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Judge denies Guthrie’s lawsuit against Vincenti, says Harford councilman cannot be reinstatedAs President Joe Biden's term comes to an end, social media users are falsely claiming that his administration spent billions of dollars on the construction of just a handful of electric vehicle charging stations. Multiple high-profile figures, including sitting members of Congress, have promoted the claims. The claims misrepresent funding set aside by the 2021 Infrastructure and Jobs Act , also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, for a national network of publicly available electric vehicle chargers . Biden has set a goal of creating 500,000 such chargers by 2030. Here's a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: The Biden administration spent $7.5 billion to build eight electric vehicle charging stations. THE FACTS: That's incorrect. The $7.5 billion figure refers to the total amount allocated through the 2021 law to build a network of charging stations across the U.S., not the amount that has already been spent. There are currently 214 operational chargers in 12 states that have been funded through the law, with 24,800 projects underway across the country, according to the Federal Highway Administration. A charger, often called a charging port, provides electric power to one vehicle at a time through a connector, which is plugged into the vehicle. Stations are physical locations that can have multiple chargers. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg called the claims spreading online “false” in a series of X posts. “$7.5B has not been spent, nor anything like that,” he wrote, adding that federally funded chargers are built by individual states, not the federal government, and that most will be built in the second half of the 2020s. The total $7.5 billion in funding consists of $5 billion distributed through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program , or NEVI, and $2.5 billion distributed through the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program , or CFI. NEVI funds, as determined by a formula, go annually to departments of transportation in all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, from 2022 to 2026. The funds will be available until 2030. Each year, 10% of NEVI funding is set aside for states and local governments that require additional assistance. CFI provides grants to states and other localities through an application process. It funds electric vehicle charging, as well as other alternative fueling infrastructure, with a focus on underserved and disadvantaged communities. Rep. Michael Rulli, a Republican from Ohio, was among multiple high-profile figures who falsely claimed this week that the entire budget has already been spent. “Pete Buttigieg will leave his post as Transportation Secretary having spend $7.5 BILLION to build 8 EV charging stations,” he wrote in an X post that had received approximately 62,900 likes and shares as of Wednesday. “His legacy will be squandering billions on something nobody wants, while millions struggle to afford the things they need.” Rulli's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. By early this year, only four states — Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and Hawaii — had opened stations funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, The Associated Press reported in March . A Washington Post article published the next day said this amounted to just seven stations . Loren McDonald, an independent analyst tracking the electric vehicle charger buildout, told the AP that when assessing the progress that's been made it's important to understand that some states have extensive experience constructing electric vehicle charging infrastructure while others have little to none. He explained that Wisconsin, for example, had to pass a new law in order to comply with federal requirements. “This is a federal program, but at the end of the day, it's completely dependent on the states,” he said. “And so the real criticism probably needs to be directed at the states that are moving slowly or how the program was structure. But I don't know how else you would have done it.” Asked whether the federal government could do anything to help states move faster, McDonald suggested that it could have provided them with more guidance on how to manage their individual buildouts. All 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia have access to two rounds of NEVI funding totaling nearly $2.4 billion, according to the Federal Highway Administration. As of Friday, 37 states have access to their third round of funding, for an additional $586 million total. The agency explained, however, that this does not represent money that has already been spent — just the money that is available to fund projects. The Federal Highway Administration has announced more than $1.3 billion in awards through CFI and funds set aside by NEVI with $779 million in grants currently available under both programs. This also represents money that is available for projects rather than money that has been spent. There are currently more than 203,000 publicly available charging ports across the U.S., with nearly 1,000 being turned on every week, according to the agency. This is more than double the number available in 2021. In addition to NEVI and CFI, funding sources include federal tax incentives and private investments. Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck .s.o.g777 。

