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videos of cockfighting Tokyo to make daycare free to boost birthrateA stroke changed a teacher’s life. How a new electrical device is helping her move(CNN) — While President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth , is beginning the process to undergo an FBI background check , the intensive review may not provide the answers that either Democrats or Republicans are seeking. That’s because a nominee doesn’t “pass” a background check, and the FBI doesn’t approve applicants. Instead, the FBI’s investigative files on nominees are sent to the White House, which makes the final decision on whether they can hold the positions to which the president appointed them. FBI background checks have been lightning rods during previous contentious confirmation fights. After sexual misconduct allegations nearly tanked Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination in 2018, for example, Democrats said the FBI background investigation was politically constrained and did not follow proper procedures. Hegseth’s confirmation has been in jeopardy amid a series of allegations related to drinking and sexual misconduct, which he has denied. As calls for additional vetting have mounted, Hegseth’s attorney told CNN this week that his name has been submitted to the FBI for the background check. The FBI is gearing up to conduct detailed background checks on thousands of appointees for Trump’s incoming administration. While the president-elect has been moving quickly to name his Cabinet and key administrative picks, his use of the FBI system had been in question until the Trump transition team signed a memorandum of understanding with the Justice Department in recent days. The agreement will now allow the FBI to conduct at least some investigations, but it remains unclear how many of Trump’s candidates to lead various agencies and departments will be submitted for those checks, as the transition team also has been using private companies to conduct some vetting. Despite Trump’s qualms about the FBI and complaints from his allies that the bureau shouldn’t be trusted to screen his appointees, the FBI system does enjoy bipartisan support from members of Congress. Senators of both parties have said they want political appointees to undergo FBI background investigations as part of the confirmation process. Dozens of FBI agents and contractors at the bureau’s headquarters in Washington and in field offices around the country are involved in background investigations with the goal of helping to prepare the new administration to take the reins of government and allow appointees to have access to classified and other sensitive information as soon as the new president is inaugurated on January 20. The background checks aren’t criminal investigations, and the FBI investigators’ role is to conduct investigations for a client – in this case the White House or government agency that requests them. In each administration, the White House typically provides questions, in addition to the standard ones listed on the application forms, that agents are told to ask. While FBI background investigations have access to government criminal databases, that typically wouldn’t include allegations of wrongdoing that don’t result in an arrest or charges. In Hegseth’s case, that means investigators wouldn’t necessarily see details from a California incident that included an investigation of alleged sexual assault but didn’t result in charges. It’s unclear whether investigators would be able to seek information from the accuser, who was paid in a settlement agreement with Hegseth that included a confidentiality clause and has the option to decline to speak to the FBI. The scope of the FBI’s investigation of Kavanaugh is still under scrutiny. In releasing a report this fall, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called the bureau’s supplemental background probe into Kavanaugh a “sham.” Background checks include long forms where candidates must detail past employment, biographical information, as well as criminal and financial records. Investigators probe each applicant’s personal history back to their 18th birthday, with FBI security specialists examining credit histories and criminal backgrounds and conducting interviews of associates dating back years. The investigations also include an in-person FBI interview where an agent reviews information gathered and sometimes challenges applicants to explain discrepancies. “I compare it to a colorectal examination while you’re awake,” a former FBI security specialist who conducted background investigations for years told CNN. The investigations for Cabinet members can include as many as 60 interviews, the former FBI specialist said. Agents and contractors spend 10 days to two weeks on the highest-profile investigations. Applicants are asked to provide contacts with employers dating back to age 18. The FBI develops its own intelligence to supplement the list of people who may know an applicant to ensure it doesn’t miss information that an applicant may leave out. In some cases, agents will walk up and down the street where someone lived to ask neighbors about them. For appointees who previously served in government jobs, the investigations tend to be shorter since agents don’t need to duplicate the investigation of earlier parts of the background. The incoming Trump administration has a tortured past with the government’s security clearance system after dozens of people he picked to serve in his first administration struggled to complete the background investigations process. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, was among several appointees whose foreign contacts and potential conflicts posed issues as they sought to receive security clearances. In Kushner’s case, incomplete information he provided in filing out the government form, known as SF-86, caused delays. Trump ordered high-level clearances be granted to about 25 people, including to Kushner and his daughter Ivanka, dismissing questions raised during the background investigations, according to congressional testimony. The-CNN-Wire TM & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Casino Gaming Market to Grow by USD 43.3 Billion (2024-2028), Rising Customer Spending Boosts Growth, AI Driving Market Transformation - TechnavioWASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump offered a public show of support Friday for Pete Hegseth, his choice to lead the Defense Department, whose confirmation by the Senate is in doubt as he faces questions over allegations of excessive drinking, sexual assault and his views on women in combat roles. Hegseth, a former Fox News host, Army National Guard major and combat veteran, spent much of the week on Capitol Hill trying to salvage his Cabinet nomination and privately reassure Republican senators that he is fit to lead Trump's Pentagon. "Pete Hegseth is doing very well," Trump posted on his social media site. "He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense." The president added that "Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!" The nomination battle is emerging not only as a debate about the best person to lead the Pentagon, but an inflection point for a MAGA movement that appears to be relishing a public fight over its hard-line push for a more masculine military and an end to the "woke-ism" of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. People are also reading... Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, responds to reporters during a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) J. Scott Applewhite Military leaders are rattled by a list of “woke” senior officers that a conservative group urged Hegseth to dismiss for promoting diversity in the ranks if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon. The list compiled by the American Accountability Foundation includes 20 general officers or senior admirals and a disproportionate number of female officers. It has had a chilling effect on the Pentagon’s often frank discussions as leaders try to figure out how to address the potential firings and diversity issues under Trump. Those on the list in many cases seem to be targeted for public comments they made either in interviews or at events on diversity, and in some cases for retweeting posts that promote diversity. Tom Jones, a former aide to Republican senators who leads the foundation, said Friday those on the list are “pretty egregious” advocates for diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, policies, which he called problematic. “The nominee has been pretty clear that that has no place in the military,” Jones said of Hegseth. Hegseth embraced Trump’s effort to end programs that promote diversity in the ranks and fire those who reflect those values. Other Trump picks, like Kash Patel for FBI director, have suggested targeting those in government who are not aligned with Trump. Trump's allies forcefully rallied around Hegseth — the Heritage Foundation's political arm promised to spend $1 million to shore up his nomination — as he vows to stay in the fight, as long as the president-elect wants him to. Vice President-elect JD Vance offers a public show of support for Pete Hegseth, the embattled choice to lead the Defense Department. "We're not abandoning this nomination," Vance told reporters during a tour of western North Carolina. US NETWORK POOL, ASSOCIATED PRESS "We're not abandoning this nomination," Vice-President-elect JD Vance said as he toured post-hurricane North Carolina. He said he spoke with GOP senators and believes Hegseth will be confirmed. The effort became a test of Trump's clout and of how far loyalty for the president-elect goes with Republican senators who have concerns about his nominees. Two of Trump's other choices stepped aside as they faced intense scrutiny: former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., his first choice for attorney general, and Chad Chronister, a Florida sheriff who was Trump's first choice to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration. Thanking the president-elect for the support, Hegseth posted on social media, "Like you, we will never back down." Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts Hegseth faces resistance from senators as reports emerged about his past, including the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies. He promised not to drink on the job and told lawmakers he never engaged in sexual misconduct, even as his professional views on female troops came under intensifying scrutiny. He said as recently as last month that women "straight up" should not serve in combat. Biden is considering preemptive pardons for officials and allies before Trump takes office He picked up one important endorsement from Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, whose support was seen as a potentially powerful counterweight to the cooler reception Hegseth received from Sen. Joni Ernst, a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel. Ernst, who is also a sexual assault survivor, stopped short of an endorsement after meeting with Hegseth this week. On Friday, Ernst posted on X that she would meet with him again next week. “At a minimum, we agree that he deserves the opportunity to lay out his vision for our warfighters at a fair hearing,” she wrote. On Friday, Trump put out the statement in response to coverage saying he lost faith in Hegseth, according to a person familiar with his thinking who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. The president-elect and his team were pleased to see Hegseth putting up a fight and his performance this week reiterates why he was chosen, the person said. They believe he can still be confirmed. Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, left, joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet, attends a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) J. Scott Applewhite What to know about Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick to serve as defense secretary If Hegseth goes down, Trump's team believes the defeat would empower others to spread what they cast as "vicious lies" against every candidate Trump chooses. Still, Trump's transition team is looking at potential replacements, including former presidential rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis plans to attend the Dec. 14 Army-Navy football game with Trump, according to a person familiar with the Florida governor's plans who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. DeSantis and Trump spoke about the defense secretary post Tuesday at a memorial service for sheriff deputies in West Palm Beach, Fla., according to people familiar with the matter who said Trump was interested in DeSantis for the post, and the governor was receptive. DeSantis is poised to select a replacement for the expected Senate vacancy to be created by Marco Rubio becoming secretary of state, and Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump is seen as the preferred choice by those in Trump's orbit. Trump Pentagon pick had been flagged by fellow service member as possible 'Insider Threat' Pete Hegseth's mother says The New York Times made 'threats' by asking her to comment on a story Here are the people Trump picked for key positions so far President-elect Donald Trump 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. Evan Vucci, Associated Press Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Evan Vucci, Associated Press Marco Rubio, Secretary of State 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. Wilfredo Lee, Associated Press Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense 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. George Walker IV, Associated Press Pam Bondi, Attorney General 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. Derik Hamilton Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security 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. Matt Rourke, Associated Press Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior 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. AP Photo/Alex Brandon Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services 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. Evan Vucci, Associated Press Scott Bessent, Treasury Secretary 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. Matt Kelley, Associated Press Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Labor Secretary 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. Andrew Harnik, Associated Press Scott Turner, Housing and Urban Development 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.” Andrew Harnik, Associated Press Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation 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. Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy 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. Andy Cross, The Denver Post via AP Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education 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. Manuel Balce Ceneta, Associated Press Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture 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. Evan Vucci Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce 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. AP Photo/Evan Vucci Doug Collins, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate.Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command."We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. John Bazemore, Associated Press Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary 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. Ted Shaffrey, Associated Press Tulsi Gabbard, National Intelligence Director 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. Evan Vucci, Associated Press John Ratcliffe, Central Intelligence Agency Director 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.” Manuel Balce Ceneta, Associated Press Kash Patel, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director 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. José Luis Villegas, Associated Press Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator 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.” Matt Rourke, Associated Press Brendan Carr, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission 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. Jonathan Newton - pool, ASSOCIATED PRESS Paul Atkins, Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission 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. AP Photo/ Evan Vucci, File) Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator 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. John Raoux, Associated Press Elise Stefanik, Ambassador to the United Nations 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. Jose Luis Magana, Associated Press Matt Whitaker, Ambassador to NATO 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. Andrew Harnik, Associated Press David Perdue, Ambassador to China 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. Brynn Anderson, Associated Press/Pool Mike Huckabee, Ambassador to Israel 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. Oded Balilty, Associated Press Steven Witkoff, Special Envoy to the Middle East 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. Evan Vucci, Associated Press Keith Kellogg, Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia 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) AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib Mike Waltz, National Security Adviser 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. Ted Shaffrey, Associated Press Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy 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. Evan Vucci, Associated Press Tom Homan, ‘Border Czar’ 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. John Bazemore, Associated Press Billy Long, Internal Revenue Service commissioner 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.” AP file Kelly Loeffler, Small Business Administration administrator 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. Branden Camp Dr. Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services administrator 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. Matt Rourke, Associated Press Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to advise White House on government efficiency 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.” Evan Vucci, Associated Press photos Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget 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. Evan Vucci, Associated Press Additional selections to the incoming White House Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staffScavino, 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 staffBlair 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 staffBudowich 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 HealthTrump 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 AdministrationMakary 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 GeneralNesheiwat 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 PreventionWeldon 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 representativeKevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic CouncilTrump 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. Jose Luis Magana, Associated Press Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox!

