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Genetic testing, which has expanded in recent years with advances in technology and the development of consumer products, is on a path to widespread acceptance in the U.S., researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center found. The popularity of ancestry research and rising numbers of clinical referrals are helping drive that trend, according to the study published in Frontiers in Genetics . "Genetic testing is an increasingly valuable tool for identifying a wide range of medical risks, including cancer, heart disease , neurogenetic conditions, prenatal diagnoses, and more," said study leader Sukh Makhnoon, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health and the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern. "While the portfolio of accurate, affordable tests has expanded in recent years, growth in awareness among both individuals and the medical community has been incremental. Our study demonstrates that genetic testing may finally be reaching mainstream acceptance." Using data from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey, UTSW researchers found that 81% of Americans are aware of genetic testing and 40% have undergone at least one test, up from 75% awareness and 19% usage in 2020. Among 6,252 respondents, awareness was highest for ancestry testing (72%), followed by testing for specific diseases (55%), prenatal genetic carrier testing (37%), and personal trait testing (25%). Of the 4,403 respondents who answered the question on whether they had used a test, ancestry tests (23%) were most common, ahead of specific disease risk (16%), prenatal carrier (8%), and personal trait (6%). Researchers also found that racial and ethnic disparities in the use of genetic tests are narrowing, further suggesting improved acceptance. For example, Black (37%) and Asian (29%) respondents were almost as likely as white participants (39%) to have undergone at least one genetic test. The involvement of genetic counselors, however, remains limited. Only 10% of all clinical genetic tests were ordered by genetic counselors, who are trained to provide relevant information and support to patients. Two-thirds of disease tests, which require the involvement of a health care professional, were ordered by physicians other than genetic counselors. "While those providers obviously recognize the benefits of testing, they may not have the training to successfully help patients understand and adapt to the medical or psychosocial consequences of genetic information," Dr. Makhnoon said. "Our findings suggest that the medical community should emphasize the importance of continued genetic education for health care providers to strengthen their skills in supporting patients before and after testing—and better manage ongoing care once results are known." The study builds on the growing body of research related to public health genetics and its benefits in identifying disease risk. "This is a fairly new field of research, but one that is growing rapidly in importance due to technological advancements and the possibility of unlocking new pathways to patient care," Dr. Makhnoon said. "We are committed to continuing our efforts to enhancing the understanding of genetics through future research." More information: Sukh Makhnoon et al, Awareness, use, motivations and methods of accessing genetic testing in 2022 in the United States, Frontiers in Genetics (2024). DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1462831Ange Postecoglou does not seem prone to introspection and rarely succumbs to self doubt but maybe, just maybe, a little part of Tottenham’s manager wishes he had never left Glasgow. Things were so much simpler for the Australian when he was hoovering up trophies during his Celtic tenure. Back then Angeball not merely entertained but pretty much worked and he revelled in putting Rangers in their place. Such old certainties seemed cruel chimeras as Postecoglou failed to turn back time here, leaving his current Spurs players heading back to the airport nursing a record of only one win in their last eight matches. In truth a draw was the least Rangers deserved from a Battle of Britain punctuated by a soundtrack featuring renditions of “Sacked in the morning” aimed for Postecoglou’s ears. It was a bitterly cold night with temperatures hovering around freezing point by the Clyde but nothing could surely rival the inner chill Tottenham fans must have felt as they watched Philippe Clement’s side enhance their chances of direct progression to the Europa League’s knockout phase, leaving their guests contemplating the lottery of the playoffs following January’s final two initial stage games. Perhaps everyone had underestimated a Rangers side currently third in Scotland’s Premiership. After all they kicked off unbeaten in their previous eight fixtures and as Nedim Bajrami forced the excellent Fraser Forster into a fine save involving Tottenham’s former Celtic goalkeeper’s fingertips coming between the ball and the top corner it was easy to see why. By then Timo Werner was already underwhelming with every touch and a ferociously fast counterattacking Rangers dominated. At times Tottenham’s defence lived extremely dangerously with Forster required to save smartly from Vaclav Cerny before Bajrami somehow failed to connect with Jefté’s gloriously inviting cross that demanded to be tapped in from close range. After a slide to 11th in the Premier League and considerable debate about both the feasibility of “Angeball” and his own job security, Tottenham’s manager was in need of a restorative night on his first return to Govan but, instead, he looked increasingly stressed. For all his past success with Celtic Postecoglou won only one of his four visits to Ibrox with his old employers and here he could have done without needing to deploy Archie Gray out of position as an emergency centre-half in a defence badly missing, among others, the injured Micky van de Ven. When Forster again saved superbly from Cerny, with his feet this time, it was clear that Gray and co were struggling to cope with Rangers’ alacrity on the break. It did not help that the visitors treated the ball as a toxic object. With the exception of the efficient Yves Bissouma, they forfeited possession with alarming frequency as Clement’s players revelled in closing them down at ferociously high tempo, leaving James Maddison and co no time to sprinkle any stardust on proceedings. Rangers deservedly took the lead early in the second half. It started with a deep, lofted cross from James Tavernier and concluded with Hamza Igamane unleashing a sublime left footed shot that left Forster utterly helpless and Pedro Porro doubtless reflecting on how easily Igamane had dodged him. At least it served to galvanise Spurs and with Jack Butland finally making some important saves an equaliser beckoned. It finally arrived when Dominic Solanke and Maddison belatedly showed their class deconstructing the home rearguard before the substitute Dejan Kulusevski slipped a deceptive left-foot finish beyond Butland’s reach. Although Tavernier’s fine block subsequently denied Solanke, another substitute, a goal only further Forster brilliance prevented Cyriel Dessers from claiming a late home winner that would only have amplified those “sacked in the morning”choruses.
