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Pride, bragging rights and more than $115M at stake when final college playoff rankings come out
Eight-year-old child dies after eating spaza shop biscuitsOn paper, Luigi Mangione had it all: wealth, intellect, athleticism, good looks. But the child of a prominent Maryland family may have spurned it all in a spasm of violence, in a killing that has mesmerized Americans. The 26-year-old was arrested Monday and charged with the murder of Brian Thompson, a health insurance chief executive and father of two who was gunned down in Manhattan last week by someone who, evidence suggests, has endured his own debilitating health crises and grew angry with the privatized US medical system. The cold-blooded killing has laid bare the deep frustration many Americans feel toward the country's labyrinthine health care system: while many have condemned the shooting, others have praised Mangione as a hero. It has also prompted considerable interest in how a young engineer with an Ivy League education could have gone off the rails to commit murder. News of his capture at a Pennsylvania McDonald's triggered an explosion of online activity, with Mangione quickly amassing new followers on social media as citizen sleuths and US media tried to understand who he is. As Americans have looked for clues about a political ideology or potential motive, a photo on his X account (formerly Twitter) includes an X-ray of an apparently injured spine. Mangione lived in Hawaii in 2022 and, according to his former roommate R.J. Martin, suffered from back pain, and was hoping to strengthen his back. After a surfing lesson, Mangione was "in bed for about a week" because of the pain, Martin told CNN. Earlier this year, Martin said, Mangione confirmed he'd had back surgery and sent him photos of the X-rays. Police said the suspect carried a hand-written manifesto of grievances in which he slammed America's "most expensive health care system in the world." "He was writing a lot about his disdain for corporate America and in particular the health care industry," New York police chief detective Joseph Kenny told ABC. According to CNN, a document recovered when Mangione was arrested included the phrase "these parasites had it coming." Meanwhile, memes and jokes proliferated, many riffing on his first name and comparing him to the "Mario Bros." video game character Luigi. Many expressed at least partial sympathy, having had their own harrowing experiences with the US health care system. "Godspeed. Please know that we all hear you," wrote one user on Facebook. Mangione hails from the Baltimore area. His wealthy Italian-American family owns local businesses, including the Hayfields Country Club, according to local outlet the Baltimore Banner, and cousin Nino Mangione is a Maryland state delegate. A standout student, Luigi graduated at the top of his high school class in 2016. A former student who knew Mangione at the elite Gilman School told AFP the suspect struck him as "a normal guy, nice kid." "There was nothing about him that was off, at least from my perception," the person said. Mangione attended the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, where he completed both a bachelor's and master's degree in computer science by 2020, according to a university spokesperson. While at Penn, Mangione co-led a group of 60 undergraduates who collaborated on video game projects, as noted in a now-deleted university webpage. On Instagram Mangione shared snapshots of his travels, and shirtless images of himself flaunting a six-pack. X users have scoured Mangione's posts for potential motives. His header photo includes an X-ray of a spine with bolts attached. Finding a political ideology that fits neatly onto the right-left divide has proved elusive, though he had written a review of Ted Kaczynski's manifesto on online site Goodreads, calling it "prescient." Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, carried out multiple bombings in the United States from 1978 to 1995, in a campaign he said was aimed at halting the advance of modern society and technology. Mangione has also linked approvingly to posts criticizing secularism as a harmful consequence of Christianity's decline, and retweeted posts on the impact mobile phones and social media have on mental health. ia/abo-mlm/nro
The Blood Donation Centre at the Department of Laboratory Services will be organising several blood donation campaigns on the first week of December to boost the national blood supply. The first campaign will be held at the first floor of Little Soho, Batu Bersurat, tomorrow and December 3 from 10am to 2.30pm; while December 4 will see the Honda Showroom hosting a blood donation campaign from 10am to 2.30pm. Meanwhile, two blood donation campaigns will be held concurrently on December 7 with one being held at the Event Stage on the first floor of Mabohai shopping Complex from 10am to 2.30pm, and the other at the Blood Donation Centre at Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital (RIPAS) from 7.30pm to 9pm. The public can also donate blood directly at the Blood Donation Centre at RIPAS Hospital during working hours from 8am to 11.30am and 1.30pm to 4pm. Donors are encouraged to book their donation slots through the Bloodkad app. – Daniel LimPolitical parties who have promised to hire thousands of extra gardaí need to confront ‘an uncomfortable truth’ about the garda ‘recruitment and retention crisis’, the president of the group representing rank-and-file officers said this weekend. Garda Representative Association president Mark O’Meara was speaking as all the main political parties vowed in their manifestos to significantly bolster An Garda Síochána. Labour has pledged to increase garda numbers to 18,000; Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have promised 6,000 and 5,000 new recruits respectively; while Sinn Féin said it will oversee ‘the largest garda recruitment drive in the history of the State’ if voted into power. However, despite previous commitments to increase policing numbers, garda management has struggled to stem the tide of officers quitting the force. Figures provided by Justice Minister Helen McEntee to Independent TD Violet-Anne Wynne confirm more than 1,200 gardaí have retired since 2020. Writing in today’s Irish Mail on Sunday, Mr O’Meara said the force is ‘facing a recruitment and retention crisis’ that needs to be addressed. ‘The uncomfortable truth is that garda numbers have not increased one jot since 14,000 in 2010 while the population has increased over 15% during the same timeframe,’ he said, adding this points to ‘systemic, consecutive failures in policies and decisions to try and boost garda numbers’. Responding to political promises to significantly increase garda numbers, Mr O’Meara said: ‘We have listened to various promises of thousands of extra gardaí but with little explanation of how this could be achieved.’ He added that, to attract more people to a career with An Garda Síochána, ‘you have to significantly improve the working pay, pensions and conditions of the job itself’. He said existing officers need to ‘feel more appreciated and supported to convince them to stay on’. To address the policing shortfall, Dublin City councillor Mannix Flynn called on Ms McEntee to provide incentives to gardaí who retired in recent years to return to the force. The Independent Dublin Bay South General Election candidate said such a move would help combat what he described as the ‘flight of talent and experience from the force’. He told the MoS it would not be a case of ‘trying to force anyone to come back or to increase the retirement age,’ but rather looking to change ‘outmoded ways of doing things’. He added: ‘Retired gardaí need not come back full-time, but we have a lot of young officers who could do with guidance on what life is really like on the beat. Gardaí could come back in an advisory capacity and pass on the knowledge they have accumulated over decades.’ In response to parliamentary queries from Ms Wynne, Ms McEntee confirmed the number of officers retiring from the force has steadily increased from 250 in 2020 to 293 in 2021, rising to 340 in 2022 and 319 last year. Commenting on the desire of many retiring gardaí to stay in the force, Ms McEntee said: ‘At the beginning of September, the Government increased the age of retirement from 60 to 62. ‘This means that gardaí who wish to work on to 62 may do so. Government took this decision on foot of a request from the Garda Commissioner [Drew Harris] and the Garda Associations. ‘It is clear that there is a real appetite for this in An Garda Síochána. Since 2020, my department has processed almost 180 requests for retirement extensions. Increasing the mandatory retirement age reflects the reality that people can and want to work in their chosen careers for longer.’ Meanwhile, gardaí yesterday confirmed they have removed four more images of ‘persons of interest’ from a public gallery of 99 suspects who may have taken past in the riots in Dublin city centre last November. On the first anniversary of the November 23 riots, a garda spokesperson said: ’56 images of “persons of interest” have now been removed from the public gallery overall.’ The purpose of the publication was to either rule individuals ‘in or out’ of and progress the investigative process, the spokesperson stated.None
Sinn Fein support has 'come back very strongly', claims Mary Lou McDonaldDana Hills' Evan Noonan wins his third state title in a row, the Beckman boys win Division I and the girls teams for Trabuco Hills, El Toro and JSerra also earn championships.
