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A proposal to honor vice president-elect J.D. Vance at a city council meeting in tiny Middleton, Ohio, was disrupted when a dispute broke out this week after his mother made a plea to the city fathers to acknowledge his part in Donald Trump's 2024 election win. According to a report from WCOP, a local ABNC affiliate, Beverly Aikins, Vance’s mother, spoke to the city council on Thursday to request that her son get some type of honor for becoming vice president. The report notes she explained, "I am just here because I am JD Vance’s mother and as you know he is our new vice president-elect and he thinks of Middletown as his home. I still live here and his sister still lives in Middletown. He’s got two nieces who live here and I just think it would be nice if we could acknowledge that this is his hometown and put up some signs." ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Senate Dems consider whether Biden should ‘clear the slate’ and pardon Trump She then added, "He graduated from Middletown High School, he comes back here frequently to visit me and take me to dinner, and I humbly request that.” That, in turn, led to a debate, where, reportedly, her plea was not greeted with unanimous enthusiasm. As Lauren Pack of the Journal-News reported, "Councilman Paul Lolli said there are two issues concerning the JD Vance recognition — what wasn’t done by the city after the election through social media and what is going to be done going forward." Lolli proposed, "To me, our communication department should have done this weeks ago. I would like to ask the communications department to get something out by the end of the week. That is what a lot of people in Middletown are extremely upset about." That received pushback from Councilwoman Jennifer Carter who claimed, “I would think that we would wait and see what happens. (Kayla Harrison, Kyle Schwarber, etc.) proved themselves before we put those signs up.” After Lolli replied, "JD won,” Carter parried, "Let’s see what he does ... what’s the rush.” “What we are saying is the fact that the city won’t even recognize that a Middletonian has been elected as vice president that is a problem. I would say the same thing if it were an independent or a Democrat. We should be proud," Councilman Steve West II, offered to which Mayor Elizabeth Slamka added, “It is fair to recognize. That is in the works. I am not a political person. It can be very polarizing. But I think we can recognize.” You can read more here.Iowa moves on without injured quarterback Brendan Sullivan when the Hawkeyes visit Maryland for a Big Ten Conference contest on Saturday afternoon. Former starter Cade McNamara is not ready to return from a concussion, so Iowa (6-4, 4-3) turns to former walk-on and fourth-stringer Jackson Stratton to lead the offense in College Park, Md. "Confident that he'll do a great job," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said of Stratton on his weekly radio show. "He stepped in, did a really nice job in our last ballgame. And he's got a good ability to throw the football, and he's learning every day. ... We'll go with him and see what we can do." Iowa had been on an upswing with Sullivan, who had sparked the Hawkeyes to convincing wins over Northwestern and Wisconsin before suffering an ankle injury in a 20-17 loss at UCLA on Nov. 8. Stratton came on in relief against the Bruins and completed 3 of 6 passes for 28 yards. Another storyline for Saturday is that Ferentz will be opposing his son, Brian Ferentz, an assistant at Maryland. Brian Ferentz was Iowa's offensive coordinator from 2017-23. "We've all got business to take care of on Saturday," Kirk Ferentz said. "I think his experience has been good and everything I know about it. As a parent, I'm glad he's with good people." Maryland (4-6, 1-6) needs a win to keep its hopes alive for a fourth straight bowl appearance under Mike Locksley. The Terrapins have dropped five of their last six games, all by at least 14 points, including a 31-17 loss at home to Rutgers last weekend. "It's been a challenging last few weeks to say the least," Locksley said. The challenge this week will be to stop Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, who leads the Big Ten in rushing yards (1,328) and touchdowns (20), averaging 7.1 yards per carry. "With running backs, it's not always about speed. It's about power, vision and the ability to make something out of nothing," Locksley said. "This guy is a load and runs behind his pads." Maryland answers with quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who leads the Big Ten in passing yards per game (285.5) and completions (268). His top target is Tai Felton, who leads the conference in catches (86) and receiving yards (1,040). --Field Level MediaNone

Families search Sednaya prison for loved onesNEW YORK — The masked gunman who stalked and killed the leader of one of the largest U.S. health insurance companies outside a Manhattan hotel used ammunition emblazoned with the words "deny," "defend" and "depose," two law enforcement officials said Thursday. The words were written in permanent marker, according to one of the officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. With the gunman still at large, police also released photos of a person they said was wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting. UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, died in a dawn ambush Wednesday as he walked to the company's annual investor conference at a Hilton hotel in Midtown. The reason behind the killing remained unknown, but investigators believe it was a targeted attack. This image shows a man wanted for questioning in connection to