Smoke rising from the rubble of multistory buildings in Beirut. Rockets streaking over the blackened hills of northern Israel. People fleeing their homes, not knowing when or if they will return. Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah reached a ceasefire Tuesday, but even if it holds, the devastation caused by 14 months of fighting will linger for years. Associated Press photographers have documented the harsh toll on both sides. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, obituaries, sports, and more.
TransAlta Renewables (OTCMKTS:TRSWF) Shares Up 2.8% – Still a Buy?PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have no plans to pitch prized prospect Andrew Painter in spring training games as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. The 21-year-old Painter hurt his elbow during spring training in 2023 and had surgery that July 25 with Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Painter was the 13th overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft and signed for a $3.9 million bonus. “He'll throw but not plan on pitching” in games, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Monday. “We're going to push the innings back.” Dombrowski said Painter will build up at some point in the minor leagues and could make his major league debut at some point in the summer. Painter made six starts and allowed four runs in the Arizona Fall League. He struck out 18 batters in 15 2/3 innings after he sat out each of the last two seasons. Painter sprinted through Philadelphia’s system in 2022, going 6-2 with a 1.48 ERA in 26 appearances spread across two Class A teams and Double-A Reading. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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Stocks shook off a choppy start to finish higher Monday, as Wall Street kicked off a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 ended 0.7% higher after having been down 0.5% in the early going. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also recovered from an early slide to eke out a 0.2% gain. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 1%. Gains in technology and communications stocks accounted for much of the gains, outweighing losses in consumer goods companies and elsewhere in the market. Semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, rose 3.7%. Broadcom climbed 5.5% to also help support the broader market. Walmart fell 2% and PepsiCo slid 1%. Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan said they are talking about combining in a deal that might also include Mitsubishi Motors. U.S.-listed shares in Honda jumped 12.7%, while Nissan ended flat. Eli Lilly rose 3.7% after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first and only prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Department store Nordstrom fell 1.5% after it agreed to be taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. All told, the S&P 500 rose 43.22 points to 5,974.07. The Dow gained 66.69 points to 42,906.95. The Nasdaq rose 192.29 points to 19,764.89. Traders got a look at a new snapshot of U.S. consumer confidence Monday. The Conference Board said that consumer confidence slipped in December. Its consumer confidence index fell back to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Wall Street was expecting a reading of 113.8. The unexpectedly weak consumer confidence update follows several generally strong economic reports last week. One report showed the overall economy grew at a 3.1% annualized rate during the summer, faster than earlier thought. The latest report on unemployment benefit applications showed that the job market remains solid. A report on Friday said a measure of inflation the Federal Reserve likes to use was slightly lower last month than economists expected. Worries about inflation edging higher again had been weighing on Wall Street and the Fed. The central bank just delivered its third cut to interest rates this year, but inflation has been hovering stubbornly above its target of 2%. It has signaled that it could deliver fewer cuts to interest rates next year than it earlier anticipated because of concerns over inflation. Expectations for more interest rate cuts have helped drive a roughly 25% gain for the S&P 500 in 2024. That drive included 57 all-time highs this year. Inflation concerns have added to uncertainties heading into 2025, which include the labor market's path ahead and shifting economic policies under an incoming President Donald Trump. "Put simply, much of the strong market performance prior to last week was driven by expectations that a best-case scenario was the base case for 2025," said Brent Schutte, chief investment officer at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.59% from 4.53% late Friday. European markets closed mostly lower, while markets in Asia gained ground. Wall Street has several other economic reports to look forward to this week. On Tuesday, the U.S. will release its November report for sales of newly constructed homes. A weekly update on unemployment benefits is expected on Thursday. Markets in the U.S. will close at 1 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday for Christmas Eve and will remain closed on Wednesday for Christmas.Political commentator Ezra Levant suing Toronto police after arrest for ‘breaching the peace’ at anti-Israel protestAvalonBay stock soars to 52-week high, hits $236.3