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(Bloomberg) -- Nissan Motor Co.’s latest outlook downgrade has shined a light on the Japanese carmaker’s tendency to overpromise and underdeliver, testing the trust of its investors and suppliers. The manufacturer has failed to meet its initial annual unit sales target during eight of the past nine fiscal years, four of which had a gap of more than 10%, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. For this fiscal year through March, it lowered an initial goal by 8.1% to 3.4 million vehicles. Nissan’s propensity to promise too much is a habit it picked up when Carlos Ghosn was in charge, according to Tatsuo Yoshida, senior auto analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. By contrast, Toyota Motor Corp.’s sales have never fallen short of forecasts by more than 10% during the same period, while Honda Motor Co. has seen drops of similar scale only twice. Six years have passed since Ghosn’s surprise exit, but Nissan hasn’t been able to escape his operational style, Yoshida said, much less build a new one. Chief Executive Officer Makoto Uchida, appears to realize as much, saying that “Nissan needs to be better at measuring the accuracy of its goals.” Uchida, who forfeited half of his compensation beginning this month, also told reporters during a post-earnings briefing that the carmaker has been affected “not only by external challenges, but also by our own specific issues.” Nissan’s troubles deepened after its rapid decline opened the door to one of Japan’s most influential activist investors. A fund controlled by Effissimo Capital Management Pte took a 2.5% stake in the carmaker while share prices were down after it announced quarterly results earlier this month. Speculation abounds as to why Effissimo resurfaced now, but it was a striking reminder of its dramatic 2021 standoff with Toshiba Corp., which ended in the dismissal of its CEO. Nissan’s market capitalization, which stands at about ¥1.5 trillion ($9.7 billion), has been shrinking since peaking at almost ¥6 trillion in 2015. It’s now Japan’s fifth-largest carmaker as measured by market value after Toyota, Honda, Suzuki Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp. Ghosn, who joined Nissan’s executive ranks in 1999 from Renault SA after the French carmaker rescued the company, made three commitments in his revival plan including getting the struggling company out of the red and pledged to resign should he fail to meet any of them. In the end, all of his goals were accomplished ahead of schedule and Nissan posted record profits. After that, the long-term goal shifted to building more capacity and reaching greater scale in order to challenge Toyota and major carmakers in the US. That put Nissan on a path to higher incentives and fleet sales as it aspired to sell more vehicles. An aging product lineup is arguably Nissan’s biggest challenge. While Toyota and Honda have largely refreshed their models in North America, Nissan’s last significant updates were the Pathfinder and Frontier in 2021. The carmaker plans to roll out a plug-in hybrid version of the Rogue in fiscal 2025, followed by one using the company’s e-Power gas-electric technology the next year. Nissan ranked behind Toyota and Honda in a survey published in November by Japanese weekly magazine Diamond, which asked major automakers’ partners to rank them based on the trustworthiness of their production plans. The accuracy of Nissan’s sales forecasts has been “unusually low” in recent years, according to SBI Securities Co. analyst Koji Endo. For some time now, Endo added, the company has been repeating the cycle of failing to meet its targets and resorting to stopgap measures to cut costs. That still continues; Nissan revealed plans earlier this month to terminate 9,000 jobs and reduce capacity by a fifth, putting much of the blame on a downturn in sales across North America and China. As the impacts of those cost cuts make their way downstream, the pain of Nissan’s rapid decline will weigh on the bottom lines of its countless suppliers and business partners. Nissan already encountered trouble earlier this year for squeezing parts makers. Suppliers risk incurring losses if they believe Nissan’s forecasts, Yoshida said. “That’s why they take those numbers from Nissan and aim lower.” More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com ©2024 Bloomberg L.P.Haiti wonders what's next as gang violence surges and the push for a UN peacekeeping mission flops
“Cassoulet, that best of bean feasts, is everyday fare for a peasant but ambrosia for a gastronome.” ~ Julia Child When winter heads our way, bringing chilly temperatures and close, dark nights, my thoughts turn to Cassoulet, the iconic comfort food from southwestern France. It has it all – juicy beans, duck leg confit, sausages and sometimes pork or lamb, slowly simmered in well-seasoned broth, then baked in a wide-mouthed, glazed terra-cotta dish called a cassole . Like any truly traditional dish, there are multiple versions, all claiming to be the “authentic one.” Cassoulet originated in southwestern France. Toulouse claims it — and so does Castelnaudary and Carcassonne — and the recipes vary. Toulouse adherents eschew adding cubed pork. Castelnaudary purists add a bit of lamb, while Carcassonne’s adds partridge. In most restaurants, cassoulets are served in an individual cassole , bubbling with hot juices,and with a bit of duck leg peeking through the top. But at Hostellerie Etienne , a vast indoor- outdoor restaurant on the edge of a forest near Castelnaudary, the cassoulets come to the table in family-size cassoles , big enough to serve two, four, six or even 10 people, so you can share the dish with your dining companions. I don’t know if Etienne’s even has a single-serving bowl size. I didn’t see one, when I was there as the guest of a bean trader from Castelnaudary. According to him, Etiennne’s has the best cassoulet anywhere, and they use the Lauragais lingot beans known as the Castelnaudary bean. Copious doesn’t begin to describe the cassoulet scene there, with stacks of cassoles lined up in Etienne’s kitchen, next to caldrons of simmering beans, ready to be filled and popped into the vast ovens. Here in the Bay Area, we have our own go-to restaurants for cassoulets. Some, like the Left Bank Brasseries in San Jose, Menlo Park, Oakland and Larkspur, and Reve Bistro in Lafayette, only serve it during the winter months as a special. (Reve will be serving cassoulet Dec. 10-14, for example, and Jan. 7-11; reserve it when you reserve your table.) Others, such as Bistro Jeanty in Yountville and Le Central in San Francisco, always have it on the menu. Both Reve Bistro and Bistro Jeanty use cassoles made by potter Kathy Kernes at her Crockett Pottery in Crockett, and they are every bit as beautiful and as practical as those you’ll find in southwestern France. Kernes’ makes cassoles in six sizes ($38-$210), ranging from individual to “extra large plus,” which is very large indeed. (Browse the possibilities at www.crockettpottery.com.) Reve Bistro offers take-out cassoulets if you pre-order the week the dish is on the menu. Pick it up — in a takeout container, not a cassole! — then heat it at home. Just note that chef-owner Paul Magu-Lecugy only makes a limited number of portions. “It’s time consuming,” he says, noting for him, it is a two-day process. Le Central’s cassoulet is one of the more elaborate around, with lamb, pork shoulder and boudin blanc, as well as the all-important duck leg confit and slightly garlicky Toulouse sausage. Left Bank uses chef-owner Roland Passot’s recipe (see below) and keeps it simple, limiting the meats to duck leg confit and Toulouse sausages. (Don’t panic. If you’re making this at home, some specialty markets sell duck confit.) The beans are key to cassoulet. Once cooked, they should not be mushy, but hold their shape after the long cooking. In France, tradition calls for either Tarbais beans, a plump, white bean, or lingot beans — a strain of cannellini beans — in making cassoulet. As Passot suggests in his recipe below, you can substitute cannellini beans or Great Northern beans. Rancho Gordo produces a variety called cassoulet , a West Coast-grown bean from the Tarbais strain. Cassoulet isn’t difficult to make. It just requires time and patience. You can make it a couple of days ahead, refrigerate it and then slowly reheat