MADISON, Wis. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s former Wisconsin attorney lashed out Thursday at the state’s Democratic attorney general for filing felony charges against him and two others related to the 2020 fake electors scheme, saying after their initial court appearance that he was the victim of “lawfare” that wreaked havoc on his life. Jim Troupis, a former Wisconsin judge who represented Trump in 2020, was the only one of the three defendants to appear in person at the hearing. Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney who advised Trump’s 2020 campaign, and Mike Roman, Trump’s director of Election Day operations in 2020, appeared by phone. All three are charged with 11 felony forgery counts. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. A court commissioner set a preliminary hearing for all three for Jan. 28. They will enter their pleas at their arraignment, which is not yet scheduled. Troupis, in comments after the brief hearing, said Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul has “doubled down on a vicious strategy to destroy our very faith in the system of justice by using the courts for his own personal political game.” “My family and I have endured nonstop vicious and unrelenting savage attacks on my reputation, on my livelihood,” Troupis said outside of the courtroom surrounded by supporters, including Republican former Gov. Scott McCallum. “My children have been interrogated. My long-held friendships and professional life have been destroyed.” Kaul said in a written statement in reaction to Troupis that decisions in cases are based on the facts and the law. “In this case, like all other cases, we will litigate the issues in dispute in a court of law,” Kaul said. Troupis defended the strategy of having the GOP electors meet, saying it was necessary in case a court ruled that Trump won Wisconsin. “We had thought that this would end,” Troupis said. “The country asked for it to end in November, but lawfare in all its despicable forms will not end in Wisconsin.” Troupis and the other two defendants were ordered not to have contact with the 10 electors or three others not identified by name in the criminal complaint. They did not object to those conditions and were allowed to leave without posting any money for bail. The state charges against the Trump attorneys and aide are the only ones in Wisconsin. None of the electors have been charged. The 10 Wisconsin electors, Chesebro and Troupis all settled a lawsuit that was brought against them in 2023. There are pending charges related to the fake electors scheme in state and federal courts in Arizona , Michigan , Nevada and Georgia. Federal prosecutors investigating Trump’s conduct related to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot said the fake electors scheme originated in Wisconsin. Electors are people appointed to represent voters in presidential elections. The winner of the popular vote in each state determines which party’s electors are sent to the Electoral College, which meets in December after a presidential election to certify the outcome. The Wisconsin complaint details how Troupis, Chesebro and Roman created a document that falsely said Trump had won the state’s 10 Electoral College votes and attempted to deliver it to then-Vice President Mike Pence for congressional certification. Prosecutors said in the complaint that most of the 10 electors told investigators they needed to sign the elector certificate indicating that Trump had won only to preserve his legal options if a court changed the outcome of the election in Wisconsin. Most of the electors also said that they did not consent to having their signatures presented as if Trump had won without such a court ruling, the complaint said. Troupis and Roman filed four motions to dismiss the charge before Thursday’s hearing. The court commissioner did not consider those. The fake elector efforts were central to a 2023 federal racketeering indictment filed against Trump alleging he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Special counsel Jack Smith moved to abandon that case last month, acknowledging that Trump’s return to the White House in January will preclude attempts to federally prosecute him. Trump was also indicted in Georgia along with 18 others accused of participating in a sprawling scheme to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election there. Trump is trying to get that case dismissed , arguing that state courts won’t have jurisdiction over him when he returns to the White House next month. Chesebro and Roman were among those indicted with Trump in Georgia. Roman has pleaded not guilty to racketeering and conspiracy charges there, as well as to nine felony charges in Arizona related to the fake electors scheme in that state. Chesebro pleaded guilty to one felony charge of conspiracy to commit filing false documents in a deal with Georgia prosecutors. He is trying to invalidate the plea after the judge in September tossed out the charge against Trump and others. Associated Press writer Todd Richmond contributed to this story.Weekend review: Barça drop more points as LaLiga title race tightens
MasterChef star steps down from award-winning restaurant as it prepares to permanently close
