Kolkata: The juggernaut of the BJP-led NDA, which triumphed in three of the four east and north-eastern states that went for assembly bypolls on Saturday, was halted yet again in West Bengal where Mamata Banerjee’s TMC registered a six-on-six clean sweep. In its process of continuing to deny the BJP its coveted foothold in the state’s political theatre, the TMC retained five of the six seats it had previously won during the 2021 polls, while wresting the key Madarihat seat from the saffron camp in north Bengal’s Alipurduar district, and opening its account in the segment for the first time. The scene was much brighter for the ruling NDA in neighbouring Bihar where it swept the bypolls to four assembly segments, retaining Imamganj and wresting from the INDIA bloc Tarari, Ramgarh and Belaganj, in a shot in the arm ahead of the assembly polls due next year. In Assam, the BJP and its allies retained four assembly seats and were leading in one, where the bypolls were held on November 13. The sole assembly segment of Gambegre in Meghalaya was won by the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) nominee and chief minister’s wife Mehtab Chandee Agitok Sangma, by a margin of over 4,500 votes. The NPP is a constituent of the NDA at the Centre. The TMC whitewash in Bengal included two of its candidates, Sangita Roy from the Sitai seat and Sk Rabiul Islam from Haroa, registering victories by margins of over one lakh votes. The bypolls in the state were also held in Naihati, Medinipur, Taldangra, and Madarihat (ST), after sitting MLAs vacated their seats after winning the Lok Sabha elections. These were the first set of elections in the state, held in select rural and suburban pockets, after the RG Kar hospital rape and murder incident, which took significant areas of Bengal by storm barely two months ago. Saturday’s results suggested that the anti-establishment edge in those agitations, confined largely to urban pockets, made little or no dent in the Trinamool Congress vote bank in the state’s countryside, and the party romped home in continuation of its winning streak in the 2024 general elections. In Haroa, a constituency overwhelmingly dominated by minorities, the BJP was pushed to the third position with the All India Secular Front (ISF) candidate Piyarul Islam finishing a distant runner-up, behind TMC’s Rabiul. The saffron candidate forfeited his poll deposit in the seat, prompting party leader Suvendu Adhikari to state: “Minorities don’t vote for the BJP”. The poll results brought no joy to either the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which had hoped to capitalise on the RG Kar protests to revive its fortunes, or its erstwhile ally, the Congress. Both suffered crushing defeats in all the six segments and lost poll deposits. In Bihar, candidates of the Jan Suraaj floated recently by former political strategist Prashant Kishor with much fanfare, lost deposits in all but one seat, in a clear indication that the fledgling party, despite claims of taking the political landscape in the state by storm, needs to cover much ground. The biggest setback for the INDIA bloc, helmed by the RJD, came in Belaganj, a seat the party had been winning since its inception in the 1990s, but this time lost to the JD(U) headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the arch-rival of its founding president Lalu Prasad. The JD(U) candidate Manorama Devi, a former MLC, defeated RJD’s debutant nominee Vishwanath Kumar Singh by over 21,000 votes. The margin of victory was greater than the 17,285 votes polled by Mohd Amjad of the Jan Suraaj, whom the RJD may have liked to blame for its defeat by causing a split in Muslim votes. JD(U) national spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said, “The people of Bihar deserve kudos for rejecting the negativity of the opposition and reposing their trust in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Under his leadership, the NDA will win more than 200 seats of the 243-strong assembly in 2025.” In Assam, while the BJP emerged victor in the Behali and Dholai (SC) segments and looked all set to win the Samaguri seat, its allies, the United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL) and the AGP comfortably bagged the Sidli and the Bongaiganon constituencies, respectively, humbling their nearest Congress rivals. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma termed the wins a testament of people’s support to “good governance and development”. Maintaining that the people of Gambegre voted along expected lines, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma said, “Voters are intelligent. They know what is good for them and how they should vote. In this election, people voted specifically for change,” he said. “I would like to thank and congratulate the ‘Maa, Mati, and Manush’ from the bottom of my heart. Your blessings will help us work for the people in the coming days,” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on X. TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee congratulated the candidates, claiming they had “defied the narratives created by the Zamindars, the media, and