Key Takeaways: Transportation is the highest emissions segment in United States Of rail, water, and road, only freight trucking can readily decarbonize Electric trucks are cost-effective and rapidly advancing The United States has unintentionally made itself into the country with the hardest to decarbonize transportation sector, and it matters. Transportation produces a third of all greenhouse gas emissions for the country, more than electrical generation now, as well as contributing an outsized share of air pollution. The one segment of freight transportation with a potential for significant decarbonization in the near term, heavy-duty road trucking, faces headwinds despite contributing to 30% of total emissions of the transportation sector, and being only 5% of road vehicles. How can electrification of road trucking be accelerated so that this win can be realized quickly? As the first article in this strategy series lays out, the authors’ intended audience is three-fold: 1) firms with major internal freight logistics and operations such as UPS, FedEx, and Amazon which operate many depots; 2) large firms that own and operate many existing highway truck stops and depots; and 3) turn-key engineering, procurement, and construction solution providers that can build all elements of charging at existing or new truck stops and depots. The reason is simple: these are the organizations with the ability to deliver repeatable, high-quality, low-cost truck charging solutions following the diagnosis and self-reinforcing actions contained in this series. Other stakeholders, such as policymakers, truck makers, manufacturers of battery, solar, and charging equipment, energy management companies, and more, should look at this material and determine how they can support the primary audiences. The authors, Rish Ghatikar and Michael Barnard, are professionals with global careers in strategy, sustainability and transportation. They took it upon themselves to articulate over a series of articles what they consider a high-efficiency strategy, policies and action plans to address one of the the important challenges — to decarbonize heavy-duty road freight. They are available to guide firms which want to take up this strategy to assist with its refinement and adaptation for specific firms’ requirements. The authors share the perspective that Richard Rumelt’s Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters is the best book on strategic planning for businesses and policy makers available today, and will use Rumelt’s framing to articulate their perspective. At heart, Rumelt says a good strategy has a kernel consisting of three things. First, a diagnosis of what is going on here, a clear-eyed look at all relevant aspects of the situation. Second, a policy which simplifies and focuses actions, designed to maximize benefits and minimize risks. Third, a set of self-reinforcing actions aligned with the policy. That’s it: diagnosis, policy, actions. The book is a highly recommended read and provides example after example of bad strategies that don’t have this. And so, to the diagnosis of freight decarbonization. As noted in the introduction, the United States has a challenge in decarbonizing the transportation sector. While this is true for the movement of people around the country in their daily rounds and trips, we’ll set this aside and focus on freight road transport. Per earlier assessments Barnard has done of global freight mode variances across major economic blocs, the United States has a breakdown of roughly 2 trillion ton miles (TTM) of road freight, 1.5 TTM of rail freight, and 0.4 TTM of domestic water freight. Two of these modes face significant challenges in decarbonization in the coming two decades. Per the US’ own transportation blueprint , which Barnard analyzed upon its release, the intent is mode-shifting of freight from roads to rail and water. However, the reality is that the inverse that will happen, for better or worse. Water freight in the US is heavily constrained for growth. The Jones Act, the most restrictive cabotage act in the world, which requires all domestic water freight vessels to be made in America, by American firms, owned by American firms, flagged in America, and crewed by Americans, was intended to preserve the merchant marine in the aftermath of World War One, where it was a vital logistics arm of the US military. However, as Barnard pointed out in his assessment of US water freight challenges , in combination with the deindustrialization of the US over the past four decades, American shipbuilding has dwindled. Now the country isn’t even in the top 15 of shipbuilding countries, outstripped by much smaller European countries. However, it isn’t the European shipbuilders which are the challenge, although they will be running flat out to build the electrified ships of the future for that continent. It’s that China is now by far the biggest shipbuilder in the world, with 59% of all new ship orders flowing to Chinese shipyards. That’s followed by South Korea and Japan, both of which are also on the other side of the Pacific. While those two countries are US allies, having them build new, smaller domestic ships for the US market when they are building high-ticket large ships for global freight firms will be challenging. Of course, inland and short-sea ships often can’t cross oceans, so delivery of the vessels will be challenging as well. Finally, inland and short sea shippings’ largest lever in the coming years is battery-electric propulsion, as that has the best economics and emissions savings. Per US Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory studies in 2022 and 2024 , 950-mile journeys break even economically with batteries that cost US$100 per kWh, and 1,900 mile journeys at $50 per kWh. The Chinese firm CATL, the market leader in electric vehicle batteries, delivers lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries at $56 per kWh today, however, the US has put significant tariffs on Chinese batteries and has very limited battery manufacturing capacity. Batteries built in the US, with the possible exception of Tesla, will remain much more expensive, and cheaper batteries from China will be difficult to consider immediately. The authors recognize that the United States is