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fb jili777 9 states, including Virginia, poised to end coverage for millions if Trump cuts Medicaid funding

Destra Multi-Alternative Fund Declares Year End 2024 DistributionFormer Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Friday said he spotted “dozens” of drones over his home Thursday night as questions mount over unexplained drone activity. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., on Thursday accused the Pentagon of being “incredibly stupid” with its handling of recent drone sightings in his home state. The Biden administration’s Department of Defense on Wednesday denied the congressman’s claim that an Iranian “mothership” is involved in recent unexplained drone sightings. Hogan joined those calling for answers in a lengthy post shared via X in which he described his own brush with the mysterious drones. “Last night, beginning at around 9:45 p.m., I personally witnessed (and videoed) what appeared to be dozens of large drones in the sky above my residence in Davidsonville, Maryland (25 miles from our nation’s capital),” he wrote. “I observed the activity for approximately 45 minutes.” Attached was a video showing several lights floating through a night sky. Hogan continued, describing growing public concern and frustration over the sightings. The government, he said, should use its technology to determine the origin of the drones. “We are being told that neither the White House, the military, the FBI, nor Homeland Security have any idea what they are, where they came from, or who has launched or is controlling them—and that they pose no threat,” he wrote. “That response is entirely unacceptable,” Hogan added. “I join with the growing bipartisan chorus of leaders demanding that the federal government immediately address this issue. The American people deserve answers and action now.” Reacting to the post was former Colorado state Rep. Rob Witwer, R-District 25. “For those who have forgotten or never knew about it, there were significant drone sightings in Colorado just before the pandemic,” he wrote. New York Post journalist Steven Greenstreet suggested, however, the lights in the video match the constellation Orion. Flight data around the time Hogan claimed to have filmed the video, he added, shows three planes flying near his location. New Jersey state Sen. Jon Bramnick, R-21st District, on Monday called for a “limited state of emergency” to ban all drones until the public receives answers about the drone sightings.None

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The countdown clock to Christmas and the holidays leaves many scrambling to buy last-minute gifts in what’s called “Panic Week.” John Talbot, senior lecturer at Indiana University Kelly School of Business, joined “Daybreak” to talk about the stress that comes from buying gifts for the whole family. “I don’t know that retailers intentionally raise prices, but certainly the things that are must-have items typically don’t get marked down as we get closer to the holidays,” Talbot said. Desirable gifts are going to be out of stock, and definitely not marked down, Talbot said, “If there’s something that you must have, the Tickle Me Elmo of this particular holiday season, you should have already bought it.” Most of the data surrounding Talbot looked over focused on online shopping. Sites like Amazon encourage promotions during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but those sales don’t last forever . “You can see a deep dip in the data in terms of prices and discounts during that time period, and they tend to get off that as we get closer to Christmas,” Talbot said. For more on “Panic Week” leading into Christmas, watch the video above.The Kyle Tucker trade is probably going to work out very well for the Houston Astros because of Cam Smith , but at the same time, it’s less than I thought they’d get for Tucker, who played like a superstar in half a season in 2024 and was worth 5-plus WAR for three straight years before that. The Chicago Cubs seemed very happy to build the best team of perfectly cromulent players, with eight position players worth between 2 and 4 bWAR last year, but nobody who was a real star for his position. Tucker is that and more, immediately becoming the Cubs’ best player, and by trading from some surplus, the Cubs don’t lose anything from the 2025 roster they can’t replace internally. Tucker was in the midst of his best season as a hitter when he fouled a ball off his shin bone, fracturing it and putting him on the injured list for just over three months; his OBP was at a career-high .408, his slugging at a career-high .585, and he was putting the ball in the air more often thanks to a small boost in his average launch angle. He’s one of the best fastball hitters in the game if not the best, ranking in the top three in the game in run value per 100 fastballs as a batter (per Baseball Savant), but he recognizes all pitch types and hits them all pretty well. He hasn’t had a whiff rate against any pitch type over 35 percent in either of the past two years; not even Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge can say that. His defensive metrics have bounced all over the place since he became a full-time right fielder, but he’s probably a 50 to 55 defender in the end with an above-average arm. He was en route to an MVP-level, 8-9 WAR season when he got hurt, and I expect more of the same — and maybe more if the Cubs don’t extend him right away and this is a walk year for him. Advertisement Smith, a 6-foot-4, athletic infielder, is the jewel for the Astros here, as the Cubs’ first-round pick in 2024 rolled right into pro ball after a full season at Florida State (hitting .387/.488/.654 in 66 games with just a 15 percent strikeout rate) and then hit .313/.396/.609 across Low A, High A and Double A in 32 more games, again keeping his strikeout rate low (18 percent). Smith remade his body and his swing last offseason and went from kind of a power-over-hit guy who might not stay on the dirt as a 19-year-old high schooler to a pure hitter with looser hands and better bat speed for more frequent and harder contact. He’s only played third base in 2024 between college and the minors and could stay there but is more likely to end up at first or in an outfield corner. There’s a chance this is an elite bat regardless of his position, though, and he immediately becomes the Astros’ best prospect. Paredes is a solid regular who gets on base at an above-average clip and puts the ball in play a lot but has never really grown into harder contact as many scouts expected when he was in his early 20s. His batted-ball metrics are pretty bad across the board, ranking in the bottom quartile in MLB in barrel rate and expected average, the bottom 10 percent in hard-hit rate and the bottom 5 percent in average exit velocity. It’s not great bat speed, and if anything seemed a little worse in 2024, as he went from hammering four-seamers to being just adequate against them. He’s a fringy but serviceable defender at third. His on-base skills are good enough to make him a valuable regular despite all of these limitations, peaking at 4.2 bWAR/4.3 fWAR in 2023, but there isn’t much upside here and he’s going to age extremely poorly. He’s under team control through 2027. Right-hander Hayden Wesneski has starter potential but has been extremely homer-prone in the majors, giving up 32 homers in 157 innings over the past two seasons, two-thirds of them coming off fastballs. He relies heavily on his sweeper, possibly throwing too many different pitches for others to be effective. Though he’s been better in relief in the majors, it’s not a massive difference — 14 points of OBP, 33 points of slugging — and he probably has more value as a back-end starter/swingman than a true reliever. It’s just one year of Tucker’s services, so his trade value isn’t as high as you might expect for a player of his caliber. Even acknowledging that, this deal feels like one excellent prospect and some guys. I’m not a big Paredes believer; his value seems to be as the potential everyday third baseman if Alex Bregman walks, and I expect some decline from Paredes even over the three years he has left to free agency. Houston might have been more inclined to take a deal that returned two big leaguers and one prospect than two or three prospects and maybe less help for the 2025 roster, as they’re still in contending mode. That might have returned less total value than they could have gotten if they’d gone strictly for youth. GO DEEPER What Kyle Tucker trade says about Cubs, Astros: Chicago all-in, Houston seeks sustainability (Top photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now Santa Margarita’s reign as the CIF State champion in girls golf ended but not without a major stand. In their bid to capture a third consecutive state title, the Eagles placed a close second to Torrey Pines at the CIF State Championships on Wednesday at San Gabriel Country Club in the San Gabriel Valley. Santa Margarita shot an 18-over-par 378 to finish three strokes behind Torrey Pines, which fell to the Eagles last season in a tie-breaker. Santa Margarita was attempting to become the first team to three-peat at state since Torrey Pines in 2011-13. Torrey Pines has won a record six state crowns. Orange Lutheran placed third in its first state appearance with a score of 382. In the individual competition, Santa Margarita sophomore Donina Zhou took fourth with a 1-under-par 71. She was one of only four golfers in the field to break par. Orange Lutheran junior Ally Kim was Orange County’s next highest-finishing player at 11th with a 2-over-par score of 74. Santa Margarita freshman Sam Daniels and Orange Lutheran freshman Myla Robinson tied in a group for 12th with scores of 3-over-par 75. Freshman Rina Kawasaki of Palos Verdes claimed the state title in a two-hole playoff with reigning state champion Zoe Jiamanukoonkit of Torrey Pines with a 3-under-par 69. Kawasaki sank a long birdie putt for the win. Related Articles

