House Republican Leadership Blocking Fix to Limit Controversial Spy Powers
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, said Thursday he is withdrawing his name for the role -- just a day after Gaetz spoke with Republican senators on Capitol Hill about the nomination process. Trump has named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, as his new pick for the role. Another controversial Cabinet pick, Pete Hegseth, is on the Hill on Thursday with Vice President-elect JD Vance to make his case for the secretary of the Department of Defense job. Meanwhile, Trump continues to announce his picks for top jobs inside his administration. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz , the website where users can purchase a personalized video from celebrity, a day after withdrawing from consideration to be the next attorney general. A source close to Gaetz confirms the account is real. He is currently charging more than $500 for a personalized video message from the platform. Former Rep George Santos also joined Cameo when he was ousted from Congress under much different circumstances. Santos, at one point, was selling videos for upwards of $500, but now has dropped his price to $250. Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who withdrew as President-elect Trump's attorney general pick on Thursday, said in an interview on Friday that he will not rejoin Congress. Gaetz told conservative media personality Charlie Kirk that he does not intend to run for Congress. "I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress," he told Kirk on America's Voices. Sen. John Thune, the incoming Republican leader, is currently at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club for a meeting, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The meeting comes as Thune is likely to face massive pressure from Trump and his Senate allies to push through all of Trump's nominees as quickly as possible. Shortly after the news broke, Thune told ABC News he respected Gaetz's decision to withdraw from consideration for attorney general. "That's obviously a decision he came to, and I think everybody had to make a decision that’s good for them and their family. And for whatever reason he decided not to pursue it," Thune said. Trump has nominated Pam Bondi as his new pick for attorney general, after Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration earlier Thursday. Bondi is the former attorney general of Florida, serving from 2011 to 2019 and marking the first woman in that role. "For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans - Not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again," Trump said in a statement. The position requires Senate confirmation. Bondi has remained in Trump’s inner circle for years and has continued to advise him on legal matters. She was also one of the lawyers who defended Trump during his first Senate impeachment trial. House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest of Mississippi told reporters that Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal from attorney general consideration "settles any involvement that the Ethics Committee should have in any matters involving Mr. Gaetz." He added that the withdrawal "should end the discussion of whether or not the Ethics Committee should continue to move forward in this matter." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who earlier said he would not be the party’s Senate leader in the new Congress, announced Thursday he will be chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and the Defense Appropriations subcommittee when Republicans take control of the Senate in January. Both positions are significant, given McConnell’s strained relationship with Trump. The appointment to the Rules committee, which maintains the operating procedures of the Senate, is particularly interesting at a time when Trump has suggested he’s interested in pushing the boundaries of the Senate’s normal operating procedure. In his statement, McConnell said, “Defending the Senate as an institution and protecting the right to political speech in our elections remain among my longest-standing priorities.” McConnell could be instrumental in defense of the Senate filibuster or, potentially, recess appointments, which Trump has said he might use to circumvent Senate approval of some of his Cabinet picks, though party leadership still has the final say in these matters. The appointment to lead the defense appropriations subcommittee is also significant for McConnell, who has said he sees advocating on behalf of U.S. self-defense and the defense of U.S. allies as a critical part of his role post-leadership. He could use the post to advocate for additional funding for Ukraine. “America’s national security interests face the gravest array of threats since the Second World War. At this critical moment, a new Senate Republican majority has a responsibility to secure the future of U.S. leadership and primacy. I intend to play an active role in this urgent mission as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and I look forward to working closely with incoming Chair Susan Collins to accomplish our shared goal,” McConnell said in his statement. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Matt Gaetz "has a bright future ahead of him" after the former congressman withdrew his name from attorney general consideration. "I've worked closely with Matt for eight years. He is an America First fighter -- dedicated to ending the weaponization of the Department of Justice which, after the abuses of the Biden-Harris Administration, needs serious reform," Johnson said on X. . is exactly right: Matt has a bright future ahead of him. I’ve worked closely with Matt for eight years. He is an America First fighter—dedicated to ending the weaponization of the Department of Justice which, after the abuses of the Biden-Harris... — Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) Vice President-elect JD Vance responded to Matt Gaetz's withdrawal from consideration to be attorney general, saying on X he is "extremely grateful for the work Matt put into the nomination process." "He made his decision to withdraw entirely out of respect for President Trump's administration. Matt is a patriot and I look forward to seeing what he does next," Vance, who joined Gaetz while he met with Republican senators on Capitol Hill Wednesday, added. I’m extremely grateful for the work Matt put into the nomination process. He made his decision to withdraw entirely out of respect for President Trump’s administration. Matt is a patriot and I look forward to seeing what he does next. — JD Vance (@JDVance)Seahawks have taken a bumpy path to first place in the NFC West
