kg7777

kg7777 AP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:46 p.m. EST

Nationwide Blackout Plunges Zimbabwe Into DarknessRomania PM fends off far-right challenge in presidential first roundAP News Summary at 2:48 p.m. EST

Littler, who won the Grand Slam of Darts last week, hit checkouts of 170, 164 and 136 as he threatened to overturn an early deficit, but Humphries held his nerve to win the last three legs. “I’m really, really proud of that one to be honest,” Humphries told Sky Sports. FOR THE SECOND TIME 🏆🏆 Luke Humphries retains his 2024 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals title, beating Luke Littler 11-7 in the final. pic.twitter.com/QUhxvSbGeu — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 24, 2024 “I didn’t feel myself this week playing-wise, I felt like I was a dart behind in a lot of the scenarios but there’s something that Luke does to you. He really drives me, makes me want to be a better player and I enjoy playing him. “He let me in really early in that first session to go 4-1 up, I never looked back and I’m proud that I didn’t take my foot off the gas. These big games are what I live for. “Luke is a special talent and he was right – I said to him I’ve got to get these (titles) early before he wins them all. “I’d love to be up here and hitting 105 averages like Luke is all the time but he’s a different calibre, he’s probably the best player in the world right now but there’s something about me that never gives up. “This is a great way to go into the worlds.” HUMPHRIES GOES BACK-TO-BACK! 🏆 Luke Humphries retains his Players Championship Finals title! Cool Hand puts on an absolute clinic to defeat Luke Littler 11-7 in an epic final! 📺 https://t.co/AmuG0PMn18 #PCF2024 | Final pic.twitter.com/nZDWPUVjWE — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 24, 2024 Littler, who lost the world championship final to Humphries last year, said: “It was tough, missed a few doubles and if you don’t take chances early on, it’s a lot to come back. “I hit the 170 and the 164 but just didn’t have enough in the end. “It’s been a good past two weeks. I just can’t wait to go home, chill out, obviously practice at home for the worlds. That’s it now, leading up to the big one.”

Houston, you have a problem - the Texans are pretenders. After seemingly righting the ship last Monday night with a convincing 34-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys, the Texans lost to the 2-8 Tennessee Titans at home and gave up 32 points in the process. Now, they have lost three of their last four games, dropping their own record to 7-5 and making things much harder on themselves than they need to be. And while they will almost certainly still win the AFC East, the bigger goal is a run to the Super Bowl, and this does not look like a team capable of making such a run. The Texans allowed Will Levis to throw for over 11 yards per attempt and two scores while Tony Pollard racked up 119 yards on five yards per carry. And even when it seemed they were on their way to coming back from a 17-7 deficit and coming out of Week 12 with an 8-4 record, their own ineptitude got in the way. Jimmie Ward seemed swing all momentum back in the favor of Houston with a pick-six at the tail end of the third quarter to put the Texans up 24-23, which was followed by a quick four-play-and-punt drive from the Titans. The Texans got another break when the Titans fumbled a punt following a three-and-out and set them up in plus territory. However, they settled for a field goal, which was immediately followed by a 70-yard touchdown pass from Levis to Chig Okonkwo on the Titans' first play on eht ensuing drive. The Texans had a chance to tie the game late in the fourth, but Ka'imi Fairbairn shanked a 28-yard field goal. And on their last gasp with less than two minutes left, C.J. Stroud took a safety to officially put the game out of reach. And speaking of Stroud, his play has been the most concerning part of this stretch. He threw two interceptions in the loss, and has five in his last three games, Overall this season, he has just 12 touchdown passes to seven interceptions and his 54.5 QBR ranks 23rd in the NFL. On top of that, Houston's pass protection has been abysmal this season, with Stroud being sacked 35 times. And in a conference when you have to get through the Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, and defensively-strong wildcards like the Steelers and Chargers, this Texans team has a lot to get right before January if they want to have any shot of playing in New Orleans come February.IT’S 5pm on Saturday night in Leeds City Centre where bars are already packed full of gangs of raucous women letting their hair down whilst cocktail shakers clatter noisily in the background. An hour later, tables are strewn with empty porn star martini glasses and half-downed bottles of Prosecco, as the lively crowd takes to the dance floor. 