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(The Center Square) – The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents has recommended a number of new and revised policies for its institutions, such as a commitment to institutional neutrality, the prohibiting of DEI tactics, and a mandatory education in America’s founding documents. The University System of Georgia (USG) is made up of Georgia’s 26 public colleges and universities as well as Georgia Archives and the Georgia Public Library Service. “USG institutions shall remain neutral on social and political issues unless such an issue is directly related to the institution’s core mission,” the board’s proposed revisions read . “Ideological tests, affirmations, and oaths, including diversity statements,” will be banned from admissions processes and decisions, employment processes and decisions, and institution orientation and training for both students and employees. “No applicant for admission shall be asked to or required to affirmatively ascribe to or opine about political beliefs, affiliations, ideals, or principles, as a condition for admission,” the new policy states. Additionally, USG will hire based on a person’s qualifications and ability. “The basis and determining factor” for employment will be “that the individual possesses the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the role, and is believed to have the ability to successfully perform the essential functions, responsibilities, and duties associated with the position for which the individual is being considered.” Beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year, the school’s civic instruction will require students to study founding American documents among other things. USG students will learn from the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Articles of Confederation, the Federalist Papers, the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, as well as the Georgia Constitution and Bill of Rights. When reached for comment, the Board of Regents told The Center Square that “these proposed updates strengthen USG’s academic communities.” The recommended policies allow a campus environment “where people have the freedom to share their thoughts and learn from one another through objective scholarship and inquiry,” and “reflect an unyielding obligation to protect freedom, provide quality higher education and promote student success,” the board said. The board told The Center Square that it proposed strengthening “the requirements for civics instruction” with the inclusion of “foundational primary sources” because of higher education’s duty to students. Colleges and universities “must prepare [students] to be contributing members of society and to understand the ideals of freedom and democracy that make America so exceptional,” the board said. As for ditching DEI, the board explained that “equal opportunity and decisions based on merit are fundamental values of USG.” “The proposed revisions among other things would make clear that student admissions and employee hiring should be based on a person’s qualifications, not his or her beliefs,” the board said. The Board of Regents also said it wants to “ensure [its] institutions remain neutral on social and political issues while modeling what it looks like to promote viewpoint diversity, create campus cultures where students and faculty engage in civil discourse, and the open exchange of ideas is the norm.” USG’s Board of Regents recently urged the NCAA to ban transgender-identifying men from participating in women’s sports, in line with the NAIA rules, The Center Square previously reported .
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LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — The ball bounced through KaVonte Turpin’s legs and stopped at the 1-yard line. He picked it up, made a spin move and was off to the races. was the highlight of the at Washington on Sunday that ended their losing streak at five. That came with just under three minutes left, and then an onside kick for a TD to provide a little happiness in the middle of a lost season. “Feels good to win,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “It’s been a minute.” Chauncey Golston ripping the ball out of Brian Robinson Jr.‘s hands for what counted as an interception of Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and Donovan Wilson forcing a fumble of John Bates earlier in the game helped put the Cowboys in position to make it a game, as did the play of Cooper Rush. Turpin’s monster return after initially muffing the retrieval had everyone buzzing. “He did that for timing,” McCarthy said. “That was part of the plan. He’s a special young man. Obviously a huge play for us.” Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves, the All-Pro special teams selection two seasons ago, was the first one down the field and blamed himself for not tackling Turpin when he had the chance. “I’ve made that play 100 times,” Reaves said. “I didn’t make it today, and it cost us the game.” Turpin’s spin move will likely be replayed over and over — and not stopped by many. Receiver CeeDee Lamb called it “his escape move” because Turpin has been showing it off in practice. “I know I can just get them going one way and then spin back the other way,” Turpin said. “That’s just one of my moves when I’m in trouble and I’ve got nowhere to go: something nobody ever seen before.” In a wacky finish that McCarthy likened to a game of Yahtzee, Thomas’ return was almost as unexpected. It came with 14 seconds left after Washington kicker Austin Seibert missed the extra point following Daniels’ 86-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin to leave Dallas up 27-26. “I kind of waited a second and I was like: ‘Should I try? Should I try?’” Thomas said. “I said, ‘I think I’m gonna score the ball,’ so just ran and I scored.” The Cowboys’ playoff odds are still incredibly long at 4-7, but with the New York Giants coming to town next for the traditional Thanksgiving Day game at Dallas, players are willing to dream after winning for the first time since Oct. 6. “Lot of games left,” said Rush, who threw two TD passes. “Pretty insane. ... I think both sides of the ball and special teams picked each other up all game. I think it was a full team effort. Finally picking each other up like we’re supposed to.” ___ AP NFL:Local Government Minister Maciu Nalumisa (left) and Opposition parliamentarian Praveen Bala (right) Opposition parliamentarian Praveen Bala has criticized the coalition government for “its poorly conceived plans to hold Local Government elections.” He said despite the fast-approaching timeline, there was “no visible preparation in place.” Bala said “the lack of action undermines the credibility of the proposed elections and signals yet another instance of the coalition government’s inability to deliver on its poorly thought-out promises effectively.” Concerned citizens on social media platforms, however, have raised the issue of the FijiFirst Government’s inability to hold Local Government elections in the eight years they were in power from 2014 to 2022. In the wake of the general election in 2014, Bala, the then newly appointed Local Government Minister, had said his immediate task was to see that municipal council elections would take place around the country. In January 2017, when probed by the media he said the legislation was being reviewed and the FijiFirst Government was progressing towards holding local government elections. In February2018, during the Local Government Forum in Suva, when asked once again, Bala said processes had to be followed and cited a review of the Local Government Act as the reason why municipal council elections had not been held. Speaking in Parliament in September this year, current Local Government Minister Maciu Nalumisa said conducting Local Government elections in Fiji was challenging because of its complex socio-political landscape, diverse ethnic makeup and historical contexts. He said the elections required substantial efforts to educate and mobilise voters while ensuring compliance with electoral laws and fostering political stability in a fragile democratic environment. Nalumisa said municipal elections would be held in the 2025-2026 financial year. He said the date would be confirmed upon consultation with the Fijian Elections Office and the Electoral Commission.
