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56 vipph How Trump’s bet on voters electing him managed to silence some of his legal woesHow Trump’s bet on voters electing him managed to silence some of his legal woes

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Malik Nabers said calling the New York Giants “soft” after Sunday's embarrassing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a mistake, although the star rookie receiver still plans to speak out when he thinks it's necessary. After talking with coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen and watching video of the Giants' 30-7 defeat , Nabers said Tuesday that "soft” was a poor choice of words. “I don’t think it was really soft. I think it was just a lack of technique,” Nabers said. “We were playing our butts off, we just lacked technique.” The Giants (2-9) trailed 23-0 at halftime and had run only 19 plays on offense. Nabers was not targeted in first the half but still finished with a team-high six catches for 64 yards. The No. 6 overall pick in the draft, Nabers said his rant after the game — in which he said the Giants' quarterbacks weren't to blame for the team's poor performance — was just the competitor in him talking. “That’s just how I’m wired. That’s just who I am,” he said. “I just don’t like losing. If I feel like if I had an opportunity to help the team win, I’m going to express that.” Nabers said not being targeted in the opening half was tough because his body is prepared to play and not doing anything throws him off his game. “You’re not getting involved early, then you’re not getting the feel of the ball, you’re not getting hit,” Nabers said. “After football plays as an offense, after you get hit, you’re like, ‘All right, I’m ready to go.’” Nabers has a team-high 67 catches, the most by a player in his first nine NFL games. He said he sees himself as a resource, someone who can change the game for the Giants. “I’m not going to just sit back just because I’m a younger guy and not speak on how I feel,” Nabers said. “They want me to speak up. They feel like my energy helps the offense, in a way, to be explosive. So, of course, I’m going to speak up if something doesn’t go my way. That’s just how I am.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

ORLANDO, Fla. — It was a season of Iowa State comebacks. And fittingly, that's how it ended for the Cyclones. Game MVP Rocco Becht scored from a yard out on fourth-and-goal with 56 seconds remaining and No. 18 Iowa State capped the best season in school history by rallying past No. 15 Miami 42-41 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday. Becht finished with 270 passing yards and three touchdowns for Iowa State (11-2), a program that entered this season — the 133rd year of Cyclone football — never having won more than nine games in a year. “If you look at this team, it’s really who they’ve been all year,” coach Matt Campbell said. The win marked the fourth time in 2024 that Iowa State got a winning score with less than two minutes remaining. For this one, the Cyclones rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half — with Miami quarterback Cam Ward watching after a record-setting first half — to get win No. 11. Carson Hansen rushed for a pair of touchdowns for Iowa State. And as the MVP, Becht got the honor of choosing which flavor Pop-Tart was to be sacrificed in a giant toaster. “There's only one,” Becht said. “Cinnamon roll.” Ward passed for three touchdowns in his final college game, while Damien Martinez rushed for a career-high 179 yards for Miami (10-3), which dropped its sixth straight bowl game and lost three of four games to end the season — those three losses by a combined 10 points. "Disappointed that we couldn't pull out a victory," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “These guys have always fought and always competed and this was no exception. ... It's painful. It's as painful as it gets when you don't win. But there's a lot to build on.” Dylan Raiola passed for 228 yards and a touchdown as Nebraska built an 18-point lead through three quarters and hung on for its first bowl victory since 2015. Raiola hit Emmett Johnson with a 13-yard TD pass on fourth down with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter for a 20-2 edge and the Cornhuskers (7-6) held on for the win at Yankee Stadium. Raiola completed 23 of 31 passes in front of a sizable Nebraska crowd that celebrated the team's first bowl win since topping UCLA in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl and first winning season since 2016. Raiola completed passes to 10 receivers, including Jahmal Banks, who finished with four receptions for 79 yards. Grayson James finished 25 of 40 for 296 yards as Boston College (7-6). Kevin Davis had a career-high 148 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just nine carries, and Jordan Brunson also ran for two TDs to help Miami (Ohio) wrapped the season at 9-5 by beating Colorado State (8-5) in Tucson, Ariz. Davis scored on a 4-yard run with 12:35 left in the third quarter, Matt Salopek forced a fumble that was recovered by Silas Walters and quarterback Brett Gabbert's first rushing touchdown of the season — a 10-yard scramble that capped a 47-yard drive — made it 22-3 about 2 minutes later. Joe Fagnano threw for 151 yards and two touchdowns to help the Huskies (9-4) beat the Tar Heels (6-7) at Fenway Park, embarrassing incoming coach Bill Belichick's new team in his old backyard. Mel Brown rushed for 96 yards for UConn and Skyler Bell caught three passes for 77 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown that gave the Huskies a 10-0 first-quarter lead. Chris Culliver returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, but that would be Carolina's only production in the first half. Josh Hoover passed for four touchdowns as the Horned Frogs (9-4) routed the Ragin' Cajuns (10-4) in Albuquerque. Hoover was 20 for 32 for 252 yards with an interception. Eric McAlister had eight catches for 87 yards and a TD for the Horned Frogs. TCU's defense also had a solid day, holding Louisiana-Lafayette to 209 yards, including 61 on the game's final possession.A 9th telecoms firm has been hit by a massive Chinese espionage campaign, the White House saysHow Trump’s bet on voters electing him managed to silence some of his legal woes

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Donald Trump is set to return to the White House for a second term with a Republican Trifecta allowing him to pursue his agenda. The policy decisions he will make beginning January 20, whether on the US economy, global geopolitics, his dealings with Iran, US tariffs or his relationship with Europe, will heavily influence how global economic growth will pan out next year. Europe, where growth has remained muted this year, is bracing for a transactional relationship with the incoming US administration. China, whose economic momentum was underwhelming in 2024, is signalling it is ready for a cordial trade relationship with the world’s biggest economy, but it is equally ready for a war of tariffs. Analysts say that people nominated by Mr Trump to run departments including treasury and trade tow the tagline of “America First” and will remain at the front and centre of decision-making once he assumes control of the Oval Office. “Donald Trump will pursue the campaign’s focal points at a fast pace in the first two years before the midterm elections change the composition of the Congress again,” says Nannette Hechler-Fayd’herbe, head of investment strategy, sustainability and research at Swiss wealth manager Lombard Odier. “This means many decrees in January and changes to US foreign policy, trade policy, migration policy, deregulation and more.” The world economy has so far remained resilient, although increasingly uneven across geographies, despite a significant rise in geopolitical risks in the Middle East and escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war in the past few months. The International Monetary Fund expects global growth next year to at least maintain the current level, however, the win of Mr Trump has added new dynamics, as the policy directions in the US are historically important for the global economy. In its pre-Trump win forecast in October, the IMF maintained its 2024 and next year global economic growth projection of 3.2 per cent amid softening inflation. However, the Washington-based fund warned of “a high degree of uncertainty” casting shadows on the outlook. “The magnitude of the impact of Mr Trump’s decisions on the global order will likely be larger than most expect,” Norman Villamin, group chief strategist at Swiss private bank UBP, says. Beyond the IMF’s one-year projections, the global economy is facing a feeble period of medium-term growth. It also made “sizeable downside” revisions to low-income and developing countries, due to intensifying conflicts. For many advanced and emerging market economies, the five-year forecast is weaker than the one-year forecast, “suggesting that persistent headwinds to growth will remain prevalent over the medium term”, IMF director of research Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas said at the time. “We do not look for global growth to necessarily accelerate but we see it holding close to steady near current levels. However, growth is likely to improve from low levels in some economies such as Japan and the eurozone,” says Karine Kheirallah, managing director and head of investment strategy and research for the Middle East and Africa at State Street Global Advisers. Analysts say the global economy is already in choppy waters and is bound to face challenges without Mr Trump in power. Although the global economy skirted an energy price-driven recession last year, “there is a [still a] lingering recession risk”, Daniel Murray, deputy chief investment officer and global head of research at EFG Asset Management, says. “It is notable that the EU economy looks structurally very weak while some delinquency and default rates are on the rise in the US. And, of course, it is possible that China fails to deliver on its promised and expected stimulus packages.” All eyes will also remain fixed on how the US Federal Reserve will introduce rate cuts going forward amid anticipated expansionary policies of the new administration. Already, the Fed doesn’t appear in a rush to lower its benchmark rate, which can potentially impact how central banks around the world shape their monetary policy decisions. “The economy is not sending any signals that we need to be in a hurry to lower rates,” Fed chairman, Jerome Powell said earlier this month. Julius Baer chief economist David Kohl, in a recent co-authored note, said higher growth and inflation, as well as a more deficit-financed fiscal policy, have reduced the Fed’s scope for rate cuts. “We expect the Fed to pause at a Fed Funds target rate level of 4 per cent,” he said. With Mr Powell publicly stating the US election results would not affect monetary policy and that the Fed would respond as needed to changes in fiscal policy, once those fiscal changes are clear, the 25 basis point cut in December was “a coin toss due to the potential re-acceleration of inflation”, Saira Malik, chief investment officer at $1.3 trillion asset manager Nuveen, says. “The 100 basis points of cuts in 2025 may also be optimistic.” Mr Murray from EFG Asset management agrees, saying “US rate expectations have been highly volatile this year and that is expected to continue”, however, the market is “currently pricing three Fed rate cuts from here to the end of 2025”. Expectations for the European Central Bank are “more reasonable with five or six rate cuts forecast to the end of next year”. While the Bank of England is more closely aligned with the Fed, the Bank of Japan is a rare regulator, which is currently in the “hiking mode”, he adds. The anticipated economic policy actions by the incoming US administration would also likely transpire into quicker growth and “sticky inflation” that will not drop below this year’s levels. “This will probably prevent the Fed from cutting Fed fund rates all the way to estimated neutral levels,” says Ms Hechler-Fayd’herbe, who is also Lombard’s chief investment officer for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa region. “For the rest of the world, it means marginally less growth and therefore deeper central bank rate cuts as well as other stimulative measures and weaker currencies. In other words, Donald Trump’s policies are quite critical for the outlook for 2025.” Even without Mr Trump’s expected expansionary policies, UBP projects US inflation to bottom in early 2025 near 2 per cent and rebound by year-end to close to 3 per cent. “Depending on the timing and magnitude of the fiscal efforts rolled out by the incoming administration, a further impetus to this troughing in inflation we expect may emerge in 2025,” says Mr Villamin. “Markets are already beginning to price this prospect, both [in terms of] pricing rate cuts from the US Fed as well as pushing longer-term bond yields higher in late-2024.” Analysts say it is too early to estimate if the Trump administration’s push for balanced trade with the world would turn out to be a repeat of the retaliatory war, which the world endured during his first presidency. However, his nomination of Howard Lutnick, co-chair of his transition team, as his commerce secretary is an indication of a tougher stance on China. The US could impose about 40 per cent tariffs on imports from China next year, potentially cutting growth in the world’s second-biggest economy by up to a percentage