it. That way, there’s nothing to do on the day of but sip a glass of wine while the beans and meats slowly heat to bubbling. Add a green salad and some crusty bread, and you’ll have the perfect winter meal. Or put your coat on and head to one of our local restaurants, where the cooking is done for you. All you need is a reservation. Serves 6 to 8 Beans: 4 cups dried lingot beans (white kidney, cannellini or Great Northern, will all work) 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped 1 small onion, diced (about 3⁄4 cup) 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 pound slab bacon or extra thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch cubes 2 sprigs of thyme 1 bay leaf Cassoulet: 1⁄4 cup duck fat (lard will do in a pinch) 2 pounds pork butt cut in 2-inch cubes 1 cup onions, diced small 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1⁄4 cup tomato paste 1 small can diced tomatoes 11⁄2-2 cups reserved bean water 6 Toulouse sausages 1 small garlic sausage 4 confit duck legs, purchased or homemade (see note below) 1 cup panko bread crumbs 1 teaspoon garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil Note: If you are making your own duck confit, start the night before by rubbing the duck legs with a “green salt” mixture — kosher salt, parsley, a couple of bay leaves and thyme ground together. The next day, rinse the duck legs well, pat dry and place in an oven-safe cooking vessel with enough duck fat to cover the legs. Roast in a 225-degree oven for 21⁄2 to 3 hrs. The night before, place the beans in a deep pot and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Let beans soak overnight. The next day, rinse the beans well. Add the rinsed beans, carrots, onions, garlic, bacon, thyme and bay leaf to cold water and cook, over low heat, until the beans are tender. Strain the beans, saving the water, and set aside the beans. In a large braising pan, melt the duck fat over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, brown the pork butt pieces without stirring. When beginning to brown, start stirring, making sure you scrape the bottom if it starts to caramelize. The pork doesn’t need much color, but it does need to cook in the duck fat for a while. Add lots of salt and pepper. This is not a shy dish. When the pork is nice and brown on all sides, add the 1 cup onions and garlic, and sauté until the onions are soft and cooked through. Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes and reserved liquid from the beans. Stir, using a rubber spatula to clean the side of the pot. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Bring the heat under the braising pan up to high. Once at a rolling boil, turn down to low heat and add all the sausages. When they are cooked through, remove and set aside. Slice the garlic sausage in half and cut into 1-inch pieces. Return the whole and sliced sausages back to the pot along with the cooked beans. Continue to cook on low heat until the pork is cooked through. Taste for seasoning; add more salt and pepper if needed. Transfer the beans and pork to a heavy, wide mouth, earthenware, clay or cast iron baking dish that can hold 5 to 6 quarts. Bake at 250 degrees for about 11⁄2 hours, checking at least every 30 minutes. It may require a bit more time. If the dish is starting to look too dry, add a small amount of reserved bean broth or chicken stock. Add warmed duck legs to the cassoulet and make a breadcrumb topping by combining the panko, garlic, parsley, thyme and extra virgin olive oil. Return the dish to the oven and continue baking until the crumbs brown on the top. — Courtesy Roland Passot, Propriétaire, Chef Culinary Officer, Vine Hospitality
A 95-YEAR-OLD woman was left lying on the pavement with a broken hip in freezing weather for five hours waiting for an ambulance. Winifred Soanes fell over in Christchurch High Street, Dorset, in the early afternoon while out her 92-year-old husband Andrew. She was unable to move due to the sheer pain she was in. Despite multiple concerned members of the public making repeated 999 calls for an ambulance and explaining Winifred was elderly and vulnerable, they were told she "was not a priority". People managed to prop her head up with shoe boxes from market stallholders and a pillow from a nearby pub. Staff at Mountain Warehouse provided her with sleeping bags and charity shops gave blankets and hot water bottles to keep Winifred warm. Others provided coffee and food to help Andrew, who is an army veteran and diabetic and who refused to leave his wife's side. An ambulance eventually arrived at 7.45pm on Monday and took Winifred to hospital where she remains today. To add insult to injury, Andrew has developed a chest infection as a result of being out in the cold so long and cannot visit his wife in hospital. People who helped the couple have slammed the "broken system". Jennifer Baylis, who was working in a charity shop, said: "I can't tell you how upsetting it was, she actually said 'I'm going to die here tonight'. "She was in a phenomenal amount of pain and in such a vulnerable position, on a cold floor, totally reliant on complete strangers. "She fell at 2.30pm and the ambulance finally showed up at 7.45pm. "We were all distressed that there was no first responder available, no police officer, literally no one available to help for over five hours. "You feel so helpless, I was so angry that they were in this position. It shouldn't be happening in this day and age. "The NHS are fantastic once help is there. We know how hard they work. "But something went very very wrong to leave a 95-year-old lady on the pavement of a high street at night." David Lovell, who saw her fall and was the first to call for an ambulance, said: "I can't describe how cold it was, and as it got dark, the temperature dropped really quickly. "She was lying on the cold pavement and we couldn't move her because she was in huge amounts of pain." When others called again to chase up the ambulance, they were given no time frame for how long the wait would be. Winifred was eventually taken to Poole Hospital and is waiting for a specialist operation for her injuries. Andrew said: "The situation was dire, but it's great to know that when they need to, the community all pull together to help." A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service, said: "We are sorry that we were not able to provide a timely response to this patient. "Any occasion where the care we provide falls below the high standards our patients deserve and rightly expect is unacceptable. "Handover delays at emergency departments remain one of our biggest challenges. "To ensure our ambulances are available to attend the next emergency call within the community, we need to be able to hand patients over within the 15-minute national target . "We continue to work hard with our partners in the NHS and social care, to do all we can to improve the service that patients receive." THE NHS waiting list in England has become a political flashpoint as it has ballooned in recent years, more than doubling in a decade. The statistics for England count the number of procedures, such as operations and non-surgical treatments, that are due to patients. The procedures are known as elective treatment because they are planned and not emergencies. Many are routine ops such as for hip or knee replacements, cataracts or kidney stones, but the numbers also include some cancer treatments. This is how the wait list has changed over time: August 2007: 4.19million – The first entry in current records. December 2009: 2.32million – The smallest waiting list on modern record. April 2013: 2.75million – The Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition restructures the NHS. Current chancellor Jeremy Hunt was Health Secretary. April 2016: 3.79million – Junior doctors go on strike for the first time in 40 years. Theresa May is elected Prime Minister. February 2020: 4.57million – The final month before the UK's first Covid lockdown in March 2020. July 2021: 5.61million – The end of all legal Covid restrictions in the UK. January 2023: 7.21million – New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledges to reduce waiting lists within a year, effectively April 2024. September 2023: 7.77million – The highest figure on record comes during a year hit with strikes by junior doctors, consultants, nurses and ambulance workers. February 2024: 7.54million – Ministers admit the pledge to cut the backlog has failed. August 2024: 7.64million – List continues to rise under Keir Starmer's new Labour Government.Notre Dame reopens doors to Macron other world leaders in rare symbol of unityColibri Group Appoints Shravan Goli as Chief Executive Officer
