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xslot88.kg.co Meet Olivia Ponton, Model Who Called 911 To Report Joe Burrow's Home Break-InOTTAWA -- Carter George is heading to the World Junior Hockey Championship The 18-year-old goaltender from Thunder Bay has been named to Canada's national under-20 team for this year's tournament, which begins on Boxing Day in Ottawa. George, who plays in the Ontario Hockey League for the Owen Sound Attack, officially made the squad on Friday afternoon following the conclusion of Hockey Canada's selection camp. The Los Angeles Kings prospect one of three goaltenders on the roster . The other two are Carson Bjarnason of the Western Hockey League's Brandon Wheat Kings and Jack Ivankovic of the Ontario Hockey League's Brampton Steelheads. Bjarnason is a signed prospect of the Philadelphia Flyers and Ivankovic is eligible to be selected at the 2026 National Hockey League draft. George is the first player from Thunder Bay to play for Canada at the World Juniors since goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood in 2016. This marks the third time that George has represented his country on the international stage. He won a gold medal at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2024 World Under-18 Hockey Championship. Canada's first action will be during a pre-tournament game against Switzerland on Dec. 19 in Ottawa. They also have exhibition contests with Sweden and Czechia on Dec. 21 and 23 respectively. The team's first round-robin matchup is against Finland on Boxing Day.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden kicked off his final holiday season at the White House on Monday by issuing the traditional reprieve to two turkeys who will bypass the Thanksgiving table to live out their days in southern Minnesota. Biden welcomed 2,500 guests to the South Lawn under sunny skies as he cracked jokes about the fates of “Peach” and “Blossom” and sounded wistful tones about the last weeks of his presidency after a half-century in Washington power circles. “It’s been the honor of my life. I’m forever grateful,” Biden said, taking note of his impending departure on Jan. 20, 2025. That's when power will transfer to Republican President-elect Donald Trump, the man Biden defeated four years ago and was battling again until he was pressured to bow out of the race amid concerns about his age and viability. Biden is 82. People are also reading... Until Inauguration Day, the president and first lady Jill Biden will continue a busy run of festivities that will double as their long goodbye. The White House schedule in December is replete with holiday parties for various constituencies, from West Wing staff to members of Congress and the White House press corps. Biden relished the brief ceremony with the pardoned turkeys, named for the official flower of the president's home state of Delaware. “The peach pie in my state is one of my favorites,” he said during remarks that were occasionally interrupted by Peach gobbling atop the table to Biden's right. “Peach is making a last-minute plea,” Biden said at one point, drawing laughter from an overflow crowd that included Cabinet members, White House staff and their families, and students from 4H programs and Future Farmers of America chapters. Biden introduced Peach as a bird who “lives by the motto, ‘Keep calm and gobble on.’” Blossom, the president said, has a different motto: “No fowl play. Just Minnesota nice.” Peach and Blossom came from the farm of John Zimmerman, near the southern Minnesota city of Northfield. Zimmerman, who has raised about 4 million turkeys, is president of the National Turkey Federation, the group that has gifted U.S. presidents Thanksgiving turkeys since the Truman administration after World War II. President Harry Truman, however, preferred to eat the birds. Official pardon ceremonies did not become an annual White House tradition until the administration of President George H.W. Bush in 1989. With their presidential reprieve, Peach and Blossom will live out their days at Farmamerica, an agriculture interpretative center near Waseca in southern Minnesota. The center's aim is to promote agriculture and educate future farmers and others about agriculture in America. Separately Monday, first lady Jill Biden received the official White House Christmas tree that will be decorated and put on display in the Blue Room. The 18.5 foot (5.64 meters) Fraser fir came from a farm in an area of western North Carolina that recently was devastated by Hurricane Helene . Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm lost thousands of trees in the storm “but this one remained standing and they named it ‘Tremendous’ for the extraordinary hope that it represents,” Jill Biden said at the event. The Bidens were also traveling to New York City on Monday for an evening “Friendsgiving” event at a Coast Guard station on Staten Island. Biden began his valedictory calendar Friday night with a gala for hundreds of his friends, supporters and staff members who gathered in a pavilion erected on the South Lawn, with a view out to the Lincoln Memorial. Cabinet secretaries, Democratic donors and his longest-serving staff members came together to hear from the president and pay tribute, with no evidence that Biden was effectively forced from the Democratic ticket this summer and watched Vice President Kamala Harris suffer defeat on Nov. 5. “I’m so proud that we’ve done all of this with a deep belief in the core values of America,” said Biden, sporting a tuxedo for the black-tie event. Setting aside his criticisms of Trump as a fundamental threat to democracy, Biden added his characteristic national cheerleading: “I fully believe that America is better positioned to lead the world today than at any point in my 50 years of public service.” The first lady toasted her husband with a nod to his 2020 campaign promise to “restore the soul of the nation,” in Trump’s aftermath. With the results on Election Day, however, Biden’s four years now become sandwiched in the middle of an era dominated by Trump's presence on the national stage and in the White House. Even as the first couple avoided the context surrounding the president's coming exit, those political realities were nonetheless apparent, as younger Democrats like Maryland Gov. Wes Moore , Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Biden's Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg not only raised their glasses to the president but held forth with many attendees who could remain in the party's power circles in the 2028 election cycle and beyond. ___ Associated Press writer Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get local news delivered to your inbox!CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 12, 2024-- The Board of Trustees of Barings Participation Investors (NYSE: MPV) (the “Trust”) today announced that it has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share payable on January 17, 2025, to shareholders of record on December 30, 2024. The Trust also announced a special distribution of $0.10 per share payable on January 17, 2025, to shareholders of record on December 30, 2024. Based on current projections through the end of 2024, the Trust expects both dividends will be compromised of net investment income. The final determination of the source and tax characteristics of these distributions will depend upon the Trust’s investment experience during its fiscal year and will be made after the Trust’s year end and will be reported on IRS Form 1099-Div. Cliff Noreen, Chairman, stated, “We are pleased to announce a special distribution of $0.10 per share in addition to the Trust’s quarterly cash dividend of $0.37 per share. The special distribution, which was made possible by non-recurring dividend income received in the fourth quarter, highlights the benefits of the Trust’s equity co-investments to our shareholders.” The next scheduled meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held on February 27, 2025. Barings Participation Investors is a closed-end management investment company advised by Barings LLC. Its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol (“MPV”). Per share amounts are rounded to the nearest cent. PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS Cautionary Notice: Certain statements contained in this press release may be “forward-looking” statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made and which reflect management’s current estimates, projections, expectations or beliefs, and which are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. These statements are subject to change at any time based upon economic, market or other conditions and may not be relied upon as investment advice or an indication of the fund's trading intent. References to specific securities are not recommendations of such securities, and may not be representative of the fund's current or future investments. We undertake no obligation to publicly update forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. About Barings Barings is a $431+ billion* global asset management firm that partners with institutional, insurance, and intermediary clients, and supports leading businesses with flexible financing solutions. The firm, a subsidiary of MassMutual, seeks to deliver excess returns by leveraging its global scale and capabilities across public and private markets in fixed income, real assets and capital solutions. *Assets under management as of September 30, 2024 View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212085549/en/ MediaRelations@barings.com KEYWORD: NORTH CAROLINA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BANKING ASSET MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FINANCE SOURCE: Barings Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/12/2024 04:15 PM/DISC: 12/12/2024 04:17 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212085549/en