point. However, the new administration will resist starting off with blanket 60 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods, a Reuters poll of economists showed. Mr Trump ran for office on the pledge that he would impose hefty tariffs on Chinese imports. He engaged in a tariff war and levied additional duties on goods from Europe, Canada and countries elsewhere in the world. His campaign promises of America First in trade are causing unease among US trade partners globally. “The extent to which Mr Trump’s policies will impact the rest of the world will depend primarily on how aggressively his trade team seek to redress US imbalances with other parts of the world. The higher and more wide-reaching the tariffs, the greater will the impact be,” Mr Murray says. Mr Trump has already said he would hit China, Mexico and Canada with new tariffs the very first day of his presidency. He plans to sign an executive order imposing a 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming from Mexico and Canada, and will charge China an additional 10 per cent tariff, “above any additional tariffs”. At the end of November, Mr Trump threatened the Brics nations with 100 per cent tariffs if they moved against the US dollar. “The idea that the Brics countries are trying to move away from the dollar while we stand by and watch is over,” Mr Trump said on the Truth Social network. “We require a commitment from these countries that they will neither create a new Brics currency, nor back any other currency to replace the mighty US dollar or, they will face 100 per cent tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful US economy.” Geopolitics and the continuing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East remain among the biggest threats to the global economy next year. Although Mr Trump has pledged to end both wars after taking office in January, how successful he will be in his efforts remains to be seen. “There is clearly a risk that the situation in Ukraine does not get resolved and escalates, involving Nato troops on the ground,” Mr Murray says. “Similarly, the situation in the Middle East could deteriorate, for example, if one of the countries at the centre of the situation miscalculates in terms of the scale of retaliatory strikes.” The potential of the Israel-Gaza war turning into a pan-regional conflict involving Israel, Iran and Tehran-backed militias is a lingering threat to global energy supplies from the Middle East, home to some of the world’s largest crude exporters. Iran this year has twice launched barrages of missiles on sites in Israel, for killing senior leaders of the Iran-back Hezbollah’s leaders in Tehran and Lebanon. Israel in retaliation has hit military targets in Iran. The more than a year-long war has spilt beyond the Gaza borders into Lebanon where the civil population paid a heavy price of constant Israeli attacks and air strikes until a ceasefire deal was reached between Israel and Lebanon at the end of last month. The economic impact of the war is already evident. The IMF has lowered its outlook for the Middle East and North Africa region by 0.6 per cent for this year from its April forecast to 2.1 per cent, underpinned by Saudi Arabia’s oil production cuts and the conflicts in the region. “Markets hate uncertainty, and while fundamentals are most important for investors, geopolitical tensions and military conflicts can’t be ignored and are undoubtedly some of the biggest challenges for the global economy and investors to navigate going into 2025,” Ms Malik says. After a stellar year in 2023, equity markets have been on the rise this year, driven higher by a multitude of factors, including bumper profits. Stocks hit multiple record highs before the November 5 presidential run for the White House and have not eased after the Republican control of Washington. Benchmark S&P 500 index has gained more than 25 per cent this year, on track for a second year of returns above 20 per cent – a run that’s occurred just four times in the past 100 years. Nasdaq has risen by 28 per cent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index has rallied more than 19 per cent since the beginning of this year. However, analysts are sceptical if markets will be able to deliver a third year of stellar returns, despite Mr Trump’s pro-growth and expansionary policies. “US equity markets have delivered nearly 25 per cent returns in not only 2024, but also in the year prior ... [with] another year of 20 per cent returns unlikely in 2025,” Mr Villamin says, adding that markets rarely outpace returns of two good years in a third consecutive year. “Only in 2021 amid pandemic-era quantitative easing did the S&P 500’s nearly 27 per cent price returns outpace the already strong 22 per cent [compound annual growth rate] returns seen in the prior two years.” Though company fundamentals will be the guiding yardstick for investors, policy action by the Trump administration could also determine investment trends in certain segments of the US market. “While market valuations and company-specific fundamentals are more important than politics, we think the change to a Republican administration is likely to result in a shift in the regulatory environment for the financial, energy and healthcare sectors,” says Ms Malik. “We may also see increased investment in traditional oil and gas exploration, which would serve as a relative benefit to those areas of the market.” EFG Asset Management expects Mr Trump’s pro-growth and low regulation policies to probably provide a tailwind to US markets next year. “We expect returns to be more broadly based, in contrast with the concentrated returns of this year [and] small and mid-cap [stocks] could do better in such a situation,” says Mr Murray. “It may be the case that the headline indices do not move by that much because the larger weighted stocks are rangebound, while there is a high proportion of stocks in the index with lower market caps that do relatively well.” Source: The NationalORLANDO, Fla. — It was a season of Iowa State comebacks. And fittingly, that's how it ended for the Cyclones. Game MVP Rocco Becht scored from a yard out on fourth-and-goal with 56 seconds remaining and No. 18 Iowa State capped the best season in school history by rallying past No. 15 Miami 42-41 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday. Becht finished with 270 passing yards and three touchdowns for Iowa State (11-2), a program that entered this season — the 133rd year of Cyclone football — never having won more than nine games in a year. “If you look at this team, it’s really who they’ve been all year,” coach Matt Campbell said. The win marked the fourth time in 2024 that Iowa State got a winning score with less than two minutes remaining. For this one, the Cyclones rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half — with Miami quarterback Cam Ward watching after a record-setting first half — to get win No. 11. Carson Hansen rushed for a pair of touchdowns for Iowa State. And as the MVP, Becht got the honor of choosing which flavor Pop-Tart was to be sacrificed in a giant toaster. “There's only one,” Becht said. “Cinnamon roll.” Ward passed for three touchdowns in his final college game, while Damien Martinez rushed for a career-high 179 yards for Miami (10-3), which dropped its sixth straight bowl game and lost three of four games to end the season — those three losses by a combined 10 points. "Disappointed that we couldn't pull out a victory," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “These guys have always fought and always competed and this was no exception. ... It's painful. It's as painful as it gets when you don't win. But there's a lot to build on.” NEBRASKA 20, BOSTON COLLEGE 15: Dylan Raiola passed for 228 yards and a touchdown as Nebraska built an 18-point lead through three quarters and hung on for its first bowl victory since 2015. Raiola hit Emmett Johnson with a 13-yard TD pass on fourth down with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter for a 20-2 edge and the Cornhuskers (7-6) held on for the win at Yankee Stadium. Raiola completed 23 of 31 passes in front of a sizable Nebraska crowd that celebrated the team's first bowl win since topping UCLA in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl and first winning season since 2016. Raiola completed passes to 10 receivers, including Jahmal Banks, who finished with four receptions for 79 yards. Grayson James finished 25 of 40 for 296 yards as Boston College (7-6). UCONN 27, NORTH CAROLINA 14: Joe Fagnano threw for 151 yards and two touchdowns to help the Huskies (9-4) beat the Tar Heels (6-7) at Fenway Park, embarrassing incoming coach Bill Belichick's new team in his old backyard. Mel Brown rushed for 96 yards for UConn and Skyler Bell caught three passes for 77 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown that gave the Huskies a 10-0 first-quarter lead. Chris Culliver returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, but that would be Carolina's only production in the first half. TCU 34, LOUISIANA 3: Josh Hoover passed for four touchdowns as the Horned Frogs (9-4) routed the Ragin' Cajuns (10-4) in Albuquerque. Hoover was 20 for 32 for 252 yards with an interception. Eric McAlister had eight catches for 87 yards and a TD for the Horned Frogs. TCU's defense also had a solid day, holding Louisiana-Lafayette to 209 yards, including 61 on the game's final possession. LATE FRIDAY LAS VEGAS BOWL USC 35, TEXAS A&M 31: Jayden Maiava threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Ford with eight seconds left to give Southern California the victory over Texas A&M (8-5) in the Las Vegas Bowl. A graduate of Liberty High School in nearby Henderson and a transfer from UNLV, Maiava helped the Trojans (7-6) overcome a 17-point deficit. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

LAS VEGAS — There are three races remaining in the Formula 1 season and Max Verstappen of Red Bull is close to a fourth consecutive world championship, which can wrap up Saturday night at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. All is not smooth sailing headed into this final month of racing: "It was a bit of a surprise, I think, for everybody," said Mercedes driver George Russell, a GPDA director. "It's a hell of a lot of pressure now onto the new race director (with) just three races left. Often, as drivers, we probably feel like we're the last to find out this sort of information." The Andretti team is expected to receive F1 approval to join the grid, albeit without Michael Andretti, who has scaled back his role dramatically since the IndyCar season ended in September. Many drivers, particularly seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, have been at odds with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem since his election following the 2021 season finale. In the GDPA statement, they reminded the sanctioning body "our members are adults" who don't need lectures and fines on foul language or jewelry bans, and simply want fair and consistent race control. There's been no response from Ben Sulayem, and won't be this weekend since he does not attend the LVGP. He will be at Qatar and the finale in Abu Dhabi next month. Hamilton doesn't think all the behind-the-scenes changes will be a fan topic as the season comes to a close. But he noted that consistency from race control is all the drivers have asked for, while throwing his support behind Domenicali and the job Maffei has done in growing F1 since Liberty took over. "I really hope Stefano is not leaving because he's been so instrumental in changes and progress to this whole thing," Hamilton said. "And he knows the sport as well as anyone. But all good things do come to an end, and whoever they put into place, I just hope they are like-minded. But sometimes you have to shake the trees." That's just what happened with the surprise departure of race director Wittich. Although drivers have been unhappy with race officiating this season and held a private GPDA meeting in Mexico City, Russell said they had no prior warning Wittich was out. The race director is the referee each weekend and Wittich has been in charge since 2022, when Michael Masi was fired following the controversial 2021 season-ending, championship-altering finale at Abu Dhabi. Now the man in charge for the final three races is Rui Marques, the Formula 2 and Formula 3 race director. Las Vegas, which overcame multiple stumbling blocks in last year's debut before putting on one of the best races of the season, is a difficult place to start. Verstappen can win his fourth title by simply scoring three points more than Lando Norris of McLaren. "It's a bit weird with three races to go to do that," Verstappen said. "It doesn't matter if you're positive or negative about certain things. I thought in Brazil there was definitely room for improvement, for example. It's still a bit weird having to now then deal with a different race director." Charles Leclerc of Ferrari wondered why the move was made with only three races to go. "To do it so late in the season, at such a crucial moment of the season, it could have probably been managed in a better way," he said. The drivers have consistently asked for clearer guidelines in the officiating of races, specifically regarding track limits and racing rules. The drivers have no idea how Marques will officiate, highlighting a disconnect between the competitors and Ben Sulaymen's FIA. "We just want to be transparent with the FIA and have this dialogue that is happening," Russell said. "And I think the departure of Niels is also a prime example of not being a