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Pedestrian seriously hurt in Cambridge crashTen years after the Lindt Cafe siege sent shock waves around the nation, the man at the helm of the landmark investigation into the tragedy has delivered a stark warning for Australians. or signup to continue reading "People have this idea that the terrorist threat has gone away," former NSW coroner Michael Barnes says. "I think at any stage, something like that could occur again." Mr Barnes led the inquest into the December 2014 siege, in which terrorist Man Haron Monis took 18 people hostage inside Sydney's Martin Place for 16 hours. Monis fatally shot cafe manager Tori Johnson, while barrister Katrina Dawson was killed by stray police bullet fragments in the dying moments of the siege. Now head of the powerful NSW Crime Commission, Mr Barnes delivered a series of findings and recommendations as a result of his 18-month inquest into the tragedy. Central to this, he declared NSW police did not act quickly enough, the gunman should not have been allowed out on bail at the time of the siege, calls for help from the hostages went unanswered and families of victims were treated insensitively. Although Mr Barnes remains wary of a laissez-faire attitude towards domestic terror threats, he believes lessons have been learned from the siege. "Police are much better placed now to deal with those issues," he says. "It was a learning experience for NSW but also police around the country." One of the major findings from the inquest was police missed the chance to storm the cafe after Monis fired the first shot, an opportunity, if taken, might have saved Mr Johnson and Ms Dawson's lives. After wrapped up in 2016, then NSW police commissioner Mick Fuller conceded police should have gone in earlier. "I give this assurance to everyone ... we won't wait 17 hours again," he promised at the time. One year on from the deadly siege, Australia's largest police force adopted a shoot-now strategy for terrorist situations, replacing its controversial contain-and-negotiate procedure which the inquest found cost valuable time. At the time of the siege, police were also required to make individual decisions about when to use deadly force. "People under incredible stress and in very great danger themselves are perhaps not best placed to make those decisions," Mr Barnes says. "So we thought putting that a bit higher up the hierarchy was justified." NSW laws have now been changed to adhere to the recommendation. Police resourcing was another concern identified at the Barnes inquest. With their specially equipped truck off the road, negotiators worked out of a four-wheel drive before being moved to a cramped room inside a Leagues' Club. The building had no whiteboards or live feed, there was only one landline and the primary negotiator had never handled a hostage situation before. Key demands by Monis - including securing media coverage, organising a meeting with the prime minister and being given an Islamic State flag - were delayed in reaching top commanders and none were ever granted. "The idea there that you can't make concessions to a terrorist, I think that did hinder some of the way (police) acted on the day," Mr Barnes offers. "No concessions doesn't mean you can't engage, doesn't mean you can't give them anything that they might want if that's going to de-escalate the situation." Negotiation training policies have also since been updated. The inquest additionally unveiled stark information about how prosecutors and other sworn officers dealt with Monis in the weeks and months preceding the attack. The lone gunman, who was fatally shot during the siege, was out on bail in 2014 after being charged with being an accessory to murder and more than 40 counts of sexual and indecent assault. The families of some victims have expressed disbelief that Monis was allowed in the community while facing such serious matters. Police preferred the sexual assault charges against him via a court attendance notice while he was at large instead of arresting him. Mr Barnes found this made it more difficult for prosecutors to argue that he should be taken into custody. However, the inquest found prosecutors submitted "inadequate" oral oppositions to Monis' request for bail and no written submissions. The families of the siege victims, who suffered through hours of torment, were also left in the dark for much of the ordeal. Mr Barnes found they were gathered together in a hostage room too close to the cafe and were able to hear explosions and gunshots. "They then didn't hear anything officially for a number of hours and they were all kept in a large space and could see individual hostages who had been released reunited with their family members," he says. "The remaining families diminished in number until it became obvious that there weren't any more hostages." In the aftermath of the siege, a sea of flowers formed on Martin Place, paying tribute to the traumatised hostages and the two fatally wounded victims. Ten years on, little remains there to remember the events of December 15. The cafe has been transformed into a Dan Murphy's wine cellar, with the central tasting table adorned with flowers in memory of the event. A permanent exhibition is embedded into the concrete in Martin place, with small flowers set into the pavement behind glass frames. The NSW government will mark the 10-year anniversary of the tragedy throughout this week, with commemorative displays and flower laying from Tuesday. 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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Headed South for Winter? 5 Tips for Snowbirds About to Take FlightCop who killed great-grandmother suspended without pay