Tulane QB Mensah transfers to DukeAwards season has arrived in the form of the Golden Globes nominations. The awards, which honor both movies and television programs, is often viewed as a preview of the upcoming Oscars. In this week's episode, co-hosts Bruce Miller and Terry Lipshetz go over the list, focusing largely on the movies, which tend to shine brightest at the ceremony. But they also take time to review a few of the TV shows, including the great, but rarely funny "The Bear," which is again in the comedy or musical category. We also have an interview with "Nickel Boys" director RaMell Ross, who spoke with Miller prior to the film receiving a nomination for best drama. Miller also talked with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who starred in the film. People are also reading... 2 Statesville men face murder charges in 2011 shooting death of Joey Brewer Iredell County deputies charge 7 people in drug trafficking investigation 3 men face arson charges in Statesville house fire that severely burned woman Iredell-Statesville Schools OK $3.3 million in stadium upgrades at Lake Norman High School Woman charged with stabbing car dealership employee on test drive in Mooresville Hear the songs, see Santa at Sunday's Statesville Christmas Parade Families prepare for mass deportations: 'A sad and painful time' Downtown Statesville lights Christmas tree to kickoff holiday McKinnon breaks record, Arnold shows offensive burst in Lake Norman’s hot start 100 years ago, the flu hit Harmony during hog-killing time H&W Drug, owned by Haupt family for nearly 100 years, closes in Newton Statesville native's book offers clues to 5 hidden treasures See balloons light up Statesville Park and Soccer Complex on Saturday HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Steinhour, Lake Norman topple 4A state runner-up New Hanover See who the Greater Metro 4A recognized as all-conference in fall sports Movies Best motion picture, comedy or musical “Wicked”; “Anora”; “Emilia Perez”; “Challengers”; “A Real Pain”; “The Substance” Best motion picture, drama “The Brutalist”; “A Complete Unknown,”; “Conclave”; “Dune: Part Two”; “Nickel Boys;” “September 5” Best performance by a male actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy Jesse Eisenberg, “A Real Pain”; Hugh Grant, “Heretic”; Gabriel LaBelle, “Saturday Night; Jesse Plemons, “Kinds of Kindness”’ Glen Powell, “Hitman”; Sebastian Stan, “A Different Man” Best performance by a female actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy Amy Adams, “Nightbitch”; Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”; Karla Sofia Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”; Mikey Madison “Anora”; Demi Moore, “The Substance”; Zendaya, “Challengers” Best performance by a female male actor in a motion picture, drama Pamela Anderson, “The Last Showgirl′′; Angelina Jolie, ”Maria”; Nicole Kidman, “Babygirl”; Tilda Swinton, “The Room Next Door”; Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”; Kate Winslet, “Lee” Best performance by a male actor in a motion picture, drama Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”; Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown’; Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”; Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”; Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice’’ Cinematic and box office achievement “Alien: Romulus”; Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”; Deadpool & Wolverine”; “Gladiator II”; “Inside Out 2”; “Twisters”; “Wicked”; “The Wild Robot” Best motion picture, non-English “All We Imagine As Light′′; ”Emilia Pérez”; “The Girl With the Needle”; “I’m Still Here”; “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”; “Vermiglio” Best animated film “Flow”; “Inside Out 2”; “Memoir of a Snail”; “Moana 2”; “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”; “The Wild Robot” Best performance by a female actor in a supporting role in any motion picture Selena Gomez, ”Emilia Pérez”; Ariana Grande, “Wicked”; Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”; Margaret Qualley, “The Substance”; Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”; Zoe Saldaña, ”Emilia Pérez” Best performance by a male actor in a supporting role in any motion picture Yura Borisov, “Anora”; Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”; Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”; Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”; Jeremy Strong, ”The Apprentice”; Denzel Washington, “Gladiator II” Best director Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”; Sean Baker, ”Anora”; Edward Berger, “Conclave”; Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist”; Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”; Payal Kapadia, “All We Imagine As Light” Best screenplay Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”; Sean Baker, ”Anora”; Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold, “The Brutalist”; Jesse Eisenberg, “A Real Pain”; Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”; Peter Straughan, “Conclave” Best original score Volker Bertelmann, “Conclave”; Daniel Blumberg, “The Brutalist”; Kris Bowers, “The Wild Robot”; Clement Ducol, Camille “Emilia Pérez”; Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, “Challengers”; Hans Zimmer, “Dune: Part Two” Best original song “Beautiful That Way” from “The Last Showgirl” (music/lyrics by Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Zachrisson); “Compress/Repress” from “Challengers’ (music/lyrics by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Luca Guadagnino; “El Mal” from EL MAL” from “Emilia Pérez” (music/lyrics by Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard; “Forbidden Road” from ”Better Man′′ (music/lyrics by Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, Sacha Skarbek); “Kiss the Sky” from “The Wild Robot′′ (music/lyrics by Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi); ”Mi Camino′′ from “Emilia Pérez” (music/lyrics by Clément Ducol, Camille) Television Best television drama “Shogun”; “The Diplomat”; “Slow Horses”; “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”; “The Day of the Jackal”; “Squid Game” Best television series, comedy or musical “Abbott Elementary”; “The Bear; “Hacks”; “Nobody Wants This”; “Only Murders in the Building”; “The Gentlemen” Best performance by a male actor in a television series, drama Donald Glover, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”; Jake Gyllenhaal, “Presumed Innocent”; Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”; Eddie Redmayne, “The Day of the Jackal”; Hiroyuki Sanada, “Shogun”; Billy Bob Thornton, “Landman” Best performance by a female actor in a television series-drama Kathy Bates, “Matlock”; Emma D’Arcy, “House of the Dragon”; Maya Erskine, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”; Keira Knightley, “Black Doves”; Keri Russell, “The Diplomat”; Anna