part of these conversations." The GDPA statement made clear the drivers do not think their voice is being heard. "If we feel we're being listened to, and some of the changes that we are requesting are implemented, because ultimately we're only doing it for the benefit of the sport, then maybe our confidence will increase," Russell said. "But I think there's a number of drivers who feel a bit fed up with the whole situation. It only seems to be going in the wrong direction." He also said the relationship between the drivers and the FIA seems fractured. "Sometimes just hiring and firing is not the solution," he said. "You need to work together to improve the problem." Norris, who has battled Verstappen this year with mixed officiating rulings, said "obviously things are not running as smoothly as what we would want." Marques has his first driver meeting ahead of Thursday night's two practice sessions and then three weeks to prove to the competitors he is up for the job. Carlos Sainz Jr., who will leave Ferrari for Williams at the end of the season, hopes the drama doesn't distract from the momentum F1 has built over the last five years. "I think Formula 1 is in a great moment right now and all these rumors, I think in every team, every job, there's job changes," he said. "It's not big drama. I'm a big fan of the people you mentioned, they've done an incredible job in Formula 1 and Formula 1 is what it is thanks to these people. But it's just so emotional, especially the Stefano one. The only one that has a real effect is the race director. But I think if he does a good job, it should be transparent and nothing big."Apple released the third public beta of iOS 18.2 on Nov. 20, the same day the company released the fourth developer beta of the software. The beta arrives about a month after Apple released iOS 18.1 to the general public. While iOS 18.1 brought a few new features and fixes to all iPhones, and a few Apple Intelligence features to others , the latest beta brings more AI features to some developers and beta testers. There are also a few new features and upgrades in the beta that aren't a part of Apple Intelligence, so everyone can access them. Read more: An Expert's Guide to iOS 18 Since this is a beta, I recommend downloading it only on something other than your primary device. Because this isn't the final version of iOS 18.2, the update might be buggy and battery life may be short, so it's best to keep those troubles on a secondary device. Note that the beta is not the final version of iOS 18.2, so there could be more features to land on your iPhone when iOS 18.2 is released. There's no word on when Apple will release iOS 18.2 to the public yet. Here are some of the features that could land on your iPhone with iOS 18.2 soon. Just a reminder that only developers and beta testers who have an iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max or the iPhone 16 lineup can access the AI features for now. If you have any other iPhone, you won't have access to those features. Find My improvements The Find My app can be used to locate things like your AirPods and MacBook, and with the iOS 18.2 beta, Apple makes it easy for everyone to get help finding lost items. In the beta, if you go into Find My > Items and tap one of your items, you have two new options: Share Item Location and Show Contact Info . If you enable Share Item Location , Find My will create a link that you can share with others so they can notify you if they find your lost or missing item. This could be especially helpful as we head into the holidays as more people are traveling and losing luggage at airports or leaving items behind. These links expire after one week, though, which may not be enough time to find them. If you enable Show Contact Info, others can connect to lost items so they can find ways to contact you and bring your item back to you. New Mail categories The Mail app on every iPhone also gets an upgrade in the iOS 18.2 beta. Apple announced in September that Mail would soon be able to sort emails to multiple categories to keep your important emails in one place and ads or promotions in another, like Gmail and Outlook do. The new layout keeps things mostly tidy, but Mail doesn't always get it right. For example, I found an email for digital tickets I previously ordered in the Promotions category rather than the Primary category. You don't have to use the new layout if you don't want to. To change your Mail layout back, go into Mail, tap the three dots ( ... ) in the top right corner and tap List View . Volume slider is back on your lock screen Apple previously removed the volume slider on the iPhone's lock screen. You could still use the volume buttons on the side of your iPhone, but it wasn't as precise as the slider. With the iOS 18.2 beta, though, you can add the slider back to your lock screen. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio and Visual and tap the toggle next to Always Show Volume Control . Now, whether you're listening to a podcast or music from one of Apple's apps or a third-party app the volume slider will be present on your lock screen. iPhone speaker volume limit If you have kids who like to play games or watch videos on their iPhones and they set the music to full blast, that could damage their device's speakers -- not to mention it could be annoying to you. With the iOS 18.2 beta, you can set a maximum volume limit on your, or your kid's, iPhone. To set a limit go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Volume Limit and tap the toggle next to Limit Maximum Volume . A scale will appear and you can select what you want the limit to be. Apple does note that this limit doesn't apply to things like phone calls, FaceTime calls, emergency calls or Find My sounds. Genmoji There are over 3,000 emoji you can use, but sometimes you can't find the one you really want. Genmoji is here to help. With the Apple Intelligence Genmoji feature, you can describe the emoji you're looking for and iPhones with Apple Intelligence will attempt to generate a new emoji based on your description. To use Genmoji, go into a message and tap the emoji keyboard in the bottom left corner of your keyboard. Then, type the emoji you're looking for into the search bar. If there isn't an emoji that matches your description, tap Create New Emoji just below the search bar. Your iPhone will then show you a few examples of what it came up with based on your description. You can swipe through the emoji, and when you find a Genmoji you like, tap Add in the top right corner to permanently add that new emoji to your keyboard. Visual Intelligence This is Apple's answer to Google Lens. Visual Intelligence is an Apple Intelligence feature that lets you point your camera at something, like a dog, and your iPhone will then use the photo to search online to help you identify it. The feature can also be used to detect phone numbers to create contacts, scan QR codes and translate languages. You can also integrate this feature with ChatGPT to help you identify items, as well as to help you better understand what's on a page or screen. It's important to note that you don't need a ChatGPT account to use the integration. This feature is also only available on the iPhone 16 lineup since it utilizes the series' new camera control side-button. If you have one of the new iPhones, long press the new side-button where the SIM card tray used to be to quickly pull up Visual Intelligence. "The camera control provides instant, easy access to the camera with just a click. It allows you to adjust various camera features simply by sliding your finger," Apple said at its "Glowtime" event in September. "Its convenient design ensures it's always within reach." Image Playground This Apple Intelligence feature takes Genmoji one step further and lets you create whole images based on text prompts called Image Playground. This feature is a standalone app and it can also be found in Message by tapping the plus ( + ) button to the left of your text box. Image Playground is filled with prompt suggestions, themes, places and more to get you started. You can enter multiple prompts to make the image more specific, but once I entered seven prompts a popup appeared telling me to use fewer. There's also an option to change the art style from the default cartoony 3D images to illustrations. If you want to put yourself, friends and family or your pet into one of these images, you can. Tap the plus ( + ) sign in the bottom right corner and then tap either Choose Photo or Take Photo . You'll still have to choose or enter a prompt in addition to the photo. The feature can create some simple images, and it can be unintentionally funny with how weird other images are. In one instance, I selected the prompts astronaut, artist and lighthouse. One of the results showed what I can only describe as a half-stronaut propped up on an easel surrounded by frames opposite another easel with a drawing of a lighthouse on it. Stellar work. You can also draw a sketch in Notes, select your sketch and use it with Visual Playground. That way you can either clean up your sketch, or if you're not an artist -- like myself -- you can use the feature to flesh out your sketch. Read more : Apple Intelligence's New Notification Summary Feature Can Be Absurdly Wrong Glowing Siri and ChatGPT Apple announced at WWDC in May that its virtual assistant Siri was entering a "new era" soon thanks to Apple Intelligence enhancements. With the iOS 18.2 beta, Apple is bringing most of those enhancements to some iPhones. With Apple Intelligence, instead of seeing a logo pop up on your screen when you activate Siri, you'll see a glowing light around your screen. You can use Siri like you normally would, and you can also use ChatGPT for your queries. I asked Siri to use ChatGPT to show me how to brew a cup of coffee, and it wrote out a seven-step process on how to make drip coffee in a standard brewer. The instructions were a little wonky, telling me to measure out my water and coffee grounds before grinding my coffee beans. There is a disclaimer at the bottom of these ChatGPT requests that reads, "Check important info for mistakes." You can also copy what Siri and ChatGPT show you by tapping a button in the top right corner of the window that shows two pieces of paper. Then, you can paste this in a message or a note if you want -- but again, you should verify the details of your request. Require Screen On camera toggle If you have any phones from the iPhone 16 lineup, you have the Camera Control button. You have to press this twice to open your camera if your screen is asleep or inactive, but Apple introduced a new toggle in the iOS 18.2 public beta so that you can press the Camera Control once to open your camera even if your screen is off. To do this, go to Settings > Display & Brightness and tap the toggle next to Require Screen On to disable the feature. Now if you press the Camera Control while your screen is off, your iPhone will open your Camera without a second press. However, it could also lead to accidentally opening your camera more often. Those are a few of the new features public beta testers can try with the third iOS 18.2 public beta. There will likely be more betas before this version of the OS is released to the public, so there's plenty of time for Apple to change these features. As of now, there's no word on when Apple will release iOS 18.2 to the general public, but Apple said in October that more Apple Intelligence features will arrive in December. For more on iOS, you can check out my review of iOS 18 , what to know about iOS 18.1 and our iOS 18 cheat sheet .Reflecting on 2024 in his annual end-of-year press conference, President Vladimir Putin described the year as a "landmark" in achieving the "goals" of Russia’s war against Ukraine. And at a Defense Ministry session this month, Putin said Russian forces had captured 189 settlements at the front and that the Armed Forces had grown to 1.5 million personnel, boasting that over 1,000 volunteers were signing military contracts every day. These figures appear to have done little to give Moscow a significant advantage over Kyiv in the third year of a war that it expected to win in a matter of days. While Moscow continues to occupy large swathes of Ukraine, it has not achieved significant gains this year. Kyiv, which has held parts of Russia's Kursk region since August, has also not advanced, leading analysts to debate whether the war had reached a stalemate. Yet Russian forces are now closing in on the city of Pokrovsk — which, if captured, could open a path to controlling all of the Donetsk region. Here is an overview of the year’s key developments on the battlefield: When Kyiv launched its incursion into Russia’s border region of Kursk in August, it became the most significant foreign attack on Russian territory since World War II. The offensive has seen Kyiv capture over two dozen settlements in Kursk, including the town of Sudzha, a key natural gas transit hub between Russia and Europe. Thousands have been evacuated from Kursk and remain displaced. Many others remain trapped in Kyiv-held territory. Analysts say that while the incursion is viewed as a significant military success for Ukraine — both on the ground and politically — the area remains a major challenge for Kyiv and Moscow. Moscow has deployed thousands of North Korean soldiers to the region to help claw back its lands, the U.S. Department of Defense said, with Kyiv reporting that it has encountered troops from the reclusive country in combat. As of November, Kyiv still controlled 800 square kilometers of Kursk, down from previous estimates that it controlled almost 1,400 square kilometers, a Ukrainian army source told AFP. Many believe that the region could be used as a bargaining chip in potential ceasefire talks between Moscow and Kyiv, and that the fighting in Kursk could intensify as Russia seeks a political win by regaining control of its territories. During his annual press conference this month, Putin promised to drive Ukrainian forces out of the Kursk region but did not specify a timeline. “In the coming months, we are likely to see Moscow try to push Ukraine back [from the Kursk region] as quickly as possible,” said Ivan Stupak, a military expert and ex-officer of Ukraine’s SBU Security Service. Yet experts say that significant changes may follow the January inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to “end the war” upon taking office — potentially paving the way for negotiations between Moscow, Kyiv and Washington. At his press conference, Putin said he was ready to speak to Trump “anytime.” Russia and Ukraine have been ratcheting up their deadly aerial offensives, unleashing increasingly advanced weaponry and spurring fears that the conflict could further escalate. U.S. President Joe Biden in November cleared Kyiv to use U.S.