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The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — LJ Thomas had 25 points in Austin Peay’s 62-50 win over Georgia State on Tuesday. Thomas added five assists for the Governors (4-2). Tekao Carpenter scored 12 points while finishing 4 of 9 from 3-point range. The Panthers (3-3) were led by Zarigue Nutter, who recorded 17 points. Malachi Brown added 10 points and two steals for Georgia State. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Pfizer: High Dividend And Low Price Might Still Offset The Expanding Risks
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Allowing two kickoff return touchdowns and missing an extra point all in the final few minutes added up to the Washington Commanders losing a third consecutive game in excruciating fashion. The underlying reason for this slide continuing was a problem long before that. An offense led by dynamic rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels that was among the NFL's best for a long stretch of the season put up just nine points and 169 yards for the first three-plus quarters against Dallas before falling behind 20-9 and teeing off on the Cowboys' conservative defense. “We just couldn’t really get it going,” said receiver Terry McLaurin , whose lengthy touchdown with 21 seconds left masked that he had just three catches for 16 yards through three quarters. “We’ve got to find a way to start faster and sustain drives, and that’s everybody: the whole coaching staff and the offensive players just going out there and figuring out ways that we can stay on the field.” This is not a new problem for Washington, which had a season-low 242 yards in a Nov. 10 home loss to Pittsburgh and 264 yards four days later in a defeat at Philadelphia. Since returning from a rib injury that knocked him out of a game last month, Daniels has completed just under 61% of his passes, after 75.6% over his first seven professional starts. Daniels and coach Dan Quinn have insisted this isn't about injury. The coaching staff blamed a lack of adequate practice time, but a full week of it before facing the Cowboys did not solve the problem. It is now fair to wonder if opponents have seen enough film of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury's system to figure it out. “I think teams and coordinators are going to see what other teams have success against us and try to figure out how they could incorporate that into their scheme," Daniels said after going 12 of 22 for 80 yards passing through three quarters in the Dallas game. "We’ve been in third and longer a lot these past couple games, so that’s kind of where you get into the exotic pressures and stuff like that. We’ve just got to be better on first and second downs and stay ahead of the chains.” Daniels has a point there, and it predates this losing streak. The Commanders have converted just 36% of third-down opportunities (27 for 75) over their past seven games after 52% (31 for 60) in their first five. That challenge doesn't get any easier with Tennessee coming to town Sunday. The Titans, despite being 3-8, have the second-best third-down defense in the league at 31.6%. The defense kept the Commanders in the game against Dallas, allowing just 10 points until the fourth quarter and 20 total before kickoff return touchdowns piled on to the other side of the scoreboard. Even Cooper Rush's 22-yard touchdown pass to Luke Schoonmaker with five minutes left came after a turnover that gave the Cowboys the ball at the Washington 44. The defense spending more than 35 minutes on the field certainly contributed to fatigue as play wore on. The running game that contributed to a 7-2 start has taken a hit, in part because of injuries to top back Brian Robinson Jr. The Commanders got 145 yards on the ground because Daniels had 74 on seven carries, but running backs combined for just 57. Daniels could not say how much the rushing attack stalling has contributed to the offense going stagnant. “You’ve got to be able to run the ball, keep the defense honest,” he said. "We got to execute the plays that are called in, and we didn’t do a good job of doing that.” Linebacker Frankie Luvu keeps making the case to be first-year general manager Adam Peters' best free agent signing. He and fellow offseason addition Bobby Wagner tied for a team-high eight tackles, and Luvu also knocked down three passes against Dallas. Kicker Austin Seibert going wide left on the point-after attempt that would have tied the score with 21 seconds left was his third miss of the game. He also was short on a 51-yard field goal attempt and wide left on an earlier extra point. Seibert, signed a week into the season after Cade York struggled in the opener, made 25 of 27 field goal tries and was 22 of 22 on extra points before injuring his right hip and missing the previous two games. He brushed off his health and the low snap from Tyler Ott while taking responsibility for not connecting. “I made the decision to play, and here we are,” Seibert said. “I just wasn’t striking it well. But it means a lot to me to be here with these guys, so I just want to put my best foot moving forward.” Robinson's sprained ankle and fellow running back Austin Ekeler's concussion from a late kickoff return that led to him being hospitalized for further evaluation are two major immediate concerns. Quinn said Monday that Ekeler and starting right tackle Andrew Wylie are in concussion protocol. It's unclear if Robinson will be available against Tennessee, which could mean Chris Rodriguez Jr. getting elevated from the practice squad to split carries with Jeremy McNichols. The Commanders still have not gotten cornerback Marshon Lattimore into a game since acquiring him at the trade deadline from New Orleans. Lattimore is trying to return from a hamstring injury, and the secondary could use him against Calvin Ridley, who's coming off a 93-yard performance at Houston. 17 — Handoffs to a running back against Dallas, a significant decrease from much of the season before this losing streak. Don't overlook the Titans with the late bye week coming immediately afterward. The Commanders opened as more than a touchdown favorite, but after the results over the weekend, BetMGM Sportsbook had it as 5 1/2 points Monday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflArcBest director Philip Craig sells $428,649 in stock