Special teams bungles dominate NFL, with Commanders and Cowboys leading the way

Cousins Properties Announces Pricing of Senior Notes Offering5 top tech gifts for the holidaysFear not, Bears fans. If the game Monday night against the Vikings goes south, there will be another NFL game to satisfy your football fix. After the Bears-Vikings game starts at 7 p.m. on ABC, the Falcons and Raiders will kick off at 7:30 on ESPN. It marks the first time the Bears will be part of such side-by-side scheduling, which is in its third year on the Disney-owned networks. “When we got this included in our new rights deal, the best thing was it was an opportunity to have more football on Monday night,” said Tim Reed, ESPN vice president of programming and acquisitions. In March 2021, the NFL and Disney agreed to a rights deal granting ESPN and ABC the ability to air different games on the same Monday night. The first instance was in Week 2 of 2022, the bridge year between Disney’s previous deal and the beginning of its current 10-year deal. The double broadcasts expanded to three weeks last year; the Bears are part of this season’s final installment. The setup increases Disney’s annual NFL inventory, the most valuable product in broadcasting. It had been 17 games and is now 25, including an exclusive ESPN+ broadcast, two ESPN/ABC simulcasts in Week 18 and two playoff games. The setup also increases ESPN’s reach by airing games on broadcast TV, a what’s-old-is-new-again trend in sports broadcasting. “We’re fortunate to have ABC and ESPN to take advantage of programming two games at the same time,” said Reed, who leads ESPN’s daily activity with the NFL regarding business and programming. “I think about it more like a late-afternoon window on Sunday where one game is starting earlier than the other. So from a fan perspective, you have this awesome opportunity to get updates on either one.” That’s a key component of both broadcasts and a rarity for prime-time games, which largely are exclusive. Bears fans locked into their game will stay updated on the Falcons-Raiders game by a constant scorebug in the upper-left corner of the screen. ESPN even added a notification to alert viewers when either team is in the red zone. ESPN has learned to be judicious with studio updates and live look-ins of either game, fully aware viewers of one might have no interest in the other. The decision to show either is made from ESPN’s studio in Bristol, Connecticut. A producer there will communicate with the producers on-site to notify them whether an update is coming or a two-box will be used. “We’ve become more strategic and situational about when we do live look-ins,” Reed said. “There’s a lot of factors at play. To our production team’s credit, there’s no exact script for those. It’s a little bit of a feel for what’s going on. If one game’s in a critical moment, you don’t necessarily want to go to a two-box. “The one piece that works well is the in-progress highlights. That’s something as football fans we’ve seen forever on Sunday afternoons. To have Scott van Pelt cut into one game and offer a highlight, that’s a nice little added element.” ESPN continues to experiment with kickoff times. The two games have been separated by as many as 75 minutes and as few as zero. Those are set when the full schedule is released in May and are chosen in collaboration with the NFL. As for the announcers, Bears-Vikings gets ESPN’s regular “Monday Night Football” crew of Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters. Falcons-Raiders gets Chris Fowler, Louis Riddick, Dan Orlovsky and Laura Rutledge. “Our biggest hope is that all of those Bears fans, when that game concludes, they’re going to quickly flip over to ESPN to watch the conclusion of the second game,” Reed said. “And to me, that’s what the beauty is of having two games on one night and offering the fans more football than they’re used to getting on a Monday night.” Remote patrol No NFL game will air in the Chicago market opposite the Lions-Bears game Dec. 22, but don’t blame the Bears. The league allows broadcasters to air a game opposite an in-market home game four times a season, and that number was reached. Bears fans may recall that number being zero, but the NFL has relaxed the restriction over the years, first to two times and now four. Such decisions are made between the league, the network and the local affiliate, those being CBS and CBS 2 Chicago in the Bears’ case. • The NFL’s Week 17 schedule will take shape soon. That’s the week with five games still listed as TBD, three of which will air that Saturday on NFL Network. One of those games could end up on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” which figures to flex out Dolphins-Browns. Also that week, there’s a chance Fox switches Packers-Vikings from noon to 3:25 in place of Cowboys-Eagles. That will be a fascinating week. • This week is a double doubleheader week in the NFL. That means CBS and Fox will show two games each Sunday. In the Chicago market, those games are Chiefs-Browns (Ian Eagle, Charles Davis) and Bills-Lions (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo) on CBS, and Cowboys-Panthers (Joe Davis, Greg Olsen) and Steelers-Eagles (Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady) on Fox.

