NoneVIDEO: Vancouver Giants snap 6-game losing streak
Biden opens final White House holiday season with turkey pardons and first lady gets Christmas tree WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has kicked off his final holiday season at the White House, issuing the traditional reprieve to two turkeys who will bypass the Thanksgiving table to live out their days in Minnesota. The president welcomed 2,500 guests under sunny skies as he cracked jokes about the fates of “Peach” and “Blossom.” He also sounded wistful tones about the last weeks of his presidency. Separately, first lady Jill Biden received the delivery of the official White House Christmas tree. And the Bidens are traveling to New York later Monday for an early holiday celebration with members of the Coast Guard. Formula 1 expands grid to add General Motors' Cadillac brand and new American team for 2026 season LAS VEGAS (AP) — Formula 1 will expand the grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a federal investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti, who has since stepped aside. 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. US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is retiring from international soccer U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is retiring from international soccer. Naeher is on the team’s roster for a pair of upcoming matches in Europe but those will be her last after a full 11 years playing for the United States. Naeher was on the U.S. team that won the Women’s World Cup in 2019 and the gold medal at this year's Olympics in France. She’s the only U.S. goalkeeper to earn a shutout in both a World Cup and an Olympic final. Bah, humbug! Vandal smashes Ebenezer Scrooge's tombstone used in 'A Christmas Carol' movie LONDON (AP) — If life imitates art, a vandal in the English countryside may be haunted by The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Police in the town of Shrewsbury are investigating how a tombstone at the fictional grave of Ebenezer Scrooge was destroyed. The movie prop used in the 1984 adaption of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol” had become a tourist attraction. The film starred George C. Scott as the cold-hearted curmudgeon who is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve who show him what will become of his life if he doesn’t become a better person. West Mercia Police say the stone was vandalized in the past week. Megachurch founder T.D. Jakes suffers health incident during sermon at Dallas church DALLAS (AP) — The founder of Dallas-based megachurch The Potter's House, Bishop T.D. Jakes, was hospitalized after suffering what the church called a “slight health incident.” Jakes was speaking to churchgoers after he sat down and began trembling as several people gathered around him Sunday at the church. Jakes' daughter Sarah Jakes Roberts and her husband Touré Roberts said in a statement on social media late Sunday that Jakes was improving. The 67-year-old Jakes founded the non-denominational The Potter's House in 1996 and his website says it now has more than 30,000 members with campuses in Fort Worth and Frisco, Texas; and in Denver. At the crossroads of news and opinion, 'Morning Joe' hosts grapple with aftermath of Trump meeting The reaction of those who defended “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski for meeting with President-elect Trump sounds almost quaint in the days of opinionated journalism. Doesn't it makes sense, they said, for hosts of a political news show to meet with such an important figure? But given how “Morning Joe” has attacked Trump, its viewers felt insulted. Many reacted quickly by staying away. It all reflects the broader trend of opinion crowding out traditional journalist in today's marketplace, and the expectations that creates among consumers. By mid-week, the show's audience was less than two-thirds what it has typically been this year. Pilot dies in plane crash in remote woods of New York, puppy found alive WINDHAM, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a pilot and at least one dog he was transporting died when a small plane crashed in the snowy woods of the Catskill Mountains, though a puppy on the flight was found alive with two broken legs. The Greene County sheriff’s office says Seuk Kim of Springfield, Virginia, was flying from Maryland to Albany, New York, when the plane crashed at about 6:10 p.m. Sunday in a remote area. Officials believe the pilot died from the impact. The surviving dog was hospitalized, while a third dog was not located. The flight was connected with a not-for-profit group that transports rescue animals. Warren Buffett gives away another $1.1B and plans for distributing his $147B fortune after his death OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investor Warren Buffett renewed his Thanksgiving tradition of giving by handing out