The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned the Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, against the potential consequences of abrogating the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) under the proposed Nigeria Tax Bill, 2024, which is currently before the National Assembly. The Union vowed that it would not stand by and watch the denigration or obliteration of TETFund and would fight to keep the institution, which ASUU described as the backbone of Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions for the last one-and-a-half decades. President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, in a statement on Friday in Abuja, said the Union has observed with keen interest the ongoing debate on the review of the tax system in the country. He informed the lawmakers that arising from the tax bill is a clandestine proposal to abrogate the Education Tax. Osodeke particularly pointed out that Section 59(3) of the Nigeria Tax Bill (NTB) 2024 specifically states that only 50 percent of the Development Levy would be made available to TETFund in 2025 and 2026, while the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) would share the remaining percentages. He said: “ASUU is alarmed by this dangerous and unpatriotic aspect of the proposed new tax regime, to wit: that the Education Tax, called Development Levy, used to bankroll TETFund’s programmes should be ceded to the newly established Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). “ASUU notes with serious concern Section 59(3) of the Nigeria Tax Bill (NTB) 2024, which specifically states that only 50% of the Development Levy would be made available to TETFund in 2025 and 2026, while NITDA, NASENI, and NELFUND would share the remaining percentages. “TETFund will also receive 66.7% in the 2027, 2028, and 2029 years of assessment, but 0% in the 2030 year of assessment and thereafter. “The far-reaching consequence of the new tax system is that from 2030, all funds generated from the Development Levy will be passed to NELFUND. “ASUU finds this development not only worrisome but also inimical to our national development objective because of the potential danger to the survival of TETFund,” he stated. He further stated that TETFund has been the backbone for infrastructural development, postgraduate training, and research capacity building in Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions for the last one-and-a-half decades. “ASUU is compelled by the circumstances to seriously observe that taking any percentage out of the Education Tax (Development Levy) to service another agency not recognised by the TETFund Act 2011 is illegal and should not be allowed to stand. Giving zero allocation of the Development Levy to TETFund from 2030 is a technical way of abrogating the agency. “The purported admonishment that TETFund should seek innovative ways of generating its funds is spurious and ill-advised because, as a creation of an Act, the institution dies without the fund. “Replacing TETFund with NELFUND is comparable to killing a parent to keep a newborn child alive; it is unethical and against the principle of natural justice. “The impact of TETFund on the campus of every tertiary institution in Nigeria is beyond description; abrogating it will set public tertiary education back many years and undermine the modest gains in repositioning Nigerian universities for global recognition and transformative development. “Annual support given to tertiary institutions by TETFund has substantially reduced industrial crises in many tertiary institutions. Renovation of old facilities, provision of new ones, and opportunities for staff development leading to career advancement have doused labour-related agitations on our campuses. “TETFund impacts not only tertiary-level education but also secondary down to kindergarten. It directly and/or indirectly supports the production of quality teachers and different categories of support staff in the entire educational system. The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) borrowed from the Nigerian experience, while some other African countries have recently visited to understudy TETFund. “Nigeria should be improving on the operations and sustainability of the agency, not planning to emasculate or abrogate it,” he stated. The ASUU President added that abrogating the TETFund Act 2011, by design or default, would be a great disservice not just to education but to Nigeria as a nation. “As a result, ASUU is urging the National Assembly, especially the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to do all within their capacity to protect TETFund from being abrogated under the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024.” READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Chiefs are no longer relishing close wins as the stress of the postseason push begins to mountNASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler birdied every hole but the par 3s on the front nine at Albany Golf Club on Friday and finished his bogey-free round with an 8-under 64 that gave him a two-shot lead in the Hero World Challenge. Two months off did nothing to slow the world's No. 1 player. Scheffler already has eight victories this year and is in position to get another before the end of the year. Scheffler was at 13-under 131, two ahead of Akshay Bhatia (66) and Justin Thomas (67), both of whom had to save par on the 18th hole to stay in range going into the weekend. Scheffler started with a lob wedge to 2 feet for birdie and never slowed until after he went out in 29 to seize control of the holiday tournament against a 20-man field. Scheffler cooled slightly on the back nine, except it didn't feel that way to him. "Front nine, just things were going my way. Back nine, maybe not as much," Scheffler said. "A couple shots could end up closer to the hole, a couple putts go in, just little things." Asked if he felt any frustration he didn't take it lower — he once shot 59 at the TPC Boston during the FedEx Cup playoffs — Scheffler sounded bemused. "I think in this game I think a lot of all y'all are looking for perfection out of us," he said. "Today I shot 8 under on the golf course, not something I hang my head about. A lot of good things out there — clean card, bogey-free, eight birdies. Overall, I think I'm pretty pleased." Thomas felt his 67 was stress-free, particularly the way he was driving the ball. The wind laid down again, rare for the Bahamas, though it is expected to pick up on the weekend. Thomas wasn't concerned to see Scheffler get off to a hot start, especially with three par 5s on the front nine and a short par 4 that at worst leaves a flip wedge to the green. "You literally can birdie every hole as soft as the greens are," Thomas said. "He's a great player, a great wedge player, and you have a lot of birdie holes to start. I'm honestly surprised he only shot 8 under. It's a sneaky course because if you fall asleep on some shots, you can get out of position. But if you're on and focused and really in control of everything — like these last two days with no wind — you can just make so many birdies." Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley had a 67 and was four shots behind. No matter how benign the conditions, it wasn't always easy. Cameron Young, who opened with a 64 for a two-shot lead, followed with a 75 despite making five birdies. That included a double bogey on the final hole when his approach tumbled down the bank into the rocks framing the lake that goes all the way down the 18th hole. Patrick Cantlay was trying to keep pace playing alongside Scheffler, but he had three bogeys over the final seven holes and fell seven shots behind with a 71. The tournament, hosted by Tiger Woods, is unofficial but offers world ranking points to all but the bottom three players because of the small field. It's the weakest field in 25 years, but Scheffler at No. 1 gives it enough cachet. He is the first player since Woods in 2009 to start and finish a year at No. 1 in the world. And even after a layoff — giving him time to tinker with a new putting stroke — it looks like it might be a while before anyone changes that. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
