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Juan Soto could decide on his next team before or during baseball's winter meetings10jili agent login 。

West Forsyth won the coin toss and has deferred to the second half. Follow along for live updates from Fred Lewis Stadium in Kernersville as East Forsyth takes on West Forsyth in the second round of the NCHSAA 4-A state playoffs. East Forsyth (11-0) beat West Forsyth (8-3) 48-42 on Nov. 1. The Eagles got a 3-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Baker to J.P. Gilchrist with 9.4 seconds left to pull out the win. mpruitt@wsjournal.com Sent weekly directly to your inbox!

The Buffalo Bills are back from their bye week and gearing up for a six-week sprint to the end of the regular season. At 9-2, the team has surpassed any reasonable expectations set for it coming into the season. A fifth straight AFC East title is all but guaranteed, and could be wrapped up as soon as Sunday if things go right. The No. 1 seed in the conference playoffs is still in play. As the team prepares to welcome the San Francisco 49ers to Highmark Stadium on Sunday night in a nationally televised game, here is a look at three things that have gone right and three that have gone at least partially wrong thus far: Let’s start with the good: Bills quarterback Josh Allen, left, celebrates after running for the game-winning touchdown against the Chiefs at Highmark Stadium on Nov. 17. 1. MVP Allen The Bills’ star quarterback has elevated his game to another level this season, even if he’s not statistically on pace to have his best season. Allen is projected to throw for 3,930 yards and 28 touchdowns, while completing 64.0% of his passes this year. His best season came in 2020, when he threw for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns while completing 69.2% of his passes. Still, Allen’s generally considered to be having his best NFL season to date. He’s on pace to throw a career-low eight interceptions (he threw 10 in 2020), but his MVP case goes beyond just that. Right or wrong, the MVP discussion will inevitably look at a team’s record, and the Bills are 9-2 in a year many had them pegged as a 10- or 11-win team at max. Allen’s leadership and command of the offense have never been greater, thus strengthening his MVP case. 2. Thefts As the Buffalo Bills come out of their bye weekend, they are 9-2, running away with the AFC East and off to their best start since the 1992 season. Here's a roundtable discussion of The News' Bills writers on the state of the team. The Bills’ defense always stresses the importance of taking the football away, and few teams in the league have been better at it thus far. Buffalo’s 21 takeaways currently ranks fifth, just two behind league-leading Houston with 23 and one behind a three-way tie for second with 22 between Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Minnesota. Buffalo’s 13 interceptions rank fourth in the league, and its eight recovered fumbles is tied for fifth. Conversely, the Bills’ offense is taking good care of the football, with just seven giveaways. Buffalo’s five interceptions is tied for sixth fewest in the league and its two lost fumbles is second to only Detroit (one lost). That’s led to a plus-14 turnover differential that is tops in the NFL. 3. The offensive line The Bills are allowing sacks on just 3.7% of their pass plays – the best number in the NFL. That’s not totally an offensive line stat, as Allen’s elusiveness plays into it, but it definitely says a lot about how the group up front is performing. The Bills have started the same five – left tackle Dion Dawkins, left guard David Edwards, center Connor McGovern, right guard O’Cyrus Torrence and right tackle Spencer Brown – in every game, save the Week 11 win over the Chiefs, which Brown missed with a sprained ankle. On the ground, the Bills are third in expected points added per rush, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. That number quantifies the net value a ball carrier adds on run plays by translating yards gained into points scored. Again, that’s not totally an offensive line stat, but as Bills head coach Sean McDermott points out after every game, success most frequently starts up front at the line of scrimmages. Here are three things that haven’t always been great: How do the Bills believe they will ever get to the more than 5,000 potential season ticket holder accounts on their waitlist for the new stadium and why advertise for more of them? It likely comes down to the natural attrition that will come with moving to a new stadium − especially when it involves buying a personal seat license, which is relatively new to the Buffalo market, as well as the effort to minimize just how many seats one account holder can purchase, reducing the number of seats held by ticket brokers. 1. Run defense While the Bills are in the middle of the pack in terms of yards allowed per game, ranking 14th at 119.1, they are 30th in terms of yards allowed per carry, at 4.85. Take a look at the upcoming schedule of running backs the team faces: Christian McCaffrey (49ers), Kyren Williams (Rams) and David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions). This concern goes beyond just the short term, though. The Week 4 loss to Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens is tough to forget. It feels like any path to the Super Bowl is going to have to go through Baltimore and/or Kansas City, and the Chiefs should get Isiah Pacheco back soon. The Bills are going to have to get tougher against the run, or else teams will be able to control the clock, and thus the pace of the game. Buffalo is allowing 1.79 yards per carry before contact, which is eighth most in the NFL, according to the league’s Next Gen Stats. That speaks to the defensive line’s inability at times to get to the opposing running back. It’s not been all bad for the run defense, as the team has stuffed opposing rushing attempts, meaning holding them to no gain or for a loss of yardage, on 23.3% of carries, which is the second-best rate in the league. The consistency, however, has lacked, and that’s a potential problem moving forward. 