more than $1.1 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock to four of his family's foundations Monday, and he offered new details about who will be handing out the rest of his fortune after his death. Buffett has said previously that his three kids will distribute his remaining $147.4 billion fortune in the 10 years after his death, but now he has also designated successors for them because it’s possible that Buffett’s children could die before giving it all away. Buffett said he has no regrets about his decision to start giving away his fortune in 2006. Pop star Ed Sheeran apologizes to Man United boss Ruben Amorim for crashing interview MANCHESTER, England (AP) — British pop star Ed Sheeran has apologized to Ruben Amorim after inadvertently interrupting the new Manchester United head coach during a live television interview. Amorim was talking on Sky Sports after United’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich on Sunday when Sheeran walked up to embrace analyst Jamie Redknapp. The interview was paused before Redknapp told the pop star to “come and say hello in a minute.” Sheeran is a lifelong Ipswich fan and holds a minority stake in the club. He was pictured celebrating after Omari Hutchinson’s equalizing goal in the game at Portman Road. A desert oasis outside of Dubai draws a new caravan: A family of rodents from Argentina AL QUDRA LAKES, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A desert oasis hidden away in the dunes in the far reaches of skyscraper-studded Dubai has drawn a surprising new set of weary world travelers: a pack of Argentinian rodents. A number of Patagonian mara, a rabbit-like mammal with long legs, big ears and a body like a hoofed animal, now roam the grounds of Al Qudra Lakes, typically home to gazelle and other desert creatures of the United Arab Emirates. How they got there remains a mystery in the UAE, a country where exotic animals have ended up in the private homes and farms of the wealthy. But the pack appears to be thriving there and likely have survived several years already in a network of warrens among the dunes.
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
In a match that could prove pivotal for Bundesliga side Hoffenheim 's hopes of reaching the Europa League round of 16, they are set to welcome Romanian champions FCSB to PreZero Arena on Thursday. The German club are one position outside the round of 16 playoff spots in 25th place with five points after five games, while the visitors are 10th with 10 points and drew 0-0 with Olympiacos on November 28. © Imago Hoffenheim might have hoped that the appointment of Christian Ilzer as head coach following Pellegrino Matarazzo dismissal on November 11 would yield improved results, but while the new boss won 4-3 against RB Leipzig in his first game in charge on November 23, he has lost three and drawn one of his subsequent four matches. The hosts were beaten 3-0 by Braga last time out in the Europa League on November 28, conceding twice in the first eight minutes and producing less than 0.8 xG in the entire game. In the top flight, Die Kraichgauer are fifth last in 14th place with 12 points after 13 matchweeks, and drew 1-1 with Freiburg on December 8. Ilzer's side have been poor at both ends of the pitch in recent weeks, with his team having conceded nine and netted just once in their last four outings. Hoffenheim's record at PreZero Arena is fairly strong given they have only lost once at home in their past seven fixtures, winning four and drawing one, though they have only achieved victory once in their last four home games. © Imago Visitors FCSB can take many positives from their draw with Olympiacos considering they managed to hold out for a point despite striker Daniel Birligea being sent off in the 67th minute. Prior to his red card, the Romanian side had only faced five shots while producing 10 of their own, but they did not have a single effort following Birligea's red and were forced to defend in a deep block. Boss Ilias Charalampous will be pleased by his team's showings domestically given the club are currently first in the SuperLiga with 33 points from 19 matches, though they are level on points with second-placed Universitatea Cluj. Charalampous's side are in excellent shape in regard to their form, with the league leaders having won seven, drawn two and lost one of their 10 most recent matches. The away team have also been strong in the Europa League given they have triumphed in four of their last six games in the competition and have in fact won five of their past eight Europa League fixtures on the road. © Imago Hoffenheim come into the clash without centre-backs Florian Grillitsch , Christopher Lenz and Ozan Kabak , so expect Kevin Akpoguma and Stanley N'Soki to feature in defence. Elsewhere, midfielders Finn Becker , Umut Tohumcu and Grischa Promel will not return this year, and in their