pursuing domestic manufacturing policies and investments which have the potential to lower battery costs over the longer-term, but the recent failure of Northvolt, which Barnard analyzed , means that those initiatives are high risk. The small and aging fleet of merchant marine vessels operating domestically — only 93 vessels over 100 tons currently qualify — will be difficult to retrofit and new vessels will be difficult to build. That’s true for dual fuel vessels for lower likelihood alternative fuels such as methanol and ammonia as well. This leaves biodiesel repurposed from other parts of the US economy as likely the only lever available for the small number of ships. Growing the water freight segment, as the blueprint suggests, is heavily constrained, and it’s the smallest freight carrier today despite the excellent waterway and coastal resources the United States has. Moving on to rail, the US, uniquely among major economic blocs, has no heavy freight electrification. India is at 97% electrification this year after 15 years of its program and will hit 100% soon, and rail is the dominant mode of domestic freight shipping. China is well over 70% electrified. Europe, while moving little freight by rail as it prioritizes passengers there, has a high degree of electrification. The lack of rail electrification in the United States is due to the corporate structure of heavy rail and bordering countries, Canada and Mexico. All of the tracks are owned by operators, unlike other countries where they are national infrastructure or public-sector assets. In the US, investment in their maintenance, as well as strategic improvements, are the responsibilities of the operators. The operators are constrained under US fiduciary responsibility to only consider the requirements of their shareholders. Strategic investments that would impact quarterly profits, operations, dividends, and earnings calls this year for a benefit in five to ten years, are close to impossible to get approved. US rail operators are going to see seriously declining revenue in coming years as the full third of their tonnage which is coal and a bit of oil disappears as global demand diminishes. They will be operating under falling revenues and seeing an even lower ratio of freight tons per mile of track than they do today, when over the entire set of rails they are already at half of European levels and worse compared to India and China. As a result of this situation, the official American Association of Railroads policy is that what every other major economy is just getting on with is impossible in the US. They are formally and vocally opposed to rail electrification. Further, while they could operate their trains on biodiesel, it would increase their operating expenses and decrease their profits, so it isn’t viable for them either. The lack of a carbon price on fuels in the United States, with limited carbon pricing in only two states, means that rail operators have no economic incentive to purchase more expensive fuels. The Inflation Reduction Act, while it is subsidizing green hydrogen and synthetic fuels, still leaves resulting liquid fuels that are plug compatible with aging diesel electric locomotives far above the cost of diesel today. The only lever is pressure from major logistics firms such as Amazon which are looking to decarbonize their supply chains, and while rail operators are listening, they aren’t acting. The situation brings us to freight road trucks where diesel-powered trucks still dominate. At the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) Run on Less test month in September of 2023, two Tesla Semis covered over 1,000 miles in a day of operation with two half-hour charging sessions. Other manufacturers had 500-mile days. The accomplishments show that the challenges of scaling electric technology in heavier and longer-distance trucks are addressable. However, the current share of electric trucks is statistically insignificant (Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has hired Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McFee to be her new top bureaucrat. Starting early next year, McFee is to be deputy minister of executive council and head of the Alberta Public Service. He has been the capital city’s chief of police since 2019 and has also been in leadership positions with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Canadian Police Association. McFee, who previously worked as a deputy minister for corrections and policing in Saskatchewan and was also the chief of police in Prince Albert, announced last month he would be leaving his EPS contract early . McFee was sworn in as Edmonton’s 23rd chief of police on Feb. 1, 2019. His last day with the EPS will be Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. His job with the Alberta government begins the following Monday, Feb. 24. Smith says she has worked with McFee on a number of government initiatives and he’ll bring a fresh perspective to the office. McFee says he’s deeply committed to the province and to driving positive change in the public service and for all Albertans. — More to come... With files from Karen Bartko, Global News
Canucks activate veteran defenseman Derek ForbortNone
THE car’s glovebox is opened and hidden switches are flicked, then a magnet is placed next to the steering wheel, causing the front seats to rise upwards. The movement reveals a secret storage hole beneath, which stretches under the footwell. But this modified family car is not something from a James Bond film, but a smuggler’s vehicle, crafted to transport millions of pounds-worth of Class A drugs across the English Channel for sale on our streets. It is a sight all too familiar to Britain’s Border Force staff, who are encountering increasingly sophisticated ways of hiding drugs, cash, illegal cigarettes, guns and even people. Border Force invited The Sun behind the scenes at the Port of Dover to see for ourselves the daily battles its staff face to keep our streets safe. The agency’s South East Regional Director David Smith said: “We’re always broadening our techniques to make sure we stay one step ahead of the smugglers. READ MORE ON DRUG CRIME “Over the years, trends change and we’re always adapting to make sure we can find everything possible. Some