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Wayne Quilliam had three goals as an artist - have a major exhibition in Germany, have his work projected in Times Square and have it adorn a wine label. or signup to continue reading After achieving them all, he went a tad further with the third ambition and bought into Indigenous-owned wine company. Initially known as as Gondwana Wines, Mt Yengo was launched in 2016 by Gary Green and Ben Hansberry. The vision was to create a product that could also be a force for change. After his art featured on Mt Yengo labels, Quilliam decided to join the business. "What we're so proud of is now we're showcasing a product; the wine is the product that comes from the land," the proud palawa man told AAP. "All our partners, our winemakers are all heavily committed to ensuring Indigenous culture and the storytelling we're doing plays a role in how we continue to produce the wine, where it comes from the the stories associated with it." Quilliam said the company had undergone extraordinary growth over the past three months, expanding into Coles Liquor, supplying wines for Carnival Cruises and cracking the Chinese and US markets. Some 1200 cases of Mt Yengo varieties have been sold in the past six weeks alone. While he's pleased the brand is thriving, what fills Quilliam with pride is being able to give back. A portion of money from the sale of each bottle goes to the National Indigenous Culinary Institute, supporting budding First Nations chefs. "It's more of a holistic approach of what we do with culture and business," he said. "It's important to us that we share our success with others and show that not only can we do it but we take people along the journey with us." Quilliam attributes the brand's success to consumers wanting to support an Indigenous initiative that also promotes First Nations art and culture. "They're saying they want to work with Indigenous people and want to work in a way that's seeing positive change," he said. "If our products are one of those vehicles people can be a part of and walk forward with us, what a unique way to basically tell the stories and create generational wealth." Quilliam said Mt Yengo was also looking to export to the UK and Europe in 2025 but his hopes for the brand are simply to continue sharing the stories and culture of Indigenous people with the world. "Everything I do, all my art comes from the land, comes from Country," he said. "Working with community means you connect the land and to Country, everything you do is influenced by the stories from what you do on the land." DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. 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DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement AdvertisementQuest Partners LLC Acquires 5,774 Shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBSS)The Dallas Cowboys have been struggling as of late as they have lost five straight games after getting blown out by the Houston Texans Monday night. However, that hasn’t stopped some players from going out around town and enjoying themselves after losses. Cowboys star receiver C eeDee Lamb and star cornerback Trevon Diggs were reportedly out partying in a club after Dallas lost to the Texans on Monday. Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones was asked about players partying after losses during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan on Friday. Jones shared with the station that he doesn’t have a problem with it. “No, I mean, they’re going to work each and every week to make plays in the field. We obviously got to continue to do better. But no, that doesn’t concern me,” Jones said, according to Jon Mochta , when asked if he’s bothered seeing star players go out after losses. While Stephen Jones didn’t mind Cowboys players going out, they have received some criticism this week. Shannon Sharpe went after CeeDee Lamb and Trevon Diggs on his podcast earlier this week. “That’s why y’all Cowboys suck. Because two of your best players, this is what they’re doing,” Sharpe said . “That shows you how much the game of football means to them. That told me everything I need to know. “Everybody talks about winning, but do you take the steps in order to win? You got your ass kicked. I would’ve left the stadium with a bag over my head. ... Ain’t no way y’all would see me leave the stadium after I got beat like that. ... And you do this? It’s disrespectful to the fans that pay their hard earned money.” The Cowboys will look to end their losing skid on Sunday when they face the Washington Commanders. However, they could be without Trevon Diggs. He showed up on the injury report as limited for Friday’s practice. Diggs is officially listed as questionable. This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