Colorado U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert broke new ground over the weekend when she became the first sitting member of Congress to offer personalized messages for sale — starting at $250 — through . The Windsor Republican, who won election to this month after moving across the state, started the account Saturday. The website allows customers to buy personalized video messages from celebrities. On Monday morning, Boebert advertised her messages starting at $250, though she stopped taking requests by 10:45 a.m. mountain time. “Whether you or someone you know needs an America-first pep talk, if you want to surprise friends or family with a message for a special day, or if you just want to know my thoughts on whatever’s on your mind, Cameo is the place to connect with me,” Boebert says in an introductory video. Brandon Kazimer, a Cameo spokesperson, confirmed that the account belonged to Boebert. Boebert’s office declined to comment Monday. Kazimer said she’s the first sitting member of Congress to sign up for the service as talent. At least two other former members of Congress, George Santos of New York and Matt Gaetz of Florida, have sold videos on the platform. Santos soon after he was expelled from Congress last year over allegations he for personal financial gain. Gaetz, who is a friend of Boebert’s, Friday, days after he withdrew his nomination by President-elect Donald Trump to be the U.S. attorney general following that he paid a teenage girl for sex. Boebert does not appear to have advertised the service on her other social media accounts on X or Facebook. will limit how much Boebert can earn from the videos. In 2023, members were limited to making $31,815 in outside income beyond their annual $174,000 salaries. She will have to report any earnings from Cameo on her annual disclosures. The law also prohibits people from using their public office to make outside money, said Kedric Payne, a vice president and senior director of ethics for the Campaign Legal Center. Ultimately, the restriction is meant to give voters confidence that elected officials aren’t using public office for personal gain — or putting that gain ahead of their public service. Boebert describes herself on Cameo as “Not your typical Colorado Republican politician. Jesus loving, Constitutionalist, America first, freedom fighter.” An earlier version of her Cameo page listed Boebert as a politician and categorized her as a political commentator, but it was updated to list her under the influencers category. Because she doesn’t use her title or appear to use other facets of her public job for the videos, such as filming in her congressional office, “that should take away any concern she’s trying to use her public job for personal gain,” Payne said. He added that the limit on outside income also anticipates these kinds of problems by limiting the incentive for members to spend more effort on outside business ventures than their public service. But, he noted, people can cross that line quickly if it’s not clear if they’re acting in their public or private capacity. The earned income that’s subject to the annual cap is considered separate from passive income made through things like stock market investments, Payne said, because it is actively made by selling goods and services. “We’ll be watching to see if this becomes a trend,” Payne said of the Cameo side work. “If this is just a one-off where someone does this for a month or so, that’s one thing — but if it becomes a trend, where members of Congress are trying to act as influencers and get paid, that could point to a bigger problem.”
F1 expands grid, adds Cadillac brand and new American team for '26
Welcome to Pollapalooza, our occasional polling column. Do Americans agree with Republicans' transgender bathroom bans? The history of bathroom access in the U.S. Capitol is part of a broader story about how political representation in the U.S. has been limited to men until recently — female lawmakers didn't have access to a bathroom near the House chamber until 2011 , nearly a century after the first woman served in Congress and four years after the House elected its first female speaker. In January, Delaware Rep.-elect Sarah McBride will also make history in congressional representation, becoming the first openly transgender individual to serve in Congress. But once again, being a trailblazer has come with challenges. In response to McBride's election, South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace introduced a resolution last week intended to ban transgender women like McBride from using women's bathrooms in the Capitol. House Speaker Mike Johnson initially equivocated on the issue, but under pressure from fellow Republicans like Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, he issued a statement that all single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House offices "are reserved for individuals of that biological sex ." Mace has since followed up with an even more sweeping proposal , a bill that would apply a transgender bathroom ban to all facilities on federal property. These kinds of bills are often presented by their proponents as efforts to protect women and girls from sexual predators and preserve women-only spaces. Indeed, Mace has frequently invoked her status as a sexual assault survivor when talking about her bill. Critics have shot back that these arguments from Republicans are hypocritical given that President-elect Donald Trump and some potential members of his administration have been accused of sexual assault , and that policing the use of bathrooms in and of itself would be a violation of privacy . For her part, McBride has been dismissive of Mace's proposal, calling it an "effort to distract from