A Port Kembla cafe owner is fighting the Wollongong City Council decision forcing it to close its doors in a few months. Black Friday Sale Subscribe Now! Login or signup to continue reading Rachel Weekes runs Cakes by Rach at the Military Road cafe, on a site that has seen various other establishments serving food since 1965. In February, the council ordered the cafe to close as it was located in a residential R2 zone where such activities were prohibited. That closure was delayed, and a new development control order was issued stating that the cafe had to close by the end of February. In the meantime, Ms Weeks lodged a development application to allow the cafe to continue operating, which was rejected in September because the council deemed the "existing uses" section of the planning legislation could not be used to override the zoning issue. Ms Weekes has lodged a review of the knockback, which the council will decide on by mid-March. "It's incredibly stressful," Ms Weekes said of the experience. "Not just for me, but it's stressful for the staff, especially as we go into Christmas. We've got no idea what to expect at the other side of that. "And financially it also hurts. We've had to pay for submissions of applications, and the planning proposal itself would be another one of those, and that's quite costly." As well as the review of the development application, she was also looking to submit a planning proposal to the council and said the council was conducting "an independent review of the whole situation". "The general manager will take a look at that and decide whether or not there is something else that maybe could be done or changed," Ms Weeks said. "Essentially he just wants to see all of the detail." Ms Weeks said she felt confident the result of all the work and stress will be that the cafe can remain open. "We're a single property and we've actually been operating for two years," she said. "So it's not a matter of trying to understand the impact of the business on the community or the environment because that's very clear already. "We've had no issues with any of that over the last two years. "So I'd be fairly confident the outcome of a planning proposal would be would be a positive one. "I just need to be allowed to continue to trade while that process is worked through." A statement from Wollongong City Council suggested the February close is still very much on the cards. "The cafe operator and landlord have been advised in writing that council will not enforce the development control order to stop the use of the premises as a restaurant or cafe until the end of February 2025," the council spokesperson said. "The operator of the cafe must comply with the development control order from March 1, 2025." The spokesperson confirmed an independent review is underway. "A separate review in response to specific complaints from the proprietor, not the historic use of the site, is ongoing," the spokesperson said. "Council will advise the proprietor when this has been completed." I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading. I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading. More from Latest News Newsletters & Alerts DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. 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Eagles running back Saquon Barkley doesn’t want former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones to give up on himself. Jones, whom the Giants drafted in the first round of the 2019 draft, was benched for Tommy DeVito this past week. On Friday, the Giants granted Jones' request to be released. BUY EAGLES TICKETS: STUBHUB , VIVID SEATS , TICKETMASTER Two years ago, New York signed Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract extension and chose not to extend Barkley. After playing with the Giants for six seasons, Barkley signed a three-year, $37.5 million contract with the Eagles this past offseason. Through 12 weeks, he amassed 1,137 rushing yards, the second-most in the NFL. Barkley has become more dominant in Philadelphia. He believes that Jones could play better with a new team, too. “I’ve been in contact with him. Our friendship has stayed close throughout the whole process of me being here,” Barkley told reporters Friday. “It sucks to see how everything went down for him over there. I’ve got nothing but great things to say about him. You’re not going to really find anybody that can really say a lot of negative things about him. “It’s the NFL. Hopefully, wherever he ends up next, they’re going to get a guy who comes in and work. It didn’t work for me over there, and I’m doing well over here. Hopefully, he can find the same fresh start and success.” MORE EAGLES COVERAGE Eagles-Rams inactives: Will Britain Covey or Cooper DeJean return punts? Philadelphia Eagles vs. Los Angeles Rams FREE LIVE STREAM (11/24/24): Watch NFL Week 12 online | Time, TV, Channel This Eagles ‘eraser’ is poised for another standout performance against the Rams What channel is the Philadelphia Eagles game today (11/24/24)? FREE LIVE STREAM, Time, TV, Channel for NFL Week 12 vs. Los Angeles Rams Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Cayden Steele may be reached at CSteele@njadvancemedia.comYOURSAY | M'sians always step up in times of disaster
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Ryan Forrest's 30 points led N.C. A&T over North Carolina Central 85-72 on Saturday. Forrest shot 12 of 18 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 7 from the line for the Aggies (4-10). Landon Glasper scored 25 points while going 7 of 17 from the floor, including 5 for 12 from 3-point range, and 6 for 6 from the line. Jahnathan Lamothe went 3 of 7 from the field (1 for 4 from 3-point range) to finish with nine points, while adding eight rebounds. The Aggies stopped an eight-game skid with the win. Po'Boigh King finished with 21 points for the Eagles (6-10). Keishon Porter added 11 points and seven rebounds for North Carolina Central. Dionte Johnson also recorded 11 points. N.C. A&T took the lead with 1:28 remaining in the first half and never looked back. The score was 46-39 at halftime, with Glasper racking up 18 points. Forrest scored 18 points in the second half to help lead the way as N.C. A&T went on to secure a victory, outscoring North Carolina Central by six points in the second half. NEXT UP Up next for N.C. A&T is a matchup Thursday with Elon at home. North Carolina Central hosts Saint Andrews (NC) on Tuesday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Barkley sets franchise rushing record, but Eagles lucky to beat Panthers for 9th straight winTownsquare Capital LLC Purchases New Stake in Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (NYSE:AMG)