of the concealments that are used to bring in illegal items are very technical.” Street value of millions But thanks to its specialists at ports across the UK, Border Force is finding more contraband than ever. The first six months of 2024 saw 92 per cent more illegal drugs intercepted, with 22,719 seizures, than in the same period in 2023. This included 19 tonnes of cocaine and 412kg of ketamine , and the force has intercepted the largest batch of pink cocaine — a drug cocktail that can contain ketamine, ecstasy, meth and crack — headed for the UK. Most read in The Sun Officers found 100kg of the new party drug hidden in a vehicle alongside 40kg of ketamine and 30kg of MDMA , or ecstasy, as it is known in tablet form. David said: “Pink cocaine can be made from various drugs, like MDMA, ecstasy and ketamine, but we’re now seeing it being mixed with some very nasty drugs including [synthetic opioids] fentanyl and nitazenes. “While it looks like a manufactured pill, you won’t know what you are getting.” The substance, which is hugely popular in drug hotspots such as Ibiza , is still relatively rare in the UK. Another smugglers’ vehicle discovered by the team was a white van with a hidden compartment under its wooden floor, which could only be opened by placing a magnet in a certain position. We’re always broadening our techniques to stay one step ahead of the smugglers. Some of the concealments that are used to bring in illegal items are very technical It was big enough to hide Class A drugs worth several million pounds. The force also seized a gas canister which sounded as if it contained liquid, and released gas when the valve was opened, but had a hollow section that could fit up to 20kg of narcotics. It was found when officers noticed wear and tear where it wasn’t expected. It is not unusual to find a mixture of drugs destined for different British gangs once they arrive on UK soil. David said: “Transporters of drugs are a bit like taxi services for gangs. “Some organised crime groups don’t have a method of transportation, and it’s usually passed to a third party who sorts it. It means that we can find products for multiple gangs in one vehicle.” In the first six months of this year Border Force also made 18,000 seizures of herbal cannabis , equalling 41 tonnes. David has been working for Border Force for more than three decades and has seen a big change in the volume of party drugs trafficked to the UK. He said: “We used to see a lot more Class B drugs but now the quantity of Class A coming in has massively increased. “In the first six months of this year we have seized 19 tonnes of cocaine, which would have a street value of £425million. Getting these drugs in is big business for gangs. “The 92 per cent increase we’ve seen compared to last year in the first six months is thanks to the dedicated officers. We have the most highly skilled officers anywhere in the world, and we work 24/7 to keep the UK safe.” Vehicles which are chosen to be searched are selected with the help of technology , plus trained officers who can “read” the drivers’ and passengers’ behaviour — and a spot of four-legged assistance. Transporters of drugs are a bit like taxi services for gangs Among those working a shift when The Sun visited was two-year-old cocker spaniel Glenn, who demonstrated how quickly the dogs in the Dover team — other cocker spaniels, some springer spaniels and a Labrador — can find drugs. It took him just seconds to identify a car boot as storing illegal substances, which he did simply by sitting down and looking at his handler. But while the dogs are not always able to sniff out the contraband, a non-indication from them does not mean a search won’t take place. The searches can be intelligence-led from tip-offs from Europol, Interpol or domestic police , and are also carried out when officers spot abnormalities and when drivers are spotted behaving strangely. The Border Force agents are determined that nothing they come across will put them off their pursuit of the smugglers, no matter how bizarre it might seem. And it doesn’t matter how disgusting the circumstances are either. Hidden in manure In a bid to avoid a search, some gangs cover their drugs in manure or grease, hoping it will hide the drugs’ smell from the dogs. We were also shown a video which demonstrated how 225kg of methamphetamines, known on the streets as meth, had been placed inside an industrial magnet and welded shut. Another showed how 16kg of cocaine had been concealed in a hidden section of a Hyundai’s boot which could only be opened using a certain set of switches. It is not just the gangs’ contraband that is targeted by the Border Force staff. They often seize their means of smuggling too, even when no drugs have been found. David said: “Sometimes we detect vehicles that have been adapted for transporting drugs or money around the UK that are destined for county lines gangs. The volume of drugs we’ve detected here and across the country this year shows that we are very good at what we do “We often have vehicles brought to us from elsewhere in the UK to search and find the concealments within them. “This is because our officers are some of the most highly trained in the world, and finding these compartments can be really tricky. “The volume of drugs we’ve detected here and across the country this year shows that we are very good at what we do. “We just want to stop the bad guys.” Seema Malhotra, Minister for Migration and Citizenship, said: “Party drugs like pink cocaine are illegal and highly dangerous. “Border Force are working around the clock to seize illegal drugs and help to keep our streets and our communities safer this Christmas party season. “Thanks to their expertise and vigilance, they are successfully intercepting these dangerous substances at our borders with increasing success. READ MORE SUN STORIES “Young people must be in no doubt about the harmful effects of the synthetic substances found in party drugs, which can often be a deadly concoction of chemicals that can have devastating consequences, ruining theirs and their loved ones’ lives. “My message to people going out over the festive people is to stay safe, and to the evil criminals lining their pockets — you will be caught and will face the full force of the law.”