2. Tyler Bass The 61-yard field goal that won the game against Miami was one of the best kicks in team history. Bass followed that up with another good showing against Indianapolis in Week 10, but a missed extra point against Kansas City once again led to some doubt creeping in. It felt for most of that game against the Chiefs like the missed extra point was going to loom large, but the rest of the team eventually made sure that didn’t happen. Nevertheless, it feels certain that there is going to come a time that the Bills need to rely on Bass down the stretch, and their confidence in doing so might have understandably been shaken by his miss against the Chiefs. Bass has made 86.4% of his field goals this season (19 of 22), which ranks 15th among qualified kickers (those with at least 16 attempts). Of the 40 kickers in the league who have an attempted an extra point, however, Bass ranks 36th, with a conversion rate of 89.2%. The Bills don’t currently have a kicker on their practice squad, so they’re all in on Bass coming through. He needs to reward them for their confidence. Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard, middle, celebrates his interception against the Chiefs in Week 11. The Bills have 13 interceptions this season, which is fourth most in the NFL. 3. The injury report The Bills’ weekly injury report has needed subtitles at times this season because it’s been so long. By unofficial count, the Bills have had 15 players classified as starters or key contributors who have missed at least one game because of injury. That’s a lot of bumps and bruises. The good news, however, is that the bye week came at the right time. The team opened linebacker Matt Milano’s practice window before the bye, meaning his return should come soon. If he can get back up to speed before the playoffs, he gives the team a great 1-2 punch at linebacker with Terrel Bernard (and if not, Dorian Williams has looked just fine in Milano’s place). Ideally, the team’s run of wrist injuries is behind it. Amari Cooper and rookie Keon Coleman should be closer to 100% coming out of the bye. Rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter, who had put together a few nice performances before suffering a wrist injury, is eligible to return from injured reserve starting this week. Veteran defensive end Dawuane Smoot has to miss at least two more games while on injured reserve with a wrist injury of his own, while linebacker Baylon Spector is out for at least two more games because of a calf injury. All of them should be able to return in time for the playoffs, giving the Bills the chance to be as healthy as they’ve been all season at exactly the right time. Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter Sent weekly directly to your inbox! News Sports Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.The city of Norfolk on Monday asked a federal judge to toss a lawsuit asserting that the city's Flock Safety program is unconstitutional. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on X (Opens in new window) Most Popular Let it burn: Days-old underground fire at Williamsburg outlet mall could smolder for a week Let it burn: Days-old underground fire at Williamsburg outlet mall could smolder for a week Neighbors get into argument before fatal shooting, Hampton police say Neighbors get into argument before fatal shooting, Hampton police say Underground fire still burning at Williamsburg Premium Outlets; officials advise caution Underground fire still burning at Williamsburg Premium Outlets; officials advise caution Teel: Return as columnist at The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press is a privilege Teel: Return as columnist at The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press is a privilege One nation, under watch: Flock Safety cameras help the police solve crime. But how much should privacy matter? One nation, under watch: Flock Safety cameras help the police solve crime. But how much should privacy matter? Newport News council to consider banning guns from government buildings Newport News council to consider banning guns from government buildings Corey Hairston retires as Warwick football coach; defensive coordinator Thomas Sykes is named successor Corey Hairston retires as Warwick football coach; defensive coordinator Thomas Sykes is named successor Video: Fire burns at Williamsburg Premium Outlets as officials keep an eye on air quality Video: Fire burns at Williamsburg Premium Outlets as officials keep an eye on air quality Underground fire causes partial parking lot collapse at Williamsburg Premium Outlets Underground fire causes partial parking lot collapse at Williamsburg Premium Outlets Vinyl records comeback continues: 2 stores open in Newport News, Hampton Vinyl records comeback continues: 2 stores open in Newport News, Hampton Trending Nationally Parachute ‘D.B. Cooper’ hijacker used in 1971 may have been found Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths here in Florida. Here’s why Health providers dropping Medicare Advantage could affect coverage for 60,000 Minnesotans Transgender player on San Jose State women’s volleyball team