Replacing Riqui Puig isn’t an easy job. “He’s unique in what he does,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney. The Galaxy kicked off preparation for its MLS Cup pursuit Tuesday and the big question facing Vanney and his staff is how will they replace Puig in Saturday’s final. Puig, who was selected Tuesday to the MLS Best XI, suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during Saturday’s Western Conference final win against the Seattle Sounders . “He’s the ultimate competitor,” Vanney said of Puig. “He wants to win, he wants to compete, he wants to play, he wants to impact the game and he wants responsibility out on the field. He drives the team in many ways. “When you look at the stat sheet at the end of any given day, he’s probably touched the ball 120 times, 140 times and he leads the team in touches by a wide margin. We’ll miss that on the attacking side for sure. Somebody who can change the tempo of a game, any play in any given moment, can be the one that changes the game when you have a guy like Riqui because of his capacity to pull plays off. We’re going to miss him.” The Galaxy have a little experience playing without Puig during the regular season, posting a 3-1-1 record. During the playoff run, Puig had recorded four goals and three assists in four victories. “In a season that is 34 games long plus, we had to go through three, four games without him during the course of the season and we were able to be successful to find the right formula with this group in those moments ... it was never something that we wanted, but at least we have something to look back on and say we were successful in this stretch when we didn’t have him,” Vanney said. “We have to redefine who we’re going to be and how we are going to win this game without him.” The Galaxy is also uncertain as to the availability of midfielder Marco Reus. Reus was subbed off in each of the past two games, with what Vanney said was a groin issue. “We’ll see how his health is as the week progresses,” Vanney said of Reus. “Have some optimism that he can get himself turned around and be ready for us. “Diego (Fagundez) gives us a little bit of the option that we saw (during the regular season filling in for Puig), so we want to see who’s ready, who’s going. And I also look at the Red Bulls and see them as a little bit of a unique competitor because of their pressing and they want to get man-to-man and they want to be disruptors as much as they want to be creators in many ways. How we want to manage that situation, both early and late, are things we’re working through and talking through to figure out the right personnel.” Mark Delgado replaced Reus at halftime Saturday. Fagundez is another option at starting midfielder, leaving Gaston Brugman as a potential second-half sub and Reus, if he’s available. No matter the connections, Puig will be on the Galaxy’s hearts and minds Saturday. “Our heart is with Riqui and it definitely gives us just another reason to go out there and give it our all,” Delgado said. MLS Cup final Who: New York Red Bulls at Galaxy When: 1 p.m. Saturday Where: Dignity Health Sports Park TV: FOX (Ch. 11), Apple TV (free)Walgreens considering selling company to private equity firm, according to published report
U.S. stocks tiptoed to more records amid a mixed Tuesday of trading, tacking a touch more onto what’s already been a stellar year so far. The S&P 500 edged up by 2 points, or less than 0.1%, to set an all-time high for the 55th time this year. It’s climbed in 10 of the last 11 days and is on track for one of its best years since the turn of the millennium. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 76 points, or 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.4% to its own record set a day earlier. AT&T rose 4.6% after it boosted its profit forecast for the year. It also announced a $10 billion plan to send cash to its investors by buying back its own stock, while saying it expects to authorize another $10 billion of repurchases in 2027. On the losing end of Wall Street was U.S. Steel, which fell 8%. President-elect reiterated on social media that he would not let Japan’s Nippon Steel take over the iconic Pennsylvania steelmaker. announced plans last December to buy the Pittsburgh-based steel producer for $14.1 billion in cash, raising concerns about what the transaction could mean for unionized workers, supply chains and U.S. national security. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden also the acquisition. Tesla sank 1.6% after a judge in Delaware reaffirmed a previous ruling that the electric car maker must The judge denied a request by attorneys for Musk and Tesla’s corporate directors to vacate her ruling earlier this year requiring the company to rescind the unprecedented pay package. All told, the S&P 500 rose 2.73 points to 6,049.88. The Dow fell 76.47 to 44,705.53, and the Nasdaq composite gained 76.96 to 19,480.91. In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady after a report showed U.S. at the end of October than a month earlier. Continued strength there would raise optimism that the economy could remain out of a recession that many investors had earlier worried was inevitable. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.23% from 4.20% from late Monday. Yields have seesawed since Election Day amid worries that Trump’s preferences for and could spur along with economic growth. But traders are still confident the will at its next meeting in two weeks. They’re betting on a nearly three-in-four chance of that, according to data from CME Group. Lower rates can give the economy more juice, but they can also give inflation more fuel. The key report this week that could guide the Fed’s next move will arrive on Friday. It’s the , which will show how many workers U.S. employers hired and fired during November. It could be difficult to parse given how much storms and strikes distorted figures in October. Based on trading in the options market, Friday’s jobs report appears to be the biggest potential market mover until the Fed announces its next decision on interest rates Dec. 18, according to strategists at Barclays Capital. In financial markets abroad, the value of South Korea’s currency fell 1.1% against the U.S. dollar following a frenetic night where and then later said he’d lift it after lawmakers voted to reject military rule. Stocks of Korean companies that trade in the United States also fell, including a 1.6% drop for SK Telecom. Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.9% to help lead global markets. Some analysts think Japanese stocks could end up benefiting from Trump’s threats , including for goods . Trade relations between the U.S. and China took another step backward after China said it is banning exports to the U.S. of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications. The counterpunch came swiftly after the U.S. Commerce Department expanded the list of Chinese technology companies to include many that make equipment used to make computer chips, chipmaking tools and software. The newly included in the so-called “entity list” are nearly all based in China. In China, stock indexes rose 1% in Hong Kong and 0.4% in Shanghai amid unconfirmed reports that Chinese leaders would meet next week to discuss planning for the coming year. Investors are hoping it may bring fresh stimulus to help spur growth in the world’s second-largest economy. In France, the CAC 40 rose 0.3% amid continued worries about , where the government is battling over the budget. ___ AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed. U.S. stocks tiptoed to more records amid a mixed Tuesday The Madera County Economic Development Commission (MCEDC) announced the appointment Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer held a ceremony on Wednesday to Clovis-based Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group has purchased the formerWinding down the decades-long, off-and-on effort to extend the Mark Clark Expressway from West Ashley to James and Johns islands isn't as easy as it might sound. But it has to happen: Charleston County voters said so, and County Council must follow through. At issue is more than a decision to end an ill-conceived, poorly supported and too costly road project; also at issue is the financial impact to both the county and the state, which have spent tens of millions of dollars on planning and permitting work to date. And at issue is whether the county will have to reimburse the state part of what has been spent so far. Also at issue is whether the remaining amount of the state's $420 million commitment to the project can be redirected to a different, far more worthy project in the county. The state's easiest and most obvious move is to reject County Council's entreaty Tuesday to continue working to make the 526 project shovel ready — in case a few billion dollars of state or federal money magically appears to build it. Its cost already has ballooned to $2.3 billion but possibly much, much more, and the county also was going to spend about $600 million in financing costs had the sales tax extension passed in a Nov. 5 referendum. But it failed, 61% to 39%, because voters didn't want the project . State Transportation Infrastructure Bank Board member Chris Murphy, a House member from North Charleston, was spot-on when he told his colleagues Wednesday : "This was a referendum on 526, and the voters in Charleston voted overwhelmingly to say 'No,' but you're coming to us and asking us to say 'Yes.' In my responsibility as a member of this board and to my constituency — which is the entire state, not just Charleston County — I don't see how it is fiscally prudent to continue down this road to nowhere. ... I am not in favor of spending another dime of Infrastructure Bank money on this project when the voters of Charleston have overwhelmingly rejected it." Unfortunately, Charleston County Council has opted to hold its discussions and strategizing about the Mark Clark extension behind closed doors. On Tuesday, the council voted in public to have Council Chairman Herb Sass respond to the S.C. Department of Transportation "to negotiate the terms of the (intergovernmental agreement) with the STIB and SCDOT pursuant to the discussion in executive session." What discussion? And what's to be negotiated? The council's penchant for secrecy when it comes to politically sensitive topics is not helpful. The State Transportation Infrastructure Bank Board declined to come to the county's assistance Wednesday, but that actually might be what the county wants. If the state terminates the contract, then the county doesn't have to reimburse it half the cost of what has been spent so far, which could require the county to stroke a check for about $25 million. As The Post and Courier's Nick Reynolds reports, a final say is expected to come from the Joint Bond Review Committee, which vets all major state funding grants before approval by the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, led by Gov. Henry McMaster. The committee members need to uphold the bank board's decision to end things now. Tens of millions of dollars have been wasted on permitting and environmental assessment costs to date, but that's no reason to waste more. The larger question is whether what remains of the state's $420 million commitment to the project can be shifted to a worthy project in the county. We urge state officials to have the Infrastructure Bank bank that amount on the county's behalf in the months and years to come. Click here for more opinion content from The Post and Courier.
