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WAYNE ROONEY and wife Coleen go head-to-head on TV tonight in a bid to conquer their jungles. While Coleen stars on ITV’s I’m a Celeb in the Aussie outback, 10,000 miles away Rooney can edge Plymouth away from the Championship drop zone by beating Watford live on Sky Sports. The legendary Manchester United striker , 39, is also facing a number of hazards himself as Pilgrims boss. Argyle are geographically an outpost, have one of the league’s smallest budgets and their main ambition this season is simply to survive. Yet Rooney is winning over hearts and minds in the city with his down-to-earth, man-of-the-people approach. Whether it is singing karaoke with fans , dining out in the city, or visiting boozers for a few pints, he has immersed himself in Devon life. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL A club source told SunSport: “Wayne has really bought into Plymouth. “He’s not come down to be a boss who hides away in his apartment — but wants to feel completely connected to the fans and everything going on.” Due to Plymouth’s remote location in the south-west of England, Rooney has introduced starting some away journeys two days before matches. He likes to stop off halfway to games on Thursday to train before continuing the journey on Friday ahead of a Saturday fixture. Most read in Football This has not led to a win on the road yet but Home Park is becoming a mini fortress with just one league defeat. The ex-England star still takes part in training himself — and has left players open-mouthed with his skills. Rooney often likes talking to his stars and staff about movies, holidays, family life, food and is always sharing little anecdotes away from the game. While we get to see Coleen up close in the jungle, Roo is now making a behind-the-scenes documentary about managing Plymouth. It has not yet been decided which platform it will be screened on. But the Argyle gaffer said: “It’s going to be great for the club. We have cameras everywhere from a club point of view anyway, so it’s not anything new. “They won’t be here every single day and minute. It will give good insight for the fans.” Rooney‘s ex- United team-mate and best pal Tom Cleverley — with whom he won the Premier League in 2013 — is Watford boss. He serves a touchline ban tonight but hit out at critics who reckon Rooney underachieved as gaffer at Derby, DC United and Birmingham. READ MORE SUN STORIES Cleverley, 35, said: “We’ll catch up before and after as friends. He was one of the best players I’ve seen and I’m happy to see us both trying to work our magic as coaches. “It’s harsh to say he underachieved.” HERE'S where you can watch the Rooneys tonight... WAYNE: Plymouth v Watford, 8pm, Sky Sports Football (also on talkSPORT 2) COLEEN: I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, 9pm, ITV1 and ITVXAP News Summary at 6:42 p.m. ESTMaryland scholars on Monday alternately described President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — , a Johns Hopkins researcher, surgeon and author — as a “courageous leader” and a “reasonable choice,” who nevertheless espouses some “worrisome” views. Makary, who did not respond to requests for comment, currently serves as head of Islet Transplant Surgery at Hopkins. He also works as a public policy researcher and is the author of two New York Times-bestselling books entitled “Unaccountable” and “The Price We Pay,” which cover topics related to transparency and high costs in American health care. He previously made headlines after opposing some pandemic lockdown measures and COVID-19 vaccine mandates. He also publicly criticized the FDA for what he saw as a slow rollout of coronavirus therapies, done to hamper Trump’s first presidency. His selection to run the FDA was announced over the weekend. Jerome Adams, the Maryland-born physician who during Trump’s first term, said in and emailed statement that while he had reservations about Makary’s “ability to oversee and navigate such a big agency given what seems like a lack of experience running large organizations,” overall, Makary “is a reasonable choice, and perhaps the least controversial of the new administration’s health picks so far. ” Baltimore-born pediatrician Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine advocate known for co-inventing a vaccine that immunizes against rotavirus infection, said Makary has been a “brilliant surgeon” at Hopkins and that he agreed with some of Makary’s opinions on where coronavirus response measures went wrong. But there have also been times when Makary has “said some things that are worrisome” about COVID-19 vaccines, said Offit, a professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who also directs the institution’s Vaccine Education Center. What bothers Offit “the most” about Trump’s pick to lead the FDA is Makary’s willingness to side with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the environmental lawyer turned anti-vaccine organizer who is Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Offit described Kennedy as a “wild-eyed conspiracy theorist.” Kennedy, who ran for president in 2024, has been highly critical of U.S. health officials for decades. In addition to railing against processed foods, fluoridated water and the pharmaceutical industry, Kennedy regularly pushes the debunked notion that vaccines cause autism. Kennedy endorsed Trump after dropping out of the race, and the two have collaborated on a campaign to “Make America Healthy Again,” or “MAHA.” Makary, a regular Fox News commentator, days before being selected by Trump and said Kennedy was not “scary” and that “people should not dissect what [Kennedy] said 30 years ago and listen to what he’s saying now,” telling Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream that Kennedy is “not anti-vax.” He Offit said Makary was “whitewashing” Kennedy’s statements about vaccines, noting Kennedy “remains a virulent anti-vaccine activist.” Ge Bai, a professor of accounting at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, contends Makary is a respected leader who can guide the FDA into a new, more productive direction. “Dr. Makary is an excellent choice to lead the FDA, an agency that will play a central role in the Trump administration’s MAHA movement,” said Bai, who is also a professor of health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Although health care was not a major focus during the presidential campaign, it’s likely to become a key issue in the midterm and 2028 elections.” “The FDA needs a highly competent, decisive, and courageous leader who can break away from conventional wisdom and deliver outcomes for Americans quickly and effectively,” Bai said. Bai said she is confident that Makary is the best choice to lead the FDA. “Dr. Makary has a stellar record as a surgeon, scholar, bestselling author, commentator, policy expert and public intellectual,” Bai said. “He has demonstrated his ability to think independently, challenge the status quo, and communicate effectively. These qualities make him an outstanding choice and increase the likelihood of his success as the FDA commissioner.” In a statement announcing the nomination, Trump said Makary “will restore the FDA to the gold standard of scientific research” and “cut the bureaucratic red tape” at the agency to ensure Americans receive the medical cures and treatments they deserve. Makary’s nomination will require confirmation by the newly Republican-led Senate to take effect. Brian Abrahams, senior analyst for biotechnology and head of global health care research for RBC Capital Markets, wrote in a recent report forwarded to The Baltimore Sun that Makary has positioned himself as a “critic viewing the nation’s healthcare system as broken, and based on his writings he is focused on uncovering additional flaws in the system or among medical conventions that need to be fixed or challenged.” Abrahams pointed out that Makary alleges that COVID-19 vaccines ignored the benefits of natural immunity. Makary also contends that health agencies should focus on the root cause of disease and on understanding why rates of diseases are increasing, rather than additional therapeutics, according to Abrahams. “We believe this is somewhat of a misleading distortion, as this is likely at least in part from improved screening for diseases such as cancer, mental health disorders, and genetic illnesses — innovative treatments for which have helped meaningfully increase the overall U.S. expectancy over the past 50 years,” Abrahams wrote in the report. Ultimately, the analysts at RBC said Makary would not necessarily be as focused on pharmaceutical innovation as the current leaders in the FDA; could be particularly unfavorable for antibiotic, vaccine, obesity and chronic disease companies; and might not be overly impactful for companies developing drugs for rare or genetic diseases, or agents that holistically improve health. “Though his nomination is not certain, we sense that if made FDA head, Dr. Makary could make the Agency more suspicious of, rather than collaborative with, drugmakers ... vs. the current FDA, which has leaned toward approving drugs that show activity with acceptable safety and leaving individualized benefit/risk discussions up to physicians and patients,” Abrahams wrote.