the investigation of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel. The message left on the ammunition echoes the phrase "delay, deny, defend," which is commonly used by attorneys and insurance industry critics to describe tactics used to avoid paying claims. It refers to insurers delaying payment, denying a claim and then defending their actions. Health insurers like UnitedHealthcare have become frequent targets of criticism from doctors and patients for complicating access to care. Investigators recovered several 9 mm shell casings from outside the hotel and a cellphone from the alleyway through which the shooter fled. Inside a nearby trash can, they found a water bottle and protein bar wrapper that they say the gunman purchased from a nearby Starbucks minutes before the shooting. The city's medical examiner was looking for fingerprints. The killing and the shooter's movements in the minutes before and after were captured on some of the multitudes of security cameras present in that part of the city. The shooter fled on a bike and was last seen riding into Central Park. Bullets lie on the sidewalk Wednesday outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan where Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in New York. The hunt for the shooter brought New York City police to at least two hostels on Manhattan's Upper West Side on Thursday morning, based on a tip that the suspected shooter might have stayed at one of the residences, according to one of the law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation. The photos police released Thursday of a man wanted for questioning were taken in the lobby of the HI New York City hostel. "We are fully cooperating with the NYPD and, as this is an active investigation, can not comment at this time," said Danielle Brumfitt, a spokesperson for the hostel. Police received a flood of tips from members of the public, many of them unfounded. On Wednesday evening, police searched a Long Island Rail Road train after a commuter claimed to have spotted the shooter, but found no sign of the gunman. "We're following up on every single tip that comes in," said Carlos Nieves, a police spokesperson. "That little piece of information could be the missing piece of the puzzle that ties everything together." Investigators believe, judging from surveillance video and evidence collected from the scene, that the shooter had at least some prior firearms training and experience with guns and the weapon was equipped with a silencer, said one of the law enforcement officials who spoke with the AP. This still image from surveillance video shows the suspect, left, sought in the the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, center, Wednesday outside a Manhattan hotel. Security camera video showed the killer approach Thompson from behind, level his pistol and fire several shots, barely pausing to clear a gun jam while the health executive tumbled to the pavement. Cameras showed him fleeing the block across a pedestrian plaza before getting on the bicycle. Police issued several surveillance images of the man wearing a hooded jacket and a mask that concealed most of his face, which wouldn't have attracted attention on a frigid day. Authorities also used drones, helicopters and dogs in an intensive search, but the killer's whereabouts remained unknown. Thompson, a father of two sons who lived in suburban Minneapolis, was with UnitedHealthcare since 2004 and served as CEO for more than three years. The insurer's Minnetonka, Minnesota-based parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., was holding its annual meeting with investors in New York to update Wall Street on the company's direction and expectations for the coming year. The company ended the conference early in the wake of Thompson's death. UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the U.S. and manages health insurance coverage for employers and state and federally funded Medicaid programs. In the U.S. healthcare system, even the simplest act, like booking an appointment with your primary care physician, may feel intimidating. As you wade through intake forms and insurance statements, and research out-of-network coverage , you might wonder, "When did U.S. health care get so confusing?" Short answer? It's complicated. The history of modern U.S. health care spans nearly a century, with social movements, legislation, and politics driving change. Take a trip back in time as Thatch highlights some of the most impactful legislation and policies that gave us the existing healthcare system, particularly how and when things got complicated. In the beginning, a common perception of American doctors was that they were kindly old men stepping right out of a Saturday Evening Post cover illustration to make house calls. If their patients couldn't afford their fee, they'd accept payment in chicken or goats. Health care was relatively affordable and accessible. Then it all fell apart during the Great Depression of the 1930s. That's when hospital administrators started looking for ways to guarantee payment. According to the American College of Healthcare Executives, this is when the earliest form of health insurance was born. Interestingly, doctors would have none of it at first. The earliest health plans covered hospitalization only. A new set of challenges from the Second World War required a new set of responses. During the Depression, there were far too many people and too few jobs. The war economy had the opposite effect. Suddenly, all able-bodied men were in the military, but somebody still had to build the weapons and provision the troops. Even with women entering the workforce in unprecedented numbers, there was simply