A tense situation unfolded at the Ambabhavani temple in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district as Shiv Sena (UBT) workers briefly stopped Karnataka BJP MLA Prabhu Chauhan and his entourage from entering the temple on Wednesday night, people familiar with the matter said. The incident, rooted in political and linguistic tensions between Karnataka and Maharashtra, comes amid the recent friction over issues such as the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) conventions and border disputes. Visuals seen by HT showed around a dozen Shiv Sena (UBT) workers, led by Kolhapur district president Vijay Devane, gathering near the temple to prevent Chauhan’s entry. In the purpoted video, Prabhu Chauhan, representing the BJP from Aurad constituency in Karnataka, could be seen engaged in dialogue with the Shiv Sena (UBT) workers, attempting to defuse the situation. After a heated 15-minute discussion purportedly in Marathi between Chauhan and the protesters, the MLA and his group were eventually allowed to proceed with the darshan of Ambabhavani. HT, however, could not verify the veracity of the video. The Shiv Sena (UBT)’s actions were in response to Karnataka’s recent decision to deny MES permission to hold a convention during the state assembly session in Belagavi, the people cited above said. The Karnataka authorities also barred Maharashtra politicians and MES supporters from attending the rally, citing law and order concerns. Reacting to Karnataka’s move, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders had vowed to prevent Karnataka legislators and ministers from visiting Kolhapur’s temples or even using its roads. Vijay Devane, during his exchange with Chauhan, questioned, “If you prevented us from attending the MES rally in Belagavi, why should we allow you to enter Kolhapur?” Chauhan clarified that the Congress-led government in Karnataka was responsible for denying MES permission and argued that the BJP, which he represents, was not to blame. “Congress should be held accountable, not the BJP. We are alliance partners in the Maharashtra government,” Chauhan told the protesters. However, the Shiv Sena (UBT) workers said similar restrictions were enforced during the BJP’s tenure in Karnataka. The MES convention, or Mahamelava, has been a source of contention between the two states, often marked by incidents disrupting law and order. The Karnataka police had previously denied MES permission for similar events in 2020 and 2021, citing violations of conditions and disturbances caused by pro-Kannada activists. Belagavi police commissioner Yada Martin reiterated that the 2023 convention was also disallowed due to MES’s failure to comply with stipulated conditions. The Shiv Sena (UBT)’s anger extends beyond the MES issue, with workers expressing frustration over Karnataka’s policies perceived as unfavourable to the Maratha community, including making Kannada a mandatory language. Chauhan later told reporters that he attempted to clarify these misconceptions during his conversation with the protesters. “They were misled about the Marathas’ social status and our policies. After explaining the facts, we were allowed inside the temple,” he said.Homebound seniors living alone often slip through health system’s cracks
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Elon Musk: Few willing to invest in Britain under Labour GovernmentWall Street inches higher to set more recordsLuigi Nicholas Mangione, the suspect in the fatal shooting of a healthcare executive in New York City , apparently was living a charmed life: the grandson of a wealthy real estate developer, valedictorian of his elite Baltimore prep school and with degrees from one of the nation's top private universities. Friends at an exclusive co-living space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Hawaii where the 26-year-old Mangione once lived widely considered him a “great guy,” and pictures on his social media accounts show a fit, smiling, handsome young man on beaches and at parties. Now, investigators in New York and Pennsylvania are working to piece together why Mangione may have diverged from this path to make the violent and radical decision to gun down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a brazen attack on a Manhattan street. The killing sparked widespread discussions about corporate greed, unfairness in the medical insurance industry and even inspired folk-hero sentiment toward his killer. But Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro sharply refuted that perception after Mangione's arrest on Monday when a customer at a McDonald's restaurant in Pennsylvania spotted Mangione eating and noticed he resembled the shooting suspect in security-camera photos released by New York police. “In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this, he is no hero,” Shapiro said. “The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald’s this morning.” Mangione's family and upbringing Mangione comes from a prominent Maryland family. His grandfather, Nick Mangione, who died in 2008, was a successful real estate developer. One of his best-known projects was Turf Valley Resort, a sprawling luxury retreat and conference center outside Baltimore that he purchased in 1978. The Mangione family also purchased Hayfields Country Club north of Baltimore in 1986. On Monday, Baltimore County police officers blocked off an entrance to the property, which