Celebrating The Anniversary Of The Wright Brothers' First Flight
Odronextamab ASH Presentations Underscore Impressive Potential in Earlier Lines of Treatment and Additional Types of Lymphoma
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Themus Fulks' 26 points helped Milwaukee defeat IU Indianapolis 88-81 on Sunday. Fulks also contributed five rebounds and five assists for the Panthers (10-4, 3-0 Horizon League). Kentrell Pullian scored 20 points while going 5 of 9 from the floor, including 4 for 7 from 3-point range, and 6 for 8 from the line. Erik Pratt shot 5 for 9, including 1 for 4 from beyond the arc to finish with 11 points. Sean Craig led the way for the Jaguars (5-10, 1-3) with 22 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Paul Zilinskas added 21 points and three steals for IU Indianapolis. Jarvis Walker finished with 12 points and four assists. Milwaukee's next game is Thursday against Oakland on the road. IU Indianapolis hosts Youngstown State on Wednesday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar . For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Data Skrive.SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Penn State coach James Franklin has long campaigned for college football to have a commissioner oversee the sport because of NIL and transfer portal issues, among others. Sunday at the Fiesta Bowl’s Media Day, Franklin named who he would like to see fill that role. “I think (former Alabama coach) Nick Saban would be the obvious choice,” he said. “Nick will probably call me tonight and say, ‘Don’t do this.’ “But I think he’s the obvious choice, right? I think there are some other really good candidates out there. But that would be a very, very important step moving forward to come up with some solutions and do what’s best for our sport.” Franklin was responding to a question regarding Miami quarterback Cam Ward not playing the second half of the Hurricanes’ 42-41 loss to Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Last year, four Penn State players opted out of the Peach Bowl: Olu Fashanu, Chop Robinson, Kalen King and Johnny Dixon. Three others sat out the second half: Theo Johnson, Adisa Isaac and Caedan Wallace. “It’s a challenge that has been a challenge for a number of years,” Franklin said. “It’s obviously become even more challenging with some of the things with the calendar and with the transfer portal, the windows; and then on top of that, NIL. “It’s one of those things that we can’t just keep talking about. We have to come up with some solutions.” Franklin also suggested eliminating conference championship games and teams playing the same amount of conference games. “We should be doing what’s best for college football and the student-athletes,” he said. “Getting rid of the conference championship games would help with that. When you have a (College Football Playoff) committee sitting in a room trying to compare apples to apples, it’s hard to do that when not everybody is playing under the same model. “I also think it’s very, very important that everybody is playing the same number of conference games, whether that’s eight, nine or whatever. Then the committee can compare apples to apples.” Embracing underdog role: Boise State arrived Saturday in Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl wearing T-shirts that said, “Please Count Us Out.” The Broncos (12-1) are 11-point underdogs against Penn State for Tuesday night’s game. “I definitely didn’t plan on it becoming a shirt,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said. “(But) that’s what I believe in and that’s what Boise State has been built on.” Danielson mentioned the Broncos’ thrilling overtime win over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl as why fans across the country have been drawn to the program. “We have been counted out before,” he said. “We have been counted out as a program. We have been counted out in games this year, and you thrive in that.” Praise for Durant: Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was asked if anyone on the Penn State defense other than All-American end Abdul Carter jumped out to him. “I know the interior guys kind of get overlooked,” said Jeanty, the nation’s top rusher. “To me, (tackle) Zane Durant is a baller. We’ve been talking about him since we’ve been game-planning. He’s a great player. He’s going to give us a run for our money.”
