49-jili

49-jili We have a tendency to exalt ourselves and to dwell on the weaknesses and mistakes of others. I have come to realize that in every person there is something fine and pure and noble, along with a desire for self-fulfillment. Political and religious leaders must attempt to provide a society within which these human attributes can be nurtured and enhanced. — from 1975 book “Why Not the Best?” Our government can express the highest common ideals of human beings — if we demand of government true standards of excellence. At this Bicentennial time of introspection and concern, we must demand such standards. — “Why Not the Best?” I am a Southerner and an American, I am a farmer, an engineer, a father and husband, a Christian, a politician and former governor, a planner, a businessman, a nuclear physicist, a naval officer, a canoeist, and among other things a lover of Bob Dylan’s songs and Dylan Thomas’s poetry. — “Why Not the Best?” Christ said, “I tell you that anyone who looks on a woman with lust has in his heart already committed adultery.” I’ve looked on a lot of women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times. This is something that God recognizes I will do — and I have done it — and God forgives me for it. But that doesn’t mean that I condemn someone who not only looks on a woman with lust but who leaves his wife and shacks up with somebody out of wedlock. — Interview, November 1976 Playboy. This inauguration ceremony marks a new beginning, a new dedication within our Government, and a new spirit among us all. A President may sense and proclaim that new spirit, but only a people can provide it. — Inaugural address, January 1977. It’s clear that the true problems of our nation are much deeper — deeper than gasoline lines or energy shortages, deeper even than inflation and recession. ... All the legislation in the world can’t fix what’s wrong with America. ... It is a crisis of confidence. — So-called “malaise” speech, July 1979. But we know that democracy is always an unfinished creation. Each generation must renew its foundations. Each generation must rediscover the meaning of this hallowed vision in the light of its own modern challenges. For this generation, ours, life is nuclear survival; liberty is human rights; the pursuit of happiness is a planet whose resources are devoted to the physical and spiritual nourishment of its inhabitants. — Farewell Address, January 1981. We appreciate the past. We are grateful for the present and we’re looking forward to the future with great anticipation and commitment. — October 1986, at the dedication of the Carter Presidential Library and Museum. War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn to live together in peace by killing each other’s children. — December 2002, Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. Fundamentalists have become increasingly influential in both religion and government, and have managed to change the nuances and subtleties of historic debate into black-and-white rigidities and the personal derogation of those who dare to disagree. ... The influence of these various trends poses a threat to many of our nation’s historic customs and moral commitments, both in government and in houses of worship. — From 2005 book “Our Endangered Values.” I think that this breakthrough by Barack Obama has been remarkable. When he made his speech (on race) a few months ago in Philadelphia, I wept. I sat in front of the television and cried, because I saw that as the most enlightening and transforming analysis of racism and a potential end of it that I ever saw in my life. — August 2008, commenting on then-Sen. Barack Obama’s candidacy. I think it’s based on racism. There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president. ... No matter who he is or how much we disagree with his policies, the president should be treated with respect. — September 2009, reacting to Rep. Joe Wilson’s shout of “You lie!” during a speech to Congress by President Barack Obama. I’m still determined to outlive the last guinea worm. — 2010, on The Carter Center’s work to eradicate guinea worm disease. You know how much I raised to run against Gerald Ford? Zero. You know how much I raised to run against Ronald Reagan? Zero. You know how much will be raised this year by all presidential, Senate and House campaigns? $6 billion. That’s 6,000 millions. — September 2012, reacting to the 2010 “Citizens United” U.S. Supreme Court decision permitting unlimited third-party political spending. I have become convinced that the most serious and unaddressed worldwide challenge is the deprivation and abuse of women and girls, largely caused by a false interpretation of carefully selected religious texts and a growing tolerance of violence and warfare, unfortunately following the example set during my lifetime by the United States. — From 2014 book “A Call to Action.” I don’t think there’s any doubt now that the NSA or other agencies monitor or record almost every telephone call made in the United States, including cellphones, and I presume email as well. We’ve gone a long way down the road of violating Americans’ basic civil rights, as far as privacy is concerned. — March 2014, commenting on U.S. intelligence monitoring after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks We accept self-congratulations about the wonderful 50th anniversary - which is wonderful - but we feel like Lyndon Johnson did it and we don’t have to do anything anymore. — April 2014, commenting on racial inequality during a celebration of the Civil Rights Act’s 40th anniversary. I had a very challenging question at Emory (University) the other night: “How would you describe the United States of America today in one word?” And I didn’t know what to say for a few moments, but I finally said, “Searching.” I think the country in which we live is still searching for what it ought to be, and what it can be, and I’m not sure we’re making much progress right at this moment. — October 2014 during a celebration of his 90th birthday. The life we have now is the best of all. We have an expanding and harmonious family, a rich life in our church and the Plains community, and a diversity of projects at The Carter Center that is adventurous and exciting. Rosalynn and I have visited more than 145 countries, and both of us are as active as we have ever been. We are blessed with good health and look to the future with eagerness and confidence, but are prepared for inevitable adversity when it comes. — From 2015 book, “A Full Life.”