“Cassoulet, that best of bean feasts, is everyday fare for a peasant but ambrosia for a gastronome.” ~ Julia Child When winter heads our way, bringing chilly temperatures and close, dark nights, my thoughts turn to Cassoulet, the iconic comfort food from southwestern France. It has it all – juicy beans, duck leg confit, sausages and sometimes pork or lamb, slowly simmered in well-seasoned broth, then baked in a wide-mouthed, glazed terra-cotta dish called a cassole . Like any truly traditional dish, there are multiple versions, all claiming to be the “authentic one.” Cassoulet originated in southwestern France. Toulouse claims it — and so does Castelnaudary and Carcassonne — and the recipes vary. Toulouse adherents eschew adding cubed pork. Castelnaudary purists add a bit of lamb, while Carcassonne’s adds partridge. In most restaurants, cassoulets are served in an individual cassole , bubbling with hot juices,and with a bit of duck leg peeking through the top. But at Hostellerie Etienne , a vast indoor- outdoor restaurant on the edge of a forest near Castelnaudary, the cassoulets come to the table in family-size cassoles , big enough to serve two, four, six or even 10 people, so you can share the dish with your dining companions. I don’t know if Etienne’s even has a single-serving bowl size. I didn’t see one, when I was there as the guest of a bean trader from Castelnaudary. According to him, Etiennne’s has the best cassoulet anywhere, and they use the Lauragais lingot beans known as the Castelnaudary bean. Copious doesn’t begin to describe the cassoulet scene there, with stacks of cassoles lined up in Etienne’s kitchen, next to caldrons of simmering beans, ready to be filled and popped into the vast ovens. Here in the Bay Area, we have our own go-to restaurants for cassoulets. Some, like the Left Bank Brasseries in San Jose, Menlo Park, Oakland and Larkspur, and Reve Bistro in Lafayette, only serve it during the winter months as a special. (Reve will be serving cassoulet Dec. 10-14, for example, and Jan. 7-11; reserve it when you reserve your table.) Others, such as Bistro Jeanty in Yountville and Le Central in San Francisco, always have it on the menu. Both Reve Bistro and Bistro Jeanty use cassoles made by potter Kathy Kernes at her Crockett Pottery in Crockett, and they are every bit as beautiful and as practical as those you’ll find in southwestern France. Kernes’ makes cassoles in six sizes ($38-$210), ranging from individual to “extra large plus,” which is very large indeed. (Browse the possibilities at www.crockettpottery.com.) Reve Bistro offers take-out cassoulets if you pre-order the week the dish is on the menu. Pick it up — in a takeout container, not a cassole! — then heat it at home. Just note that chef-owner Paul Magu-Lecugy only makes a limited number of portions. “It’s time consuming,” he says, noting for him, it is a two-day process. Le Central’s cassoulet is one of the more elaborate around, with lamb, pork shoulder and boudin blanc, as well as the all-important duck leg confit and slightly garlicky Toulouse sausage. Left Bank uses chef-owner Roland Passot’s recipe (see below) and keeps it simple, limiting the meats to duck leg confit and Toulouse sausages. (Don’t panic. If you’re making this at home, some specialty markets sell duck confit.) The beans are key to cassoulet. Once cooked, they should not be mushy, but hold their shape after the long cooking. In France, tradition calls for either Tarbais beans, a plump, white bean, or lingot beans — a strain of cannellini beans — in making cassoulet. As Passot suggests in his recipe below, you can substitute cannellini beans or Great Northern beans. Rancho Gordo produces a variety called cassoulet , a West Coast-grown bean from the Tarbais strain. Cassoulet isn’t difficult to make. It just requires time and patience. You can make it a couple of days ahead, refrigerate it and then slowly reheat it. That way, there’s nothing to do on the day of but sip a glass of wine while the beans and meats slowly heat to bubbling. Add a green salad and some crusty bread, and you’ll have the perfect winter meal. Or put your coat on and head to one of our local restaurants, where the cooking is done for you. All you need is a reservation. Serves 6 to 8 Beans: 4 cups dried lingot beans (white kidney, cannellini or Great Northern, will all work) 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped 1 small onion, diced (about 3⁄4 cup) 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 pound slab bacon or extra thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch cubes 2 sprigs of thyme 1 bay leaf Cassoulet: 1⁄4 cup duck fat (lard will do in a pinch) 2 pounds pork butt cut in 2-inch cubes 1 cup onions, diced small 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1⁄4 cup tomato paste 1 small can diced tomatoes 11⁄2-2 cups reserved bean water 6 Toulouse sausages 1 small garlic sausage 4 confit duck legs, purchased or homemade (see note below) 1 cup panko bread crumbs 1 teaspoon garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil Note: If you are making your own duck confit, start the night before by rubbing the duck legs with a “green salt” mixture — kosher salt, parsley, a couple of bay leaves and thyme ground together. The next day, rinse the duck legs well, pat dry and place in an oven-safe cooking vessel with enough duck fat to cover the legs. Roast in a 225-degree oven for 21⁄2 to 3 hrs. The night before, place the beans in a deep pot and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Let beans soak overnight. The next day, rinse the beans well. Add the rinsed beans, carrots, onions, garlic, bacon, thyme and bay leaf to cold water and cook, over low heat, until the beans are tender. Strain the beans, saving the water, and set aside the beans. In a large braising pan, melt the duck fat over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, brown the pork butt pieces without stirring. When beginning to brown, start stirring, making sure you scrape the bottom if it starts to caramelize. The pork doesn’t need much color, but it does need to cook in the duck fat for a while. Add lots of salt and pepper. This is not a shy dish. When the pork is nice and brown on all sides, add the 1 cup onions and garlic, and sauté until the onions are soft and cooked through. Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes and reserved liquid from the beans. Stir, using a rubber spatula to clean the side of the pot. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Bring the heat under the braising pan up to high. Once at a rolling boil, turn down to low heat and add all the sausages. When they are cooked through, remove and set aside. Slice the garlic sausage in half and cut into 1-inch pieces. Return the whole and sliced sausages back to the pot along with the cooked beans. Continue to cook on low heat until the pork is cooked through. Taste for seasoning; add more salt and pepper if needed. Transfer the beans and pork to a heavy, wide mouth, earthenware, clay or cast iron baking dish that can hold 5 to 6 quarts. Bake at 250 degrees for about 11⁄2 hours, checking at least every 30 minutes. It may require a bit more time. If the dish is starting to look too dry, add a small amount of reserved bean broth or chicken stock. Add warmed duck legs to the cassoulet and make a breadcrumb topping by combining the panko, garlic, parsley, thyme and extra virgin olive oil. Return the dish to the oven and continue baking until the crumbs brown on the top. — Courtesy Roland Passot, Propriétaire, Chef Culinary Officer, Vine Hospitality