can play at Mountain West tournament, judge rules Say hello to prison: Boston man convicted of attacking woman for not saying ‘good morning’Player 456 is back in the game, but this time he’s got a plan. That seems to be what’s teased in the new trailer for Squid Game 2 , the highly anticipated, seven-episode second season of Netflix’s biggest show of all time. When last we saw 456 ( The Acolyte ‘s Lee Jung-jae) he was the last one standing from the games but vowed to bring them down. This season, we see that—somehow— he does get back in and now is using his prior knowledge for good. But will the others trust him? Let’s watch the new trailer and figure it out. What stands out most about this second trailer is that we finally see a few of the new games. We see the standard Red Light, Green Light from season one, but also something with rainbow circles on the ground as well as a giant merry-go-round surrounded by doors. Any ideas? It’s probably bad for 456 that he doesn’t know these new games but that’s to be expected. The trailer also shows him being escorted somewhere by the game masters and a showdown with the man in charge himself. They were waiting and ready for him. In addition, we see shots of the players fighting each other—always a terrifying notion—as well as 456 playing possum when one of the guards comes to check on him. Is he alone? Are others with him? We know that Squid Game 2 is just the second act of the full story, so we’re guessing the seven episodes that drop on December 26 will only solve part of the mystery. But it’s a continuation we have been patiently waiting for for a long time now and we can’t wait to go back. What are your thoughts on the new trailer for Squid Game 2 ? Are you going to binge the new episodes immediately? Let us know below.

Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who tried to restore virtue to the White House after the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, then rebounded from a landslide defeat to become a global advocate of human rights and democracy, has died. He was 100 years old . The Carter Center said the 39th president died Sunday afternoon, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died in November 2023, lived most of their lives. The center said he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. As reaction poured in from around the world, President Joe Biden mourned Carter’s death, saying the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and he lost a dear friend. Biden cited Carter’s compassion and moral clarity, his work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless and advocacy for the disadvantaged as an example for others. “To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility,” Biden said in a statement. “He showed that we are a great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.” Biden said he is ordering a state funeral for Carter in Washington. A moderate Democrat, Carter ran for president in 1976 as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad grin, effusive Baptist faith and technocratic plans for efficient government. His promise to never deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter said. Carter’s victory over Republican Gerald Ford, whose fortunes fell after pardoning Nixon, came amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over race, women’s rights and America’s role in the world. His achievements included brokering Mideast peace by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David for 13 days in 1978. But his coalition splintered under double-digit inflation and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His negotiations ultimately brought all the hostages home alive, but in a final insult, Iran didn’t release them until the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, who had trounced him in the 1980 election. Humbled and back home in Georgia, Carter said his faith demanded that he keep doing whatever he could, for as long as he could, to try to make a difference. He and Rosalynn co-founded The Carter Center in 1982 and spent the next 40 years traveling the world as peacemakers, human rights advocates and champions of democracy and public health. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Carter helped ease nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiate cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, the center had monitored at least 113 elections around the world. Carter was determined to eradicate guinea worm infections as one of many health initiatives. Swinging hammers into their 90s, the Carters built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The common observation that he was better as an ex-president rankled Carter. His allies were pleased that he lived long enough to see biographers and historians revisit his presidency and declare it more impactful than many understood at the time. Propelled in 1976 by voters in Iowa and then across the South, Carter ran a no-frills campaign. Americans were captivated by the earnest engineer, and while an election-year Playboy interview drew snickers when he said he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times,” voters tired of political cynicism found it endearing. The first family set an informal tone in the White House, carrying their own luggage, trying to silence the Marine Band’s traditional “Hail to the Chief" and enrolling daughter, Amy, in public schools. Carter was lampooned for wearing a cardigan and urging Americans to turn down their thermostats. But Carter set the stage for an economic revival and sharply reduced America's dependence on foreign oil by deregulating the energy