the real issues facing the country." Transgender rights have emerged as a relatively new culture war battle in the past decade, and have become a hot-button issue in state and local policymaking. Around 2016, states began passing laws restricting transgender rights, with bathroom access being one of the first targets. (Other states, like California , have also passed laws protecting transgender rights in response.) Beyond bathroom bans, half of U.S. states have now restricted or banned transgender youth from playing in school sports on teams consistent with their gender identity, while 26 states have banned gender-affirming health care for children under 18. Similar policies were included in Project 2025 , the sweeping, Heritage Foundation-penned proposal for federal policies under the next GOP administration. And this year, Republicans across the country leaned hard into anti-trans talking points on the campaign trail. That message may have been effective. In a YouGov/Yahoo News survey earlier this month , 56 percent of Americans said they agreed more that "transgender rights have gone too far, infringing on the rights of women and children," compared to 32 percent who said they agreed more that "protecting transgender rights is essential to ensuring equality for all Americans." And in another YouGov poll last week , a plurality of 43 percent of Americans said they'd prefer their congressional representatives to focus more on upholding traditional definitions of gender, versus 30 percent who wanted them to focus more on protecting the rights of transgender people (12 percent said neither, and 15 percent were unsure). When it comes to specific policies, about half of Americans in that poll (including 78 percent of Republicans and 29 percent of Democrats) seemed to agree with Mace on bathroom bans, telling YouGov they think transgender people should use bathrooms that correspond to their assigned sex at birth, while 34 percent thought they should use bathrooms that align with their current gender identity, or either option. Slightly more voters also seem to favor bans on sports participation, while opinions are split on banning gender-affirming care for youth. In an October UMass Amherst poll , a plurality of Americans, 47 percent, supported bans on transgender individuals' participation in school sports teams matching their gender identity, compared to just 25 percent who opposed them (the rest were undecided). In a Morning Consult poll of registered voters from Nov. 6-7 , 56 percent said they would support and 30 percent said they would oppose banning transgender girls and women from competing in high school and college sports. Meanwhile, 39 percent in the UMass Amherst poll said they would oppose policies to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth, while fewer, 35 percent, said they would support them. And in the Morning Consult poll, more were still in favor of the bans: 46 percent, compared to 39 percent opposed. But public opinion polling on transgender issues is often muddy, likely reflecting a high level of uncertainty and the fact that these are issues many Americans haven't grappled with until recently. For example, in an October CNN poll , registered voters were asked if they supported federal policies that were more supportive or more restrictive of transgender rights: Their answers were about evenly split between those options, but a plurality, 42 percent, said they "don't have strong feelings either way." That indicates that these issues may not be as pressing or important to many Americans as they are to politicians hoping to fan the culture war flames. — Monica Potts Split opinions on Trump's transition so far Trump's presidential transition plans have already caused a stir in Washington, especially over his controversial administration appointees , several of whom seem to have come via the Fox News green room or carry the same types of legal and ethical baggage the president himself carries. One nominee, former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz — whose nomination to attorney general scuttled the release of a House Ethics Committee review of sex trafficking allegations — already withdrew from consideration in the face of high-profile congressional drama over that report and his seemingly narrow odds of being confirmed. So, what do Americans think about Trump's transition and appointees? Fifty-four percent of voters surveyed in a Morning Consult poll from Nov. 15-17 and 59 percent in a YouGov/CBS News poll from Nov. 19-22 said they approved of Trump's transition so far. Of course, Americans tend to give newly elected officials grace as they gear up to take office. By comparison, the same two pollsters, respectively, found that 60 percent and 54 percent of Americans approved of Biden's transition at a similar point four years ago. When it comes to specific officials Trump plans to appoint to his administration, Americans may have an open mind, though many are unfamiliar with or unsure about specific picks. A YouGov/Yahoo News survey taken Nov. 14-18 found that 45 percent of Americans generally approved of Trump's Cabinet nominees so far, while 37 percent disapproved. In the Morning Consult poll, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Trump's choice for ambassador to Israel, had the highest net approval of 13 points among registered voters, though 25 percent said they didn't know or had no opinion about his potential appointment. Unsurprisingly, Gaetz was the least popular appointee on the list, and the only one with negative net approval (-7 points). The most