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NoneTwo men died in Skamania County, Washington, while searching for Sasquatch, according to the county's sheriff's office. "After a grueling, three-day search over difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions, the 59-year-old male and 37-year-old-male, both from Portland, Oregon, who were reported missing/endangered were located, deceased, in a heavily wooded area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest," the Skamania County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) wrote in a Saturday post on Facebook . The SCSO added: "Both deaths appear to be due to exposure, based on weather conditions and ill-preparedness." Newsweek has emailed the SCSO for additional comments on Sunday morning. Why It Matters The legend of Bigfoot, the so-called "hairy giant" that stands "seven to nine feet tall and weighs between 600 and 900 pounds," according to the Unnatural Museum of History, has been around since reported North American sightings in the 1800s. Originally reported mostly in the Pacific Northwest and Canada, sightings of Bigfoot, also known by the Indian term "Sasquatch" since Native American cultures include legends of an ape-like creature that traversed forests, have in fact occurred throughout America, including in the East. Such reported sightings, which continue today, have helped keep the legend of Bigfoot alive and well. Alleged Bigfoot sightings and stories of a large, ape-like creature aren't rare, although proof to back up the claims is usually nonexistent or limited at best. The Legend of Bigfoot Bigfoot is the North American version of the "large hairy beast" cryptid that is present in many countries around the world. In the Himalayas there is the legend of the Yeti, in Brazil, the Mapinguari, and in the East-central Kenyan forests, the Chemosit. In order for the Bigfoot species to have lasted this long, there would have to have been several specimens in order for breeding to occur, and for inbreeding and low genetic diversity to be avoided. However, a higher number of Bigfoot specimens in existence would therefore increase the chances of one being found dead or killed by a motorist—something that has not yet happened. No fossil evidence of other hominids except humans existing in North America has ever been found. In 2013, one Utah resident found what he said was a fossilized Bigfoot skull but turned out to merely be a weathered rock when analyzed by a paleontologist. What To Know In the early hours of Christmas Day, around 1 a.m., the Skamania County Communications Center received a report of two missing individuals who had been searching for Sasquatch and were expected to return home on Christmas Eve. Concerned family members reported the pair missing and endangered when they failed to return, according to the SCSO in its Facebook post. The sheriff's office accessed footage from a recently installed Flock camera, which located the vehicle associated with the missing individuals. This crucial information allowed a Search and Rescue Coordinator to find the vehicle near Willard, Washington. Over the course of three days, the SCSO coordinated a search operation involving over 60 volunteer search and rescue personnel, including canine units, drone teams and ground searchers. They were joined by an air asset from the U.S. Coast Guard in Astoria, Oregon, equipped with infrared technology to aid in the search. "We would like to recognize the exceptional volunteers who sacrificed time away from their families during Christmas to assist our agency with this mission. These phenomenal volunteers also fought through freezing temperatures, snow, high water levels, heavy rain, downfall, and heavily wooded terrain," the sheriff's office wrote. "The Skamania County Sheriff's Office extends our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the loved ones lost in this tragic incident." What Happens Next The names of the men have not yet been released.Arkansas receiver Andrew Armstrong said Tuesday that he is entering the NFL Draft. Later in the day, a school spokesman told reporters that Armstrong will skip the Razorbacks' bowl game. The destination isn't yet known. Armstrong led the Southeastern Conference in both receptions (78) and receiving yards (1,140) but caught just one touchdown in 11 games this season. His catches and yardage were both second-most in Arkansas history behind Cobi Hamilton, who had 90 receptions for 1,335 yards in 2012. "It's been a journey for the books and I wouldn't trade it for anything because it has made me into the man I am today," Armstrong said of his Razorbacks tenure in a social media post. "... I will never forget all the moments that were shared here in Fayetteville." Armstrong played two seasons at Texas A&M-Commerce before transferring to Arkansas ahead of the 2023 season. In two seasons with the Razorbacks, he caught 134 passes for 1,904 yards and six scores. --Field Level MediaFormer Rector of Koforidua Technical University (KTU), Dr George Afrani, has urged graduates to embrace opportunities in digitisation, software development, and artificial intelligence (AI) to thrive as entrepreneurs. Addressing the 21st