too much to get done. The competition for skilled labor was brutal. A wage freeze starting in 1942 forced employers to find other means of recruiting and retaining workers. Building on the recently mandated workers' compensation plans, employers or their union counterparts started offering insurance to cover hospital and doctor visits. Of course, the wage freeze ended soon after the war. However, the tax code and the courts soon clarified that employer-sponsored health insurance was non-taxable. Medicare, a government-sponsored health plan for retirees 65 and older, debuted in 1965. Nowadays, Medicare is offered in Parts A, B, C, and D; each offering a different layer of coverage for older Americans. As of 2023, over a quarter of all U.S. adults are enrolled in Medicare. The structure of Medicare is not dissimilar to universal health care offered in other countries, although the policy covers everyone, not just people over a certain age. Medicaid was also signed into law with Medicare. Medicaid provides health care coverage for Americans with low incomes. Over 74 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid today. The Obama administration was neither the first nor the last to champion new ways to provide health care coverage to a wider swath of Americans. The first attempts to harmonize U.S. healthcare delivery systems with those of other developed economies came just five years after Medicare and Medicaid. Two separate bills were introduced in 1970 alone. Both bills aimed to widen affordable health benefits for Americans, either by making people Medicare-eligible or providing free health benefits for all Americans. As is the case with many bills, both these died, even though there was bipartisan support. But the chairman of the relevant Senate panel had his own bill in mind, which got through the committee. It effectively said that all Americans were entitled to the kind of health benefits enjoyed by the United Auto Workers Union or AFL-CIO—for free. But shortly after Sen. Edward Kennedy began hearings on his bill in early 1971 , a competing proposal came from an unexpected source: Richard Nixon's White House. President Nixon's approach , in retrospect, had some commonalities with what Obamacare turned out to be. There was the employer mandate, for example, and an expansion of Medicaid. It favored healthcare delivery via health maintenance organizations, or HMOs, which was a novel idea at the time. HMOs, which offer managed care within a tight network of health care providers, descended from the prepaid health plans that flourished briefly in the 1910s and 1920s. They were first conceived in their current form around 1970 by Dr. Paul M. Ellwood, Jr. In 1973, a law was passed to require large companies to give their employees an HMO option as well as a traditional health insurance option. But that was always intended to be ancillary to Nixon's more ambitious proposal, which got even closer to what exists now after it wallowed in the swamp for a while. When Nixon reintroduced the proposal in 1974, it featured state-run health insurance plans as a substitute for Medicaid—not a far cry from the tax credit-fueled state-run exchanges of today. Of course, Nixon had other things to worry about in 1974: inflation, recession, a nation just beginning to heal from its first lost war—and his looming impeachment. His successor, Gerald Ford, tried to keep the proposal moving forward, but to no avail. But this raises a good question: If the Republican president and the Democratic Senate majority both see the same problem and have competing but not irreconcilable proposals to address it, why wasn't there some kind of compromise? What major issue divided the two parties? It was a matter of funding. The Democrats wanted to pay for universal health coverage through the U.S. Treasury's general fund, acknowledging that Congress would have to raise taxes to pay for it. The Republicans wanted it to pay for itself by charging participants insurance premiums, which would be, in effect, a new tax. The next significant legislation came from President Reagan, who signed the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, or COBRA, in 1985. COBRA enabled laid-off workers to hold onto their health insurance—providing that they pay 100% of the premium, which had been wholly or at least in part subsidized by their erstwhile employer. While COBRA offers continued coverage, its high expense doesn't offer much relief for the unemployed. A 2006 Commonwealth Fund survey found that only 9% of people eligible for COBRA coverage actually signed up for it. The COBRA law had a section, though, that was only tangentially related. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, or EMTALA, which was incorporated into COBRA, required all emergency medical facilities that take Medicare—that is, all of them—to treat patients irrespective of their insurance status or ability to pay. As Forbes staff writer Avik Roy wrote during the Obamacare debate, EMTALA has come to overshadow the rest of the COBRA law in its influence on American health care policy. More on that soon. It wasn't until the 1990s that Washington saw another serious attempt at healthcare reform. Bill Clinton's first order of business as president was to establish a new health care plan. For the first time, the First Lady took on the role of heavy-lifting policy advisor to the president and became the White House point person on universal health care. Hillary Clinton's proposal mandated : The Clintons' plan centralized decision-making in Washington, with a "National Health Board" overseeing quality assurance, training physicians, guaranteeing abortion coverage, and running both long-term care facilities and