A staunch anti-immigrant conservative who was a spokesperson for the White House during Donald Trump's first year in office in 2017 is returning to government - this time, as director of policy planning at the State Department, which is a role that effectively sets the agenda for the secretary of state. Michael Anton's appointment was announced earlier this month as Trump selects his team for his second term in office, beginning on 20 January. The 55-year-old Anton, who is of Lebanese descent, had previously been a speechwriter for conservative media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. In a 6,000-word essay that reemerged on this week and titled 'Toward a Sensible, Coherent Trumpism' Anton wrote: "'Diversity' is not 'our strength'; it's a source of weakness, tension and disunion. America is not a 'nation of immigrants'; we are originally a nation of settlers, who later chose to admit immigrants." The piece was written under a Latin pseudonym which the Weekly Standard as being Michael Anton in 2017. Immigration today, he added, is not a boon to the economy. "It undercuts American wages, costs Americans jobs and reduces Americans' standard of living." A key priority for the US government, he said, is "a simple reassertion of American nationhood and sovereignty". That, he argued, begins with regaining control over US borders and dismantling "insane immigration policies". Among the policies he cited is the global Green Card lottery the US runs every year, known as the Diversity Immigrant Visa programme which has been in effect since 1990. Several attempts have been made to disband it in the years after the 11 September 2001 attacks. "Mass immigration has overwhelmed, eroded and de-Americanised formerly American communities," he wrote, and it "must be faced squarely". In that very same essay, which outlined Anton's isolationist foreign policy views, he insisted that Islam "is not a 'religion of peace'" and that it is simply incompatible with "the modern West". "It's a militant faith that exalts conversion by the sword and inspires thousands to acts of terror - and millions more to support and sympathise with terror," Anton said. "If it's ever to change, change will have to come from within Islam. As the experience of Europe has decisively shown, we in the West don't have the power to change Muslims. But the reverse is true: when we welcome them en masse into our countries, they change us - and not for the better." Anton conceded: "Yes, of course, not all Muslims are terrorists, blah, blah, blah, etc." But he continued to push a largely white settler 'America First' narrative. "Even so, what good has Muslim immigration done for the United States and the American people? If we truly needed more labour - a claim that is manifestly false - what made it necessary to import any of that labour from the Muslim world?" Those arguments were woven into his anti-foreign intervention stance, which he made clear with the example of the war on Iraq. "'American exceptionalism' does not require, or even encourage, us to democratise the world - a task of which we are in any case incapable," Anton wrote, calling the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 "a strategic and tactical blunder that destroyed a country... and harmed American interests". Upon his exit from the White House in 2018, just as foreign policy hawk and former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton came on board as Trump's national security adviser, CNN described Anton as "well-liked by his White House colleagues" and "known as the rare conservative intellectual that joined the Trump administration". Anton is currently a politics lecturer and research fellow at Hillsdale Colleges Kirby Center in Washington DC. While the role of State Department director of policy planning ranks as high as an assistant secretary of state, it does not require Senate confirmation.
Title: 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Fourth Plenary Session Scheduled for January 6-8, 2025Dividend stocks come in many different shapes and sizes, but one incarnation stands head and shoulders above them all: The Dividend King. Dividend Kings have increased their dividends annually for 50 consecutive years, or longer. It's an elite pool from which to fish. Right now, Dividend Kings PepsiCo ( PEP 1.03% ) , Nucor ( NUE 1.29% ) , and Black Hills ( BKH 1.61% ) are all worth a closer look. That's true even if you already own them, as they could even be worth doubling up on. PepsiCo is a diversified food giant From a dividend perspective, PepsiCo ticks off a lot of important boxes. For example, it has increased its dividend annually for 52 consecutive years. That indicates a reliable business and a commitment to returning value to shareholders over time. The dividend yield is around 3.4% right now, which is up near levels last seen during the Great Recession . That suggests that PepsiCo is on the sale rack. However, the most compelling data point might be the annualized dividend growth rate of nearly 9% over the past decade, which is more than twice the historical growth rate of inflation. That's all backed by a large and industry-leading consumer staples maker. PepsiCo's namesake brand lives in its beverage division, which is the No. 2 player in that food niche. The Frito-Lay division, meanwhile, is the No. 1 player in the salty snacks space. Then there's Quaker Oats, which isn't a leader in the packaged food space, but competes well in the product categories within which it does compete. Overall, PepsiCo is one of the most diversified food makers you can buy and an important partner to retailers around the world. Given that the stock looks relatively cheap today, dividend investors might want to buy it, or even add to their positions if they already own it. Nucor's shares have fallen fast Dividend King Nucor has increased its dividend annually for 51 consecutive years. While PepsiCo's dividend streak is impressive, Nucor's is even more so because it operates in the highly cyclical steel industry. Indeed, commodity-driven steel markets tend to rise and fall along with economic activity, since steel is used to make long-lasting products, from buildings to appliances. Consumers and businesses usually pull back on buying big items when their finances are strained. That said, Nucor's stock has fallen around 25% from its 52-week high. That hints that right now is the time to start looking at this stock. Nucor is one of the most diversified North American steel companies you can buy. It has a long history of investing for growth, particularly when the steel industry is in a downturn. That ensures that Nucor gets the most bang for its buck on the spending