Congregation of KTU in Koforidua yesterday, he emphasised that these fields, central to the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution, hold immense potential for young innovators. Speaking under the theme “The Future of Science and Technology Education: The Role of Stakeholders”, Dr Afrani highlighted that AI, though in its nascent stage, offers vast opportunities for graduates to leverage their technical skills to create innovative solutions. He encouraged them to harness these tools, not only to establish their businesses but also to create employment opportunities for others. A total of 1,332 graduates received Higher National Diplomas, while 797 earned Bachelor of Technology degrees in various disciplines during the ceremony. Dr. Afrani advised the graduates to adopt a proactive entrepreneurial mindset, starting small through digitization and social media. He cited inspirational examples such as Osei Kwame Despite, a celebrated Ghanaian entrepreneur, and Esther Ocloo, founder of Nkulenu Industries, to illustrate how discipline and hard work combined with technical expertise could lead to success. He further emphasized that entrepreneurship could be a powerful solution to Ghana’s unemployment challenges, urging the youth to commit to self-employment and innovation. In his address, the Vice Chancellor of KTU, Professor John Owusu, commended the graduates and encouraged them to diligently apply the skills and knowledge gained to excel in life. He announced significant advancements made by the university to enhance its Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) infrastructure. “We have procured 100 computers to refurbish our computer laboratories and offices, which will help improve ICT service delivery within the university community,” Professor Owusu stated. Additionally, he revealed that the university had received GHC950,000 from the government for the academic year. “These funds are being directed toward academic facilities, infrastructure, faculty development, and research,” he said. Further, the institution received a pickup vehicle and advanced engineering equipment through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, respectively, he said. Despite these developments, Professor Owusu outlined several pressing challenges the university faced, including limited on-campus accommodation for staff, insufficient library and laboratory facilities, and inadequate workshop spaces. He appealed to the government for support in addressing these critical needs to enhance KTU’s ability to attract and retain qualified personnel. FROM AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN, KOFORIDUA

21.0 EH/s and 967 MW 1,2 under management in mining with path to ~35 EH/s MIAMI, Dec. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hut 8 Corp. (Nasdaq | TSX: HUT) (“Hut 8” or the “Company”), a leading, vertically integrated operator of large-scale energy infrastructure and one of North America’s largest Bitcoin miners, today released its operations update for November 2024. “We achieved net increases in deployed self-mining hashrate and efficiency in November by bringing inefficient miners offline in preparation for our initial fleet upgrade and completing the development of our R&D facility at Salt Creek,” said Asher Genoot, CEO of Hut 8. “These measures partially offset the impact of rising network difficulty on Bitcoin production, and we expect further performance gains in Q1 2025 as our initial fleet upgrade is expected to drive an improvement in average fleet efficiency to 19.9 joules per terahash.” “We remain intently focused on growing our proprietary operations and have advanced the buildout of our Vega site on schedule for energization in Q2 2025. Accounting for our fleet upgrade and assuming we fully exercise our purchase option for the miners we expect to host at the Vega site, we have a path to approximately 24 exahash per second of self-mining hashrate with an average fleet efficiency of 15.7 joules per terahash as early as Q2 2025. In parallel, we continue to progress AI data center development opportunities across our development pipeline.” Highlights Construction at Vega advancing on track for energization in Q2 2025 (image to left) Completed development of R&D facility at Salt Creek to support the Company’s ongoing focus on innovation in data center design and technology Progressed AI data center development opportunities across development pipeline Operating Metrics Energy Infrastructure Platform 3 Upcoming Conferences & Events: December 11–12, 2024: Informa Tech: The AI Summit New York, New York City December 12, 2024: Northland Capital Markets Growth Conference, Virtual January 9–17, 2025: 27th Annual Needham Growth Conference, New York City January 19–22, 2025: Pacific Telecommunications Council PTC’25, Honolulu Notes : About Hut 8 Hut 8 Corp. is an energy infrastructure operator and Bitcoin miner with self-mining, hosting, managed services, and traditional data center operations across North America. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Hut 8 Corp. has a portfolio comprising twenty sites: ten Bitcoin mining, hosting, and Managed Services sites in Alberta, New York, and Texas, five high performance computing data centers in British Columbia and Ontario, four power generation assets in Ontario, and one non-operational site in Alberta. For more information, visit www.hut8.com and follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @Hut8Corp. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward–Looking Information This press release includes “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and United States securities laws, respectively (collectively, “forward-looking information”). All information, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that Hut 8 expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including such things as future business strategy, competitive strengths, goals, expansion and growth of the business, operations, plans and other such matters is forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words “may”, “would”, “could”, “should”, “will”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “allow”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “predict”, “can”, “might”, “potential”, “predict”, “is designed to”, “likely” or similar expressions. Specifically, such forward-looking information included in this press release includes statements relating to the Company’s planned initial fleet upgrade and the expected resulting performance gains, including expected improvement in average fleet efficiency, its focus on growing its proprietary operations, its buildout and energization of the Vega site, including the expected timing and resulting performance gains, its continuing progress with respect to AI data center development opportunities across its development pipeline and the impact of Ionic’s termination of the managed services agreement. Statements containing forward-looking information are not historical facts, but instead represent management's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events based on certain material factors and assumptions at the time the statement was made. While considered reasonable by Hut 8 as of the date of this press release, such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to, security and cybersecurity threats and hacks; malicious actors or botnet obtaining control of processing power on the Bitcoin network; further development and acceptance of the Bitcoin network; changes to Bitcoin mining difficulty; loss or destruction of private keys; increases in fees for recording transactions in the Blockchain; erroneous transactions; reliance on a limited number of key employees; reliance on third party mining pool service providers; regulatory changes; classification and tax changes; momentum pricing risk; fraud and failure related to digital asset exchanges; difficulty in obtaining banking services and financing; difficulty in obtaining insurance, permits and licenses; internet and power disruptions; geopolitical events; uncertainty in the development of cryptographic and algorithmic protocols; uncertainty about the acceptance or widespread use of digital assets; failure to anticipate technology innovations; the COVID19 pandemic, climate change; currency risk; lending risk and recovery of potential losses; litigation risk; business integration risk; changes in market demand; changes in network and infrastructure; system interruption; changes in leasing arrangements; failure to achieve intended benefits of power purchase agreements; potential for interrupted delivery, or suspension of the delivery, of energy to mining sites and other risks related to the digital asset mining and data center business. For a complete list of the factors that could affect Hut 8, please see the “Risk Factors” section of Hut 8’s Transition Report on Form 10-K, available under the Company’s EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov , and Hut 8’s other continuous disclosure documents which are available under the Company’s SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca and EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov . Hut 8 Corp. Investor Relations Sue Ennis ir@hut8.com Hut 8 Corp. Media Relations media@hut8.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c9236ca1-6918-4b97-b9aa-530c73b90a67The move spares the lives of people convicted in killings , including the slayings of police and military officers, people on federal land and those involved in deadly bank robberies or drug deals, as well as the killings of guards or prisoners in federal facilities. The decision leaves three federal inmates to face execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. “I’ve dedicated my career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system,” Biden said in a statement . “Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole. These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.” Reaction was strong, both for and against. A Trump spokesperson called the decision “abhorrent.” “These are among the worst killers in the world and this abhorrent decision by Joe Biden is a slap in the face to the victims, their families, and their loved ones." said Trump spokesman Steven Cheung. "President Trump stands for the rule of law, which will return when he is back in the White House after he was elected