familiar names were billionaire Elon Musk and 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who each had a 5-point net positive approval rating, with just 15-16 percent of respondents undecided about them. Beyond that, 21 percent to 37 percent of respondents said that they didn't know or weren't sure about each of the other appointees in the survey. The YouGov/CBS poll found that 53 percent of Americans feel "excited" or "optimistic" about what Trump will do as president, compared to 46 percent who feel "concerned" or "scared." One thing that hasn't changed, though, is deep partisan polarization over Trump himself. In an Echelon Insights poll from Nov. 14-18, favorable versus unfavorable opinions for Trump were tied at 49-49 percent. The same was true of the incoming majority party, with 48 percent saying they had a favorable view of the GOP, compared to 47 percent unfavorable. Those partisan divides are also evident when it comes to whether Americans think Trump should be allowed to make recess appointments , bypassing Senate approval if any of his appointees meet resistance, though a majority oppose the idea: 54 percent of voters (including 80 percent of Democrats and 60 percent of independents) said they disapprove of recess appointments, compared to 38 percent who approved (including 68 percent of Republicans and 33 percent of independents) in a Data for Progress survey from Nov. 15-18 . The share of Americans who said the Senate should hold confirmation hearings on Trump's nominees was even higher in the YouGov/CBS poll: around 3 in 4 overall, including more than half of Republicans. — Monica Potts More Americans trust the polls than not After every election cycle in recent memory, it seems, there's been a litany of articles declaring the death of polling and the end of its utility . With polls underestimating Trump for the third cycle in a row, this year is no different. But in fact, the polls had a pretty good year in 2024: The average error in state-level presidential polls was the lowest it's been in at least 25 years. A good year overall for the polls could help bolster public confidence after two cycles of larger-than-average error and constant narratives of polling's demise. So, how do Americans feel about polls now? It's a bit of a meta answer, but a new poll shows that a plurality of Americans continue to trust polling. Forty-nine percent of respondents in Echelon Insight's latest omnibus poll said that, after the election, they trust polls "a lot" or "somewhat," compared to the 45 percent who said they trust polls "a little" or "not at all." Seven percent said they weren't sure. — Cooper Burton Politics won't be on most tables this Thanksgiving This Thursday is Turkey Day, and according to a new poll , most Americans won't be eating alone: In a recent survey from the Pew Research Center, almost 40 percent of Americans say that they plan to have Thanksgiving at someone else's home this year. But while the TSA is predicting the days around Thanksgiving this year will be the busiest air travel days on record , almost 70 percent of those people also say they don't expect to travel more than an hour away for dinner, and almost 90 percent said that they would be driving rather than flying. As for what they'll be doing there, the most common activities respondents said they're likely to do on Thanksgiving Day were watching sports (35 percent) and talking about work and school (also 35 percent). And despite the reputation the holiday has for political infighting with relatives, only 26 percent of respondents thought it was likely that they would talk about the presidential election. Republicans were more likely to say so though: 36 percent of Trump voters said they expect to talk about the election, while only 24 percent of Harris voters said so. — Cooper Burton
Nebraska will be trying to preserve its perfect in-state record when it hosts South Dakota on Wednesday night in a nonconference game in Lincoln, Neb. The Cornhuskers (4-1) are 3-0 at home and also won Friday at then-No. 14 Creighton, beating their in-state rivals on the road for the second straight time. But the last time they did that, in 2022, they followed that win with a 16-point loss at Indiana to open Big Ten Conference play. "Believe me, we've addressed a lot of things," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. "A lot of people are saying some really positive things. You've got to find a way to put that behind you. I've liked how our team has responded and come back to work after that great win at Creighton." Brice Williams leads the Cornhuskers with 18.2 points per game and was one of five players in double figures against Creighton. Juwan Gary topped the list with 16. South Dakota (6-2) comes to town off a 112-50 home win Monday night over Randall, the third non-Division I school it has beat. The Coyotes' last game against a D1 opponent was Friday at Southern Indiana, resulting in a 92-83 loss. This will be South Dakota's second nonconference game against a Big Ten opponent, after a 96-77 loss at Iowa on Nov. 12. In December, the Coyotes also visit Santa Clara, hovering near the top 100 in KenPom adjusted efficiency, before jumping into Big Sky play. "The schedule is very good and that should help us," third-year South Dakota coach Eric Peterson said before the season. "We have some good nonconference games that should help prepare us for the end of the season." Nebraska has held four of its opponents to 67 or fewer points, with Saint Mary's the only one to top that number in the Cornhuskers' lone loss. Opponents are shooting 38.1 percent this season. South Dakota shot below 40 percent in its two previous games before shooting 62 percent against Randall. Isaac Bruns, who scored 20 to lead South Dakota in the Randall game, paces the Coyotes with 12.9 points per game. --Field Level Media
