end platform, informed by ROI Genome intelligence, ensures streamlined data management, application of advanced analytics and multi-objective optimizations to help brands meet their growth goals. Recognition extends to Gartner Critical Capabilities Report for MMM Solutions The recognition also extends beyond the Magic QuadrantTM. In the accompanying Critical Capabilities report for MMM Solutions, Analytic Partners received the highest scores across all 8 Use Cases, including: Highest score in Complex Marketing Analytics Highest score in Business Scenario Planning Highest score in Data Management Highest score in Media Optimization Magic Quadrant reports are a culmination of rigorous, fact-based research in specific markets, providing a wide-angle view of the relative positions of the providers in markets where growth is high, and provider differentiation is distinct. Providers are positioned into four quadrants: Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries and Niche Players. The research enables businesses to get the most from market analysis in alignment with your unique business and technology needs. To read the full Magic QuadrantTM report, access a complimentary copy here . Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Marketing Mix Modeling Solutions, Matt Wakeman , David Walters , Joseph Enever , Weicong Zhao , November 19, 2024 GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, Magic Quadrant is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's Research & Advisory organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About Analytic Partners Analytic Partners is the leader in Commercial Analytics, providing adaptive solutions for deeper business understanding, right-time planning and optimization for marketing and beyond. We turn data into expertise so our customers can create powerful connections with their customers and achieve commercial success. For more information, visit analyticpartners.com . Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2565668/Analytic_Partners.jpgAmericans more hopeful about 2025 than they were for 2024 — CBS News poll
A 9th Telecoms Firm Has Been Hit by a Massive Chinese Espionage Campaign, the White House Says
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