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico has yet to produce a certified vote tally for a single district almost a month after holding historic general elections. Then on Wednesday, a judge issued a ruling that sparked an outcry and threatened to further delay the certification process as the Jan. 2 swearing-in looms. The judge, in response to a lawsuit, ordered Puerto Rico’s State Elections Commission to count early votes following ID verification even if the postal address used to request those votes is different from the one in the general voter registration. “Contrary to what some actors in our society may have encouraged in public opinion, our legal framework in electoral matters is covered with guarantees of reliability, which leave no room for speculation or doubts about the validity of early votes,” Judge Raúl A. Candelario López wrote. The Nov. 21 lawsuit was filed by a dozen voters affiliated with the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, which won the gubernatorial race, according to preliminary results. The ruling noted that those voters alleged “their rights are being violated since they requested early voting, complied with all the requirements for it, and their votes are being subject to additional requirements without any legal basis.” The judge’s decision angered many including Karla Angleró, electoral commissioner for the opposing Popular Democratic Party, one of Puerto Rico’s two main parties, She said the party would appeal Wednesday’s ruling. In September, Angleró and electoral commissioners from other parties agreed that if they uncovered addresses that didn’t match, officials would call people to confirm that they indeed requested an early vote to prevent any fraud. Angleró and other commissioners had recently requested that the elections commission investigate how more than 40 ballots with different residential addresses were requested from the same P.O. box in the southern coastal town of Santa Isabel. “We’ve been waiting for weeks,” she told reporters on Wednesday of the investigation. Judicial officials already are investigating allegations made before Nov. 2 about electoral crimes including people who said they received confirmations for early voting when they had made no such request. As those investigations continue, workers are certifying ballots with the aim to finish by Dec. 20 or 22, according to Jessika Padilla, alternate president for the elections commission. The aim was to finalize the district of the capital of San Juan on Wednesday, but that was pushed back to Sunday, she told reporters. Numerous obstacles have delayed the certification process, including an increase in write-in votes and a flurry of errors detected in bedside ballots, prompting all electoral commissioners to agree to start counting more than 60,000 such votes from scratch. The delay prompted electoral commissioners last week to temporarily halt the counting of ballots cast in a nonbinding referendum also held Nov. 2 on Puerto Rico’s political status so they could focus on election ballots. Local law dictates the certification process must be completed by Dec. 31.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is the North Tongu MP The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has raised concerns over a transaction paid to the Office of the President just a few days before his administration is set to leave office. According to the lawmaker, tracking of the transaction revealed that the transfer of GH¢60 million was received by the presidency on December 23, 2024, for some ‘special operations’, despite the government owing significant debts to several institutions, including WAEC, the Free SHS Secretariat, NaBCO, and others. In a post shared on his Facebook page on December 28, 2024, Ablakwa questioned the rationale and motive behind the transactions, expressing his disgust over what he described as wasteful expenditures that harm the state’s finances. Ablakwa further alleged an attempt by the outgoing Akufo-Addo government to deplete the national coffers and leave the incoming John Dramani Mahama administration with significant financial debts once it assumes office. “Why has a colossal GH¢60 million been transferred to the Office of the President for so-called ‘Special Operations’ with just a few days left for President Akufo-Addo to hand over? From unimpeachable tracking, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia tax-guzzling presidency received the GHS60 million transfer on 23rd December, 2024 at 4:38 pm,” he posted. He added, “Profligate President Akufo-Addo must explain to Ghanaians why his ‘Special Operations’ in the death of his tenure should be prioritized over crippling arrears at WAEC, CHASS, CETAG, Free SHS Secretariat, IPPs, NaBCo etc. It’s most depressing that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government seems hell-bent on emptying the national coffers on extremely questionable and wasteful expenditures before the Mahama administration takes over. Moving forward, Ghana needs to urgently consider new legislation on controlling ostentatious expenditure, fresh dubious contracts, and mass recruitments during transitions.” Ablakwa’s oversight comes on the back of concerns raised by the Mahama transition team regarding certain ‘last-minute’ payments made by the outgoing government. See his post below: MAG/MATrailblazing model Dayle Haddon dies from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning
My beautiful daughter died after relentless online bullies told her to kill herself...we need under 16 ban like Australia(CNN) — Democratic Sen. Bob Casey on Thursday conceded the high stakes Pennsylvania Senate race to Republican Dave McCormick. “During my time in office, I have been guided by an inscription on the Finance Building in Harrisburg: ‘All public service is a trust, given in faith and accepted in honor,’” he said in a video posted on X . “Thank you for your trust in me for all these years, Pennsylvania. It has been the honor of my lifetime.” McCormick’s victory is a major upset for the three-term Democratic incumbent in the key battleground state, which also swung back to Donald Trump on the presidential level this year. The Senate race had tightened in the final months of the campaign, but Casey had an edge in most polling of the race for much of his campaign against McCormick, a former hedge fund executive who lost a bid for the state’s other Senate seat in 2022. Republicans and Democrats alike spent big in Pennsylvania as it emerged as a pivotal battleground up and down the ballot. McCormick frequently appeared with Trump at his rallies this year after losing out on the former president’s endorsement during the primary two years ago. And although the GOP Senate nominee often appeared to be running behind Trump in his contest with Vice President Kamala Harris in public polling of the race, he and his GOP allies leaned into the issue of immigration, which was at the center of the Republican Party’s 2024 election strategy. Republicans hammered Casey on the issue, dedicating millions of dollars in attack ads tying the senator to the Biden administration’s record on the border. McCormick, the former CEO of Bridgewater Associates, made an anti-incumbency argument, calling Casey “too weak” and asking voters in one of his closing messages to “make a change,” while recapping his bio as a West Point graduate. McCormick, whose wife Dina Powell worked as a national security adviser to Trump, was nearly onstage during a July assassination attempt against the former president in Butler, Pennsylvania. But Trump told him to stay seated for another few minutes, shortly before the gunman struck. McCormick’s victory means Pennsylvania will, for at least the next four years, be one of the few states with senators from different parties. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman beat Mehmet Oz, the famed television doctor, in 2022, for his first six-year term. CNN’s Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report. The-CNN-Wire TM & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
How badly does want to win? That’s the question. If he really cared about a World Series ring, Judge, , would sell his fancy new trophy on eBay and give the proceeds to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman so the club can sign another bullpen arm for 2025. That’s what a real captain would do. Derek Jeter, the perfect example of Yankees leadership, had the perspective and wherewithal to never play well enough to warrant winning such a selfish award. Look, I’m not saying that Judge should play worse during the regular season next year; that’s preposterous. But if he melted the AL MVP trophy down and had it remade into a sculpture of the 2024 Dodgers celebrating their world championship and then put that sculpture on his bedside table so he could wake up every morning properly motivated, it wouldn’t be the most inappropriate thing. It’s tradition for MVP winners to accept their awards at the annual BBWAA New York Chapter dinner in January. And while I’m sure fans would love to see Judge there, he should honestly be spending that time in the gym or the batting cage for the 2025 season. A night in a tuxedo with boring writers like me isn’t working toward the ultimate goal of a Yankees parade. As they say, if you aren’t getting better, you’re getting worse. , is a different story, his own overlooked postseason struggles aside. Sure, the Dodger dynamo’s October OPS was only 15 points higher than Judge’s, but With Judge, that’s clearly not the case. And don’t forget: The last time Judge won this award, back in 2022, the Yankees were a train wreck the following season, missing out on the playoffs. Does the Yankees captain really want to tempt fate again? Might be best to let , who finished second in AL MVP voting, take the award. People speak volumes about Judge’s steadiness and consistency during the marathon of a 162-game season. That’s pretty cool, I guess, but I’d rather have a totally erratic teammate who wakes up hungover on Oct. 1 and clobbers 15 playoff bombs. Not somebody like Judge, who finished this past postseason with a ... .752 OPS, which ... actually isn’t that bad? Huh. How 'bout that? You know what? Maybe it’s best to hold multiple thoughts in our heads at the same time. Yes, Judge underwhelmed by his lofty standards in a 14-game postseason sample, but maybe, just maybe, that doesn’t invalidate what was an all-time magnificent offensive performance in the regular season. Judge’s 2024 was, by OPS+, the best season by a hitter since Barry Bonds put up a 263 OPS+ in 2004. The titanic Yankees outfielder finished the season with a comical stat line: 58 home runs, a .322 batting average, an 1.159 OPS and an adjusted OPS 123% better than league average. Only three players in MLB history have posted an OPS+ higher than Judge’s 223 mark this year: Bonds, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. Not too shabby. And sure, as my idiotic ramblings above alluded to, Judge’s struggles on the big stage leave an unfortunate haze over our collective memory of his season. It’s a fact, one he knows and one he has owned: When the games mattered most, Judge was not at his best. Whether that’s because he can’t handle the spotlight or because baseball is difficult and random is up to the eye of the beholder. Just remember that the that it’s impossible to pin on any one soul. Maybe I’m being the “ , but whatever. Judge's outstanding 162 cannot simply wipe away his autumnal stumble. Yet at the same time, his substandard October shouldn’t completely overshadow six months of downright dominance. Both are true, both are important, and both tell the story of Aaron Judge’s 2024, a season that we’ll remember for a long, long time. Hopefully, for all the right reasons.