On a rooftop in Kyiv in late November, a small group of volunteers in mismatched uniforms watches anxiously. By day, they are all judges at Ukraine’s highest courts, but once every two weeks, they gather as an improvised air defense unit, armed only with a pair of Soviet-era machine guns to shoot down swarms of drones . “It’s the cheapest way,” said Yurii Chumak, one of the volunteers and a sitting judge at the Supreme Court, emphasizing Ukraine’s avoidance of using expensive Western missiles against comparatively low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Chumak and his companions assess the risks, keeping their spirits up with tea and jokes during their 24-hour shifts. But it is clear their task has become exponentially more dangerous in recent months as Russia has intensified its drone attacks, terrorizing Ukrainian cities almost daily. In the past six months, Russian drone attacks have risen from about 400 in May to more than 2,400 in November, according to data compiled by CNN from Ukraine’s armed forces. So far in December, at least 1,700 drone attacks have been recorded. As the offensive escalates, CNN has uncovered new details about the expansion of a secret factory fueling Moscow’s drone war. The Transformation of the Alabuga Factory into a Military Hub The factory, located in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in the southern Tatarstan region of Russia, has significantly ramped up the production of Iranian-designed attack and surveillance drones, utilizing a range of Chinese components and employing a very young, low-skilled workforce, including Russian teenagers and African women, according to CNN’s analysis. After initially importing Iranian Shahed-136 drones following the full-scale escalation of the conflict in 2022, Russia signed a $1.75 billion agreement in 2023 for domestic production of the drones. By September 2025, the Alabuga factory was slated to produce 6,000 units. However, according to Ukrainian defense intelligence sources, this target was achieved a year early. In 2023 alone, 2,738 drones were manufactured, while production from January to September 2024 exceeded 5,760. The factory does not limit itself to Shahed-136 drones. It has begun producing low-cost decoy drones, known as Gerbera, made from plywood and foam. These drones are used to deplete Ukrainian air defense resources by creating multiple false targets. Russia plans to produce up to 10,000 Gerbera drones by the end of 2024, with their production costs being ten times lower than those of the Shahed drones. Chinese Involvement China plays a pivotal role in supporting the Alabuga factory. According to Ukrainian defense sources, 34 Chinese companies collaborated with Alabuga between September 2023 and June 2024, signing contracts worth a total of 700 million yuan ($96 million). These companies supply components, production equipment, and UAV technology. Additionally, the Gerbera drones are based on a Chinese prototype developed by Skywalker Technology. Despite Beijing’s assurances that it does not provide lethal weapons to Russia, the United States has already imposed sanctions on two Chinese companies and dozens of others supplying equipment suitable for military use. Alabuga continues to strengthen its cooperation with China by building a new transportation hub, the “Deng Xiaoping Logistics Complex,” to serve as a transfer center for components between the two countries. Workforce: Russian Teens and African Women Facing a severe labor shortage due to battlefield losses and the mass exodus of draft-age men, Russia has turned to teenagers and migrants. The factory employs students from the Alabuga Polytechnic School and attracts young women from African countries through its “Alabuga Start” program. Recruitment videos promise high salaries, careers in technology, and modern facilities. However, there are serious allegations regarding working conditions. Investigations reveal that students work under harsh conditions for long hours with strict penalties, while monthly wages for apprentices and migrants start at about $820. Meanwhile, the factory offers substantial salaries—up to $3,480 per month—for specialized workers, underscoring its strategy to attract talent. Threats and International Reaction The increase in drone production at Alabuga has been accompanied by heightened security measures. Satellite image analyses show the factory’s footprint expanded by 55% in just a few months, with anti-drone grids and increased guards in place. Meanwhile, a “mysterious” fire destroyed a warehouse containing drone components worth $16 million, highlighting targeted attacks on the factory. Ukraine continues its efforts to intercept the attacks, with just 5% of Shahed drones reaching their targets between August and October. However, the increasing frequency of attacks and the use of new technologies, such as thermobaric warheads, make defense more challenging. Explore related questions