“We were in a correction within a bull market . From a fundamental perspective, a few things have changed. First, this week we saw quite strong inflows coming back from FPIs, which is a positive sign. Second, a key point from the RBI Governor's policy statement on Friday was that they view the economy as having bottomed in Q2, and the leading indicators are now pointing to a potential recovery in the second half of the year,” says independent market expert Ajay Bagga. Edited excerpts ET Now: Do you think the markets have really bottomed out? With the rally we’ve seen in the past week, do you believe the corrective phase is over, and that we’ve bottomed out? Are we now entering a bull run, where what we saw earlier was just a correction in a broader bull market? Ajay Bagga: We were in a correction within a bull market. From a fundamental perspective, a few things have changed. First, this week we saw quite strong inflows coming back from FPIs, which is a positive sign. Second, a key point from the RBI Governor's policy statement on Friday was that they view the economy as having bottomed in Q2, and the leading indicators are now pointing to a potential recovery in the second half of the year. That’s crucial for the stock market to interpret from the RBI policy . If the economy has indeed bottomed, as indicated by the November quick PMIs—56+ in manufacturing and 58+ in services—India is performing relatively well economically. While we hear headlines about slow growth, and some have even called India stagflationary—especially those who haven’t seen the actual stagflation periods—that is not the case. India’s economy is growing, with nominal growth of over 10%, which means it's far from stagnant. If you look beyond the headlines, I think the economy bottoming out is a critical factor, and the market has probably bottomed, and we are now on an upswing within India’s longer-term structural bull market. 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And how does this tie in with the global environment, especially the geopolitical pressures that are affecting the economy? What are your thoughts on how the CRR reduction might affect us going forward? Ajay Bagga: The CRR reduction is very welcome as it injects immediate liquidity into the system over the next 25 days. This will help keep interest rates low, which is beneficial as we head into the busy season for credit markets. It's good that liquidity will be available. Additionally, banks that previously earned zero percent on CRR can now buy government bonds or lend this money out, improving their NIMs (Net Interest Margins). The CRR essentially takes money out of the banking system, so this is a return to normalcy since it used to be 4% before COVID, and now it’s back to that level. However, in terms of broader policy, I believe the RBI missed a step today. Yet, they have been wise in the past, particularly during COVID, when they took targeted steps like Mudra loans and other subsidized liquidity measures. So, they might be seeing something that the market isn't. The only issue is that even when they start cutting rates, it takes 9 to 12 months for those cuts to flow through the economy. So, the question remains: have we already missed the window by holding rates steady for the 11th time in a row? Personally, I think we are well-primed for a rate cut. Counter-cyclical measures are needed, but the government hasn't introduced any fiscal measures yet. Therefore, the monetary policy has had to do most of the heavy lifting. We stopped at just the CRR cut. I think a rate cut would have further helped the economy. But regardless, with government spending picking up and the upcoming budget, we still have a lot of opportunities ahead. I’m expecting a pre-budget rally in the markets, and the next 60 days are going to be quite exciting. ET Now: While you would have expected a rate cut as part of the monetary policy, a potential counter-cyclical measure to help the markets, there’s another factor that might be aiding the market right now: the return of FII flows. FIIs, who were net sellers in October and the first half of November, have now turned net buyers. In fact, data shows they have already bought around 13,765 crores month-to-date. If this trend continues, could this be a big catalyst for a market rally going forward? Ajay Bagga: Yes, absolutely, it will be a big factor. The domestic investors were doing most of the heavy lifting, and now with FIIs coming back, it’s like a double-barrel effect. This will definitely help. One of the main reasons behind the FII outflows could have been the changes in SEBI rules regarding what funds could invest in and the need to identify the ultimate beneficiaries of these funds. This might have led to some hot money being flushed out of the market, and now genuine money is flowing in. But only time will tell. We expected the FIIs to return by mid-January as part of new allocations, but nowadays, with the markets being constantly online, the traditional January effect and Santa Claus rally have been mitigated due to arbitrage opportunities. So, it’s possible that the FIIs are entering now in anticipation of the January effect, and we might be seeing the Christmas rally come early to Indian markets. (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel )Mary Lou McDonald has said that support for Sinn Fein is ahead of poll numbers which show her party and the two main coalition partners close to a three-way tie. The Sinn Fein president said that over the past week an “energy” for the party had “come back very, very strongly” after slumps in support earlier this year. She said it was reminiscent of the 2020 election when the party achieved a historic result. A poll by the Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks indicates that Fine Gael is down four points to 22%, Sinn Fein is up two points to 20%, and Fianna Fail is also on 20%. Aontu is up two points to 5%, the Social Democrats are down one to 5% and Labour has seen no change on 4%. Meanwhile, the Greens are down one to 3%, Solidarity-PBP has seen no change on 2%, and Independents or other parties are up three points to 19%. “I think the weather reflects our mood,” Ms McDonald said when asked about the poll on Sunday. “You know, this might be a winter election, but we have sunshine today.” Finance spokesman Pearse Doherty said the polls confirmed the what they are hearing on the doors. He said there were only two choices facing voters – to return Fianna Fail and Fine Gael to power or to vote for a new government, and Sinn Fein were the only party that could stop the two Civil War parties returning to power. Ms McDonald continued: “I know talking to people, particularly over the last week, this sense of purpose now, this sense of energy, has come back very, very strongly. For us, this is very reminiscent of the last general election, where, when people had the space, cleared the space to assess what to do next, that appetite for change grew and grew, and I think that’s what’s going to happen. “I think the polling results reflect that to some extent. But I actually think the mood is even ahead of those polling numbers, if I’m honest with you. We’re out on the ground. We’re meeting people. We’re picking it up everywhere and the people are ready for this historic change, and more to the point people are filled with dread at the prospect of five more years of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail.” In the 2020 general election, Sinn Fein cruised to its greatest ever Dail election, garnering 24.5% of first preference votes and winning 37 seats. Despite topping the poll in several constituencies, it did not win enough seats to form a government and instead a Fianna Fail and Fine Gael coalition formed for the first time, along with the Greens as junior partners. Speaking on Sunday, Ms McDonald said if Sinn Fein emerges as the largest party after Friday, it could form a government “for working people”. She also called for people who were considering voting for an independent candidate to “think again”. “Our proposition is to change the government, we can lead that effort – an independent candidate can’t and in fact, evidence of past elections reflects that in all likelihood, independents might, in fact, prop up Fianna Fail and Fine Gael together all over again.” Asked about a drop in poll numbers for his party, Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said it was always clear to him that it would be a “tightly contested, close” general election. He suggested that national polls may not reflect the electoral battles in individual constituencies. “I think the poll today shows my ratings as continuing to be the joint most popular leader in the country, but I don’t take that for granted at all,” he said. “What I would say to the Irish people is this: we need, when the results are are out and the ballots are counted on Saturday, we need to be able to put together a strong, stable government, because we are living in very difficult and challenging times.” He emphasised the importance of economic stability and on explaining how issues like housing could be improved. He said the RTE leaders debate between him, Ms McDonald and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin on Tuesday would be important to speak to voters who had not yet made up their minds or who are open to changing their minds. Campaigning efforts by all parties and independents across 43 constituencies are ramping up ahead of polling day on Friday November 29. 