Nick Saban shocked viewers with his take on the college football flag-planting row. The Big Ten fined Michigan and Ohio State $100,000 each after a brawl overshadowed the Wolverines' incredible 13-10 upset of the No. 2 seed. Michigan players started the fracas by planting their flag at midfield in The Horseshoe, with fans divided over whether such acts should be banned. Saban 's belief that the fines went too far was not a particularly hot take - but his choice of words raised some eyebrows. "First of all, I think we need guidelines," the 73-year-old began. "But to fine these schools $100,000 dollars is like worrying about mouse manure when you're up to your ears in elephant s***." Saban later insisted that stamping out flag-planting drama is for the good of the game. "I would be much more upset with my team planting a flag, because I think coaches can control that," he added. "If you tell your team, 'We're not doing this.' They're not doing it. "It's like faking injuries, they can stop that, they can stop this, and I think it's good for the game that we do stop it." The fight lasted for around five minutes and police officers used pepper spray to restore control. Ohio State University police said that one officer was injured, with coaches and players left bloodied. "Not only did the actions of both teams violate fundamental elements of sportsmanship such as respect and civility, the nature of the incident also jeopardized the safety of participants and bystanders," the Big Ten said via a statement. "What happened post-game yesterday was unfortunate," Ohio State said accepting the decision. "Good sportsmanship is always important in everything we do at Ohio State. "Moving forward, we will continue to examine and address our post-game protocols to ensure our student-athletes, coaches, visiting teams and staff safely exit the field." Buckeyes coach Ryan Day, whose record against Michigan fell to 1-4, put all the blame on the Wolverines. “I don’t know all the details of it, but I know that these guys are looking to put a flag on our field, and our guys weren’t going to let that happen,” he said. “I’ll find out exactly what happened, but this is our field. "Certainly, we’re embarrassed with the fact that we lost the game, but there’s some prideful guys on this team that just weren’t going to let this happen.” The ESPN cameras are in Georgia today as the 11-1 Texas Longhorns take on the 10-2 Bulldogs. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Georgia's Carson Beck are both hopeful of going in the first round of next year's NFL Draft. Beck's stock has taken a slide this year but a strong showing in Saturday's collision between two top-five seeds could see him move up boards.The definition of a polarizing figure is one who can be as popular as they are toxic, and it’s no mystery that the man formerly known as Kanye West has embraced that status. The seemingly chaotic swirl around his life applies to his music-making as well, and thus it’s not surprising that “Carnival,” a ferocious collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign , Rich the Kid and Playboi Carti, was seemingly a work in progress until the day it was released amid a maelstrom of controversy. “Carnival” began life in Saudi Arabia, where Ty was chipping away at “Vultures,” the first volume of his collaborative album with Ye. He invited Rich the Kid to jet over, and they recorded two songs. One of them, freestyled over beats by TheLabCook, stood out: a punk-rap hybrid originally titled “Honor Roll.” Ty passed the song on to Ye, who immediately saw its potential. He rearranged the melody, contributed a verse and invited Carti. Producers Ojivolta, the Legendary Traxster and Digital Nas were brought in to round out the sound — and fans of Italian football club Inter Milan, known as “ultras,” were tapped to chant the chorus. Ye then called on Playboi Carti to join the party. He, in turn, ushered production duo Ojivolta into the increasingly full fold. “We worked alongside Ye’s team to oversee and execute the logistical aspects of both the promo and the groundbreaking listening events,” SalXCo’s Manny Dion says. “There was so much content around the events that you could not open your phone without hearing the record in some form.” When “Carnival” debuted at a listening event in February, it incorporated a sample