MLB NOTESNEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. They were also prime trolling opportunities for Trump. Throughout his first term in the White House and during his campaign to return, Trump has spun out countless provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. There were his belittling nicknames for political opponents, his impressions of other political figures and the plentiful memes he shared on social media. Now that's he's preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. On Sunday, Trump turned a photo of himself seated near a smiling first lady Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony into a social media promo for his new perfume and cologne line, with the tag line, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist!” The first lady’s office declined to comment. When Trudeau hastily flew to Florida to meet with Trump last month over the president-elect's threat to impose a 25% tax on all Canadian products entering the U.S., the Republican tossed out the idea that Canada become the 51st U.S. state. The Canadians passed off the comment as a joke, but Trump has continued to play up the dig, including in a post Tuesday morning on his social media network referring to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” After decades as an entertainer and tabloid fixture, Trump has a flair for the provocative that is aimed at attracting attention and, in his most recent incarnation as a politician, mobilizing fans. He has long relished poking at his opponents, both to demean and minimize them and to delight supporters who share his irreverent comments and posts widely online and cheer for them in person. Trump, to the joy of his fans, first publicly needled Canada on his social media network a week ago when he posted an AI-generated image that showed him standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!” After his latest post, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday: “It sounds like we’re living in a episode of South Park." Trudeau said earlier this week that when it comes to Trump, “his approach will often be to challenge people, to destabilize a negotiating partner, to offer uncertainty and even sometimes a bit of chaos into the well established hallways of democracies and institutions and one of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic.” Even Thanksgiving dinner isn't a trolling-free zone for Trump's adversaries. On Thanksgiving Day, Trump posted a movie clip from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with President Joe Biden and other Democrats’ faces superimposed on the characters in a spoof of the turkey-carving scene. The video shows Trump appearing to explode out of the turkey in a swirl of purple sparks, with the former president stiffly dancing to one of his favorite songs, Village People’s “Y.M.C.A." In his most recent presidential campaign, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, refusing to call his GOP primary opponent by his real name and instead dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He added, for good measure, in a post on his Truth Social network: “I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will.” As he campaigned against Biden, Trump taunted him in online posts and with comments and impressions at his rallies, deriding the president over his intellect, his walk, his golf game and even his beach body. After Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden's spot as the Democratic nominee, Trump repeatedly suggested she never worked at McDonalds while in college. Trump, true to form, turned his mocking into a spectacle by appearing at a Pennsylvania McDonalds in October, when he manned the fries station and held an impromptu news conference from the restaurant drive-thru. Trump’s team thinks people should get a sense of humor. “President Trump is a master at messaging and he’s always relatable to the average person, whereas many media members take themselves too seriously and have no concept of anything else other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “President Trump will Make America Great Again and we are getting back to a sense of optimism after a tumultuous four years.” Though both the Biden and Harris campaigns created and shared memes and launched other stunts to respond to Trump's taunts, so far America’s neighbors to the north are not taking the bait. “I don’t think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy,” Miller said. Gerald Butts, a former top adviser to Trudeau and a close friend, said Trump brought up the 51st state line to Trudeau repeatedly during Trump’s first term in office. “Oh God,” Butts said Tuesday, “At least a half dozen times.” “This is who he is and what he does. He’s trying to destabilize everybody and make people anxious,” Butts said. “He’s trying to get people on the defensive and anxious and therefore willing to do things they wouldn’t otherwise entertain if they had their wits about them. I don’t know why anybody is surprised by it.” ___ Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.Arsenal to be 'offered chance to sign £76million-rated PSG star on loan in January' as cover for Bukayo Saka, who is set to be out until MARCH with hamstring tear

Restoration Hardware is out with third quarter results and shares are up 13% after hours as they were much better than feared. The company isn't shy about sharing its views on the economy so the call later will be notable. Here are some macro highlights of the release: "The positive inflection of our business continued to gain momentum with third quarter demand increasing 13% despite operating in the worst housing market in 30 years." "We do not expect a negative impact to margins as a result of the most recent communications regarding the potential for increased tariffs in 2025. We have been proactively moving sourcing away from China over the past several years with the expectation of fully exiting the country by the end of the second quarter." The company boosted guidance: "Q4 Total Demand growth of 20% to 22%, and Revenue growth of 18% to 20%" I'd file this under: The wealthy and the upper middle class have been doing great in this economy, and the recent gains in the stock market will aid further.

Some Holiday Tasks Can Burn Up to 300 Calories in 30 Minutes — Here's How to Maximize Your To-Do ListBy Amy Tennery NEW YORK (Reuters) – The FBI has warned the NBA that many recent home burglaries targeting professional athletes and high net worth individuals may be connected to sophisticated, transnational theft rings, the league said in a memo obtained by Reuters on Friday. Two players in the NBA had their homes broken into in recent weeks, according to media reports, along with the NFL’s twice MVP Patrick Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs teammate Travis Kelce, who is dating pop superstar Taylor Swift. The memo, which the NBA directed to teams across the league, advised that players should install updated security systems and utilize protective guard services when they are away from home for extended periods of time. “NBA Security received a briefing from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (‘FBI’) that connected many of the home burglaries to transnational South American Theft Groups (‘SATGs’),” the memo read. “These SATGs are reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” The FBI said that the homes that were broken into were all unoccupied and, in most cases, were equipped with alarm systems that had not been activated, according to the memo. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The memo is similar in nature to a document that the NFL sent this week, in which the league advised players to ramp up home security. Around-the-clock media reports and team schedules make it easy to know when players are on the road for extended periods of time and the NFL urged players to exercise caution in what they post to social media. The NFL said that surveillance tactics included attempted home deliveries and individuals posing as joggers or home maintenance workers. (Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, additional reporting by Sarah Lynch in Washington, D.C.) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );Larry Hogan came to Washington with a very simple message on Thursday: America is tired of you. All of you. The former governor of Maryland came up short in his bid to be the first Republican senator from Maryland in decades in November. This week, he gave his first remarks since the election at No Labels, the bipartisan organization he co-chaired before his Senate bid. The Independent was provided with a copy of his prepared remarks, in which the governor touted his ability to significantly outperform the president-elect in the state of Maryland despite his defeat; Hogan also noted that he did so better than any Republican in a statewide election across the country. In the end, an 11.7-point gap separated him from Angela Alsobrooks , the victorious senator-elect. Hogan attributed his success to a rejection of the divisive, dysfunctional status quo — in both parties. “We overperformed the top of the ticket by 17 points — more than any other statewide race in America,” Hogan said, according to the prepared remarks. “We created a model, and forged a path for all those who believe in civility, bipartisan compromise, and common sense for the common good.” His campaign, the governor added, “proved that politics can be more than just red vs. blue.” Hogan’s ability to win over Democrat voters was key to his two successful gubernatorial runs, though it could not quite convince Marylanders that he wouldn’t reliably caucus with MAGA Republicans in the next Senate. Despite his arguments throughout the campaign that he would serve as an independent voice and vote in the Senate, he couldn’t overcome the leftward bent of his state’s politics. The remarks were received with a standing ovation from the group he joined just over three years prior to launching his bid for Senate. While serving at the organization, he was beset by overtures from moderate Republicans in his party to run for president. That path never materialized as Donald Trump reasserted his dominance over the party and trampled over critics and allies alike to complete a near-total sweep of the GOP primaries. Republicans on the Hill leaned on the popular two-term governor to run for Senate as well, given that he was seen as likely the only Republican with a serious shot of winning a seat in Maryland, where a retiring Democratic senator left Republicans a key opening. Hogan told The Independent earlier this year that he eventually decided to run — despite having said thet he did not want to be in the Senate — given his overwhelming frustration with the collapse of negotations around a bipartisan border security and immigration bill the chamber considered in the spring. He took aim at the sentiment which killed that bill again on Thursday, telling No Labels: “Both parties have been doing a lot more subtracting and dividing lately.” “Durable solutions don’t come from ramming policies through on party-line votes,” Hogan said. “They come from honest negotiations, compromise, and a shared sense of responsiblity to serve the people.” Maryland’s former governor gave no signs of any future plans in his remarks, however. Republicans like Mitt Romney who have expressed an interest in remain a part of the GOP’s post-Trump future are taking somewhat of a holding pattern ahead of the president-elect’s second term. Many remain unsure that there will be a post-Trump future for the party, or whether instead the dominance of Trumpism will carry on after 2028.