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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Corey McKeithan scored 28 points as La Salle beat Temple 83-75 on Saturday night. McKeithan shot 10 of 19 from the field, including 3 for 6 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 5 from the line for the Explorers (6-2). Demetrius Lilley added 13 points while shooting 5 for 12, including 2 for 4 from beyond the arc while he also had six rebounds. Jahlil White shot 3 of 13 from the field and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line to finish with 11 points, while adding 12 rebounds. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Trump threatens 100% tariff on the BRIC bloc of nations if they act to undermine US dollar WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is threatening 100% tariffs against a bloc of nine nations if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar. His threat was directed at countries in the so-called BRIC alliance, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.. Trump says he wants a commitment from the bloc that it will not create a new currency or otherwise try to undermine the U.S. dollar. Emboldened 'manosphere' accelerates threats and demeaning language toward women after US election CHICAGO (AP) — An emboldened fringe of right-wing “manosphere” influencers has seized on Donald Trump’s presidential win to justify and amplify misogynistic derision and threats online. Many have appropriated a 1960s abortion rights rallying cry, declaring “Your body, my choice,” and have been using it publicly on college campuses and even in public schools. While none of the current online rhetoric is being amplified by Trump, experts say many young men see the former president’s return to the White House as vindication of their views on women. For many women, the words are a worrying sign of what might lie ahead as some men perceive the election results as a rebuke of reproductive rights and women’s rights. Young men swung to the right for Trump after a campaign dominated by masculine appeals WASHINGTON (AP) — Young men shifted toward Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election in a change from recent years, when most young male voters backed the Democratic candidate. Young white men already supported him in 2020 and shifted slightly farther right this time. Young Latino men were about evenly split between the two candidates. Most young Black men backed Democrat Kamala Harris, though about a third supported Trump. Trump's campaign for the Oval Office was dominated by appeals to traditional masculinity, conveyed in appearances in nontraditional media. His campaign believed that tactic would boost his support among men who otherwise do not pay attention to political media. After entering Aleppo, Syrian insurgents advance to a nearby province. Assad says he'll defeat them BEIRUT (AP) — Thousands of Syrian insurgents have taken over most of Aleppo, establishing positions in the country’s largest city and controlling its airport before expanding their shock offensive to a nearby province. They faced little to no resistance from government troops Saturday, according to fighters and activists. Thousands of fighters also moved on, facing almost no defense from government forces. They seized towns and villages in northern Hama, a province where they had a presence before being expelled by government troops in 2016. They claimed to have entered the city of Hama. In his first public comments since the offensive began, President Bashar Assad said Syria will continue to “defend its stability and territorial integrity against terrorists and their supporters.” An Israeli strike in Gaza kills World Central Kitchen workers. Israel says 1 was an Oct. 7 attacker DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike on a car in the Gaza Strip killed five people including employees of World Central Kitchen. The charity says it is “urgently seeking more details” Saturday after Israel’s military said it targeted a World Central Kitchen worker who had been part of the Hamas attack that sparked the war. The charity says it is “heartbroken” and adds that it had no knowledge anyone in the car had alleged ties to the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. It says it is pausing operations in Gaza. It paused them earlier this year after an Israeli strike killed seven of its workers. Also on Saturday, Hamas released a new hostage video of Israeli-American Edan Alexander. Lebanese fishermen hope ceasefire with Israel means normal life returning TYRE, Lebanon (AP) — The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is bringing hope for normality back to many in southern Lebanon. That includes fishermen who’ve long launched their single-engine wooden boats into the Mediterranean at dawn. For months, Israel imposed a siege that kept hundreds of fishermen at this ancient Phoenician port ashore. That upended their lives and dealt the industry a major blow. The port siege also cut people off from key ingredients for traditional Lebanese dishes. As war devastated their country, the loss of fish damaged a deep association with home. Now, the possibility of renewed fishing is helping fuel hope. Heavy snow blankets parts of the US during busy holiday travel weekend BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The first big snowfall of the season is blanketing towns in upstate New York and northwestern Pennsylvania as the hectic holiday travel and shopping weekend winds down. Numbing cold and heavy snow could persist into next week and cause hazards in the Great Lakes, Plains and Midwest regions. A state of emergency has been declared for parts of New York, making it problematic for Thanksgiving travelers. This week’s blast of frigid Arctic air also brought bitterly cold temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average to the Northern Plains. Cold air is expected to move over the eastern third of the U.S. by Monday with temperatures about 10 degrees below average. Southwest Airlines says it is ending cabin service earlier to reduce chance of injury Southwest Airlines is ending its cabin service earlier starting next month. Beginning on Dec. 4, a company spokesperson says flight attendants will begin preparing the cabin for landing at an altitude of 18,000 feet instead of 10,000 feet. The company says it's making the changes to reduce the risk of in-flight turbulence injuries. For passengers, that means they will need to return their seats to an upright position or do other pre-landing procedures earlier than before. While turbulence-related fatalities are quite rare, injuries have piled up over the years. What to know about the plastic pollution crisis as treaty talks conclude in South Korea BUSAN, South Korea (AP) — The world’s nations will wrap up negotiating a treaty this weekend to address the global crisis of plastic pollution. The world produces more than 400 million tons of new plastic yearly. That could climb about 70% by 2040 without policy changes. China was by far the biggest exporter of plastic products in 2023, followed by Germany and the United States. Less than 10% of plastics are recycled. Many plastics are used for packaging. Every day, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes. Romania's parliamentary vote risks being overshadowed by presidential race chaos BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanians are preparing to go to the polls in a parliamentary vote that will determine a new government and prime minister to lead the European Union and NATO member country. However, Sunday's vote is sandwiched between a two-round presidential race and is overshadowed by controversies and chaos following the outcome of the first vote. While the president has significant decision-making powers in areas such as national