rural health systems. The insurance lobbyists had a field day with that. The famous "Harry and Louise" ads portrayed a generic American couple having tense conversations in their breakfast nook about how the federal government would come between them and their doctor. By the 1994 midterms, any chance of universal health care in America had died. In this case, it wasn't funding but the debate between big and small governments that killed the Clinton reform. It would be another generation before the U.S. saw universal health care take the stage. Fast-forward to 2010. It was clear that employer-sponsored plans were vestiges of another time. They made sense when people stayed with the same company for their entire careers, but as job-hopping and layoffs became more prevalent, plans tied to the job became obsolete. Thus the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, was proposed by Barack Obama's White House and squeaked by Congress and the Supreme Court with the narrowest of margins. The ACA introduced an individual mandate requiring everyone to have health insurance regardless of job status. It set up an array of government-sponsored online exchanges where individuals could buy coverage . It also provided advance premium tax credits to defray the cost to consumers. But it didn't ignore hat most people were already getting health insurance through work, and a significant proportion didn't want to change . So the ACA also required employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees to provide health coverage to at least 95% of them. The law, nicknamed Obamacare by supporters and detractors, set a minimum baseline of coverage and affordability. The penalty for an employer that offers inadequate or unaffordable coverage can never be greater than the penalty for not offering coverage at all. The model for Obamacare was the health care reform package that went into effect in Massachusetts in 2006. The initial proposal was made by then-Governor Mitt Romney, a Republican who now serves as a senator from Utah. Despite an onslaught of court challenges, Obamacare remains the law of the land. For a while, Republican congressional candidates ran on a "repeal-and-replace" platform plank, but even when they were in the majority, there was little legislative action to do either. Still, Obamacare is not the last word in American health care reform. Since then, there have been two important improvements to Health Reimbursement Arrangements, through which companies pay employees back for out-of-pocket medical-related expenses. HRAs had been evolving informally since at least the 1960s but were first addressed by the Internal Revenue Service in 2002. Not much more happened on that front until Obama's lame-duck period. In December 2016, he signed the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act, which was mainly a funding bill supporting the National Institutes of Health as it addressed the opioid crisis. But, just like the right to free emergency room treatment was nested in the larger COBRA law, the legal framework of Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangements was tucked away in a corner of the Cures Act. QSEHRAs, offered only by companies with fewer than 50 full-time employees, allow firms to let their employees pick their insurance coverage off the Obamacare exchanges. The firms pay the employees back for some or all of the cost of those premiums. The employees then become ineligible for the premium tax credit provided by the ACA, but a well-constructed QSEHRA will meet or exceed the value of that subsidy. That brings this timeline to one last innovation, which expands QSEHRA-like treatment to companies with more than 50 employees or aspiring to have them. Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements , or ICHRAs, were established by a 2019 IRS rule . ICHRAs allow firms of any size to offer employees tax-free contributions to cover up to 100% of their individual health insurance premiums as well as other eligible medical expenses. Instead of offering insurance policies directly, companies advise employees to shop on a government-sponsored exchange and select the best plan that suits their needs. Employer reimbursement rather than an advance premium tax credit reduces premiums. And because these plans are already ACA-compliant, there's no risk to the employer that they won't meet coverage or affordability standards. The U.S. is never going back to the mid-20th century model of lifetime employment at one company. Now, with remote employees and gig workers characterizing the workforce, the portability of an ICHRA provides some consistency for those who expect to be independent contractors for their entire careers. Simultaneously, allows bootstrap-phase startups to offer the dignity of health coverage to their Day One associates. The U.S. health care system can feel clunky and confusing to navigate. It is also regressive and penalizes startups and small businesses. For a country founded by entrepreneurs, it's sad that corporations like Google pay less for health care per employee than a small coffee shop in Florida. In many ways, ICHRA democratizes procuring health care coverage. In the same way that large employers enjoy the benefits of better rates, ICHRA plan quality and prices improve as the ICHRA risk pool grows. Moving away from the traditional employer model will change the incentive structure of the healthcare industry. Insurers will be able to compete and differentiate on the merits of their product. They will be incentivized to build products for people, not one-size-fits-all solutions for employers. This story was produced by Thatch and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email.