7 Samantha Yule used to love letting her hair down with a few drinks out in town Credit: Samantha Yule Following a boozy afternoon it feels like the punters here have already had their fill, and it’s a scene which will play out between now and Christmas in this buzzing northern city where I was born and bred. It’s a place where women certainly know how to let their hair down and I used to be one of them. I've encountered all sorts on nights out - from my mate flashing her t**s and running through a car wash, witnessing an amorous couple having sex in a car park, me backflipping off a table, to another pal being sprayed with a fire extinguisher by a bouncer. That was until I ended up so paralytic after a daytime drinking session with friends in the city I ended up in a car at midnight with strangers who saw me stranded and offered me a lift home. READ MORE FABULOUS REAL LIFE HUGE CONCERN Inside town where third of kids are obese, snacking on £3 belly-buster buffets THE GRAN-BIA The open sex market where Brit grans descend to have sex with young bumsters I vaguely remember getting into a taxi just before, but minutes into the six-mile journey home the driver told me to get out. I’m not sure whether I offended him, or if he was worried I was so drunk that I might be sick in the car, but my next memory is shuffling my way along the side of the road in high heels, completely alone. I was incredibly lucky and made it home unscathed to my husband and two young children, but it’s terrifying to think how differently that night could’ve turned out. 7 She knows only too well how a couple of drinks can escalate Credit: Samantha Yule Binge drinking danger And it was all because I didn’t know my alcohol limits and when I got started I simply couldn’t stop. Most read in Fabulous MYSTIC MEG Love starts strong on commitment, then grows more intimate as the day goes on 'PATHETIC' Trolls call social services to get my babies taken off me, says Charlotte Dawson CASHING IN Influencer slammed for boasting about earning £34m a YEAR through side hustle KISS OFF I'm a hot single mum, strict dating rule might put men off, but weeds out frauds While I've now been predominantly sober since 2020, before I was your 'classic binge drinker' - I didn't see the point in drinking if it wasn't to get p****d. Now, women like me are under the spotlight and the latest statistics are concerning. According to the most up-to-date Department of Health and Social Care figures for Leeds from 2022/23, there were 1,330 female alcohol-related admissions to the city’s two hospitals Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s. The city was also rated the second most dangerous binge drinking city after London in a study by private alcohol rehab clinic, Delamere. Its research looked at the numbers of bars and nightclubs, alcohol-related hospital admissions, off-licences and alcoholism rates combined. 7 Leeds is known for its vibrant, bustling nightlife [stock image] Credit: LNP Endless boozy bottomless brunches Experts say fuelling the statistics are bottomless brunches which are a staple of Leeds, a city which has also been ranked 8th on the list of the booziest cities in the UK according to research by reduced-alcohol retailer DrinkWell - and a huge hit with women rather than men. In a one-mile radius, Leeds City Centre offers 25 bottomless brunch locations which start as low as £26 per person for 90 minutes of unlimited beer, wine and cocktails. Even now in the run up to Christmas when alcohol consumption increases as office parties and boozy nights kick off, one bar has a sign on the window claiming to be the number one bottomless brunch spot in the city. Who is going to pay for a bottomless brunch if you’re only going to have a glass or two? It’s just not worth it. The whole idea of it is to get absolutely smashed. Samantha Yule I was no stranger to a bottomless brunch where me and my friends made the most of the unlimited drinks. The ethos is simple and that’s to binge drink as much alcohol during the time slot. I did around five bottomless brunches before realising they were the devil - they took my binge drinking attitude and multiplied it by five. Women love them, they’re touted as being drinking sophistication, aimed at girls who want to get dressed up and spend the day in a classy bar. We worked our absolute hardest to make sure we got as many refills for the money as possible. Who is going to pay for a bottomless brunch if you’re only going to have a glass or two? It’s just not worth it. The whole idea of it is to get absolutely smashed. 7 More and more people head out to celebrate the festive season at this time of year [stock image] Credit: NB PRESS LTD Sobering statistics In the most recent health survey for England published in September, 78 per cent of women said they had drunk alcohol in the previous 12 months, with 15 per cent drinking at increasing or higher levels of harm per week. Four per cent of women admitted drinking over 35 units per week. According to the most recent ONS statistics, from 2018, liver disease is consistently among the top three causes of death each year among women aged 39-45. And when the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) compared alcohol consumption across 33 countries, British women topped the global chart for binge drinking - defined as at least six drinks in one session. 