security and foreign policy, the prime minister is the head of the nation’s government. Sunday’s vote will determine the formation of the country’s 466-seat legislature.Gary Neville hails five Tottenham players for obliterating Man City in huge Premier League winHowling winds could not stop Notre Dame’s heart from beating again. With three resounding knocks on its doors by Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, wielding a staff carved from fire-scorched beams, the cathedral roared back to life on Saturday evening. For the first time since a devastating 2019 blaze, the towering Gothic masterpiece reopened for worship, its rebirth marked by song, prayer, and awe beneath its soaring arches. While the ceremony was initially planned to begin on the forecourt, unusually fierce December winds whipping across the central Paris island, flanked by the River Seine, forced all events inside. Yet the occasion lost none of its splendour. Inside the luminous nave, choirs are singing psalms, and the cathedral’s mighty organ, silent for nearly five years, is thundering to life in a triumphant interplay of melodies. The evening’s celebration, being attended by 1,500 dignitaries, including President-elect Donald Trump, US First Lady Jill Biden, Britain’s Prince William, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, underscores Notre Dame’s enduring role as both a spiritual and cultural beacon. For President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the ambitious five-year restoration timeline, it was a rare moment of unity amid profound political crises and threats to his presidential legacy.SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean legislative push to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law fell through on Saturday after most lawmakers from his conservative governing party boycotted the vote. The defeat of the motion is expected to intensify public protests calling for Yoon’s ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea, with a survey suggesting a majority of South Koreans support the president’s impeachment. Yoon’s martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative party, but it is also determined to oppose Yoon’s impeachment apparently because it fears losing the presidency to liberals. Impeaching Yoon required support from two-thirds of the National Assembly, or 200 of its 300 members. The opposition parties who brought the impeachment motion had 192 seats, but only three lawmakers from PPP participated in the vote. The motion was scrapped without ballot counting because the number of votes didn’t reach 200. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik called the result “very regrettable” and an embarrassing moment for the country’s democracy that has been closely watched by the world. “The failure to hold a qualified vote on this matter means we were not even able to exercise the democratic procedure of deciding on a critical national issue,” he said. Opposition parties could submit a new impeachment motion after a new parliamentary session opens next Wednesday. There are worries that Yoon won’t be able to serve out his remaining 2 1⁄2 years in office because his leadership took a huge hit. Many experts say some ruling party lawmakers could eventually join opposition parties’ efforts to impeach Yoon if public demands for it grow further. If Yoon is impeached, his powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to remove him from office. If he is removed, an election to replace him must take place within 60 days. Woo repeatedly urged ruling party members to return to the chamber to participate in the vote, waiting several hours for them to come. At one point, Democratic Party leaders visited a hall on the floor below the main chamber where PPP lawmakers were gathered, attempting to persuade them to vote. After being blocked from entering, they angrily accused the conservatives’ leadership of preventing its lawmakers from voting freely. Earlier Saturday, Yoon issued a public apology over the martial law decree, saying he won’t shirk legal or political responsibility for the declaration and promising not to make another attempt to impose martial law. He said would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country’s political turmoil, “including matters related to my term in office.” “The declaration of this martial law was made out of my desperation. But in the course of its implementation, it caused anxiety and inconveniences to the public. I feel very sorry over that and truly apologize to the people who must have been shocked a lot,” Yoon said. Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has struggled to push his agenda through an opposition-controlled parliament and grappled with low approval ratings amid scandals involving himself and his wife. In his martial law announcement on Tuesday night, Yoon called parliament a “den of criminals” bogging down state affairs and vowed to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces.” The turmoil resulting from Yoon’s bizarre and poorly-thought-out stunt has paralyzed South Korean politics and sparked alarm among key diplomatic partners like the U.S. and Japan. Tuesday night saw special forces troops encircling the parliament building and army helicopters hovering over it, but the military withdrew after the National Assembly unanimously voted to overturn the decree, forcing Yoon to lift it before daybreak Wednesday. The declaration of martial law was the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea. Eighteen lawmakers from the ruling party voted to reject Yoon’s martial law decree along with opposition lawmakers. Yoon’s speech fueled speculation that he and his party may push for a constitutional amendment to shorten his term, instead of accepting impeachment, as a way to ease public anger over the marital law and facilitate Yoon’s early exit from office. Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, told reporters that Yoon’s speech was “greatly disappointing” and that the only way forward is his immediate resignation or impeachment. His party called Yoon’s martial law “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup.” The passage of Yoon’s impeachment motion appeared more likely Friday when the chair of Yoon’s party called for his removal on Friday, but the party remained formally opposed to impeachment. On Saturday, tens of thousands of people densely packed several blocks of roads leading up to the National Assembly, waving banners, shouting slogans and dancing and singing along to K-pop songs with lyrics changed to call for Yoon’s ouster. Protesters also gathered in front of PPP’s headquarters near the Assembly, angrily shouting for its lawmakers to vote to impeach Yoon. A smaller crowd of Yoon’s supporters, which still seemed to be in the thousands, rallied in separate streets in Seoul, decrying the impeachment attempt they saw as unconstitutional. Lawmakers on Saturday first voted on a bill appointing a special prosecutor to investigate stock price manipulation allegations surrounding Yoon’s wife. Some lawmakers from Yoon’s party were seen leaving the hall after that vote, triggering angry shouts from opposition lawmakers. On Friday, PPP chair Han Dong-hun, who criticized Yoon’s martial law declaration, said he had received intelligence that during the brief period of martial law Yoon ordered the country’s defense counterintelligence commander to arrest and detain unspecified key politicians based on accusations of “anti-state activities.” Hong Jang-won, first deputy director of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing Friday that Yoon had ordered him to help the defense counterintelligence unit to detain key politicians. The targeted politicians included Han, Lee and Woo, according to Kim Byung-kee, one of the lawmakers who attended the meeting. The Defense Ministry said Friday it suspended three military commanders including the head of the defense counterintelligence unit over their involvement in enforcing martial law. Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho has told parliament that Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun ordered the deployment of troops to the National Assembly after Yoon imposed martial law. Opposition parties accused Kim of recommending to Yoon to enforce martial law. Kim resigned Thursday, and prosecutors imposed an overseas travel ban on him.