industry along with airlines, trains and trucking. He established the departments of Energy and Education, appointed record numbers of women and nonwhites to federal posts, preserved millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness and pardoned most Vietnam draft evaders. Emphasizing human rights , he ended most support for military dictators and took on bribery by multinational corporations by signing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He persuaded the Senate to ratify the Panama Canal treaties and normalized relations with China, an outgrowth of Nixon’s outreach to Beijing. But crippling turns in foreign affairs took their toll. When OPEC hiked crude prices, making drivers line up for gasoline as inflation spiked to 11%, Carter tried to encourage Americans to overcome “a crisis of confidence.” Many voters lost confidence in Carter instead after the infamous address that media dubbed his “malaise" speech, even though he never used that word. After Carter reluctantly agreed to admit the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979. Negotiations to quickly free the hostages broke down, and then eight Americans died when a top-secret military rescue attempt failed. Carter also had to reverse course on the SALT II nuclear arms treaty after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Though historians would later credit Carter's diplomatic efforts for hastening the end of the Cold war, Republicans labeled his soft power weak. Reagan’s “make America great again” appeals resonated, and he beat Carter in all but six states. Born Oct. 1, 1924, James Earl Carter Jr. married fellow Plains native Rosalynn Smith in 1946, the year he graduated from the Naval Academy. He brought his young family back to Plains after his father died, abandoning his Navy career, and they soon turned their ambitions to politics . Carter reached the state Senate in 1962. After rural white and Black voters elected him governor in 1970, he drew national attention by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Carter published more than 30 books and remained influential as his center turned its democracy advocacy onto U.S. politics, monitoring an audit of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. After a 2015 cancer diagnosis, Carter said he felt “perfectly at ease with whatever comes.” “I’ve had a wonderful life,” he said. “I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.”Brad Treliving's Biggest Home Run is Paying Significant Dividends for the Toronto Maple Leafs

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart's sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are re-evaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups. The changes announced by the world's biggest retailer on Monday followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The retreat from such programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump's incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher at the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches -- the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President -- are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the October survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associate at Pew, called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI," Glasgow said. "The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Walmart says its U.S. businesses sourced more than $13 billion in goods and services from diverse suppliers in fiscal year 2024, including businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America's top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart's announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart's need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company has no explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer's ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart." Walmart's announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.

Malik Nabers says calling the Giants 'soft' was wrong but he doesn't regret speaking outKENT, Ohio (AP) — Jalen Sullinger led Kent State with 25 points and secured the victory with a 3-pointer with 43 seconds remaining as the Golden Flashes knocked off Heidelberg 84-80 on Sunday night. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * KENT, Ohio (AP) — Jalen Sullinger led Kent State with 25 points and secured the victory with a 3-pointer with 43 seconds remaining as the Golden Flashes knocked off Heidelberg 84-80 on Sunday night. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? KENT, Ohio (AP) — Jalen Sullinger led Kent State with 25 points and secured the victory with a 3-pointer with 43 seconds remaining as the Golden Flashes knocked off Heidelberg 84-80 on Sunday night. Sullinger shot 9 of 20 from the field, including 4 for 10 from 3-point range, and went 3 for 4 from the line for the Golden Flashes (9-3). VonCameron Davis scored 21 points while shooting 8 for 13 (1 for 3 from 3-point range) and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line and added five rebounds and five assists. Mike Bekelja had 14 points and shot 4 for 5 from beyond the arc and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line. Eric Panning finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals for the Student Princes. Manny Hill added 15 points and seven rebounds for Heidelberg. Elijah Harden had 15 points. Sullinger scored 11 points in the first half and Kent State went into halftime trailing 42-36. Davis scored 15 points in the second half. Kent State outscored Heidelberg by 10 points over the final half. Kent State hosts Ball State in its next matchup on Saturday. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. AdvertisementFor those on the right side of the political aisle, 2024 was a mixed bag. We had to trudge through the final year of Joe Biden’s disastrous presidency while fighting to prevent the administration from inflicting further economic carnage. Yet we also received an enormous gift with the victory of President-elect Donald Trump. Here are my top five moments of 2024. By far, this was best. Things did not look good for Trump at the start of the year, as he faced a litany of felony charges across multiple jurisdictions. But despite the legal onslaught, Trump refused to back down. (tncms-inline)9a826eb8-a769-4b71-b7ae-7e84438f7477[0](/tncms-inline) Aside from his legal problems, Trump faced several opponents as he fought for the GOP presidential nomination. In the spring, many political pundits and talking heads thought Trump could not win the Republican nomination. Yet he emerged victorious and united the GOP under the “Make America Great Again” banner. Trump then pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in political history as he cruised to victory and helped the Republican Party gain control of both houses of Congress. This election will go down in history as a turning point, considering the vast inroads Trump made among voters who traditionally voted for Democrats. Though the polls were tight heading into the debate between Trump and Biden, the absolutely pitiful performance by Biden completely changed the race. Soon after Biden flopped in front of millions of Americans, the Democratic Party pulled the plug on his reelection effort. Of course, this short-sighted move benefited Trump greatly, as it demonstrated that the sitting president was going senile. More important, it led to the rise of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the Democratic ticket. Considering Harris’ flip-flops on basically every central policy position, it really was a blessing in disguise that she inherited Biden’s place and was eventually destroyed by Trump. This could have easily been first or second on my list. In midsummer, Trump was crisscrossing the country, holding outdoor rallies. Unfortunately, Trump’s proclivity to engage with his supporters nearly cost him his life. But despite two would-be assassins somehow evading Secret Service detection — and one fired several shots — Trump was largely unharmed. While this was a blessing, we must never forget that one person, Corey Comperatore, died at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, and two others were wounded. On Oct. 14, SpaceX launched its Super Heavy Starship, the most powerful rocket in the world. Then, in an unprecedented engineering marvel, the 23-story-tall Super Heavy booster returned to the launch pad in an upright position and was “caught” without a hitch. It was like something straight out of a science-fiction movie, and it demonstrated that the age of space exploration has entered a new chapter. The department, known as DOGE, is an early Christmas present for conservatives and libertarians. For decades, we have been warning that the size and scope of the federal government is unsustainable and that big government is bad news for personal liberty. Finally, some significant spending cuts and institutional reforms are in the offing. With the national debt exceeding $36 trillion and trillion-dollar deficits the new normal, we need to downsize the federal bureaucracy and get back on sound fiscal footing before it is too late. Talgo is the editorial director at The Heartland Institute. He wrote this for InsideSources.com . Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. Declares Fourth Quarter 2024 Cash Dividend of $0.76 per Share

Samsonov stops 31 shots as Golden Knights earn sixth straight win, 3-0 over the Flames

NEW YORK (AP) — appears on a timetable to decide on where to sign either before or during baseball's winter meetings in Dallas, which run from Dec. 8-12. with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, a person familiar with the negotiations said last week, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details were not announced. Soto's agent, Scott Boras, asked teams to submit initial offers by Thanksgiving, a second person familiar with the talks said, also on condition of anonymity because it was not announced. Soto is the top player available among . A four-time All-Star, Soto finished third in AL MVP voting after hitting .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks. He has a .285 career average with 201 homers, 592 RBIs and 769 walks over seven major league seasons. Soto turned down a $440 million, 15-year offer from Washington in 2022, prompting the Nationals to trade him to San Diego, which then dealt him to the Yankees last December. Soto then combined with Aaron Judge to lead New York to the World Series, . In his pitch to teams, Boras highlighted that Soto joined Mickey Mantle as the only players with seven RBIs in a World Series at age 21 or younger when he was with Washington, and at 20 became the youngest player with five postseason homers. Soto's .906 postseason OPS through age 25 topped Mantle (.900) and Derek Jeter (.852). Soto is likely to seek a record contract, topping Shohei Ohtani's with the Los Angeles Dodgers last December. That might not mean Soto gets more than $700 million, though. Because Ohtani's deal included $680 million in deferred money payable through 2043, it can be valued by different methods. For instance, Ohtani's contract is valued at $46.1 million per season ($461 million total) under MLB's luxury tax system, which used a 