Trump offers a public show of support for Pete Hegseth, his embattled nominee to lead the PentagonGlobus Medical stock soars to all-time high of $84.89

Suns may get Kevin Durant back vs. up-and-down JazzTrump names David Sacks as White House AI and crypto czar

By HILLEL ITALIE NEW YORK (AP) — Even through a year of nonstop news about elections, climate change, protests and the price of eggs, there was still time to read books. U.S. sales held steady according to Circana, which tracks around 85% of the print market, with many choosing the relief of romance, fantasy and romantasy. Some picked up Taylor Swift’s tie-in book to her blockbuster tour, while others sought out literary fiction, celebrity memoirs, political exposes and a close and painful look at a generation hooked on smartphones. Here are 10 notable books published in 2024, in no particular order. Asking about the year’s hottest reads would basically yield a list of the biggest hits in romantasy, the blend of fantasy and romance that has proved so irresistible fans were snapping up expensive “special editions” with decorative covers and sprayed edges. Of the 25 top sellers of 2024, as compiled by Circana, six were by romantasy favorite Sarah J. Maas, including “House of Flame and Shadow,” the third of her “Crescent City” series. Millions read her latest installment about Bryce Quinlan and Hunter Athalar and traced the ever-growing ties of “Maasverse,” the overlapping worlds of “Crescent City” and her other series, “Throne of Glass” and “A Court of Thorns and Roses.” If romantasy is for escape, other books demand we confront. In the bestselling “The Anxious Generation,” social psychologist Jonathan Haidt looks into studies finding that the mental health of young people began to deteriorate in the 2010s, after decades of progress. According to Haidt, the main culprit is right before us: digital screens that have drawn kids away from “play-based” to “phone-based” childhoods. Although some critics challenged his findings, “The Anxious Generation” became a talking point and a catchphrase. Admirers ranged from Oprah Winfrey to Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee, who in a letter to state legislators advocated such “commonsense recommendations” from the book as banning phones in schools and keeping kids off social media until age 16. Bob Woodward books have been an election tradition for decades. “War,” the latest of his highly sourced Washington insider accounts, made news with its allegations that Donald Trump had been in frequent contact with Russian leader Vladimir Putin even while out of office and, while president, had sent Putin sophisticated COVID-19 test machines. Among Woodward’s other scoops: Putin seriously considered using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, and President Joe Biden blamed former President Barack Obama, under whom he served as vice president, for some of the problems with Russia. “Barack never took Putin seriously,” Woodward quoted Biden as saying. Former (and future) first lady Melania Trump, who gives few interviews and rarely discusses her private life, unexpectedly announced she was publishing a memoir: “Melania.” The publisher was unlikely for a former first lady — not one of the major New York houses, but Skyhorse, where authors include such controversial public figures as Woody Allen and Trump cabinet nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And its success was at least a minor surprise. Melania Trump did little publicity for the book, and offered few revelations beyond posting a video expressing support for abortion rights — a break from one of the cornerstones of GOP policy. But “Melania” still sold hundreds of thousands of copies, many in the days following her husband’s election. Taylor Swift was more than a music story in 2024. Like “Melania,” the news about Taylor Swift’s self-published tie-in to her global tour isn’t so much the book itself, but that it exists. And how well it sold. As she did with the “Eras” concert film, Swift bypassed the established industry and worked directly with a distributor: Target offered “The Eras Tour Book” exclusively. According to Circana, the “Eras” book sold more than 800,000 copies just in its opening week, an astonishing number for a publication unavailable through Amazon.com and other traditional retailers. No new book in 2024 had a better debut. Midnight book parties are supposed to be for “Harry Potter” and other fantasy series, but this fall, more than 100 stores stayed open late to welcome one of the year’s literary events: Sally Rooney’s “Intermezzo.” The Irish author’s fourth novel centers on two brothers, their grief over the death of their father, their very different career paths and their very unsettled love lives. “Intermezzo” was also a book about chess: “You have to read a lot of opening theory — that’s the beginning of a game, the first moves,” one of the brothers explains. “And you’re learning all this for what? Just to get an okay position in the middle game and try to play some decent chess. Which most of the time I can’t do anyway.” Lisa Marie Presley had been working on a memoir at the time of her death , in 2023, and daughter Riley Keough had agreed to help her complete it. “From Here to the Great Unknown” is Lisa Marie’s account of her father, Elvis Presley, and the sagas of of her adult life, notably her marriage to Michael Jackson and the death of son Benjamin Keough. To the end, she was haunted by the loss of Elvis, just 42 when he collapsed and died at his Graceland home while young Lisa Marie was asleep. “She would listen to his music alone, if she was drunk, and cry,” Keough, during an interview with Winfrey, said of her mother. Meanwhile, Cher released the first of two planned memoirs titled “Cher” — no further introduction required. Covering her life from birth to the end of the 1970s, she focuses on her ill-fated marriage to Sonny Bono, remembering him as a gifted entertainer and businessman who helped her believe in herself while turning out to be unfaithful, erratic, controlling and so greedy that he kept all the couple’s earnings for himself. Unsure of whether to leave or stay, she consulted a very famous divorcee, Lucille Ball, who reportedly encouraged her: “F— him, you’re the one with the talent.” A trend in recent years is to take famous novels from the past, and remove words or passages that might offend modern readers; an edition of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” cuts the racist language from Mark Twain’s original text. In the most celebrated literary work of 2024, Percival Everett found a different way to take on Twain’s classic — write it from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. “James,” winner of the National Book Award, is a recasting in many ways. Everett suggests to us that the real Jim was nothing like the deferential figure known to millions of readers, but a savvy and learned man who concealed his intelligence from the whites around him, and even from Twain himself. Salman Rushdie’s first National Book Award nomination was for a memoir he wished he had no reason to write. In “Knife,” he recounts in full detail the horrifying attempt on his life in 2022, when an attendee rushed the stage during a literary event in western New York and stabbed him repeatedly, leaving with