( ) and ( ) will join the S&P 500 index before the open on Monday, Dec. 23, as part of quarterly rebalance. Workday stock and Apollo Global jumped Friday night. Apollo and Workday will replace ( ) and ( ). The latter two stocks will drop down to the S&P SmallCap 600 index. Apollo stock rose 5% after hours while Workday stock jumped more than 8%. APO stock is essentially at highs. Workday could clear a 278.98 handle buy point from a consolidation going back to late February. Qorvo and Amentum fell slightly. S&P SmallCap 600 members ( ) and ( ) will join the S&P MidCap 400 index. ( ) and ( ) will drop from the midcap index to the S&P SmallCap 600. Comerica stock and Carpenter Technology fell slightly Friday night while Vishay rose modestly. More fund money tracks the S&P SmallCap 600 than the S&P MidCap 400, so stocks that are lifted from the 600 to the 400 will often see a decline. ( ) and ( ) will replace ( ) and ( ) in the S&P SmallCap 600. Terreno Realty and Champion Homes jumped late, while Hudson Pacific and Regenxbio fell slightly.
WASHINGTON — Only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of President Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter after earlier promising he would do no such thing, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That displeasure tracks with the bipartisan uproar in Washington that ignited over the president's about-face. The survey found that a relatively small share of Americans "strongly" or "somewhat" approve of the pardon, which came after the younger Biden was convicted on gun and tax charges. About half said they "strongly" or "somewhat" disapprove, and about 2 in 10 neither approve nor disapprove. The Democratic president said repeatedly that he would not use his pardon power for the benefit of his family, and the White House continued to insist, even after Republican Donald Trump's election win in November, that Biden's position had not changed — until it suddenly did. Hunter Biden leaves federal court Sept. 5 in Los Angeles after pleading guilty to federal tax charges. "I know it's not right to believe politicians as far as what they say compared to what they do, but he did explicitly say, 'I will not pardon my son,'" said Peter Prestia, a 59-year-old Republican from Woodland Park, New Jersey, just west of New York City, who said he strongly disagreed with the move. "So, it's just the fact that he went back on his word." In issuing a pardon Dec. 1, Biden argued that the Justice Department had presided over a "miscarriage of justice" in prosecuting his son. The president used some of the same kind of language that Trump does to describe the criminal cases against him and his other legal predicaments. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it was a decision that Biden struggled with but came to shortly before he made the announcement, "because of how politically infected these cases were" as well as "what his political opponents were trying to do." The poll found that about 4 in 10 Democrats approve of the pardon, while about 3 in 10 disapprove and about one-quarter did not have an opinion or did not know enough to say. The vast majority of Republicans and about half of independents had a negative opinion. President Joe Biden and son Hunter Biden walk Nov. 29 in downtown Nantucket Mass. For some, it was easy to see family taking priority over politics. "Do you have kids?" asked Robert Jenkins, a 63-year-old Democrat who runs a lumber yard and gas station in Gallipolis, Ohio. "You're gonna leave office and not pardon your kid? I mean, it's a no-brainer to me." But Prestia, who is semiretired from working for a digital marketing conglomerate, said Biden would have been better off not making promises. "He does have that right to pardon anybody he wants. But he just should have kept his mouth shut, and he did it because it was before the election, so it's just a bold-faced lie," Prestia said. Despite the unpopularity of his decision, the president's approval rating has not shifted meaningfully since before his party lost the White House to Trump. About 4 in 10 Americans "somewhat" or "strongly" approve of the way Biden is handling his job as president, which is about where his approval rating stood in AP-NORC polls since January 2022. Still, the pardon keeps creating political shock waves, with Republicans, and even some top Democrats, decrying it. Older adults are more likely than younger ones to approve of Biden's pardoning his son, according to the poll, though their support is not especially strong. About one-third of those ages 60 and older approve, compared with about 2 in 10 adults under 60. The age divide is driven partially by the fact that younger adults are more likely than older ones to say they neither approve nor disapprove of the pardon or that they do not know enough to say. President Joe Biden walks with his son Hunter Biden on July 26 as he heads toward Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. About 6 in 10 white adults disapprove of the pardon, compared with slightly less than half of Hispanic adults and about 3 in 10 Black adults. Relatively large shares of Black and Hispanic Americans — about 3 in 10 — were neutral, the poll found. "Don't say you're gonna do something and then fall back," said Trinell Champ, 43, a Democrat from Nederland, Texas, who works in the home health industry and said she disapproved of the pardon. "At the end of the day, all you have is your word." Champ, who is Black, voted for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump. "I just had my hopes up for her, but I wasn't 100% positive," she said. Champ also said she does not approve of Biden's handling of the presidency and thinks the country is on the wrong track. "While he was in office, I felt like I really didn't see a lot of changes," she said. "I just felt like everything just kind of stayed the same," Champ said. Overall, though, the pardon did not appear to be a driving factor in many Americans' assessment of Biden's job performance. The share of Black Americans who approve of the way he is handling his job as president did fall slightly since October, but it is hard to assess what role the pardon may have played. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) carries both of his sons, Joseph R. III, left, and Robert H., during an appearance at the Democratic state convention last summer, 1972. At center is his wife Neilia Biden, who was killed in an auto crash, Dec. 20, 1972. With them are Governor-elect Sherman W. Tribbitt and his wife, Jeanne. (AP Photo) Joseph Biden, the newly-elected Democratic Senator from Delaware, is shown in Washington, Dec. 12, 1972. (AP Photo/Henry Griffin) 1972 - Is first elected to the Senate at age 29, defeating Republican Senator J. Caleb Boggs. Wins re-election in 1978, 1984, 1990, 1996 and 2002. The newly-elected Democratic senator from Delaware, Joe Biden, is shown, Dec. 13, 1972. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) kisses the cheek of an unidentified friend who offered consoling words after a memorial service in Wilmington, Del., Dec. 22, 1972, for Biden's wife Neilia, their 13-month-old daughter Naomi Christina, who perished in a car-truck crash. Biden's two sons were hospitalized with serious injuries. (AP Photo/Bill Ingraham) December 18, 1972 - While Christmas shopping, Biden's first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden, and daughter, Naomi Biden, are killed in a car accident. His sons are badly injured, but survive. January 5, 1973 - Is sworn in as US senator of Delaware at son Beau Biden's bedside in the hospital. In this Jan. 5, 1973 file photo, four-year-old Beau Biden, foreground, plays near his father, Joe Biden, center, being sworn in as the U.S. senator from Delaware, by Senate Secretary Frank Valeo, left, in ceremonies in a Wilmington hospital. Beau was injured in an accident that killed his mother and sister in December 1972. Biden's father, Robert Hunter, holds the Bible. (AP Photo/File) 1987-1995 - Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, rubs his temples while speaking during confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Robert H. Bork, Sept. 17, 1987, on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/John Duricka) June 9, 1987 - Enters the 1988 presidential race, but drops out three months later following reports of plagiarism and false claims about his academic record. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) waves from his train as he leaves Wilmington, Del., after announcing his candidacy for president, June 9, 1987. At right, son Beau carries daughter; to Biden's right is his wife Jill and son Hunter. (AP Photo/George Widman) February 1988 - Undergoes surgery to repair an aneurysm in an artery that supplies blood to the brain. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.), wearing a University of Delaware baseball cap, leaves Walter Reed Army Hospital accompanied by his son Hunter Biden, Thursday, March 24, 1988, Washington, D.C. Biden had been in the hospital for 11 days so that surgeons could implant a small umbrella-like filter in a vein to prevent blood clots from reaching his lungs. (AP Photo/Adele Starr) In this Oct. 12, 1991 file photo Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joe Biden, D-Del., points angrily at Clarence Thomas during comments at the end of hearings on Thomas' nomination to the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. looks on at right. (AP Photo/Greg Gibson, File) January 20, 1990 - Introduces a bill that becomes the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The act addresses sexual assault and domestic violence. It is signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), left, stands behind a flag as Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), second from right, along with other congresswomen meet reporters on Capitol Hill, Feb. 24, 1993, to discuss the Violence Against Women Act. From left are: Sen. Biden; Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.); Rep. Pat Schroeder (D-Colo); Sen. Boxer; and Rep. Constance Morella of Maryland. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma) In this April 9, 1993, file photo Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del. stands in front of a Danish armored personnel carrier at the UN-controlled Sarajevo Airport, making a statement about his trip to the besieged Bosnian capital. (AP Photo/Michael Stravato, File) Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, meets reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday, Oct. 16, 2003 to discuss the United Nations-Iraq vote. (AP Photo/Terry Ashe) Democratic presidential hopeful, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., presides over a hearing of the committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007 to discuss the remaining options in Iraq. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook) Democratic presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden D-Del., smiles during the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO Presidential Forum Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2007, in Waterloo, Iowa. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) January 31, 2007 - Files a statement of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission to run for president. August 1, 2007 - His memoir, "Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics," is published. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., left, listens as Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., responds to a question during the first Democratic presidential primary debate of the 2008 election hosted by the South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, SC., Thursday, April 26, 2007. At right is Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-NY. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., speaks at a Caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008. Biden abandoned his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday after a poor showing in the state's caucuses. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) In this Jan. 3, 2008, file photo, Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., rests his head on the shoulder of his wife, Jill, as they stand in a hallway awaiting his introductions for a rally at the UAW Hall in Dubuque, Iowa on the day of the Iowa caucus in Dubuque, Iowa. (AP Photo/Mark Hirsch, File) August 23, 2008 - Is named the vice-presidential running mate of Barack Obama. In this Aug. 23, 2008 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., and his vice presidential running mate Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., appear together in Springfield, Ill. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, file) In this Sept. 16, 2008 file photo, then Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del. arrives by Amtrak in Wilmington, Del., (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) In this Oct. 2,2008 file photo, Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., left, and Republican vice presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin face off during the vice presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam, File) November 4, 2008 - Is elected vice president of the United States. President-elect Barack Obama, left, and Vice President-elect Joe Biden wave to the crowd after Obama's acceptance speech at his election night party at Grant Park in Chicago before giving his acceptance speech Tuesday night, Nov. 4, 2008. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) January 20, 2009 - Is sworn in as vice president of the United States. Vice President Joe Biden, left, with his wife Jill at his side, taking the oath of office from Justice John Paul Stevens at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) February 7, 2009 - Delivers his first major speech as vice president at a security conference in Germany. US Vice President Joe Biden addresses the participants of the International Conference on Security Policy, Sicherheitskonferenz, at the hotel "Bayerischer Hof" in Munich, southern Germany, on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. September 1, 2010 - Presides over a ceremony in Iraq to formally mark the end of the US combat mission in Iraq. US Vice President Joe Biden, left, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, center, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen, right, stand while the US National Anthem is played during the United States Forces-Iraq change of command ceremony in Baghdad on Wednesday Sept. 1, 2010, as a new US military mission in Iraq was launched ending seven years of combat. (AP Photo/Jim Watson Pool) November 6, 2012 - Obama and Biden are reelected, defeating Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. Vice President Joe Biden exits with his wife Jill Biden after voting at Alexis I. duPont High School, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, in Greenville, Del. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Vice President Joe Biden, with his wife Jill Biden, center, holding the Biden Family Bible, shakes hands with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor after taking the oath of office during an official ceremony at the Naval Observatory, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) October 2, 2014 - Speaking at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Biden tells attendees that ISIS has been inadvertently strengthened by actions taken by Turkey, the UAE and other Middle Eastern allies to help opposition groups fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In this Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014 file photo, Vice President Joe Biden speaks to students, faculty and staff at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. Biden is due to headline a Democratic campaign rally in Las Vegas, with a downtown appearance Monday, Oct. 6, 2014, to talk about raising the minimum wage. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson,File) May 30, 2015 - Biden's eldest son, Beau Biden, passes away from brain cancer at age 46. In this June 6, 2015 file photo, Vice President Joe Biden, accompanied by his family, holds his hand over his heart as he watches an honor guard carry a casket containing the remains of his son, former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, into St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington, Del. for funeral services. Beau Biden died of brain cancer May 30 at age 46. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) October 21, 2015 - Says he will not seek the presidency, announcing that the window for a successful campaign "has closed." December 6, 2016 - Doesn't rule out running for president in 2020, saying "I'm not committing not to run. I'm not committing to anything. I learned a long time ago fate has a strange way of intervening." President Barack Obama hugs Vice President Joe Biden as Biden waves at the end Biden's announcement in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015, that he will not run for the presidential nomination. Jill Biden is at right. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Vice President Joe Biden pauses between mock swearing in ceremonies in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, as the 115th Congress begins. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) January 12, 2017 - Obama surprises Biden by presenting him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, during a White House ceremony. President Barack Obama presents Vice President Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) February 1, 2017 - Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, launch the Biden Foundation, an organization that will work on seven issues: foreign policy; Biden's cancer initiative; community colleges and military families; protecting children; equality; ending violence against women; and strengthening the middle class. February 7, 2017 - Is named the Benjamin Franklin presidential practice professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where he will lead the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement. He will also serve as the founding chair of the University of Delaware's Biden Institute, the university announces. March 1, 2017 - Biden receives the Congressional Patriot Award from the Bipartisan Policy Center. He receives the honor in recognition of his work crafting bipartisan legislation with Republicans and Democrats. Former Vice President Joe Biden tucks notes into his jacket after speaking at an event to formally launch the Biden Institute, a research and policy center focused on domestic issues at the University of Delaware, in Newark, Del., Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) In this March 26, 2019, file photo, former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the Biden Courage Awards in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File) April 25, 2019 - Announces he is running for president in a campaign video posted to social media. Hours later, the Biden Foundation board chair, Ted Kaufman, announces the immediate suspension of all the organization's operations. Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden arrives at the Wilmington train station Thursday April 25, 2019 in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden announced his candidacy for president via video on Thursday morning. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) In this June 6, 2019, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the "I Will Vote" fundraising gala in Atlanta. Biden shifted to oppose longstanding restrictions on federal funding of abortion during his remarks. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File) Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden signs a copy of his book "Promise Me, Dad" at a campaign rally at Modern Woodmen Park, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020, in Davenport, Iowa. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a primary night election rally in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020 after winning the South Carolina primary. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a primary night election rally in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, after winning the South Carolina primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a primary election night campaign rally Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) August 20, 2020: Joe Biden accepts the Democratic nomination for president Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, with Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., raise their arms up as fireworks go off in the background during the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del. Looking on are Jill Biden, far left, and Harris' husband Doug Emhoff, far right. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) President Donald Trump, left, and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, right, with moderator Chris Wallace, center, of Fox News during the first presidential debate Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, right, and former President Barack Obama greet each other with an air elbow bump, at the conclusion of rally at Northwestern High School in Flint, Mich., Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden arrives to speak at a rally at Belle Isle Casino in Detroit, Mich., Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, which former President Barack Obama also attended. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) President-elect Joe Biden gestures on stage after speaking, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool) FILE - In this Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, file photo, from left, Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Harris, President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, stand on stage together, in Wilmington, Del. The theme for Biden’s inauguration will be “America United." Unity is an issue that’s long been a central focus for Biden but one that’s taken on added weight in the wake of the violence at the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool, File) President-elect Joe Biden announces his climate and energy team nominees and appointees at The Queen Theater in Wilmington Del., Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) President Joe Biden speaks about his domestic agenda from the East Room of the White House in Washington on Oct. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) U.S. President Joe Biden, left, shakes hands with Pope Francis as they meet at the Vatican on Oct. 29, 2021. (Vatican Media via AP) President Joe Biden removes his face mask as he arrives in the East Room of the White House to speak about the evacuation of American citizens, their families, special immigrant visa applicants and vulnerable Afghans on Aug. 20, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Cherelle Griner, wife of WNBA star Brittney Griner, speaks after President Joe Biden announced Brittney Griner's release in a prisoner swap with Russia on Dec. 8, 2022, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. Also attending are Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Vice President Kamala Harris. President Joe Biden holds the microphone to Chocolate, the national Thanksgiving turkey, during a pardoning ceremony Nov. 21, 2022, at the White House in Washington. President Joe Biden holds an Atlanta Braves jersey during an event celebrating the Major League Baseball 2021 World Series champion Atlanta Braves in the East Room of the White House on Sept. 26, 2022, in Washington. President Joe Biden receives his COVID-19 booster from a member of the White House medical unit during an event in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus on Oct. 25, 2022, in Washington. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive to give treats to trick-or-treaters on the South Lawn of the White House, on Halloween on Oct. 31, 2022, in Washington. U.S. President Joe Biden, left, talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo during their bilateral meeting ahead of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, on Nov. 14, 2022. U.S. President Joe Biden, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands before a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit meeting Nov. 14, 2022, in Bali, Indonesia. President Joe Biden speaks from the Oval Office of the White House on Oct. 19, 2023, in Washington, about the war in Israel and Ukraine. President Joe Biden arrives to speak at the Amtrak Bear Maintenance Facility on Nov. 6, 2023, in Bear, Del. President Joe Biden, accompanied by Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young, left, and Women's Alzheimer's Movement founder Maria Shriver, right, gives first lady Jill Biden a kiss after giving her the pen he used to sign a presidential memorandum that will establish the first-ever White House Initiative on Women's Health Research in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 13, 2023, in Washington. President Joe Biden pauses as he speaks to reporters in Nantucket, Mass. on Nov. 26, 2023, about hostages freed by Hamas in a third set of releases under a four-day cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. President Joe Biden shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they meet in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 12, 2023, in Washington. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy depart a news conference in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus on Dec. 12, 2023, in Washington. President Joe Biden speaks during a funeral service for retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor at the Washington National Cathedral on Dec. 19, 2023, in Washington. O'Connor, an Arizona native and the first woman to serve on the nation's highest court, died Dec. 1, 2023, at age 93. President Joe Biden arrives to deliver remarks on the economy on June 28, 2023, at the Old Post Office in Chicago. President Joe Biden, right, stands as an Army carry team moves the transfer case containing the remains of U.S. Army Sgt. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Ga., at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Feb. 2, 2024. Sanders was killed in a drone attack in Jordan on Jan. 28, 2024. President Joe Biden speaks during the State of the Union address on Capitol Hill on March 7, 2024, in Washington, as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Mike Johnson listen. Vice President Kamala Harris embraces President Joe Biden after a speech on health care in Raleigh, N.C., on March. 26, 2024. Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, left, and CEO Clark Hunt, right, watch as President Joe Biden, center, puts on a Chiefs helmet during an event with the Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs on the South Lawn of the White House, on May 31, 2024, to celebrate their championship season and victory in Super Bowl LVIII. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk in the Normandy American Cemetery following a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, on June 6, 2024, in Normandy. U.S. President Joe Biden, right, greets Pope Francis ahead of a working session on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Energy, Africa-Mediterranean, on day two of the 50th G7 summit at Borgo Egnazia, southern Italy, on June 14, 2024. President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event with former President Barack Obama moderated by Jimmy Kimmel at the Peacock Theater on June 15, 2024, in Los Angeles. President Joe Biden, right, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, participate in a presidential debate hosted by CNN on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. First lady Jill Biden, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff view the Independence Day firework display over the National Mall from the balcony of the White House, on July 4, 2024, in Washington. President Joe Biden pauses as he speaks at the Biden campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Del., on Feb. 3, 2024. President Joe Biden walks between tombstones as he arrives to attend a mass at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington, Del., on July 6, 2024. President Joe Biden is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport on Oct. 18, 2023, in Tel Aviv. President Joe Biden greets Zion Schrode, 8 months, of Marin County, Calif., as he is held by his mother Erin Schrode during a Jewish American Heritage Month event, on May 20, 2024, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. President Joe Biden, right, and the Rev. Dr. J. Louis Felton pray at a church service at Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ on July 7, 2024, in Philadelphia. President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on July 14, 2024, about the assassination attempt of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. President Joe Biden walks on stage to speak during the NAACP national convention July 16, 2024, in Las Vegas. The poll of 1,251 adults was conducted Dec. 5-9, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
Tyler Technologies executive chair sells shares worth $3.8 millionDue to a steady rain Wednesday, no dirt was overturned during a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction on International Leadership Texas' new Aggieland High School. It was still an exciting day for those who gathered, including IL Texas founder Eddie Conger and Aggieland High School principal Linda Lang. “The road to our new building hasn’t always been the smoothest,” Lang said during the ceremony held in the gym on the IL Texas College Station K-8 campus. “I have loved our home in the former police department building over the last three years but I cannot wait for our new facility to be built and for us to have a new home.” Members of the Aggieland High School JROTC presented the colors for the national anthem performed by the Aggieland High School band. There were also performances from the College Station K-8 campus orchestra, K-8 band and the second through fifth grade choir. “It’s exciting to be able to have a new high school finally,” Conger said. “The kids are looking forward to it; IL Texas is looking forward to it so that we have a permanent structure for our high school students.” The city of College Station was represented by assistant police chief Michael Pavelka, Chief Billy Couch and Mayor John Nichols. “We are really pleased to be a partner with ILT,” Nichols said during the ceremony. “The current high school is our former police station so we are pleased we had a facility available and we could work out an arrangement so that not only (the school) could use it for the first couple of years but we could extend the lease on that building through the time it takes to build the new building.” Among the honored guests was former Texas A&M football player Hugh McElroy, a College Station K-8 campus staff member, and Gen. (Ret.) Joe Ramirez, the outgoing Texas A&M vice president of student affairs. Ramirez has an IL Texas school named in his honor in Cleveland, Texas. The state representative-elects for the area, Trey Wharton and Paul Dyson, were invited to attend but were unable to make it because they were going through orientation at the capitol in Austin. “It’s so good to see everyone here in spite of the rain today,” IL Texas Executive Director of Government Relations Victor Carrillo said. “We had to make a few changes.” IL Texas Aggieland High School opened in the fall of 2019 when ninth grade was added to the College Station K-8 campus on Longmire Road. There were 40 ninth graders that first year. In the fall of 2020, the school added 10th grade and for a few months the ninth and 10th grade students had to make do with using K-2 classrooms with small chairs and desks. “This has been a long time coming,” Lang said following the ceremony. “I know the students are really excited to get a bigger building and a building that’s our own.” In January 2021 the high school took up residence in the old College Station police station on Texas Avenue South near Cy Miller Park and Bee Creek. Aggieland High School students will remain at the old police station until the new school is completed. “We are pleased to welcome a new high school building in College Station,” Nichols said. “We are looking forward to seeing it as it's going up and when it’s completed.” Aggieland High School's new location will be just south of the College Station K-8 campus on Longmire Road. It will be built in two phases. The first phase will be a two-story building of 72,489 square feet that will include space for administration, classrooms, an air rifle range, media center, fine arts room, food service as well as a field complex containing a soccer field and a baseball field. The first phase is set to start work in February with completion planned for January 2026. Phase two is planned to be completed sometime during the 2026-27 school year. “Having more specific spaces and labs for our students is something we’re looking forward to,” Lang said. “We’ll have specific CTE or career tech classrooms for our computer science, our audio-video classes.” Phase two will be 54,653 square feet and will include athletics space, a gym, a stage and fine arts area as well as more classrooms. “Right now we have almost everything for our students but we are missing things like a dance space, a gym,” Lang said. “We have a multipurpose room right now which our coaches do an amazing job making it work but it will be nice to have an actual gym.” IL Texas is a free public charter school with 25 physical campuses in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Cleveland and College Station areas. It was started in the fall of 2012 by Conger, an Aggie from the Class of 1981 and a former member of the United States Marine Corps. Conger saw a need for a school that would prepare students for success on the international stage. “I spent 20 years in the Marine Corps traveling around the world and it was in that service that I saw other officers from other countries speak other languages,” Conger said. “We in Texas and as Americans we do not really learn other