None25 Nov 2024 Ukraine’s drone war with Russia steps up as they wait for Trump Lindsey Hilsum International Editor Russia has used missiles and drones to attack Ukraine’s south, east and capital with almost 1,500 strikes in the last 24 hours, according to President Zelenskyy. Both Kharkiv and Odesa were hit by missiles, injuring 33 people. Ukraine says Russia has stepped up its use of drones to conserve its expensive missile stocks. Meanwhile on the ground, Ukrainians wait to find out what a second Trump presidency will mean for them. Share on Facebook Share Share on Twitter Tweet Share on WhatsApp Send Share on WhatsApp Send Share on WhatsApp Email Load more share options
The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned the Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, against the potential consequences of abrogating the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) under the proposed Nigeria Tax Bill, 2024, which is currently before the National Assembly. The Union vowed that it would not stand by and watch the denigration or obliteration of TETFund and would fight to keep the institution, which ASUU described as the backbone of Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions for the last one-and-a-half decades. President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, in a statement on Friday in Abuja, said the Union has observed with keen interest the ongoing debate on the review of the tax system in the country. He informed the lawmakers that arising from the tax bill is a clandestine proposal to abrogate the Education Tax. Osodeke particularly pointed out that Section 59(3) of the Nigeria Tax Bill (NTB) 2024 specifically states that only 50 percent of the Development Levy would be made available to TETFund in 2025 and 2026, while the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) would share the remaining percentages. He said: “ASUU is alarmed by this dangerous and unpatriotic aspect of the proposed new tax regime, to wit: that the Education Tax, called Development Levy, used to bankroll TETFund’s programmes should be ceded to the newly established Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). “ASUU notes with serious concern Section 59(3) of the Nigeria Tax Bill (NTB) 2024, which specifically states that only 50% of the Development Levy would be made available to TETFund in 2025 and 2026, while NITDA, NASENI, and NELFUND would share the remaining percentages. “TETFund will also receive 66.7% in the 2027, 2028, and 2029 years of assessment, but 0% in the 2030 year of assessment and thereafter. “The far-reaching consequence of the new tax system is that from 2030, all funds generated from the Development Levy will be passed to NELFUND. “ASUU finds this development not only worrisome but also inimical to our national development objective because of the potential danger to the survival of TETFund,” he stated. He further stated that TETFund has been the backbone for infrastructural development, postgraduate training, and research capacity building in Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions for the last one-and-a-half decades. “ASUU is compelled by the circumstances to seriously observe that taking any percentage out of the Education Tax (Development Levy) to service another agency not recognised by the TETFund Act 2011 is illegal and should not be allowed to stand. Giving zero allocation of the Development Levy to TETFund from 2030 is a technical way of abrogating the agency. “The purported admonishment that TETFund should seek innovative ways of generating its funds is spurious and ill-advised because, as a creation of an Act, the institution dies without the fund. “Replacing TETFund with NELFUND is comparable to killing a parent to keep a newborn child alive; it is unethical and against the principle of natural justice. “The impact of TETFund on the campus of every tertiary institution in Nigeria is beyond description; abrogating it will set public tertiary education back many years and undermine the modest gains in repositioning Nigerian universities for global recognition and transformative development. “Annual support given to tertiary institutions by TETFund has substantially reduced industrial crises in many tertiary institutions. Renovation of old facilities, provision of new ones, and opportunities for staff development leading to career advancement have doused labour-related agitations on our campuses. “TETFund impacts not only tertiary-level education but also secondary down to kindergarten. It directly and/or indirectly supports the production of quality teachers and different categories of support staff in the entire educational system. The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) borrowed from the Nigerian experience, while some other African countries have recently visited to understudy TETFund. “Nigeria should be improving on the operations and sustainability of the agency, not planning to emasculate or abrogate it,” he stated. The ASUU President added that abrogating the TETFund Act 2011, by design or default, would be a great disservice not just to education but to Nigeria as a nation. “As a result, ASUU is urging the National Assembly, especially the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to do all within their capacity to protect TETFund from being abrogated under the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024.” READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNEFlag football uses talent camps to uncover new starsA poor start to Erik ten Hag’s third season in charge last month led the Red Devils to turn to the 39-year-old, who immediately lifted the mood after swapping Sporting for Old Trafford. Amorim followed a draw at Ipswich in his opening match with entertaining wins against Bodo/Glimt and Everton, yet he repeatedly attempted to manage expectations. The Portuguese said United would “suffer for a long