a section of the Kol HC to defame Bengal for their vested interests.” BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar, however, downplayed the significance of the results. “Bypoll results cannot serve as a reliable indicator. Whether the people are with the TMC or against them will be reflected in the assembly elections,” he said. With this victory, TMC’s tally in the 294-member state assembly rose to 216, further consolidating its position. The BJP’s tally dropped to 69, from 77 in 2021.NoneNew Delhi [India], December 24 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid tribute to late statehood activist Indramani Badoni by garlanding his portrait on his birth anniversary at Uttarakhand Niwas in New Delhi on Tuesday. The Chief Minister said Indramani Badoni made a significant contribution to the movement for the formation of a separate Uttarakhand state. Also Read | Two-Child Policy in Telangana: Revanth Reddy Led- Government Likely To Decide on 2-Child Policy for Rural Polls After Caste Census. Referring to Badoni as the "Gandhi of Uttarakhand," Dhami highlighted his pivotal role as the architect of the 1994 statehood movement. He praised Badoni's vision for the development of mountainous regions and his enduring contributions to the struggle for state formation. "The occasion of the birth anniversary of late Badoni ji inspires us to make Uttarakhand a developed and leading state. His active involvement in the Uttarakhand state movement will always be remembered," the Chief Minister said. Also Read | Delhi Horror: 8-Year-Old Girl Strangled to Death for Resisting Rape by Neighbourhood 'Brother' in Vasant Kunj, Body Dumped in Army Cantonment Area. Earlier in the day, Dhami criticised the Congress party for "insulting" Bharat Ratna Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would never allow their "divisive politics" to succeed. "The Congress party has always sought to insult Dr Ambedkar. They never respected him. When Baba Saheb was made a member of the Constituent Assembly, many Congress leaders opposed him. Prime Minister Modi continues to receive public support, whether in the Haryana or Maharashtra elections, and the Congress is completely frustrated and disappointed by this. The public has taught them a lesson, and they will continue to do so. We will expose them and never allow their divisive politics to succeed," CM Dhami said during a press conference in Delhi. The Uttarakhand Chief Minister also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for implementing three new criminal laws, stating that these reforms would give the country a new direction. "New laws have been implemented in the country since July, and Uttarakhand is working swiftly to enforce them. Today, these efforts were reviewed under the chairmanship of Home Minister Amit Shah. We assessed the progress in the state, including training, hardware, human resources, and work related to science and technology, as well as the police, FSL, and medico-legal sectors. I thank the Prime Minister and Home Minister for their efforts. These new laws will help give the country a new direction," Dhami said. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)Cornelious Brown IV throws 5 TD passes to lead Alabama A&M past Mississippi Valley State 49-35
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Lisa Simpson once said during an episode of “The Simpsons:” What could be more exciting than the savage ballet that is pro football? On Monday night, the entire Simpsons universe gets to experience it in a way not many could have imagined. The prime-time matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys will also take place at Springfield’s Atoms Stadium as part of “The Simpsons Funday Football” alternate broadcast. The altcast will be streamed on ESPN+, Disney+, and NFL+ (on mobile devices). ESPN and ABC have the main broadcast, while ESPN2 will carry the final “ManningCast” of the regular season. The replay will be available on Disney+ for 30 days. Globally, more than 145 countries will have access to either live or on replay. “We’re such huge football fans, and the Simpsons audience and the football audience, I feel, are like the same audience of just American families and football. And the Simpsons are so much a part of the DNA of the American family and culture that for us to, like, mush them together in this crazy video game, it’s so fun,” said Matt Selman, executive producer of “The Simpsons.” While the game is the focal point, the alternate broadcast, in some ways, will resemble a three-hour episode of “The Simpsons.” It starts with Homer eating too many hot dogs and having a dream while watching football. Homer joins the Cowboys in the dream while Bart teams up with the Bengals. Lisa and Marge will be sideline reporters. “That’s the beginning of the story, and the story continues through the entire game until Homer wakes up from his dream at the end of the game. It is like a complete story, and the NFL game will happen in between. It’s just going to be an amazing presentation with tons of surprises,” said Michael “Spike” Szykowny, ESPN’s VP of edit and animation. This is the