languages. Our mission is to prepare kids for exceptional leadership roles in the international community by emphasizing servant leadership, mastering English, Spanish and Chinese and strengthening the mind, the body and the character.” The school follows the state standards like any other public school. It differs from other public schools in that it has eight core curriculum areas: math, science, social studies, English/language arts, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, physical fitness and leadership. “We have space at Aggieland and it’s an amazing opportunity for students. We’ve had students get to travel the world, travel across the United States,” Lang said. “This is a great place where students have a place to belong but also excel. We have space available and we are more than happy to welcome students in.” More information on Aggieland High School can be found at aggielandhs.iltexas.org .Our Experts We intensively test each VPN, making sure it meets our standards for privacy, speed and usability. Best VPN Service Overall Privacy protection and transparency SCORE ExpressVPN is CNET’s Editor’s Choice for top VPN overall but has also become the best VPN for Mexico since it has exceptional privacy protection, fast speeds and excellent streaming service unblocking. It has one server location in Mexico, but doesn’t disclose how many servers are in the country, and 24 locations in the US, with some being nearby in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Generally speaking, the closer you are to a physical server, the less of a speed reduction you’ll face. Privacy was our main concern when testing these VPNs, and ExpressVPN was very impressive during our tests. Specifically, ExpressVPN has a strict no-logs policy to save any of your data now when signing up or using the VPN, which was verified nearly a dozen times by third-party auditors. ExpressVPN is in the British Virgin Islands, outside of the 14 Eyes Alliance. Additionally, ExpressVPN uses RAM-only servers, which cannot save any data that goes through them. The security suite includes 256-bit or ChaCha20 encryption, depending on the VPN protocol , obfuscation and a kill switch . We also tried ExpressVPN’s split tunneling feature, which you can use in Mexico to route some traffic through a VPN while excluding others. For instance, you could access nearby news and search results outside of an encrypted VPN tunnel and while using a VPN connection to access US-restricted sites. On top of all the security options, ExpressVPN also delivers speed and streaming capabilities. During our tests, ExpressVPN only dropped by 25% overall, and just 7% on its homemade Lightway protocol. We recommend using the Lightway protocol, as 7% is insignificant and will allow you to stream in 4K Ultra HD without compromising security. Although we could only test while in the US, we had no problem unblocking Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and more. You can use ExpressVPN on up to eight devices, but you will pay a pretty penny to get such privacy: $13 per month, $100 for the first year (then $117 upon renewal) or $140 total for the first two tears (then $150 annually upon renewal). By comparison, the annual plan is pricier than competitors like NordVPN and Surfshark. Granted, you do get some extra goodies aside from just a VPN, including a password manager, eSIM for travel and identity theft insurance. But if you don't need those amenities and just want a VPN or wish to use another password manager, you may be able to get a better value elsewhere. ExpressVPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee that allows you to get a full refund if you aren’t satisfied. Best VPN for Speed Perfect for power users SCORE NordVPN has impressed us, especially in terms of speed and security. Not only is NordVPN the fastest product on the market, it also has 30 servers available in one city in Mexico and nearly 2,000 servers in 16 US locations. It’s great for Mexican and US content needs, plus it boasts a security suite that will protect your data in a different country. NordVPN and ExpressVPN are similar in terms of security options. Although ExpressVPN has more features, NordVPN has its custom-made protocol called NordLynx, which is as fast as WireGuard and packs more security. It also runs on RAM-only servers and has a double VPN feature that adds an extra layer of protection. Regarding privacy, on the surface, NordVPN has a solid no-logs policy that has gone through a couple of third-party audits over the years. It also resides in Panama (outside the 14 Eyes Alliance) and has Onion over VPN servers which use Tor for extra encryption. Testing speeds showed a very minimal reduction on NordVPN’s servers. On average, it dropped by only 11% and went down to 8% on NordLynx. Plus, its server coverage in Mexico and the US -- with nearby servers in Texas, New Mexico and California -- will also keep speeds low. We had no issues unblocking US-restricted sites, although we could test only from the US and on six simultaneous device connections. NordVPN has similar price plans to ExpressVPN, with the same monthly price of $13 a month. But Nord undercuts ExpressVPN at $60 for the first year or $83 for the first two years (the one- and two-year plans renew at $140 annually). Simplest VPN for Mexico SCORE IPVanish is the perfect option if you’re not a big tech user and you’re looking for a simple VPN while traveling to Mexico. (IPVanish is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis). It has decent coverage in Mexico, with nine servers in Guadalajara and 1,106 in the US, with some nearby in Texas and California. One of the main issues we had with speed was the Quick Connect feature on IPVanish’s app. Using it sometimes did the opposite and would connect to a server that was not the fastest and sometimes farther away. It was easier just to select the closest server ourselves. Additionally, we measured a leisurely 44% average internet download speed loss, making it unsuitable for streaming videos in 4K or serious online gaming when you're using a Despite the speed dips, it still was good enough to keep a consistent stream going without lag. IPVanish has unlimited simultaneous device connections, so you can use it on every device you bring. It works on Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromebook, Android, iOS and more, although it’s worth looking into the best VPNs for mobile devices if you need one for your phone. Like our other VPN recommendations, IPVanish has RAM-only servers to keep your data safe and a zero-logs policy that has been independently audited. This is good since IPVanish is based in the US, under the Five Eyes Alliance. Prices at IPVanish start at $13 per month, $40 for the first year or $53 total for the first two years (although the one- and two-year plans jump to $90 annually upon renewal). Reasons to use a VPN in Mexico When visiting another country like Mexico, you may want to have a virtual private network in your app arsenal. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic, hiding your online activity and location. This prevents snooping by third parties like internet service providers and unblocks geo-restricted content so you can access your usual streaming sites and services. No matter where you travel, a VPN is an essential tool when you’re on the go. Although most sites use secure connections that protect your browsing data on Wi-Fi hotspots, a VPN can boost your privacy when connected to Wi-Fi at an airport, hotel or cafe. Additionally, being able to access geo-restricted sites (like Hulu or Disney Plus) means you won’t miss any of your favorite shows from home while you’re traveling abroad. Our testers for CNET have tried out and tested nearly a dozen VPNs to determine the top ones . The best VPNs for Mexico are fast, private and easy to use. What is the best VPN for Mexico right now? ExpressVPN is the top VPN for Mexico due to its ability to unblock almost any site while offering privacy protection and lightning-fast speeds. It offers an impressive no-logs policy that has been independently audited. These are the key factors you should look for in a VPN for Mexico, but ExpressVPN also offers industry-standard encryption, a kill switch and RAM-only servers that never save data. Granted, it’s the most expensive option on this list, but the overall ease of use makes Express worth it. Other VPNs we tested CyberGhost caught our eye since it has one of the largest server networks in Mexico -- 50 servers in Mexico City -- and a vast selection in the US. It also has specialized streaming servers that bring out the best quality for dozens of US streaming services. It has an easy-to-use interface that makes it an excellent choice for simple usage at $13 per month, $42 every six months or $57 total for the first two years (then $57 annually). Despite these great features, we don’t recommend using CyberGhost as it produces uneven internet speed results and in our testing, its apps were buggy. Read our CyberGhost review . PIA is a surprisingly great VPN with real potential when we saw it had over 50 US servers. Despite the extensive US network, PIA only has one Mexico server and doesn’t disclose its location. This means connecting to a local IP could cause significant speed reductions or even disconnections due to overcrowding. It’s an acceptable option if you just need to connect to a home IP in the US to access different sites, but its uneven internet download speed loss makes PIA one of the more sluggish VPNs we tested. Read our PIA review . How we test VPNs We hand-tested VPNs in the US and researched servers to find the best one for Mexico. During our testing, the most important features we looked for were robust privacy features, security options, server network and location availability, bypassing geo-restrictions and more. For example, we tested security by checking for IP or DNS leaks. We found ExpressVPN to be one of our most secure VPNs thanks to its TrustedServer technology, automatic kill switch, verified no-logs policy audited by another party and split tunneling. Other VPNs stood out since we searched for more than just security potential. NordVPN is a super fast VPN with the most Mexican server locations, so you can get local news without risking your data. Factors to consider in a VPN for Mexico After testing multiple VPNs, we found the best features to narrow down when looking for the best VPN out of hundreds of options. No matter your reason for getting a VPN, privacy should always be your first consideration when deciding which one to download. VPNs with a no-logs policy (and third-party audited), reliable kill switch, DNS protection and friendly country of origin will protect you the best. For this article, we narrowed down VPNs with various Mexico and US servers. However, VPNs with a large server network (with many servers and multiple locations) will provide more connection options no matter where you are. If you plan on traveling, looking for a VPN with features to access geo-restricted content should be high on your list. Most websites have software that detects if you’re using a VPN and will block you from seeing its content, especially if you’re streaming from another location. VPNs like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, and more can easily bypass geo-restrictions, whether you’re looking to watch Netflix’s US library while in Mexico or trying to stream from a site unavailable in the country. Your VPN’s speeds must be fast enough to keep a reliable connection to the server (slow speeds will cause frequent disconnection) and fast enough to stream content. A top VPN -- Like NordVPN -- will give you a minimal speed reduction to stream from Netflix and other sites in UHD. You’ll want to research each VPN and see if the features each one offers provide a good enough value for the price. On top of that, we tested VPNs, which have money-back guarantees, so you can get a refund within a certain amount of time if you aren’t 100% satisfied. If you’re on a budget, there are cheap VPN alternatives . Best VPNs for Mexico FAQs To get a Mexico IP address, you’ll need to download a VPN that offers server locations in Mexico. Every VPN on this list has servers in Mexico and will give you an IP once you connect to one of these servers, whether you’re in Mexico or the US. VPNs are 100% legal to use in Mexico. Although Mexico has strong protections against censorship, there’s nothing wrong with using a VPN to protect your privacy and data from being observed by third parties while visiting. But remember, using a VPN to commit illegal activities is still illegal. You can use a free VPN while visiting Mexico, but I don’t recommend it. Even if you’re just looking for a simple product only to hide your IP, free VPNs typically use your data to sell to make up for the costs or bombard you with advertisements. Free VPNs aren’t as reliable as premium VPNs. They will either limit your bandwidth, have limited servers (so many may not even have locations in Mexico) or just be disguised as a VPN to get you to download malicious content. If you must use a free VPN, we recommend Proton VPN . Its unlimited free tier lets you stream your favorite Netflix content from its US library while in Mexico. However, the free VPN lacks a Mexico server and will lower speeds because it must connect to a server farther away.