public records link to Luigi Mangione’s parents. Reporters and photographers gathered outside the entrance. The father of 10 children, Nick Mangione prepared his five sons — including Luigi Mangione’s father, Louis Mangione — to help manage the family business, according to a 2003 Washington Post report. Nick Mangione had 37 grandchildren, including Luigi, according to the grandfather's obituary. Luigi Mangione’s grandparents donated to charities through the Mangione Family Foundation, according to a statement from Loyola University commemorating Nick Mangione’s wife’s death in 2023. They donated to various causes, including Catholic organizations, colleges and the arts. One of Luigi Mangione’s cousins is Republican Maryland state legislator Nino Mangione, a spokesman for the lawmaker’s office confirmed. “Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mangione’s family said in a statement posted on social media by Nino Mangione. “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.” Mangione's education and work history Mangione, who was valedictorian of his elite Maryland prep school, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a university spokesman told The Associated Press. He learned to code in high school and helped start a club at Penn for people interested in gaming and game design, according to a 2018 story in Penn Today, a campus publication. His social media posts suggest he belonged to the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. They also show him taking part in a 2019 program at Stanford University, and in photos with family and friends at the Jersey Shore and in Hawaii, San Diego, Puerto Rico, and other destinations. The Gilman School, from which Mangione graduated in 2016, is one of Baltimore’s elite prep schools. The children of some of the city’s wealthiest and most prominent residents, including Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr., have attended the school. Its alumni include sportswriter Frank Deford and former Arizona Gov. Fife Symington. In his valedictory speech, Luigi Mangione described his classmates’ “incredible courage to explore the unknown and try new things.” Mangione took a software programming internship after high school at Maryland-based video game studio Firaxis, where he fixed bugs on the hit strategy game Civilization 6, according to a LinkedIn profile. Firaxis' parent company, Take-Two Interactive, said it would not comment on former employees. He more recently worked at the car-buying website TrueCar, but has not worked there since 2023, the head of the Santa Monica, California-based company confirmed to the AP . Time in Hawaii and reports of back pain From January to June 2022, Mangione lived at Surfbreak, a “co-living” space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Honolulu. Like other residents of the shared penthouse catering to remote workers, Mangione underwent a background check, said Josiah Ryan, a spokesperson for owner and founder R.J. Martin. “Luigi was just widely considered to be a great guy. There were no complaints,” Ryan said. “There was no sign that might point to these alleged crimes they’re saying he committed.” At Surfbreak, Martin learned Mangione had severe back pain from childhood that interfered with many aspects of his life, including surfing, Ryan said. “He went surfing with R.J. once but it didn’t work out because of his back,” Ryan said, but noted that Mangione and Martin often went together to a rock-climbing gym. Mangione left Surfbreak to get surgery on the mainland, Ryan said, then later returned to Honolulu and rented an apartment. An image posted to a social media account linked to Mangione showed what appeared to be an X-ray of a metal rod and multiple screws inserted into someone's lower spine. Martin stopped hearing from Mangione six months to a year ago. An X account linked to Mangione includes recent posts about the negative impact of smartphones on children; healthy eating and exercise habits; psychological theories; and a quote from Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti about the dangers of becoming “well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” Police report a darker turn Mangione likely was motivated by his anger at what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and a disdain for corporate greed, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by AP. He wrote that the U.S. has the most expensive healthcare system in the world and that the profits of major corporations continue to rise while “our life expectancy” does not, according to the bulletin, based on a review of the suspect’s handwritten notes and social media posts. He appeared to view the targeted killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO as a symbolic takedown, asserting in his note that he is the “first to face it with such brutal honesty,” the bulletin said. Mangione called “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski a “political revolutionary” and may have found inspiration from the man who carried out a series of bombings while railing against modern society and technology, the document said. ___ Associated Press reporters Lea Skene in Baltimore; Jen Kelleher in Honolulu; Maryclaire Dale in Philadelphia; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; and Michael Kunzelman in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
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