him a blinded eye and lasting nerve damage, but with a spirit surprisingly intact. “If you had told me that this was going to happen and how would I deal with it, I would not have been very optimistic about my chances,” he told The Associated Press last spring. “I’m still myself, you know, and I don’t feel other than myself. But there’s a little iron in the soul, I think.”The National Basketball Association (NBA) is taking a first step back into the huge Chinese market with two preseason games set to take place in Macao next October, five years after the league was effectively blocked from China. The Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns will play the preseason games on October 10 and 12 at the Venetian Arena next year, while an NBA Flagship Store will also open in Macao. "Bringing preseason games to Macao will showcase the excitement of the NBA to fans in one of the world's emerging hubs for sports," NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum said in a press release. "The Nets and the Suns feature an exciting mix of established and rising stars, and we look forward to engaging fans, aspiring players and the local community in Macao through these games and a variety of interactive events, youth development programs and social impact initiatives." NBA teams command a huge following in China, where basketball is wildly popular. The league has not staged a game in the country since 2019, when a tweet in support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong from the Houston Rockets' then general manager Daryl Morey sparked a political firestorm. At the time, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver refused to punish or censor Morey – who is currently the Philadelphia 76ers' president of basketball operations – prompting ire from Beijing and leading the sports station of China's central broadcaster to stop showing the league's games for a year. Hong Kong was roiled by pro-democracy protests in 2019, which at times brought several hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets to push for democracy in the city. Like Macao, Hong Kong is considered a special administrative region of China, partly distinct from the mainland. Beijing repeatedly accused Western democratic forces of working to fuel the popular Hong Kong protests and lashed out at any support for the movement, which died out in 2020 when the capital imposed a sweeping national security law on the city. Silver said two years ago that the NBA had lost "hundreds of millions of dollars" in revenue following the fallout with China, with whom the league had shared a long-standing relationship. According to Reuters, 17 NBA teams played 28 games in China between 2004 and 2019. However, tensions between the league and the country now appear to have thawed, with a legends game featuring six former NBA stars set be held in Macao on Saturday. "We always love the opportunity to compete on the global stage and we are grateful to participate in the NBA China Games 2025," said Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks. "The Brooklyn Nets have an incredible fanbase around the globe and we can't wait to bring our love of the game directly to our fans while giving our players and coaches the opportunity to immerse themselves in a different culture." Phoenix Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein, meanwhile, added that playing in Macao is part of the team's vision to "bring the Suns to a global audience and impact fans across the world."

WASHINGTON — The FBI should have done more to gather intelligence before the Capitol riot, according to a watchdog report Thursday that also said no undercover FBI employees were on the scene on Jan. 6, 2021, and that none of the bureau's informants was authorized to participate. The report from the Justice Department inspector general's office knocks down a fringe conspiracy theory advanced by some Republicans in Congress that the FBI played a role in instigating the events that day, when rioters determined to overturn Republican Donald Trump's 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden stormed the building in a violent clash with police. The review, released nearly four years after a dark chapter in history that shook the bedrock of American democracy, was narrow in scope, but aimed to shed light on gnawing questions that have dominated public discourse, including whether major intelligence failures preceded the riot and whether the FBI in some way provoked the violence. Rioters loyal to Donald Trump gather Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The report offers a mixed assessment of the FBI's performance in the run-up to the riot, crediting the bureau for preparing for the possibility of violence and for trying to identify known "domestic terrorism subjects" who planned to come to Washington that day. But it said the FBI, in an action the now-deputy director described as a "basic step that was missed," failed to canvass informants across all 56 of its field offices for any relevant intelligence. That was a step, the report concluded, "that could have helped the FBI and its law enforcement partners with their preparations in advance of January 6." The report found 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests on Jan. 6, including three who were tasked with traveling to the city to report on others who were potentially planning to attend the day's events. While four informants entered the Capitol, none were authorized to do so by the bureau or to break the law, the report said. Rioters storm the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Many of the 26 informants provided the FBI with information before the riot, but it "was no more specific than, and was consistent with, other sources of information" that the FBI acquired. The FBI said in a letter responding to the report that it accepts the inspection general's recommendation "regarding potential process improvements for future events." The lengthy review was launched days after the riot as the FBI faced questions over whether it had missed warning signs or adequately disseminated intelligence it received, including a Jan. 5, 2021, bulletin prepared by the FBI's Norfolk, Virginia, field office that warned of the potential for "war" at the Capitol. The inspector general found the information in that bulletin was broadly shared. FBI Director Chris Wray, who announced this week his plans to resign at the end of Biden's term in January, defended his agency's handing of the intelligence report. He told lawmakers in 2021 that the report was disseminated though the joint terrorism task force, discussed at a command post in Washington and posted on an internet portal available to other law enforcement agencies. "We did communicate that information in a timely fashion to the Capitol Police and (Metropolitan Police Department) in not one, not two, but three different ways," Wray said at the time. FBI Director Christopher Wray speaks March 11 during a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Separately, the report said the FBI's New Orleans field office was told by a source between November 2020 and early January 2021 that protesters were planning to station a "quick reaction force" in northern Virginia "to be armed and prepared to respond to violence that day in DC, if necessary." That information was shared with the FBI's Washington Field Office, members of intelligence agencies and some federal law enforcement agencies the day before the riot, the inspector general found. But there was no indication the FBI told northern Virginia police about the information, the report said. An FBI official told the inspector general there was "nothing actionable or immediately concerning about it." A cache of weapons at a Virginia hotel as part of a "quick reaction force" was a central piece of the Justice Department's seditious conspiracy case against Oath Keeper leader Stewart Rhodes and other members of the far-right extremist group. Trump supporters, including Douglas Jensen, center, confront U.S. Capitol Police on Jan. 6, 2021, in the hallway outside of the Senate chamber at the Capitol in Washington. The conspiracy theory that federal law enforcement officers entrapped members of the mob has been spread in conservative circles, including by some Republican lawmakers. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., recently suggested on a podcast that agents pretending to be Trump supporters were responsible for instigating the violence. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who withdrew as Trump's pick as attorney general amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations, sent a letter to Wray in 2021 asking how many undercover agents or informants were at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and if they were "merely passive informants or active instigators." Wray said the "notion that somehow the violence at the Capitol on January 6 was part of some operation orchestrated by FBI sources and agents is ludicrous." Rioters scale a wall at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Supporters loyal to then-President Donald Trump attend a rally on the Ellipse near the White House on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Trump supporters participate in a rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) Trump supporters participate in a rally Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) Then-President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives to speak at a rally in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) People listen as then-President Donald Trump speaks during a rally Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Supporters of then-President Donald Trump try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) A supporter of then-President Donald Trump is injured during clashes with police at the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) A rioter pours water on herself at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) A Trump supporter holds a Bible as he gathers with others outside the Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) A demonstrator supporting then-President Donald Trump, is sprayed by police, Jan. 6, 2021, during a day of rioting at the Capitol.(AP Photo/John Minchillo) Rioters try to enter the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) U.S. Capitol Police try to hold back rioters outside the east doors to the House side of the U.S. Capitol, Jan 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Rioters gather outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Jan 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Protesters gather outside the U.S. Capitol, Jan 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Jacob Anthony Chansley, center, with other insurrectionists who supported then-President Donald Trump, are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police in the hallway outside of the Senate chamber in the Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Chansley, was among the first group of insurrectionists who entered the hallway outside the Senate chamber. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) U.S. Capitol Police hold rioters at gun-point near the House Chamber inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Lawmakers evacuate the floor as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Police with guns drawn watch as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Congressmen shelter in the House gallery as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Members of Congress wear emergency gas masks as they are evacuated from the House gallery as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) The House gallery is empty after it was evacuated as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., cleans up debris and personal belongings strewn across the floor of the Rotunda in the early morning hours of Jan. 7, 2021, after rioters stormed the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Members of the DC National Guard surround the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., read the final certification of Electoral College votes cast in November's presidential election during a joint session of Congress after working through the night, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, Pool) A flag hangs between broken windows after then-President Donald Trump supporters tried to break through police barriers outside the U.S. Capitol, Jan 6, 2021. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) A flag that reads "Treason" is visible on the ground in the early morning hours of Jan. 7, 2021, after rioters stormed the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) An ATF police officer cleans up debris and personal belongings strewn across the floor of the Rotunda in the early morning hours of Jan. 7, 2021, after rioters stormed the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.INDIANAPOLIS – It’s been four weeks since Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced the postseason was the franchise’s top priority and veteran Joe Flacco would take over as the starting quarterback. The Colts (5-7) have won just a single game since, and 22-year-old Anthony Richardson has been reinstated as the starter. Indianapolis has lost plenty of ground in the playoff chase over the last month, but it’s still got a chance to make a run. The Colts enter the week in ninth place in the AFC, two games behind the Denver Broncos (7-5) for the seventh and final postseason berth. That’s not great math for Indianapolis, and there is little to no margin for error, but with the teeth of the schedule in the rearview mirror, there is hope. The Colts play just one team with a winning record over their final five games. That’s a Dec. 15 date against the Broncos that could ultimately seal the team’s playoff fate. The stretch run begins Sunday on the road against the New England Patriots (3-9) with the bye week to follow. The final three games are at home against the Tennessee Titans (3-8), at the New York Giants (2-9) and at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9). “I think, right now, where we’re at in the season, with everything set ahead of us, still being in that picture, one game on the road against New England going into the bye, we’ve got a chance to catch our breath and regroup for the last, final run,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said. “I think we’re in a special, unique position to where – why not go on a run? Why not us? I’ve done it before. “To be honest with you, I hate that I’m always in this position, but