second year ESPN has done an alternate broadcast for an NFL game. It used the characters from “Toy Story” for last year’s Sunday morning game from London between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars. “The Simpsons” has featured many sports-themed episodes during its 35 seasons. Even though “Homer at the Bat” remains the consensus favorite sports episode for many Simpsons fans, there have been football ones such as “Bart Star” and “Lisa The Greek.” There also was a Super Bowl-themed one after Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl 33 between Denver and Atlanta in 1999. Even though “The Simpsons” remains a staple on Fox’s prime-time schedule, it is part of the Disney family after their acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019. All 35 seasons are on Disney+. The show’s creators have worked with ESPN and the NFL to make sure the look and sound is definitely Simpsonsesque. The theme song is a mash-up of “The Simpsons” opening and “Monday Night Football’s” iconic “Heavy Action.” There have also been pre-recorded skits and bits to use during the broadcast featuring Simpson’s legendary voices Hank Azaria, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, and Yeardley Smith. The telecast will be entirely animated, with the players’ movements in sync with what is happening in real-time on the field. That is done through player-tracking data enabled by the NFL’s Next Gen Stats system and Sony’s Beyond Sports Technology. While Next Gen Stats tracks where players are on the field with a tracking chip in the shoulder pads, there is skeletal data tracking and limb tracking data — which uses 29 points per player — to get closer to the player’s movements. The other data tracking will allow Beyond Sports and Disney to add special characters to the game. For example, there might be a play where Lisa catches the ball and goes 30 yards instead of Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins. “Lisa is much smaller than the rest of the players. So, in real life, the ball would go over her head, but now, with data processing, we can take the ball and make it go exactly into her hands. So for the viewer, it still looks believable, and it all makes sense,” said Beyond Sports co-founder Nicolaas Westerhof. The other major challenge is making “The Simpsons” two-dimensional cartoon characters into 3-D simulations. Szykowny and his team worked to make that a reality over the past couple of months. “That’s a big leap of faith for them to say, hey, we trust you to make our characters 3-D and work with it. Our ESPN creative studio team has done a wonderful job,” Szykowny said. Lisa, Krusty, Nelson, Milhouse and Ralph will be with Bart and the Bengals; while Carl, Barney, Lenny and Moe join up with with Homer and the Cowboys. The broadcast will also feature ESPN personalities Stephen A. Smith, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. ESPN’s Drew Carter, Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky will call the game from Bristol, Connecticut, and also be animated. They will wear Meta Quest Pro headsets to experience the game from Springfield using VR technology. For Kimes, being part of the broadcast and being an animated Simpsons character is a dream come true. She is a massive fan of the show and has a framed photo of Lisa Simpson — who she said is a personal hero and icon — as part of her backdrop when she makes appearances on ESPN NFL shows from her home in Los Angeles. “I didn’t have any input, and I didn’t see anything beforehand, so I wasn’t sure if it would look like me, but it kind of does, which is very funny,” said Kimes, who drew Simpsons characters when she was a kid. “To see the actual staff turn me into one was a dream.” Even though the Bengals (4-8) and Cowboys (5-7) have struggled this season, Selman thinks both teams have personalities that appeal to “The Simpsons” universe. “We were just so lucky also that the Cowboys are sort of like a Homer Simpson-type team, American team, and Mike McCarthy might be a Homer-type guy, one might imagine,” he said. ”And then you have Joe Burrow on the other side who is a cool young, spiky-haired, blonde bad boy -- he’s like Bart. And that fits our character archetypes so perfectly. “If Homer is mad at Bart and has a hot dog dream while watching ’Monday Night Football’, and then it’s basically McCarthy versus Burrow, Homer versus Bart, and that’s the simple father versus son strangling — Homer strangling Bart dynamic that has been part of the show for 35 years. I don’t know if that would have worked as well if it was like Titans versus Jacksonville. We would have found something. We would have made it work.