Sawai, “Shogun” Best performance by a female actor in a television series-musical or comedy Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This”; Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”; Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”; Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”; Kathryn Hahn, “Agatha All Along”; Jean Smart, “Hacks” Best performance by a male actor in a television series-musical or comedy Adam Brody, “Nobody Wants This”; Ted Danson, “A Man on the Inside”; Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”; Jason Segel, “Shrinking”; Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”; Jeremy All White, “The Bear” Best television limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television “Baby Reindeer”; Disclaimer"; “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”; “The Penguin”; “Ripley”; “True Detective: Night Country” Best performance by a female actor in a limited series, anthology series or a motion picture made for television Cate Blanchett, “Disclaimer''; Jodie Foster, ”True Detective: Night Country"; Cristin Milioti, “The Penguin''; Sofia Vergara, ”Griselda"; Naomi Watts, “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans”; Kate Winslet, “The Regime” Best performance by a male actor in a limited series, anthology series or a motion picture made for television Colin Farrell, “The Penguin”; Richard Gadd, “Baby Reindeer”; Kevin Kline, “Disclaimer”; Cooper Koch, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”; Ewan McGregor, “A Gentleman in Moscow”; Andrew Scott, “Ripley” Best performance by a female actor in a supporting role on television Liza Colón-Zayas, “The Bear”; Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”; Dakota Fanning, “Ripley”; Jessica Gunning, “Baby Reindeer”; Allison Janney, “The Diplomat”; Kali Reis, “True Detective: Night Country” Best performance by a male actor in a supporting role on television Tadanobu Asano, “Shogun''; Javier Bardem, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”; Harrison Ford, “Shrinking”; Jack Lowden “Slow Horses”; Diego Luna, “La Maquina”; Ebon Moss-Bachrach, “The Bear” Best performance in stand-up comedy on television Jamie Foxx, “Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was”; Nikki Glaser, “Nikki Glaser: Someday You'll Die”; Seth Meyers, “Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking”; Adam Sandler, "Adam Sandler: Love You"; Ali Wong, “Ali Wong: Single Lady”; Ramy Youssef, “Ramy Youssef: More Feelings” —List compiled by The Associated Press Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!
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A version of this story appeared in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here . The cold-blooded assassination of a health care CEO has uncorked a torrent of public anger at the health insurance industry. Should the ugliness of that fact make Americans bottle the anger back up? The suspected killer, Luigi Mangione , is preparing for a murder trial in New York, and his lawyer said he will plead not guilty. But the rest of the country has an opportunity, awkward though it is, to examine its long-festering frustration at a health insurance system that is unique in the developed world as it squeezes profits for private companies from patients. CNN’s Tami Luhby gathered insurance horror stories from CNN readers , including a recent college graduate who had to simultaneously fight against cancer and her coverage provider’s decision that she should pay a $13,000 monthly copay for a life-saving drug. It’s no wonder that a sizable minority of Americans have reported being in medical debt. A shift on whether coverage is the government’s responsibility A Gallup poll released this week but conducted before the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, found that most Americans, 62%, think it is the responsibility of the federal government to make sure that all Americans have health care coverage. A minority, 36%, said it’s not the government’s responsibility. Gallup has been asking this question for years, and this new data reflects a gradual reversal from 11 years ago, during the troubled rollout of private health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Back then, a minority, 42%, said it was the federal government’s responsibility to make sure people have health coverage, and a majority, 56%, said it was not. There’s a partisan story behind those numbers, since nearly all Democrats, 90%, now say the government is responsible, compared with a little more than two-thirds in 2013. Just about a third of Republicans hold the same view today, although that is up from just 12% who said the government had a responsibility in 2013. Regardless, any health insurance reform effort to increase government participation in the system would be met with fierce resistance, just like it was in 2010, when then-President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. Satisfaction with the health system has dropped The upward shift in Americans who say the government has a responsibility to make sure its citizens have coverage has tracked with a downward shift in satisfaction with the health care system overall in Gallup’s polling. Back in 2013, a majority, 54% of Americans, were satisfied with the quality of health care in the US. Today, that’s down to 44%. Satisfaction with health care coverage has never been high in the more than two decades during which Gallup has tracked it. It hit a high of 41% in 2012 and today is at 28%, the lowest since the early 2000s, the years before Obamacare drastically reformed the insurance industry and required insurers to cover preexisting conditions and keep young people on their parents’ insurance up to the age of 26, as well as greatly expanded Medicaid coverage. A uniquely American system No other country – certainly no other wealthy country like the US – does it this way, with its reliance on employers to provide optional health coverage to most of the country. Some countries have government-run health care systems. Others require citizens to pay for more