with a massive mandate from the American people.” Heather Turner, whose mother was killed during the 2017 robbery of a Conway, South Carolina, bank, blasted the decision in a social media post, saying Biden didn't consider the victims of these crimes. “The pain and trauma we have endured over the last 7 years has been indescribable,” Turner wrote on Facebook, describing weeks spent in court in search of justice as “now just a waste of time.” “Our judicial system is broken. Our government is a joke,” she said. "Joe Biden’s decision is a clear gross abuse of power. He, and his supporters, have blood on their hands.” Some of Roof's victims supported Biden's decision to leave him on death row. Michael Graham, whose sister Cynthia Hurd was killed by Roof, said Roof's lack of remorse and simmering white nationalism in the U.S. means Roof is the kind of dangerous and evil person the death penalty is intended for. “This was a crime against a race of people who were doing something all Americans do on a Wednesday night — go to Bible study,” Graham said. “It didn’t matter who was there, only that they were Black.” The Biden administration in 2021 announced a moratorium on federal capital punishment to study the protocols used, which suspended executions during Biden's term. But Biden actually had promised to go further on the issue in the past, pledging to end federal executions without the caveats for terrorism and hate-motivated, mass killings. While running for president in 2020, Biden's campaign website said he would “work to pass legislation to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level , and incentivize states to follow the federal government’s example.” Similar language didn't appear on Biden's reelection website before he left the presidential race in July. “Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,” Biden's statement said. “But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, vice president, and now president, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.” He took a political jab at Trump, saying, “In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.” Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has spoken frequently of expanding executions. In a speech announcing his 2024 campaign , Trump called for those “caught selling drugs to receive the death penalty for their heinous acts.” He later promised to execute drug and human smugglers and even praised China's harsher treatment of drug peddlers. During his first term as president, Trump also advocated for the death penalty for drug dealers . There were 13 federal executions during Trump's first term, more than under any president in modern history, and some may have happened fast enough to have contributed to the spread of the coronavirus at the federal death row facility in Indiana. Those were the first federal executions since 2003. The final three occurred after Election Day in November 2020 but before Trump left office the following January, the first time federal prisoners were put to death by a lame-duck president since Grover Cleveland in 1889. Biden faced recent pressure from advocacy groups urging him to act to make it more difficult for Trump to increase the use of capital punishment for federal inmates. The president's announcement also comes less than two weeks after he commuted the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic, and of 39 others convicted of nonviolent crimes, the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. The announcement also followed the post-election pardon that Biden granted his son Hunter on federal gun and tax charges after long saying he would not issue one, sparking an uproar in Washington. The pardon also raised questions about whether he would issue sweeping preemptive pardons for administration officials and other allies who the White House worries could be unjustly targeted by Trump’s second administration. Speculation that Biden could commute federal death sentences intensified last week after the White House announced he plans to visit Italy on the final foreign trip of his presidency next month. Biden, a practicing Catholic, will meet with Pope Francis, who recently called for prayers for U.S. death row inmates in hopes their sentences will be commuted. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has long called for an end to the death penalty, said Biden's decision is a “significant step in advancing the cause of human dignity in our nation” and moves the country “a step closer to building a culture of life.” Martin Luther King III, who publicly urged Biden to change the death sentences, said in a statement shared by the White House that the president "has done what no president before him was willing to do: take meaningful and lasting action not just to acknowledge the death penalty’s racist roots but also to remedy its persistent unfairness.” Madeline Cohen, an attorney for Norris Holder, who faced death for the 1997 fatal shooting of a guard during a bank robbery in St. Louis, said his case “exemplifies the racial bias and arbitrariness that led the President to commute federal death sentences,” Cohen said. Holder, who is Black, was sentenced by an all-white jury.