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Falcons visit Vikings as a struggling Cousins returns to old home to find a thriving DarnoldThe Windsor Framework – the post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland that aimed to make the Irish Sea border less visible and reduce red tape for traders – contains a ‘democratic consent mechanism’. It means MLAs get to vote on the continuing application of Articles 5 to 10 of the Windsor Framework, the parts which underpin EU rules applying to Northern Ireland. The Windsor Framework was a new Brexit deal between the UK and EU that was agreed for Northern Ireland in March 2023. It was designed to make trade between NI and the rest of the UK easier and aimed to give Stormont more say over EU rules. The main features of the Framework included the creation of a new green lane – with reduced checks and formalities – for goods “not at risk” of moving into the EU Single Market and a recognition that agri-food goods on sale in Northern Ireland could meet either UK or EU regulatory standards. However, it still requires some checks and customs paperwork on goods moving from Great Britain into Northern Ireland. Under the arrangements, which were designed to ensure no hardening of the Irish land border post-Brexit, Northern Ireland continues to follow many EU trade and customs rules. The DUP was unhappy with the deal and it was revised with a new Safeguarding the Union Command Paper approved to restore power-sharing at the start of 2024. The motion on the continuation of Articles 5 to 10 has been tabled by MLAs from the SDLP, Sinn Fein and Alliance. If the Assembly votes against the motion, Articles 5 to 10 will stop applying after two years. If the motion is passed by a majority of MLAs, the next vote will be held in four years. If the motion is passed by a majority of MLAs with cross-community support, the next vote will be held in eight years. If the motion is passed only with a simple majority (ie without cross-community support), the UK Government has stated it will commission an independent review into the Windsor Framework and its implications. Other articles in the Windsor Framework will remain in force regardless of the outcome of the vote. These include provisions on rights of individuals and the Common Travel Area. Loyalist activist Jamie Bryson unsuccessfully mounted a legal bid yesterday to prevent a Stormont vote on continuing post-Brexit trading arrangements for NI. His argument was grounded on law changes introduced by the previous UK Government earlier this year as part of its Safeguarding the Union deal to restore power-sharing at Stormont. He claimed that if the amendments achieved their purpose – namely, to safeguard Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom – then it would be unlawful to renew and extend post-Brexit trading arrangements that have created economic barriers between the region and the rest of the UK. This was dismissed by the High Court after Mr Justice McAlinden declared the challenge “untenable”. In 2023, the UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the trading arrangements for Northern Ireland are lawful.ECU CB Shavon Ravel will enter the draft

World leaders discussed the latest developments taking place in the Middle East and highlighted their implications at a session on the opening day of Doha Forum 2024 Saturday. The panellists at the session on *Conflict Resolution in a New Era included Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, and India's Minister of External Affairs Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. HE Sheikh Mohammed spoke on the current state of negotiations between Israel and Palestine, saying that it has been going through ups and downs since the start of the war. “We have seen on November 23 (2023), the deal was concluded to release the first batch of hostages in exchange of 250 Palestinian prisoners,” he said. “And since that time, we have been back and forth within the same process, within the same framework that we are discussing today.” HE Sheikh Mohammed noted that the situation in Syria is evolving rapidly. “Our worry is that this will bring back the old cycles of internal violence, the civil war, and this is really threatening the integrity, the territorial integrity of Syria,” he stated. “It can damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency to start putting a political framework and trying to address the issue from a political perspective to find a sustainable solution.” Eide stressed that the establishment of the integrated Palestinian statehood is the only way to ensure peace and coexistence in the Middle East. “We need a two-state solution,” the Norwegian minister said. “We want an integrated Palestine, compromising the West Bank and Gaza, the relevant parts of Jerusalem, you know, as was envisaged in the Oslo Accords.” “And the drama, the horror is so deep now that we cannot go back to 6th of October last year,” Eide said, referring to the events of October 7, 2023. He also noted that the world would not be able to solve the problems in the Middle East region without solving the Palestinian question. Dr Jaishankar stated that what is happening in the Middle East region affects all countries, including India. “We have about 500,000 Indians who live in Mediterranean countries,” he said. “We have a trade of about $80bn with the Mediterranean,” Dr Jaishankar continued. “Looking at the Gulf, we have 10mn Indians here and maybe about $180bn of trade.” “I think what's happening in Syria, what's happening in the larger region, what's happening in Gaza and Lebanon, in Iran, the combination of all of this, there is a larger regional instability which is actually growing month on month,” he added. “It is impacting us. As a country on the other side of Asia, we are feeling the impact of this,” the minister said. “I mean, we are feeling it in shipping costs, we are feeling in trade disruptions.” “So today instability anywhere actually is a source of concern. There is no region you can say that is