affordable private insurance. All, except the US, insure nearly all of their citizens. More expensive health care for a shorter life span Any number of studies say similar things, that the US pays a lot more per person and as a percentage of its gross domestic product, or GDP, to cover a much smaller portion of its population and achieve a much lower life expectancy – although life expectancy in the US is also affected by gun deaths, suicides and drug overdoses. KFF , the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund all have detailed assessments comparing the US system with insurance in other countries. Takeaways include that administrative costs are much higher in the US than in other wealthy countries. It’s perhaps fed by a universe of insurers, one contributor to those costs. One major distinction with the US is that those other countries require coverage for everyone and subsidize it to a greater degree than the US. Here, the government only provides health care for the neediest, through Medicaid, and older Americans, who generally qualify for government-run health coverage in Medicare. Thanks to Obamacare, the government also subsidizes care for those up to certain income levels who don’t get coverage from their employer. The government also subsidizes employer-provided health care in the form of tax breaks. A side story to watch is the rise of Medicare recipients opting for privately run Medicare Advantage plans that are run by private insurers. The Wall Street Journal has recently documented how Medicare Advantage plans can end up costing the government more and also that the sickest patients, rather than face denial of coverage from private insurers, return to Medicare when they need the costliest procedures. Dropping satisfaction with a notable government-run system Struggles with health insurance are not unique to the US. Perhaps the most notable government-run, single-payer system, the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, enjoyed a 70% satisfaction rate in 2010. That’s fallen to just 24% as of 2023, according to a national survey , although that survey found the British people want to improve the system to cut down on wait times for services rather than scrap it for something else. Yet, the US political conversation barely turned to health insurance during the recently concluded presidential campaign, and the health care system was not at the top of voters’ concerns in public opinion polling. President-elect Donald Trump was elected with only “concepts” of a health care policy. He beat Vice President Kamala Harris, who had proposed minimal expansions of Medicare rather than a major change to the system. The last major change to the system was Obamacare, for which Democrats paid a short-term political price when they lost control of the House of Representatives. The law has slowly become more popular – 62% of Americans have a favorable view, according to a KFF tracking poll . But it clearly did not solve the problem of making health care affordable. A major step toward lowering prescription drug costs came from Democrats during the Biden administration, when, after years of trying, they won Medicare the right to negotiate for lower prices on certain drugs . But that faces an uncertain future in the new Trump administration as it fills out its concepts of a plan.Trump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban so he can weigh in after he takes office
Trump asks US Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is expected to announce that it will send $1.25 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Friday, as the Biden administration pushes to get as much aid to Kyiv as possible before leaving office on Jan. 20. The large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defense system. It also will provide Stinger missiles and 155 mm- and 105 mm artillery rounds, officials said. The officials, who said they expect the announcement to be made on Monday, spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. The new aid comes as Russia has launched a barrage of attacks against Ukraine’s power facilities in recent days, although Ukraine has said it intercepted a significant number of the missiles and drones. Russian and Ukrainian forces are also still in a bitter battle around the Russian border region of Kursk, where Moscow has sent thousands of North Korean troops to help reclaim territory taken by Ukraine. Earlier this month, senior defense officials acknowledged that that the Defense Department may not be able to send all of the remaining $5.6 billion in Pentagon weapons and equipment stocks passed by Congress for Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in. Trump has talked about getting some type of negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia, and spoken about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Many U.S. and European leaders are concerned that it might result in a poor deal for Ukraine and they worry that he won’t provide Ukraine with all the weapons funding approved by Congress. The aid in the new package is in presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to take weapons off the shelves and send them quickly to Ukraine. This latest assistance would reduce the remaining amount to about $4.35 billion. Officials have said they hope that an influx of aid will help strengthen Ukraine’s hand, should Zelenskyy decide it’s time to negotiate. One senior defense official said that while the U.S. will continue to provide weapons to Ukraine until Jan. 20, there may well be funds remaining that will be available for the incoming Trump administration to spend. According to the Pentagon, there is also about $1.2 billion remaining in longer-term funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to pay for weapons contracts that would not be delivered for a year or more. Officials have said the administration anticipates releasing all of that money before the end of the calendar year. If the new package is included, the U.S. has provided more than $64 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.