NEW YORK — Juan Soto put on a New York Mets jersey and cap for the first time Thursday after his record $765 million, 15-year contract was finalized and talked about what made the difference in his decision. “They showed me a lot of love. ... How they're going to make it comfortable for me,” he said. "That's one of the things I was looking for." Soto was introduced at Citi Field a day after his deal was finalized. Speaking in the Piazza 31 Club, he was flanked by Mets owner Steve Cohen, president of baseball operations David Stearns and his agent, Scott Boras. “They always talk about family. They always talk about stick(ing) together,” Soto said. “That's one of the things that opened my eyes.” Security men in gray suits wearing earpieces were off to the side. Soto walked in led by Boras, wearing a dark suit, black turtle neck shirt and gold chain with his No. 22. “I’m excited by the Mets future,” Cohen said. “I think this accelerates our goal of winning championships.” Soto chose the Mets' offer on Sunday, deciding to leave the Yankees after helping them reach the World Series in his only season in the Bronx. SAN FRANCISCO — Willy Adames wasted little time making one thing clear: He wants to play all 162 games for the San Francisco Giants. So when introduced as their new shortstop Thursday, Adames looked to his left and gently put a hand on manager Bob Melvin's right shoulder, smiled and said, “if he lets me.” Melvin might not need much convincing, thrilled to suddenly have stability at a position that lacked continuity this year in his first season as skipper. Adames didn't hesitate to also offer a thought to new boss Buster Posey: He plans to win a few championships with the Giants just like the catcher-turned-executive did here. Surrounded by his parents and other family and friends, Adames was formally introduced and welcomed at Oracle Park after signing a $182 million, seven-year contract — the first big, splashy move made by Posey since he became President of Baseball Operations in late September. “There’s no words to describe my feeling right now to be here in this beautiful city, I’m just so happy to be here,” Adames said. "... This is a dream come true for me. I’m thrilled to be here, I’m so excited. Hopefully we can win a few championships like you did, and that’s one of the main reasons I’m here.” PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic — The trial against Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who has been charged with sexually abusing a minor, sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor, and human trafficking, was postponed on Thursday and scheduled to resume June 2, 2025. Dominican judge Yacaira Veras postponed the hearing at the request of prosecutors because of the absence of several key witnesses in the case. Only three out of 31 witnesses arrived to the hearing on Thursday. Franco’s lawyers asked the court to reconsider the postponement, arguing Franco must report to spring training in mid-February. “There is no case against Wander, for as many witnesses as they present, there is no case now,” Franco's lead lawyer Teodosio Jáquez told The Associated Press after the hearing. The judge replied that Franco is obligated to continue with the trial schedule and his conditional release from detainment. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!Darts prodigy Luke Littler, the much-anticipated Oasis reunion, and the Euros were among the most searched topics by UK Google users this year, according to data released by the tech giant. The company's annual "year in search" report revealed that the Euros - where England's men's team made it to the final before being defeated by Spain - was the top general search term of the year. This was followed by searches for late One Direction member Liam Payne and Jay Slater, who tragically passed away while holidaying in Tenerife earlier this year. Teenager Littler, who exploded onto the darts scene at the start of the year, not only topped the trending athletes list but also ranked third - behind only the Princess of Wales and US president-elect Donald Trump - on the most searched people list. In a year dominated by sport, queries such as "when is the Euros final? " featured prominently in the most searched questions list. American gymnast Simone Biles was third on the most searched athletes list, and "how to watch the Olympics" was a popular search as the Games took place in Paris in August. Away from sport, politics also featured heavily in many of the trending topic categories due to elections in the UK and US. Popular searches included "how to vote in the UK", "when is the General Election", "when is the US election", and Donald Trump, who was second on the most searched people list. The Oasis reunion took centre stage in a monumental year for music, with the band's announcement of their comeback tour igniting a surge in searches for "how to get Oasis tickets". The group outshone even pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter on the musicians list. Matt Cooke from the Google News Initiative remarked: "2024 has been a year of comebacks, curiosity, and community. Whether it’s fans reuniting for Oasis, young sports stars like Luke Littler making waves, or Brits voting in everything from elections to Eurovision, these searches show a nation full of passion and interest."

Darius Tahir | (TNS) KFF Health News President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to run the sprawling government agency that administers Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act marketplace — celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz — recently held broad investments in health care, tech, and food companies that would pose significant conflicts of interest. Oz’s holdings, some shared with family, included a stake in UnitedHealth Group worth as much as $600,000, as well as shares of pharmaceutical firms and tech companies with business in the health care sector, such as Amazon. Collectively, Oz’s investments total tens of millions of dollars, according to financial disclosures he filed during his failed 2022 run for a Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat. Trump said Tuesday he would nominate Oz as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The agency’s scope is huge: CMS oversees coverage for more than 160 million Americans, nearly half the population. Medicare alone accounts for approximately $1 trillion in annual spending, with over 67 million enrollees. UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest health care companies in the nation and arguably the most important business partner of CMS, through which it is the leading provider of commercial health plans available to Medicare beneficiaries. UnitedHealth also offers managed-care plans under Medicaid, the joint state-federal program for low-income people, and sells plans on government-run marketplaces set up via the Affordable Care Act. Oz also had smaller stakes in CVS Health, which now includes the insurer Aetna, and in the insurer Cigna. It’s not clear if Oz, a heart surgeon by training, still holds investments in health care companies, or if he would divest his shares or otherwise seek to mitigate conflicts of interest should he be confirmed by the Senate. Reached by phone on Wednesday, he said he was in a Zoom meeting and declined to comment. An assistant did not reply to an email message with detailed questions. “It’s obvious that over the years he’s cultivated an interest in the pharmaceutical industry and the insurance industry,” said Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a watchdog group. “That raises a question of whether he can be trusted to act on behalf of the American people.” (The publisher of KFF Health News, David Rousseau, is on the CSPI board .) Oz used his TikTok page on multiple occasions in November to praise Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including their efforts to take on the “illness-industrial complex,” and he slammed “so-called experts like the big medical societies” for dishing out what he called bad nutritional advice. Oz’s positions on health policy have been chameleonic; in 2010, he cut an ad urging Californians to sign up for insurance under President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, telling viewers they had a “historic opportunity.” Oz’s 2022 financial disclosures show that the television star invested a substantial part of his wealth in health care and food firms. Were he confirmed to run CMS, his job would involve interacting with giants of the industry that have contributed to his wealth. Given the breadth of his investments, it would be difficult for Oz to recuse himself from matters affecting his assets, if he still holds them. “He could spend his time in a rocking chair” if that happened, Lurie said. In the past, nominees for government positions with similar potential conflicts of interest have chosen to sell the assets or otherwise divest themselves. For instance, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Attorney General Merrick Garland agreed to divest their holdings in relevant, publicly traded companies when they joined the Biden administration. Trump, however, declined in his first term to relinquish control of his own companies and other assets while in office, and he isn’t expected to do so in his second term. He has not publicly indicated concern about his subordinates’ financial holdings. CMS’ main job is to administer Medicare. About half of new enrollees now choose Medicare Advantage, in which commercial insurers provide their health coverage, instead of the traditional, government-run program, according to an analysis from KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News. Proponents of Medicare Advantage say the private plans offer more compelling services than the government and better manage the costs of care. Critics note that Medicare Advantage plans have a long history of costing taxpayers more than the traditional program. UnitedHealth, CVS, and Cigna are all substantial players in the Medicare Advantage market. It’s not always a good relationship with the government. The Department of Justice filed a 2017 complaint against UnitedHealth alleging the company used false information to inflate charges to the government. The case is ongoing. Oz is an enthusiastic proponent of Medicare Advantage. In 2020, he proposed offering Medicare Advantage to all; during his Senate run, he offered a more general pledge to expand those plans. After Trump announced Oz’s nomination for CMS, Jeffrey Singer, a senior fellow at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute, said he was “uncertain about Dr. Oz’s familiarity with health care financing and economics.” Singer said Oz’s Medicare Advantage proposal could require large new taxes — perhaps a 20% payroll tax — to implement. Oz has gotten a mixed reception from elsewhere in Washington. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, the Democrat who defeated Oz in 2022, signaled he’d potentially support his appointment to CMS. “If Dr. Oz is about protecting and preserving Medicare and Medicaid, I’m voting for the dude,” he said on the social platform X. Oz’s investments in companies doing business with the federal government don’t end with big insurers. He and his family also hold hospital stocks, according to his 2022 disclosure, as well as a stake in Amazon worth as much as nearly $2.4 million. (Candidates for federal office are required to disclose a broad range of values for their holdings, not a specific figure.) Amazon operates an internet pharmacy, and the company announced in June that its subscription service is available to Medicare enrollees. It also owns a primary care service , One Medical, that accepts Medicare and “select” Medicare Advantage plans. Oz was also directly invested in several large pharmaceutical companies and, through investments in venture capital funds, indirectly invested in other biotech and vaccine firms. Big Pharma has been a frequent target of criticism and sometimes conspiracy theories from Trump and his allies. Kennedy, whom Trump has said he’ll nominate to be Health and Human Services secretary, is a longtime anti-vaccine activist. During the Biden administration, Congress gave Medicare authority to negotiate with drug companies over their prices. CMS initially selected 10 drugs. Those drugs collectively accounted for $50.5 billion in spending between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023, under Medicare’s Part D prescription drug benefit. At least four of those 10 medications are manufactured by companies in which Oz held stock, worth as much as about $50,000. Related Articles National Politics | Special counsel moves to dismiss election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump National Politics | Donald Trump Jr. emerges as a political force of his own as he helps his father launch a second term National Politics | The rising price of paying the national debt is a risk for Trump’s promises on growth and inflation National Politics | What to know about Brooke Rollins, Trump’s pick for agriculture secretary National Politics | After Trump’s Project 2025 denials, he is tapping its authors and influencers for key roles Oz may gain or lose financially from other Trump administration proposals. For example, as of 2022, Oz held investments worth as much as $6 million in fertility treatment providers. To counter fears that politicians who oppose abortion would ban in vitro fertilization, Trump floated during his campaign making in vitro fertilization treatment free. It’s unclear whether the government would pay for the services. In his TikTok videos from earlier in November, Oz echoed attacks on the food industry by Kennedy and other figures in his “Make America Healthy Again” movement. They blame processed foods and underregulation of the industry for the poor health of many Americans, concerns shared by many Democrats and more mainstream experts. But in 2022, Oz owned stakes worth as much as $80,000 in Domino’s Pizza, Pepsi, and US Foods, as well as more substantial investments in other parts of the food chain, including cattle; Oz reported investments worth as much as $5.5 million in a farm and livestock, as well as a stake in a dairy-free milk startup. He was also indirectly invested in the restaurant chain Epic Burger. One of his largest investments was in the Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain Wawa, which sells fast food and all manner of ultra-processed snacks. Oz and his wife reported a stake in the company, beloved by many Pennsylvanians, worth as much as $30 million. ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Middle East latest: Israel bombs hundreds of sites across Syria as army pushes into border zoneIn a match that could have a significant impact on the relegation battle and race for European football, Heidenheim will welcome Stuttgart to Voith-Arena on Sunday in their 14th Bundesliga match of their campaign. The hosts are third last in 16th place with 10 points and were beaten 4-2 by leaders Bayern Munich last time out in the league on December 7, whereas the visitors are eighth with 20 points from 13 games and narrowly defeated Union Berlin 3-2 on December 6. © Imago Heidenheim started the season in strong fashion, winning their first five games, but they now occupy the division's relegation playoff spot and have won just four times in 17 matches, losing each of their last six in all competitions. This period of defeats also includes a 3-1 loss against Istanbul Basaksehir in the Conference League on Thursday, a fixture in which they faced four big chances and conceded twice in the first 18 minutes. Manager Frank Schmidt admitted that his side were outclassed, telling reporters: "We were shown off from the first to the last second, by an opponent who punished our mistakes from the beginning." Schmidt's team have conceded 21 goals in their six most recent fixtures while scoring six times, and they have lost seven and drawn one of their past eight Bundesliga outings. Heidenheim's record at home is poor considering they are winless in their last five at Voith-Arena, scoring just once and conceding on 10 occasions while succumbing to defeat four times. © Imago Meanwhile, Stuttgart trailed Union Berlin 2-0 after 48 minutes but managed to score three times between the 51st and 59th minutes to turn the game around. Though boss Sebastian Hoeness was pleased with the victory, he still criticised his players for their poor first-half performance, saying: "It was difficult to see what we played in the first half today, Of course, Union can defend well, and yet we weren't brave enough and lost many important duels." Hoeness's team also triumphed 5-1 against Young Boys in the Champions League on Wednesday despite conceding first after six minutes, and the result means the team are now 26th in the league phase table , one point and two places from a round of 16 playoff spot. Die Roten's record of 26 goals netted and 23 conceded in the Bundesliga is the top flight's fifth-best offensive and 11th best defensive return. Stuttgart come into the clash in good form having won their last three games by a cumulative score of 11-3 and have only lost one of their past six matches in the league, winning three and drawing two. However, the club have been poor on the road this term given they have lost three, drawn three and won just two of their eight most recent away games, and are winless in their last four away fixtures in the Bundesliga. © Imago Schmidt rested goalkeeper Kevin Muller and defender Patrick Mainka against Istanbul Basaksehir, and it would be surprising if he left them out of the starting lineup on Sunday. However, the hosts will be without midfielders Luka Janes , Julian Niehues , and this could mean that Jan Schoppner and Niklas Dorsch may start in a double pivot. Forward Marvin Pieringer has been ruled out while Mikkel Kaufmann is a doubt, so expect to see an attack consisting of Paul Wanner , Leo Scienza and Mathias Honsak . As for the visitors, they will not be able to select defender Dan-Axel Zagadou , so perhaps they will field a back four of Josha Vagnoman , Anthony Rouault , Julian Chabot and Maximilian Mittelstadt . Stuttgart have several injury concerns in attack, with Deniz Undav , El Bilal Toure , Jamie Leweling and Luca Raimund set to miss Sunday's match, and their absence could lead Hoeness to start Enzo Millot , Nick Woltemade , Chris Fuhrich and Ermedin Demirovic in the forward line. In midfield, the visitors are almost certain to select Angelo Stiller , and he may be partnered by Atakan Karazor . Heidenheim possible starting lineup: Muller; Maloney, Mainka, Gimber; Traore, Schoppner, Dorsch, Fohrenbach; Wanner, Scienza; Honsak Stuttgart possible starting lineup: Nubel; Vagnoman, Rouault, Chabot, Mittelstadt; Karazor, Stiller; Millot, Woltemade, Fuhrich; Demirovic Stuttgart have been devastating in front of goal in the past weeks, and they will feel confident they can take advantage of their struggling hosts. However, Heidenheim could occasionally create good opportunities in the final third given the visitors have not been defensively resilient of late. For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here .Every year we kick off the holiday season with a roundup of books recommended by the War on the Rocks team. Enrich your friends’ libraries, get a family book club going, or treat yourself to something new. We hope you enjoy! Kerry Anderson MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman , Ben Hubbard . This book came out in 2020 so isn’t brand new, but it offers thorough research and balanced insights from journalist Ben Hubbard into the rise of the Saudi crown prince. Given MBS’s important role in the modern Middle East and beyond, this is an essential book to understand his background and vision. The Iran Wars: Spy Games, Bank Battles, and the Secret Deals that Reshaped the Middle East , Jay Solomon . This book also isn’t new, dating back to 2016, but it offers crucial reporting on U.S.