of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man,” which prompted lead singer Ozzy Osbourne to issue a cease and desist. Undeterred, Ye swapped in his own 2010 track “Hell of a Life,” which just happened to include an already cleared sample of “Iron Man.” The backlash was loud, but “Carnival” was louder. The Swifties who took umbrage at a reference to Taylor Swift in Ye’s verse could only slow its momentum. The X-rated refrain went nuclear on social media, spawning a TikTok mirror trend (i.e., creators lip-synching the song into a mirror). A menacing video featuring skinheads and rioting football fans fanned the flames of controversy, and the song rocketed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — Ye’s first since 2011, making him the first rapper to have chart-toppers in three consecutive decades. Having pulled off one of the more unlikely comebacks of 2024, Ye fired up his Instagram account to thank his fans and collaborators, saying the hit was “for the people who won’t be manipulated by the system.” Contrition, however, was not on the menu. “Just know they tried to destroy me, and here we are with the No. 1 song in the world.” Having a No. 1 single and the No. 25 song of the year was a rare positive note for a formerly widely admired artist whose indefensibly racist and hateful public comments have cost him a huge percentage of his fan base, not to mention $2 billion of his net worth. Congratulations. Songwriters: Raul Cubina, Grant Dickinson, Digital Nas, Playboi Carti, Rich the Kid, Ty Dolla $ign, Kanye West, Mark Williams Producers: Digital Nas, Ojivolta, TheLabCook, The Legendary Traxster, Ty Dolla $ign, Kanye West Label: YZY/Vydia Hitmakers : •Manny Dion, president, SalXCo •TheLabCook, producer •The Legendary Traxster, producer •Ojivolta, producer •Ryan Starling, artist manager, SalXCo Publishers: III Media Group, BMG Platinum Songs, Concord Music Group, Kobalt Music America, Ric Volta Publishing, Rich the Kid Pub, Songs of Pulse, Superreal Publishing, Warner Tamerlane Publishing, Wav Dream Music
Yoshiharu Global Co. ( NASDAQ:YOSH – Get Free Report ) was the target of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 12,800 shares, a growth of 146.2% from the November 30th total of 5,200 shares. Approximately 1.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 32,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.4 days. Yoshiharu Global Price Performance NASDAQ YOSH opened at $3.27 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $3.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.18, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.31. Yoshiharu Global has a one year low of $2.73 and a one year high of $8.46. Yoshiharu Global Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Yoshiharu Global Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Yoshiharu Global and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
(BPT) - Every year, roughly 20-30% of older Americans head to warmer climates for the colder winter months. Snowbirds are often retirees on fixed incomes, though flexible work environments now provide more opportunities for anyone to spend several months escaping the chill. Whether on a fixed income or an empty nester with disposable income, consumers are interested in saving money where they can. With this in mind, snowbirds can look to their AARP membership to take advantage of relevant discounts and offerings as they fluff their feathers and get ready for takeoff. From savory breakfast options while driving to your seasonal destination, to home and auto protection, and even resources to support mental and physical health, AARP member benefits offer deals and savings that will help snowbirds take flight this winter. "Spending winters in warmer places has so many benefits that come with being able to be outside more often. Warmth and sunlight not only increase serotonin levels , which can result in more positive moods and a calm, focused mental outlook, but they also stimulate vitamin D production and may even boost immunity ," said Elvira Christiansen, Director of Retail and Loyalty for AARP Services. "An AARP membership makes it even better by offering savings as you plan your trip, as well as at many dining, entertainment and retail locations you will come across in your winter getaway destination, helping you to enjoy it to the fullest." 