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WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee on Monday accused Matt Gaetz of “regularly” paying for sex, including once with a 17-year-old girl, and purchasing and using illicit drugs as a member of Congress, as lawmakers released the conclusions of a nearly four-year investigation that helped sink his nomination for attorney general. The 37-page report by the bipartisan panel includes explicit details of sex-filled parties and vacations that Gaetz, now 42, took part in from 2017 to 2020 while the Republican represented Florida’s western Panhandle. Congressional investigators concluded that Gaetz violated state laws related to sexual misconduct while in office, though not federal sex trafficking laws. They also found that Gaetz “knowingly and willfully sought to impede and obstruct” the committee’s work. “The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” the report said. Before the report came out, Gaetz denied wrongdoing and criticized the committee’s process. “Giving funds to someone you are dating — that they didn’t ask for — and that isn’t ‘charged’ for sex is now prostitution?!?” he posted on social media. Gaetz, who was first elected in 2017, spent the majority of his time in Washington enmeshed in scandals that ultimately derailed his selection by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Justice Department. Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress last month. The committee painted a damning portrait of Gaetz’s conduct, using dozens of pages of exhibits, including text messages, financial records, travel receipts, checks and online payments, to document a party and drug- fueled lifestyle. The committee said it compiled the evidence after issuing 29 subpoenas for documents and testimony and contacting more than two dozen witnesses. Regarding the 17-year-old girl, the report said there was no evidence Gaetz knew she was a minor when he had sex with her. The woman told the committee she did not tell Gaetz she was under 18 at the time and that he learned she was a minor more than a month after the party. But Gaetz stayed in touch with her after that and met up with her for “commercial sex” again less than six months after she turned 18, according to the committee. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Louisiana’s GOP-dominated legislature passed tax cuts on personal and corporate income on Friday in exchange for a statewide sales tax increase, a mixed bag of success for Gov. Jeff Landry, whose original tax revision plans faced mounting resistance from lawmakers and lobbyists amid hard fiscal realities . The final passage of the bulk of Landry's proposed measures winds down a special legislative session called Nov. 6 by the governor and his allies. They said their purpose was to make the state’s tax code more business friendly, bring jobs and reverse trends of outward migration from the state. It was the third special legislative session called by Landry, a Republican, since he assumed office in January. The package of legislation includes a permanent $2,000 raise for teachers and doubles standard deductions for residents aged 65 and older. It raises the state sales tax to 5%, while granting Landry’s wish for lower personal and corporate income tax rates. It repeals the 0.275% corporate franchise tax, a levy on businesses operating on the state worth more than $500 million in annual revenue. The state's new corporate income tax rate will be a flat 5.5%, reducing the highest tier from 7.5%. Landry had wanted a 3.5% flat rate. Lawmakers approved a flat 3% individual income tax rate and nearly tripled the standard deduction for individuals. Previously, the personal income tax rate had stood at 4.25% for individuals earning $50,000 or more. “What I’m very confident in is that everyone’s going to have more money in their pocket at the end of the day with the personal income tax reductions,” said Republican Rep. Julie Emerson, who spearheaded legislation to flatten the income tax rate. With the personal income tax reductions reducing annual revenue by $1.3 billion, Landry’s original plan had called for applying sales taxes to dozens of services like car-washing, dog-grooming and lobbying. He also sought to eliminate large tax incentives for the restoration of historic buildings and the film industry. Those proposals were defeated, leading to a bigger sales tax hike than Landry initially proposed. Louisiana already had the highest combined state and average local sales tax in the country at 9.56%, according to the Tax Foundation, a think tank favored by conservatives. ___ Associated Press writer Kevin McGill contributed to this report. ___ _____ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96Ameriprise Financial Inc. stock outperforms competitors on strong trading day

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