absence, regulars Tom Bischof and Anton Stach may partner each other in a double pivot. In the forward line, Adam Hlozek , Andrej Kramaric and Jacob Brunn Larsen will likely start behind striker Haris Tabakovic given Ihlas Bebou and Marius Bulter are injured until late December and January 2025 respectively. Meanwhile, Daniel Birligea's suspension could mean that David Miculescu is selected to start up front for FCSB ahead of a supporting cast consisting of Octavian Popescu , Darius Olaru and Florin Tanase . Midfielder Mihai Lixandru is nearing a comeback from a muscle injury, but if he is unable to claim a place in the XI, then Charalampous may start a double pivot of Malcum Edjouma and Adrian Sut . In defence, Siyabonga Ngezana and Mihai Popescu are probable candidates to shield goalkeeper Stefan Tarnovanu . Hoffenheim possible starting lineup: Baumann; Kaderabek, Akpoguma, Nsoki, Prass; Stach, Bischof; Hlozek, Kramaric, Larsen; Tabakovic FCSB possible starting lineup: Tarnovanu; Cretu, Ngezana, M Popescu, Radunovic; Edjouma, Sut; O Popescu, Olaru, Tanase; Miculescu Hoffenheim's poor results have not improved under their new manager, and there is no reason to think that they can turn their fortunes around anytime soon. Additionally, it would not be surprising if FCSB were able to take advantage of the fact that their hosts are missing a number of players and will likely come into Thursday's game with their ranks significantly depleted. For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here .Stock Market Today: Stocks Rally as Econ News Affirms Rate-Cut BetsSouth Korea's parliament formally introduced a motion on Thursday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over a botched attempt to impose martial law, but his party vowed to oppose the move, throwing the process into doubt. Lawmakers could vote for the bill as early as Friday. Yoon's ruling People Power Party said it would oppose it but the party has been divided over the crisis. The opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, needs at least eight ruling party lawmakers to back the bill in order for it to pass. "The Yoon Suk Yeol regime's declaration of emergency martial law caused great confusion and fear among our people," Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Seung-won told a session of South Korea's National Assembly held in the early hours of Thursday. None of the 108 ruling party lawmakers were present for the introduction of the motion, which followed an attempt by armed troops to force their way into the National Assembly building in Seoul, only to stand back when parliamentary aides sprayed them with fire extinguishers. "The people and the aides who protected parliament protected us with their bodies. The people won, and it's now time for us to protect the people," said Kim. "We need to immediately suspend the authority of President Yoon. He has committed an indelible, historic, crime against the people, whose anxiety needs to be soothed so that they can return to their daily lives". If the impeachment motion is passed and upheld by the constitutional court, Yoon would be the second South Korean president to have been impeached since massive candlelit protests against an influence-peddling scandal led to the removal of former president Park Geun-hye in 2017. Yoon's declaration of martial law late on Tuesday attempted to ban political activity and censor the media in South Korea, which has Asia's fourth largest economy and is a key U.S. ally. The shock move divided Yoon's ministers and unleashed six hours of political chaos. Demonstrators held candlelit vigils in Seoul late on Wednesday and called for Yoon's resignation. The impeachment motion against Yoon paved the way for a vote to be held in the following 24 to 72 hours. Opposition parties need a two-thirds majority to pass the impeachment bill. If it passes, South Korea's Constitutional Court will then decide whether to uphold the motion– a process that could take up to 180 days. If Yoon were to be suspended from exercising power due to parliament passing the bill, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would fill in as leader. If the embattled president resigned or was removed from office, a new election would be held within 60 days. NO SPECIFIC THREATS Yoon told the nation in a television speech late on Tuesday that martial law was needed to defend the country from pro-North Korean anti-state forces, and protect the free constitutional order, although he cited no specific threats. Within hours, South Korea's parliament, with 190 of its 300 members present, unanimously passed a motion for martial law be lifted, with 18 members of Yoon's party present. The president then rescinded the declaration of martial law, around six hours after its proclamation. "There are opinions that it was too much to go to emergency martial law, and that we did not follow the procedures for emergency martial law, but it was done strictly within the constitutional framework," a South Korean presidential official told Reuters by telephone. There has been no reaction yet from North Korea to the drama in the South. Yoon was embraced by leaders in the West as a partner in the U.S.