far away,” he added. The session was moderated by CNN chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour. Related Story Qatar celebrates World Soil Day QU launches 4th World Congress on Engineering and TechnologyThe Vancouver Canucks return to a home schedule Friday on a high. Despite missing key players in Thatcher Demko , J.T. Miller and Filip Hronek , the team went 4-1-1 in six road games over the past two weeks. That’s an impressive run. But was it all just lucky? NEXT GAME Tuesday Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Vancouver Canucks 7 p.m., Rogers Arena , TV: ESP N Pacific, Radio: Sportsnet 650 If you look at some basic shot metrics, there’s a case for, yes, definitely. For instance, MoneyPuck.com has the Canucks being not just outshot over a 10-game average, but the quality of those shots tilt heavily toward their opposition. If you look purely at the public numbers, the Canucks have been, at best, playing coin-flip hockey. Sometimes you just get lucky — and you wouldn’t be wrong to claim that is all the Canucks have been of late. But there are caveats. The picture is not as clear as you might think. Let’s take a look at all the numbers and try to understand where the Canucks stand 24 games into the season. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Canucks’ defence has been the league’s stingiest so far, if you believe their expected goals model — they’ve yielded just 39.8 total this season. The Canucks are just incredibly tough to break down defensively because they command the slot very well. The numbers reflect this. Rick Tocchet ’s teams are known for being hard-edged defensively. Sure, there are moments of madness from the likes of Tyler Myers or Vincent Desharnais, for example, but zooming out to the big picture tells the truth: they’re just not giving up many good chances, night in, night out. Quinn Hughes is eating tons and tons of minutes. He’s playing great in those minutes, racking up point totals rarely seen from a blueliner. And that offensive production isn’t empty, either — it’s leading to utter two-way dominance. When Hughes in on the ice at five-on-five, the Canucks are giving up just 0.75 shot attempts per minute. That’s one of the best rates in the league. He’s 19:30 playing time at five-on-five per game. In other words, for a full third of the game every night, the ice tilted heavily toward the offensive end of the ice for the Canucks. That is a big factor in why they still look to be playing well overall, because they’re so rarely defending. As is well-documented by now, the Canucks have given up the first goal of the game a disturbing number of times. Out of the 24 games played so far by the Canucks, 14 times they have fallen behind first. They’ve ended the first period trailing 10 times. Five of those games they went on to win. That they have won half of the games where they were trailing after 20 stands out. Most teams lose most of their games if they are trailing after just one period. It’s just very difficult to do night after night. The Canucks need to start scoring first. What they’ve been doing so far is just not sustainable. The Canucks newly assembled first line is producing, and they are dominating play. The success that Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser are having is not a mirage. The Canucks are taking 63.6 per cent, nearly two-thirds, of the total shot attempts when this trio is on the ice. When your first line is dominating like this, that’s a winning formula. And playing at home, where you can control the matchups, means the Pettersson line stands an even better chance of dominating. Pettersson said Thursday it’s still a bit of a mystery to him why his team has struggled to play better at home — but it is difficult to fathom his line as they are playing right now, suddenly struggling because they’re now playing at home. If the Canucks’ performance at home is going to match the play on the road, it’s really going to come down to how he and Hughes play, above all else. pjohnston@postmedia.com

AP Business SummaryBrief at 9:51 a.m. ESTFans of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novels have long, long, long, awaited the planned sixth entry in the series, The Winds of Winter. But after more than a decade of delays, even Martin is acknowledging the possibility that it may never come to be. “Unfortunately, I am 13 years late,” he told the outlet. “Every time I say that, I’m [like], ‘How could I be 13 years late?’ I don’t know, it happens a day at a time.” “But that’s still a priority," he continued. "A lot of people are already writing obituaries for me. [They’re saying] ‘Oh, he’ll never be finished.’ Maybe they’re right. I don’t know. I’m alive right now! I seem pretty vital!” It's only the latest in what's been an increasingly bleak wait for The Winds of Winter, with the most recent entry in the series, A Dance With Dragons, publishing in 2011. That's the same year that HBO premiered the insanely popular TV series Game of Thrones, which is based on the A Song of Ice and Fire series and drew a lot more eyes to the world of Westeros. Martin made the reveal in November 2023 that he's written 1,100 pages of The Winds of Winter, which wouldn't be so disappointing if it weren't the same number of pages he had written a year prior. Before that, in 2022 , he said he was "about three-quarters of the way done," and that the book would likely be more than 1,500 pages. Most recently, this past September, Martin admitted that he hadn't made as much progress as he would've liked to, as his various TV shows "ate up" much of his time. It's also worth mentioning that The Winds of Winter isn't even set to be the final book in A Song of Ice and Fire. A seventh novel, A Dream of Spring, was set to close out the series, although many fans have all but given up hope for that . ( Note : The THR article calls The Winds of Winter the "sixth and final book" in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, but we're assuming that's just a mistake; Martin's never formally canceled A Dream of Spring publicly). Still, in a glimmer of hope, Martin did note in the interview that he could never retire, as he's "not a golfer." So hey, there's that! Even if we never get The Winds of Winter, there's plenty happening in Westeros on the TV side. House of the Dragon is still on track for four seasons , with the third expected to start production early next year. Another spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is set to arrive sometime in late 2025 , and there's even been early talk of a Game of Thrones movie . Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