-made ATACMS long-range missiles against military targets inside Russia, a move that Moscow had long warned would provoke a devastating response. On Nov. 21, Russia launched the Oreshnik, an experimental, nuclear-capable ballistic missile, against Ukraine for the first time in what Putin called a response to Kyiv's use of ATACMS against targets on Russian soil. The launch came days after Putin signed a decree lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. Experts believe the new missile flies at 10 times the speed of sound and may be able to strike targets up to 5,500 kilometers away. Yet according to Stupak, the use of Oreshnik was more as “a PR show” than a genuine escalation of the war. At the same time, while Kyiv’s use of ATACMS has complicated Russia's logistics in frontline areas, their deployment has also had a modest impact on the overall course of hostilities. “From a military standpoint, it was clear that the use of a small number of missiles on key specific targets was not going to drastically change the situation on the frontlines,” Israeli military expert David Sharp told The Moscow Times. “While the use [of ATACMS] came with certain losses [for Moscow], it was more as a political message for Russia,” he said. Ukraine’s eastern regions remained the epicenter of heavy fighting, with Moscow advancing and pressing overstretched and outgunned Ukrainian forces for months. In October, the Russian army advanced 478 square kilometers into Ukrainian territory, a record since March 2022 in the first weeks of the war, according to an AFP analysis of data from the U.S. think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW). That’s more territory than Moscow gained in August and September 2024 (477 and 459 square kilometers respectively). The last time Russia made such advances was in March 2022, when they marched towards the capital Kyiv in the early stages of the war. As of mid-December, Russian forces were only several kilometers from Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, which they have been approaching from the south and east for months. Moscow's army was also gaining territory at the north of the front, having seized more than 40 square kilometers near the Kharkiv region city of Kupiansk last month. Captured by Russian troops in the early stages of the war, Kupiansk was then retaken by Ukraine in a September 2022 counteroffensive. According to Stupak, the Russian army's tactic is to encircle settlements from all sides instead of launching costly and time-consuming frontal assaults. “The tactic works, but the cost is another matter. Russia has suffered significant losses and appeared to show little concern for its troops. But Ukraine is also taking losses," Stupak said. Throughout 2023, Russian forces seized just 584 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, according to AFP analysis based on data released by the ISW. Yet since Jan. 1, 2024, they have already taken more than 2,660 square kilometers, an area slightly bigger than the size of Moscow. From the start of the war in February 2022 until Oct. 27, 2024, Russia had taken 67,192 square kilometers of Kyiv's land. Along with the annexed Crimean peninsula and the areas of eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed separatists before the Kremlin's February 2022 invasion, Russia currently controls 18.2% of Ukraine's 2013 territory. AFP contributed reporting.

President-elect Donald Trump ‘s estranged niece Mary Trump recently shared some of her most peculiar Christmas gift experiences with her uncle. What Happened : Known for her vocal criticism of the President-elect, Mary Trump often uses online platforms to express her views. In a recent video , she reflected on some of the more unusual gifts she received from her uncle. She recalled a “single shoe” filled with hard candy, which she suspects was a regifted “party favor” from a luncheon hosted by Donald Trump's first wife, Ivana Trump . Also Read: Mary Trump’s Warning: Donald Trump’s Second Term ‘Already Is More Dangerous Than the First’ Mary also recounted a playful sibling rivalry with her brother over who could receive the “worst” gift — a competition sparked by a leather-bound calendar that was already two years outdated. She also revealed that her first gift from Donald and Ivana Trump was a three-pack of underwear from Bloomingdales. “It was a very exciting moment, and it just kind of got weirder from there,” she said in the post. Why It Matters : The revelations from Mary Trump come at a time when Donald Trump, who won the 2024 presidential election against Vice President Kamala Harris , is preparing to begin his second term in the White House in January. These personal anecdotes provide a unique insight into the private life of the once and future president, adding a humanizing layer to the often controversial figure. Read Next Mary Trump Slams Uncle Over Anti-Birthright Citizenship Stance: ‘A Deeply Ignorant, Cruel Man' This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.By Benjamin Mullin and Kate Conger, New York Times Service Elon Musk is gunning for public media. In his new role advising President-elect Donald Trump, Musk has floated sweeping cuts to the federal government, including the elimination of entire departments and the firing of agency leaders. One of the most concrete proposals on his list is eliminating hundreds of millions of dollars in annual funding that the government funnels to PBS and NPR stations, home to cultural touchstones like Elmo, Big Bird and “Fresh Air.” For decades, NPR and PBS have overcome similar threats. But this year, “the attention and intensity” of the calls to defund public media seem greater, said Michael Isip, the president and CEO of KQED, which operates NPR and PBS stations in the San Francisco Bay Area. NPR and PBS stations are bracing for the fight. After the election, leaders of NPR’s biggest member stations circulated a report that warned “it would be unwise to assume that events will play out as they have in the past” with regard to their federal funding. PBS received an update on the situation from political consultants at a board meeting in early December. And station directors in some states are already making their case to legislators. Internally, NPR is preparing for a variety of funding possibilities, including that government money will be clawed back immediately, according to two people briefed on the network’s planning. While many Americans know NPR and PBS by popular programs like “Sesame Street” and “All Things Considered,” those national organizations are merely the most visible part of a network of local stations crisscrossing the United States — a network that depends on public funding for local news, educational programming and emergency alerts. More than 98% of the U.S. population lives within listening range of at least one of the more than 1,000 public radio stations that carry NPR programming, and many stations use government funding to buy shows and pay for their newsrooms. “The most vulnerable stations serving the most vulnerable people are going to be the ones that are hurt the hardest,” said Eric Nuzum, a former NPR executive and a co-founder of Magnificent Noise, an audio consulting and production company. “We’re talking about very rural parts of the United States.” He added that NPR and PBS had a difficult road ahead even without a funding battle, with changing listener and viewer habits putting pressure on their business models. An NPR spokesperson, Isabel Lara, said defunding public radio would result in less money for local journalism, including coverage of sports and culture. She added that the network regularly planned for a variety of different financial outcomes. “Cutting public media funding means cutting funding to local communities,” she said. A PBS spokesperson, Jeremy Gaines, echoed those sentiments in a statement. “Now more than ever, the service PBS provides matters for Americans,” he said. A representative for Trump had no immediate comment. Musk did not respond to a request for comment. In many ways, the stations’ pushback draws from a well-worn playbook. Republicans have called for eliminating federal funding for public media for decades, including during the last Trump administration, though it wasn’t cut then. Many in the party have argued that the networks’ reporting and opinion commentary doesn’t encompass a full range of political views and that taxpayers shouldn’t be required to pay for the programming. Fred Rogers, the kindly TV host behind “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” on PBS, testified in defense of public media during an attempt during the Nixon administration to cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, an entity that received $535 million from the government this year and provides funds to PBS and NPR stations. “For the majority of us who’ve been in public broadcasting for 20 to 30 years, this is not new,” said Ed Ulman, the president and CEO of Alaska Public Media in Anchorage. He recently discussed funding with Dan Sullivan, a senator from Alaska, and the staff of Lisa Murkowski, the state’s other senator. Both are Republicans. “It really comes back down to ensuring that people in D.C. understand the unintended consequences of some of their policy decisions,” Ulman said. But the traditional script may not work as well this time, Nuzum said. “So many of the plays are defensive,” he said. “No real thought is given to playing offense: What is our forward-looking vision that we can say justifies the investment from the American public for the next 10, 20, 30 years?” This funding fight may differ from earlier battles because of the newfound passion and sudden ascent of Musk, who has made plain his deep distaste for traditional media. Although he holds no elected office, his influence over government spending was revealed in stark relief last week when he helped torpedo a bipartisan spending deal, forcing lawmakers to redraft the agreement. Musk has recommended his social platform, X, as a replacement for news media outlets, which he accuses of bias against him. “Legacy media must die,” Musk posted to X on Sunday. NPR and PBS stations have two crucial advantages in the battle to preserve their funding. Many local stations serve as a backbone for emergency alert systems, a function that would be impossible to replace overnight. And the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is funded two years in advance, meaning that efforts to defund public media would most likely lag far behind congressional action. But Republican-sponsored bills that would eliminate government funding for public media are already working their way through Congress. They include the No Propaganda Act, introduced this year by Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana and Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, and the Defund NPR Act, introduced in April by Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana. Banks introduced his bill weeks after a senior editor at NPR, Uri Berliner, published an essay claiming that the network had a liberal bias. (Berliner resigned and now works for The Free Press, a digital startup founded by former New York Times writer Bari Weiss.) Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, said in an interview that it was wrong to require conservatives to fund an outlet dismissive of their perspectives. Gonzalez contributed to Project 2025, a policy playbook to overhaul the federal government, writing that the government should defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “This will be one of those things that will make America better,” Gonzalez said. “Not to coerce them into paying something for a media outlet that mocks their views.” Public media organizations are already under serious pressure. NPR grappled with declining listenership and a decrease in sponsorships — public radio speak for advertising — in 2023, the last year for which detailed finances were available. Lara said NPR’s sponsorships held steady this year, adding that listenership grew in major markets beginning this summer. Expecting local NPR and PBS stations to fulfill their obligations to inform and educate Americans across the country without public funding is unreasonable, Nuzum said. “It’s the equivalent of bringing a public radio tote bag to a gunfight,” he said. This article originally appeared in The New York Times . Be civil. Be kind.