7 For many party-goers a night out is the perfect opportunity to dress up and let their hair down [stock image] Credit: NB PRESS LTD Relying on kindness of strangers Amin Bini, 49, who owns popular takeaway, Dixy Chicken in Leeds city centre which is open until 4am on weekends, says some female customers - like me - often need help getting home safely. He said: "Sometimes we have to get customers a taxi or you have to charge their phones. “I've woken some people up, given them a free bottle of water and helped them outside so they can get some fresh air. "One woman came in once and we had to call the police and when they arrived they had to call an ambulance." Amin sees his job as being much more than just serving food and he sees it as his responsibility to keep women safe. He said: "You have to be very, very patient with them.. You have to take care of them - when they come into my takeaway, I want them to feel safe. "Especially with females because if they don't know what they're doing, they can put themselves in danger and people outside can take advantage of them. "It's not just serving takeaways, it's managing the situation that you see in front of you.” 7 Takeaway owner Amin often ends up kindly assisting customers who are somewhat worse for wear Credit: Supplied 'Girls' night' association Alcohol-specific deaths are at their highest levels in the UK, since records began in 2001. Although the problem is undoubtedly bigger in men, more women under the age of 45 are dying due to alcohol-related liver disease, or ARLD, than ever before, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures from 2001-22. Meanwhile, Dr Richard Piper, CEO at Alcohol Change UK said alcohol and binge drinking are often dangerously associated with ‘self-care’ for women. He says: “We need only look to sponsorships in prime-time television shows aimed at women, highly visible advertising as they travel to and from work, and the often inescapable (but false) associations between alcohol and self-care - ‘me time’ and ‘girls’ night’ - to see how much effort and investment from alcohol companies goes into placing it in the spotlight of our day-to-day lives and society.” The harms of binge drinking The NHS defines binge drinking as ‘drinking heavily over a short space of time’. More than 8 units of alcohol in a single session for males, or more than 6 units in a single session for females is the technical definition, according to Drinkaware. That’s equivalent to about four pints of normal strength beer for a man or three pints for a woman. When you binge drink, other than getting drunk, your heart rate and blood pressure will rise. It can cause irregular heartbeats, known as arrhythmias. Alcohol increases stomach acid production - queue the nausea and potentially vomiting. You're also likely to experience impaired judgement, coordination, memory blackouts and poor decision making. This could lead to accidents, falls, drownings and other mistakes. Long term, binge drinking can cause acute liver damage and increase the risk of chronic liver diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. Cardiovascular problems include cardiomyopathy - which is when the heart loses the ability to pump blood efficiently - and an increased risk of stroke. Over time, binge drinking can contribute to permanent brain damage. This may present as a mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression. Binge drinking can also lead to alcohol dependence, or "addiction". A high health cost Dr Katherine Severi, Chief Executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies agrees that the ‘targeted tactics’ to encourage binge drinking come at a high cost to women’s health and well-being. She said: “Alarmingly, over the past 20 years, deaths from alcohol among women have increased by 91 per cent. "One major factor behind this trend is the alcohol industry’s targeted marketing towards women. “The recent emergence of ‘bottomless brunches’ is an example of how women are nudged towards social occasions that revolve around heavy drinking. “These targeted tactics are not only effective; they come at a high cost to women’s health and well-being." 'I won't slip back into old ways' Now I'm about to turn 50 later this month, and while I might have the odd glass here and there I steer clear of wine completely and I’m adamant that I won’t slip back into my old ways. Alcohol is the second biggest risk factor for death in the UK - I’m actually thankful that I was pushed into making a decision to quit drinking to excess. The day I reach my sixth decade is a milestone I want to remember. A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “Teams across the council work closely together and with our partners to ensure that people can enjoy Leeds’ thriving hospitality sector safely. “Our licensing team liaises closely with licensed venues supporting them to operate responsibly and meet their legal obligations, such as not supplying alcohol to those who are intoxicated. Read more on the Scottish Sun HERE WE SNOW AGAIN Full list of Scots cities to be hit by blizzards as storm moves in MISSED CHANCE I'm Sir Alex's biggest signing mistake, I tell him whenever I see him "Our guidance includes providing a substantial food offering and drinking water, pacing the provision of drinks, ensuring all staff are vigilant and door supervisors monitor customers leaving the premises. Anyone who is struggling with the impact of drug or alcohol use is encouraged to seek help from Forward Leeds . 7 Samantha has cut down now, and is determined to keep things that way Credit: Samantha Yule

Telangana ACB nabs deputy tehsildar for demanding Rs 6k bribeCommanders activate two-time Pro Bowl DT off IRTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM) Stock Price Down 0.5% – Time to Sell?

