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“Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s cabinet nominees and administration appointees were targeted in violent, un-American threats to their lives and those who live with them,” Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. She said the attacks “ranged from bomb threats to ‘swatting'”, adding: “In response, law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President Trump and the entire transition team are grateful for their swift action.” Swatting entails generating an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretences. The FBI said in a statement that it is “aware of numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees, and we are working with our law enforcement partners”. It added: “We take all potential threats seriously, and as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.” Among those targeted was Elise Stefanik, Mr Trump’s choice to serve as the next ambassador to the United Nations. Her office said that she, her husband, and their three-year-old son were driving home from Washington for Thanksgiving when they were informed of a bomb threat to their residence in Saratoga County. “New York state, county law enforcement, and US Capitol Police responded immediately with the highest levels of professionalism,” her office said in a statement. “We are incredibly appreciative of the extraordinary dedication of law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe 24/7.” In Florida, meanwhile, the Okaloosa County sheriff’s office said in an advisory posted on Facebook that it “received notification of a bomb threat referencing former congressman Matt Gaetz’s supposed mailbox at a home in the Niceville area around 9am this morning”. While a family member resides at the address, they said “former congressman Gaetz is not a resident”, adding: “The mailbox however was cleared and no devices were located. The immediate area was also searched with negative results.” Mr Gaetz was Mr Trump’s initial pick to serve as attorney general, but he withdrew from consideration amid allegations that he paid women for sex and slept with underage women. Mr Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said last year that a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him. The threats follow a political campaign marked by unusual violence. In July, a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing the then-candidate in the ear with a bullet and killing one of his supporters. The US Secret Service later thwarted a subsequent assassination attempt at Mr Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, when an agent spotted the barrel of a gun poking through a fence while Mr Trump was playing golf.Analysis: Barkley is NFL's version of Ohtani
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Analysis: Barkley is NFL's version of OhtaniSewell Setzer, a 14-year-old from Orlando, used to love sports and science. But then get got sucked into the world of A.I. and ultimately killed himself to escape the real world.Celebrity-inspired Thanksgiving recipes, plus last-minute holiday meal ideas
Minnesota turkeys head back to D.C. for pre-Thanksgiving presidential pardonNo matter what life stage you are in, the advice your mother gave you to make sure you can look after yourself rings as true as it did from when you were young until now. No matter your gender, age or status, being financially independent is an achievement worth accomplishing. It also applies to all levels of social income brackets. EDUCATING AND AWARENESS IS THE KEY It doesn’t take a genius or a degree in economics and accountancy to plan and look after your own finances properly. Good habits are essential to managing personal finances and ensuring that you live within your means and that your debt and savings levels are reasonably balanced. “ Sikit-sikit jadi bukit” is a common phrase learnt while young in Malay language class and the phrase itself holds so much meaning when it comes to savings. It can however also be applied to debt that is badly managed. But by cultivating good habits at an early age, good financial habits can last a lifetime and most importantly, lessons need to be taught and practiced at home. PHOTO: FREEPIK PHOTO: FREEPIK PHOTO: FREEPIK GOOD HABITS Cultivate good habits from an early age. For young children, the simple objective of completely filling up a coinbox should be a very important achievement encouraged by parents. Give plenty of praise to children who have managed to save all their coins and make an important event of it by spending time to count their savings with them and bringing them to a bank to deposit their savings. Open accounts for your children instead of mixing their savings with yours – the boundary between who the money belongs to is important for them to understand that the rewards from this account is all theirs. As children grow up and savings grow along with them, remind them not to touch their savings for unnecessary spending. Instead remind them that these savings will help to go towards their future schooling or maybe even their first car when they finally obtain their driving license. Cultivate the lesson that one should save