I’ve been there before, and I think the reality of the situation is that it just takes one. It just takes one play. It just takes one game. It just takes one to get the ball rolling, to get this momentum shifted, to get that energy back and get it rolling and get into the dance. Because I think, at the end of the day, as long as you get into the dance, that’s all that matters.” Franklin was a rookie in 2018 when Indianapolis went 10-1 down the stretch to overcome a 1-5 start and sneak into the postseason with the final berth. The 2021 Colts went 6-1 in November and December to get to 9-6 and position themselves for a playoff spot before losing their final two games in January. And Indianapolis won four straight to end November and begin December last year, enabling itself to force a winner-takes-all battle against the Houston Texans in the regular-season finale. The Colts went 1-3 in November this year, but they have a chance to turn things around in the final full month of the regular season. “Obviously, these last five games will be big,” Steichen said. “Right now we’ve got to take it one day at a time, one meeting at a time, one practice at a time, one game at a time to get to where we want to be at the end of the year. But we know this is a huge week for us coming up before the bye. So the fundamentals, the details, the attention to details, are going to be huge going into this week and then coming back after the bye. Get some guys back hopefully, be ready to roll for that four-game stretch.” If Indianapolis’ fortunes are to turn around again, it will need to begin with the offense. The Colts rank 21st in the 32-team NFL with an average of 20.2 points per game and are 17th in rushing offense and 24th in the passing game. Center Tanor Bortolini (concussion) and wide receiver Josh Downs (shoulder) are among the players in danger of missing the trip to New England, increasing the degree of difficulty for a struggling unit. But improvement in situational details could go a long way toward fixing what fails the offense. Indianapolis ranks 23rd with a 36% conversion rate on third down, and it’s 24th with a 52.8% touchdown rate in the red zone. Those numbers are the keys to finishing drives and putting more points on the scoreboard. “We just need to take advantage of our scoring opportunities, and we need to come away with seven (points) instead of three because we got down there – we just couldn't finish,” wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said, referring specifically to last week’s 24-6 loss against the Detroit Lions in which the Colts twice failed to reach the end zone from inside the visitors’ 20-yard line. “If we start putting up sevens instead of threes, then you don't know what happens, right? The score is a lot closer and football is football and momentum is king, and who knows?”

The truce comes after over a year of fighting that has killed thousands of people. Before the deal was struck Israel launched waves of attacks in Lebanon. DW has the latest. What you need to know Israel's security Cabinet greenlights truce agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group Israeli warplanes struck Beirut's southern suburbs ahead of the Cabinet's truce decision Evacuation warnings issued in central Beirut for the first time Israel says will act 'forcefully' if Lebanon deal breached Here are the latest developments in the crisis in Israel, Lebanon, Gaza and other parts of the Middle East on Tuesday, November 26: Cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah takes effect The cease-fire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has officially come into force. The truce began at 4:00 a.m. (0200 GMT) local time. If the deal holds, it will end more than a year of war between Israel and Hezbollah, which has forced tens of thousands of people in Israel and hundreds of thousands more in Lebanon to flee their homes. The two sides have been trading blows since October 8, 2023 , a day after Hamas launched terrorist attacks on southern Israel. Hezbollah said its cross-border strikes against Israel were in support of its Palestinian ally. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalated dramatically in recent months. In September, Israel stepped up its bombing campaign and mounted a ground operation in a bid to push Hezbollah's militants away from the country's northern border. Iran-backed Hezbollah is considered a terror group by the US, Germany and several other countries. Israeli army tells Beirut residents to evacuate ahead of cease-fire Hours before the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah was due to come into force, t he Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ordered the evacuation of residents in areas of central Beirut and the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital. "Urgent warning to residents of the Beirut area," Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X, telling people in the Bachoura area in the city center to leave, as well as "all residents in the southern suburb area," specifically in Ghobeiry. The US and France brokered the cease-fire and it will officially start at 04:00 a.m. local time in Lebanon and Israel (03:00 CET). What's in the cease-fire deal? The agreement is based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 36-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. It calls on Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanon within the next 60 days. Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border with Israel. Lebanon's army, along with the United Nations peacekeeping force UNIFIL, will secure the border area to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its infrastructure there. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib stated that the Lebanese military could deploy up to 10,000 troops in southern Lebanon Lebanon's deputy speaker of parliament Elias Bou Saab told Reuters a pre-existing tripartite mechanism between UNIFIL, the Lebanese, and Israeli militaries would be expanded to include the US and France, with the US chairing the group. According to US President Joe Biden, civilians on both sides of the border will be able to return to their communities. Israel maintains ‘complete military freedom of action’: Benjamin Netanyahu To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Lebanese prime minister welcomes Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called the truce "an essential step towards spreading calm and stability." He made the remarks in a statement issued after US President Joe Biden announced the truce deal. Mikati said Lebanon was committed to implementing UN resolution 1701 , on which the cease-fire deal is based. He also reiterated his government's promise to "strengthen the army's presence in the south." The Lebanese Cabinet, which includes members of Hezbollah's political wing, will reportedly meet on Wednesday to formally approve it. Cease-fire in Lebanon opens path to end war in Gaza — Macron French President Emmanuel Macron said the cease-fire in Lebanon should "open the path" for ending the war in Gaza. The US and France brokered the deal in Lebanon. "This agreement should open the path for a cease-fire too long awaited with regards to the incomparable suffering of the population in Gaza," Macron said in a video posted on