Robin Goodfellow's racing tips: Best bets for Monday, November 25 By STEVE RYDER Published: 18:11 EST, 24 November 2024 | Updated: 18:11 EST, 24 November 2024 e-mail View comments Mail Sport's racing expert Robin Goodfellow delivers his tips for Monday's meetings at Kempton and Ludlow. Mail Sport's racing expert Robin Goodfellow delivers his tips for Monday's meetings KEMPTON ROBIN GOODFELLOW 12.30 Moutarde 1.00 Thistle Be The One (nb) 1.30 Iberico Lord 2.00 Craven Bay 2.35 Kateira 3.10 BOURBALI (nap) 3.45 Non Stop GIMCRACK 12.30 Red Cloud 1.00 Groovy Blue 1.30 GIDLEIGH PARK (nap) 2.00 Shantou Express 2.35 Kateira 3.10 Bourbali 3.45 Non Stop LUDLOW ROBIN GOODFELLOW 12.45 Realistic Optimism 1.15 Touchwoodexpress 1.45 Malago Rose 2.15 El Vigaro 2.50 Mr Grey Sky 3.25 Greatness Awaits GIMCRACK 12.45 Meetmebythesea 1.15 Coconut Twist 1.45 Bob O Rhino 2.15 Belle Montrose 2.50 Mr Grey Sky (nb) 3.25 Melton Mossy Share or comment on this article: Robin Goodfellow's racing tips: Best bets for Monday, November 25 e-mail Add commentAaron Judge wins second AL MVP in 3 seasons. Shohei Ohtani expected to win NL honorKyiv: Russia fired a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile at the city of Dnipro on Thursday in response to the US and UK allowing Kyiv to strike Russian territory with advanced Western weapons , in a further escalation of the 33-month-old war. The weapon contained multiple independent warheads, a key design feature of many nuclear weapons. In this screen grab from a video provided by the Come Back Alive Foundation, lights are seen in the sky during a Russian attack on Dnipro, Ukraine. Credit: AP Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a televised address, said Moscow struck a Ukrainian military facility with a new ballistic missile known as Oreshnik (“the hazel”) and warned that more could follow. “A regional conflict in Ukraine previously provoked by the West has acquired elements of a global character,” Putin said in an address to the nation carried by state television after 8pm Moscow time (0400 Friday AEDT). A US official said Washington was pre-notified by Russia shortly before its strike, while another said they had briefed Kyiv and other close allies in recent days to prepare for the possible use of such a weapon. Earlier on Thursday, Kyiv said that Russia had fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM ), a weapon designed for long-distance nuclear strikes and never before used in war, though US officials said it was an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that has a smaller range. Putin addresses the nation from the Kremlin in Moscow. Credit: AP Regardless of its classification, the latest strike highlighted rapidly rising tensions in the past several days. Ukraine fired US and British missiles at targets inside Russia this week despite warnings by Moscow that it would see such action as a major escalation. “Today, there was a new Russian missile. All the characteristics – speed, altitude – are (of an) intercontinental ballistic (missile). An expert investigation is currently under way,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video statement. Rescue workers put out a fire of a burning house damaged by a Russian strike on Dnipro, Ukraine. Credit: AP Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry urged the international community to react swiftly to the use of what it said was “the use by Russia of a new type of weaponry”. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russia likely possesses a handful of the “experimental” IRBMs used in Thursday’s strike. Ukraine’s air force said the missile targeted Dnipro in central-eastern Ukraine and was fired from the Russian region of Astrakhan, more than 700 kilometres away. It did not specify what kind of warhead the missile was carrying, and there was no suggestion it was nuclear-armed. Intermediate-range ballistic missiles have a range of 3000 – 5500 kilometres. “Whether it was an ICBM or an IRBM, the range isn’t the important factor,” said Fabian Hoffmann, a doctoral research fellow at Oslo University specialising in missile technology and nuclear strategy. “The fact that it carried a MIRV-ed (Multiple Independently targetable Re-entry Vehicle) payload is much more significant for signalling purposes and is the reason Russia opted for it. This payload is exclusively associated with nuclear-capable missiles.” Russia also fired a Kinzhal hypersonic missile and seven Kh-101 cruise missiles at Dnipro, targeting enterprises and critical infrastructure, six of which were shot down, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Dnipro was a missile-making centre in the Soviet era. Ukraine has expanded its military industry during the war but has kept its whereabouts secret. The air force did not say what the missile targeted or whether it had caused any damage, but regional Governor Serhiy Lysak said the attack damaged an industrial enterprise and set off fires the city. Two people were hurt. Ukrainska Pravda , a Kyiv-based media outlet, had cited anonymous sources saying the missile was an RS-26 Rubezh, a solid-fuelled ICBM with a range of 5,800 kilometres, according to the Arms Control Association. A group of glowing projectiles could be seen plummeting to the ground from the night sky in a video published by Come Back Alive, a Ukrainian military charity. It said the video was of Dnipro overnight. The NATO military alliance did not respond to a request for comment. The US European Command said it had nothing on the reported use of an ICBM and referred questions to the US Department of Defence. Act of deterrence Some military experts said the missile launch if confirmed, could be seen as an act of deterrence by Moscow following Kyiv’s strikes into Russia with Western weapons this week. Russian war correspondents on Telegram and an official speaking on condition of anonymity said Kyiv fired British Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia’s Kursk region bordering Ukraine on Wednesday. Russia’s Defence Ministry, in its daily report of events over the previous 24 hours on Thursday, said air defences had shot down two British Storm Shadow cruise missiles but did not say where. Britain had previously let Ukraine use Storm Shadows only within Ukrainian territory. Ukraine also fired American ATACMS missiles into Russia on Tuesday after US President Joe Biden gave the all-clear to use such missiles in this way, two months before he leaves office and Donald Trump returns to the White House. Putin on Tuesday lowered Russia’s threshold for a nuclear strike in response to a broader range of conventional attacks. Trump has said he will end the war, without saying how, and has criticised billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine under Biden. The warring sides believe Trump is likely to push for peace talks – not known to have been held since the war’s earliest months – and are trying to attain strong positions before negotiations. Moscow has said the use of Western weapons to strike Russian territory far from the border would be a major escalation. Kyiv says it needs the capability to defend itself by hitting Russian bases used to support its forces in Ukraine. Reuters Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here .