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflMillard South and Omaha Westside spent the previous few months making the regular season a formality. Now the game everyone has wanted to see is here. Incredible talent on the field for both sides and two head coaches who have pushed their programs to new heights. Primetime viewing at its finest. (Note: Journal Star rankings are used instead of playoff seeds.) Time and day: 7:15 p.m. Monday Place: Memorial Stadium TV: Nebraska Public Media No. 1 Millard South Record: 11-1 Coach: Ty Wisdom Road to the finals: First round — def. Papillion-La Vista South 56-19. Quarterfinals — def. Millard North 49-10. Semifinals — def. Kearney 49-14. People are also reading... State playoff appearances: 27 Finals appearances: Sixth Impact players QB Jett Thomalla, 6-4, 190, jr., 3,444 passing yards, 44 TDs; TE Chase Loftin, 6-6, 220, sr., 54 catches, 811 yards, 12 TDs; WR Amarion Jackson, 6-2, 185, jr., 48 catches, 733 yards, 7 TDs; TE Isaac Jensen, 6-6, 225, jr., 36 catches, 593 yards, 9 TDs; WR Aamir Hill, 5-8, 150, sr., 36 catches, 573 yards, 8 TDs; RB Gabriel Prucha, 5-11, 215, jr., 853 rushing yards, 17 TDs, 32 catches, 296 yards, 2 TDs. Millard South's Jett Thomalla throws the ball against Papillion-La Vista last month in Omaha. Bread and butter There's no quantifiable way to measure swagger, but if there were, Millard South would lead the world in it. They are better than you, they know it, and they will happily show you for 48 minutes. From the head coach on down, everyone associated with the program has an unshakable belief in their ability to dominate football games. Does not hurt either that the Patriots have perhaps the best passing attack the state has ever seen — Jett Thomalla last week broke the Class A record for passing yards in a season and five players, three of them Power 4 prospects, have 32 or more catches. No. 2 Omaha Westside Record: 12-0 Coach: Paul Limongi Road to the finals: First round — def. Omaha Westview 48-0. Quarterfinals — def. Papillion-La Vista 36-0. Semifinals — def. Omaha North 47-14. State playoff appearances: 40 Finals appearances: 12th Impact players RB Tay Tay Jenkins, 5-8, 175, so., 1,879 rushing yards, 21 TDs, 11 catches, 198 yards, 4 TDs; QB Braylen Warren, 6-3, 200, so., 2,053 passing yards, 30 TDs, 175 rushing yards, 2 TDs; WR Keynan Cotton, 5-11, 190, sr., 40 catches, 688 yards, 11 TDs; WR Eli Johnson, 6-4, 205, jr., 33 catches, 500 yards, 10 TDs; LB Christian Jones, 6-4, 220, sr., 86 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception; DB Reid McIntyre, 6-0, 180, jr., 98 tackles, 76 solo, 2 fumble recoveries. Bread and butter Outstanding complementary football, led by a defense that has allowed just 99 points in 12 games. Nearly half of those points came in a three-game stretch in September. Since October started, Westside's defense, led by Nebraska commit Christian Jones, is allowing just six points per game. That's been plenty for a talented young offense, led by a couple of sophomores in running back Tay Tay Jenkins and quarterback Braylen Warren. Basnett's pick Westside is rarely the underdog, and perhaps the Warriors shouldn't be here, with their Class A-record 32-game winning streak. But Millard South's collection of talent is nearly unprecedented in this state, and has led to a string of lopsided scores against the best Class A has to offer. Does that change in primetime under the lights? Can Westside use experience gleaned from a half-decade of consecutive finals appearances to apply some pressure to a Patriots program that has not faced much in 2024? Or does Millard South simply overwhelm another foe? This will be the closest game Millard South plays against a Nebraska foe this year. It will also be another game the Patriots win. Download the new Journal Star News Mobile App Top Journal Star photos for November 2024 Lincoln firefighter Andrew Brenner sprays water from the top of a ladder truck on to the roof of a former Village Inn at 29th and O streets Wednesday morning. Luca Gustafson, 6, rides to school Tuesday with the bike bus at Riley Elementary School. Each Tuesday, students can bike to school with adult chaperones along a specific route. Wahoo's Braylon Iversen celebrates with Warrior players after they defeated Auburn in a Class C-1 state semifinal game Friday in Wahoo. Lincoln Fire Fighters Association member Andy Evans works to assemble a headboard during a bed-building day hosted by Sleep in Heavenly Peace on Saturday at Hampton Enterprises. Volunteers helped build 20 beds for children in need. Second-time mother giraffe Allie nuzzles her new calf in the giraffe experience enclosure on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. Nebraska celebrates during the first set of the match against Minnesota on Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center. Iris Gonnerman, 8 (from right), her brother Oliver, 6, and cousin Noreen Milana, 9, wave flags while watching Veterans Parade outside the state Capitol on Sunday. Nebraska's Connor Essegian scores against Bethune-Cookma on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Covered by a canopy of changing leaves, a car cruises along A street in a neighborhood north of Downtown Lincoln on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. Mild temperatures continue into the mid weeks of November. Wednesday calls for a chance of rain showers before noon with gusty winds. Most days this week are expected to be accompanied by mostly sunny skies and consistent breezes. Norris' Anna Jelinek (left) lifts the the Class B championship trophy alongside Rya Borer on Saturday at