On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here . Saquon Barkley has become the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL. There’s no better home run hitter playing football right now. Barkley had touchdown runs of 72 and 70 yards for the Philadelphia Eagles in a 37-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night. He now has five runs of 50-plus yards this season and is on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season record of 2,105 yards set in 1984. Barkley’s historic performance against the Rams — his 255 yards set a team record — captivated a national audience and turned him into a fan favorite for the AP NFL MVP award. He’s not the betting favorite, however. Josh Allen has the best odds at plus-150, according to Bet MGM Sportsbook. Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson is next at plus-250 followed by Barkley at plus-400. Running backs have won the award 18 times, including three-time winner Jim Brown, who was the AP’s first NFL MVP in 1957. Quarterbacks have dominated the award, winning it 45 times. Only three players who weren’t QBs or RBs have been MVP. It takes a special season for a non-QB to win it mainly because the offense goes through the signal caller. Quarterbacks handle the ball every offensive snap, run the show and get the credit when things go well and the blame when it doesn’t. Adrian Peterson was the most recent non-QB to win it when he ran for 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Minnesota Vikings in 2012. Playing for a winning team matters, too. Nine of the past 11 winners played for a No. 1 seed with the other two winners on a No. 2 seed. The Vikings earned the sixth seed when Pederson was MVP. Barkley is a major reason why the Eagles (9-2) are leading the NFC East and only trail Detroit (10-1) by one game for the top spot in the conference. Does he have a realistic chance to win the MVP award? Kicker Mark Moseley was the MVP in the strike-shortened 1982 season when he made 20 of 21 field goals and 16 of 19 extra points in nine games for Washington. If voters once selected a kicker, everyone has a chance, especially a game-changer such as Barkley. Defensive tackle Alan Page was the MVP in 1971 and linebacker Lawrence Taylor won it in 1986. Running back Christian McCaffrey finished third in voting last year and wide receiver Justin Jefferson placed fifth in 2022. The Offensive Player of the Year award and Defensive Player of the Year award recognize the best all-around players on both sides of the ball, allowing voters to recognize non-QBs if they choose. Wide receivers and running backs have won the AP OPOY award seven times over the past 11 seasons. McCaffrey was the 2023 winner. The AP’s new voting format introduced in 2022 also gives non-QBs a better opportunity to get MVP recognition. Voter submit their top five picks for each award, with a weighted point system. Previously, voters made one choice for each award. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league vote for MVP and seven other awards. The awards are based on regular-season performance. The Chiefs (10-1) and Bills (9-2) already are in position to lock up postseason berths right after Thanksgiving. Kansas City clinches a playoff berth with a win over Las Vegas on Black Friday and a loss by Miami on Thursday night, or a win plus a loss by Denver on Monday night. Buffalo can wrap up a fifth straight AFC East title with a victory over San Francisco on Sunday and a loss by the Dolphins. It’s not a given that the Dallas Cowboys will be looking for a new head coach after this season. Owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday on local radio that Mike McCarthy could end up getting a contract extension. “I don’t think that’s crazy at all. This is a Super Bowl-winning coach. Mike McCarthy has been there and done that. He has great ideas. We got a lot of football left,” Jones said. McCarthy led the Cowboys (4-7) to three straight 12-win seasons, but they went 1-3 in the playoffs and haven’t reached the NFC championship game since winning the Super Bowl 29 years ago. Injuries have contributed to the team’s struggles this season, but Dallas was just 3-5 before Dak Prescott was lost for the rest of the season. The Cowboys upset Washington last week and their next four games are against teams that currently have losing records. If they somehow end up 9-8 or even 8-9, Jones could make a case for keeping McCarthy. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflAI-supported classroom should be future strategy: LG Sinha
Defenders get highest grades after 1-0 defeat at ArsenalNoneQatar tribune Agencies Nippon Steel on Wednesday slammed the “inappropriate” role of politics after Bloomberg News reported that President Joe Biden would block its planned takeover of U.S. Steel. The deal worth $14.9 billion including debts is being reviewed by a body that audits foreign takeovers of U.S. firms, helmed by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Bloomberg cited people close to the matter as saying Biden planned to block the sale on national security grounds when the audit is finished later this month. “It is inappropriate that politics continue to outweigh true national security interests -- especially with the indispensable alliance between the U.S. and Japan as the important foundation,” a Nippon Steel statement said.“We have engaged in good faith with all parties to underscore how the transaction will bolster American economic and national security by countering the threats posed by China,” it added. “Nippon Steel still has confidence in the justice and fairness of America and its legal system, and -- if necessary -- will work with U.S. Steel to consider and take all available measures to reach a fair conclusion.” Embattled U.S. Steel argues that it needs the Nippon deal to ensure sufficient investment in its Mon Valley plants in Pennsylvania, which it says it may have to shutter if the sale is blocked. But Biden has previously expressed opposition to the takeover, which President-elect Donald Trump -- who will be inaugurated on January 20 -- has also said he would block. “I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company, in this case Nippon Steel of Japan,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform earlier in December. “Through a series of Tax Incentives and Tariffs, we will make U.S. Steel Strong and Great Again, and it will happen FAST! As President, I will block this deal from happening.” In reaction to the Bloomberg report, White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson said Biden would wait and see what the ongoing review of the deal by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) yields. “The president’s position since the beginning is that it is vital for U.S. steel to be domestically owned and operated,” Patterson said. “We have not received any CFIUS recommendation. The CFIUS process was and remains ongoing.” U.S. Steel shares closed down 9.7 percent Tuesday on Wall Street following the report. Nippon was down 0.1 percent in Tokyo on Wednesday. Copy 12/12/2024 10