period” and then warned a “storm will come” ahead of Wednesday’s 2-0 loss at Arsenal – a reality check before hosting Nottingham Forest on Saturday. “I think that is very clear,” Amorim said of the scale of the job. “We are a massive club, but we are not a massive team, and we know it. It’s no problem to say it. “So, we want to improve, we are in a different moment from Arsenal, but you could feel it during the game. “I think we have to believe more because we were not dominant in the game, but we had control in the game. “Not so many chances for Arsenal – of course a lot of set pieces – but we were OK, especially in the first half. We had some good things in that moment, but you could feel that there’s so much to do. “We need to be better in the final third, we have to create more danger, they have to feel it. “I felt that Arsenal had problems to block our build up but then when they were defending the goal it was quite comfortable for them, so we are learning these things and trying to improve in two days.” United’s problems mean they enter the weekend 13th in the Premier League standings – quite the sight for fans of a club who have won an English record 20 league titles. Asked if perceptions around the club need to change, Amorim said: “That will not change because this club has glories in the past. “Our players have to understand that this is a very difficult position, so we are not (one of) the best teams in the league, and we have to say that and to think that clearly. “But our past, our club is maybe the best one in the league, so we have here a problem, but we have to focus on the little things, the little details. “If you think in everything, it will be a problem. Let’s focus on the small details and then we will improve it as a team.” Amorim has had precious little time to work on such details having started during an international break followed by a relentless winter schedule. Saturday’s home game against Forest is United’s third of nine matches in December and came with a demand for effort on top of technical quality. “It’s impossible to win the Premier League without a team like that – that every moment runs back, runs forward,” Amorim said. “It is impossible to win. If you want to win, we have to do it. “Even with the best starting XI in the planet without running they will not win nothing, so that is very clear. “If we want to win the Premier League, we have to run like mad dogs. If not, we are not going to win.” Interestingly, Amorim’s comments come six years after compatriot Jose Mourinho spoke about United’s lack of “mad dogs” following a December draw at Southampton. “It doesn’t matter about the system,” the former United manager said. “It has to do with the characteristics of the players and we don’t have many, with all the respect, mad dogs – the ones who bite the ball all the time and press all the time. We don’t have many with that spirit.” Amorim will hope not to be feeling similar after facing Forest, having previously said he needs to improve the “physical aspect of the team”. “The problem to be fit enough is if they can cope with that,” United’s head coach said. “If they are used to do that in training, they will do that in games. “So, they are professional athletes, they can improve this. You cannot be faster, but you can run more with training. We are in that path.”
OOH Campaign Highlights the Power of Donating During the Thanksgiving Season NEW YORK , Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- OUTFRONT Media (NYSE: OUT), one of the largest out-of-home (OOH) media companies in the U.S., has unveiled a new campaign with The Farmlink Project, the fastest-growing solution in the charitable food space, to drive home an important food insecurity fact on Thanksgiving. The campaign, running now through Friday, Dec. 6 , features the line " $1 = 17 lbs of food saved" to jolt audiences into action. OUTFRONT Studios and Farmlink's creative team produced the campaign, which also marks the debut of Farmlink's rebrand. The creative can be seen on digital billboards across the country, securing additional impressions with holiday traffic at an all time high. The campaign's message encourages audiences to make a big impact toward battling food insecurity through a small action during Thanksgiving, the largest event for food consumption in the U.S., and Giving Tuesday, an annual global generosity movement. For the month of December, every dollar donated to Farmlink will be matched to provide 32 pounds of food to families in need. "In collaboration with OUTFRONT, we are able to expand our mission of supporting farmers and feeding families by inspiring people to take simple actions," said Aidan Reilly , Head of Partnerships at Farmlink. "Collectively, those efforts can add up to help us reach our goal of raising $100K in December." As a partner of OUTFRONT since 2021, Farmlink has helped further OUTFRONT's purpose of helping people, places and businesses grow stronger. "Fighting food insecurity continues to be one of OUTFRONT's most important causes, driven by our employees," said Liz Rave , Vice President, Marketing at OUTFRONT. "This timely Thanksgiving campaign is our latest effort to support and amplify Farmlink's mission at a critical time for food insecurity solutions. We are also proud to be making a monetary donation of our own this holiday season." The Farmlink Project was born as a student movement at the onset of the pandemic in an effort to support a local food bank in Los Angeles . Having delivered nearly 300 million pounds of food which otherwise would have gone to waste to families across North America , Farmlink is driven by the belief that hunger can be solved in the U.S. using already grown food. About OUTFRONT Media Inc. OUTFRONT leverages the power of technology, location and creativity to connect brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in the United States . Through its technology platform, OUTFRONT will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage audiences on-the-go. OUTFRONT Media Contacts: Matt Biscuiti Courtney Richards The Lippin Group OUTFRONT Media 212-986-7080 646-876-9404 outfront@lippingroup.com courtney.richards@OUTFRONT.com Stephan Bisson OUTFRONT Media 212-297-6573 stephan.bisson@outfront.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/outfront-media-and-the-farmlink-project-unveil-new-campaign-to-fight-food-insecurity-302317001.html SOURCE OUTFRONT Media Inc.EDMONTON - Police say an autopsy has determined a baby boy found dead in a south Edmonton parking lot last weekend died before he was born. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * EDMONTON - Police say an autopsy has determined a baby boy found dead in a south Edmonton parking lot last weekend died before he was born. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? EDMONTON – Police say an autopsy has determined a baby boy found dead in a south Edmonton parking lot last weekend died before he was born. They say more testing must be done before the medical examiner can determine the cause and manner of death. Police were called on the afternoon of Dec. 7 to the parking lot of a shopping complex, where they found the body. They said they don’t believe the baby’s death is connected to any area businesses. Homicide detectives continue to investigate. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. A police news release had no details on possible suspects or the infant’s identity. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2024. AdvertisementA nonprofit leader, a social worker: Here are the stories of the people on Biden's clemency list