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are rising toward records Tuesday after Donald Trump’s latest talk about tariffs created only some ripples on Wall Street, even if they could roil the global economy were they to take effect. The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% and was on track to top its all-time high set a couple weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 81 points, or 0.2%, to its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% higher, with less than an hour remaining in trading. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Get the latest need-to-know information delivered to your inbox as it happens. Our flagship newsletter. Get our front page stories each morning as well as the latest updates each afternoon during the week + more in-depth weekend editions on Saturdays & Sundays.New spiking offence aims to bring law up to date, minister saysNebraska will be trying to preserve its perfect in-state record when it hosts South Dakota on Wednesday night in a nonconference game in Lincoln, Neb. The Cornhuskers (4-1) are 3-0 at home and also won Friday at then-No. 14 Creighton, beating their in-state rivals on the road for the second straight time. But the last time they did that, in 2022, they followed that win with a 16-point loss at Indiana to open Big Ten Conference play. "Believe me, we've addressed a lot of things," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. "A lot of people are saying some really positive things. You've got to find a way to put that behind you. I've liked how our team has responded and come back to work after that great win at Creighton." Brice Williams leads the Cornhuskers with 18.2 points per game and was one of five players in double figures against Creighton. Juwan Gary topped the list with 16. South Dakota (6-2) comes to town off a 112-50 home win Monday night over Randall, the third non-Division I school it has beat. The Coyotes' last game against a D1 opponent was Friday at Southern Indiana, resulting in a 92-83 loss. This will be South Dakota's second nonconference game against a Big Ten opponent, after a 96-77 loss at Iowa on Nov. 12. In December, the Coyotes also visit Santa Clara, hovering near the top 100 in KenPom adjusted efficiency, before jumping into Big Sky play. "The schedule is very good and that should help us," third-year South Dakota coach Eric Peterson said before the season. "We have some good nonconference games that should help prepare us for the end of the season." Nebraska has held four of its opponents to 67 or fewer points, with Saint Mary's the only one to top that number in the Cornhuskers' lone loss. Opponents are shooting 38.1 percent this season. South Dakota shot below 40 percent in its two previous games before shooting 62 percent against Randall. Isaac Bruns, who scored 20 to lead South Dakota in the Randall game, paces the Coyotes with 12.9 points per game. --Field Level Media
By Naveen Athrappully Contributing Writer The vast majority of U.S. citizens are concerned about their future Social Security receipts, with such anxieties popping up amid the projected depletion of Social Security funds over the next decade. “More than half (53%) of Americans who haven’t retired yet say they expect to rely on Social Security benefits to pay their necessary expenses once they retire,” said a Nov. 21 survey from Bankrate. “But at the same time, 72% of all Americans are concerned that promised Social Security benefits won’t be paid to them upon retirement age.” Generation-wise, baby boomers and Gen X are most anxious, with more than 80% worried about the issue. Among millennials and Gen Z, this number was at 60% to 70%. The Social Security system’s main trust fund is calculated to deplete by 2035, according to a May report from the Social Security board of trustees. When funds are depleted, the Social Security administration will only be able to pay beneficiaries 83% of the promised benefits. Another September report from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget expects Social Security funds to deplete by 2033, following which beneficiaries would be forced to take a larger, 21%, reduction in monthly receipts. For a typical single-income couple, this indicates an annual benefit reduction of $12,400, with dual income couples losing $16,500. And by 2098, the 21% reduction is projected to rise to 31%. With millions of people relying on Social Security to pay for daily necessities, a more than one-fifth reduction in monthly receipts could be broadly devastating. “There’s a vast divide between Americans’ concern about the looming Social Security funding shortfall and the lack of serious and thorough conversation among elected officials about what to do about it,” said Bankrate Senior Economic Analyst Mark Hamrick. “The result is that the American public’s financial well-being is not being tended to.” To complicate matters, many Americans believe they are already behind on their retirement savings, he said. Hamrick advised Americans to undertake proactive steps to ensure their retirement plans. Tackling Social Security Solvency Crisis A recent study from the Employee Benefit Research Institute showed how critical Social Security payments are for retired Americans. About 80% of respondents said Social Security was an income source