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--dec 12, 2024-- Shurick Agapitov, oprichter van Xsolla en visionair in de game-industrie, kondigt met trots de release van Once Upon Tomorrow Fortnite Island aan. Deze meeslepende Fortnite Creative-kaart neemt spelers mee naar de rijke verhalende wereld van zijn roman. De innovatieve ervaring, ontwikkeld in Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), combineert op meesterlijke wijze razendsnelle parkour-uitdagingen met diepgaande thematische elementen uit Once Upon Tomorrow . Spelers worden uitgenodigd om hun vaardigheden te testen terwijl ze door een visueel boeiend landschap reizen dat de veerkracht en het avontuur van de personages uit het boek belichaamt. Dit persbericht bevat multimedia. Bekijk hier het volledige persbericht: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212642158/nl/ (Graphic: Xsolla) “Once Upon Tomorrow in Fortnite Creative is onze manier om het bereik en de diepgang van de roman te vergroten en spelers een interactieve reis te bieden die zowel hun vaardigheden als hun begrip van de thema's van het verhaal uitdaagt," aldus Shurick Agapitov, oprichter van Xsolla. “We hebben deze map ontworpen om spelers te boeien die naar een flinke uitdaging verlangen. We willen hen meenemen in een wereld die visueel rijk is en diep geïnspireerd op het boek. Het is een avontuur dat gebruik maakt van de technische sterke punten van UEFN om het vertellen van verhalen in Fortnite te verbeteren op een manier die de game''ervaring echt transformeert.” Once Upon Tomorrow is gemaakt om de grenzen van Fortnite Creative te verleggen. Het spel biedt spelers een dynamisch, verhalend parkouravontuur in een zorgvuldig gemaakte omgeving geïnspireerd op Agapitovs boek en visie. Elk parkour bestaat uit een reeks behendigheidsuitdagingen waarbij spelers met precisie en snelheid moeten sprinten, springen en klimmen, terwijl ze worden ondergedompeld in een wereld vol visuele aanwijzingen die de thema's uithoudingsvermogen en ontdekking uit het boek weerspiegelen. Agapitov heeft een ervaring gecreëerd die verder gaat dan traditionele parkourkaarten door gameplay te verweven met verhalen, waardoor zowel opwindende gameplay als een betekenisvolle band met de wereld van het boek ontstaat. Once Upon Tomorrow is een project binnen Fortnite Creative, waarin parkour op het scherpst van de snede naadloos wordt gecombineerd met verhalende diepgang. De kaart laat zien wat er mogelijk is met UEFN en biedt een boeiende en gelaagde ervaring die aantrekkelijk is voor de grote spelersgroep van Fortnite en fans van nieuwe en verhalende spelervaringen. Elk aspect van de kaart, van de intense gameplay-mechanieken tot het meeslepende, sfeervolle ontwerp, is gemaakt om een nieuwe standaard te zetten in Fortnite Creative. Ga voor meer informatie over Once Upon Tomorrow en de meeslepende Fortnite Creative-ervaring naar xsolla.blog/outf Over Shurick Agapitov Agapitov is de visionaire oprichter van Xsolla, een wereldwijd erkende leider op het gebied van handel in videogames. Bekend om zijn bijdragen aan gaming, Web3 en de metaverse, heeft Agapitov Xsolla ontwikkeld tot een essentiële bron voor gameontwikkelaars en -uitgevers wereldwijd. Zijn toewijding aan het verbeteren van digitale en interactieve ervaringen wordt weerspiegeld in de lancering van Once Upon Tomorrow , waarmee hij zijn visie uitbreidt van de pagina naar de dynamische wereld van Fortnite Creative. Over Xsolla Xsolla is een wereldwijd videogamehandelsbedrijf met een robuuste en krachtige set tools en services die speciaal zijn ontworpen voor de industrie. Sinds de oprichting in 2005 heeft Xsolla duizenden gameontwikkelaars en uitgevers van alle omvang geholpen hun games wereldwijd en op meerdere platforms te financieren, op de markt te brengen, te lanceren en te gelde te maken. Als innovatieve leider in gamehandel is het de missie van Xsolla om de inherente complexiteit van wereldwijde distributie, marketing en monetisatie op te lossen om onze partners te helpen meer geografische gebieden te bereiken, meer inkomsten te genereren en relaties met gamers wereldwijd op te bouwen. Xsolla heeft haar hoofdkantoor en is gevestigd in Los Angeles, Californië, met kantoren in Londen, Berlijn, Seoul, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Raleigh, Tokyo, Montreal en steden over de hele wereld. Xsolla ondersteunt toonaangevende gamingpartners zoals Valve, Twitch, Epic Games, Take-Two, KRAFTON, Nexters, NetEase, Playstudios, Playrix, miHoYo, en anderen. Ga voor meer informatie of leer meer op xsolla.com Deze bekendmaking is officieel geldend in de originele brontaal. Vertalingen zijn slechts als leeshulp bedoeld en moeten worden vergeleken met de tekst in de brontaal, die als enige rechtsgeldig is. Bekijk het oorspronkelijke bericht op businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212642158/nl/ CONTACT: Mediacontact Derrick Stembridge Global Director of Public Relations, Xsolla d.stembridge@xsolla.com KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SOFTWARE METAVERSE ENTERTAINMENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FINTECH DATA MANAGEMENT CONSUMER ELECTRONICS PAYMENTS TECHNOLOGY WEB3 FINANCE ELECTRONIC GAMES SOURCE: Xsolla Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/12/2024 05:46 PM/DISC: 12/12/2024 05:47 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212642158/nlTrump says he can't guarantee tariffs won't raise US prices and won't rule out revenge prosecutions WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump says he can’t guarantee his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won’t raise prices for American consumers. And he's suggesting