the Devaney Sports Center. Lincoln Lutheran players embrace one another as threy celebrate defeating Thayer Central in four sets to win the Class C-2 championship match Saturday at the Devaney Sports Center. Superior players celebrate their three set win over EMF during the Class D-1 championship match Saturday at the Devaney Sports Center. Reflected in a ceiling beam, Leyton takes on Shelton in the first set of the Class D-2 championship match Saturday at the Devaney Sports Center. Omaha Skutt's Nicole Ott (left) and Addison West react after a point in the second set during a Class B semifinal match Friday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Hasan Khalil, owner of Golden Scissors, trims the beard of Vitaliy Martynyuk on Friday at his barbershop in Lincoln. Southwest fans Kylea Stritt (from left), Peg Rice, and Stacey Wilson cheer on their team as the "horsemen" during a Class D-1 first-round match Thursday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Millard West players dogpile on the floor after defeating Lincoln Southwest in five set match during a Class A first-round match Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Lincoln Southwest's Shelby Harding dives to save the ball from hitting the ground in the first set during a Class A first-round match Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Second graders Eli Gonzalez (left) and Shrutoshome Datta look at drawings that first and second grade students made at the Monster Jam Art Show on Wednesday at Elliott Elementary School. The elementary school students made drawings of monsters to be turned into different types of art by Lincoln High School students. Norris players celebrate a point against Lincoln Pius X in a Class B state volleyball tournament match, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (right) talks with supporters, including Darlene Starman of Lincoln, at her campaign office on Tuesday in Lincoln. A cutout of Jesus watches over voters on Tuesday at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Lincoln. Abigail Webb votes on Tuesday at F Street Community Center. Nebraska's Rollie Worster (24) shoots a layup while defended by Texas Rio Grande Valley's Marshal Destremau (left) and Trey Miller (right) on Nov. 4 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska's Allison Weidner (left) autographs a poster for Freeman Public Schools student Godwil Muthiani, 12 (center), after the game against UNO on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Muthiani's sign says, "#3 Allison Weinder is the GOAT! Sorry I'm only 12." Nebraska Head Coach Matt Rhule speaks to an official after a targeting call on Nebraska during the first quarter of the game against UCLA on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Memorial Stadium. The call was overturned after review. Nebraska's Dante Dowdell scores against UCLA in the fourth quarter on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Cadet Elena Burgwald (left) and Cadet Mason Beck look up as a B-1B Lancer flies over Memorial Stadium before the UCLA game against Nebraska on Saturday. UCLA's K.J. Wallace (7) defends Nebraska's Jacory Barney (17) as he makes a diving 40-yard catch in the second quarter on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Memorial Stadium. Lincoln Southeast quarterback Tre Bollen (left) and Tate Sandman react after losing a Class A football playoff game against Millard North on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, at Seacrest Field. Millard North won 10-3. After the field clears, Norris' Jarrett Behrends (17) kicks his helmet after the Titans fell to Waverly 16-17 in a Class B football playoff game on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, at Waverly High School. A line of people waiting to vote has been normal at the Lancaster County Election Commission Office at 601 N. 46th St., as it was Friday afternoon. The office will be open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to allow voters to cast an early ballot. If they wait until Election Day, they will need to go to their precinct or drop off their ballots at one of five drop boxes across the city. For more stories about about Tuesday's election, go to Journalstar.com . Reach the writer at (402) 473-7436 or cbasnett@journalstar.com . On Twitter @ChrisBasnettLJS. . 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Most Americans have a negative view of Congress and see it as stagnant, and that’s got some Democratic lawmakers wanting to change America’s winner-takes-all electoral system to one based on proportional representation. According to a report by NOTUS, Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Jared Golden—each of whom recently won reelection in traditionally red districts—have proposed a task force to look at implementing nonpartisan open primaries, establishing independent redistricting commissions, introducing multimember districts that reflect a party’s share of the vote, and expanding the House of Representatives beyond its current 435 members. The task force aims to be equally bipartisan. It would meet for a year, hold public hearings, and provide final