"OK, Andy. You are clear for takeoff." That's my flight instructor speaking to me over the radio into my helmet. "Really?" I think to myself. "This is actually happening?" I'm about to do something that my instructor tells me fewer than 100 people on the planet have done: I'm going to pilot an eVTOL, an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle. Picture a small plane or helicopter crossed with a drone. And here's the kicker: I've never flown another aircraft in my life. But that's exactly how Silicon Valley-based Pivotal thinks it can crack the recreational aviation market: With an aircraft so simple to fly that just about anyone can learn with a few days training on a simulator. The BlackFly is Pivotal's fourth-gen preproduction eVTOL. "It's actually incredibly hard to do something that's going to give you a bad outcome in one of these aircraft," says Pivotal's CEO, Ken Karklin. "Today's technology has allowed us to take an aircraft with a lot more capability, at least technologically, and put it in the hands of an ultralight operator." An ultralight aircraft has only one seat, is only used for recreational purposes, and may or may not be powered. A powered ultralight aircraft must weigh less than 254 pounds under Federal Aviation Administration guidelines. They don't require any certification to operate, though they can't be flown over populated areas. Still, anyone who wants to buy a $190,000 aircraft from Pivotal is required to complete training on a simulator led by instructors from the company. Training typically takes about 10 days. (Full transparency, I completed an abbreviated version of the training, which limited the types of flying I was allowed to do.) The single-seat aircraft I'm sitting in is Pivotal's fourth-gen preproduction eVTOL, called a BlackFly. It's painted a sleek black and is made from an all-fiber composite with a bubble canopy. Blackfly is powered by eight electric motors with four propellers on each wing. Since it takes off and lands vertically, there's no wheels or any kind of landing gear. On the landing pad, the BlackFly rests on its fuselage and front wing. Pivotal says its completely redesigned the hardware on its production model aircraft called the Helix. Next year Pivotal expects to deliver its first production model aircraft, the Helix, to customers. This new model looks similar to the Blackfly, but Pivotal says the hardware on the inside has been redesigned for better efficiency and scalability. Pivotal won't say how many orders it's taken for the Helix yet. It has sold 13 BlackFlys since the first was delivered to a customer in June 2023. Though the company hopes to court people like me, with no flying experience, it says even seasoned pilots show "unbelievable enthusiasm" after flying a BlackFly. "This is a different kind of aircraft, one they can fly out of their backyard. They don't have to go to the airfield." Karklin says. Inside the BlackFly cockpit Pivotal, backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, uses what's known as fly-by-wire technology in its eVTOLs. That means there are computers between the controls in the cockpit and the physical components that move the aircraft. Fly-by-wire systems make it easier to maneuver the aircraft and reduce weight. The cockpit is simple and cozy. There are two identical, redundant joysticks on either side, so a pilot can use whichever hand they prefer. In front of me is a touchscreen tablet that displays real-time information like altitude, airspeed, motor temperatures and battery levels. Inside a Pivotal Helix cockpit. Next to the touchscreen is a knob that I spend a lot of time looking at. Pulling on it deploys the ballistic parachute. Though part of my training included learning to use the parachute on a mock-up, Pivotal tells me that no pilot has needed to use it in more than 7,000 real flights. Still, at the moment I'm glad it's there. Despite some nerves, after three days on the simulator and completing an evaluation I'm feeling confident. I ask my flight instructor, Sabrina Alesna, who's also a fixed wing pilot, what it was like the first time she flew a BlackFly. Every customer is required to pass an evaluation on a simulator before flying a Pivotal aircraft. "I was shocked how responsive it was," she says. "I'm used to constantly putting in inputs to maintain my altitude or air speed. But this aircraft does all the work for you." My first flight My first flight is pretty basic. Alesna tells me to take off to 40 foot above the pad, yaw (rotate) left, yaw right, then land. Once I'm cleared, I take a deep breath and press up on the throttle. The eight motors spooling up sound like a swarm of bees. After about 3 seconds I feel a jerk and I'm pushed back in my seat as BlackFly rips off the ground. It feels similar to the simulator, but more aggressive. I forget that I'm supposed to stop at 40 foot in the air, and by the time I remove my thumb from the throttle I'm at about 50 foot. Once I'm settled I look out to my left. The reality that I'm in a flying aircraft by myself hits, but I remind myself that I've done this dozens of times on the simulator. My first flight in BlackFly at about 50 foot above the ground. After a few seconds of hovering, I complete my yaws and start the landing process. All I have to do is pull back on the throttle, until I'm just about 10 food above the ground. At that point the computer tells me the "auto-land" feature is available, which I can now initiate. The BlackFly does the rest of the work for me, and I thump to the ground. My next three flights will get longer and more complex. Watch the video above to see them and learn more about the training process. After that first flight, we need to let the engines cool, but I'm ready to go again right away. With a big grin on my face, I turn to the GoPro camera facing me and say: "That was so much fun."DENVER — An intense persuasion campaign is heating up across more than 1,200 miles, from Colorado Springs to Alabama, as both states’ congressional delegations battle over landing the permanent headquarters of the U.S. Space Command. Colorado’s elected officials want to keep the command at Peterson Space Force Base, where it has been based since the service was revived in the summer of 2019 under then-President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Alabama’s delegation to Congress is gunning to get the command headquarters to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, where Trump had moved it in the waning days of his first term in the White House. That order was overturned by President Joe Biden — a decision that kept the service in Colorado Springs, where the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce estimates it supports nearly 1,400 jobs and has a $1 billion impact on the local economy. “It’s a fully operational and capable command,” U.S. Rep. Jason Crow said in an interview with The Denver Post. “It continues to build out and perform the mission it is supposed to. We simply can’t move it — we will jeopardize our national security if we do.” But in a preview of what could be a tough scrap ahead, Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama this week told a local TV station that he was confident President-elect Trump “will move it back, and I think, very early in his first few days.” That claim was echoed by U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., who told a Mobile radio station that he thought the soon-to-be president would sign an executive order bringing the command back to Huntsville. Crow, a Democrat and a former Army Ranger, said he has been in contact with the seven other members of the state’s congressional delegation — in addition to Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet — and they plan to “work hand in glove together” to keep U.S. Space Command in Colorado. The command is responsible for military operations in outer space, which starts at 62 miles above sea level. The Pentagon is growing increasingly concerned about rapid advances by China and Russia in space-based operations that threaten U.S. troops and other military assets on the ground, along with American satellites in orbit, the New York Times reported earlier this year. On Friday, Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado Springs was named the “preferred and final” home of Space Delta 15, an organization under U.S. Space Command that will provide space battle management, intelligence and cyber capabilities to U.S. Space Forces. Air Force officials said Delta 15 would be operational by summer of 2027, with approximately 250 personnel on hand. Newly elected U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans told reporters at a press conference last week that he was on “Team Colorado” when it comes to Space Command staying put. The Republican Army vet and former police officer, who ousted Yadira Caraveo on Nov. 5 in the 8th Congressional District, said moving would cost an exorbitant sum of money. “Why do you want to spend money to move it out of here?” he asked. Evans said his grandfather, a naval aviator, moved to Colorado to work in the state’s robust aerospace industry 50 years ago. “That’s why I live in Colorado — because of our aerospace sector,” he said. Evans is part of the GOP half of Colorado’s congressional delegation that could have more influence with Trump as he nears a decision on the command. All four are in lockstep on keeping the service in Colorado. U.S. Rep.-elect Jeff Crank, whose new district is the home of the command, wasn’t available for an interview this week. But he told The Post this month that “it makes eminent sense to keep it here.” U.S. Rep.-elect Jeff Hurd, who will represent the Western Slope in the new Congress, said the same through a spokesman Thursday. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a stalwart Trump supporter who is returning to Congress in January to represent Colorado’s 4th District, said “protecting and maintaining all of our military assets in Colorado is the best way to keep our nation strong without any threat of interruption that could harm our ability to protect Americans.” Huntsville scored higher than Colorado Springs in a Government Accountability Office assessment of potential locations for the command. The city has long been home to some of the earliest missiles used in the nation’s space programs, including the Saturn V rocket, and it is home to the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command. That same office, however, gave the selection process low marks for documentation, credibility and impartiality and said that senior U.S. officials interviewed conveyed that remaining in Colorado Springs “would allow U.S. Space Command to reach full operational capability as quickly as possible.” Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Space Command to Huntsville in January 2021 was widely panned as a political attempt to reward Tuberville, who challenged the results of the 2020 presidential election in favor of Trump. Bruce McClintock, lead of the Space Enterprise Initiative at the nonpartisan research firm RAND Corporation and a retired Air Force brigadier general, did not weigh in on whether Alabama or Colorado would ultimately be a better fit for Space Command, but said that any move could lead to disruptions in military readiness. “Moving any combatant command headquarters invariably introduces turbulence in the workforce,” McClintock said in an email. “The military workforce will go where they are directed but the civilian workforce can choose to stay where they are rather than move.” If China’s space ambitions are truly a threat to American interests, he wrote, “then one could make the argument that the near-term stability for US SPACECOM should be a factor in the government decision-making process.” ©2024 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at denverpost.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Community comes together over a dirt hill dubbed Mt. Chipotle

BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian opposition war monitor and a pro-government media outlet say government forces have withdrawn from much of the central city of Homs. The pro-government Sham FM 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. Losing Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Syria’s embattled leader, Bashar Assad. The city stands at an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base. Its capture is a major victory for insurgents, who have already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama , as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said Homs falling into rebel hands would be a game-changer. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. BEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents' stunning march across Syria gained speed on Saturday with news that they had reached the suburbs of the capital and with the government forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The rebels' moves around Damascus, reported by an opposition war 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. The advances in the past week 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 Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. For the first time in the country's long-running civil war, the government now has control of only four of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Homs, Latakia and Tartus. 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. Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine . 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 Trump on Saturday posted 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. No details were immediately available. 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, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani 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. Syria’s military, meanwhile, sent large numbers of reinforcements to defend the key central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as insurgents approached its outskirts. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama , 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 and are sending reinforcements to Homs, where a battle loomed. If the insurgents capture Homs, they would cut the link between Damascus, Assad’s seat of power, and the coastal region where the president enjoys wide support. 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. 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 and Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this report.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Will Howard passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another, TreVeyon Henderson ran for a score and No. 2 Ohio State beat previously undefeated No. 5 Indiana 38-15 on Saturday. All Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, CFP No. 2) has to do now is beat Michigan at home next Saturday and it will earn a return to the Big Ten championship game for the first time since 2020 and get a rematch with No. 1 Oregon. The Ducks beat Ohio State 32-31 in a wild one back on Oct. 12. The Hoosiers (10-1, 7-1, No. 5 CFP) had their best chance to beat the Buckeyes for the first time since 1988 but were hurt by special teams mistakes and disrupted by an Ohio State defence that sacked Canadian quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times. “In life, all good things come to an end,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. Late in the first half, Indiana punter James Evans fumbled a snap and was buried at his own 7-yardline with the Buckeyes taking over. That turned quickly into a 4-yard TD run by Henderson that gave the Buckeyes a 14-7 lead. Early in the second half, Caleb Downs fielded an Evans punt at the Ohio State 21, raced down the right sideline, cut to the middle and outran the coverage for a TD that put the Buckeyes up 21-7. It was the first time a Buckeye returned a punt for a touchdown since 2014. Howard finished 22 for 26 for 201 yards. Emeka Egbuka had seven catches for 80 yards and a TD. “Our guys just played with a chip today, and that’s the way you got to play the game of football,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. Indiana scored on its first possession of the game and its last, both short runs by Ty Son Lawson, who paced the Hoosiers with 79 rushing yards. Rourke, a 24-year-old from Oakville, Ont., is the brother of BC Lions QB Nathan Rourke. He was 8 for 18 for 68 yards. “We had communication errors, pass (protection), every time we