once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned. The president-elect made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday. He also touched on monetary policy, immigration, abortion and health care, and U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere. Trump often mixed declarative statements with caveats, at one point cautioning “things do change.” Europe's economy needs help. Political chaos in France and Germany means it may be slower in coming BRUSSELS (AP) — Europe's economy has enough difficulties, from tepid growth to trade tensions with the U.S. Dealing with those woes is only getting harder due to the political chaos in the two biggest European countries, France and Germany. Neither has a government backed by a functioning majority, and France could take a while yet to sort things out. But some problems aren't going to wait, such as what to do about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's America First stance on trade and how to fund stronger defense against Putin's Russia. ‘Moana 2’ cruises to another record weekend and $600 million globally “Moana 2” remains at the top of the box office in its second weekend in theaters as it pulled in another record haul. According to studio estimates Sunday, the animated Disney film added $52 million, bringing its domestic total to $300 million. That surpasses the take for the original “Moana” and brings the sequel's global tally to a staggering $600 million. It also puts the film in this year's top five at the box office. “Wicked” came in second place for the weekend with $34.9 million and “Gladiator II” was third with $12.5 million. The 10th anniversary re-release of Christopher Nolan's “Interstellar” also earned an impressive $4.4 million even though it played in only 165 theaters. Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in the US A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok as soon as next month, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the law - which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — is constitutional, rebuffing TikTok’s challenge that the statute ran afoul of the First Amendment and unfairly targeted the platform. TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. Executive of Tyler Perry Studios dies when plane he was piloting crashes in Florida ATLANTA (AP) — The president of Atlanta-based Tyler Perry Studios has died when the small plane he was piloting crashed on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The studio confirmed on Saturday that Steve Mensch, its 62-year-old president and general manager, had died Friday. The crash happened in Homosassa, about 60 miles north of Tampa. Photos from the scene show the plane having come to rest upside down on a road. Mensch helped advocate for Georgia’s film tax credit of more than $1 billion a year. Perry hired Mensch to run his namesake studio in 2016. Mensch died as Perry released his war drama, “The Six Triple Eight." The film was shot at the Atlanta studio. US added a strong 227,000 jobs in November in bounce-back from October slowdown WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s job market rebounded in November, adding 227,000 workers in a solid recovery from the previous month, when the effects of strikes and hurricanes had sharply diminished employers’ payrolls. Last month’s hiring growth was up considerably from a meager gain of 36,000 jobs in October. The government also revised up its estimate of job growth in September and October by a combined 56,000. Friday’s report also showed that the unemployment rate ticked up from 4.1% in October to a still-low 4.2%. The November data provided the latest evidence that the U.S. job market remains durable even though it has lost significant momentum from the 2021-2023 hiring boom, when the economy was rebounding from the pandemic recession. Stock market today: Wall Street hits more records following a just-right jobs report NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to records after data suggested the job market remains solid enough to keep the economy going, but not so strong that it raises immediate worries about inflation. The S&P 500 climbed 0.2%, just enough top the all-time high set on Wednesday, as it closed a third straight winning week in what looks to be one of its best years since the 2000 dot-com bust. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.8% to set its own record. Treasury yields eased after the jobs report showed stronger hiring than expected but also an uptick in the unemployment rate. Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO spotlights complex challenge companies face in protecting top brass NEW YORK (AP) — In an era when online anger and social tensions are increasingly directed at the businesses consumers count on, Meta last year spent $24.4 million to surround CEO Mark Zuckerberg with security. But the fatal shooting this week of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson while walking alone on a New York City sidewalk has put a spotlight on the widely varied approaches companies take to protect their leaders against threats. And experts say the task of evaluating threats against executives and taking action to protect them is getting more difficult. One of the primary worries are loners whose rantings online are fed by others who are like-minded. It’s up to corporate security analysts to decide what represents a real threat. Days after gunman killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO, police push to ID him and FBI offers reward NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly four days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still do not know the gunman’s name or whereabouts or have a motive for the killing. But they have made some progress in their investigation into Wednesday's killing of the leader of the largest U.S. health insurer, including that the gunman likely left New York City on a bus soon after fleeing the scene. The also found that the gunman left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park. Police are working with the FBI, which on Friday night announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. USDA orders nationwide testing of milk for bird flu to halt the virus The U.S. government has ordered testing of the nation’s milk supply for bird flu to better monitor the spread of the virus in dairy cows. The