TikTok loses bid in appeal court to halt law that could lead to U.S. banThe U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied TikTok's petition to overturn the law — which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — and rebuffed the company's challenge of the statute, which it argued had ran afoul of the First Amendment. “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” said the court's opinion, which was written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.” TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, though its unclear whether the court will take up the case. “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue," TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people,” Hughes said. Unless stopped, he argued the statute “will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.” Though the case is squarely in the court system, it's also possible the two companies might be thrown some sort of a lifeline by President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term but said during the presidential campaign that he is now against such action . The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was the culmination of a yearslong saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China. The U.S. has said it’s concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits , that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Officials have also warned the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect — a concern mirrored by the European Union on Friday as it scrutinizes the video-sharing app’s role in the Romanian elections. TikTok, which sued the government over the law in May, has long denied it could be used by Beijing to spy on or manipulate Americans. Its attorneys have accurately pointed out that the U.S. hasn’t provided evidence to show that the company handed over user data to the Chinese government, or manipulated content for Beijing’s benefit in the U.S. They have also argued the law is predicated on future risks, which the Department of Justice has emphasized pointing in part to unspecified action it claims the two companies have taken in the past due to demands from the Chinese government. Friday’s ruling came after the appeals court panel, composed of two Republicans and one Democrat appointed judges, heard oral arguments in September. In the hearing, which lasted more than two hours, the panel appeared to grapple with how TikTok’s foreign ownership affects its rights under the Constitution and how far the government could go to curtail potential influence from abroad on a foreign-owned platform. On Friday, all three denied TikTok’s petition. In the court's ruling, Ginsburg, a Republican appointee, rejected TikTok's main legal arguments against the law, including that the statute was an unlawful bill of attainder, or a taking of property in violation of the Fifth Amendment. He also said the law did not violate the First Amendment because the government is not looking to "suppress content or require a certain mix of content” on TikTok. “Content on the platform could in principle remain unchanged after divestiture, and people in the United States would remain free to read and share as much PRC propaganda (or any other content) as they desire on TikTok or any other platform of their choosing,” Ginsburg wrote, using the abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China. Judge Sri Srinivasan, the chief judge on the court, issued a concurring opinion. TikTok’s lawsuit was consolidated with a second legal challenge brought by several content creators — for which the company is covering legal costs — as well as a third one filed on behalf of conservative creators who work with a nonprofit called BASED Politics Inc. Other organizations, including the Knight First Amendment Institute, had also filed amicus briefs supporting TikTok. “This is a deeply misguided ruling that reads important First Amendment precedents too narrowly and gives the government sweeping power to restrict Americans’ access to information, ideas, and media from abroad,” said Jameel Jaffer, the executive director of the organization. “We hope that the appeals court’s ruling won’t be the last word.” Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers who had pushed for the legislation celebrated the court's ruling. "I am optimistic that President Trump will facilitate an American takeover of TikTok to allow its continued use in the United States and I look forward to welcoming the app in America under new ownership,” said Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan, chairman of the House Select Committee on China. Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who co-authored the law, said “it's time for ByteDance to accept” the law. To assuage concerns about the company’s owners, TikTok says it has invested more than $2 billion to bolster protections around U.S. user data. The company has also argued the government’s broader concerns could have been resolved in a draft agreement it provided the Biden administration more than two years ago during talks between the two sides. It has blamed the government for walking away from further negotiations on the agreement, which the Justice Department argues is insufficient. Attorneys for the two companies have claimed it’s impossible to divest the platform commercially and technologically. They also say any sale of TikTok without the coveted algorithm — the platform’s secret sauce that Chinese authorities would likely block under any divesture plan — would turn the U.S. version of TikTok into an island disconnected from other global content. Still, some investors, including Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in purchasing the platform. Both men said earlier this year that they were launching a consortium to purchase TikTok’s U.S. business. This week, a spokesperson for McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative, which aims to protect online privacy, said unnamed participants in their bid have made informal commitments of more than $20 billion in capital.