1. Order Up Road trips are often the preferred way to travel to a winter home for the flexibility of having a car once there. Whether your drive will have you behind the wheel for hours or days, you'll want to make sure you have your meals planned out. Fill up with a tasty breakfast or lunch with a stop at Denny's, which is easy to spot from most major highways. AARP members can save when heading to Denny's . With over 1,500 locations nationwide, members save 15% on everything from diner classics to breakfast items every day; maximum discount not to exceed $10. Restrictions apply. 2. Primary Care from Almost Anywhere Feeling under the weather can put a damper on your winter travels, so it's a good idea to make sure you can access quality healthcare even when you're at your winter destination. If you are on Medicare, you can check whether there is an Oak Street Health primary care clinic near you. Oak Street Health , the only primary care provider to carry the AARP name, provides primary care for adults on Medicare and focuses on prevention with personalized care to help keep you healthy — physically, mentally and socially. Benefits include same-day/next-day appointments where available, convenient locations, a dedicated care team and a 24/7 patient support line. AARP membership is not required to visit an Oak Street Health clinic. 3. Wellness Checklist Once you check off primary care needs for your winter destination, don't overlook other priorities like maintaining your prescriptions and protecting your vision. Start by making sure your prescriptions are up to date before you head out of town. If you do need a refill while you're away, you have access to a free prescription discount card from AARP ® Prescription Discounts provided by Optum Rx ® that can be used at over 66,000 pharmacies nationwide for savings on FDA-approved medications. You do not need to be an AARP member to take advantage of these benefits, though AARP members receive additional perks, including deeper discounts on medications, home delivery, coverage for your dependents and more. If you're having trouble with your vision, want to update your sunglass prescription, or simply want to maintain your annual visits to an optometrist or ophthalmologist while away, AARP members have access to information on vision insurance options that offer individual and family plans, featuring a large doctor network, savings on frames, lens enhancements, progressives and more. 4. Home (Safety) Away from Home One thing that should always be a priority is keeping your home safe while you're away for the winter. While Neighborhood Watch is always helpful, long periods away from a home require additional security systems. With an AARP membership, homeowners can secure their homes for less. Members save 5% on monthly home security monitoring with ADT Home Security , which covers smart home security systems including intrusion monitoring, connected smoke and CO detection, and smart automation for video doorbells, security cameras and smart locks. 5. Pack Auto Coverage in Your Luggage Driving south for the winter? Utilize AARP member benefits to save on auto care so you can road trip worry free. AARP members save up to 20% on annual membership fees for Allstate Roadside Assistance plans, which provides access to assistance for towing, jump-starts, tire changes, lockout assistance, fuel delivery and more. Allstate Roadside plan benefits can be used 24/7 in any car you drive, including rented and borrowed ones. And, if you want to bring any personal items with you but don't have room to squeeze them in your car, Budget Truck Rental has a variety of trucks for you to choose from. AARP members can save 20% on local or one-way truck rentals on Sunday through Thursday and 10% on Friday and Saturday, plus receive a $10-per-day Physical Damage Waiver. Regardless of how you're traveling or spending your winter months, AARP member benefits can help you maximize your budget while you prioritize the things that matter. To learn more about the benefits and discounts for AARP members to help you prepare for your relaunch, please visit aarp.org/save . AARP member benefits are provided by third parties. AARP receives a royalty fee for the use of its intellectual property. These fees are used for the general purposes of AARP. Provider offers are subject to change and may have restrictions.