front, and that it comes out of the downturn in a stronger position than when it entered it. With that background, long-term investors will be interested to know that earnings have fallen by about 50% year over year through the first three quarters of 2024, while the company's capital expenditures have increased by around 50%. It sounds like Nucor is, once again, using the playbook that has worked out so well historically. Nucor's yield is a bit miserly at 1.5% or so, but given the history of dividend growth, it's still worth a close look for investors willing to own cyclical fare . Black Hills is small but mighty Black Hills is probably the least exciting stock of this trio. It's a fairly typical regulated natural gas and electric utility , which benefits from having a monopoly in the regions it serves but has to get its rates and capital spending plans approved by the government. Slow and steady growth is the name of the game for this modestly sized utility (its market cap is just $4.5 billion or so). That said, it's one of just a small handful of utilities that have managed to achieve Dividend King status. While annualized dividend growth over the past decade is only around 5%, that's more than enough to grow the buying power of the dividend over time. Now add in a 4.1% dividend yield , near the highest yield levels over the past decade, and you can see why conservative income investors might want to double up on Black Hills today. Aside from the yield and dividend growth, conservative income investors will appreciate one other fact. The markets that Black Hills serves have seen population growth that's nearly three times that of the U.S. average. That's a very positive statistic to have on the company's side when it goes to regulators to ask for rate hikes and spending approvals. Essentially, more customers means more need for the capital investment in the systems supporting those customers. More customers and more spending both lead to more revenues. Sure, Black Hills is a tortoise of a company, but if you like boring dividend stocks, you'll probably be happy loading up on this one. Different and attractive dividend options Boring and reliable Black Hills will likely appeal to conservative income investors. Nucor will attract those willing to take a somewhat contrarian dividend investment approach. And PepsiCo will probably appeal most to dividend growth investors. But given where all three of these dividend stocks trade today, they are each worth a deep dive right now.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Will Howard passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another, TreVeyon Henderson ran for a score and No. 2 Ohio State beat previously undefeated No. 5 Indiana 38-15 on Saturday. All Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, CFP No. 2) has to do now is beat Michigan at home next Saturday and it will earn a return to the Big Ten championship game for the first time since 2020 and get a rematch with No. 1 Oregon. The Ducks beat Ohio State 32-31 in a wild one back on Oct. 12. The Hoosiers (10-1, 7-1, No. 5 CFP) had their best chance to beat the Buckeyes for the first time since 1988 but were hurt by special teams mistakes and disrupted by an Ohio State defense that sacked quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times. “In life, all good things come to an end,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. Late in the first half, Indiana punter James Evans fumbled a snap and was buried at his own 7-yard line with the Buckeyes taking over. That turned quickly into a 4-yard TD run by Henderson that gave the Buckeyes a 14-7 lead. Early in the second half, Caleb Downs fielded an Evans punt at the Ohio State 21, raced down the right sideline, cut to the middle and outran the coverage for a TD that put the Buckeyes up 21-7. It was the first time a Buckeye returned a punt for a touchdown since 2014. Howard finished 22-for-26 for 201 yards. Emeka Egbuka had seven catches for 80 yards and a TD. “Our guys just played with a chip today, and that’s the way you got to play the game of football,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. Indiana scored on its first possession of the game and its last, both short runs by Ty Son Lawson, who paced the Hoosiers with 79 rushing yards. Rourke was 8-for-18 for 68 yards. “We had communication errors, pass (protection), every time we dropped back to pass, something bad happened," Cignetti said. Indiana's 151 total yards were its lowest of the season. And it was the most points surrendered by the Hoosiers' defense. Indiana: Its special season was blemished by the Buckeyes, who beat the Hoosiers for the 30th straight time. Indiana was eyeing its first conference crown since sharing one with two other teams in 1967. That won't happen now. “Ohio State deserved to win,” Cignetti said. “They had those (third-quarter scores), and we just couldn’t respond.” Ohio State: Didn't waste the opportunities presented by the Hoosiers when they got sloppy. The Buckeyes led 14-7 at the break and took control in the second half. An offensive line patched together because of multiple injuries performed surprisingly well. “We know what was at stake," Day said. “We don't win this game, and we have no chance to go to Indianapolis and play in the Big Ten championship. And that's real. We've had that approach for the last few weeks now, more than that.” Some voters were obviously unsure of Indiana because it hadn't played a nationally ranked team before Ohio State. After this one, the Hoosiers will drop. Howard made history by completing 80% of his passes for the sixth time this season. No other Ohio State quarterback has done that. He completed his first 14 passes in a row and finished with an 85% completion rate. “I think Buckeye nation is now seeing, after 11 games, that this guy is a winner. He's tough. He cares about his teammates. He's a leader,” Day said. Indiana hosts Purdue in the regular-season finale next Saturday. Ohio State hosts rival Michigan on Saturday.In conclusion, the completion of the nation's first commercial deployment of 5G EasyMacro in subway tunnels represents a significant achievement in the development of 5G technology and positioning capabilities. This milestone not only demonstrates the feasibility of delivering high-speed, precise location services in underground environments but also opens up new possibilities for businesses, service providers, and smart city initiatives. With 5G EasyMacro, the future of underground connectivity looks brighter than ever, promising enhanced experiences, improved efficiency, and transformative impact on urban infrastructure.
Albany scores 24 4th-quarter points to overtake Hampton 41-34