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BEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents’ stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday with news that they had reached the gates of the capital and that government forces had abandoned the central city of Homs. The government was forced to deny rumors that had fled the country. The loss of Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus, the capital, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base. The pro-government Sham FM news outlet reported that government forces took positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. The insurgency announced later Saturday that it had taken over Homs. The city’s capture is a major victory for the rebels, who have already seized the cities of and , as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said rebel control of Homs would be a game-changer. The rebels’ moves around Damascus, reported by the monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. For the first time in the country’s long-running civil war, the government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus. The were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad’s government, the insurgents, led by the group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. The rapid rebel gains, coupled with the lack of support from Assad’s erstwhile allies, posed the most serious threat to his rule since the start of the war. The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad’s chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.” In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria’s border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.” It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution. Assad’s status Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia, is busy with its . Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad’s forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. U.S. President-elect Donald on social media that that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015, and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria. In a statement issued late Saturday, the participants affirmed their support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis “that would lead to the end of military activity and protect civilians.” They also agreed on the importance of strengthening international efforts to increase aid to the Syrian people. The insurgents’ march Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a “salvation government” to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the , the country’s fourth largest city. Opposition activists said Saturday that a day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra including the main Baath City, activists said. Syrian Observatory said government troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces. The Syrian army said in a statement that it carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists.” The army said it was setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area,” apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011. Diplomacy in Doha The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatar’s top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there is a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity.” He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process. ____ Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad; Josef Federman and Victoria Eastwood in Doha, Qatar; and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report. Bassem Mroue And Zeina Karam, The Associated Press

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Cobie Montgomery had 21 points in Southern Miss' 81-64 win over Alabama State on Thursday. Montgomery shot 6 for 10 (6 for 9 from 3-point range) and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line for the Golden Eagles (4-4). Denijay Harris scored 20 points and added 20 rebounds. Neftali Alvarez shot 4 of 6 from the field and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line to finish with 13 points, while adding six rebounds. The Hornets (3-6) were led in scoring by CJ Hines, who finished with 18 points. Amarr Knox and Shawn Fulcher each had 11 points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .NEW YORK , Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Report on how AI is driving market transformation - The global AI in games market size is estimated to grow by USD 4.5 billion from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 24.65% during the forecast period. Growing adoption of ar and vr games is driving market growth, with a trend towards increasing emergence of cloud gaming. However, network latency in between games poses a challenge. Key market players include Alphabet Inc., Capcom Co. Ltd., Charisma Entertainment Ltd., COGNOSPHERE PTE. LTD., Electronic Arts Inc., Konami Group Corp., Latitude, Microsoft Corp., NetEase Inc., Nintendo Co. Ltd., NVIDIA Corp., PrometheanAI Inc., Side Effects Software Inc., Sony Group Corp., Take Two Interactive Software Inc., Tencent Holdings Ltd., Theai Inc., Ubisoft Entertainment SA, Unity Software Inc., and Vivendi SE. Key insights into market evolution with AI-powered analysis. Explore trends, segmentation, and growth drivers- View Free Sample PDF Market Driver Cloud gaming's adoption is growing due to its accessibility and cost-effective structure. Grid computing