Descartes Announces Fiscal 2025 Third Quarter Financial ResultsConcerns have also been raised about the “renormalisation” of smoking. Dr Rachel O’Donnell, senior research fellow at the University of Stirling’s Institute for Social Marketing and Health, said restrictions on smoking in outdoor places can “reinforce” a message that smoking “isn’t a socially acceptable thing to do” and could also help smokers to kick the habit. In November, it emerged that the UK Government is to scrap plans to ban smoking in the gardens of pubs and restaurants in England. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the hospitality industry has “taken a real battering in recent years” and it is not “the right time” to ban smoking outside pubs. But smoking and vaping could be banned in other public places in England – such as in playgrounds or outside of schools – under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. According to the World Health Organisation, there is no safe level of second-hand smoke exposure. In a briefing for journalists, Dr O’Donnell said decision-making “should be on the basis of all the evidence that’s available”. She added: “Any debate about legislation on smoking in outdoor settings shouldn’t only focus on air quality and second-hand smoke exposure levels, because the impacts of restrictions in outdoor settings are also evident on our social norms.” Smoke-free outdoor environments “reinforce smoke-free as the acceptable norm”, she said. “This, I think, is a critically important point at a time where in the media, over the last year, we’ve seen various reports and questions as to whether we might be on the cusp of renormalisation of smoking for various reasons, and so smoke-free public environments still have a critically important role to play. “If you reduce opportunities to smoke, it can also help individuals who smoke themselves to reduce the amount they smoke or to make a quit attempt.” Dr O’Donnell said visibility of tobacco products and smoking is a “form of marketing for tobacco companies” as she pointed to studies highlighting the increasing number of tobacco depictions on screen. She went on: “The more often young adults observe smoking around them, the more likely they are to believe that smoking is socially acceptable, which feeds back into this idea of renormalisation of smoking. “So, restrictions on smoking in outdoor public places have other positive knock-on effects, potentially for young people as well, just sending out that clear message that this isn’t a socially acceptable thing to do and see, and this could help to discourage smoking initiation among young people at quite a critical time.” On being exposed to second-hand smoke at work, she added: “I think sometimes when we think about exposure to second-hand smoke in outdoor settings, in pubs, in restaurants, we think about that sort of occasional customer exposure, the nuisance element of it when people are out enjoying a meal with friends, but we also need to be reminded that this is a repeated occupational exposure for those who are working in hospitality and serving drinks and food. “Now, as we’ve already seen, concentrations of second-hand smoke in these settings are generally low, and they’re likely to present a low risk to health for most healthy people. “But ... there’s no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke, and so any individual with pre-existing heart, lung or respiratory conditions may be particularly vulnerable even to low levels of exposure. “We know that second-hand smoke is its known carcinogen, and on that basis those exposed in the hospitality sector have a right to be protected. “On that basis, there’s a need to protect them, as there is anybody in any workplace setting from second-hand smoke exposure in all areas of workplaces and spaces.” Sean Semple, professor of exposure science at the University of Stirling’s Institute for Social Marketing and Health, said: “I think that if I were a policy-maker, which I am not, then I would be looking at those occupational exposures as well. “I have asthma, if I was being occupationally exposed to SHS (second-hand smoke), and knowing that I was one of a very small number of workers now being legally exposed to SHS in the workplace, then I might not be very happy about that.” A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “As part of our 10 Year Health Plan we are shifting focus from sickness to prevention, including tackling the harms of smoking and passive smoking. “The landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill is the biggest public health intervention in a generation and will put us on track towards a smoke-free UK.”