-Iran relations under the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. Solomon weaves together Iran’s role in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the development of its nuclear program. Benjamin Armstrong To Fix a National Character: The United States in the First Barbary War, 1800–1805 , Abigail Mullen . The First Barbary War has been the focus of a number of books, including by hosts of Fox & Friends. However, Abby Mullen’s new look at the conflict is going to rapidly become the “go-to” book. Looking at the American efforts in the Mediterranean in width, depth, and with context, she broadens the traditional military history to include the diplomatic, economic, and political histories involved. The book offers us important insights on how navies, maritime security, asymmetric military campaigns, and undeclared wars integrate with all of the elements of national power, and helped define the Early American approach to the world. Too Far on a Whim: The Limits of High-Steam Propulsion in the US Navy , Tyler Pitrof . Today we read a lot about technological innovation, adaptation, and the integration of new ships and ship designs into the navies of the world. We regularly see articles about “conservative” military bureaucracies. But what about when a military goes all-in on a new technology that actually doesn’t end up working as advertised? Tyler Pitrof’s new book on the innovations in steam propulsion during the interwar years flips much of what we’ve known about the technological history on its head. Tyler upends decades of received wisdom, showing that “high steam” didn’t actually work and that it had profound operational implications in the Pacific during World War II. This book is a must-read for those interested in how new technologies impact operations and strategy for the navies of the world. Nora Bensahel Orbital , Samantha Harvey . This little gem of a novel just won the prestigious Booker Prize for its lyrical meditation on our world and those who view it from above. It takes place during a single day in the lives of six people aboard the International Space Station, with the minimalist plot providing access to their innermost observations and plots. When David Barno and I recommended this lovely book on our summer vacation reading list, we wrote that the “elegantly breathtaking language borders on poetry, describing the otherworldly experience of astronauts encountering one sunrise and sunset after another, broken by stunning vistas of a fragile Earth slowly unfolding below — a glimpse of eternity.” It’s an equally good pick for your winter holidays, as you huddle indoors, warm yourself by a fire, and ponder how our small blue planet fits within the immensity of the universe. All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me , Patrick Bringley . I grew up just a few blocks away from the Met, and when I was in sixth grade I spent at least one day each weekend exploring the treasures of its vast collection. I’d wander for hours without a map, and when the closing bell rang at 4:45pm, I’d ask one of the security guards to help me find the nearest exit. Bringley spent a decade as one of those guards, after a family tragedy led him to quit a promising career at The New Yorker and process his grief in one of the most beautiful places in the world. You don’t need to know anything about art to appreciate this slim volume. Indeed, I most enjoyed reading about the close-knit community of 500 guards, hailing from dozens of countries, whose daily lives unfold alongside some of the greatest artworks ever made. Claude Berube Napoleon: A Life , Andrew Roberts . This is, perhaps, the second-best biography I’ve read. Meticulously researched, Roberts provides a better understanding of this complex Corsican and how, with very little, he rose to power. At the time, I was teaching at the US Naval Academy and made sure my students were aware of how voracious a reader Bonaparte was, especially in his formative years, and how that enabled him to succeed. Biographical series on Lyndon Johnson (4 thus far: “ Path to Power ,” “ Means of Ascent ,” Master of the Senate ,” and “ The Passage of Power “), Robert Caro . This, not the previous entry, is the best biography I’ve encountered – truly it is second to none. Johnson came from nothing and just on pure willpower, a photographic memory when it came to anything political, and a deviousness to achieve his goals. This is the only biography where no redeemable qualities are attributed to the subject; Johnson was a pure political animal who achieved each rung on the political ladder by using people, even those closest to him. Caro notes that long before Johnson stole the 1948 Senate election, he was doing so in college and later as an aide on Capitol Hill. Still this story is impressive and tells us much behind the scenes of DC politics and policy-making in the mid-20th century. Brad Carson AI Snake Oil , Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor . While I often disagree with the authors’ views about generative AI, their criticism of predictive AI – that it just doesn’t work a lot of the time – is an underappreciated criticism. As we rely on these technologies, we usually debate whether or not they are fair; but a more fundamental question is, Do they even work? On Settler Colonialism , Adam Kirsch . Timely, provocative, and worth reading to understand the intellectual roots of activism about Gaza on university campuses – and far beyond. Ryan Evans This Earthly Globe: A Venetian Geographer’s Quest to Map the World , Andrea Di Robilant . Understanding power and politics requires understanding history. Too often, the history studied by those of us in national security is limited to that of the last 200 years, perhaps with a smattering of Thucydides. Over the last three years, I’ve taken a mild interest in the experiences of the Venetian empire, so when I spotted this book in my local bookshop, I was quick to snag it. Through the prism of the life, times, and remarkable work of the geographer and civil servant Giovambattista (what a name!) Ramusio, this book offers a window into Venetian ambitions and statecraft. It explores how this maritime empire grappled with the Age of Exploration and shifting trade routes, which posed both opportunities and threats to its fortunes. Ramusio emerges as a crucial figure in the generation and propagation of knowledge of the world – most notably through his monumental and anonymously published collection of travel accounts and maps. Planning for Protraction: A Historically Informed Approach to Great-Power War and Sino-US Competition , Iskander Rehman . Speaking of looking beyond the history of the last two centuries for critical lessons, Rehman has established himself as someone who can substantively and originally engage with diverse historical periods, from the height of Rome to the Middle Ages to the Cold War, in a way that not only appeals to the generalist but passes muster with specialists of those period. This sort of erudition and versatility is rare and it is on vivid display in this book. As listeners of the podcast know, I have been long concerned over America’s strategic cultural obsession with short, decisive wars when they are such a historical rarity, which has led me to recommend Cathal Nolan’s Allure of Battle more times than I can remember. Rehman’s book on protracted war between great powers joins the same small but growing pantheon of books that serious strategists simply must read. The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone , Olivia Laing . In 1887, Ferdinand Tönnies’ seminal work, Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft (Community and Society), introduced a dichotomy between two types of social organization: one defined by close and cohesive bonds of traditional life and the other defined by impersonal and transactional relationships typical of the industrial cityscape. Many people have since written about the loneliness of modern life, but this 2016 book by Laing is my favorite of the genre. She depicts the city as an irreplaceable source of both isolation and creativity, where loneliness fuels some of the most extraordinary art ever made. Why did I select this book for this list? Among those of us who work in national security – from soldiers to scholars to leaders of state – there is an art to what we do. There is also a lonely quality to it, whether one is toiling in the archives or grappling with a consequential decision about life and death. Madeline Field Sparks: China’s Underground Historians and Their Battle for the Future , Ian Johnson. While the Chinese Communist Party’s rewriting of its history books is well-documented, little light has been shed on the individuals trying to stop it. Johnson’s book highlights these counter-historians and their efforts, contextualizing them within history, geography, and modern events. It is equal parts informative and moving, and well worth a read. The Demon in the Freezer: A True Story , Richard Preston . Preston weaves together two separate storylines- the efforts of the Smallpox Eradication Program in the 1970s and the events of the 2001 Anthrax Attacks- to make a compelling case for the prospect of biological warfare, aided and abetted by remaining stocks of smallpox in Russian and American freezers. The book, released almost 25 years ago, is a must-read for anyone interested in bioterrorism and infectious disease. Post-pandemic, however, its conclusions are more thought-provoking than ever. Richard Fontaine The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the CIA, and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq , Steve Coll . This gripping account starts in Saddam’s early years and runs through the 2003 U.S. invasion. Relying on internal, Nixon-like tapes of Saddam’s cabinet meetings, the volume adds new details and perspectives to a tragic story. Fundamentals: Ten Keys to Reality , Frank Wilczek . This is a book on modern physics and cosmology – what we know about the universe and how we know it. It’s not a rehash of high school and college-level physics but rather a conceptual and philosophical dive into the nature of reality. Wilczek is a Nobel-prize-winning theoretical physicist with a talent for clear and compelling writing. Good stuff. Amos Fox Routledge Handbook of Proxy Wars , edited by Assaf Moghadam, Vladimir Rauta, and Michel Wyss . Considering the frequency of proxy strategies and range of proxy actors at work in armed conflict today, the Routledge Handbook of Proxy Wars provides an excellent place to turn to help understand modern proxy wars. As the book makes clear, modern proxy wars differ significantly from those of the Cold War period, and thus we require fresh analysis to help appreciate 21st-century proxy war, the strategy that fuels it today, and the relationships that can exist between principals and proxies. The Routledge Handbook of Proxy Wars should sit atop anyone’s reading list if they are attempting to understand the geopolitics of the Middle East and eastern Asia, the prevalence of private military companies, and state-to-state sponsorship in modern armed conflict. Advanced Land Warfare: Tactics and Operations , edited by Mikael Weissman and Niklas Nilsson . Has modern technology accelerated a fundamental change in the nature of war? Does drone warfare represent a new, game-changing method of warfighting, or do existing models of operation, command and control, and combined arms continue to thrive? These are two of the primary considerations addressed in Advanced Land Warfare . With contributions to the editor volume