SATURDAY'S BOWL GAMES

The 10 biggest celebrity scandals of 2024: From the downfall of Diddy to Bennifer's break-up and the cult of Ozempic Do YOU have a story? Email tips@dailymail.com LISTEN: The Trial of Diddy – bringing you the biggest and most shocking details from the rapper’s downfall each week. Available wherever you get your podcasts now By JASON CHESTER FOR MAILONLINE Published: 14:12 GMT, 28 December 2024 | Updated: 14:22 GMT, 28 December 2024 e-mail View comments Typically it's the season to be jolly, but for more than one public figure this Christmas will be an opportunity to draw a firm line under a year to forget. Indeed, while global events continue to shape the social and political landscape - think Donald Trump winning his second Presidential election - the showbiz world has been rocked by its own share of controversy. From game-changing weight loss drugs to ruinous lawsuits, tarnished reputations, abrupt divorces and inappropriate workplace behavior deserving of rather more than a quiet word from HR, 2024 has had it all. So as we prepare to usher in 2025, join MailOnline as we look back at some of the most shocking scandals of the year. Merry Christmas! 1. THE DOWNFALL OF DIDDY Sean 'Diddy' Combs is one of America's most famous rappers, record producer and record executives It all began in 2023, when ex-girlfriend Cassandra 'Cassie' Ventura filed a lawsuit against the rap entrepreneur claiming he "set the groundwork" for a "manipulative and coercive romantic and sexual relationship" As downfalls go, it is perhaps the most spectacular in living memory. Once feted as a pioneering hip-hop icon, P. Diddy - real name Sean Coombs - now faces accusations of kidnapping, drugging and coercing women into sexual activities, occasionally under the threat of violence. It all began in 2023, when ex-girlfriend Cassandra 'Cassie' Ventura filed a lawsuit against the rap entrepreneur claiming he "set the groundwork" for a "manipulative and coercive romantic and sexual relationship". She also accused him of rape, claiming his actions would often be witnessed by his "tremendously loyal network" who "were not willing to do anything meaningful" to stop it happening. Ventura detailed his alleged love of nefarious, drug-fuelled sex parties -notoriously referred to as freak-offs - that could, and would go on for days. The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court, but it would be the catalyst for a series of potentially ruinous sexual misconduct allegations, and the raid of his Miami and Los Angeles properties by Homeland Security in March. Armed agents from the Department of Homeland Security entered luxury properties on both East and West Coasts of the United States, with video footage showing helicopters circling overhead. The agents, who were wearing vests, gathered in the home's backyard near the pool. Multiple officers were seen carrying bags and boxes of evidence to a van with assistance from police dogs. She also accused him of rape, claiming his actions would often be witnessed by his "tremendously loyal network" who "were not willing to do anything meaningful" to stop it happening Ventura detailed his alleged love of nefarious, drug-fuelled sex parties -notoriously referred to as freak-offs - that could, and would go on for days Read More Sean Diddy Combs' arrest sparks wild reaction on social media: 'He's gonna love prison' Items seized included more than a thousand bottles of baby oil, allegedly used by guests during his reported freak-offs. With allegations piling up, CNN subsequently airs video that shows Diddy attacking ex-girlfriend Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016. The video closely mirrors an assault described in her lawsuit, which said he had already punched her that night, and she was trying to leave the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles when he woke and came after her. In the footage, a man who appears to be Diddy, wearing only a towel, punches Ventura, kicks her, and throws her on to the floor. Diddy later posted a video on Instagram and Facebook apologising for the assault on Ventura - his first real acknowledgement of wrongdoing since the recent stream of allegations began. 'My behavior on that video is inexcusable,' he said, adding that he had hit 'rock bottom'. 'I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now. 'I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I'm so sorry.' The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court, but it would be the catalyst for a series of potentially ruinous sexual misconduct allegations, and the raid of his Miami and Los Angeles properties by Homeland Security in March These aerial images taken in October 19, 2023, show the sprawling Miami waterfront property owned by the embattled rap mogul that was raided by federal agents With allegations piling up, CNN subsequently airs video that shows Diddy attacking ex-girlfriend Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016 On May 19, Combs posted a video on Instagram and Facebook apologizing for the assault on Ventura. That was his first real acknowledgement of wrongdoing since the recent stream of allegations began In September, the rap mogul was taken into custody in New York after a grand jury indictment. No details on the charges were made public at the time In September, the rap mogul was taken into custody in New York after a grand jury indictment. No details on the charges were made public at the time. Diddy's attorney called it an unjust prosecution of an 'imperfect person' who is 'not a criminal.' He remains incarcerated at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center after his requests for bail were denied. He is facing a life sentence if he is convicted of all charges: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prosecution. The minimum possible term if convicted of all three offenses is 15 years behind bars, meaning he would be 69 at the time of his release. 2. JAY Z RAPE ALLEGATIONS As the fall-out from Diddy's arrest continues, former friend Jay Z has been accused of raping an underage girl with the disgraced rapper An updated complaint in a civil case against the jailed star alleges that Jay and Diddy raped the then 13-year old at an after party following the MTV Video Music Awards in September of 2000 (Jay Z is pictured in 2000) Read More Jay-Z accused of raping 13-year-old girl with Diddy after MTV VMAs in shock civil lawsuit As the fall-out from Diddy's arrest continues, former friend Jay Z has been accused of raping an underage girl with the disgraced rapper. An updated complaint in a civil case against the jailed star alleges that Jay and Diddy raped the then 13-year old at an after party following the MTV Video Music Awards in September of 2000. Jay was added to the lawsuit which was originally filed as one of several anonymous complaints in October by Texas attorney Tony Buzbee. Many of the lawsuits did not survive because the plaintiffs declined to have their identities unveiled. However, the judge said the alleged victim showed sufficient cause to continue with the lawsuit in anonymity. In the accused rapper's statement, he slammed Buzbee, suggesting he was not a legitimate lawyer, and launched a slew of insults, calling him a 'deplorable human' and 'ambulance chaser in a cheap suit.' Jay-Z broke his silence after being accused in an amended civil lawsuit. He is pictured July 2023 in New York City The 55-year-old rapper, born Shawn Corey Carter, released a statement denying and condemning the allegations in the filing via the Roc Nation X account In the letter, the Roc Nation founder began: 'My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a "lawyer" named Tony Buzbee.' He accused Buzbee of taking on the case for 'personal gain' and wrote: 'What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle.' 'No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion,' he continued. 'So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!' 'These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree? These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case,' he continued. 'This lawyer, who I have done a bit of research on, seems to have a pattern of these type of theatrics! I have no idea how you have come to be such a deplorable human Mr. Buzbee, but I promise you I have seen your kind many times over. I'm more than prepared to deal with your type,' he added. 'You claim to be a marine?! Marines are known for their valor, you have neither honor nor dignity' Diddy, Beyonce and Jay Z are pictured here at a party in 2004 The rapper then mentioned how it is 'unfair' that his family, particularly his eldest daughter Blue Ivy, 12, will also be affected by the lawsuit. He also shares twins Rumi and Sir, seven, with wife Beyoncé. 'My only heartbreak is for my family,' he wrote. 'My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people.' 'I mourn yet another loss of innocence,' he added. 'Children should not have to endure such at their young age. It is unfair to have to try to understand inexplicable degrees of malice meant to destroy families and human spirit,' he added. 'My heart and support goes out to true victims in the world, who have to watch how their life story is dressed in costume for profitability by this ambulance chaser in a cheap suit.' 'You have made a terrible error in judgment thinking that all "celebrities" are the same. I'm not from your world,' he wrote. 'I'm a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don't play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor.' 'We protect children, you seem to exploit people for personal gain. Only your network of conspiracy theorists, fake physics, will believe the idiotic claims you have levied against me that, if not for the seriousness surrounding harm to kids, would be laughable.' He concluded: 'I look forward to showing you just how different I am.' Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee, who has taken on more than 100 cases against Combs, named Jay-Z in Sunday's filing. Pictured in 2022 On the same day, Diddy also shared a statement via his legal representatives. His legal representatives responded to the latest filing and stated: 'This amended complaint and the recent extortion lawsuit against Mr. Buzbee exposes his barrage of lawsuits against Mr. Combs for what they are: shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs.' 'As his legal team has said before, Mr. Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone -- man or woman, adult or minor,' Combs' representatives said in the statement. Diddy has separately been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his criminal trial is currently slated to begin on May 5, 2025. Diddy has also faced a massive wave of suits promised by lawyers including Texas attorney Buzbee, who said in October that more than 100 alleged victims were planning legal action against him. 3. WALLACE STEPS DOWN BBC mainstay Gregg Wallace (right, with Joh Torode) announced he was stepping back from hit show MasterChef in November, while an investigation into allegations of off-camera misconduct is carried out He is also accused of telling a junior female colleague he wasn't wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans, wandered into the studio naked apart from a sock on his penis and mimicked a sex act on a producer when she knelt down to clean his trousers Read More EXCLUSIVE Gregg Wallace's friends blame MasterChef star's 'inappropriate behaviour' on autism condition BBC mainstay Gregg Wallace announced he was stepping back from hit show MasterChef in November, while an investigation into allegations of off-camera misconduct is carried out. Wallace faces accusations of inappropriate behaviour from 13 people, including Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, over a 17-year period across five shows from 2005 to 2022. He is also accused of telling a junior female colleague he wasn't wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans, wandered into the studio naked apart from a sock on his penis and mimicked a sex act on a producer when she knelt down to clean his trousers. The latest allegations include one woman who said Wallace groped her, another who claims he pressed his crotch against her while filming BBC show Eat Well For Less and a third who alleged he flashed her in his dressing room. After stepping down, the grocer turned broadcaster posted a series of incendiary videos where he hit back at critics by saying: ‘Can you imagine how many women on MasterChef, female contestants, have made sexual remarks or sexual innuendo?’ Former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark, right, is among 13 people who have accused MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace, left, of making inappropriate sexual comments After stepping down, the grocer turned broadcaster posted a series of incendiary videos where he hit back at critics Read More Calls for MasterChef to be taken off air while Gregg Wallace sexual misconduct allegations are investigated He added: ‘I’ve been doing MasterChef for 20 years, amateur, celebrity and professional MasterChef, and I think, in that time, I have worked with over 4,000 contestants of all different ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life. ‘Apparently now, I’m reading in the paper, there’s been 13 complaints in that time. I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn’t right'. His posts were branded 'shocking' and laced with ‘thinly veiled misogyny’ - and did not touch on the sexual allegations made by numerous MasterChef celebrities, producers and contestants on the show he left last week. There are allegations related to four other shows he worked on. Despite this, Wallace- who has since apologised for his posts - remains desperate to repair his reputation and the investigation's findings are critical if he wants to continue appearing onscreen. Bosses at the corporation are said to have hauled the MasterChef co-host into a meeting in 2018 following allegations of 'inappropriate sexual comments' and told him to 'change his behaviour' He is likely to raise the possibility he has autism with Lewis Silkin, the London law firm hired by MasterChef production company Banijay. The suggestion he may never return to the BBC was reported by the Telegraph. The friend said: 'Gregg carries many of the autistic symptoms, the people who know him best have been saying it for years. 'He's never formally been tested, due a feeling of responsibility over Sid's diagnosis, but he really should be as it may explain a lot about his actions. 'Gregg has form for his inability to read the room, saying things that don't really belong in the moment. He has no filter and in social situations that can become dangerous, especially when it comes to jokes about sex. 'He has a light filter when it comes to sex which is common in people on the spectrum. In the modern world of TV where you can't just dismiss some of his actions as banter.' The BBC claims Wallace walked away from MasterChef after BBC News sent a letter to his agent, setting out the allegations and giving him a right of reply. They say he was warned after a complaint was raised in 2018, but new historical claims emerged over the summer of 2024. 4. PROBLEMATIC SEX SCENES Back in February, an X-rated sex scene between Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman in romantic drama Miller's Girl was been branded 'gross' by viewers left horrified by their 31-year age gap Wednesday star Jenna, 22, plays 18-year-old student Cairo Sweet in the black comedy drama, while Martin, 53, takes on the role of her teacher Jonathan Miller Back in February, an X-rated sex scene between Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman in romantic drama Miller's Girl was been branded 'gross' by viewers left horrified by their 31-year age gap. Wednesday star Jenna, 22, plays 18-year-old student Cairo Sweet in the black comedy drama, while Martin, 53, takes on the role of her teacher Jonathan Miller. The film sees the two getting tangled in a very complex and inappropriate relationship, with Cairo choosing to write a sex story after being given a creative writing assignment by Jonathan. Raunchy scenes from this story are then played out on screen by Ortega and Freeman - with viewers left in uproar over the 'uncomfortable' age gap. Intimacy coordinator Kristina Arjona later revealed to DailyMail.com that Ortega was involved in decisions about the curation of the racy moments, as she insisted that at no point were any 'boundaries surpassed.' 'There was many, many people throughout this process, engaging with [Jenna] to make sure that it was consistent with what she was comfortable with, and she was very determined and very sure of what she wanted to do,' Kristina said. The film sees the two getting tangled in a very complex and inappropriate relationship, with Cairo choosing to pen a sex story after being given a creative writing assignment by Jonathan Viewers took to X, formerly Twitter, branding the scene uncomfortable and 'so gross' 'Part of my job too is supporting her decisions. I adapt to whatever is the comfort level of my actors, especially on a production like this where there is a large age gap between the actors. 'I'm hyper aware of both of my talent and making sure that we're consistently checking in and that at no point are any of their boundaries being surpassed. And again, making sure - especially with someone who's significantly younger - that they are giving continuous consent.' Kristina discussed the 'level of nudity' with Ortega and Freeman, as well as which 'simulated sex scenes' were required, before talking them through modesty garments and the 'additional barriers' they could use to ensure an 'appropriate distance' was maintained. This information was also given to the actors in a written format 48 hours before the scenes were filmed, but Kristina stressed that they 'also have the option on the day to change their mind if they don't want to do any of the elements that we've discussed.' She revealed there were ample discussions between cast and crew before the scenes were shot and that test audiences were used to give bosses an idea of what was 'too much.' 'For this film, in particular, because of the sensitivity of the content, they had some different variations of how they wanted to shoot these scenes so that audiences could watch them at test screenings to see what was too much.' The film was released by Lionsgate in theaters on January 26, having premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival earlier this year. 5. BENNIFER DIVORCE! Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez - affectionally dubbed 'Bennifer' - separated in April, with Lopez ultimately filing for divorce on August 20, their two-year wedding anniversary In her petition, seen by DailyMail.com, Lopez requested that her name be restored to Jennifer Lynn Lopez, dropping Affleck altogether Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez - affectionally dubbed 'Bennifer' - separated in April, with Lopez ultimately filing for divorce on August 20, their two-year wedding anniversary. In her petition, seen by DailyMail.com, Lopez requested that her name be restored to Jennifer Lynn Lopez, dropping Affleck altogether. The couple did not sign a prenuptial agreement before tying the knot in July 2022, insiders revealed. It marks Lopez's fourth failed marriage and Affleck's second. Without a prenup in place, their individual earnings from the last two years, whether it be from film projects or major brand deals, would be community property. Lopez, who has a reported $400million net worth, has put out four films since marrying Affleck, including her $20million self-funded project This Is Me... Now: A Love Story, which documented the couple's rekindled romance. She launched her Delola cocktail line in 2023 and she was set to embark on a world tour in support of her latest album This Is Me... Now, but it was canceled weeks before kick off so she could 'focus' on family. The couple did not sign a prenuptial agreement before tying the knot in July 2022, insiders revealed. It marks Lopez's fourth failed marriage and Affleck's second Read More Ben Affleck dropped a major clue MONTHS ago that his marriage to Jennifer Lopez was over Oscar-winner Affleck, who has a reported net worth of $150million, has recently starred in the films Air and Hypnotic. He also recently wrapped production of a sequel to 2016's The Accountant. To further complicate things, the former couple worked on the upcoming film, Unstoppable. While Affleck produced the project alongside Matt Damon, Lopez is among the film's stars. She will not seek spousal support and asked the judge to also deny it for Affleck. Lopez shares twins Max and Emme, 16, with ex-husband Marc Anthony, while Affleck shares three children with ex-wife Jennifer Garner: Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12. But the way they spent their time with the kids divided them, it was claimed. Without a prenup in place, their individual earnings from the last two years, whether it be from film projects or major brand deals, would be community property Read More 'Stressed' Ben Affleck goes viral for 'slamming' car door behind Jennifer Lopez while out for coffee run in LA While Lopez was happy to take the little ones out shopping and to fun events, Affleck preferred to hang out at home. 'They are very different people,' a source told PEOPLE of Affleck and Lopez. 'She's super public and wants to go out, and he's more of an introvert and is happy to hang out at home.' Lopez and Affleck were engaged in the early 2000s and the pair famously reconciled in 2021 before tying the knot in two ceremonies in 2022. A report published in August suggested Lopez felt the time was right to start moving on with her life. An insider told PEOPLE : '[She knows] it's time to move on' for various reasons 'She's very disappointed and sad, but Ben hasn't given her any signs that he wants to continue their marriage. He hasn't shown any commitment and interest in making their marriage work. It's gotten to the point that she just needs to look out for herself.' The divorce filing came exactly two years after the couple's extravagant second wedding in Georgia on August 20 2022 - and an insider told the publication the significance of the date wasn't lost on Lopez. They said: 'She was done waiting and the date she did it speaks a ton... [The divorce filing] gives her control of the process... It's good that she did it... 'She tried really hard to make things work and is heartbroken.' The source went on to insist the former couple's blended family is taking priority, adding: 'The kids are a top priority, as they always have been.' 6. BLAKE'S LAWSUIT AGAINST JUSTIN BALDONI Blake Lively made headlines across the globe when she alleged in legal paperwork that her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni sexually harassed her throughout the making of the movie It Ends with Us, based on the book by Colleen Hoover, follows the story of Lily Bloom, played by Lively, who becomes embroiled in an abusive relationship with a man named Ryle Kincaid, portrayed by Justin Baldoni Blake Lively made headlines across the globe when she alleged in legal paperwork that her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni sexually harassed her throughout the making of the movie, and then went on to engineer a smear campaign against her. Since the filing, the fallout for Baldoni has seen the actor - who also directed the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's book - dropped by WME talent agency, parted ways with his podcast partner and seen his 'The Voices of Solidarity Award' rescinded by the Vital Voices organization. Insiders have revealed to DailyMail.com that the actor may need to prepare for further legal action from Lively as she seeks 'justice' over the alleged 'multi-tiered' plan to 'destroy' her reputation. A source close to Lively exclusively explained that there are more lawsuits to come, stating that this is just the tip of the iceberg. It Ends With Us tells the story of Lily Blossom Bloom (Lively), a woman confronting the trauma of domestic abuse inflicted by her husband, Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni). The book was inspired by author Colleen Hoover's experience watching her mother endure domestic violence. The film was mired in controversy long before the lawsuit after fans noticed tensions between Lively and Baldoni when they were promoting the movie before its release. When discussing the filming process in her lawsuit, Lively alleged that Baldoni showed her explicit videos and photos of other women, openly discussed his struggles with pornography, and made inappropriate remarks about her appearance. The lawsuit alleges Baldoni made sexual inquiries, including asking Lively if she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, experienced simultaneous climaxes — a question she found intrusive and refused to answer. Lively alleged that Baldoni showed her explicit videos and photos of other women and openly discussed his struggles with pornography In papers obtained by The New York Times, Lively also accused the former Jane The Virgin star of entering her trailer while she was nude, and letting his 'friends' watch her film sex scenes, along with other activities that created a 'hostile work environment.' Her co-star Jenny Slate - who played the sister of Baldoni’s character - said in a statement to Today.com: 'As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation. 