CHICAGO, Dec. 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Monroe Capital Corporation (the “Company”) (NASDAQ: MRCC) announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a distribution of $0.25 per share for the fourth quarter of 2024, payable on December 30, 2024 to stockholders of record as of December 16, 2024. In October 2012, the Company adopted a dividend reinvestment plan that provides for reinvestment of distributions on behalf of its stockholders, unless a stockholder elects to receive cash prior to the record date. When the Company declares a cash distribution, stockholders who have not opted out of the dividend reinvestment plan prior to the record date will have their distribution automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Company’s capital stock. The specific tax characteristics of the distribution will be reported to stockholders on Form 1099 after the end of the calendar year and in the Company’s periodic report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. About Monroe Capital Corporation Monroe Capital Corporation is a publicly-traded specialty finance company that principally invests in senior, unitranche and junior secured debt and, to a lesser extent, unsecured debt and equity investments in middle-market companies. The Company’s investment objective is to maximize the total return to its stockholders in the form of current income and capital appreciation. The Company’s investment activities are managed by its investment adviser, Monroe Capital BDC Advisors, LLC, which is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and an affiliate of Monroe Capital LLC. To learn more about Monroe Capital Corporation, visit www.monroebdc.com . About Monroe Capital LLC Monroe Capital LLC (including its subsidiaries and affiliates, together “Monroe”) is a premier asset management firm specializing in private credit markets across various strategies, including direct lending, technology finance, venture debt, alternative credit, structured credit, real estate and equity. Since 2004, the firm has been successfully providing capital solutions to clients in the U.S. and Canada. Monroe prides itself on being a value-added and user-friendly partner to business owners, management, and both private equity and independent sponsors. Monroe’s platform offers a wide variety of investment products for both institutional and high net worth investors with a focus on generating high quality “alpha” returns irrespective of business or economic cycles. The firm is headquartered in Chicago and maintains 10 offices throughout the United States and Asia. Monroe has been recognized by both its peers and investors with various awards including Inc.'s 2024 Founder-Friendly Investors List; Private Debt Investor as the 2023 Lower Mid-Market Lender of the Decade, 2023 Lower Mid-Market Lender of the Year, 2023 CLO Manager of the Year, Americas; Global M&A Network as the 2023 Lower Mid-Markets Lender of the Year, U.S.A.; DealCatalyst as the 2022 Best CLO Manager of the Year; Korean Economic Daily as the 2022 Best Performance in Private Debt – Mid Cap; Creditflux as the 2021 Best U.S. Direct Lending Fund; and Pension Bridge as the 2020 Private Credit Strategy of the Year. For more information and important disclaimers, please visit www.monroecap.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements. Any such statements, other than statements of historical fact, are likely to be affected by other unknowable future events and conditions, including elements of the future that are or are not under the Company’s control, and that the Company may or may not have considered; accordingly, such statements cannot be guarantees or assurances of any aspect of future performance. Actual developments and results are highly likely to vary materially from these estimates and projections of the future. Such statements speak only as of the time when made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any such statement now or in the future. SOURCE: Monroe Capital CorporationSingh won't support Conservative non-confidence motion that uses his own words
President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to toss his hush money conviction
A potentially botched traffic stop by three Billings Police officers has led to more than 170 criminal cases investigated by the officers being reviewed, with several felony cases already dismissed. In May 2023, three officers responding to a traffic stop obtained consent from the driver to search the vehicle by what the Yellowstone County Attorney’s Office deemed deceptive means. Starting in October of this year, the county attorney’s office has compiled a list of criminal cases investigated by the three officers and is asking defense attorneys to review those cases for any potential misconduct. “My attorneys are going to get together with defense attorneys,” Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito said Friday, “and we’re going to figure out how this issue involving these officers will impact their cases. That’s my constitutional obligation.” The three officers have been placed on leave pending an internal investigation, said Billings Police Chief Rich St. John. In that May 1, 2023, traffic stop, Billings Police Officers Matthew Bistline, Ian Busta and Blaine Lane responded, according to a letter issued by Twito on Wednesday. Although verbal consent seemed to have been given to search the vehicle, one conversation recorded on the officers’ body cameras “appeared to focus on obtaining written consent of the driver through a deceptive manner,” Twito wrote. During that conversation, two of those officers either removed or shut off their body cameras. “Because of these circumstances, it is possible that in this case, the written consent was obtained by deceptive means,” Twito wrote. Tyler Dugger, a defense attorney based in Billings, represented the woman stopped by the three officers. She was charged with criminal possession of dangerous drugs and her case was weeks away from trial when she told Dugger there may have been misconduct on the responding officers' part. Although Dugger declined to share specific details he found from reviewing body camera footage of the stop, he said he found some elements of the officers' behavior to be "concerning" and "problematic." Dugger disclosed his findings to the prosecutor and the case was subsequently dismissed. Starting in October, the Yellowstone County Attorney’s Office launched a massive investigation into all active criminal cases involving the three officers. The north side of the Yellowstone County District Courthouse is seen on Friday. Not long after Twito’s office became aware of the details revealed in the traffic stop in