from the likes of Jack Watling, Jim Storr, and Olivier Schmitt, the answers to those questions are compelling and varied. This book is a must for anyone interested in probing the future with existing warfighting methodologies to identify potential changes and continuities in land warfare. Ulrike Franke The Wizard of the Kremlin , Giuliano da Empoli . It is fiction, but then not really. Guiliao da Empoli has written a fictional encounter with “Vadim Baranov”, nicknamed the Tsar, the man behind Vladimir Putin. Baranov is fictional but clearly inspired by Vladislav Surkov, who, for several years, was Putin’s man in the shadow. A fascinating read about Russia and Putin’s rise. Freedom. Memoirs 1954 -2021 , Angela Merkel . Former German chancellor Angela Merkel’s memoirs had been eagerly awaited by the German and international political commentariat. Many were hoping – though not necessarily expecting – excuses and explanations for what are now seen to be Merkel’s biggest mistakes, from abandoning nuclear power (faster), authorising the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, her handling of the 2015 refugee crisis in Europe, or the Minsk II agreement on Ukraine. She does not admit mistakes, and the readers are left with many questions – but her 700 page memoirs are still an interesting view into German history, from her youth and early adulthood in the Democratic Republic, the beginning of the united Germany, and of course her 16 years in office. T. X. Hammes Superpower Interrupted: The Chinese History of the World , Michael Shuman . Shuman provides a coherent rendition of the continuity of the fundamental Chinese narrative that China is a rightful superpower. He traces the continuity of that strategic belief through over 3000 years of Chinese dynasties. The Dark Path: The Structure of War and the Rise of the West , Williamson Murray . Murray provides a majestic narration of the five major revolutions that have shaped the character of warfare today. Scholars and practitioners seeking to understand the major changes taking place today will find this a thought-provoking and valuable work. Nicholas Hanson Invisible China , Scott Rozelle and Natalie Hell . This book explores the stark disparities between urban and rural populations in China and their implications for the country’s future development. The authors argue that while China’s urban centers have experienced rapid economic growth and modernization, rural areas, which house the majority of the population, lag significantly behind in education and economic opportunities. This urban-rural divide jeopardizes China’s long-term stability and economic growth, as the rural population lacks the skills needed to transition to a modern, high-tech economy. Drawing on extensive data and field research, the book highlights the urgent need for investment in education and human capital in rural China to sustain the nation’s rise. Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right , Arlie Russell Hochschild . This book examines the emotional and cultural foundations of political conservatism in the United States, particularly in the Deep South. Through extensive fieldwork in Louisiana, Hochschild seeks to understand Tea Party supporters’ underlying grievances and worldviews. The book explores economic stagnation, environmental degradation, and a sense of displacement and isolation, revealing how cultural values and emotional experiences shape political identities. By empathizing with her subjects, Hochschild provides a nuanced account of the polarization in American politics, bridging ideological divides through understanding. Frank Hoffman Beyond Ukraine: Debating the Future of War , edited by Tim Sweijs and Jeffrey Michaels . An early effort to identify issues about the changing character of warfare, including insights from ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Contains a diverse array of different visions of future conflict. Key contributions from Azar Gat, Audrey Kurth Cronin, T.X. Hammes, Antoine Bousquet, and Tony Echevarria. Melting Point. High Command and War in the 21st Century , Kenneth. F. McKenzie, Jr . While most General’s memoirs are poorly crafted and self-serving, readers will find that Melting Point is an invaluable and smartly written book. McKenzie looks back at his time as Commander, U.S. Central Command during several Middle East conflicts with an emphasis on the campaign in Afghanistan. Melting Point contains insights on the endgame in Kabul for those trying to understand how that war unraveled. Any professional who aspires to higher command or expects to provide strategic and operational staff support to a senior commander will benefit from a study of this work. Burak Kadercan Oceans Rise Empires Fall: Why Geopolitics Hastens Climate Catastrophe , Gerard Toal . In his new book, Gerard Toal, a leading political geographer and an expert on the concept of geopolitics, deals with the intricate relationship between geopolitics-as-practice and climate change. In an argument that both travels across and transcends Geography (both political and physical geography), International Relations Theory, and strategic studies, Toal suggests that traditional forms of geopolitics not only undermine efforts to address climate change, but they also render it a secondary thought for the leading powers in global politics. Toal’s new book is a most welcome entry to the interdisciplinary and unconventional approaches to international security . On Wars , Michael Mann . Following his four-volume magnum opus, The Sources of Social Power (1986, 1993, 2012, 2013), Mann turns his full analytical attention to the concept of war. Mann’s theoretical ingenuity and empirical reach is impressive, as the book travels across numerous time periods and geographies, from ancient Rome and China to the World Wars, or from the American Civil War to recent conflicts in the Middle East and beyond. Mann’s thesis is simple and very pertinent to the study of international politics and security studies: While most analyses on the causes and conduct of armed conflicts focus on a form of “rational actor assumption,” Mann makes a strong case for the inherent “irrationality” of wars, which are driven more by societal dynamics and historical contingency, as opposed to some universal geopolitical “logic” which itself is based on a version of rational actor assumption. Sameer Lalwani Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War , Raj M. Shah and Christopher Kirchhoff . In Unit X , two US national security insiders offer an account of the motives, development, resourcefulness, antibodies, and near-death experiences of the Defense Innovation Unit-Experimental (DIUx) across three administrations, resembling the challenges of a defense startup’s minimum viable product . The book also effectively presents a rough, first-cut history of US defense technology competition over the past decade, drawing a throughline from new government institutions (DIU, NSCAI , the Chips Act), to new defense industry players (Palantir, Anduril, Capella Space), to their utility in evolving national security challenges (ISIS, DPRK missiles, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, cross-Strait deterrence). Readers will find Unit X a case study in government adaptation while policymakers can draw insights for future technology ventures like DIANA , AUKUS , or INDUS-X . Rick Landgraf Oceans Rise Empires Fall: Why Geopolitics Hastens Climate Catastrophe , Gerard Toal . The title of this book is derived from the chorus of a song from the musical Hamilton , which aptly summarizes the climate emergency which defines our present. Toal argues that even though we are approaching a tipping point in a global environmental catastrophe, powerful states, including the United States, remain fixated on economic and military competition against rival world powers. Tragically, this competition appears more important than the necessary collective action against potentially irreversible climate change. Economic War: Ukraine and the Global Conflict between Russia and the West , Maximillian Hess . This book offers a thoughtful analysis about the ongoing global economic clash between Russia and the West over finance, energy, and capital markets. Max reminds us that the power of the dollar and its central role in global financial markets gives the United States an unmatched ability to wage economic war on Russia and its friends. However, there is significant risk that politicians in Washington could abuse the dollar’s power for purposes that are not in the interests of the people of the United States, nor of its allies or partners across the globe. Carrie Lee On Obedience , Pauline Shanks Kaurin . This is a terrific exploration of the duties and obligations of military officers to obey and be loyal to their oaths to the Constitution. It is an absolute must-read for military officers anxious about the future, and anyone struggling with what it means to swear an oath to an idea, rather than a person. Just and Unjust Wars , Michael Walzer . A good re-read right now about ethical responsibilities in war. It’s in need of an update to account for both our more sophisticated understandings of civil-military relations and contemporary conflict, but that’s all the more reason to sit with this text for a while and think deeply about how the world has changed since its initial publication. David Maxwell The Black Box: Demystifying the Study of Korean Unification and North Korea , Victor Cha . This is a must read for all those who know a new strategy is needed to solve the “Korea question” (i.e., the unnatural division of the peninsula) after nearly four decades of failed denuclearization policy. This innovative book provides never before collected and analyzed data to look at the critical issues surrounding unification. While Cha is cautionary about predictions, for those who believe that the path to denuclearization goes through unification (e.g., the freedom of the Korean people in the north as they seek their human right of self-determination), this work can serve as the foundation for a strategic estimate to support strategy and campaign development for the pursuit of a free and unified Korea by the Korean people. Training for Victory: U.S. Special Forces Advisory Operations from El Salvador to Afghanistan , Frank Sobchak . While U.S special operations forces pursue a high-tech future (e.g., the “triad” of SOF, Cyber, and Space) there is one foundational Special Forces capability that will remain enduring across the spectrum of