2 Incredible Growth Stocks to Buy With $1,000 Right NowLittler, who won the Grand Slam of Darts last week, hit checkouts of 170, 164 and 136 as he threatened to overturn an early deficit, but Humphries held his nerve to win the last three legs. “I’m really, really proud of that one to be honest,” Humphries told Sky Sports. FOR THE SECOND TIME 🏆🏆 Luke Humphries retains his 2024 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals title, beating Luke Littler 11-7 in the final. pic.twitter.com/QUhxvSbGeu — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 24, 2024 “I didn’t feel myself this week playing-wise, I felt like I was a dart behind in a lot of the scenarios but there’s something that Luke does to you. He really drives me, makes me want to be a better player and I enjoy playing him. “He let me in really early in that first session to go 4-1 up, I never looked back and I’m proud that I didn’t take my foot off the gas. These big games are what I live for. “Luke is a special talent and he was right – I said to him I’ve got to get these (titles) early before he wins them all. “I’d love to be up here and hitting 105 averages like Luke is all the time but he’s a different calibre, he’s probably the best player in the world right now but there’s something about me that never gives up. “This is a great way to go into the worlds.” HUMPHRIES GOES BACK-TO-BACK! 🏆 Luke Humphries retains his Players Championship Finals title! Cool Hand puts on an absolute clinic to defeat Luke Littler 11-7 in an epic final! 📺 https://t.co/AmuG0PMn18 #PCF2024 | Final pic.twitter.com/nZDWPUVjWE — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 24, 2024 Littler, who lost the world championship final to Humphries last year, said: “It was tough, missed a few doubles and if you don’t take chances early on, it’s a lot to come back. “I hit the 170 and the 164 but just didn’t have enough in the end. “It’s been a good past two weeks. I just can’t wait to go home, chill out, obviously practice at home for the worlds. That’s it now, leading up to the big one.”China has unveiled amphibious assault ship with jet-launching capability. The first Type 076 ship features an electromagnetic catapult enabling fighter jets to launch from its deck, according to Xinhua. The new vessel, independently developed and named after Sichuan Province in Southwest China, was launched at a ceremony and given hull number 51. Integrating troop deployment and air support capabilities For over a decade, China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy has focused on modernizing its fleet to expand its reach beyond coastal waters and operate globally. The Fujian, China’s domestically built aircraft carrier launched two years ago, was the first to use new electromagnetic technology for launching fighter jets. Now, the Sichuan features a double island superstructure, a full-length flight deck, and advanced electromagnetic catapult and arresting technology. It can carry fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and amphibious equipment. The Type 076 amphibious assault ship stands out for its large displacement (a full load displacement of more than 40,000 tons), ranking among the highest globally. This allows it to carry more weapons and equipment, extend its range, and enhance its combat capabilities, according to Chinese military expert Zhang Junshe, speaking to the Global Times . Zhang added that the Sichuan is the world’s first amphibious assault ship with electromagnetic launching technology, allowing it to carry both helicopters and fighter jets like the J-15. The technology increases launch efficiency and speed, giving the Type 076 strong capabilities in air superiority and land assault missions. With strong amphibious assault capabilities, the vessel can carry an amphibious combat battalion for rapid deployment to target areas. It also offers versatile combat capabilities, able to perform both horizontal landings and airborne operations, the expert further noted. New Type 076 amphibious assault ship set to carry more aircraft As of 2024, the PLA Navy has commissioned three Type 075 amphibious assault ships: the Hainan, Guangxi, and Anhui. The first Type 075 was launched on September 25, 2019, and commissioned on April 23, 2021. Chinese military expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times that the new Type 076 is larger than the Type 075 and can carry more aircraft . He added that the Type 076 is expected to support both manned and unmanned aerial combat platforms, making it nearly a light aircraft carrier. The Type 076 amphibious assault ship incorporates elements from destroyer and frigate radars, the electromagnetic catapult of the Fujian aircraft carrier, and the design of the Type 075, according to Song. As the first ship of its kind, it highlights China’s progress in warship design, making advanced features more feasible, Song said. Along with the launch of the first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, the PLA Navy’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, began sea trials with its maiden voyage on May 1 of this year, following its launch on June 17, 2022. It has since completed several additional test voyages. Moreover, China, which has the largest navy in the world, is actively working to upgrade its fleet. Recently, researchers discovered that the country is designing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, enabling it to deploy ships in distant waters without relying on a base for refueling.