dropped back to pass, something bad happened," Cignetti said. Indiana's 151 total yards was its lowest of the season. And it was the most points surrendered by the Hoosier's defence. The takeaway Indiana: Its special season was blemished by the Buckeyes, who beat the Hoosiers for the 30th straight time. Indiana was eyeing its first conference crown since sharing one with two other teams in 1967. That won't happen now. “Ohio State deserved to win,” Cignetti said. “They had those (third quarter scores), and we just couldn’t respond.” Ohio State: Didn't waste the opportunities presented by the Hoosiers when they got sloppy. The Buckeyes led 14-7 at the break and took control in the second half. An offensive line patched together because of multiple injuries performed surprisingly well. “We know what was at stake," Day said. “We don't win this game, and we have no chance to go to Indianapolis and play in the Big Ten championship. And that's real. We've had that approach for the last few weeks now, more than that.” Poll implications Some voters were obviously unsure of Indiana because it hadn't played a nationally ranked team before Ohio State. After this one, the Hoosiers will drop. All about Will Howard made history by completing 80% of his passes for the sixth time this season. No other Ohio State quarterback has done that. He completed his first 14 passes in a row and finished with a 85% completion rate. “I think Buckeye nation is now seeing, after 11 games, that this guy is a winner, he's tough, he cares about his teammates, he's a leader,” Day said. Up next Indiana hosts Purdue in the regular-season finale next Saturday. Ohio State hosts rival Michigan on Saturday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football Mitch Stacy, The Associated Press

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday insisted at a meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump that any settlement with Russia after its invasion of Ukraine had to be "just", as fears grow in Kyiv on the position of the incoming administration. President Emmanuel Macron hosted three-way talks with Zelensky and Trump at the Elysee Palace, discussing what the incoming American president had termed a world that was a "little crazy". Hours after their meeting, the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden announced a new $988 million military assistance package for Ukraine. The package features drones, ammunition for precision HIMARS rocket launchers, and equipment and spare parts for artillery systems, tanks and armoured vehicles, the Pentagon said in a statement. Zelensky's meeting with Trump just before the three men headed to Notre Dame for the re-opening ceremony of the great Paris cathedral was his first face-to-face encounter with tycoon-turned-politician since his election victory. The meeting was of huge importance to Zelensky, given fears in Kyiv that Trump, who once boasted he could end Russia's war on Ukraine in 24 hours, may urge Ukraine to make concessions to Moscow. It also offered a unique chance for Macron to gain insights into how a second Trump presidency will look when he takes office in January. The trip to Paris is Trump's first international visit since his November 5 election win. "We all want peace. But it is very important for us... that the peace is just for all of us and that Russia, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin or any other aggressor has no possibility of ever returning," Zelensky said according to the presidential website. "And this is the most important thing -- a just peace and security guarantees, strong security guarantees for Ukraine," he added. Trump has scoffed at the billions of dollars in US military assistance to Ukraine and has spoken of forcing a quick settlement. But Zelensky also thanked Trump for his "unwavering resolve" describing the talks as "good and productive". Trump and Macron embraced and shook hands several times on the steps of the French presidential palace, with Trump given a full guard of honour despite not yet being in office. More from this section "It seems like the world is going a little crazy right now and we will be talking about that," Trump told reporters as he prepared to sit down for the talks with Macron. Despite tensions between the two men during his first term, Trump hailed his ties with the centrist French leader, saying: "We had a great relationship as everyone knows. We accomplished a lot." Macron told Trump it was "a great honour for French people to welcome you" for the re-opening ceremony at Notre Dame, which was devastated by a blaze in 2019 during Trump's first term. "You were president at that time and I remember the solidarity and the immediate reaction," Macron added, speaking in English. When he first took office in 2017, Trump's ties with Macron -- then also a fresh face on the world stage -- began warmly despite their obvious political differences. Their long and muscular handshakes -- which saw each man seek to assert his superiority -- became a light-hearted focus of attention before ties cooled, then soured, following disputes about climate change, trade and defence. Trump earlier wrote on his Truth Social platform that the United States should "not get involved" in the situation in Syria, where fast-moving rebel forces say they have begun to encircle the