Operations teams have confirmed NASA’s mission to “touch” the Sun survived its record-breaking closest approach to the solar surface on Dec. 24, 2024. Breaking its previous record by flying just 3.8 million miles above the surface of the Sun, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe hurtled through the solar atmosphere at a blazing 430,000 miles per hour — faster than any human-made object has ever moved. A beacon tone received late on Dec. 26 confirmed the spacecraft had made it through the encounter safely and is operating normally. This pass, the first of more to come at this distance, allows the spacecraft to conduct unrivaled scientific measurements with the potential to change our understanding of the Sun. Flying this close to the Sun is a historic moment in humanity’s first mission to a star. Nicky fox NASA Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate "Flying this close to the Sun is a historic moment in humanity’s first mission to a star,” said Nicky Fox, who leads the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “By studying the Sun up close, we can better understand its impacts throughout our solar system, including on the technology we use daily on Earth and in space, as well as learn about the workings of stars across the universe to aid in our search for habitable worlds beyond our home planet.” Parker Solar Probe has spent the last six years setting up for this moment. Launched in 2018, the spacecraft used seven flybys of Venus to gravitationally direct it ever closer to the Sun. With its last Venus flyby on Nov. 6, 2024, the spacecraft reached its optimal orbit. This oval-shaped orbit brings the spacecraft an ideal distance from the Sun every three months — close enough to study our Sun’s mysterious processes but not too close to become overwhelmed by the Sun’s heat and damaging radiation. The spacecraft will remain in this orbit for the remainder of its primary mission. “Parker Solar Probe is braving one of the most extreme environments in space and exceeding all expectations,” said Nour Rawafi, the project scientist for Parker Solar Probe at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), which designed, built, and operates the spacecraft from its campus in Laurel, Maryland. “This mission is ushering a new golden era of space exploration, bringing us closer than ever to unlocking the Sun’s deepest and most enduring mysteries.” Close to the Sun, the spacecraft relies on a carbon foam shield to protect it from the extreme heat in the upper solar atmosphere called the corona, which can exceed 1 million degrees Fahrenheit. The shield was designed to reach temperatures of 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit — hot enough to melt steel — while keeping the instruments behind it shaded at a comfortable room temperature. In the hot but low-density corona, the spacecraft’s shield is expected to warm to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. “It’s monumental to be able to get a spacecraft this close to the Sun,” said John Wirzburger, the Parker Solar Probe mission systems engineer at APL. “This is a challenge the space science community has wanted to tackle since 1958 and had spent decades advancing the technology to make it possible.” By flying through the solar corona, Parker Solar Probe can take measurements that help scientists better understand how the region gets so hot, trace the origin of the solar wind (a constant flow of material escaping the Sun), and discover how energetic particles are accelerated to half the speed of light. “The data is so important for the science community because it gives us another vantage point,” said Kelly Korreck, a program scientist at NASA Headquarters and heliophysicist who worked on one of the mission’s instruments. “By getting firsthand accounts of what’s happening in the solar atmosphere, Parker Solar Probe has revolutionized our understanding of the Sun.” Previous passes have already aided scientists’ understanding of the Sun. When the spacecraft first passed into the solar atmosphere in 2021, it found the outer boundary of the corona is wrinkled with spikes and valleys, contrary to what was expected. Parker Solar Probe also pinpointed the origin of important zig-zag-shaped structures in the solar wind, called switchbacks, at the visible surface of the Sun — the photosphere. Since that initial pass into the Sun, the spacecraft has been spending more time in the corona, where most of the critical physical processes occur. “We now understand the solar wind and its acceleration away from the Sun,” said Adam Szabo, the Parker Solar Probe mission scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “This close approach will give us more data to understand how it’s accelerated closer in.” Parker Solar Probe has also made discoveries across the inner solar system. Observations showed how giant solar explosions called coronal mass ejections vacuum up dust as they sweep across the solar system, and other observations revealed unexpected findings about solar energetic particles . Flybys of Venus have documented the planet’s natural radio emissions from its atmosphere, as well as the first complete image of its orbital dust ring . So far, the spacecraft has only transmitted that it’s safe, but soon it will be in a location that will allow it to downlink the data it collected on this latest solar pass. The data that will come down from the spacecraft will be fresh information about a place that we, as humanity, have never been. Joe Westlake Heliophysics Division Director, NASA Headquarters “The data that will come down from the spacecraft will be fresh information about a place that we, as humanity, have never been,” said Joe Westlake, the director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters. “It’s an amazing accomplishment.” The spacecraft’s next planned close solar passes come on March 22, 2025, and June 19, 2025. By Mara Johnson-Groh NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Media Contact: Sarah Frazier