Ubisoft is reportedly working on an Animal Crossing-inspired game called Alterra. In the game, players will build their home on an island inhabited by NPCs called "Matterlings." Players can leave their home to discover new biomes, Matterlings, and materials out in broader environs. Insider Gaming first reported on Alterra's development. According to the report, the game will use voxels to generate its world. For the unfamiliar, voxel graphics display cubes on a grid, a la Minecraft. Alterra is also set to feature building and crafting mechanics, letting players construct items and locations out of materials they find out in the world. The report claims Alterra was developed from a cancelled project which also used voxel graphics. Insider Gaming claims they have seen images of Alterra's NPCs. The Matterlings are reported to resemble Funko Pops, i.e. cartoon figures with large heads, albeit in a voxel style. Some Matterlings resemble fictional creatures like dragons, others real-world animals like birds and polar bears. The report asserts that Alterra is under development at Ubisoft Montreal. Patrick Redding (formerly lead on Gotham Knights) is the project's creative director. Fabien Lhéraud--who has worked as a marketing, brand, and media manager at Ubisoft for over 20 years--is Alterra's lead producer. The report indicates that the game has been in development for 18 months and is likely still years away.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — There seemed to be little joy in another last-second win for the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Patrick Mahomes looked stoic after fill-in kicker Spencer Shrader's field goal beat Carolina 30-27 . Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and the rest of the Chiefs merely joined him in walking from the sideline to midfield for handshakes, then headed back to the locker room, a scene completely different from the jubilation they exhibited at the end of so many other nail-biters. Might be that they're getting sick of the stress at the end of games; Kansas City has won 12 straight games decided by seven points or fewer, the longest streak in NFL history, and has won five games decided on the final play this season. Then again, it might be that the Chiefs felt as if they should have beaten the Panthers by a much wider margin. They committed 10 penalties for 91 yards. Their secondary struggled against Carolina quarterback Bryce Young, a one-time bust who has started to play better of late. And their offensive tackles were routinely beaten with Mahomes sacked five times. “You always want to have some blowouts. You want to be a little calmer in the fourth quarter,” said Mahomes, who had one of his best games despite the protection problems, throwing for 269 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. “It can be a good thing as you get to the playoffs and later in the season,” Mahomes added, “just knowing you've been in those moments before, and knowing how to kind of attack it play by play — not making it too big of a moment. I will say this more than anybody, I would love to win a game not by the very last play.” The Chiefs (10-1) nevertheless remained a game ahead of Buffalo in the race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC heading into Friday's game against the Raiders. But there is no margin for error with the Bills now holding the tiebreaker over them. “It’s all about getting better. That’s the best thing about playing in the NFL,” Mahomes said. “We’ve got to just go back, learn from (Carolina), and know we have a short week against a hungry football team in the Raiders that’s coming to our house.” What’s working The Chiefs' tight ends have taken advantage of deep shell coverages played by opposing defenses by getting open underneath, especially Noah Gray , who had his second straight two-touchdown day against the Panthers. He finished with four catches for a team-best 66 yards, while Kelce was right behind with six catches for 62 yards. What needs help The Chiefs have had problems at tackle all season. Wanya Morris struggled again on the left side and veteran Jawaan Taylor was not much better on the right, and they're a big reason why Mahomes has been sacked 15 times over the past four games. Stock up Just a few weeks ago, Shrader was on the Jets practice squad, hoping for a chance to kick in another regular-season game. Now, with Harrison Butker on injured reserve, he is making the most of that chance in Kansas City. The undrafted rookie is 3 for 3 on field goals, including that 31-yard game-winner against Carolina, and perfect on six extra-point attempts. Stock down Just about everyone in the Kansas City secondary struggled against Carolina, whether it was cornerbacks Nazeeh Johnson and Chamarri Conner or safeties Bryan Cook and Justin Reid. Young shredded them for 263 yards passing and a touchdown. Injuries The Chiefs could have running back Isiah Pacheco and pass rusher Charles Omenihu back this week. Both have been practicing the past couple of weeks and were close to playing against Carolina. Pacheco is returning from an ankle injury sustained in Week 2 while Omenihu has not played since tearing his ACL in the playoffs last season. Key number 5 — Kansas City improved to 5-0 against the NFC this season, making it 26-6 against the AFC's rival conference since Mahomes became the franchise's regular starter for the 2018 season. Next steps The Chiefs have won seven of their past eight against Las Vegas heading into Friday's game, though they no doubt remember the Raiders' previous trip to Arrowhead Stadium. Las Vegas pulled the upset on Christmas Day last season. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Dave Skretta, The Associated Press‘A safe pair of hands’: Why markets are loving Trump treasury secretary pick Scott BessentFlag football uses talent camps to uncover new stars