It struck me as I, like he, was doing a job in a room full of people who were grieving. They were there to mark an occasion, as we were there to provide a service. I’ll forever remember it as a moment I could understand what Salmond had spent his life doing. A job. His job. Playing his role in the grand scheme of Scotland’s history, trying to improve the country and lives of those who lived in it. No matter his politics, everyone in that room knew he had played his role well. The majority of the more than 500 people who sat in St Giles' Cathedral had met Salmond while he was playing his role and few understood the man who was a loved one, and a friend. READ MORE: RECAP: Alex Salmond's memorial service takes place in Edinburgh To hear his niece tell tales of him in his youth and jokes he told in his familial life was a rare and fascinating glimpse behind the public image. To see who attended and how they held themselves spoke volumes to the respect and care they felt for him and his family. To feel the emotion of the room ebb and flow as singers, poets, and politicians took to the podium illustrated just how vast, complex, and intricate Salmond’s legacy was. When the organist began to play, I and the rest of the press pool joined attendees to stand and sing. Beforehand, we were the first group who entered the cathedral, to get settled, briefed, and be there to witness everyone arriving. While we waited, several journalists reflected and shared their last interviews or phone calls with Salmond. As people arrived, some known to the public and others not, the cameras captured hugs and handshakes between friends, colleagues and political rivals. Others and I noted the sheer volume of tartan on show, and I then noticed several wearing white roses, including Fergus Ewing. The white rose of Scotland or the burnet rose is, next to the thistle, Scotland's most emblematic flower and may have been the source of the Jacobite white cockade. These elements paired with Dougie MacLean singing Caledonia, the Proclaimers singing Cap n Hand, Sheena Wellington signing A Man’s a Man for a’ That, all while Saltires hung on the pillars, you could truly not have had a more nationalist send off. I’m sure it would have given Salmond a chuckle that the likes of Gordon Brown and Lord George Foulkes had front row seats for it. Christina Hendry, Salmond’s niece was the first speech from the pulpit and albeit, with some neck craning around the pillars of the cathedral, I saw Hendry standing tall and speaking sure. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” someone later told me. I would be surprised if she doesn’t one day take a seat in Holyrood . Kenny MacAskill was up next, and he referenced Salmond’s last social media post – “Scotland is a country, not a county” – and he said: “Lambasting those demeaning our land and chastising those supinely allowing it to happen”. First Minister John Swinney, who the post was written about, was sat in the front row. He had already been called a “traitor”, and would later be booed outside by Yes activists. A cold reception to say the least. And one that did not fit with what Reverend Dr George J Whyte had urged in his opening prayer: “We will recall together, the vulnerable service given by those who choose to live in the public eye, setting out their ideas, making decisions on our behalf, seeking our vote. “May we be encouraged to appreciate that which is done for us in the governing of our nation.” When MacAskill finished, he was met with a rupture of applause. Later, those outside would congratulate him on how well spoken he had been. READ MORE: Dougie MacLean pays tribute to Alex Salmond with Caledonia performance When Duncan Hamilton took to the pulpit, he suggested the only thing Salmond would have changed in his pollical career was his resignation following the 2014 referendum. You could hear mumbles of agreement radiate throughout the crowd, as Hamilton added: “And I wonder how different Scotland would be today”. During the performance of Cap n Hand, one activist – “Annie fae Dundee”, she introduced herself as – took a Saltire out of her bag and waved it as she sang. She was quickly told to put it away. (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire) When we left the cathedral, attendees were smiling through tears at the crowd which greeted them outside. Supporters flew Saltires while MacAskill, Hendry, Joanna Cherry, and Alba figures came over to hand their memorial programs to members of the public. As Swinney and his wife Elizabeth Quigley got into the car, he was booed. This was possibly the saddest part of the day. Witnessing the hurt people feel, the division that continues to fracture the movement, and the barrier to keeping Salmond’s dream alive.Late goal from Toronto gives Boston Fleet first loss in first game
Incumbent centre-right in 'driving seat' in Irish vote’s were supposed to illuminate what a presidency free of guardrails would look like. Many of his picks have been surprising, . His initial announcements were giveaways to his base — Matt Gaetz, then Pam Bondi for AG; Tulsi Gabbard for ; RFK Jr . But , one familiar theme has emerged: the willingness of the incoming president to spurn committed right-wing ideologues . The first clue was his selection of Marco Rubio to lead the State Department. A relatively centrist Republican senator who is a supporter of military aid to Ukraine and Israel, Rubio’s pick was seen as a blow to the isolationist wing of the party, which Trump has long been seen as championing. The Florida senator is facing accusations of being a “neocon” from the likes of Alex Jones, Ron Paul, and even RFK Jr, who reports is lobbying Trump to select someone else for the job. Rubio is just one nominee. But several of Trump’s other -level picks are also rankling people who were hoping that a Trump victory would mean a return to power for a vision of the American right wing that never took into account the realities of MAGA-world and Trump himself. The Republican Party still struggles to wrestle with how Trump-style populism — sometimes isolationist, sometimes pro-labor, and infrequently