late October, he made identifying all cases in which the three officers played a role a priority, he said. “It was an added extra obligation,” he said, “but it’s an important obligation.” The intent of the letter, Twito told the Gazette, is to notify defense attorneys their clients may potentially be impacted, and to invite those attorneys to review those cases. “Being a police officer is a tough job,” Billings attorney Joe Zavatsky said, “but we have to hold them to high standards because that is the government, and when the government is treating individuals unfairly that is not good.” Zavatsky, with Alpine Law, is representing two clients whose cases have been flagged by the Yellowstone County Attorney’s Office for review. In the moment after an officer asks for consent to search a vehicle, Zavatsky said, a million things can be going through a person’s mind, regardless of whether or not they have anything illegal in their vehicle. Even if a driver says, “no,” Zavatsky explained, an officer can seize their vehicle pending a search warrant. “You’re in such a hard spot right there to make a decision,” he said, “and if an officer is not being forthright in how they’re explaining that, then it tips the scales in an unjust and unfair way.” Nature of the cases with his letter, Twito included a list of all active cases currently under review, and is asking defense attorneys to inform their clients and discuss case resolutions with prosecutors. In total, the YCAO has identified 178 potentially compromised criminal cases. Those active cases date back to 2021, and include men and woman accused of murder, rape and assault. The majority of those cases are in the pretrial stage of resolution. Zavatsky said he received the announcement of the investigation, along with the list of impacted cases on Wednesday. The two cases in which he’s named as a defense attorney, he said, will likely not be impacted. In the case of Panda Emily Aradia, sentenced earlier this year for assault and criminal endangerment, BPD Officer Lane shot Aradia after she brought a loaded handgun into the Billings Clinic and threatened staff. The shooting was captured on camera, Zavatsky said, and as such will not impede the appeal filed on Aradia’s behalf to the Montana Supreme Court. The second client represented by Zavatsky on the list, Jane Nicole Knowshisgun, recently reached a plea agreement with county prosecutors in which she admitted to tampering with evidence in a homicide case. Her case will also likely not be impacted, Zavatsky said. Although Zavatsky has not gone through each case named by the YCAO, he said the role of the three officers will probably be more limited in the serious cases, like the nine murder cases. For homicide cases in particular, he said, BPD detectives perform most of the investigation, and none of the three officers were part of the BPD Investigations Division. Dugger commended county prosecutors and BPD for their proactive response. In the weeks leading up to the letter from Twito, Dugger said he's represented several clients whose cases have been dismissed, and estimated that roughly a third of his 10 active criminal cases mentioned in the list probably will be impacted. Bistline, Lane and Busta have all been disciplined over the past four years for violating BPD policy, according to disciplinary records obtained by the Gazette. Those policy violations have included reaching excessive speeds during pursuits, violating the department’s policy regarding gathering and preserving evidence and violating the BPD’s ethical standards in use of social media. Most of those violations resulted in those officers receiving oral or written warnings. Bistline, who joined BPD in the summer of 2021, has been disciplined five times for violating BPD policy, according to data from the department. Prior to moving to Billings, he was a deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. In March 2020, he was one of several deputies investigated for the non-fatal shooting of man near Palmdale, California. The investigation concluded the shooting was not unlawful. Two years into his service as a BPD officer, Bistline received the Officer of the Year Award from the Montana Association of Chiefs of Police at ceremony in which Gov. Greg Gianforte was present. Bistline was also one of seven enforcement officers who opened fire on a man at the conclusion of a chase throughout Billings in May 2022. Last month, a coroner’s jury concluded that fatal shooting of Curtis Yellowtail was justified, the Gazette previously reported. Officer Lane, another one of the first responders who shot Yellowtail when he drew a toy pistol on police, has been disciplined by the department five times in the past four years. In those four years, Lane has been reprimanded for improper use and care of a police vehicle and violating the department’s code of conduct in his use of social media. Busta has faced five disciplinary actions in the past four years for his conduct as an officer. In 2023, he received an oral warning for violating the department’s video recording policy, and earlier this year he was required to undergo “education base discipline” for violating BPD’s policy regarding emergency responses and police pursuits. In an email to the Gazette, Chief St. John confirmed that the three officers were the subject of an internal investigation focusing on any potential misconduct. "Although no disposition has been determined," St. John said, "the seriousness of the allegation and potential negative effect on criminal justice processes required I put them on leave out of an abundance of caution. More information will be available when the investigation and administrative process are complete." The next step Situations in which the YCAO has to undergo a massive evaluation of its caseload are rare, Twito said, but they do happen, such as in 2018 when a BPD technician was caught stealing prescription drugs from the evidence locker. The technician was fired, and the thefts jeopardized dozens of criminal cases. Working with all of the people who encompass the criminal justice system in Billings, Twito said, there’s always the potential for similar scenarios. “This is a process that’s rare,” he said, “but we’ve gone through it before.” “What I can say is we need to let that process unfold.” Now that prosecutors cave combed through their caseload to best of their abilities, Dugger said, it is now the job of defense attorneys to review their own cases to confirm which, if any, will be affected. The cases likely to be impacted the most, he said, are those in which Bistline, Lane and Busta served as the primary investigators. As such, it is more than likely Billings Municipal Court will have a larger number of impacted cases. The City Attorney's Office did not immediately respond for comment. "The next step," Dugger said, "and the open question right now is potential action in closed cases." Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. 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BANGKOK — China announced Tuesday it is banning exports to the United States of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications, as a general principle, lashing back at U.S. limits on semiconductor-related exports. The Chinese Commerce Ministry announced the move after the Washington expanded its list of Chinese companies subject to export controls on computer chip-making equipment, software and high-bandwidth memory chips. Such chips are needed for advanced applications. The ratcheting up of trade restrictions comes as President-elect Donald Trump has been threatening to sharply raise tariffs on imports from China and other countries, potentially intensifying simmering tensions over trade and technology. China’s Foreign Ministry also issued a vehement reproof. “China has lodged stern protests with the U.S. for its update of the semiconductor export control measures, sanctions against Chinese companies, and malicious suppression of China’s technological progress,” Lin Jian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a routine briefing Tuesday. “I want to reiterate that China firmly opposes the U.S. overstretching the concept of national security, abuse of export control measures, and illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction against Chinese companies,” Lin said. The minerals sourced in China are used in computer chips, cars and other products China said in July 2023 it would require exporters to apply for licenses to send to the U.S. the strategically important materials such as gallium and germanium. In August, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said it would restrict exports of antimony, which is used in a wide range of products from batteries to weapons, and impose tighter controls on exports of graphite. Such minerals are considered critical for national security. China is a major producer of antimony, which is used in flame retardants, batteries, night-vision goggles and nuclear weapon production, according to a 2021 U.S. International Trade Commission report. The limits announced by Beijing on Tuesday also include exports of super-hard materials, such as diamonds and other synthetic materials that are not compressible and extremely dense. They are used in many industrial areas such as cutting tools, disc brakes and protective coatings. The licensing requirements that China announced in August also covered smelting and separation technology and machinery and other items related to such super-hard materials. China is the biggest global source of gallium and germanium, which are produced in small amounts but are needed to make computer chips for mobile phones, cars and other products, as well as solar panels and military technology. China says it’s protecting itself from US trade restrictions After the U.S. side announced it was adding 140 companies to a so-called “entity list” subject to strict export controls, China’s Commerce Ministry protested and said it would act to protect China’s “rights and interests.” Nearly all of the companies affected by Washington’s latest trade restrictions are based in China, though some are Chinese-owned businesses in Japan, South Korea and Singapore. Both governments say their respective export controls are needed for national security. China’s government has been frustrated by U.S. curbs on access to advanced processor chips and other technology on security grounds but had been cautious in retaliating, possibly to avoid disrupting China’s fledgling developers of chips, artificial intelligence and other technology. Various Chinese industry associations issued statements protesting the U.S. move to limit access to advanced chip-making technology. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said it opposed using national security as a grounds for export controls, “abuse of export control measures, and the malicious blockade and suppression of China.” “Such behavior seriously violates the laws of the market economy and the principle of fair competition, undermines the international economic and trade order, disrupts the stability of the global industrial chain, and ultimately harms the interests of all countries,” it said in a statement. The China Semiconductor Industry Association issued a similar statement, adding that such restrictions were disrupting supply chains and inflating costs for American companies. “U.S. chip products are no longer safe and reliable. China’s related industries will have to be cautious in purchasing U.S. chips,” it said. The U.S. gets about half its supply of both gallium and germanium metals directly from China, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. China exported about 23 metric tons (25 tons) of gallium in 2022 and produces about 600 metric tons (660 tons) of germanium per year. The U.S. has deposits of such minerals but has not been mining them, though some projects underway are exploring ways to tap those resources. The export restrictions have had a mixed impact on prices for those critical minerals, with the price of antimony more than doubling this year to over $25,000 per ton. Prices for gallium, germanium and graphite also have mostly risen.FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Republican senators pushed back on Sunday against criticism from Democrats that Tulsi Gabbard , Donald Trump's pick to lead U.S. intelligence services , is “compromised” by her comments supportive of Russia and secret meetings , as a congresswoman, with Syria’s president, a close ally of the Kremlin and Iran. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat and veteran of combat missions in Iraq, said she had concerns about Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's choice to be director of national intelligence . “I think she’s compromised," Duckworth said on CNN’s “State of the Union," citing Gabbard's 2017 trip to Syria, where she held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad. Gabbard was a Democratic House member from Hawaii at the time. “The U.S. intelligence community has identified her as having troubling relationships with America’s foes. And so my worry is that she couldn’t pass a background check,” Duckworth said. Gabbard, who said last month she is joining the Republican Party, has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades. She was deployed to Iraq and Kuwait and, according to the Hawaii National Guard, received a Combat Medical Badge in 2005 for “participation in combat operations under enemy hostile fire in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III." Duckworth's comments drew immediate backlash from Republicans. “For her to say ridiculous and outright dangerous words like that is wrong," Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, said on CNN, challenging Duckworth to retract her words. “That’s the most dangerous thing she could say — is that a United States lieutenant colonel in the United States Army is compromised and is an asset of Russia.” In recent days, other Democrats have accused Gabbard without evidence of being a “Russian asset.