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NEW YORK , Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Halper Sadeh LLC, an investor rights law firm, is investigating the following companies for potential violations of the federal securities laws and/or breaches of fiduciary duties to shareholders relating to: Cross Country Healthcare, Inc. (NASDAQ: CCRN)'s sale to Aya Healthcare for $18.61 per share in cash. If you are a Cross Country shareholder, click here to learn more about your legal rights and options . EnLink Midstream, LLC (NYSE: ENLC)'s sale to ONEOK, Inc. for 0.1412 shares of ONEOK common stock for each common unit of EnLink. If you are an EnLink shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options . Manitex International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTX)'s sale to Tadano Ltd. for $5.80 per share in cash. If you are a Manitex shareholder, click here to learn more about your legal rights and options . Halper Sadeh LLC may seek increased consideration for shareholders, additional disclosures and information concerning the proposed transaction, or other relief and benefits on behalf of shareholders. We would handle the action on a contingent fee basis, whereby you would not be responsible for out-of-pocket payment of our legal fees or expenses. Shareholders are encouraged to contact the firm free of charge to discuss their legal rights and options. Please call Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or email sadeh@halpersadeh.com or zhalper@halpersadeh.com . Halper Sadeh LLC represents investors all over the world who have fallen victim to securities fraud and corporate misconduct. Our attorneys have been instrumental in implementing corporate reforms and recovering millions of dollars on behalf of defrauded investors. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Halper Sadeh LLC Daniel Sadeh, Esq. Zachary Halper, Esq. (212) 763-0060 sadeh@halpersadeh.com zhalper@halpersadeh.com https://www.halpersadeh.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shareholder-investigation-halper-sadeh-llc-investigates-ccrn-enlc-mntx-on-behalf-of-shareholders-302330624.html SOURCE Halper Sadeh LLPTwo hundred dollars isn't a life-changing amount of money. Nevertheless, if handled properly, it can still generate a nice return on your investment. With that in mind, let's examine one smart way to invest $200. Exchange-traded funds, the best way to start Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are one of the best ways to get started in the stock market. They are, in effect, a basket of stocks, grouped according to some characteristic. For example, some ETFs focus on a particular sector , like financials or energy companies. Others choose stocks based on their size. Still others focus on country of origin, buying shares of stocks based in Japan, Germany, Brazil, etc. Many different companies create and operate these ETFs, and the fees investors pay vary depending on the fund's strategy, its composition, and its costs. Let's examine a few different types of ETFs, and see which one stands out as the smartest choice right now. Types of ETFs There are thousands of ETFs , all created to serve a different purpose and audience. For example, the Vanguard Growth ETF ( VUG -1.43% ) is an ETF loaded with growth stocks . Its top holdings include tech giants Apple , Microsoft , and Amazon . Then there's the Vanguard Value ETF ( VTV -0.59% ) . This fund is focused on value stocks . Its top holdings include dividend-paying stocks Exxon Mobil , Procter & Gamble , and Coca-Cola . Finally, there's the iShares Top 20 U.S. Stocks ETF ( TOPT -1.45% ) . This fund narrows in on the 20 largest American stocks; its top holdings include Tesla , Apple , Microsoft , Nvidia , Alphabet , and Amazon . Each of these funds caters to a different audience, but none of them are my top choice for an investor with $200 to put to work. Instead, I would focus on a different ETF: the Invesco QQQ Series I Trust ( QQQ -1.33% ) . Here's why. Why the Invesco QQQ Series I ETF is a smart choice for so many investors This ETF is a smart choice for three reasons: It's designed to benefit from fast-growing tech companies. It boasts an excellent performance history. Its fees are low, making it a good fit for almost any portfolio. Let's start with the fund's strategy. This fund is designed to track the Nasdaq-100 index, which includes the 100 largest non-financial companies on the Nasdaq exchange. As a result, the fund's top holdings are similar to, but slightly different from the Vanguard Growth ETF. For example, this fund still counts Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia among its top holdings, but it excludes financial stocks like Visa and Mastercard . Turning to performance, the Invesco fund has been one of the top-performing ETFs for a while. Over the last decade, for instance, the Invesco fund has generated a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.3%. That's far ahead of what the Vanguard Growth ETF (up 15.9%) produced, and it's almost double the return of the Vanguard Value ETF (up 10%). QQQ Total Return Level data by YCharts Finally, the fund offers a reasonable fee. Its expense ratio is only 0.2%. That means only $20 a year is paid in fees for an investment of $10,000. For a smaller amount, say $200, an investor will only surrender $0.40 in annual fees . Given the combination of low fees, excellent performance, and solid strategy, the Invesco ETF is the perfect choice for an investor looking to put $200 to work right now.