social media. He added that it "shows that only political courage can provide everyone in the Middle East long-term peace and stability." Germany describes cease-fire as a 'ray of hope for the entire region' German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock welcomed the cease-fire agreement hailing it as "a ray of hope for the entire region." "People on both sides of the border want to live in genuine and lasting security," Baerbock said in a statement, She added a cease-fire in Gaza was urgently needed to secure the release of hostages and end the suffering there. Von der Leyen says truce is 'encouraging' EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the cease-fire agreement. She described it as "encouraging news" for Lebanon and Israelis. "Lebanon will have an opportunity to increase internal security and stability thanks to Hezbollah's reduced influence," she wrote on social media. Biden announces cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah US President Joe Biden announced that a cease-fire has been reached between Israel and Hezbollah militants. He said fighting across the border will end at 4 a.m. Lebanon time (2 a.m. GMT). Biden said the 60-day deal, if fully implemented, is "designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities." The US and France brokered the truce that aims to end to the fighting triggered by Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Hezbollah and Hamas are both backed by Iran. Biden spoke after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted the truce. "The length of the cease-fire will depend on what happens in Lebanon," Netanyahu said. The Lebanese Cabinet, that includes members of Hezbollah's political wing, will reportedly meet on Wednesday to formally approve it. Biden also said the US will make another push "in coming days" to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Israelis divided over truce, poll finds The Times of Israel reports a snap poll by Israel's Channel 12 indicates that Israelis are split on the proposed cease-fire with Hezbollah. When asked about their stance on the arrangement, 37% expressed support, 32% opposed it, and 31% were undecided. The poll further reveals a stark contrast in opinions among political lines. Among supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's coalition, only 20% back the deal, while 45% oppose it and 35% remain uncertain. In contrast, 50% of opposition voters support the cease-fire agreement. Israel's national security minister opposes the truce Israel 's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he opposed the cease-fire deal with Hezbollah , describing it as a "historic mistake." The agreement does not ensure the return of Israelis to their homes in the country's north, he said on social media. "In order to leave Lebanon, we must have our own security belt," Ben-Gvir added. The comments come after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was ready to implement the deal and would present it to his full Cabinet later in the evening. Netanyahu says cease-fire with Hezbollah would isolate Hamas Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that a cease-fire in Lebanon is unlikely to facilitate a truce or hostage-release agreement in Gaza , where Israeli forces continue their war with Hamas . Speaking after Israel's security cabinet approved a cease-fire deal with Hezbollah , Netanyahu said the truce would allow Israel to "intensify" pressure on Hamas and focus on the "Iranian threat." "When Hezbollah is out of the picture, Hamas is left alone in the fight. Our pressure on it will intensify," Netanyahu said. Israel maintains ‘complete military freedom of action’: Benjamin Netanyahu To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Netanyahu to present Hezbollah cease-fire deal to Israeli Cabinet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is asking Israel's cabinet to approve a cease-fire deal to stop fighting against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon . He made the announcement on Tuesday after meeting with his security cabinet. It could end the current fighting that has dragged on for over a year and intensified in September. It led to thousands of deaths in Lebanon and nearly 100 Israeli civilians and soldiers killed. Nearly 60,000 people in Israel and 1 million in Lebanon have had to flee their homes. Netanyahu said a Lebanon truce will allow Israel to "focus on Iranian threat" but warned tough action will be taken against Hezbollah in the event of violations. Iran-backed Hezbollah, considered a terror group by some countries, including the US and Germany, began attacking Israel on October 8, 2023, a day after the Hamas-led terror attack on southern Israel. Israel stepped up its bombing campaign in September and mounted a ground operation. Blinken says Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire deal 'in the final stages' US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said efforts to secure a cease-fire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah were "in the final stages." "We are tracking this very closely. I hope and believe we can get this over the finish line," he said at a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Italy. Blinken said he hoped that "by de-escalating tensions in the region, it can also help us to end the conflict in Gaza." Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of truce decision Israeli warplanes have hit Beirut 's southern suburbs with a wave of airstrikes just before Israel's cabinet was set to discuss a ceasefire deal with Iran-backed Hezbollah. A senior Israeli official and Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib appeared optimistic a deal could be reached. But despite the possibility of an imminent diplomatic breakthrough, hostilities were still raging on Tuesday. Israeli strikes hit parts of Beirut's densely-populated southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold. The Israeli military said one barrage of strikes had hit 20 targets in the city in just 120 seconds. Israel had issued its biggest evacuation warning yet, ordering civilians to leave 20 locations. Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said his country's air force was conducting a "widespread attack" on Hezbollah targets across the city. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has kept up rocket fire into Israel. Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by the US, Germany and several Sunni Arab countries, while the EU lists its armed wing as a terrorist group. German foreign minister sees hope for Israel-Hezbollah truce German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said that — after more than a year of violence — a ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon is "within reach." At the meeting of the G7 foreign ministers in Italy, Baerbock spoke of progress towards a political solution, crediting the direct mediation of the United States and France. The German government had worked intensively on this with "closely coordinated shuttle diplomacy." "We are at a critical moment right now — perhaps a moment that also gives us hope," said Baerbock at the meeting, which is being held in the small town of Fiuggi in central Italy. The minister added: "Giving up, despite setbacks, is simply not an option."