4.43% discount rate. The players' association uses a 5% rate, which puts Ohtani's contract at $43.8 million per year. For MLB's regular payroll calculations, a 10% discount rates values Ohtani's deal at just $28.2 million. Which means if Soto gets even $462 million without deferred payments, there's an argument that his deal is the most valuable in MLB history. By average annual value, pitchers and are tied for second in baseball history at $43.33 million as part of contracts they signed with the New York Mets, deals that expired at the end of the 2024 season. In terms of total value, Ohtani surpassed outfielder through 2030. MLB’s longest contract is outfielder through 2034. The Mets, Yankees, Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies all are likely to enter 2025 having paid luxury tax for three straight years, putting them at the highest rate: a 50% surcharge on payroll between $241 million and $261 million, 62% from $261 million to $281 million, 95% from $281 million to $301 million and 110% for each dollar above $301 million. Toronto may have dropped below the initial tax threshold this year, pending final figures next month. If the Blue Jays did fall under, their rates next year would reset to 20%, 32%, 62.5% and 80% for the four thresholds. If Soto reaches or announces an agreement at the winter meetings in Dallas' Hilton Anatole, it would be a familiar location for a big Boras deal. Alex Rodriguez's record $252 million, 10-year contract with the Texas Rangers was announced in December 2000 at what then was called the Wyndham Anatole Hotel. A-Rod's deal more than doubled MLB's previous high, a $121 million, eight-year contract between pitcher Mike Hampton and Colorado that was announced just two days earlier. “In two days, we’ve doubled a new highest salary,′′ said Sandy Alderson, then an executive vice president in the commissioner’s office. ”I don’t like the exponentiality of that." Rodriguez was 25 at the time of the agreement with Texas, a free agent before entering his likely prime, like Soto. Third baseman Alex Bregman, first basemen Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, and outfielders Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernández are among the significant bats available to pursue and likely would interest some of the teams who fail to sign Soto. Bregman and Alonso, like Soto, are represented by Boras. AP MLB:Tweet Facebook Mail The consumer watchdog is urging Australians to shop around for better deals for their power, after it found electricity price falls weren't being passed on to households. More than 80 per cent of households in the National Electricity Network could move to a cheaper plan if they shopped around or even just contacted their provider, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's latest electricity inquiry report found. Despite retail electricity prices falling from August 2023 to August 2024, many households remain on plans above the government safety net price - the price consumers are charged if they have never shopped around for another price. LIVE UPDATES: Aussies bowled out as India set record chase for victory  People are being urged to shop around to reduce their electricity prices. (iStock) "If you haven't changed electricity plans in the past 12 months, chances are you are paying more for your electricity than you need to," ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said. The report found that households with offers which are more than a year old are paying $238 more per year than households on newer offers. "We are urging Australians to take some time this holiday period to have a look on the Energy Made Easy or Victoria Energy Compare websites to see if there is a better plan," Brakey said. "Alternatively, people could simply call their retailers to see if they have a better offer available. "We know that customers that haven't done this in a while are probably paying too much." READ MORE: Experts weigh in as questions remain over South Korea plane crash  People should also read their electricity bills when they arrive. "Every three to four months, electricity companies are required to tell you on your bill if a cheaper plan is available," Brakey said. "If you get this message, you are paying more than you need to." Pricing in the retail electricity market is becoming more complex as more customers are on time of use or demand tariffs. There are also more customers on offers with multiple complex pricing elements, who may find it challenging to respond to these complicated price signals. The report found that customers on time-of-use offers have lower calculated annual prices on average than flat rate offers. READ MORE: Teen dies after falling from rope swing on Gold Coast  Surprising state where households fork out most for electricity View Gallery However, customers on demand offers had higher calculated annual prices, with 51 per cent of these customers on offers priced at or above the government safety net price. Customers on demand offers are not subject to the protections of the Default Market Offer. "The increasing complexity in pricing as the smart meter rollout continues, presents a real challenge to consumers who are trying to reduce their electricity bills," Brakey said. "While we are pleased that compared annual prices have decreased from 2023 to 2024 and more consumers are on offers below the government safety net price, a substantial proportion of households remain on prices above these levels." DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP : Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play .

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