Metairie, La, Nov. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mutual Savings and Loan Association (the "Association”) announced today that Magnolia Bancorp, Inc. (the "Company”), a newly formed Louisiana corporation which will be the holding company for the Association, has commenced its stock offering in connection with the conversion of the Association from the mutual to the stock form of organization. The Association also announced that the registration statement for the sale of the Company's common stock has been declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC”) and that the approvals required to commence the offering have been received, including the approvals of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the "OCC”) and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the "FRB”). The Company is offering for sale up to 833,750 shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $10.00 per share, although the Company may sell up to 958,813 shares of common stock because of demand for the shares or changes in market conditions, without resoliciting investors. The Company's common stock is expected to be quoted on the OTCQB Market. The shares are first being offered in a subscription offering, in priority order, to depositors of the Association with qualifying deposits at the close of business on December 31, 2022, to the Company's tax-qualified Employee Stock Ownership Plan, to depositors of the Association with qualifying deposits at the close of business on September 30, 2024, and finally to depositors of the Association at the close of business on October 31, 2024. The Company began mailing the subscription materials on November 18, 2024. Any shares of common stock remaining after the subscription offering will be offered for sale to members of the general public in a concurrent community offering, with a preference given first to residents in Jefferson, St. Tammany, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, Tangipahoa and Washington Parishes, Louisiana. The subscription and community offerings are scheduled to expire at 1:00 p.m., Central Time, on December 17, 2024, subject to extension. The subscription and community offerings are being managed by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. All questions concerning the offering or requests for offering materials should be directed to the Stock Information Center at 1-877-643-8217. The Stock Information Center is open Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Central Time. The Stock Information Center will be closed on weekends and bank holidays. Completion of the stock offering is contingent upon the Company selling at least 616,250 shares of common stock and is subject to the receipt of final regulatory approvals for the conversion and stock offering, the affirmative vote of the depositors of the Association approving the conversion and other customary closing conditions. This press release is neither an offer to sell nor an offer to buy shares of common stock of the Company. The offer is made only by the Company's prospectus when accompanied by a stock order form. The Company has filed with the SEC a registration statement for the offering to which this press release relates as well as the final prospectus, dated November 8, 2024, for the subscription and community offering. Before you invest, you should read that prospectus and other documents the Company has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the Company and the stock offering. You may obtain these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC web site at www.sec.gov . The shares of common stock of the Company are not deposits or savings accounts and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. About Mutual Savings and Loan Association The Association was founded in 1885 and serves the banking needs of customers in its market area, which primarily consists of Jefferson and St. Tammany Parishes in Louisiana. The Association operates from its headquarters and main banking office in Metairie, Louisiana, as well as one additional full service branch office located in St. Tammany Parish on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in Mandeville, Louisiana. Its primary business activity is attracting deposits from the general public and using those funds primarily to originate one- to four-family residential loans, residential construction loans and home equity lines of credit. At June 30, 2024, the Association had total assets of $35.5 million, total deposits of $20.0 million and equity of $14.0 million. Magnolia Bancorp, Inc. will become the holding company for the Association upon completion of the conversion and stock offering. Forward-Looking Statements This press release and the Company's prospectus for the offering contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of words such as "estimate,” "project,” "believe,” "intend,” "anticipate,” "plan,” "seek,” "expect,” "will,” "would,” "should,” "could” or "may,” and words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements include statements of the Company's goals, intentions and expectations; statements regarding the Company's business plans, prospects, growth and operating strategies; statements regarding the quality of the Company's loan portfolio; and estimates of the Company's risks and future costs and benefits. These forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and expectations of the Company's management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the Company's control. In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements as a result of numerous factors. Factors that could cause such differences to exist include, but are not limited to: the failure to obtain the final approval of the OCC for the proposed conversion and related stock offering, delays in obtaining such approval, or adverse conditions imposed in connection with such approval; failure to obtain depositor approval of the conversion; those related to the real estate and economic environment, particularly in the market areas in which the Association operates; fiscal and monetary policies of the U.S. Government; changes in government regulations affecting financial institutions, including regulatory compliance costs and capital requirements; fluctuations in the adequacy of loan loss reserves; decreases in deposit levels necessitating increased borrowing to fund loans; operational risks including, but not limited to, cybersecurity, fraud and natural disasters; the risk that the Company and the Association may not be successful in the implementation of their business strategy; changes in prevailing interest rates; credit risk management; asset-liability management; and other risks described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at the SEC's