recommendations to Congress and the president. In the U.S.’s current system, the House candidate who receives the majority of the vote in a general election wins the entire district. This tends to favor two major opposing parties since smaller parties lack a geographical base and find it difficult to win seats. “My seat was drawn to be a red seat,” Gluesenkamp Perez told NOTUS in an interview, arguing that when members of Congress have guaranteed seats, they become complacent and out of touch. “We need that competition,” she said. “We need that urgency.” The system she and Golden are proposing to study would more closely resemble those in Italy, Germany, and New Zealand. And these lawmakers argue that proportional reform like this would allow Americans to be more accurately represented in Congress, reduce the influence of extremists, and create space for more than two political parties. Unlike the U.S.’s current system, proportional representation would ensure that the number of seats a party wins in Congress corresponds to the percentage of votes it receives in an election. This would mean shifting from single-member districts to multimember districts. For example, if a party secured 30% of the vote, a proportional system would grant them 30% of the seats. If a party won 50% of the vote, it would receive 50% of the seats, and if a party captured 20% of the vote, it would receive 20% of the seats in Congress, and so on. Advocates argue that this approach would foster a healthier democracy. Lindsey Cormack, a political scientist at the Stevens Institute of Technology and the author “How to Raise a Citizen,” told Daily Kos that a proportional representation, particularly one with open primaries that allow all voters to participate regardless of party affiliation, could help combat the rise of polarizing candidates. Proportional representation achieves this by adding more seats within districts and providing room for more political parties. “It’s a check against political extremism,” Cormack said, adding that it allows for “more voices that don’t as strongly identify with the party.” Under a proportional system, extremists would represent only the percentage of the district they won rather than representing the entire district. This system would better reflect the actual number of votes each political party receives in an election. The resulting elected body would more accurately represent the diversity of America by encouraging the rise of multiple political parties instead of the two dominant parties—Democratic and Republican—that currently monopolize politics. In 2021, Democratic Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia reintroduced the Fair Representation Act, a bill originally introduced in 2017 that sought to implement a nationwide system of ranked-choice voting, independent redistricting commissions, and multimember districts. Eight other House Democrats co-sponsored the legislation, but the bill never advanced out of committee. Two years later, the liberal Center for American Progress published an in-depth look at the merits of many of the reforms Gluesenkamp Perez and Golden are now proposing. The article emphasized that the current system's setup can “discourage problem-solving and reward conflict” and “impede representation” of moderates in Congress. Another hurdle for reform is that Congress wants to keep their jobs. “Political incumbents—whether elected politicians, political parties, or allied interest groups—tend to resist changes to the system that put them in power,” Alex Tausanovitch wrote in the article. “Fortunately, now more than ever, many of these incumbents see the current political status quo as alarming, even untenable.” Cormack, too, stated that politicians may be opposed to voting on reform because it’s what got them into their seats. “It’s hard to say, ‘I would like a new system,’ because you're probably reducing your own job security,” she said. “And that's sort of the self-interested nature of politics that makes any of these reforms very hard to implement and incredibly unlikely to come from top-down versus a bottom-up.” “Which is why I think you see a lot of electoral reforms like ranked-choice voting usually come from a ballot initiative process, not legislators saying, ‘Let’s change this,’” she added. Elected officials like Gluesenkamp Perez and Golden may not be the first to say, “Let’s change this,” but they hope to be the last.Pope Francis kicks off a yearlong Jubilee that will test his stamina and Rome's patience VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has opened the great Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica. The ceremony kicks off the 2025 Holy Year. It's a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome. And it will test the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them. This begins the Christmas Eve Mass. The ceremony inaugurates the once-every-25-year tradition of a Jubilee. Francis has dedicated the 2025 Jubilee to the theme of hope. Bethlehem marks a second subdued Christmas Eve during the war in Gaza BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem is marking another somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza. Manger Square lacked its usual festive lights and crowds of tourists on Tuesday. Instead, the area outside the Nativity Church was quiet. The church was built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. The war, the violence in the occupied West Bank it has spurred and the lack of festivities has deeply hurt Bethlehem's economy. The town relies heavily on Christmas tourism. The economy in the West Bank was already reeling because of restrictions placed on laborers preventing them from entering Israel during the war. Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about one hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. American said in an email that the problem was caused by an issue with a vendor technology that maintains its flight operating system. Aviation analytics company Cirium said flights were delayed across American’s major hubs, with only 37% leaving on time. Nineteen flights were cancelled. Middle East latest: Israel expels patients from a hospital in Gaza TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli soldiers raided a hospital in isolated northern Gaza after forcing all the patients and most of the doctors to leave. The Israeli military confirmed its troops had entered the Indonesian Hospital in the town of Jabaliya on Tuesday, as part of an operation searching for Hamas fighters. Winter is hitting the Gaza Strip and many of the nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced by the devastating 15-month war are struggling to protect themselves from the wind, cold and rain. In the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian city of Bethlehem was marking a somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza, with most festivities cancelled and crowds of tourists absent. Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women's sports Caitlin Clark has been named the AP Female Athlete of the Year after raising the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both college and the WNBA. She led Iowa to the national championship game, was the top pick in the WNBA draft and captured rookie of the year honors in the league. Fans packed sold-out arenas and millions of television viewers followed her journey on and off the court. Clark's exploits also put other women's sports leagues in the spotlight. A group of 74 sports journalists from AP and its members voted on the award. Other athletes who received votes included Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and boxer Imane Khelif. Clark’s only the fourth women’s basketball player to win the award since it was first given in 1931. Major storm pounds California's central coast, blamed for man's death and partially collapsing pier SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — A major storm has pounded California’s central coast bringing flooding and high surf that was blamed for fatally trapping a man beneath debris on a beach and later partially collapsing a pier, tossing three people into the Pacific Ocean. The storm was expected to bring hurricane-force winds and waves up to 60 feet Monday as it gained strength from California to the Pacific Northwest. Some California cities have ordered beachfront homes and hotels to evacuate early Monday afternoon. Forecasters have warned that storm swells would continue to increase throughout the day. Medellin Cartel victims demand truth and justice as cartel boss Fabio Ochoa walks free in Colombia BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — The return of the notorious drug trafficker Fabio Ochoa to Colombia, following his deportation from the United States, has reopened old wounds among the victims of the Medellin cartel, with some expressing their dismay at the decision of Colombian authorities to let the former mafia boss walk free.Some of the cartel victims said on Tuesday that they are hoping the former drug lord will at least cooperate with ongoing efforts by human rights groups to investigate one of the most violent periods of Colombia’s history, and demanded that Colombian prosecutors also take Ochoa in for questioning. Man arraigned on murder charges in NYC subway death fanned flames with a shirt, prosecutors say NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors say a man accused of burning a woman to death inside a New York City subway train used a shirt to fan the flames, causing her to become engulfed. The suspect, identified by police as Sebastian Zapeta, was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court on Tuesday. He faces murder charges that could put him in prison for life. Federal immigration officials say 33-year-old Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after being deported in 2018. The apparently random attack occurred Sunday morning on a stationary F train at the Coney Island station in Brooklyn. Amsterdam court sentences 5 men over violence linked to Ajax-Maccabi soccer game THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An Amsterdam District Court has issued sentences of up to six months in jail against 5 men who were involved in violent disorder after a soccer match between the Dutch club Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv in November. The riots caused an international outcry and accusations of deliberate anti-Semitic attacks. The violence following a UEFA Europa League match left 5 people in hospital. More than 60 suspects were detained. The court on Tuesday sentenced one man to 6 months in prison, another to 2 1/2 months, two to 1 month and one to 100 hours of community service.