Kaitlyn Kimmet of Ottawa-Glandorf shoots the ball against Lillie Best of Crestview during a game on Dec. 28, 2024, at Robert J Hermiller Gymnasium. Chris Howell | The Lima News OTTAWA — Ottawa-Glandorf has been known to wear its opponents down over the course of a game with its length, defensive pressure and shot-making ability. On Saturday afternoon at Robert J. Hermiller Gymnasium, all three of those things affected Crestview, who kept things close until the second half started. Ottawa-Glandorf began the third quarter on an 11-0 run and outscored the Knights 28-14 the rest of the way to secure a 51-36 victory, running its unbeaten record to 7-0 on the season. In that decisive third quarter, the Titans held Crestview off the scoreboard until the final four seconds, turning a one-point game into a 12-point game before Josie Kulwicki broke off the run just before the buzzer. “I thought we had a nice little stretch there in the second half to kind of open the game up,” Ottawa-Glandorf coach Troy Yant said. “On the ball, we were really good. I thought we did a good job on Kline and Gregory. Our team defense needs a little work. It kind of looked like we were still a little hungover from the holiday.” Holiday hangover or no holiday hangover, Ottawa-Glandorf forced 17 turnovers and limited Kline and Gregory, Crestview’s top two scorers, to a combined 26 points on 26 shots. Kline led the way with 17. “They want to funnel most of their offense through those two girls and we know that, so it makes it easier for us to just focus on them,” Yant said. “Anytime you can hold a quality opponent to two points in any quarter, it’s just a great accomplishment.” More times than not on Saturday, Liv Grothause was the main beneficiary of Ottawa-Glandorf’s approach of turning defense into offense. The 5-11 junior guard ended the game 9 of 12 from the field, scoring a career-high 19 points, thanks in large part to a few long outlet passes following a turnover. Kaitlyn Kimmet added 11 points for the Titans and Karsyn Erford finished with 9. Yant said another key to Ottawa-Glandorf’s second-half success was the ability to use the middle of the floor to take advantage of Crestview’s zone defense. “We didn’t do that very well in the first half and when we did, we seemed to make touch passes instead of just turning and looking to score,” he said. “We’re going to see some zone so it’s something we need to work on. “They have a great program. Any time you can beat Crestview you’re accomplishing something. They ran a set every time down the floor and really did a good job of getting girls open. You can see the difference in where they’re at offensively compared to where we are so I thought our defense would have to step up and they did in the second.” As a team, Ottawa-Glandorf converted 20 of its 47 shot attempts (43%), while Crestview hit 12 of its 37 field goals (32%). The Titans also handled the boards, 26-15. Saturday’s game also marked the return of Kaelyn Grothause, who saw her first game action after a knee injury delayed her start to the season. Grothause, a 5-4 senior, was Ottawa-Glandorf’s starting point guard as a freshman. “It was awesome to see her back out there,” Yant said. “It would have been nice to see her hit a couple buckets but she had a smile on her face. She’s only practiced with us a couple of days, so it was nice to get her in the rotation. Hopefully, we can get her in against Shawnee and get her ready for the first of the year.” Score by Quarters CV 15 7 2 12 — 36 OG 15 8 11 17 — 51 CRESTVIEW — Ellie Kline 4-17 17, Kaci Gregory 4-9 9, Josie Kulwicki 2-3 4, Peyton Hoffman 1-3 2, Kennedy Crider 1-4 2, Haley McCoy 0-1 2, Lillie Best 0-1 0, Totals: 12/37 (32%) OTTAWA-GLANDORF — Liv Grothause 9-12 19, Kaitlyn Kimmet 3-11 11, Karsyn Erford 4-11 9, Carlie Brinkman 2-5 7, Gracie Lammers 1-3 3, Megan Horstman 1-1 2, Total: 20/47 (43%) Rebounds: CV 15; OG 26 Turnovers: CV 17; OG 12 Records: Crestview 8-3, 2-1 NWC; Ottawa-Glandorf 7-0, 3-0 WBL Reach Chris Howell at 567-242-0468 or on X @Lima_HowellAs Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues its onward march in news aggregation, publishers worry about the technology’s negative impact on traditional revenue models and the push towards paywall and subscription models. Lawsuits against AI chatbots by news organisations have become a regular trend in the world, with the latest litigation now coming in from Canada. India also joined this bandwagon not too long ago with the Asian News International (ANI) agency taking OpenAI to court for using its news content for AI training. In light of these growing objections, businessline spoke to publisher groups like the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) and the Editors Guild of India (EGI) who raised serious concerns about AI’s impact on their income. Stating that AI summarisations of news has shifted reader attention away from original news outlets, Anant Nath, President of EGI and Editor of The Caravan magazine, said, “Due to AI, the user remains confined to the tech platform and consumes news within the tech platform without going to the original news source. So as a result, many of us have now put our content behind a paywall. We expect people to come to our website, pay for our content and support news gathering,” he said, adding that publishers remain apprehensive of AI crawlers that even bypass paywalls and continue to use news content without due citation or accuracy. It may be noted that some companies like Google had started providing in-line links to original sources brlow their AI-generated contented. Google said that this “increase the traffic” to the original websites. However, Gautham Koorma, machine learning engineer and researcher