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, has claimed, without offering details, that Gabbard is in Russian President Vladimir “Putin’s pocket.” Mullin and others say the criticism from Democrats is rooted in the fact that Gabbard left their party and has become a Trump ally. Democrats say they worry that Gabbard's selection as national intelligence chief endangers ties with allies and gives Russia a win. Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat just elected to the Senate, said he would not describe Gabbard as a Russian asset, but said she had “very questionable judgment.” “The problem is if our foreign allies don’t trust the head of our intelligence agencies, they’ll stop sharing information with us,” Schiff said on NBC's “Meet the Press.” Gabbard in 2022 endorsed one of Russia’s justifications for invading Ukraine : the existence of dozens of U.S.-funded biolabs working on some of the world’s nastiest pathogens. The labs are part of an international effort to control outbreaks and stop bioweapons, but Moscow claimed Ukraine was using them to create deadly bioweapons. Gabbard said she just voiced concerns about protecting the labs. Gabbard also has suggested that Russia had legitimate security concerns in deciding to invade Ukraine, given its desire to join NATO. Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri said he thought it was “totally ridiculous” that Gabbard was being cast as a Russian asset for having different political views. “It’s insulting. It’s a slur, quite frankly. There’s no evidence that she’s a asset of another country,” he said on NBC. Sen. James Lankford, another Oklahoma Republican, acknowledged having “lots of questions” for Gabbard as the Senate considers her nomination to lead the intelligence services. Lankford said on NBC that he wants to ask Gabbard about her meeting with Assad and some of her past comments about Russia. “We want to know what the purpose was and what the direction for that was. As a member of Congress, we want to get a chance to talk about past comments that she’s made and get them into full context,” Lankford said.
ATLANTA — As she checked into a recent flight to Mexico for vacation, Teja Smith chuckled at the idea of joining another Women’s March on Washington. As a Black woman, she just couldn’t see herself helping to replicate the largest act of resistance against then-President Donald Trump’s first term in January 2017. Even in an election this year where Trump questioned his opponent’s race, held rallies featuring racist insults and falsely claimed Black migrants in Ohio were eating their neighbors’ pets, he didn't just win a second term. He became the first Republican in two decades to clinch the popular vote, although by a small margin. Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris hold their fists in the air after she delivered a concession speech after the 2024 presidential election Nov. 6 on the campus of Howard University in Washington. “It’s like the people have spoken and this is what America looks like,” said Smith, the Los Angeles-based founder of the advocacy social media agency, Get Social. “And there’s not too much more fighting that you’re going to be able to do without losing your own sanity.” People are also reading... After Trump was declared the winner over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, many politically engaged Black women said they were so dismayed by the outcome that they were reassessing — but not completely abandoning — their enthusiasm for electoral politics and movement organizing. Black women often carry much of the work of getting out the vote in their communities. They had vigorously supported the historic candidacy of Harris, who would have been the first woman of Black and South Asian descent to win the presidency. Harris' loss spurred a wave of Black women across social media resolving to prioritize themselves, before giving so much to a country that over and over has shown its indifference to their concerns. AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters, found that 6 in 10 Black women said the future of democracy in the United States was the single most important factor for their vote this year, a higher share than for other demographic groups. But now, with Trump set to return to office in two months, some Black women are renewing calls to emphasize rest, focus on mental health and become more selective about what fight they lend their organizing power to. AP VoteCast takeaways: Gender voting gap was unremarkable compared with recent history “America is going to have to save herself,” said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the national voting rights group Black Voters Matter. She compared Black women’s presence in social justice movements as “core strategists and core organizers” to the North Star, known as the most consistent and dependable star in the galaxy because of its seemingly fixed position in the sky. People can rely on Black women to lead change, Brown said, but the next four years will look different. “That’s not a herculean task that’s for us. We don’t want that title. ... I have no goals to be a martyr for a nation that cares nothing about me,” she said. Supporters cheer during a community rally with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris on Oct. 27 in Philadelphia. AP VoteCast paints a clear picture of Black women's concerns. Black female voters were most likely to say that democracy was the single most important factor for their vote, compared to other motivators such as high prices or abortion. More than 7 in 10 Black female voters said they were “very concerned” that electing Trump would lead the nation toward authoritarianism, while only about 2 in 10 said this about Harris. About 9 in 10 Black female voters supported Harris in 2024, according to AP VoteCast, similar to the share that backed Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. Trump received support from more than half of white voters, who made up the vast majority of his coalition in both years. Like voters overall, Black women were most