consistent — fits in to the ’s overall ideology. And vice versa. Scott Bessent’s nomination for Treasury is another key example. His selection on Friday came despite public lobbying him specifically carried out by and murmurs about his connections to Democrat-supporting billionaire George Soros on the right. Other Republican figures have sounded off over his pick to run the Labor Department, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, over her support for the union-boosting Pro Act. But maybe Trump’s worst transgression against the far-right: his pick for Surgeon General. Yes: what is typically an apolitical appointment is now provoking rage among two key groups of voters who backed the incoming president in 2024, the anti-mask, anti-lockdown Covid-skeptic crowd (in all its various shades), and the anti-abortion evangelical and Catholic right. Many of the former crowd in particular gravitated towards Ron DeSantis in the 2024 GOP primary after he emerged as a vocal opponent of mask mandates and other public health guidelines while serving as Florida’s governor in 2020 and 2021. Dr Janette Nesheiwat’s nomination enrages both camps. A clip of Nesheiwat appearing on the Fox Business Network is spreading in right-wing circles; in the video, she expresses support for Facebook’s efforts to tamp down on vaccine and Covid conspiracies — a huge no-no for a segment of the population which adamantly refused to comply with mask mandates, social distancing requirements and protested the closure of schools when the virus was killing hundreds of thousands of Americans. Her serving as the announcement of her intended appointment was immediately besieged by Trump supporters demanding that she refuse the position. “Watch your step, Janette. We don’t trust you,” wrote host Sara Gonzales. If this feels familiar, it’s because Donald Trump has spent the past year making various decisions and statements which similarly enraged or otherwise spun up various groups of voters that make up the right flank of the GOP. That same willingness to disappoint hardline conservative Republicans — at least, the ones who pay attention to the day-to-day of the political news cycle — was evident throughout the 2024 campaign. The anti-abortion right frequently takes the brunt of it; Trump spurned them, and former rival DeSantis, when he refused to endorse Florida’s six-week abortion ban. His stance against legislation to ban abortion at the federal level angered that group, too. But the comparatively uncontroversial selections for Cabinet positions following a few initial outliers raises another question: is the president-elect attempting to build political capital with the Senate? And for what purpose? With the Trump administration reportedly plotting a massive day-one push on immigration, one that will likely rely on Congress in some form for changes to law and funding which can only be provided through the Legislative Branch, we may have that answer in the weeks ahead.Advertisement 2 This advertisement has not loaded yet. Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Advertisement 3 This advertisement has not loaded yet.
Friday night’s WWE SmackDown episode averaged 1.578 million viewers on the USA Network, up 27.9 percent from last week’s show that went against the Jake Paul/Mike Tyson boxing special on Netflix. It’s the highest audience total SmackDown has done since October 11 and the third-highest number the show has drawn since returning to USA Network in September. SmackDown topped all of television with a 0.46 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s up 43.8 percent from last week and is the second-highest rating the show has done in that category since the October 11 episode. The show went head-to-head with an NBA game on ESPN that finished third on TV with a 0.36 rating in the 18-49 demo and a college football game on Fox that did a 0.34 to finish fifth. As compared to the same week in 2023, when the show was moved to FS1 due to Fox airing college football, SmackDown’s overall viewership was up 100 percent while the 18-49 rating was up 91.7 percent. Listed below are the last 11 weeks of overall viewership totals and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, along with the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 5.6 percent in overall viewers and up 2.2 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages. Source
Harris has ‘no knowledge’ anyone tried to get RTE to take down viral clipInside Scottish Premiership club’s new £80m stadium plans hit by major setbacks
UPSRTC to install AI-based cameras in buses for passenger countWill Trump’s proposed tariffs cause gas prices to go up in California? What experts say
'I'm looking to my own conscience': Three MPs on what they think of assisted dying bill
'I'm looking to my own conscience': Three MPs on what they think of assisted dying billThe changes announced by the world's biggest retailer followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The risk associated with some of programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump's incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches -- the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President -- are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the November survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associated at Pew called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI," Glasgow said. "The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Last fiscal year, Walmart said it spent more than $13 billion on minority, women or veteran-owned good and service suppliers. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America's top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart's announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart's need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company no longer has explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer's ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart." Walmart's announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.
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