from UC Berkeley, said it is unclear whether the chatbots have access to the breadth of sources available to a traditional web crawler used by search engines. “This could lead to fewer clicks on original sources if users just read the summaries, which might reduce revenue for news agencies relying on click through rates and ad-driven models rather than subscriptions,” said Koorma. Like the EGI leader, Sujata Gupta, Secretary General of the DNPA, stated that misattribution or hallucination by AI is a serious concern for news publishers. “The increasing reliance on AI for news aggregation and summarization could significantly disrupt traditional revenue streams for publishers. AI-driven platforms often repurpose original content without fair compensation, and reduce direct traffic to publisher websites. Digital media, particularly small and mid-sized news outlets, may face immediate challenges due to their dependency on ad-driven revenue. However, traditional publications and news agencies are also vulnerable as AI evolves to mimic comprehensive reporting and analysis,” said Sujata Gupta, Secretary General of the DNPA. Incidentally, Varshul CW, Founder of audio generative AI company DubverseAI, agreed with the idea that digital media may be facing a worser fate than traditional publications due to AI’s entry in news. “I think what has happened lately is that media business is dependent on digital interaction. Now, that interaction has further changed. So rather than push and pull between traditional and digital, I see that the digital itself is now fighting with AI,” he said. Despite the nervousness within the news community towards AI, Koorma pointed out that generative AI’s use in search has not been particularly successful. “It remains in an experimental rollout phase. For instance, Google earlier this year released a premature search summarization feature that led to a wave of memes due to erroneous responses,” said Koorma, adding that the ongoing legal battles between news agencies like ANI versus companies like OpenAI could significantly shape the future of AI applications in news and search. Until then publishers like Nath maintain that tech platforms are taking advantage of publishers by failing to share both revenues and the legal/moral responsibility when providing information. “Tech companies are transcending into being a publisher. So, they have to don the role of publisher, take the responsibilities of being a publisher because tomorrow if there is a defamation case, they can’t say the original content creator is responsible,” said Nath. When asked about a possible solution to the revenue predicament, Nath said that publishers and tech companies should engage on three levels; accuracy, citation and some amount of revenue share as a license fee for using news content for commercial purposes. Similarly, the DNPA called for a robust framework that ensures AI systems appropriately attribute content. “Journalism serves the public interest and is well accountable for all the news that is generated with heavy investment in newsrooms, while AI leveraging other company’s journalistic content for commercial purposes does not align with this principle,” said Gupta. Comments
Gandhinagar : India requires not only the “military in dress” but also a “civilian army” of experts to diligently and intelligently look after its interests both within and outside, Supreme Court judge Justice Surya Kant said on Sunday, December 8. The field of law does not demand perfection but perseverance, curiosity and a commitment to the ideals of fairness and equity, he said while addressing the valedictory session of the international moot court competition at Rashtriya Raksha University. “A nation growing economically, politically, democratically, in rule of law, in good governance, requires not only the military in dress but a lot of military elements in civilian dress also,” Justice Surya Kant said. “Whether you are a law graduate, an expert in criminal law or international law, whether you are a professor or a scientist or an engineer, or holding any other responsible position, you become part of that civilian army which very carefully, intelligently, very diligently looks after the interests of the nation both within and outside,” he said. He said the issues raised in the moot court such as the hypothetical case touching upon matters relating to international law, global security, cyber terrorism and national security, provide students with a unique opportunity to gain first-hand experience of complex areas of law in a competitive setting. “The element of confidence in speaking, the oration, the expression is extremely important when you go for civil services or any other public assignment. These are the platforms where you gain this confidence and learn. As an activity, mooting instils a sense of competition and facilitates holistic development, intellectual engagement and the exercise of ideas among peers,” the SC judge asserted. With the rise in economic and financial crimes in countries such as India, it is important that young students are trained to research in these fields of law through such competitions, he added.Romanian leftist PM and hard-right candidate in a tie
Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company has announced a two-aircraft purchase agreement with AIR Marshall Islands Inc. (AMI) for its twin-engine, large-utility turboprop, the Cessna SkyCourier. The two aircraft – both passenger variants – will be used to support travel throughout communities within the Marshall Islands. “The Cessna SkyCourier is an excellent choice to support the mission of AIR Marshall Islands. With its low operating costs and maximum cabin flexibility, the SkyCourier is a real game-changer in regional connectivity,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice-president, Global Sales and Flight Operations, Textron Aviation. “This order is an excellent example of the SkyCourier’s unmatched capabilities for a variety of mission profiles, and also highlights Textron Aviation’s commitment to delivering innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of the aviation industry.” AIR Marshall Islands is a commercially operated airline owned by the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). It is based in Majuro, the capital city of the country, which is located in the South Pacific. “AIR Marshall Islands is thrilled to add the Cessna SkyCourier to our fleet,” said Captain Albon Jelke, general manager & CEO of AIR Marshall Islands, Inc.November 2024 “This exciting development is a major milestone in our efforts to modernize our aircraft, allowing us to provide more reliable and efficient flights across the Marshall Islands. Our new SkyCouriers are perfectly designed to reach the remote atolls and islands, ensuring that essential air services are accessible to both our local communities and visitors.” The Cessna SkyCourier is meticulously designed to deliver unparalleled performance, unwavering reliability and cost-effective maintenance. With the ability to be operated by a single pilot and a generous payload capacity, the SkyCourier is the ultimate solution for air freight, passenger and special mission needs.... PACNEWS/SKIES MAGAZINE