conflict from peace through strategic competition and the gray zone, to before, during, and after large scale combat operations. That is the ability to conduct campaigns “through, with, and by” indigenous forces and populations and partner militaries. Frank Sobchak objectively analyzes five case studies to provide critical lessons and insights for future advisory operations: El Salvador, the Philippines, Colombia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. While the focus is on Special Forces, the author recognizes that to build viable host nation partner forces with a broad range of capabilities requires more than Special Forces, thus this book is of value to all those who will participate in advisory operations in the future. Bryan McGrath The Demon of Unrest , Erik Larson . I have only lately discovered Larson’s work, which is exceptional. This history of events leading up to the reduction of Fort Sumter tracks events in Charleston, Washington, and in eventual Confederate State Capitals with equal depth. The Glorious Cause: the American Revolution 1763-1789 , Robert Middlekauff . A superb history of the politics, economics, and military operations of this most meaningful of eras in human history. I find great comfort in returning to the first things as it were, diving deeply into exactly what it is my political ideology seeks to conserve. Douglas Ollivant Land Between the Rivers: a 5,000 Year History of Iraq , Bartle Bull . In this work of brightly polished prose (by my friend and occasional co-author), Bull sweeps through five millennia of history, showing the central role of Iraq in events from Gilgamesh, through the Greeks and then Islam, to the fall of the monarchy in Baghdad in 1958. By ending the story before US entanglements begin, Bull shows us a different Mesopotamia than is carried in our modern imagination. Watch the central storyline move from Uruk to Ur to Nineveh to Babylon to Selucia and to Kufa before finally settling in Baghdad. The City and its Uncertain Walls , Haruki Murakami . Not one but two libraries; a woman who disappears suddenly; a mysterious figure who may or may not be a ghost; alternative dimensions; and yes, a hole in the ground. Murakami arranges his usual tropes in ways utterly unexpected and wildly thought-provoking. Another masterful but remarkably accessible novel from a perennial favorite for literature’s Nobel Prize. Iskander Rehman Faustian Bargain: The Soviet-German Partnership and the Origins of the Second World War , Ian Ona Johnson . The 1939 partition of Poland between Hitler and Stalin has often been described as a moment of opportunism, a temporary alignment of interests between the two dictators. In fact, it was the culmination of nearly twenty years of intermittent cooperation between Germany and the Soviet Union.” So begins Ian Ona Johnson’s magisterial and exhaustively researched history of the (largely covert) military-industrial cooperation between Germany and the Soviet Union during the interwar years. Few books could be more timely. First, by reminding us of the simple historical fact that for decades the Soviet Union constituted Nazi Germany’s prime technological and military enabler, it provides a welcome corrective to Putin’s warped narrative about the history and origins of the Second World War. And second, this elegantly written book provides a richly informative and hugely relevant historical case study, at a time when US security managers are struggling to come to terms with the rapid growth in defense cooperation between the motley array of revisionist countries (Iran, Russia, China, DPRK) belonging to what has been alternatively dubbed the “authoritarian axis,” “quartet of chaos”, or “axis of upheaval,” but which this author prefers to simply call the “phalanx of thuggery.” Anticipating Total War: The German and American Experiences, 1871-1914 , Manfred M. Bomeke . This edited compilation of essays examines how leading intellectuals, policymakers and strategic thinkers in Germany and the United States–the two great rising industrial powers of their time–viewed the future of warfare between 1871 and 1914. Deriving their variegated insights from their experiences with punishing colonial conflicts (the Boer War), grueling industrialized wars (the American Civil War) or largely unanticipated reversals in military fortunes (the relatively rapid defeat of France during the Franco-Prussian War, or of Russia during the Russo-Japanese war), these thinkers—for all their raw intellectual firepower– still struggled to fully anticipate quite how grimly transformational and resource-demanding World War 1 would prove to be. A salutary reminder of how difficult it can be to conduct force planning within a protean environment, one characterized by great geopolitical uncertainty and rapid disruptive technological change. I would love to see an entrepreneurial academic expand this volume (or edit a follow-up volume)–this time incorporating a series of parallel reflections on the development of strategic thinking in Russia, France, Britain and Japan during this critical period in history. Kori Schake You Dreamed of Empires , Alvaro Enrigue . A brilliant, brilliant and historically-based reimagining of Cortez’ conquest of Mexico, told from the indigenous point of view. Glittering sophistication of Tenochtitlan, brutality of Mexica priests, smart women trying to create space of their own — and a surprising theory of Montezuma’s motives. Even better to listen to it than read it so you can hear the cadences of Mexica words. The Cutting Off Way: Indigenous Warfare in Eastern North America, 1500-1800 , Wayne E. Lee . The history and strategy of Native Americans is still predominantly told through the prism of their contact with European settlers, but Wayne Lee shows what they looked like, fought like, and learned from each other as European intrusion affected them all. His exploration of the cultural and demographic basis for restraint in combat (the acquisition of prisoners) is especially interesting. Jeremy Shapiro The Embrace of Unreason: France, 1914-1940 , Frederick Brown . As certain points in history, countries find themselves drawn to unreason. They find themselves turning away from rational, enlightenment ideals and embracing xenophobia and demagoguery. In one such example, Brown tells the story of how the French intelligentsia, traumatized by World War I, lost its way in the interwar period, culminating in the eventual ruin of the nation. Not to worry, though, it could never happen here. The Embrace of Unreason picks up where Brown’s previous book, For the Soul of France, left off to tell the story of France in the decades leading up to World War II. We see through the lives of three writers (Maurice Barrès, Charles Maurras, and Pierre Drieu La Rochelle) how the French intelligentsia turned away from the humanistic traditions and rationalistic ideals born out of the Enlightenment in favor of submission to authority that stressed patriotism, militarism, and xenophobia; how French extremists, traumatized by the horrors of the battlefront and exalted by the glories of wartime martyrdom, tried to redeem France’s collective identity, as Hitler’s shadow lengthened over Europe. The author writes of the Stavisky Affair, named for the notorious swindler whose grandiose Ponzi scheme tarred numerous political figures and fueled the bloody riots of February 1934, with right-wing paramilitary leagues, already suffering from the worldwide effects of the 1929 stock market crash. Polostan , Neal Stephenson . A Neil Stephenson novel is always an investment. He writes long, intricate many-layered plots, whose wide-ranging erudition always makes one feel that one hasn’t read widely enough. But he ties it together in the end and convinces that you finally understand. This is his first spy novel, but not his last as it is the first of a trilogy. You’ll need eventually to read all three to understand what is really going on, but assuming your ego survives, you will be better off for the (long) journey. Abigail Taylor A Woman I Know: Female Spies, Double Identities, and a New Story of the Kennedy Assassination , Mary Haverstick . While aiming to create a film about a female aviator, Mary Haverstick accidentally stumbles into a potential conspiracy involving the Cold War, the CIA, and the Kennedy assassination. Her deeply researched book offers a glimpse into the life of a 20th-century female spy. Joseph Wehmeyer On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist , Clarissa Ward . Reporting on some of the most consequential events of the 21st century so far, Clarissa Ward’s memoir provides firsthand insights covering some of the biggest developments of the past two decades. Her memoir details the rollercoaster experience of being a war correspondent both professionally and emotionally while many of the issues she reported on continue to unravel today. Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World , Robert M. Gates . Secretary Gates gives a sobering assessment of post-Cold War American foreign policy and makes a strong argument that leaders have failed to understand the complexities, expansiveness, and limitations of American power. His insights remain relevant in a world that is more precarious and dangerous than four years ago. In an era where many question America’s global leadership and its capabilities, Gates gives readers both a reality check and a way forward. Nicole Wiley Fair Play: The Moral Dilemmas of Spying , James M. Olson . Written by a career Directorate of Operations intelligence officer, Fair Play explores the big moral questions decision-makers and case officers alike are faced with in the espionage business. I loved this book the first time I read it, and I go back to it often to get a good dose of both fictional scenarios you might see in any spy thriller movie and real-world implications of morally ambiguous intelligence collection methods. Putin’s World: Russia Against the West and With the Rest , Angela Stent . Although this book was written pre-full scale invasion of Ukraine, it offers a comprehensive and easy-to-follow analysis of why President Putin is so difficult for the U.S. to deal with and understand. It gives historical context without sounding overly academic and is a great read for anyone who wants to understand the decades of context behind Putin’s decision-making. My favorite quote from the book is: “For the time being, NATO serves a useful purpose for Russia. It provides a most convenient main opponent.” Image: Adam Bernaert via Wikimedia Commons.