Agriculture Department on Friday said raw or unpasteurized milk from dairy farms and processors nationwide must be tested on request starting Dec. 16. Testing will begin in six states — California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania. The move is aimed at eliminating the virus, which has infected more than 700 dairy herds in 15 states.WASHINGTON (AP) — National defense would see a 1% increase in spending this fiscal year under a Pentagon policy bill that also gives a double-digit pay raise to about half of the enlisted service members in the military. Related Articles National News | ‘Technical issue’ causes massive outage to Facebook, Instagram, other Meta apps National News | FBI Director Wray says he intends to resign at end of Biden’s term in January National News | FBI Director Christopher Wray says he intends to resign at the end of Biden’s term next month National News | Anthony Weiner, ex-congressman jailed in sexting scandal, files to run for NYC City Council seat National News | Ex-prosecutor charged with meddling in Ahmaud Arbery case appears in court ahead of trial The measure is traditionally strongly bipartisan, but not this year as some Democratic lawmakers protest the inclusion of a ban on transgender medical treatments for children of military members if such treatment could result in sterilization. The bill is expected to pass the House Wednesday and then move to the Senate, where lawmakers had sought a bigger boost in defense spending than the $895.2 billion authorized in the compromise measure before them. Lawmakers are touting the bill’s 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others as key to improving the quality of life for those serving in the U.S. military. Those serving as junior enlisted personnel are in pay grades that generally track with their first enlistment term. Lawmakers said their pay has failed to remain competitive with the private sector, forcing many military families to rely on food banks and government assistance programs to put food on the table. The bill also provides significant new resources for child care and housing. “No service member should have to live in squalid conditions and no military family should have to rely on food stamps to feed their children, but that’s exactly what many of our service members are experiencing, especially the junior enlisted,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. “This bill goes a long way to fixing that.” The bill sets key Pentagon policy that lawmakers will attempt to fund through a follow-up appropriations bill. The overall spending tracks the numbers established in a 2023 agreement that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached with President Joe Biden to increase the nation’s borrowing authority and avoid a federal default in exchange for spending restraints. Many senators had wanted to increase defense spending some $25 billion above what was called for in that agreement, but those efforts failed. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who is expected to serve as the next chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the overall spending level was a “tremendous loss for our national defense,” though he agreed with many provisions within the bill. “We need to make a generational investment to deter the Axis of Aggressors. I will not cease work with my congressional colleagues, the Trump administration, and others until we achieve it,” Wicker said. House Republicans don’t want to go above the McCarthy-Biden agreement for defense spending and are looking to go way below it for many non-defense programs. They are also focused on cultural issues. The bill prohibits funding for teaching critical race theory in the military and prohibits TRICARE health plans from covering gender dysphoria treatment for children under 18 that could result in sterilization. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the ranking Democratic member of the House Armed Services Committee, said minors dealing with gender dysphoria is a “very real problem.” He said the treatments available, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, have proven effective at helping young people dealing with suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression. “These treatments changed their lives and in many cases saved their lives,” Smith said. “And in this bill, we decided we’re going to bar servicemembers’ children from having access to that.” Smith said the number of minors in service member families receiving transgender medical care is in the thousands. He said he could have supported a study asking medical experts to determine whether such treatments are too often used, but a ban on health insurance coverage went too far. He said Speaker Mike Johnson’s office insisted upon the ban. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, called the ban a step in the right direction, saying “I think these questions need to be pulled out of the debate of defense, so we can get back to the business of defending the United States of America without having to deal with social engineering debates.” Smith said he agrees with Roy that lawmakers should be focused on the military and not on cultural conflicts, “and yet, here it is in this bill.” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said his team was not telling Democrat how to vote on the bill. He said he was still evaluating the legislation as of Wednesday morning. “There’s a lot of positive things in the National Defense Authorization Act that were negotiated in a bipartisan way, and there are some troubling provisions in a few areas as well,” Jeffries said. The defense policy bill also looks to strengthen deterrence against China. It calls for investing $15.6 billion to build military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. The Biden administration had requested about $10 billion. On Israel, the bill, among other things, includes an expansion of U.S. joint military exercises with Israel and a prohibition on the Pentagon citing casualty data from Hamas. The defense policy bill is one of the final measures that lawmakers view as a must-pass before making way for a new Congress in January. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation next week. It then would move to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
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