capital Damascus. The Republican's return to power has rung alarms in Paris and many European capitals after his promises on the campaign trail to force an end to fighting in Ukraine and levy tariffs on trading partners. In his own reaction to the discussions, Macron wrote on social media: "Let us continue our joint efforts for peace and security." European allies have largely enjoyed a close working relationship with Biden on the crisis in the Middle East, but Trump is likely to distance himself and ally the United States even more closely with Israel. In a sign of the importance of Trump's one-day trip to Paris, he was accompanied by his pick for White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, as well as his Near East and Middle East advisors, Steve Witkoff and Massad Boulos, according to a guest list issued by the Elysee Palace. Tesla tycoon and Trump advisor Elon Musk, who was also on the line during a phone call between the incoming president and Zelensky last month, also flew into the French capital was present at the Notre Dame ceremony. sjw/adp/jjRepublican Mayor Bill Wells of El Cajon is setting the stage for a resistance against the “resistance state,” pledging to help President-elect Donald Trump with his mass deportation campaign. The mayor of one of California’s most significant Middle Eastern communities , where nearly a third of residents are foreign born, Wells is weighing whether to order his police department to cooperate with the feds – potentially in violation of state law. His stance could set El Cajon up for a showdown with state and federal authorities over the enforcement of immigration laws. In a recent interview with inewsource , Wells said he’ll tell the feds, “I believe what you’re (the Trump administration) doing is right. Let me help you, but you gotta cover me. You’ve gotta give me a way that I don’t damage my city, damage my police department.” Wells made illegal immigration a focus of his most recent congressional campaign. After losing his bid, he’s taken his message to social media and other platforms, voicing support for Trump’s immigration agenda and attacking California’s “sanctuary” law, which limits how state and local authorities cooperate with the feds on immigration enforcement. Wells told inewsource he wants to “comply with the law every way that I possibly can” and says he’s looking into what police can do legally to help the feds under SB 54. He doesn’t want his city or police department to face consequences, but if the federal government asks for his help, he may be willing to violate the law, he said. Meanwhile, state and federal officials are already weighing in with their own threats. Tom Homan, Trump’s incoming “border czar,” has threatened to cut federal funding to states with sanctuary policies if they don’t cooperate. California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned his office would “step in” if law enforcement agencies violate SB 54, though he didn’t specify what exactly his office would do. On X this week , Bonta asked the public to report to his office anyone believed to be illegally assisting immigration authorities. “California (Department of Justice) is here to protect immigrants’ safety, freedom and rights,” Bonta said. SB 54, passed by the state’s Democratic majority during Trump’s first term, generally prevents state and local law enforcement from using resources and personnel for immigration enforcement. But the law has some exceptions when it concerns immigrants without legal status who have been convicted of serious or violent crimes. The law has faced several legal challenges, including from the previous Trump administration, but none have succeeded. The mayor’s public attacks on SB 54 are ramping up. In recent days, Wells has appeared on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” Fox 5 San Diego and twice on One America News to denounce the law. Breitbart covered his TV appearances. He was interviewed on the topic by Nick Shirley, a social media influencer with 80,000 followers on Instagram. Most of Wells’ recent social media posts have been dedicated to attacking SB 54. “Sanctuary City Policies Are Stupid and Dangerous!” he said last month on X. “We refuse to let criminals roam free in our communities because of Gavin Newsom’s radical grandstanding. Sanctuary policies are a direct threat to public safety, and in El Cajon, we’re taking a stand.” Wells has repeatedly claimed that “California is threatening” police officers with criminal charges and loss of their pensions for cooperating with immigration authorities, and that officers could be liable in civil court. But Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said SB 54 does not make officers who violate the law liable in criminal or civil court. Bonta responded to Wells’ claims on X, calling them “false and dangerous.” “The California Values Act in no way prevents law enforcement from doing their job—fighting crime and protecting communities,” he said. El Cajon’s incoming police chief, Jeremiah Larson, said after reviewing the topic with city staff, “we do not believe California is threatening felony charges for violations of SB 54.” Larson said the department has adhered to SB 54, and that its mission remains the same. “Someone who commits a crime in El Cajon will be arrested and held accountable under the