How major US stock indexes fared Tuesday, 12/24/2024

Wednesday, Dec. 11, saw the monthly meeting of the Chadron Public Schools Board of Education, and a new face on the board. Adam Hoesing will fill a vacancy on the board created by the removal of previous board member Cameron “Tye” Pourier at the November meeting. Hoesing said he’s always been involved with public entities and was recommended to apply for the board position. An attorney for 12 years working primarily with public entities in cities, counties and political subdivisions, Hoesing also has four children in the school system. He’s also an assistant professor in Chadron State College’s Justice Studies program. His primary focus, he said, is to listen, contribute and to help the district be as good as it always has been. Board President Boone Huffman explained the Personnel Committee met for nearly three hours on Dec. 11 and interviewed six applicants. Huffman said it was surprising to have six well-qualified applicants for the position, considering it’s hard to find people willing to run for board spots during the regular elections. Hoesing will initially take over Pourier’s committee appointments until the board realigns and be a voting member beginning with the board’s January meeting. The committee utilized questions from the Nebraska Association of School Boards and put together a rubrik so everyone would be graded objectively. Following interviews, the committee put graded applicants on a point system to determine the best applicant in Hoesing. Adam Hoesing Board member Tom Menke said the decision to fill the spot was very close, emphasizing they had six well-qualified applicants. Board member Colleen Margetts was appreciative of the rubrik system to make things as objective as possible. Huffman added it ensured every applicant was asked the exact same questions. Also at the meeting, results from the annual superintendent evaluation were presented. The evaluation is not only done by board members on Superintendent Ginger Meyer, but she also performs a self-evaluation. Huffman said this year they switched to a digital format, and found it interesting that both the board’s and Meyer’s lowest scores were in the same category. He said this shows they’re in tune and know where work is needed. The average score given Meyer, followed by Meyer’s self score – where available — in each category is as follows. Scoring is on a five-point system. • Shared Vision and Strategic Direction – 3.60 • Board Policy and Education System – 4.60; 5.0 • Collaboration with Families and Community – 4.0; 4.0 • Continuous Improvement and Accountability– 4.0; 5.0 • Teaching and Learning – 4.4; 4.0 • Personnel Leadership – 4.2; 4.0 • Business, Finance, Facilities and Managerial Leadership – 4.6; 5.0 • Equity, Climate and Culture – 4.0; 4.0 • Professional Development, Ethics and Leadership – 4.4; 4.0 Meyer felt she had more comment from the board this year with the online process, as it provided board members opportunity to write sentences and paragraphs in their comments, rather than just the two or three words they might have shared in previous years.The Siachen glacier and Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO), known as some of the world's highest and most challenging battlefields, have now achieved optical-fibre connectivity, the Army announced on Monday. This development ensures seamless communication in the harsh and extreme conditions of the region. Situated at altitudes ranging from 18,000 to 20,000 feet in Ladakh's Karakoram range, Siachen experiences some of the most severe challenges for stationed soldiers, including frostbite and high winds. It is internationally recognized as the highest militarised zone globally. In a remarkable feat, the Fire and Fury Corps' signallers successfully laid optical-fibre cables across the unforgiving landscape of icy peaks and treacherous terrains, a first-ever achievement against all odds, to connect these remote military locations, the Army revealed in a social media post. (With inputs from agencies.)

Soporific. Tedious. Platitudinous. Benumbing. These pejoratives condemn former German Christian Democratic Union Chancellor Angela Merkel’s overweight 700-page memoir as not worth the price of admission. Merkel served 16 years as chancellor from 2005 to 2021 before voluntarily bowing out. The high-water mark of intellectual stimulation in her memoir is reached with Merkel’s forgettable, “We can do this” in referencing a flood of immigrants. The reader waits in vain for something as electrifying as President John F. Kennedy’s, “Ich bin ein Berliner.” Born in the communist German Democratic Republic and trained as a scientist, Merkel drifted into politics less because of deep philosophical convictions than faute de mieux. She was not at the barricades participating in the destruction of the Berlin Wall. She was not steeped in political philosophy, including separation of powers touted by Montesquieu and James Madison. She has little or nothing to say about Nazi Germany, the Nuremberg trials or the dynamics that gave birth to the Holocaust. Her understanding of human nature is Pollyannaish, refusing to accept Immanuel Kant’s dictum, “From such crooked timber as humankind is made nothing straight can be made.” Merkel’s attempts to broker peace in Ukraine predictably proved fool’s errands. Thuggish Russian President Vladimir Putin ignites her anguish. But she is unable to suggest a superior replacement. Self-government and the right to march to your own drummer have been alien to Russia since time immemorial. Dictatorship is all Russians know and accept as superior to the alternatives. Alexei Navalny perished on that brute fact. Merkel also neglects that NATO expansion up to Russia’s borders — akin to Nikita Khrushchev’s installation of Soviet missiles in Cuba and the 1962 Cuban missile crisis — made Putin’s attack on Ukraine inevitable to prevent Russia’s encirclement by hostile powers entering her traditional sphere of influence. Consider the following. The Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, ending any military threat to NATO members, which then numbered 16. Since then, while the Russian economy and military profile shrank, NATO mushroomed to 32 members creating an equivalent or greater threat to Russian security than the Cuban missile crisis posed for the United States. Further, in 1990, the United States implicitly promised Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO would not expand forces eastward if East and West Germany were permitted to unite — a promise with a truncated shelf life. Additionally, on March 26, 2022, in Warsaw, Poland, President Joe Biden exclaimed with reference to Putin, “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.” The United States had previously orchestrated regime change in Ukraine featuring Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and her memorable vulgarity, “F— the EU.” Putin reacted like the United States reacted in the Cuban missile crisis amid the Soviet Union’s penetration of our traditional sphere of influence in the Caribbean and Central and South America. Remember the Roosevelt corollary to the 1823 Monroe Doctrine: The United States was saddled with the responsibility to preserve order and to protect life and property in all nations in the Western Hemisphere. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine equaled or bettered our instruction not only in the Western Hemisphere but elsewhere as in Libya or Iraq. Merkel understands none of this. She is bereft of ideas for ending the war in Ukraine. She is unable to conceive that Putin could retreat from Ukraine and proclaim victory if the United States withdrew from NATO, removed its troops and weapons from Europe and left the remaining 31 members to defend themselves if attacked without American training wheels. Without the United States, NATO would still eclipse Russia in economic and military strength. Russia is no juggernaut, as its quagmire in Ukraine proves. Merkel also displays naivete over global warming. She chronicles countless international meetings and infinite hours over two decades in which countries repeatedly sally forth with meaningless pledges to plunge greenhouse gas emissions in order to forestall the species’ suicide. Nations, however, are not philanthropies. They act only in short-term self-interest. None have or will handicap economic growth and prosperity to diminish emissions in the hope that other nations will follow suit. Why should they? Other nations can do nothing and take a free ride on the nation that goes first with emissions reductions. All this Merkel-like gnashing about global warming has accomplished nothing. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuels and cement will rise around 0.8% in 2024, reaching a record 37.4 billion tons of CO2, the 2024 Global Carbon Budget report by the Global Carbon Project. This is 0.4 billion tons higher than the previous record, set in 2023. Merkel exemplifies the absence of inspiring leadership or statesmanship anywhere on the world stage. The commanding heights of power are populated by pedestrian thinkers as technology, including artificial intelligence, continues to outrace moral or philosophical wisdom. H.G. Wells observed more than a century ago, “Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.” Has the race been lost?