up for the things that one wants. As teenagers, children should be aware of how much they have in their possession and what they would like to do with their savings. Discuss with them and explain the benefits of investing their savings into investment options which are not only safe but also offer higher returns like fixed deposits. Introduce them to the world of investment. Give your children personal achievements to ponder over. What do they intend to do after they finish school or university? Would they like to get a part time job to earn extra money over long school holidays? Would they like to give themselves a one year period to find a job that they are passionate in? Whatever the view, discuss reasonable timelines for your children to achieve their objectives. At this point, your role as a parent is to guide and support their decisions as they transition into adulthood and also find their own ways in life. TAKING RESPONSIBILITY As your children graduate and start searching for careers, give them responsibilities deserving of an adult. And as they begin their jobs, discuss with them the feasibility of them helping out with bills or groceries at home if they continue living at home. It can be small things at first, such as contributing to the household bill payments like monthly TV subscription or the house telephone bill. By giving them the responsibility, they will learn to appreciate the importance of contributing to the household as well as ensuring that bills are paid in a timely manner. By sharing responsibilities, they will also appreciate the roles you have taken in ensuring that they have a comfortable up-bringing. BEING HONEST Be honest with your family on financial matters. Pretending to be better off than you really are benefits no-one, especially your family. If household expenses are becoming burdensome, sit down with your family and discuss on what measures you can all take together as a family to help the situation. Is it a matter of being more energy-conscious to help reduce electricity bills? Is it a matter of everyone pitching in with daily house chores so that you can do without a domestic worker? Will it make more sense to downgrade to a cheaper vehicle to help reduce monthly payments and possible gasoline consumption by using diesel? While it is indeed a worry that you do not wish to impose on your children, by being honest with them, they will be able to appreciate the financial situation more and learn to take up responsibility to help out with family matters. This article is for general information purposes only and while the information in it is believed to be reliable, it has not been independently verified by us. You are advised to exercise your own independent judgement with the contents in this article. – Standard Chartered Bank
Saquon Barkley has become the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL. There's no better home run hitter playing football right now. Barkley had touchdown runs of 72 and 70 yards for the Philadelphia Eagles in a 37-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night. He now has five runs of 50-plus yards this season and is on pace to break Eric Dickerson's single-season record of 2,105 yards set in 1984. Barkley's historic performance against the Rams — his 255 yards set a team record — captivated a national audience and turned him into a fan favorite for the AP NFL MVP award. He's not the betting favorite, however. Josh Allen has the best odds at plus-150, according to Bet MGM Sportsbook. Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson is next at plus-250 followed by Barkley at plus-400. Running backs have won the award 18 times, including three-time winner Jim Brown, who was the AP's first NFL MVP in 1957. Quarterbacks have dominated the award, winning it 45 times. Only three players who weren't QBs or RBs have been MVP. It takes a special season for a non-QB to win it mainly because the offense goes through the signal caller. Quarterbacks handle the ball every offensive snap, run the show and get the credit when things go well and the blame when it doesn't. Adrian Peterson was the most recent non-QB to win it when he ran for 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Minnesota Vikings in 2012. Playing for a winning team matters, too. Nine of the past 11 winners played for a No. 1 seed with the other two winners on a No. 2 seed. The Vikings earned the sixth seed when Pederson was MVP. Barkley is a major reason why the Eagles (9-2) are leading the NFC East and only trail Detroit (10-1) by one game for the top spot in the conference. Does he have a realistic chance to win the MVP award? Kicker Mark Moseley was the MVP in the strike-shortened 1982 season when he made 20 of 21 field goals and 16 of 19 extra points in nine games for Washington. If voters once selected a kicker, everyone has a chance, especially a game-changer such as Barkley. Defensive tackle Alan Page was the MVP in 1971 and linebacker Lawrence Taylor won it in 1986. Running back Christian McCaffrey finished third in voting last year and wide receiver Justin Jefferson placed fifth in 2022. The Offensive Player of the Year award and Defensive Player of the Year award recognize the best all-around players on both sides of the ball, allowing voters to recognize non-QBs if they choose. Wide receivers and running backs have won the AP OPOY award seven times over the past 11 seasons. McCaffrey was the 2023 winner. The AP's new voting format introduced in 2022 also gives non-QBs a better opportunity to get MVP recognition. Voter submit their top five picks for each award, with a weighted point system. Previously, voters made one choice for each award. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league vote for MVP and seven other awards. The awards are based on regular-season performance. Clinching scenarios The Chiefs (10-1) and Bills (9-2) already are in position to lock up postseason berths right after Thanksgiving. Kansas City clinches a playoff berth with a win over Las Vegas on Black Friday and a loss by Miami on Thursday night, or a win plus a loss by Denver on Monday night. Buffalo can wrap up a fifth straight AFC East title with a victory over San Francisco on Sunday and a loss by the Dolphins. Status quo in Dallas? It's not a given that the Dallas Cowboys will be looking for a new head coach after this season. Owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday on local radio that Mike McCarthy could end up getting a contract extension. "I don't think that's crazy at all. This is a Super Bowl-winning coach. Mike McCarthy has been there and done that. He has great ideas. We got a lot of football left," Jones said. McCarthy led the Cowboys (4-7) to three straight 12-win seasons, but they went 1-3 in the playoffs and haven't reached the NFC championship game since winning the Super Bowl 29 years ago. Injuries have contributed to the team's struggles this season, but Dallas was just 3-5 before Dak Prescott was lost for the rest of the season. The Cowboys upset Washington last week and their next four games are against teams that currently have losing records. If they somehow end up 9-8 or even 8-9, Jones could make a case for keeping McCarthy.Analysis: Barkley is NFL's version of Ohtani
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(The Center Square) - California Republicans flipped a second seat in the state legislature, nearly three weeks after the general election. Republicans noted the party had not flipped a State Senate seat during a presidential election since 1980. President-elect Trump has won 38.2% of votes counted thus far in California, more than Senator Mitt Romney, R-Utah, in 2012, and former senator John McCain, R-Ariz., in 2008, but less than former president George W. Bush in 2004, who won 44.4% of the votes in California. Steven Choi, a former Republican member of the State Senate, narrowly pulled out a victory in the Orange County district nearly three weeks after the general election. The incumbent Democrat, State Sen. Josh Newman, D-Fullerton, lost a recall in 2018 due to backlash against a gas tax increase he voted for, won office elsewhere after redistricting in 2020, and introduced a measure to limit future recalls. But California Democrats blame Newman’s loss on one of the state’s most powerful unions funding Choi to send a message regarding Newman’s quashing of a bill to add rights for the workers at the University of California system into the state constitution. KCRA reports the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 3299, which represents approximately 30,000 workers across the ten-campus University of California system, independently spent $3.5 million opposing Newman and helping Choi. According to Follow the Money, a project of Open Secrets, Newman raised a reported $7 million thus far on his 2024 election compared to a reported $564,193 thus far for Choi. More from this section “Instead of spending time, effort and energy helping Democrats win congressional races, [AFSCME] supported a supporter of Donald Trump,” said Sen. President Pro Tem Mike McGuire to CalMatters. “They supported a pro-Trump Republican who is anti worker.” AFSCME 3299 is a chapter of one of the most powerful, generally Democratic-aligned,unions in the state. Public sector unions are seen as the most powerful force in California politics. While private sector unions veered heavily towards president-elect Trump in the 2020 election, public sector unions — outside unions for first-responders such as firefighters or police — generally supported Harris. A rift between Democrats and traditionally very Democratic-friendly public sector unions in California — the most populous state in the nation and a political bedrock for the Democratic party could create a significant challenge for the party as it regroups after the 2024 election. Three weeks after the election, many races are uncalled, as about 183,000 ballots remain to be processed, only about 5,300 of which were mail-in ballots that arrived after Election Day. Nearly two weeks ago, when 1.7 million ballots remained to be processed, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber told attendees of a virtual press conference that she and the state’s elections officials “take pride in the fact we are not rushed.”Stubble burning in Punjab linked to health problems and high household costs
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