How major US stock indexes fared Thursday, 12/26/2024Russell Vought, one of the chief architects of Project 2025 — a conservative blueprint for the next presidency — is no fan of the federal government that President-elect Donald Trump will soon lead. He believes "woke" civil servants and "so-called expert authorities" wield illegitimate power to block conservative White House directives from deep within federal agencies, and wants Trump to "bend or break" that bureaucracy to his will, he wrote in the second chapter of the Project 2025 playbook. Vought is a vocal proponent of a plan known as Schedule F, under which Trump would fire thousands of career civil servants with extensive experience in their fields and replace them with his own political loyalists, and of Christian nationalism, which would see American governance aligned with Christian teachings. Both are core tenets of Project 2025. Throughout his campaign, Trump adamantly disavowed Project 2025, even though its policies overlapped with his and some of its authors worked in his first administration. He castigated anyone who suggested the blueprint, which polls showed was deeply unpopular among voters, represented his aims for the presidency. But last week, the president-elect nominated Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget, which oversees the White House budget and its policy agenda across the federal government. Trump called Vought, who held the same role during his first term, an "aggressive cost cutter and deregulator" who "knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State and end Weaponized Government." The nomination was one of several Trump has made since his election that have called into question his claims on the campaign trail that Project 2025 was not his playbook and held no sway over him or his plans for a second term. He selected Tom Homan, a Project 2025 contributor and former visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, the conservative organization behind the blueprint, as his "border czar." Trump named Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner also linked to Project 2025, as his deputy chief of staff for policy. Both also served in the first Trump administration. He also named Brendan Carr to serve on the Federal Communications Commission. Carr wrote a chapter of Project 2025 on the FCC, which regulates U.S. internet access and TV and radio networks, and has echoed Trump's claims that news broadcasters have engaged in political bias against Trump. Trump named John Ratcliffe as his pick for CIA director and Pete Hoekstra as ambassador to Canada. Both are Project 2025 contributors. It has also been reported that the Trump transition team is filling lower-level government spots using a Project 2025 database of conservative candidates. During the campaign Trump said that he knew "nothing about" Project 2025 and that he found some of its ideas "absolutely ridiculous and abysmal." In response to news in July that Project 2025's director, Paul Dans, was leaving his post, Trump campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles — whom the president-elect has since named his chief of staff — issued a statement saying that "reports of Project 2025's demise would be greatly welcomed." Asked about Trump's selection of several people with Project 2025 connections to serve in his administration, Trump transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt responded with a statement, saying Trump "never had anything to do with Project 2025." "This has always been a lie pushed by the Democrats and the legacy media, but clearly the American people did not buy it because they overwhelmingly voted for President Trump to implement the promises that he made on the campaign trail," Leavitt wrote. "All of President Trump's cabinet nominees and appointments are whole-heartedly committed to President Trump's agenda, not the agenda of outside groups." Leavitt too has ties to Project 2025, having appeared in a training video for it. In addition to calling for much greater power in the hands of the president, Project 2025 calls for less federal intervention in certain areas — including through the elimination of the Department of Education. It calls for much stricter immigration enforcement and mass deportations — a policy priority of Trump's as well — and rails against environmental protections, calling for the demolition of key environmental agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service. It calls for tougher restrictions on abortion and for the federal government to collect data on women who seek an abortion, and backs a slew of measures that would strip rights from LGBTQ+ people. For Trump's critics, his selections make it clear that his disavowal of the conservative playbook was nothing more than a campaign ploy to pacify voters who viewed the plan as too far to the right. It's an argument many were making before the election as well. "There are many of us who tried to sound the alarm bell before the election," when voters still had the power to keep such a plan from coming to fruition, said Ben Olinsky, senior vice president of structural reform and governance at the liberal Center for American Progress. Now, he said, he expects many of the more "draconian pieces" of Project 2025 to start being implemented given the nominees Trump has put forward. That includes Vought's plan to eviscerate the career civil service, the core of American government, by doing away with merit-based staffing in favor of loyalty-based appointments, Olinsky said. "We know what happened before there was a merit-based civil service. There was cronyism in American government, and we can look back through history and see that kind of graft and cronyism," Olinsky said. Filling the government with Trump loyalists will clear the way for more policies of Project 2025 to be implemented without resistance, Olinsky said. Olinsky said the Supreme Court and the Republican-controlled House have already proved they are not willing to stand up to Trump. There are "still some institutionalists" in the Senate — soon to be controlled by Republicans, as well — who could leverage their power to push back, he said, but it is not clear that they will. Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has signaled that he may be willing to do so: According to reports from his home state, he said at a local Chamber of Commerce event Tuesday that all presidents try to push policy through executive action, and that Congress "sometimes will have to put the brakes on." In the end, Olinsky said, real resistance might come only once Americans start realizing that Trump's new government, stripped of all of its experts, is failing them in serious ways. "They do care about their Social Security checks being delivered. They do care about the nation being defended properly. They care that, when they turn on the faucet, they will drink water that won't sicken them and their kids," Olinsky said. "And that's what requires expertise." ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Dave Collum's 2024 Year In Review, Part 1: What Is A Fact?
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