likely to say the economy and jobs were the most important issues facing the country, with about one-third saying that. But they were more likely than many other groups to say that abortion and racism were the top issues, and much less likely than other groups to say immigration was the top issue. Despite those concerns, which were well-voiced by Black women throughout the campaign, increased support from young men of color and white women helped expand Trump’s lead and secured his victory. Politically engaged Black women said they don’t plan to continue positioning themselves in the vertebrae of the “backbone” of America’s democracy. The growing movement prompting Black women to withdraw is a shift from history, where they are often present and at the forefront of political and social change. One of the earliest examples is the women’s suffrage movement that led to ratification in 1920 of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. Black women, however, were prevented from voting for decades afterward because of Jim Crow-era literacy tests, poll taxes and laws that blocked the grandchildren of slaves from voting. Most Black women couldn’t vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Black women were among the organizers and counted among the marchers brutalized on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama, during the historic march in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery that preceded federal legislation. Decades later, Black women were prominent organizers of the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police and vigilantes. In his 2024 campaign, Trump called for leveraging federal money to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs in government and discussions of race, gender or sexual orientation in schools. His rhetoric on immigration, including false claims that Black Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating cats and dogs, drove support for his plan to deport millions of people. Tenita Taylor, a Black resident of Atlanta who supported Trump this year, said she was initially excited about Harris’ candidacy. But after thinking about how high her grocery bills have been, she feels that voting for Trump in hopes of finally getting lower prices was a form of self-prioritization. “People say, ‘Well, that’s selfish, it was gonna be better for the greater good,''' she said. “I’m a mother of five kids. ... The things that (Democrats) do either affect the rich or the poor.” Trump hammered Democrats on transgender issues. Now the party is at odds on a response The 25 best cities for Black women to flourish financially The 25 best cities for Black women to flourish financially Where can Black women feel supported and flourish financially? When posed that question, Dr. Lori Martin, a professor of African and African American studies and sociology at Louisiana State University, had this to say: "A livable place for Black women is safe, and for women with children, it is home to schools where all students have access to an excellent education. It would also be diverse, with a visible and thriving Black community, including Black businesses." While the socioeconomic realities of our current time touch all corners of the country, there are pockets of the U.S. where the wealth gap narrows and Black women have more opportunities. MoneyGeek analyzed data on income, the cost of crime , homeownership , and poverty levels from 164 cities across the United States to rank the best — and worst — cities for Black women to live and financially flourish in. Key findings The best cities for Black women MoneyGeek ranked 164 cities with populations greater than 65,000 from the best to the worst for Black women. The ranking includes analysis of income, poverty rate, homeownership, educational attainment and health insurance gaps between Black women and the entire population nationally and locally. The size of the local Black population and the cost of crime in the area were included in the ranking to reflect the presence of the Black community and safety, respectively. Southfield — a suburb of Detroit — and Pearland — a Houston suburb — ranked as the top two cities in the analysis. Notably, Southern cities make up the majority of cities in the top 25, with 13 located in this region. The worst cities for Black women In contrast, Minneapolis, Minnesota, ranked as the worst city for Black women. In Minneapolis, Black women face high poverty rates in absolute and relative terms and have low rates of health insurance coverage compared to the cities analyzed. Meanwhile, Miami ranks as the second least favorable city, with a significant local income gap — there, white men earn almost triple the income of Black women. The economic realities Black women face Income disparity is a key measure of how well Black women are doing today. For each city in the analysis, we calculated the local Equal Pay Day — the day in the following year when Black women would make an equivalent amount as white men — using the median income of Black women working full time and the median income of white men working full time in each locality. In Carson, California, the median pay of Black women is higher than the median pay of white men. However, in Evanston, Illinois, Black women make just over a third of white men's earnings, meaning they would need to work until September 24, 2024, to earn the equivalent of a white man's 2022 pay. Economic challenges faced by Black women include restricted career advancement opportunities, insufficient health insurance, and inadequate retirement savings. Survey data from Goldman Sachs indicates that 42% of Black women perceive limited career growth opportunities compared to 35% of U.S. adults, and merely 43% are able to obtain health insurance through their employer, in contrast to 53% nationwide. Additionally, 71% of Black women feel they are living paycheck to paycheck, compared to 63% of the general population. The intersection of racial and gender bias contributes to these challenges, resulting in low-wage jobs and a considerable wealth gap. Our analysis validates this, demonstrating that Black women who work full-time, year-round, earn 64 cents for every dollar white men earn working full-time, year-round. Less access to economic opportunities puts Black women at a disadvantage in building wealth. The FDIC's National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households found that 11.3% of Black households were unbanked compared to just 2.1% of white households. Unbanked households are credit invisible — that is, they don't have a credit history and, therefore, can't build credit. Having no credit history makes it difficult to utilize credit cards to manage cash needs and mortgages to buy homes. Advocating for economic opportunities for Black women The struggle for economic equity remains a persistent challenge for Black women in America, who have historically faced systemic wage disparities and employment obstacles. However, there are tools and resources that can provide Black women with economic opportunities and empowerment. Dr. Ukanwa shares additional solutions, such as: 1. Invest in education: Research has already shown that degrees increase lifetime earnings, close some societal gaps, and increase job security. But if degrees are not your path, it also means continuing to build that knowledge and expertise in something you can be the best at. Figure out your expertise and what you bring to the table. 