law. Similarly, if someone is a victim of a crime in El Cajon, we are committed to providing them with the highest level of service and support, regardless of their immigration status,” Larson said in an emailed statement through a spokesperson. Contrary to Wells’ claims, SB 54 allows law enforcement to cooperate with immigration authorities when laws other than immigration rules have been broken. It does not stop police from investigating, arresting or detaining immigrants, or anyone, suspected of committing a crime – as long as it’s a crime other than a violation of immigration law, according to the attorney general’s office. The law also allows for joint task forces to investigate crimes such as drug trafficking, and El Cajon police participated in three such task forces in 2023. The law does restrict how sheriffs respond to certain requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Sheriffs cannot hold detainees past their release date for ICE. They also cannot share information about detainees’ release dates, or transfer them to ICE, except detainees with serious or violent felony convictions. Critics say the law makes it harder for the feds to deport those with criminal records and makes communities less safe. Proponents say it encourages immigrants who would otherwise avoid police for fear of deportation to report crimes and cooperate in investigations. They also say it appropriately puts immigration enforcement solely into the hands of immigration authorities. We have launched our year-end campaign. Our goal: Raise $50,000 by Dec. 31. Help us get there. Times of San Diego is devoted to producing timely, comprehensive news about San Diego County. Your donation helps keep our work free-to-read, funds reporters who cover local issues and allows us to write stories that hold public officials accountable. Join the growing list of donors investing in our community's long-term future. But the feds likely can’t carry out Trump’s deportation plans with current capacity and could end up needing help from local police . The Trump administration has suggested it would deport 1 million people a year in office , almost three times the 1.5 million he deported in his first four years. Nationally, public opinion surveys say he should have some support. An Ipsos poll from September found that slightly more than half of Americans support mass deportations. Another survey by Data For Progress found a majority of respondents supported deportations only for immigrants who recently crossed the border illegally and those with criminal records. In California, some communities are working to resist Trump’s plans by shoring up protections for immigrants. The Los Angeles City Council voted last month to make the city a sanctuary community. Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special session to “Trump-proof” the state’s progressive policies, including those protecting immigrants. Ira Mehlman, media director with the Federation of American Immigration Reform, which advocates for stricter immigration enforcement, criticized those moves from Democratic leaders, saying they misread what state voters want. Mehlman said California’s rightward shift on the ballot this November – and voters’ approval of a ballot measure to heighten penalties for shoplifting, among other crimes – means the public doesn’t support efforts to protect immigrants living in the U.S. unlawfully. Wells said his constituents in El Cajon support his plan to aid in Trump’s deportation campaign. Though a majority of voters in San Diego County and California voted for the Democratic presidential candidate, Wells said “the country was very clear on this issue.” And so, he said, he’ll follow their lead: “I’m prepared to do whatever the federal government asks me to do and so I’ll be cooperative with them everywhere I can.” He’s not alone. Republican governors in Texas, Utah and Florida have also pledged support for the president-elect’s deportation plans. Since Wells announced his bid for Congress in 2023 – he ran twice before unsuccessfully – illegal immigration and the border has been a prominent talking point on his social media platforms. His rhetoric at times has warned of grave danger . Wells said in his campaign that many immigrants in the country are violent criminals and warned that if something doesn’t change, “a lot of us are going to lose our lives.” Asked for specific examples of crimes impacting El Cajon, he said he’d have to get back to inewsource . Wells did say that migrants have strained El Cajon resources. El Cajon was one of several communities in the county where migrants were dropped off by immigration authorities after being processed at the height of record migrant crossings in recent years. Wells’ public campaign against SB 54 will likely have company in the form of new legal challenges, according to Amada Armenta, director of the UC Los Angeles Latino Policy and Politics Institute. “But I also expect that these policies will stand up,” Armenta said. Read the rest of the article on inewsource.org. Get Our Free Daily Email Newsletter Get the latest local and California news from Times of San Diego delivered to your inbox at 8 a.m. daily. Sign up for our free email newsletter and be fully informed of the most important developments.

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