BEIRUT — Thousands of people fled the central Syrian city of Homs, the country’s third largest, as insurgents seized two towns on the outskirts Friday, positioning themselves for an assault on a potentially major prize in their march against President Bashar Assad. The move, reported by pro-government media and an opposition war monitor, was the latest in the stunning advances by opposition fighters over the past week that have so far met little resistance from Assad’s forces. A day earlier, fighters captured the central city of Hama , Syria’s fourth largest, after the army said it withdrew to avoid fighting inside the city and spare the lives of civilians. The insurgents, led by the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have vowed to march to Homs and the capital, Damascus, Assad’s seat of power. Videos circulating online showed a highway jammed with cars full of people fleeing Homs, a city with a large population belonging to Assad’s Alawite sect, seen as his core supporters. If Assad’s military loses Homs, it could be a crippling blow. The city, parts of which were controlled by insurgents until 2014, stands at an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, where Assad enjoys wide support. Homs province is Syria’s largest in size and borders Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan. The city is also home to one of Syria’s two state-run oil refineries. Pressure on the government intensified from multiple directions. Opposition protesters stormed security posts and army positions in the southern province of Sweida, opposition activists said. U.S.-backed Kurdish forces who control eastern and northeastern Syria began to encroach on government-held territory. After years of largely being bottled up in a northwest corner of the country, the insurgents burst out a week ago, captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest , and have kept advancing since. Government troops have repeatedly fallen back. The sudden offensive has flipped the tables on a long-entrenched stalemate in Syria’s nearly 14-year-old civil war. Along with HTS, the fighters include forces of an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. Turkey has denied backing the offensive , though experts say insurgents would not have launched it without the country's consent. HTS’s leader, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, told CNN in an exclusive interview Thursday from Syria that Assad’s government was on the path to falling, propped up only by Russia and Iran. “The seeds of the regime’s defeat have always been within it,” he said. “But the truth remains, this regime is dead.” A key question about Assad’s ability to fight back is how much top ally Russia — whose troops back Assad’s forces — will throw support his way at a time when it is tied up in the war in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he planned to discuss the developments in Syria with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts at a meeting Friday in the Qatari capital, Doha. In an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, he said international actors were backing the insurgents’ advances and that he would discuss “the way to cut the channels of financing and arming them.” Meanwhile, Russia’s embassy in Syria issued a notice reminding Russian citizens that they may use commercial flights to leave the country “in view of the difficult military-political situation.” The foreign ministers of Iran, Iraq and Syria — three close allies — gathered Friday in Baghdad to consult on the rapidly changing war. Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh said the current developments may pose “a serious threat to the security of the region as a whole.” The insurgent fighters on Friday took over the central towns of Rastan and Talbiseh, putting them 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Homs, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor. “The battle of Homs is the mother of all battles and will decide who will rule Syria,” said Rami Abdurrahman, the Observatory’s chief. Pro-government Sham FM said the insurgents entered Rastan and Talbiseh without facing any resistance. There was no immediate comment from the Syrian military. The Observatory said Syrian troops had left Homs. But the military denied that in comments reported by the state news agency SANA, saying troops were reinforcing their positions in the city and were “ready to repel” any assault. In eastern Syria, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces coalition said it had moved into the government-held half of the city of Deir el-Zour, apparently without resistance. One of the main cities in the east, Deir el-Zour had long been split between the government on the western side of the Euphrates River and the SDF on the eastern side. The SDF also said it took control of further parts of the border with Iraq. That appeared to bring it closer to the government-held Boukamal border crossing. The crossing is a vital for the government because it is the gateway to the corridor to Iran, a supply line for Iran-backed fighters, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah. At the same time, insurgents seized Syria’s sole crossing to Jordan, according to opposition activists. Jordan announced it was closing its side of the crossing. Lebanon also closed all but one of its border crossings with Syria. The opposition assault has struck a blow to Syria’s already decrepit economy. On Friday, the U.S. dollar was selling on Syria’s parallel market for about 18,000 pounds, a 25% drop from a week ago. When Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011, a dollar was valued at 47 pounds. The drop further undermines the purchasing power of Syrians at a time when the U.N. has warned that 90% of the population is below the poverty line. Syria’s economy has been hammered for years by the war, Western sanctions, corruption and an economic meltdown in neighboring Lebanon, Syria’s main gate to the outside world. Damascus residents told The Associated Press that people are rushing to markets to buy food, fearing further escalation. The worsening economy could be undermining the ability of Syria’s military to fight, as the value of soldiers’ salaries melts away while the insurgents are flush with cash. Syria’s military has not appeared to put up a cohesive counteroffensive against the opposition advances. SANA on Friday quoted an unnamed military official as saying the Syrian and Russian air forces were striking insurgents in Hama province, killing dozens of fighters. Syria’s defense minister said in a televised statement late Thursday that government forces withdrew from Hama as “a temporary tactical measure” and vowed to gain back lost areas. “We are in a good position on the ground,” Gen. Ali Mahmoud Abbas said, saying troops remained “at the gates of Hama.” He spoke before the opposition advanced further south toward Homs. He said the insurgents, whom he described as “takfiri” or Muslim extremists, are backed by foreign countries. He did not name the countries but appeared to be referring to Turkey and the United States. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.
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