accounting for roughly half of their total earnings. The majority of retirees have only three months’ worth of savings put aside for emergencies. As such, any reduction in income puts them in financial distress. Facing a looming crisis in Social Security, lawmakers have proposed measures to tackle the issue, which vary depending on the political party. Last February, a group of Democrat lawmakers and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, introduced the Social Security Expansion Act. The bill proposed requiring wealthy American households to “pay their fair share of taxes,” which it claimed could keep Social Security solvent for an additional 75 years. Specifically, it suggested imposing a 12.4% tax on business and investment income of wealthy people. On the other hand, President-elect Donald Trump proposed during his campaign that he would cut down taxes for Social Security payments received by seniors. In August, a group of lawmakers introduced the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act aimed at strengthening the financial state of Social Security and ensuring that “seniors continue to benefit from the programs they have paid into throughout their lives,” said an Aug. 2 statement. The bill proposes doing away with the generic measure of inflation to decide annual cost-of-living adjustments to Social Security payments. Instead, it wants to use an inflation gauge that specifically measures the living costs incurred by senior citizens. The act also seeks to phase out limits on social security contributions. “Social Security provides crucial support to millions of kupuna [elders], people with disabilities, and other vulnerable communities in Hawaii and across the country,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii. “By lifting the cap on Social Security contributions, the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act will help ensure Social Security remains solvent for decades to come.”
"As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It's an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world's premier racing series, and we're committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," GM President Mark Reuss said. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM's engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level." The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti. Andretti in September stepped aside from leading his namesake organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. Towriss is the the CEO and president of Group 1001 and entered motorsports via Andretti's IndyCar team when he signed on financial savings platform Gainbridge as a sponsor. Towriss is now a major part of the motorsports scene with ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports' NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car team. Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the controlling owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea. "We're excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," Towriss said. "Together, we're assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world." Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1. But his son, Michael, will have no official position with the organization now that he has scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global. "The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team," Michael Andretti posted on social media. "I'm very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!" The approval has been in works for weeks but was held until after last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix to not overshadow the showcase event of the Liberty Media portfolio. Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Saturday night's race, the third and final stop in the United States for the top motorsports series in the world. Grid expansion in F1 is both infrequent and often unsuccessful. Four teams were granted entries in 2010 that should have pushed the grid to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made it to the grid and the other three had vanished by 2017. There is only one American team on the current F1 grid — owned by California businessman Gene Haas — but it is not particularly competitive and does not field American drivers. Andretti's dream was to field a truly American team with American drivers. The fight to add this team has been going on for three-plus years, and F1 initially denied the application despite approval from F1 sanctioning body FIA. The existing 10 teams, who have no voice in the matter, also largely opposed expansion because of the dilution in prize money and the billions of dollars they've already invested in the series. Andretti in 2020 tried and failed to buy the existing Sauber team. From there, he applied for grid expansion and partnered with GM, the top-selling manufacturer in the United States. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti's application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1's current grid. "General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners," Ben Sulayem said Monday. "I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application." Despite the FIA's acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn't interested in Andretti — but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete. "Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024," F1 said in a statement. "Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process." Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry. "With Formula 1's continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Maffei said. "We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1."Alex Ovechkin has a broken left fibula and is expected to be out four to six weeks, an injury that pauses the Washington Capitals superstar captain’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record. The Capitals updated Ovechkin’s status Thursday after he was evaluated by team doctors upon returning from a three-game trip. The 39-year-old broke the leg in a shin-on-shin collision Monday night with Utah's Jack McBain, and some of his closest teammates knew it was not good news even before Ovechkin was listed as week to week and placed on injured reserve. 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The Philadelphia 76ers will continue a Western Conference swing with a meeting with the host Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night as they attempt to keep finding their form. After a slow start to the campaign, the Sixers are on a season-best three-game winning streak that includes a 114-111 victory over the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Saturday. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey each scored 32 points to pace Philadelphia's offensive attack. Embiid went 11-for-13 from the charity stripe -- where he is 70-for-75 on the season -- against Utah to help the 76ers rally from a 14-point first-half deficit. It marked Philadelphia's ninth win in 12 games. The Sixers are finally starting to have Embiid in the lineup more consistently, as the MVP of the 2022-23 campaign is in line to play four games in a row for the first time this season when Philadelphia takes on Portland. Embiid has appeared in 10 of the 76ers' 29 games. "I thought he was rolling really good (against the Jazz)," 76ers coach Nick Nurse said of Embiid. "I thought he really played at a great tempo. He was under control, had the shot fakes, drawing all the fouls, all that stuff. ... I thought he played pretty assertive. Philadelphia will face a rejuvenated Trail Blazers team, which is seeking a third consecutive win. Portland most recently relied on an even spread of contributors in a 126-122 win over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night. Shaedon Sharpe (23 points), Anfernee Simons (22), Deandre Ayton (21), Deni Avdija (21) and Scoot Henderson (19) all took turns in getting the scoreboard moving. Blazers coach Chauncey Billups missed his second straight game due to the death of his grandmother, but it seems like his messages are starting to finally sink in. "Everything is starting to click," said Ayton, who also had 16 rebounds on Saturday. "The things we've been doing in the lab is being consistent and guys just buying in. ... It's starting to click where we're starting to see some of these results. ... The vets on the team are talking a lot more, and the young guys are really speaking up as well; (they're) asking a lot more questions." Henderson's improved form has been a key to Portland's recent surge. The exciting second-year playmaker has seemingly snapped out of a rut by following an 18-point, 10-assist double-double against the Jazz with six assists and a career-best five steals against the Mavericks to complement his scoring. "He's contagious," Ayton said of Henderson. "When he's firing like that, he's downhill, he starts flexing, being animated, (and) that energy spreads quickly." Sharpe has also noticed a new and improved version of Henderson since Christmas. "He's just been more aggressive and been himself," Sharpe said. "(Henderson is) making the right plays and getting everyone involved -- just being the point guard everyone knows he can be. Everyone's touching the ball, everyone's creating for each other, and the energy is high right now." This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission.A huge crocodile that rose to fame with a cameo in hit film Crocodile Dundee has died. Burt died over the weekend, the Crocosaurus Cove reptile aquarium in Darwin, Australia, said. He was at least 90 years old. “Known for his independent nature, Burt was a confirmed bachelor – an attitude he made clear during his earlier years at a crocodile farm,” Crocosaurus Cove wrote in social media posts. The aquarium added: “He wasn’t just a crocodile, he was a force of nature and a reminder of the power and majesty of these incredible creatures. While his personality could be challenging, it was also what made him so memorable and beloved by those who worked with him and the thousands who visited him over the years.” A saltwater crocodile, Burt was estimated to be more than 16 feet long. He was captured in the 1980s in the Reynolds River and became one of the most well-known crocodiles in the world, according to Crocosaurus Cove. The 1986 film stars Paul Hogan as the rugged crocodile hunter Mick Dundee. In the movie, American Sue Charlton, played by actress Linda Kozlowski, goes to fill her canteen in a watering hole when she is attacked by a crocodile before being saved by Dundee. Burt is briefly shown lunging out of the water. But the creature shown in more detail as Dundee saves the day is apparently something else. The Internet Movie Database says the film made a mistake by depicting an American alligator, which has a blunter snout. The Australian aquarium where Burt had lived since 2008 features a Cage of Death which it says is the nation’s only crocodile dive. It said it planned to honour Burt’s legacy with a commemorative sign “celebrating his extraordinary life and the stories and interactions he shared throughout his time at the park”.