enables streaming of high-quality games to devices via wired or wireless connections. Cloud gaming eliminates the need for expensive hardware and offers click-to-play simplicity. AI plays a crucial role in optimizing cloud costs and enhancing gaming experiences. The global AI in games market will benefit from this trend, with AI-driven techniques like auto-scaling and cost visualization helping businesses control expenses. The AI market in the games industry is experiencing significant growth. With the integration of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), games have become more interactive and engaging. Real-time analytics and machine learning technologies are used to enhance the player experience. Two prominent AI applications are NPCs (Non-Player Characters) and predictive analytics. NPCs provide realistic and dynamic gameplay, while predictive analytics help players improve their performance. Companies are investing in AI to create and personalized gaming experiences. The use of cloud computing and GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) enables the processing of large amounts of data in real-time. The future of AI in games is bright, with advancements in natural language processing and computer vision set to revolutionize the industry. Request Sample of our comprehensive report now to stay ahead in the AI-driven market evolution! • The AI in Games market experiences a major hurdle in the form of network latency. This delay between a player's action and the game server's response can negatively impact gameplay, particularly in multiplayer scenarios. Factors contributing to latency include internet connection quality, geographical distance, network infrastructure, player numbers, and server load. Despite its impact on market growth during the forecast period, efforts are ongoing to mitigate latency and enhance user experience. • In the rapidly growing AI in games market, developers face several challenges. They need to ensure that AI-powered gameforms are engaging and realistic, requiring complex programming and large datasets. Data collection and management is a significant challenge, as is ensuring that AI systems can adapt and learn in real-time. Additionally, integrating AI into existing game engines and ensuring compatibility with various platforms can be difficult. Furthermore, privacy concerns and ethical considerations must be addressed when implementing AI in games. Overall, the integration of AI in games presents numerous opportunities, but also requires careful planning and execution to overcome these challenges. Discover how AI is revolutionizing market trends- Get your access now! This ai in games market report extensively covers market segmentation by 1.1 AI enabled platforms 1.2 AI enabled games 2.1 Machine learning 2.2 Natural language processing 2.3 Computer vision 2.4 Robotics 3.1 North America 3.2 APAC 3.3 Europe 3.4 South America 3.5 Middle East and Africa 1.1 AI enabled platforms- AI platforms in the gaming industry facilitate the development, deployment, and maintenance of deep learning and machine learning models. These tools enable faster and more accurate data analysis, prediction, and action-taking, enhancing game production. Companies like Microsoft and Alphabet AI lead this change, offering advanced graphics, real-time interactions, and player behavior insights. AI's impact on game immersion and realism, through ray tracing and AI-powered virtual characters, is driving market growth during the forecast period. Download a Sample of our comprehensive report today to discover how AI-driven innovations are reshaping competitive dynamics The AI in Games market is experiencing significant growth, with advancements in AI algorithms, machine learning, and deep learning driving innovation. Virtual and augmented reality technologies, such as Microsoft HoloLens 2, are integrating AI to provide experiences. AI-generated content, including 3D representations and image upscaling, is enhancing the gaming experience. Euphoria, a middleware system, is utilizing AI to create realistic character behaviors. Games like Cyberpunk 2077, Battlefield V, Red Dead Redemption 2, and others are leveraging AI technologies, including neural networks and ray tracing, to deliver more engaging and predictive gameplay. Network latency is being addressed through AI-enabled platforms, while GPUs and CPUs continue to play crucial roles in powering 3D games. Data analysis and prediction are key applications of AI in gaming, providing personalized experiences for players. The AI in Games market refers to the integration of artificial intelligence technology in the development and creation of video games. This includes the use of machine learning algorithms for character behavior, non-player character interactions, and game design. AI in games can enhance the player experience by creating more realistic and dynamic game environments. It can also be used for game development tools, such as procedural content generation and game balancing. The use of AI in games is becoming increasingly popular, with many developers exploring its potential to create and engaging gaming experiences. The applications of AI in games span across various genres, from strategy and role-playing games to first-person shooters and sports simulations. The future of AI in games holds great promise, with advancements in technology expected to lead to even more sophisticated and interactive gaming experiences. 1 Executive Summary 2 Market Landscape 3 Market Sizing 4 Historic Market Size 5 Five Forces Analysis 6 Market Segmentation Type AI Enabled Platforms AI Enabled Games Technology Machine Learning Natural Language Processing Computer Vision Robotics Geography North America APAC Europe South America Middle East And Africa 7 Customer Landscape 8 Geographic Landscape 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10 Company Landscape 11 Company Analysis 12 Appendix Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio

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