-led effort to unify democracies against growing authoritarianism in China, Russia and elsewhere. But he caused unease among South Koreans by branding his critics as "communist totalitarian and anti-state forces". In November, he denied wrongdoing in response to influence-peddling allegations against him and his wife and he has taken a hard line against labour unions. The martial law crisis rattled global financial markets and left South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index down 1.4%. Currency dealers reporting suspected state intervention to keep the won stable after overnight talks between Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong. Choi sent an emergency note to global financial chiefs and credit rating agencies late on Wednesday to say the finance ministry was working to alleviate any adverse impact from political turmoil, the ministry said. Yoon, a career prosecutor, squeezed out a victory in the tightest presidential election in South Korean history in 2022, riding a wave of discontent over economic policy, scandals and gender wars. But his support ratings have been at around 20% for months and the opposition captured nearly two-thirds of seats in parliament in an April election. Martial law been declared more than a dozen times since South Korea was established as a republic in 1948. In 1980, a group of military officers forced then-President Choi Kyu-hah to proclaim martial law to crush calls for the restoration of democratic government.
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NoneBy Connor Smith Magnificent Seven stocks were dragging on the S&P 500 once again. With the market benchmark up just 0.3%, roughly 400 of its member stocks were trading higher. The Dow was up 334 points, or 0.8%. The Nasdaq Composite was mostly unchanged. By contrast, the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF, or RSP, was up 0.8%. RSP shows what the S&P 500 would look like if every stock in the index had the same weighting, so it’s a proxy for market breadth.:General Motors said on Tuesday it will stop funding and exit robotaxi development at its majority-owned Cruise business, a blow to the automaker that had made the advanced technology unit a top priority. GM said it would no longer fund work on the robotaxis "given the considerable time and resources that would be needed to scale the business, along with an increasingly competitive robotaxi market." The automaker has invested more than $10 billion in Cruise. GM shares rose 3.2 per cent in extended trading on Tuesday. In 2023, GM CEO Mary Barra said the Cruise business could generate $50 billion in annual revenue by 2030. "This is the latest in the series of decisions that GM has announced which underscore our focus on having the right technology for the future of our company and the industry and reflects our commitment to execute with speed and efficiency," she said on Tuesday. Barra declined to say how many Cruise employees could be moved over to GM. Some of GM’s competitors have already stopped funding autonomous driving businesses, citing the costs and difficulties involved in developing such sophisticated technology. In October 2022, Ford Motor shifted spending away from its Argo AI operation, winding down the venture that was also funded by Volkswagen. Ford is still working on advanced driver assistance systems in-house different from the fully autonomous ones being developed at Argo AI. Last month, Cruise admitted to submitting a false report to influence a federal investigation and agreed to pay a $500,000 criminal fine as part of a deferred prosecution agreement. The Justice Department said Cruise failed to disclose key details of an October 2023 crash to federal regulators in which one of its robotaxis in San Francisco struck and seriously injured a pedestrian. GM expects the restructuring will lower spending by more than $1 billion annually after the plan is completed by the end of June. GM, which owns about 90 per cent of Cruise, has agreements with other shareholders that will raise its ownership to more than 97 per cent and will pursue the acquisition of the remaining shares. GM in July said it would halt development of a planned robotaxi that would not have a steering wheel or other human controls. In 2022, GM filed a petition with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration seeking permission to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving Origin vehicles annually without human controls such as brake pedals or mirrors. The agency has not acted on the request and GM cited the regulatory risk for its decision.