Spithill, the team’s CEO and founder, pulled a major coup by hiring his old America’s Cup crewmate and fellow Australian, wing trimmer Kyle Langford, from the Australian team that dominated SailGP for the first three seasons. Italy, SailGP's 12th team, sailed its foiling 50-foot catamaran for the first time Thursday. After practice racing on Friday, the opening regatta will be Saturday and Sunday. “It’s been definitely a big push,” Spithill said in a video interview with The Associated Press. “It’s all come up really quick. We’re almost there.” Spithill left the U.S. SailGP team in November after 2 1⁄2 seasons to focus on starting the Italian team and on sailing in this year’s America’s Cup. He was co-helmsman of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, which was eliminated by INEOS Britannia in the challenger finals. Double Olympic gold medalist Ruggero Tita will helm the Italian team, while two-time bronze medalist and recent Women’s America’s Cup winner Giulia Fava will be the strategist and Italian national champion Andrea Tesei will be the flight controller. Alex Sinclair also followed Spithill, joining grinders Matteo Celon and Enrico Voltolini, who have extensive high-performance and America’s Cup experience. Spithill said his crew has “some absolute next-generation stars, from different backgrounds, Olympics, America’s Cup, and it’s just awesome having Kyle come in.” Spithill, 45, said he’ll be on the boat only if someone gets hurt or sick. “These young guys are too good at it,” he said. “The talent that’s coming through in Italy, I mean, the results do the talking.” More stars having been switching teams in SailGP, which was co-founded by tech billionaire Larry Ellison. Signing Langford is a big deal for the new team. Shortly before the 2013 America’s Cup on San Francisco Bay, Langford was promoted to Oracle’s race crew after wing trimmer Dirk de Ridder was suspended by an international jury. With Emirates Team New Zealand at match point at 8-1, Spithill skippered Oracle to eight straight wins in one of the greatest comebacks in sports to retain the Cup. “One thing that really attracted him was a chance to start out and really play a major role with the new team and especially the emerging talent,” Spithill said. “It would have been really easy for him to say, ‘You know what? I’m comfortable with the Aussies.’ But the fact that he’s stepped out of his comfort zone and he’s challenging himself as an athlete in this stage of his career is just massive.” While talented, the Italian crew will have the least experience together in the high-performance F50 catamaran. Spithill said Langford “is going to play a huge role in getting this team up to speed. I mean, the F50 is, without a doubt, probably the hardest boat to sail out there.” After sailing for Luna Rossa in three of his eight America’s Cup campaigns, Spithill has seen how passionate Italian fans are. “When you talk about an exciting market for the sport, I mean, it doesn’t get any better than Italy,” he said. “It has a huge following in Italy and they’ve got a real cultural attachment to the ocean and the sport itself.” Spithill said immediately after Luna Rossa’s loss in early October that it was time to step away from the America’s Cup. “The point is, we didn’t get the job done so I hold myself accountable for that. And I also am seeing firsthand that this next generation of talent coming through and I believe they deserve a shot, you know?” “I really think SailGP is the future of the sport. The whole regular season, the concept makes a lot of sense,” he said. Dubai is the first of 14 regattas. At season’s end, the top three crews will race in the $2 million, winner-take-all Grand Final. Also Thursday, Rolex was announced as SailGP's first title sponsor as part of a 10-year deal. Bernie Wilson has covered sailing for The Associated Press since 1991.BOULDER, Colo. — Travis Hunter is a throwback-type player — an elite receiver one moment, a lockdown cornerback the next — who rarely leaves the field and has a knack for making big plays all over it. The Colorado Buffaloes' two-way standout (see: unicorn) even celebrates at an elite level, unveiling imaginative dance moves following touchdowns and interceptions, some of which include the Heisman Trophy pose. It's one of the many awards he's in line to win. Hunter is the The Associated Press college football player of the year, receiving 26 of 43 votes Thursday from a panel of AP Top 25 voters. Boise State tailback Ashton Jeanty finished second with 16 votes and Arizona State running back Cameron Skattebo received one vote. "Couldn't do what I do without my team," Hunter said in an email on a trip to Las Vegas for an awards ceremony. "So I view being up for these awards as team awards." A player with his particular set of skills doesn't come around that often. He's a flashback to the days of Charles Woodson at Michigan or Champ Bailey at Georgia. Or even his coach, Deion Sanders, a two-way star in the NFL. The prospect of significant playing time on both sides of the ball is what led Hunter to join Sanders at Jackson State and why he followed Sanders to Boulder. "Coach Prime was the only coach who would consider allowing me to do what I'm doing," said Hunter, who's expected to be a top-five pick next spring in the NFL draft, possibly even the No. 1 overall selection. "He did it and knows what it takes — how much you have to be ready on both sides of the ball." Want to fuel Hunter? Simply tell him he can't. "I'm motivated when people tell me I can't do something," Hunter said. "That I can't dominate on both sides of the ball. I want to be an example for others that anything is possible. Keep pursuing your dreams." Hunter helped the 20th-ranked Buffaloes to a 9-3 record this season and a berth in the Alamo Bowl against No. 17 BYU (10-2) on Dec. 28. He played 688 defensive snaps and 672 more on offense — the lone Power Four conference player with 30-plus snaps on both sides of the ball, according to Colorado research. Hunter has already won a second straight Paul Hornung award as the game's most versatile player. He's up for the Walter Camp (player of the year), Maxwell (most outstanding player), the Biletnikoff (best receiver) and Bednarik (top defensive player) awards. And, of course, the Heisman, where he's the odds-on favorite to win over Jeanty this