reAlpha Tech Corp. Increases Maximum Number of Shares in At the Market Sales AgreementHappy scores 16 as Princeton downs Portland 94-67 at Myrtle Beach Invitational
House Republican leadership is blocking a proposal to narrow a controversial provision that grants intelligence agencies the power to spy on a vast number of American businesses to help the government spy. Congress in April reauthorized Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a controversial surveillance designed to target foreign adversaries; however, it often surveils American citizens without a warrant. Tucked within this law is a provision, known as the electronic communications service provider (ECSP) definition, which broadly expanded the types of business and service providers that can be forced to assist the program to “any other service provider who has access to equipment that is being or may be used to transmit or store wire or electronic communications.” The dramatic expansion of the ECSP raised alarm bells. Privacy advocates decried it as a “trojan horse” for “PATRIOT Act 2.0.” Marc Zwillinger, a top FISA expert and one of the FISA Court Amici, wrote that any American business could have its communications tapped by a landlord: The new amendment would — notwithstanding these exclusions — still permit the government to compel the assistance of a wide range of additional entities and persons in conducting surveillance under FISA 702. The breadth of the new definition is obvious from the fact that the drafters felt compelled to exclude such ordinary places such as senior centers, hotels, and coffee shops. But for these specific exceptions, the scope of the new definition would cover them. That’s not a “narrow” change. ... It also means that any U.S. business could have its communications (if one side is foreign) tapped by a landlord with access to office wiring, or the data centers where their computers reside, even if it eliminates the possibility that the same surveillance could be conducted with the assistance of hotels, restaurants, community centers, and other public retail establishments. For a specific hypothetical example of how this surveillance could occur, see our prior blog post . Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), a former attorney general, in April argued that the FBI has proven they do not deserve to have more power to surveil Americans, given their history of abuse. However, despite the widespread concern about the provision, the Senate moved to pass the FISA reauthorization bill since it faced a time crunch to pass the Section 702 reauthorization bill. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the Senate Intelligence Committee chairman, promised he would fix the apparent issues with the definition in another intelligence bill in 2024. Now that Congress is wrapping up its work ahead of the holiday season, lawmakers are slipping the intelligence bill into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a must-pass defense bill. The Senate’s version of the intelligence bill included an amendment to limit the ECSP definition to cloud computer servers, rather than the seemingly endless number of businesses that might have to help the government spy. The New York Times reported that House Republican negotiators have insisted that the amendment to fix the ECSP definition stay out of the NDAA. House Republicans with authority to decide what will be folded into the defense bill include Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL), and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH). Spokesmen for each office did not respond to the Times . A spokeswoman for Warner’s office said that he determined to fix the provision “whether it’s in this Congress or the next.” The ESCP definition was purposely written vaguely to mark its purpose from foreign adversaries, and the Times noted that its motivation was a secret FISA court opinion, which stated that the original definition of the law did not cover cloud servers. House Republican leadership’s objection to the ECSP amendment in the NDAA raises questions as to whether or not leadership intends for Section 702 to apply to more Americans, businesses, and service providers. Speaker Johnson’s office did not respond to a comment request as to whether Johnson backs the removal of the ECSP fix in the NDAA, or if this means that the Speaker wants Section 702 to apply to more Americans, businesses, or service providers than what Chairmen Turner or Warner claimed during this year’s FISA debate, given that the fix specifically scopes the expansion to the FISA court opinion Turner and Warner cited. Chairman Turner’s office did not respond to a similarly worded comment request. Privacy advocates’ best shot at addressing this provision, in and out of Congress, would likely be in mid-2026 when Section 702 expires again. Many of these advocates said that there is a dire need for reform to address this issue. Bob Goodlatte, the former chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and senior policy adviser to the Project for Privacy and Surveillance Accountability (PPSA), told Breitbart News in a written statement: This measure passed because of assurances that this insanely broad authority would be narrowed. The promise of a fix was made and accepted in good faith, but that promise is being trashed by advocates for greater surveillance of our citizens. Unless Congress reverses course, Americans’ data that runs through the Wi-Fi and servers of millions of small businesses, ranging from fitness centers to department stores, small office complexes, as well as churches and other houses of worship, will be fair game for warrantless review. This would truly transform our country into a thorough surveillance state. I can’t imagine the next Congress and new Administration would welcome that. [Emphasis added] “The current definition of an electronic communication service provider (ECSP) is way too broad under RISAA, sweeping in not just communication service providers, but any service provider, expanding the covered entities by tens of thousands. This is an unacceptable outcome, and Congress should take advantage of the opportunity to fix this overbroad definition issue in the NDAA,” James Czerniawski, a senior policy analyst at Americans for Prosperity, told Breitbart News. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) said, “If that fix doesn’t go through and the next administration misuses these sweeping new FISA powers ... no one will be able to claim they didn’t see it coming.” Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3 .A Romanian hard-right NATO critic and leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu are neck and neck after the first round of presidential elections, in a shock result threatening Romania's staunchly pro-Ukraine stance. or signup to continue reading After nearly 90 per cent of votes were counted, Calin Georgescu, 62, was at 22 per cent, while Ciolacu had 21.7 per cent. However, ballots from the sizeable Romanian diaspora, which are not included in the main tally on Sunday, show centre-right politician, Elena Lasconi, 52, first with 33.4 per cent and Georgescu second. Romania's president has a semi-executive role with control over defence spending - likely to be a difficult issue as Bucharest comes under pressure to uphold NATO spending goals during Donald Trump's second term as US president while trying to reduce a heavy deficit. Lasconi told supporters after exit polls were released giving her a small lead over Georgescu, with Ciolacu in first place, that she was optimistic about making the runoff. "But as you can see, the results are very tight, let us wait until tomorrow's results to rejoice." Campaigning focused largely on the soaring cost of living, with Romania having the EU's biggest share of people at risk of poverty. Georgescu is a former prominent member of the hard-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians party. In 2021 he has called NATO's ballistic missile defence shield in the Romanian town of Deveselu a "shame of diplomacy" and said the North Atlantic alliance will not protect any of its members should they be attacked by Russia. Lasconi, a former journalist, joined the Save Romania Union in 2018 and became party head this year. She believes in raising defence spending and helping Ukraine, and surveys suggest she would beat Ciolacu in a runoff. Romania shares a 650km border with Ukraine and since Russia attacked Kyiv in 2022, it has enabled the export of millions of tonnes of grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta and provided military aid, including the donation of a Patriot air defence battery. "It will be a tight run-off, with the Social Democrat leader more vulnerable to negative campaigning due to him being an incumbent PM," political commentator Radu Magdin said. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . Advertisement
Townsquare Capital LLC lowered its stake in shares of Olaplex Holdings, Inc. ( NASDAQ:OLPX – Free Report ) by 17.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 50,454 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,511 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Olaplex were worth $119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Olaplex by 42.0% in the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 19,686,481 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,317,000 after acquiring an additional 5,824,889 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Olaplex by 8.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,935,003 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,915,000 after purchasing an additional 929,693 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Olaplex by 0.6% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,501,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,852,000 after purchasing an additional 14,200 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Olaplex by 20.7% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,073,878 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,654,000 after buying an additional 184,091 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Olaplex by 10.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,066,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,505,000 after buying an additional 102,752 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.37% of the company’s stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $3.00 price objective on shares of Olaplex in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Olaplex from $2.00 to $1.50 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Olaplex currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $2.30. Insider Transactions at Olaplex In other news, Director John P. Bilbrey acquired 51,697 shares of Olaplex stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $1.75 per share, with a total value of $90,469.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 318,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $557,231.50. This trade represents a 19.38 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link . Company insiders own 4.20% of the company’s stock. Olaplex Trading Up 2.4 % Shares of OLPX stock opened at $2.14 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a PE ratio of 35.67 and a beta of 2.48. Olaplex Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $1.19 and a 1 year high of $2.98. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $2.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 11.84 and a quick ratio of 10.32. Olaplex ( NASDAQ:OLPX – Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04. Olaplex had a return on equity of 10.50% and a net margin of 9.78%. The company had revenue of $119.