None

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Buys New Stake in Veeva Systems Inc. (NYSE:VEEV)None8 Beauty Gifts for Busy Moms That Will Actually Get Used

Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday picked a side in Illinois’ long-running debate over how to regulate delta-8 and other hemp-derived products, throwing his support behind a bill that would effectively ban most sales of the weedlike substances that have soared in popularity thanks to a loophole in federal law. Pritzker called it a matter of protecting children, despite the vehement opposition of hemp industry advocates who say state Sen. Kimberly Lightford’s bill would wipe out thousands of jobs and criminalize nonintoxicating CBD products at the benefit of billion-dollar cannabis corporations. “As this market has flourished, there have been far too many stories of people, especially children, ingesting intoxicating hemp products and getting sick,” Pritzker said during a West Loop news conference. He held up bags labeled “Nerdy Bears,” an example of the unregulated psychoactive gummies that are packaged to resemble familiar candy brands. The bill sponsored by Lightford, a Hillside Democrat, would limit sales of most hemp-derived products to licensed cannabis dispensaries, except for beverages, which would be allowable for licensed alcohol sellers and distributors. But pending a lengthy evaluation period to set consumer safety and licensing standards, most of the hemp product merchants who have proliferated in an estimated $800 million industry would be cut out completely. Pritzker, who championed weed legalization when he took office, has long called for regulations on hemp products, as have leaders of both the cannabis and hemp lobbies. The governor said Lightford’s approach was better than alternatives offered up by hemp industry leaders who welcome stringent licensing requirements that would let them stay in business. “I understand that there are a lot of stores that are selling these products that would not be able to sell these products,” Pritzker said. “But typically, they’re not stores that are dedicated to this product. There are a few, but mostly these are convenience stores, gas stations. They’ve got other products that they sell. They wouldn’t go out of business not selling this one.” Lightford’s bill passed the Illinois Senate by a 54-1 vote in the spring, but never made it to the statehouse floor . It’ll require a three-fifths House majority to pass it by the end of the lame duck session Jan. 7. West Side state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, will be fighting it. He’s pushing to limit sales to people 21 or older, require manufacturers to undergo product testing to obtain $500 licenses, impose a 10% tax rate on sellers and — most importantly — allow current sellers to stay in the market. “To think we’re going to turn back the hands of time for a prohibition when we thought we learned from the prohibition of cannabis — that’s what’s most disappointing,” Ford said. “With synthetic drugs being spewed in communities, when you drive it to the underground market, it makes it more dangerous for people, and that was the main reason we regulated cannabis.” The hemp-based brouhaha centers around delta-8, the mind-altering substance that can be derived from the plant, which federal lawmakers didn’t account for when they legalized sales of hemp derivatives in 2018. Other derivatives like CBD are used in a wide array of lotions, oils, shampoo and more popular wellness products that don’t have psychoactive effects. Lightford said her bill “protects consumers, helps our cannabis industry flourish, keeps the promise to our social equity communities and doesn’t stifle reputable hemp business establishments.” But Jennifer Weiss said she’s terrified the proposed legislation would drive her out of business at Cubbington’s Cabinet, her Victorian-inspired apothecary in the Roscoe Village neighborhood. “Almost every single thing that I sell, due to the various components of the bill, would be banned,” said Weiss, who added that she opened the shop in 2020 specifically because of the lack of regulations around hemp products. “I wanted to provide a trustworthy source of these products. We’ve been pushing for thoughtful regulation.” Charles Wu, CEO of Chi’Tiva locations and director of the Illinois Hemp Business Association, estimated 10,000 people would be put out of work from the hemp product industry if Lightford’s bill becomes law. He called it “an unjust and cynical attempt to protect the handful of billionaires who own most of the licensed cannabis industry.” “It’s like a Coke vs. Pepsi situation, and Coke gets to make all the rules, which is not cool,” Wu said. “We’re not the bad guys. We’re not like the out-of-staters who are shipping in this [lookalike packaging] crap that the cannabis side tries to paint us as. We have been willing and asking for much more strict, limiting licensing.” Tiffany Chappell Ingram, director of the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, said in a statement that “we look forward to working collaboratively to put in place a measure that will empower consumers, protect public health and help ensure our state’s legal cannabis industry can reach its full potential.”Peaky Blinders creator says the upcoming film ‘won’t be the end’ for the dramaMāori All Blacks advisor Te Wehi Wright calls for unity after TJ Perenara’s final haka

Man United transfer news: Arsenal, Red Devils receive boost in Evan Ferguson chase?

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority says a machinery fire this morning at a Delta, B.C., terminal facility has been put out and no injuries were reported. The authority says in a written statement that a coal stacker caught fire at a facility operated by Westshore Terminals, temporarily shutting operations at the terminal and a neighbouring facility operated by GCT Deltaport. The statement says the Delta fire department responded “immediately,” and the blaze has now been put out but fire officials are still on scene to monitor the site. The port authority says no injuries were reported, and Westshore is “continuing to manage” the response with Delta fire officials. Video footage posted online Saturday shows thick black smoke billowing upwards from a conveyor engulfed in flames at the facility. Photos posted on social media also show the smoke on the horizon visible from the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2024.América vs. Monterrey: where and at what time to watch the Final this Sunday?