'Blake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her.' She added: 'What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening. I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.' Baldoni has denied all of the accusations. 7. AMANDA AND THE STRICTLY SCANDAL In May, it was revealed that longtime Strictly professional Giovanni Pernice had quit the BBC series, after he was accused of 'bullying' his celebrity partner Amanda Abbington It is claimed the actress demanded footage of their rehearsals after struggling with Pernice's 'militant approach to training'. She was later diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder In May, it was revealed that longtime Strictly professional Giovanni Pernice had quit the BBC series, after he was accused of 'bullying' his celebrity partner Amanda Abbington. Pernice had faced a wave of scrutiny ever since his dance partner Abbington dramatically quit the competition last year due to 'personal reasons'. It is claimed the actress demanded footage of their rehearsals after struggling with Pernice's 'militant approach to training'. She was later diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Abbington is said to have then met with Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh - both previously paired with Pernice on the show - for an 'emotional summit', with the trio speaking about their 'difficult' experiences with him. A source told The Sun at the time: 'Gio feels the scrutiny on him has become too much and now is the time to make a fresh start. 'He wants to focus on other TV projects, and feels he's achieved all he can on Strictly, having won the trophy back in 2021 and reaching the final an unprecedented four times. 'He remains adamant he's done nothing wrong other than being a hard taskmaster, but knows his style of training isn't to everyone's liking - especially in this day and age.' The BBC launched an internal investigation into the allegations. The probe's findings ultimately cleared Pernice of any wrongdoing. The show was dealt another blow after Graziano Di Prima was fired amid claims of 'physical and verbally abusive' behaviour towards his celebrity dance partner Zara McDermott Read More Inside Graziano Di Prima's Strictly Come Dancing scandal However the show was dealt another blow after Graziano Di Prima was fired amid claims of 'physical and verbally abusive' behaviour towards his celebrity dance partner Zara McDermott. Addressing his exit from the show, a 'devastated' Di Prima wrote on Instagram: 'I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime. 'While respecting the BBC HR process, I acknowledge it's only right for the sake of the show that I step away. I am saddened that I wasn't allowed to offer a quote to the online news stories, and I take on board the sensitivity of the situation. 'There's more to this story that I am unable to discuss at this time, but I am committed to being strong for my family and friends. I wish the Strictly family nothing but success in the future.' MailOnline revealed that Strictly production staff raised concerns about Di Prima's conduct in 2023, but bosses only went as far as to issue quiet warnings to him. A source from the show said: 'There were multiple occasions where both physical and verbal attacks were made. It was more physical than verbal, but all of it was dreadful.' 8. THE CULT OF OZEMPIC Pictured: Sharon Osbourne walking the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of The Bikeriders in June (left) and as a judge on The X Factor in 2007 (right) Read More EXCLUSIVE Plastic surgeon reveals the truth around Lizzo Ozempic allegations A plump pout has become a red carpet non-negotiable for countless Hollywood stars in recent years - on par with a designer dress or towering high heels. But what happens when you add Ozempic into the mix? Look no further than celebrities such as Sharon Osbourne and Caroline Stanbury, who have admitted to using the weight loss jab and have even plumper lips as a result. Despite first being approved as a diabetes treatment in 2017, the drug is now widely being used for weight loss - as it mimics the the actions of GLP-1, a hormone in the brain that regulates appetite and feelings of satiety. Although it has helped millions around the world achieve their weight loss goals, the 'skinny shot' can also famously make users look extremely gaunt over time - a phenomenon critics have unflatteringly labelled 'Ozempic face'. Left: Christina Aguilera at the 10th Annual Disney's American Teacher Awards at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood in 1999. Right: Christina Aguilera in West Hollywood, September 2024. Fans have speculated the star is on Ozempic - although she has never addressed the rumours Christina (pictured) is rumoured to be mixing Ozempic and fillers to maintain her youthful appearance German singer-songwriter Kim Petras at the the Grammy Awards in February 2023 (left) and attending the Balenciaga SS25 fashion show in Paris, September 2024 (right). Fans have speculated the star is on Ozempic and having lip filler The tell-tell signs of condition include drooping around the cheeks, sunken eyes and an increased number of wrinkles - but for people who already have injectable fillers, it can also make certain areas of their face, including their lips, look artificially plump. And celebrities including Scott Disick and Sharon Osbourne have sparked concern after attributing their drastic weight loss to the drug. In January, Osbourne admitted that she wanted to 'put on another 10lbs' after becoming 'too gaunt' thanks to Ozempic. She said she lost 42lbs on the drug, telling Loos Women, 'The injections that I was on worked and just seems now I can't put anything on. 'I lost over 40lbs, If I could I would put back another 10.' She also discussed her weight loss journey with DailyMail.com, and she explained that her 'weakness has always been food.' 'When I'm happy, I eat. When I'm sad, I eat. I was a pig. At my heaviest, I weighed 225lbs,' she revealed. 'I weighed more than my husband [Ozzy Osbourne]. 'Last December, I resorted to injecting myself with Ozempic, a semaglutide that fools the brain into thinking you're not hungry. I lost 42lbs, but it was too much,' she added. 'Now, I weigh just over [98lbs]. I need to put on 10lbs, but however much I eat, I stay the same weight.' Jessica Simpson after the birth of her daughter (left). She has since said she lost 100lbs without any weight loss drugs (right) Read More Doctors ordered to crack down on patients who 'abuse' Ozempic to get beach body ready Osbourne noted that the dramatic weight loss had impacted her face, but she said she had no plans to get any more cosmetic procedures. 'I've had enough. I've given up on all interventions. I couldn't have much more facial surgery - there's not that much skin left to stretch, pull or cut. And I won't have any more fillers or Botox,' she stated. 'I don't think I'll ever be happy with the way I look. But I'm now satisfied. It's taken years for me to say this but I've learned my lesson. This is me. It's finally time to leave well alone.' Meanwhile, Christina Aguilera is another star who is rumoured to be mixing Ozempic and fillers to maintain her youthful appearance . Cosmetic doctors consequently weighed in, suggesting the singer's new look was likely a result of a 'miracle' weight loss jab, as well as facial surgeries. Scott Disick shocked fans when he was seen leaving a restaurant in West Hollywood in March and looked extremely gaunt. He's seen left in 2017 and right in March Weeks later, an insider told DailyMail.com that the reality star had turned to a nutritionist to help tackle his fluctuating weight. He's seen in February London-based aesthetics doctor Dr.Jonny Betteridge said he suspects the mother-of-two undergone a face lift, eyelid surgery and extensive dental work. 'The change in weight in such a short period of time could be attributed to Ozempic use and I also think she would have dissolved all the filler in her face before then undergoing some surgical treatments,' he said. 'She has more proportionate lips both in relation to the upper and lower lip so we can attribute this to filler and also the dental work as well, with veneers.' Although Christina has not commented on the Ozempic rumours, she did previously tell Allure that she has incobotulinumtoxinA - which is also used to treat muscle spasms - injected into her frown-lines. In recent months, fans have also speculated that singer Kim Petras is on Ozempic and dabbled with lip filler - having debuted a noticeably fuller pout this summer. Weight loss without the use of slimming drugs can also create the same effect, as evidenced by Jessica Simpson who has pillowy lips and looks more slender than ever, but insists that her slim shape is down to willpower and not jabs. 9. TAYLOR SWIFT'S MYSTERY 'CONTRACT' Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's representatives were forced to deny that the couple had plans to split after a document written on the headed paper of his US PR company was spread online The supposed contract outlined a supposed plan to break up on September 28 and release an official statement three days later to 'allow the initial media frenzy to settle and ensure clarity' Read More Have Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce survived their 'breakup' date? A look back at whirlwind romance Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's representatives were forced to deny that the couple had plans to split after a document written on the headed paper of his US PR company was spread online. The supposed contract outlined a supposed plan to break up on September 28 and release an official statement three days later to 'allow the initial media frenzy to settle and ensure clarity'. The paperwork stated the announcement would focus on Kelce's 'personal growth' by framing the breakup as a 'natural part of life'. It would also highlight his 'commitment to his career and his ongoing achievements in the sports industry.' The contract is widely believed to be fake, and Kelce's camp were quick to call it 'entirely false and fabricated.' Since the document emerged, the couple have enjoyed plenty of time together with Swift attending both of Kelce's opening two NFL games with the Kansas City Chiefs. The contract is widely believed to be fake, and Kelce's camp were quick to call it 'entirely false and fabricated' A subsequent report from Life & Style magazine revealed the couple were rocked by the scandal, so much so, a new plan had been devised to approach their relationship in a different way. 'Taylor's really making a conscious effort to go with the flow a lot more now and let her hair down,' a source said. 'When they first got together, she was more focused on the timing of everything, when they'd have their first public date, their first public kiss, what their PR messaging would be. That's her style, she micromanages her image and always has. 'But at this point, she just wants to take the shackles off and let people judge them based on what comes naturally. You can see the change just based on what she wore to the game. 'In the past she felt like she had to dress like the perfect NFL girlfriend and to her that meant head to toe team gear. This time she wore what she felt sexy in, she didn't wear fan merch or team colors.' To date, the couple are still together. 10 DAVE GROHL'S SECRET BABY In September, Foo Fighters star Dave Grohl admitted to cheating on his wife Jordyn Blum and fathering a secret baby girl in statement shared with Instagram followers In September, Foo Fighters star Dave Grohl admitted to cheating on his wife Jordyn Blum and fathering a secret baby girl in statement shared with Instagram followers. It read: 'I've recently become the father of a new baby daughter, born outside of my marriage. I plan to be a loving and supportive parent to her. 'I love my wife and my children, and I am doing everything I can to regain their trust and earn their forgiveness. We're grateful for your consideration toward all the children involved, as we move forward together.' Grohl and Blum, 48, met in 2001 and have been married since 2003, sharing three daughters - Violet, Harper and Ophelia. She previously worked as a model and TV producer. The couple shares three daughters - Violet, Harper and Ophelia. They are seen in 2023 Grohl and Blum, 48, met in 2001 and have been married since 2003. They are seen in 2003 The rock star, who has often been described as a 'family man,' has spoken about the importance of his family in interviews throughout the years. In 2007, Grohl told The Guardian , '[My wife] Jordyn and [daughter] Violet are anchors that keep me from completely disappearing.' Speaking to TIME in 2012, he said his family 'changed everything that I do.' He added: 'It's changed everything that I do. When you have kids, you see life through different eyes. You feel love more deeply and are maybe a little more compassionate. It's inevitable that that would make its way into your songwriting.' Grohl divorced his first wife Jennifer Leigh Youngblood in 1997 after admitting to cheating. Diddy Share or comment on this article: The 10 biggest celebrity scandals of 2024: From the downfall of Diddy to Bennifer's break-up and the cult of Ozempic e-mail Add comment