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $126.51 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.05 earnings per share. Olaplex’s revenue was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Olaplex Holdings, Inc. will post 0.11 earnings per share for the current year. Olaplex Company Profile ( Free Report ) Olaplex Holdings, Inc develops, manufactures, and sells hair care products in the United States and internationally. The company offers hair care shampoos and conditioners for use in treatment, maintenance, and protection of hair, as well as oil, moisture mask, and nourishing hair serum. It provides hair care products to professional hair salons, retailers, and everyday consumers. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding OLPX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Olaplex Holdings, Inc. ( NASDAQ:OLPX – Free Report ). 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There’s only so much of substance that Canada can do to assuage President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for mouse-elephant relations. To address his concerns over border security — namely illegal migration and drug smuggling — ideas now in play include putting RCMP cadets on patrol ... but it’s an awfully long border, and the Americans, with far greater resources, clearly don’t do a great job of policing their borders either. On the free-trade front, a Harris poll conducted for the Guardian published last week found 59 per cent of Republicans believe the new tariffs Trump is threatening against us would lead to higher prices at the cash register; 69 per cent of Americans believed it overall. Some of them support the idea anyway, in the name of “bringing jobs home.” That said, an Angus Reid Institute poll conducted in late October found just 16 per cent of Trump voters supported a “major tariff” on Canadian goods — versus 66 per cent for Chinese goods and 38 per cent on Mexican goods. So, American public opinion looks like less of an obstacle than Trump himself. Nevertheless, we’re bringing in the Mad Men to make our case: The Ontario and federal governments are both launching advertising campaigns that, if successful, might take some pressure off this country. Ontario’s television ad casts the province as something like America’s best and most faithful companion in all matters great and small. It comes on pretty hot and heavy! “For generations, this ally to the north has been by your side. Ontario, Canada, a partner connected by shared history, shared values, and a shared vision for what we can achieve together,” the narrator intones. In an implicit nod to the idea of cutting Mexico loose from NAFTA, the ad suggests Ontario and the United States “work together” to “bring jobs home.” I was reminded somewhat of a Doctor Who plot line in which evil aliens conquer Earth and brainwash humankind into believing they’re benevolent guardians. (Needless to say, the ad does not mention Canada’s powerful anti-trade dairy industry.) But the ad hits the right practical notes as well: “Ontario is your third-largest trading partner, and the number-one export destination for 17 states. Our longstanding economic partnership keeps millions of Americans working.” I have no idea if the ad will “work,” and neither I suspect do the people who designed it. But it struck me as a reasonable effort. Then there’s the federal ad campaign, which is designed to deliver sponsored links on search engines when people look for information about Canada’s asylum system. It’s the latest of several in recent years that attempts to convince people not to come here and try for refugee status, on account of they’re likely to be rejected. “Claiming asylum in Canada is not easy,” searchers will be told. “There are strict guidelines to qualify. Find out what you need to know before you make a life-changing decision.” That’s certainly good advice. “Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is working to combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation about Canada’s immigration system, and to highlight the risks of working with unauthorized representatives,” a government spokesperson told Reuters. Doubtless there is much “misinformation and disinformation” out there on the subject, which “unauthorized representatives” — i.e., human smugglers — spread and exploit. But the problem with the central message being conveyed is that it is easily disprovable. Relatively speaking it is easy to claim asylum in Canada, and it is easy to get that claim accepted — especially for people from certain countries. Some 2023 statistics from the UN Refugee Agency : – Canada issued decisions on nearly 66,000 refugee claims, or 164 per 100,000 Canadians. The equivalent figure in the United States was just 95 per 100,000 Americans. – Of those claims, 99 per 100,000 Canadians were successful, versus just 19 per 100,000 Americans. – The top five countries producing successful refugee claimants to Canada were Iran (4,929), Turkey (4,928), Colombia (3,119), Mexico (3,071) and India (2,919). With nearly 10 times the population, the United States accepted refugee claims from just 662 Iranians, 1,564 Turks, 1,223 Colombians and 824 Mexicans. None of this is to suggest one country is doing it right and the other is doing it wrong — though when it can easily take two years to adjudicate a refugee claim, as it often does in Canada, it’s certainly being done wrong. The main point here is simply that the two countries do refugee-determination very differently, one much more generously than the other, despite the fact that both adhere to the same UN definition of a refugee. That’s always going to be a problem when the two countries have different visa provisions for citizens of certain countries and a gigantic, largely undefended border between them. In a scenario like that, almost every day is Christmas for human smugglers. An unfamiliar outside observer would probably suggest the two countries get their acts together and harmonize their rules and processes on visas and refugee-determination. Said observer would immediately be online-mobbed by furious Canadians, of course; it could become a political nightmare for any party that proposed it; and I don’t take particular pleasure in the idea myself. But it would be a natural extension of the free-trade relationship Canada wants to preserve and nurture. And it’s far more likely to advance our interests in Washington than any advertising campaign. National Post cselley@postmedia.com Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here .