weekend. Hunter can join the late Rashaan Salaam as the only Colorado players to capture the Heisman. Salaam won it in 1994 after rushing for 2,055 yards. Hunter wasn't a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation's top defensive back. That drew the wrath of Sanders, who earned the award with Florida State in 1988 and vowed to give his trophy to Hunter. Hunter's high school coach, Lenny Gregory, knew he had a special player the summer of Hunter's freshman year. Gregory, then the coach at Collins Hill in Georgia, had a conditioning test for his players — run six 200-yard dashes with a minute rest in between. Defensive backs had to complete each in under 32 seconds. Hunter never even got winded. He played safety/cornerback and receiver as a freshman and helped Collins Hill to a state title his senior season. "I remember just talking to colleges the spring of his ninth-grade year and telling coaches that this kid's going to be the No. 1 player in the country," recounted Gregory, who's now the coach at Gordon Central High in Calhoun, Georgia. "They'd look at him and laugh at me, 'What are you talking about? This scrawny kid? He's not big enough.' I was like, 'Just watch. Just watch.'" Hunter finished the regular season with 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns as a receiver. On defense, he had four interceptions, broke up 11 passes and forced one crucial fumble, which secured an OT win over Baylor. Overall, Hunter had 92 receptions and allowed 22. He hauled in 14 receiving TDs and allowed just one. He was responsible for 53 first downs and gave up just six. He was targeted 119 times by Shedeur Sanders & Co. but only 39 times by opposing QBs. Hunter's likely final game in Boulder, a rout of Oklahoma State, was a three-touchdown, one-interception performance. "I'm used to seeing him do all this spectacular stuff," Shedeur Sanders said. "I'm used to all this stuff — you all are just now seeing it on national stage." Get local news delivered to your inbox!
By MICHELLE L. PRICE and ROB GILLIES NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. They were also prime trolling opportunities for Trump. Related Articles National Politics | Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina Khan National Politics | Biden says he was ‘stupid’ not to put his name on pandemic relief checks like Trump did National Politics | Biden issues veto threat on bill expanding federal judiciary as partisan split emerges National Politics | Trump lawyers and aide hit with 10 additional felony charges in Wisconsin over 2020 fake electors National Politics | After withdrawing as attorney general nominee, Matt Gaetz lands a talk show on OANN television Throughout his first term in the White House and during his campaign to return, Trump has spun out countless provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. There were his belittling nicknames for political opponents, his impressions of other political figures and the plentiful memes he shared on social media. Now that’s he’s preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. On Sunday, Trump turned a photo of himself seated near a smiling first lady Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony into a social media promo for his new perfume and cologne line, with the tag line, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist!” The first lady’s office declined to comment. When Trudeau hastily flew to Florida to meet with Trump last month over the president-elect’s threat to impose a 25% tax on all Canadian products entering the U.S., the Republican tossed out the idea that Canada become the 51st U.S. state. The Canadians passed off the comment as a joke, but Trump has continued to play up the dig, including in a post Tuesday morning on his social media network referring to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” After decades as an entertainer and tabloid fixture, Trump has a flair for the provocative that is aimed at attracting attention and, in his most recent incarnation as a politician, mobilizing fans. He has long relished poking at his opponents, both to demean and minimize them and to delight supporters who share his irreverent comments and posts widely online and cheer for them in person. Trump, to the joy of his fans, first publicly needled Canada on his social media network a week ago when he posted an AI-generated image that showed him standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!” After his latest post, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday: “It sounds like we’re living in a episode of South Park.” Trudeau said earlier this week that when it comes to Trump, “his approach will often be to challenge people, to destabilize a negotiating partner, to offer uncertainty and even sometimes a bit of chaos into the well established hallways of democracies and institutions and one of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic.” Even Thanksgiving dinner isn’t a trolling-free zone for Trump’s adversaries. On Thanksgiving Day, Trump posted a movie clip from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with President Joe Biden and other Democrats’ faces superimposed on the characters in a spoof of the turkey-carving scene. The video shows Trump appearing to explode out of the turkey in a swirl of purple sparks, with the former president stiffly dancing to one of his favorite songs, Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” In his most recent presidential campaign, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, refusing to call his GOP primary opponent by his real name and instead dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He added, for good measure, in a post on his Truth Social network: “I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will.” As he campaigned against Biden, Trump taunted him in online posts and with comments and impressions at his rallies, deriding the president over his intellect, his walk, his golf game and even his beach body. After Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden’s spot as the Democratic nominee, Trump repeatedly suggested she never worked at McDonalds while in college. Trump, true to form, turned his mocking into a spectacle by appearing at a Pennsylvania McDonalds in October, when he manned the fries station and held an impromptu news conference from