Elon Musk uses X to push his preferred political picks. Trump isn't always swayed

Reflecting on 2024 in his annual end-of-year press conference, President Vladimir Putin described the year as a "landmark" in achieving the "goals" of Russia’s war against Ukraine. And at a Defense Ministry session this month, Putin said Russian forces had captured 189 settlements at the front and that the Armed Forces had grown to 1.5 million personnel, boasting that over 1,000 volunteers were signing military contracts every day. These figures appear to have done little to give Moscow a significant advantage over Kyiv in the third year of a war that it expected to win in a matter of days. While Moscow continues to occupy large swathes of Ukraine, it has not achieved significant gains this year. Kyiv, which has held parts of Russia's Kursk region since August, has also not advanced, leading analysts to debate whether the war had reached a stalemate. Yet Russian forces are now closing in on the city of Pokrovsk — which, if captured, could open a path to controlling all of the Donetsk region. Here is an overview of the year’s key developments on the battlefield: When Kyiv launched its incursion into Russia’s border region of Kursk in August, it became the most significant foreign attack on Russian territory since World War II. The offensive has seen Kyiv capture over two dozen settlements in Kursk, including the town of Sudzha, a key natural gas transit hub between Russia and Europe. Thousands have been evacuated from Kursk and remain displaced. Many others remain trapped in Kyiv-held territory. Analysts say that while the incursion is viewed as a significant military success for Ukraine — both on the ground and politically — the area remains a major challenge for Kyiv and Moscow. Moscow has deployed thousands of North Korean soldiers to the region to help claw back its lands, the U.S. Department of Defense said, with Kyiv reporting that it has encountered troops from the reclusive country in combat. As of November, Kyiv still controlled 800 square kilometers of Kursk, down from previous estimates that it controlled almost 1,400 square kilometers, a Ukrainian army source told AFP. Many believe that the region could be used as a bargaining chip in potential ceasefire talks between Moscow and Kyiv, and that the fighting in Kursk could intensify as Russia seeks a political win by regaining control of its territories. During his annual press conference this month, Putin promised to drive Ukrainian forces out of the Kursk region but did not specify a timeline. “In the coming months, we are likely to see Moscow try to push Ukraine back [from the Kursk region] as quickly as possible,” said Ivan Stupak, a military expert and ex-officer of Ukraine’s SBU Security Service. Yet experts say that significant changes may follow the January inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to “end the war” upon taking office — potentially paving the way for negotiations between Moscow, Kyiv and Washington. At his press conference, Putin said he was ready to speak to Trump “anytime.” Russia and Ukraine have been ratcheting up their deadly aerial offensives, unleashing increasingly advanced weaponry and spurring fears that the conflict could further escalate. U.S. President Joe Biden in November cleared Kyiv to use U.S.-made ATACMS long-range missiles against military targets inside Russia, a move that Moscow had long warned would provoke a devastating response. On Nov. 21, Russia launched the Oreshnik, an experimental, nuclear-capable ballistic missile, against Ukraine for the first time in what Putin called a response to Kyiv's use of ATACMS against targets on Russian soil. The launch came days after Putin signed a decree lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. Experts believe the new missile flies at 10 times the speed of sound and may be able to strike targets up to 5,500 kilometers away. Yet according to Stupak, the use of Oreshnik was more as “a PR show” than a genuine escalation of the war. At the same time, while Kyiv’s use of ATACMS has complicated Russia's logistics in frontline areas, their deployment has also had a modest impact on the overall course of hostilities. “From a military standpoint, it was clear that the use of a small number of missiles on key specific targets was not going to drastically change the situation on the frontlines,” Israeli military expert David Sharp told The Moscow Times. “While the use [of ATACMS] came with certain losses [for Moscow], it was more as a political message for Russia,” he said. Ukraine’s eastern regions remained the epicenter of heavy fighting, with Moscow advancing and pressing overstretched and outgunned Ukrainian forces for months. In October, the Russian army advanced 478 square kilometers into Ukrainian territory, a record since March 2022 in the first weeks of the war, according to an AFP analysis of data from the U.S. think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW). That’s more territory than Moscow gained in August and September 2024 (477 and 459 square kilometers respectively). The last time Russia made such advances was in March 2022, when they marched towards the capital Kyiv in the early stages of the war. As of mid-December, Russian forces were only several kilometers from Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, which they have been approaching from the south and east for months. Moscow's army was also gaining territory at the north of the front, having seized more than 40 square kilometers near the Kharkiv region city of Kupiansk last month. Captured by Russian troops in the early stages of the war, Kupiansk was then retaken by Ukraine in a September 2022 counteroffensive. According to Stupak, the Russian army's tactic is to encircle settlements from all sides instead of launching costly and time-consuming frontal assaults. “The tactic works, but the cost is another matter. Russia has suffered significant losses and appeared to show little concern for its troops. But Ukraine is also taking losses," Stupak said. Throughout 2023, Russian forces seized just 584 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, according to AFP analysis based on data released by the ISW. Yet since Jan. 1, 2024, they have already taken more than 2,660 square kilometers, an area slightly bigger than the size of Moscow. From the start of the war in February 2022 until Oct. 27, 2024, Russia had taken 67,192 square kilometers of Kyiv's land. Along with the annexed Crimean peninsula and the areas of eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed separatists before the Kremlin's February 2022 invasion, Russia currently controls 18.2% of Ukraine's 2013 territory. AFP contributed reporting.Capital Power Announces $350 Million Bought Offering of Common SharesSAN FRANCISCO—Google on Wednesday unleashed another wave of artificial intelligence designed to tackle more of the work and thinking done by humans as it tries to stay on the technology’s cutting edge while also trying to fend off regulatory threats to its empire. The next generation of Google’s AI is being packaged under the Gemini umbrella, which was unveiled a year ago. Google is framing its release of Gemini 2.0 as a springboard for AI agents built to interpret images shown through a smartphone, perform a variety of tedious chores, remember the conversations consumers have with people, help video game players plot strategy and even tackle the task of doing online searches. In a blog post, Google CEO Sundar Pichai predicted the technology contained in Gemini 2.0 will “understand more about the world around you, think multiple steps ahead and take action on your behalf, with your supervision.” It’s a similar goal being pursued by hard-charging rivals such as OpenAI, with its chatGPT technology, and industry powerhouse such as Microsoft with a variety of similar tools on its Windows software. A lot of Google’s latest AI technology will initially be confined to test groups and subscribers who pay $20 per month for Gemini Advanced, but some features will be made available through its search engine and mobile apps. Google is planning wider releases next year that will include the technology popping up in its smorgasbord of free products, including its Chrome browser, digital maps and YouTube. Besides trying to outshine OpenAI and other ambitious startups, Google is also trying to stay a step ahead of Apple as that trendsetting company begins to blend AI into its latest iPhones and other devices. After releasing a software update enabling the first bundle of the iPhone’s “Apple Intelligence” features that spruced up the device’s Siri assistant, another batch of the AI technology came out with a free software update that was also released on Wednesday. AP

Knox Prowash Offering Pressure Washing Services to Knoxville, TNNEW YORK — A judge on Tuesday cut loose Rudy Giuliani’s attorneys in his bankruptcy-related matter and denied efforts to push back his trial so he could participate in Donald Trump’s inauguration at a manic Manhattan federal court hearing that ended with an outburst from the former New York City mayor. The upcoming trial set for Jan. 16 relates to the action brought by Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, the mother and daughter election workers Giuliani owes nearly $150 million for falsely accusing them of rigging the last presidential election. It will concern his continued possession of his Palm Beach, Florida, condo, which he’s claimed is his homestead and cannot be taken away from him, and his Yankees World Series rings, which he claims he gifted his son, Andrew. He’s been forced to give up almost everything else he owns of value. After granting an application from his former attorneys Kenneth Caruso and David Labkowski to withdraw from the case, Judge Lewis Liman told Giuliani’s new legal representation, Joseph Cammarata, that his client could not fire his lawyer and “restart the clock” by hiring another, had sought multiple extensions, missed multiple deadlines, and had “not shown anything close to ‘due diligence’” concerning the deadlines for producing evidence. “My client regularly consults and deals directly with President-elect Trump on issues that are taking place as the incoming administration is afoot as well as [the] inauguration,” Cammarata unsuccessfully argued in a bid to delay the trial. “My client wants to exercise his political right to be there.” Later in the hearing, Liman expressed frustration that Giuliani had provided Freeman and Moss with his 1980 Mercedes-Benz once owned by Lauren Bacall but not the title certificate, prompting Giuliani to start yelling. “Your client is a competent person. He was the United States attorney for this district. The notion that he can’t apply for a title certificate for the car is ...” the judge said before Giuliani cut him off. “Every implication that you’ve made is against me!” Giuliani said, claiming he had applied for it. Responding to the judge’s skepticism that Giuliani is “indigent,” Giuliani said, “I’m not impoverished. Everything I have is tied up. I don’t have a car. I don’t have a credit card. I don’t have cash. I can’t get to bank accounts that truly would be mine because they have put ... stop orders on, for example, my Social Security account, which they have no right to do.” Liman then warned Giuliani, 80, and his lawyer about continued outbursts. “I permitted Mr. Giuliani to speak. Next time, he’s not going to be permitted to speak, and the court will have to take action,” the judge said. In a statement, Giuliani’s now-ex-lawyers said they had moved to step down from the case due to “a difference of opinion.” In court, his new lawyer claimed they’d abandoned him. “We took on the representation in New York to help Rudy. We have a difference of opinion as to how best to do that. Therefore, we have withdrawn in favor of Mr. Cammarata, who appears ready, willing and able to assist Rudy. We wish them every success,” Caruso and Labkowski said. Outside the courthouse, Giuliani decried the legal proceedings and hurled unfounded accusations at Hunter Biden, including that he possessed child pornography. He told the Daily News he did not wish to clarify remarks he made the week before last about not regretting his defamation of Freeman and Moss. “I do not regret it for a minute,” he said.ITV I'm A Celeb Coleen Rooney dealt blow as Maura Higgins' show 'fate sealed' after explicit remark