Nobel recipient Geoffrey Hinton wishes he thoughts of AI safety soonerMILAN: Edoardo Bove is stable in hospital after his harrowing and sudden collapse which caused Fiorentina’s Serie A clash with champions Inter Milan to be suspended on Sunday, as Scott McTominay kept Napoli top in a 1-0 win at Torino. Fiorentina said that midfielder Bove, who suddenly fell to the turf with 16 minutes on the clock and the game still goalless, was under sedation in the intensive care unit at Florence’s Careggi hospital. “Initial cardiological and neurological tests have ruled out severe damage to his central nervous and the cardio-respiratory systems,” said Fiorentina in a joint statement with the hospital. Fiorentina added that the 22-year-old’s condition will be re-assessed “in the next 24 hours” while family and teammates, who had rushed to his aid and then sobbed as he was stretchered from the Stadio Artemio Franchi field, went to be by his side. The match will be rescheduled for “an as-yet undetermined date”, as happened when Evan Ndicka fell in a similar manner during Roma’s match at Udinese in April. Bove’s fall reminded fans of tragic former captain Davide Astori, who in March 2018 died suddenly in his sleep aged 31 in a hotel before a league match at Udinese. Goalkeeper David de Gea said “God please” on social media where a number of clubs, including Roma from where he was loaned to Fiorentina in August, showed support. “One of us, we’re all with you. Forza Edo!” Roma said. Napoli stay top Napoli are four points ahead of the chasing pack thanks to McTominay’s neat finish in the 31st minute, following a trademark dribble into the area from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. McTominay’s winner was his third Serie A goal since signing for Napoli in the summer and the Scotland midfielder is playing a key role in his new team’s bid for a fourth Italian league title. Napoli would have left Turin with a heftier goal haul had Torino goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic not pulled off a series of top class saves. The Serbia ‘keeper kept out a Romelu Lukaku backheel and Kvaratskhelia’s looping header before McTominay broke the deadlock, and he got down brilliantly to stop both Mathias Olivera’s close-range header in the 65th minute and Giovanni Simeone in stoppage time. “We attacked them with aggression, much more than usual and it was only Milinkovic-Savic’s performance that stopped us from scoring more,” Napoli coach Antonio Conte told DAZN. Atalanta can move back to within a point of Napoli with a win at Roma on Monday night. Lazio lost ground after a frustrating 3-1 defeat at Parma which was inflicted by an early Dennis Man finish, Anas Haj Mohamed’s first Serie A goal and a stoppage-time strike from Enrico Del Prato after Valentin Castellanos had halved the deficit for the away side. Juve pegged back Defeat at the Stadio Ennio Tardini snapped a five-match league winning streak and left Marco Baroni’s Lazio fifth, level on 28 points with Inter, Fiorentina and Atalanta, two points ahead of Juventus who were stunned late to draw 1-1 at lowly Lecce. Ante Rebic poked home Lecce’s leveler in the third minute of stoppage time to snatch a deserved draw from a frantic, largely low-quality clash in southern Italy and move his team two points above the relegation zone in 16th. Andrea Cambiaso looked to have won the points for unbeaten Juve with his speculative shot in the 68th minute, which was wildly deflected off Kialonda Gaspar and past Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone. Missing nine players through injury, Juve again failed to impress after recent goalless draws at AC Milan and Aston Villa, although Khephren Thuram and Francisco Conceicao both hit the post early on, with Thuram somehow striking the woodwork from the middle of an open goal in the fifth minute. “You could see in the second half that we were running out of steam... we just need to keep going and learn from our mistakes,” said Juve coach Thiago Motta. Patrick Vieira won his first match as Genoa coach with a 2-0 success at 10-man Udinese, which moved his new team three points away from the bottom three. — AFP