the restaurant drive-thru. Trump’s team thinks people should get a sense of humor. “President Trump is a master at messaging and he’s always relatable to the average person, whereas many media members take themselves too seriously and have no concept of anything else other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “President Trump will Make America Great Again and we are getting back to a sense of optimism after a tumultuous four years.” Though both the Biden and Harris campaigns created and shared memes and launched other stunts to respond to Trump’s taunts, so far America’s neighbors to the north are not taking the bait. “I don’t think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy,” Miller said. Gerald Butts, a former top adviser to Trudeau and a close friend, said Trump brought up the 51st state line to Trudeau repeatedly during Trump’s first term in office. “Oh God,” Butts said Tuesday, “At least a half dozen times.” “This is who he is and what he does. He’s trying to destabilize everybody and make people anxious,” Butts said. “He’s trying to get people on the defensive and anxious and therefore willing to do things they wouldn’t otherwise entertain if they had their wits about them. I don’t know why anybody is surprised by it.” Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.Bluesky , the formerly Jack Dorsey-affiliated, decentralized answer to Elon Musk's X is closing the gap with Threads at breakneck speed. The browser version of Bluesky surpassed Threads in total usage weeks ago, but now the Bluesky app has exploded to 3.5 million daily active users, putting it just 1.5 times behind Meta’s Threads — an impressive feat considering the Threads app had 5x Bluesky's active users at the start of the month. The momentum shift has been nothing short of seismic, especially in the wake of the November 5 election. According to Similarweb data reported by the Financial Times , Bluesky’s user base has ballooned by 300 percent since Election Day. Journalists, academics, and companies are fleeing Elon Musk’s chaotic X (formerly Twitter) in droves, and Bluesky is quickly becoming their platform of choice. Why Bluesky over Threads? Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to downplay political content on Threads appears to have turned off many users seeking vibrant public discourse. Critics see it as an attempt to stay in President-elect Donald Trump’s good graces , effectively neutering the platform’s potential as a forum for political and cultural debate. Bluesky has quickly become the go-to platform for what commentator Max Read has called the "Politically Engaged Email Job Blob" — the same cohort that helped transform early Twitter into the cultural juggernaut it once was. That said, Bluesky is still very much a work in progress. Its rapid growth has brought its share of headaches, including outages, glitches, and scammers . As more users flock to this latest "Twitter replacement," expect some inevitable growing pains along the way.
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The Blue Jays have decided to gamble on a former all-star while staying true to their obsession over acquiring versatile defenders. General manager Ross Atkins reportedly pulled off his first two big moves of the off-season on Tuesday by acquiring infielder Andres Gimenez from the Cleveland Guardians and . The Gimenez deal was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The Star has confirmed that infielder Spencer Horowitz and outfielder Nick Mitchell are headed to Cleveland, with Gimenez and pitcher Nick Sandlin coming back to Toronto. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was the first to report that Horowitz was on his way to Cleveland. Gimenez is two years removed from a career season. In 2022, he provided elite production with a .297 average and .837 on-base plus slugging percentage with 46 extra-base hits and 69 RBIs. The 26-year-old’s performance has since fallen off as he became a liability with the bat each of the last two years. Despite the lack of recent production, Gimenez is operating under the comfort of a long-term deal. He is signed through 2029 and there is a team option for 2030. The Venezuelan will earn $10.5 million (U.S.) each of the next two years before his salary skyrockets to more than $23 million from 2027-29. That’s a lot of money for a guy who is coming off a season in which he hit .252 with a lowly .298 on-base percentage while his .638 OPS was significantly below average. Almost all the value he provided this season was on defence, where he possesses one of the game’s better gloves. In other words, he might be considered the Daulton Varsho of the infield. Gimenez spent most of his career with the Guardians at second base, but he’s also played 83 games at shortstop and 10 games at third. It wasn’t immediately clear where the Jays intend to play him, but with rookie Will Wagner in the mix at second base, the logical fit for Gimenez would be at third.Asian Stocks Set for Sluggish Start as CPI Looms: Markets Wrap - Bloomberg
NEW YORK , Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Why: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces an investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Macy's, Inc. (NYSE: M) resulting from allegations that Macy's may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. So What: If you purchased Macy's securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses. What to do next: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=31645 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. What is this about: On November 25, 2024 , The New York Times published an article entitled "Macy's Discovers Employee Hid Millions in Delivery Expenses." This article stated that "Macy's said on Monday that an employee had "intentionally" misstated and hidden up to $154 million in delivery expenses over the past few years, forcing the retailer to delay a much-anticipated earnings report that Wall Street uses to gauge the strength of holiday shopping." On this news, the price of Macy's, Inc. stock fell 2.2% on November 25, 2024 . Why Rosen Law: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rosen-law-firm-encourages-macys-inc-investors-to-inquire-about-securities-class-action-investigation--m-302327927.html SOURCE THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A.