Labour plans to make spiking a specific offence and has laid out plans for venue staff to be trained in relation to spiking, with a pilot to begin within weeks before a wider rollout next year. Ms Davies-Jones, asked about why it was worthwhile to make spiking a new offence when it is already illegal, said: “Spiking is a crime already. “A lot of people don’t realise that it is a crime already, which is part of the problem.” She said there were around 6,000 reports of spiking last year but that because it is an underreported crime, it is not clear how big of a problem it is. 'Legislation won't fix this on its own...this is about a culture shift' @SophyRidgeSky challenges Minister for Victims @AlexDaviesJones on the govt plan to change the spiking law even though it is already a criminal offence. #PoliticsHub https://t.co/GlTNastFii 📺 Sky 501 pic.twitter.com/Zb65c6KnOM — Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge (@SkyPoliticsHub) November 25, 2024 “Part of the problem we’ve got is around the data collection, so you don’t know if you’ve been spiked with a drink, a needle, a vape, for example,” she told Politics Hub on Sky News. Modernising the offence and giving police the tools to get accurate data allows a clearer picture of where, how and how often spiking is happening, she said. It is about “clarifying it, modernising it, making sure that people know exactly what this is...the law isn’t quite, it isn’t up to date. “It isn’t modern enough.” Sir Keir Starmer earlier said he hopes the change will give people “the confidence to come forward”, in a meeting of police bosses, transport figures and hospitality executives in Downing Street. Spiking will be made a criminal offence. My government was elected to take back our streets, central to this mission is making sure women and girls can feel safe at night. Perpetrators of spiking will feel the full force of the law. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) November 25, 2024 Ms Davies-Jones and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper were among the attendees at the round-table discussion on Monday morning. Labour pledged in its manifesto to introduce a new offence for spiking, but there was no detail in the King’s Speech this year about a specific crime, though it promised to ensure an improved police response to cases. According to information published by the Metropolitan Police, spiking offences are currently covered by more than one law, but most come under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Sir Keir told the meeting: “There are a number of measures that we are setting out this morning – we want to talk it through with you. “The first is to make spiking a specific offence so that it counts, it’s reported.” He said that such a measure would mean that it “enables everybody to have the confidence to come forward” and also “it allows perpetrators to know that it’s a specific offence”. Detailing the training scheme, he went on: “We’re beginning the piloting of training for staff in venues.” He said the scheme would be “partly to spot what’s happening, but also to know what to do in the event that there is an incident in a venue”. “That will start in December with a pilot then it will be rolled out from March of next year,” Sir Keir added. He also said that the “final” point of discussion for the morning was “police indexing – (the) way that we count it across different police forces”. Sir Keir added: “At the moment it’s quite hard to get your arms around the pure numbers.” Plain clothes officers are being deployed in areas around bars and clubs to spot predatory behaviour. The text-to-report number, 61016, that allows women to contact British Transport Police to report harassment on the train, is due to be relaunched. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Spiking is a disturbing and serious crime which can have a damaging and long-lasting impact on victims. “That’s why today we are taking decisive action to prevent this devastating crime and to crack down on perpetrators, by introducing a new criminal offence for spiking and launching specialist training for thousands of bar staff nationwide. “People shouldn’t have to worry about the safety of their drinks on a night out. “These changes are about giving victims greater confidence to come forward, and ensuring that there is a robust response from the police whenever these appalling crimes take place.”