The people that president-elect Donald Trump has selected to lead federal health agencies in his second administration include a retired congressman, a surgeon and a former talk-show host. All of them could play pivotal roles in fulfilling a new political agenda that could change how the government goes about safeguarding Americans' health — from health care and medicines to food safety and science research. And if Congress approves, at the helm of the team as Department of Health and Human Services secretary will be prominent environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine organizer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Falana, Media Trial Is Old School; Please Try Something New From 2025 – Leo Stan Ekeh
Country singer Caleb Kennedy, who competed in American Idol Season 19, has been sentenced to eight years in prison following his involvement in a 2022 car crash that killed a man in Pacolet, South Carolina. Kennedy pled guilty last week to the felony charge of driving under the influence resulting in death, according to the Greenville News . He was initially sentenced to 25 years in prison and a $25,100 fine, but he had that sentence and fine reduced to eight years and $15,100, with three of those years served in home detention. He also received credit for the nearly three years he has already served. Additionally, the singer will serve five years of probation, and he is required to attend mental health and substance abuse counseling. The legal update comes nearly three years after Kennedy, then 17, struck and killed 54-year-old Larry Duane Parris while driving his Ford F-150 on February 8, 2022. Warrants alleged that Kennedy was under the influence of marijuana at the time, and he was arrested on the DUI charge on the day of the crash. Ryan Beasley, Kennedy’s attorney, told the News that the sentencing was fair. “He’s got no record, and he was a minor when this happened,” Beasley said. “This wasn’t such an egregious act that you see most of the time, where people were drinking and driving then they hit somebody at night or going the wrong way down the road. This was a weird reaction from his prescription medicine and possibly THC.” Beasley also said that Kennedy is “very remorseful” and that the sentencing “starts the healing process for everybody involved in this situation.” (The News notes that Parris’ family wanted the maximum 25-year sentence.) Kennedy made it to the Top 7 of American Idol Season 19 but withdrew from the competition after a video of him standing next to a person wearing a Ku Klux Klan-style hood resurfaced. “I was younger and did not think about the actions, but that’s not an excuse,” Kennedy said, in part, on social media at the time. “I wanna say I’m sorry to all my fans and everyone who I have let down.” More Headlines:
MOSCOW: Russia, the world’s top exporter of peas, announced on Saturday a fixed 5 percent export duty on peas, chickpeas and lentils from Jan. 1, effectively lowering the duty by 30 percent after exports of pulses slowed and left large volumes unsold. The flexible duty, applied previously, could go up to 7 percent depending on the rouble’s exchange rate. The measure will help maintain a balanced ratio between exports and domestic consumption of legumes, the government said in a statement. “Any actions that reduce uncertainty have a positive impact on the market. Previously, the tariff changed depending on the average dollar exchange rate, forcing traders to act too cautiously,” said Sergei Pluzhnikov, head of Russian Pulses Analytics. Pluzhnikov estimated that the measure implied a de-facto 30 percent reduction in the duty. s Russian production of pulses has boomed in the last two years, with many farmers switching to more profitable pulses from wheat, currently the country’s main agricultural export. In 2023, the country became the world’s largest exporter of peas, exporting 2.9 million tons of peas and surpassing former top exporter Canada, mostly due to booming exports to China. Russia has also begun exporting pulses to India, another major consumer. According to IKAR consultancy, pea exports to China slowed sharply to 0.7 million metric tons from July to December, the first part of the 2024/2025 exporting season, compared to 1.7 million tons during the same period of last year. Despite a record large seeded area under pulses, this year’s crop fell to 4 million tons from a record 4.7 million last year, due to bad weather. IKAR said that with slowing exports, large volumes of pulses remain unsold. Pluzhnikov said that the world’s major consumers of pulses - China, India and Turkey - have been less active this year and still hold large stocks accumulated in recent years.