website, www.sec.gov . The Company cautions prospective investors not to place undue reliance on any such forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company disclaims any obligation to publicly release any revision made to any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. CONTACT: Michael L. Hurley President and Chief Executive Officer (504) 455-2444OOH Campaign Highlights the Power of Donating During the Thanksgiving Season NEW YORK , Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- OUTFRONT Media OUT , one of the largest out-of-home (OOH) media companies in the U.S., has unveiled a new campaign with The Farmlink Project, the fastest-growing solution in the charitable food space, to drive home an important food insecurity fact on Thanksgiving. The campaign, running now through Friday, Dec. 6 , features the line " $1 = 17 lbs of food saved" to jolt audiences into action. OUTFRONT Studios and Farmlink's creative team produced the campaign, which also marks the debut of Farmlink's rebrand. The creative can be seen on digital billboards across the country, securing additional impressions with holiday traffic at an all time high. The campaign's message encourages audiences to make a big impact toward battling food insecurity through a small action during Thanksgiving, the largest event for food consumption in the U.S., and Giving Tuesday, an annual global generosity movement. For the month of December, every dollar donated to Farmlink will be matched to provide 32 pounds of food to families in need. "In collaboration with OUTFRONT, we are able to expand our mission of supporting farmers and feeding families by inspiring people to take simple actions," said Aidan Reilly , Head of Partnerships at Farmlink. "Collectively, those efforts can add up to help us reach our goal of raising $100K in December." As a partner of OUTFRONT since 2021, Farmlink has helped further OUTFRONT's purpose of helping people, places and businesses grow stronger. "Fighting food insecurity continues to be one of OUTFRONT's most important causes, driven by our employees," said Liz Rave , Vice President, Marketing at OUTFRONT. "This timely Thanksgiving campaign is our latest effort to support and amplify Farmlink's mission at a critical time for food insecurity solutions. We are also proud to be making a monetary donation of our own this holiday season." The Farmlink Project was born as a student movement at the onset of the pandemic in an effort to support a local food bank in Los Angeles . Having delivered nearly 300 million pounds of food which otherwise would have gone to waste to families across North America , Farmlink is driven by the belief that hunger can be solved in the U.S. using already grown food. About OUTFRONT Media Inc. OUTFRONT leverages the power of technology, location and creativity to connect brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in the United States . Through its technology platform, OUTFRONT will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage audiences on-the-go. OUTFRONT Media Contacts: Matt Biscuiti Courtney Richards The Lippin Group OUTFRONT Media 212-986-7080 646-876-9404 outfront@lippingroup.com courtney.richards@OUTFRONT.com Stephan Bisson OUTFRONT Media 212-297-6573 stephan.bisson@outfront.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/outfront-media-and-the-farmlink-project-unveil-new-campaign-to-fight-food-insecurity-302317001.html SOURCE OUTFRONT Media Inc. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Coming off what was likely a week's worth of intense practices, No. 10 Kansas returns home for a matchup with North Carolina State on Saturday afternoon in Lawrence, Kan. The Jayhawks (7-2) lost back-to-back games versus unranked opponents, the first time in school history that they have done that while ranked No. 1. Now they have to regroup to face the Wolfpack (7-3). Kansas lost its first two games of the season emphatically: 76-63 at Creighton on Dec. 4 and 76-67 at Missouri last Sunday. Coach Bill Self, who has only lost three straight games four times in his 21-year career at Kansas, was pretty succinct about his team's play following the loss to Missouri. "I think it was probably a combination of them being good and us not being good," he said. "I don't know that I could give them 100 percent credit, but that's what happens in sports. When the other team is doing things to hurt you, and you don't attack it well, they guard you the same way. "A lot of times you just roll it straight because of just not being as prepared or ready. I think it was a combination of both. I would err on the side of giving them more credit, because if I just say we sucked, that would take credit from them. We did suck, but it was in large part them." The Jayhawks still have a balanced and experienced attack, led by seniors Hunter Dickinson (15.0 points per game), Zeke Mayo (10.9), Dajuan Harris Jr. (10.7) and KJ Adams Jr. (9.8). Their biggest problem against Missouri was the 22 turnovers. "It's been a crap week for all of us," Self said on his weekly radio show Tuesday. "But hopefully we get an opportunity to bounce back. "I'm not going to make any excuses. If you don't perform the way we didn't perform, there certainly can be some valuable things to learn from that hopefully will give us a chance to win the war and not just the battle." NC State has won back-to-back games, including the ACC opener against Florida State on Dec. 7. In their last game, the Wolfpack handled Coppin State 66-56 on Tuesday. That's not to say NC State coach Kevin Keatts was impressed. "I thought we did a terrible job at the end of shot clocks when they were going to take a bunch of bad shots but we fouled them," Keatts said. "That being said, you can learn a lot from a win instead of a loss. "We compete hard every day, and our energy is always high. With this group, I'm trying to get everyone to be consistent." The Wolfpack has a trio of double-digit scorers, led by Marcus Hill (13.0 ppg). Jayden Taylor adds 12.5 and Dontrez Styles chips in 10.6. Ben Middlebrooks (9.2) and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (8.7) round out the top five. Huntley-Hatfield (5.6 rebounds per game) and Styles (4.6) also lead a balanced rebounding attack. The Jayhawks have won 12 straight games in the series with North Carolina State. --Field Level Media