38 Gifts To Give Your Friend Who Loves To Stay HomeWASHINGTON(TNS) — If there’s a theme among President-elect Donald Trump’s health Cabinet picks, it’s this: The vast majority were critics of how the Biden administration handled COVID-19. The pandemic upended Americans’ perspective on public health and health care delivery, both throughout the United States and among Republican lawmakers. Policy experts say that change is evident in Trump’s selections to lead major U.S. health agencies. That change is particularly notable in Trump’s pick for secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic who has been critical of the federal government’s pandemic response. Trump and Republicans have praised Kennedy for bucking conventional thinking when it comes to public health, even though many of Kennedy’s theories and proposals are not backed by science. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Kennedy advocated against vaccinating kids against the coronavirus. He also led the anti-vaccination group Children’s Health Defense beginning in 2018. As Trump’s presumptive HHS secretary nominee, Kennedy worked with the Trump team to pick the leaders of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. Former Rep. Dave Weldon, Trump’s selection to head the CDC, is also a vaccine skeptic. Mehmet Oz, known more commonly as “Dr. Oz,” Trump’s choice to head CMS, promoted use of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. FDA commissioner pick Marty Makary promoted herd immunity to stop the virus, as did Trump’s choice to lead the NIH, Jay Bhattacharya. Taken as a whole, the picks reflect a deep skepticism toward the recommendations of the very agencies these men have been tapped to lead. Trust in public health institutions plummeted in the wake of the pandemic, particularly among Republicans, according to polling, and virus prevention measures like wearing a face mask on an airplane or getting a routine vaccination have morphed into political actions in many parts of the United States. “There was a lot of misinformation, uncertain information,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said of the COVID-19 pandemic response. “In the end, when you looked at what the benefits were, the benefits were not as large as promised and some people were penalized. So I’m sure that’s reflected in [Trump’s] Cabinet choices.” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., applauded Trump’s choice of Kennedy and Oz, saying Trump “should have a good opportunity to maybe get somebody in there who will shake it up a little.” But as Republicans cheer these changes to the public health sector, Democrats and medical institutions are concerned about health misinformation and how that could impact the American health care system, which spends roughly $4.5 trillion per year and accounts for 17.3 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. On the campaign trail, Trump won voters by promising to buck the system. But public health experts warn that moving too far from the medical establishment and rejecting scientific data could have disastrous consequences. “If [Trump’s health nominees] move too far out of the mainstream of what we know is correct from a science and evidence perspective, they’re going to have a very tough time getting things done,” said Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. A look at other key Trump health picks and their records on COVID-19: Mehmet Oz, CMS Oz has long been criticized for his controversial views on public health. The pandemic was no exception. The Daytime Emmy award winner served as an informal adviser during the first Trump administration, promoting the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 early in the pandemic. He reportedly tried to persuade the president’s advisers to accelerate approval of the drug for use against COVID-19, even though at the time it had not been tested against the virus. Later, the FDA and infectious disease doctors found the antimalarial would not treat the virus. Oz also urged Trump administration officials to back a study he offered to fund at Columbia University Medical Center about the impacts of the antimalarial on COVID-19 patients, according to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. In April 2020, Oz said on Fox News that reopening schools would be worth it, even if it led to increased deaths. He later retracted the statement. Marty Makary, FDA Like Kennedy, Makary has publicly questioned the broad use of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine mandates. But unlike Kennedy and many others in Trump’s health Cabinet, Makary was an early advocate of masking to prevent the spread of the virus and restricting air travel. The Johns Hopkins surgeon and author publicly opposed COVID-19 booster shots and promoted natural immunity over vaccinations. He went as far as arguing that the federal government censored pandemic data on natural immunity in an attempt to get more people vaccinated. But Makary also promoted early vaccination strategies to protect those most at risk for severe disease, such as getting single doses of vaccines to as many people as possible before allowing people to go back for a second dose of the shot. In late 2020, he criticized the FDA for not moving fast enough to approve mRNA vaccines. Jay Bhattacharya, NIH A Stanford physician and professor, Bhattacharya made a name for himself as a skeptic who opposed COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He also promoted herd immunity, the concept that low-risk people should live their lives normally and build up resistance to COVID-19 through infection while only high-risk individuals took precautions. In October 2020, Bhattacharya co-authored the controversial “Great Barrington Declaration,” an open letter advocating against virus prevention measures with the hopes of quickly obtaining herd immunity. Both the World Health Organization and leading academic and public health organizations condemned the letter, with the American Public Health Association and other health organizations signing a letter calling it a “wrong-headed proposal masquerading as science” and arguing that the declaration would lead to preventable deaths. Dave Weldon, CDC Weldon, a physician who represented Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 through 2009, has routinely questioned the links between vaccines and autism throughout his career. He does not specialize in infectious diseases and has never formally worked in public health, having spent his career as a military doctor, internist and politician. In 2007, Weldon introduced a bill that would remove vaccine safety research from the CDC’s domain and house it in a separate HHS agency. Although the bill didn’t advance, some privately worry it’s indicative of the way he’d strip down the public health agency. Former acting CDC Director Richard Besser said he’s concerned about Weldon’s lack of public health credentials and suspects he was nominated to the post largely because his vaccine skepticism aligns with Kennedy’s views. “What we’re seeing with a number of these nominations is a continuation of that politicization [of public health], where you know people coming in who are saying public health is the problem, not the solution,” Besser said.
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