2. After building your expertise in a field, build your reputation and personal brand: With an excellent reputation and personal brand, people will start to seek you out rather than the other way around. This increases the worth of your expertise. 3. Find out what your expertise is worth: Educate yourself on how to negotiate . Negotiate to be paid what you are worth. 4. Get into the habit of ownership: Build your own equity, which decreases the dependence on someone else for your income. For example, this could be your own business, stocks , or real estate. Methodology To rank the best cities for Black women, MoneyGeek analyzed data from the American Community Survey , MoneyGeek's Safest Cities and Safest Small Cities and Towns studies, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The analysis started with over 500 places in America with populations of 65,000 or more. Places without granular data about Black women or lacking other data points for the analysis were removed to get to the final set of 164 cities. The ranking of the best cities for Black women was based on eight factors: safety, Black population, educational attainment, poverty rates, income, employment, health insurance, and homeownership. Each factor was weighted equally and scaled to a score between 0 and 1. The factors were calculated as follows: Safety (full weight): This metric equally comprises two metrics. Percent of local population that is Black (full weight): This percentage represents the proportion of Black individuals within a city's total population, as reported by the United States Census Bureau's five-year American Community Survey (ACS) from 2021, the most recent data available. Educational attainment (full weight): This metric equally comprises two metrics. Poverty rate (full weight): The percentage point difference between the city's rate of Black women earning at or above the poverty level and the rate of all women living above the poverty level nationally. This finding comes from the 2021 Census ACS five-year data, the latest available source covering over 200 cities. Income (full weight): This factor equally comprises two metrics. Employment (full weight): The difference in percentage points between the Black female employment rate and the white male employment rate in the locality. Health insurance (full weight): This metric reveals the percentage point difference between Black women (ages 19-64) and white men (ages 19-64) with health insurance. This information comes from the Census ACS five-year data from 2021, the most recent data source available. Black female homeownership (full weight): This factor comprises three metrics. The full data set can be found here . This story was produced by MoneyGeek and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!Novak Djokovic announces return to Brisbane International for the first time in 16 years ahead of Australian Open
2024 has been a phenomenal year for almost every , including ( ) shares. Most of us would know about ( ) shares' seemingly endless parade of new all-time record highs. But it's not just CBA. ( ), ( ) and ANZ have all enjoyed double-digit share price gains over the year to date. Additionally, all three have seen new 52-week highs in recent months. Saying that, ANZ shares have still been a conspicuous laggard. To illustrate, let's look at the numbers. At the time of writing, CBA shares have enjoyed a 40% rise over the 2024 calendar year. NAB shares have lifted 30%, while Westpac stock has climbed 47%. ANZ trails the pack, though, with a year-to-date gain of 24%. Yep, even though ANZ shares have risen from $25.99 each to the $32.26 we are seeing at present, this bank's investors might be feeling a little shortchanged. See for yourself below: So, we can definitively conclude that ANZ has been the worst investment of the major banks in 2024 despite the nominally impressive return. But does this mean that ANZ shares present the best value for investors today? Are ANZ shares the best ASX 200 bank buy for value right now? Well, it certainly seems that way on the surface. Right now, ANZ shares are trading on a of 15. That means the market is willing to pay $15 for every $1 of earnings ANZ brings home. In contrast, Westpac and NAB shares are currently on P/E ratios of 17.65 and 17.74, respectively. And CBA is far out in front with its lofty (to put it generously) and unbank-like earnings multiple of 28.02. This paradigm is reflected in each of these banks' . Remember, as a company's share price rises, its dividend yield tends to fall if the bank can't compensate with commensurate hikes. That's why we see CBA shares with a (again, unbank-like) yield of 2.92% right now, compared with ANZ's far more conventional 5.15%. So, what can we make of this situation? Buying for quality or yield? Well, I tend to think of ANZ as the most challenged of the big four banks today. ANZ simply does not seem to have developed its business model to the same high calibre as NAB and CBA. Its earnings have been stagnant for a while now, and ANZ lacks the size and scale of CBA. As such, it arguably deserves to trade on a lower earnings multiple than its larger rivals. As such, I don't see it as a screaming buy. Saying that, I still regard this ASX bank share as a decent income investment. Whilst CBA has lost most of its firepower as a dividend share, ANZ's 5%-plus yield makes it a compelling investment for passive income, particularly for those investors who invest primarily for dividends. ANZ has a long history as a reliable dividend payer. Investors haven't endured a heavy dividend cut in quite a while, with the excusable exception of COVID-ravaged 2020. In conclusion, I would happily buy ANZ shares today for a diversified, dividend-focused income portfolio. But otherwise, I think there are better value opportunities out there.Eagles WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) ruled out vs. Rams
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