The New Orleans Saints hit a reset on the future of their organization when they parted ways with head coach Dennis Allen earlier this year. The Saints started the 2024 season strong, beating the Panthers and Cowboys in their first two games of the year and posting over 40 points in back-to-back contests. Then New Orleans lost seven-straight games and the wheels fell off the operation, with Allen getting fired and replaced with special teams coach Darren Rizzi as the team’s interim HC. The change sparked an instant culture turnaround, and the Saints went on to win two-straight games, but have lost three out of their last four matchups and are heading into the offseason with several question marks heading into 2025. One of the biggest decisions to be made about the future is whether to ride with Derek Carr as the team’s QB , who is under contract through 2026. It would be costly for the Saints to cut Carr, but the former Raiders signal caller has been average to say the least. Even with major questions surrounding the quarterback, Bleacher Report has the Saints hiring Detroit Lions DC Aaron Glenn as their next head coach: The Saints are going to be in an odd position next season. They probably lack the overall talent needed to continue chasing the playoffs with a bloated payroll—they're projected to be $78 million over the salary cap—but they may not have the financial flexibility to engage in a fresh start. New Orleans needs a coach willing to work with ownership and general manager Mickey Loomis to navigate the tearing-down portion of a rebuild while getting the most out of a patchwork roster. Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is the perfect candidate. His work with Detroit's injury-depleted defense this season has been impressive. Although the team has lost multiple starters, he keeps rolling out a squad capable of winning games. The 52-year-old also has ties to New Orleans, having served as its defensive backs coach from 2016 to 2020. His connection to the Saints, the front office and franchise owner Gayle Benson could be vital, as all parties will likely head into 2025 knowing the next couple of seasons could be unpleasantCAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will be receiving an increase in its budget in 2025, according to Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri. In his keynote speech at the closing plenary of the 2024 Philippine Textile Industry Forum at the Limketkai Luxe Hotel here, Zubiri revealed that from the P26.9 billion that was approved at the House of Representatives level, the DOST is slated to receive over P29 billion after the Senate panel increased its budget during the deliberations at the Bicameral Conference Committee. Register to read this story and more for free . Signing up for an account helps us improve your browsing experience. OR See our subscription options.CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets will be without point guard LaMelo Ball for at least two weeks because of a strained left calf. Ball felt discomfort in his calf after Wednesday night’s loss to the Miami Heat and did not play against the New York Knicks on Friday. The team said he will be reevaluated on Dec. 11, which is two weeks from the date of the original injury. Ball has been hot for the Hornets, averaging 40.3 points in his last four games. He is averaging a career-best 31.1 points and 4.7 3-pointers per game for the season, which ranks second in the NBA. He also is averaging 5.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 18 starts. Ball has had a history of injury problems, mostly to his ankles, since coming to the league as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. The only Hornets player to ever receive a max contract extension, Ball has played in just 202 games with 182 starts in five seasons. The team also said guard Tre Mann’s lower back soreness has been diagnosed as a disk irritation. His absence from the lineup began on Nov. 23 against Milwaukee. He will continue his rehabilitation and be reevaluated in two weeks. The Hornets' next game is Saturday night against the Atlanta Hawks. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump's lawyers urged a judge again Friday to throw out his hush money conviction, balking at the prosecution's suggestion of preserving the verdict by treating the case the way some courts do when a defendant dies. They called the idea "absurd." The Manhattan district attorney's office is asking Judge Juan M. Merchan to "pretend as if one of the assassination attempts against President Trump had been successful," Trump's lawyers wrote in a 23-page response. In court papers made public Tuesday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books after Trump's lawyers filed paperwork this month asking for the case to be dismissed. They include freezing the case until Trump leaves office in 2029, agreeing that any future sentence won't include jail time, or closing the case by noting he was convicted but that he wasn't sentenced and his appeal wasn't resolved because of presidential immunity. Former President Donald Trump appears May 30 at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York. Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove reiterated Friday their position that the only acceptable option is overturning his conviction and dismissing his indictment, writing that anything less will interfere with the transition process and his ability to lead the country. The Manhattan district attorney's office declined comment. It's unclear how soon Merchan will decide. He could grant Trump's request for dismissal, go with one of the prosecution's suggestions, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump's parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court, or choose some other option. In their response Friday, Blanche and Bove ripped each of the prosecution's suggestions. Halting the case until Trump leaves office would force the incoming president to govern while facing the "ongoing threat" that he'll be sentenced to imprisonment, fines or other punishment as soon as his term ends, Blanche and Bove wrote. Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. The prosecution's suggestion that Merchan could mitigate those concerns by promising not to sentence Trump to jail time on presidential immunity grounds is also a non-starter, Blanche and Bove wrote. The immunity statute requires dropping the case, not merely limiting sentencing options, they contend. Attorney Todd Blanche listens May 30 as his client Donald Trump speaks at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York. Blanche and Bove, both of whom Trump tapped for high-ranking Justice Department positions, expressed outrage at the prosecution's novel suggestion that Merchan borrow from Alabama and other states and treat the case as if Trump died. Blanche and Bove accused prosecutors of ignoring New York precedent and attempting to "fabricate" a solution "based on an extremely troubling and irresponsible analogy between President Trump" who survived assassination attempts in Pennsylvania in July and Florida in September "and a hypothetical dead defendant." Such an option normally comes into play when a defendant dies after being convicted but before appeals are exhausted. It is unclear whether it is viable under New York law, but prosecutors suggested that Merchan could innovate in what's already a unique case. "This remedy would prevent defendant from being burdened during his presidency by an ongoing criminal proceeding," prosecutors wrote in their filing this week. But at the same time, it wouldn't "precipitously discard" the "meaningful fact that defendant was indicted and found guilty by a jury of his peers." Prosecutors acknowledged that "presidential immunity requires accommodation" during Trump's impending return to the White House but argued that his election to a second term should not upend the jury's verdict, which came when he was out of office. Longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Other world leaders don't enjoy the same protection. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges even as he leads that nation's wars in Lebanon and Gaza. President-elect Donald Trump attends a Dec. 7 meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Trump has fought for months to reverse his May 30 conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors said he fudged the documents to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier, which Trump denies. Trump's hush money conviction was in state court, meaning a presidential pardon — issued by Biden or himself when he takes office — would not apply to the case. Presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes. Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith ended his two federal cases, which pertained to Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and allegations that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. A separate state election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, is largely on hold. Trump denies wrongdoing in each case. Trump was scheduled for sentencing in the hush money case in late November, but following Trump's Nov. 5 election win, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed the former and future president's sentencing so the defense and prosecution could weigh in on the future of the case. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. FILE - Former Rep. Doug Collins speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign event at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Oct. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China, saying in a social media post that the former CEO “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.” Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a primary against Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Perdue pushed Trump's debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for governor. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Guilfoyle is a former California prosecutor and television news personality who led the fundraising for Trump's 2020 campaign and became engaged to Don Jr. in 2020. Trump called her “a close friend and ally” and praised her “sharp intellect make her supremely qualified.” Guilfoyle was on stage with the family on election night. “I am so proud of Kimberly. She loves America and she always has wanted to serve the country as an Ambassador. She will be an amazing leader for America First,” Don Jr. posted. The ambassador positions must be approved by the U.S. Senate. Guilfoyle said in a social media post that she was “honored to accept President Trump’s nomination to serve as the next Ambassador to Greece and I look forward to earning the support of the U.S. Senate.” Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Customs and Border Protection, with its roughly 60,000 employees, falls under the Department of Homeland Security. It includes the Border Patrol, which Rodney Scott led during Trump's first term, and is essentially responsible for protecting the country's borders while facilitating trade and travel. Scott comes to the job firmly from the Border Patrol side of the house. He became an agent in 1992 and spent much of his career in San Diego. When he was appointed head of the border agency in January 2020, he enthusiastically embraced Trump's policies. After being forced out under the Biden administration, Scott has been a vocal supporter of Trump's hard-line immigration agenda. He appeared frequently on Fox News and testified in Congress. He's also a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Trump says he’s picking Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, installing a staunch loyalist who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor and a Senate seat to head the congressionally funded broadcaster that provides independent news reporting around the world. Lake endeared herself to Trump through her dogmatic commitment to the falsehood that both she and Trump were the victims of election fraud. She has never acknowledged losing the gubernatorial race and called herself the “lawful governor” in her 2023 book, “Unafraid: Just Getting Started.” Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Ron Johnson, Ambassador to Mexico Johnson — not the Republican senator — served as ambassador to El Salvador during Trump's first administration. His nomination comes as the president-elect has been threatening tariffs on Mexican imports and the mass deportation of migrants who have arrived to the U.S.-Mexico border. Johnson is also a former U.S. Army veteran and was in the Central Intelligence Agency. Tom Barrack, Ambassador to Turkey Barrack, a wealthy financier, met Trump in the 1980s while helping negotiate Trump’s purchase of the renowned Plaza Hotel. He was charged with using his personal access to the former president to secretly promote the interests of the United Arab Emirates, but was acquitted of all counts at a federal trial in 2022. Trump called him a “well-respected and experienced voice of reason.” Andrew Ferguson, Federal Trade Commission Ferguson, who is already one of the FTC's five commissioners, will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behavior. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” Jacob Helberg, undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment Dan Bishop, deputy director for budget at the Office of Budget and Management Leandro Rizzuto, Ambassador to the Washington-based Organization of American States Dan Newlin, Ambassador to Colombia Peter Lamelas, Ambassador to Argentina Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Trump's lawyers rebuff DA's idea for upholding his hush money conviction

Herbert tosses 3 TD passes and Chargers secure a playoff spot with a 40-7 rout of PatriotsAmeraCell Bio Hacking in Katy, Texas with Cutting-Edge Life Science Solutions