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2024 opened with speculation already rife about the timing of a general election. But the first national poll came in the form of two referendums on amending the Constitution’s definition of family and the role of women within the home. Some concern had been expressed over the speed with which both amendments had been rushed through the Oireachtas. There was also criticism of the proposed new wording on carers and the family. But with support from almost every party in the Dáil, along with a wide range of civil society groups, the expectation was that both proposals would pass. In fact, the two amendments were rejected by historic margins. The result led to some soul-searching about a disconnect between the political establishment and popular sentiment. It was also a harbinger of political difficulties ahead for Sinn Féin and the Greens. But the most immediate and consequential aftershock came two weeks later with Leo Varadkar’s resignation as leader of Fine Gael and taoiseach. Within days, Simon Harris had effectively sewn up sufficient support to be confirmed by Fine Gael as Varadkar’s successor in both roles. The new Taoiseach faced a rising drumbeat of controversy over the handling of a growing refugee crisis. Having welcomed almost 100,000 people displaced by the war in Ukraine since 2022, the State appeared unable to cope with the rising numbers of applicants for international protection. Desperate efforts to find premises to house those arriving were met with local opposition across the country, some of which escalated into ugly scenes of arson, violence and racist abuse. After the announcement that new arrivals would no longer be guaranteed accommodation, tent cities sprang up in central Dublin, adding to the sense of a crisis spinning out of control. As candidates prepared for the local and European elections in early June, there was speculation that these tensions could spark an electoral breakthrough for far-right or anti-immigrant parties. While a handful of individuals espousing such views were indeed elected, the results were most notable for the collapse in support for Sinn Féin. The party, which only a few months earlier had held a commanding lead in opinion polls, now found itself trailing well behind Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. The Greens also suffered, losing both their European Parliament seats and a tranche of councillors. The following week Eamon Ryan stepped down after 13 years as Green leader, to be replaced by Roderic O’Gorman. By the end of summer, Harris’s ‘s “new energy” seemed to be successfully lifting his party’s spirits as well as its electoral prospects. Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil’s new Minister for Finance Jack Chambers and his Fine Gael colleague, Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe, were fashioning a budget that, despite their protestations, was clearly engineered to woo voters in the upcoming general election. Despite increasingly absurd attempts to maintain that they were not even contemplating such an action, the Government parties eventually called an election for the end of November. The short but oddly uninspiring campaign that followed was marked by extravagant promises from nearly all parties to boost spending and cut taxes. Fine Gael, which had gone into the election as clear frontrunner, made a number of unforced errors. Only in the closing stages was any reference made to the looming threat posed to Ireland’s economic model and buoyant public finances by a second Trump administration. The picture that emerged after the election looked remarkably familiar. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s share of the popular vote was very similar to what the two had achieved in 2020, with Micheál Martin’s party a nose ahead and extracting a significant seat bonus. Sinn Féin dropped five percentage points from the previous general election but it too achieved a seat bonus through canny vote management. The Greens were almost obliterated as a parliamentary force, with most of the slack taken up by Labour and the Social Democrats. At the end of a year of political turbulence and electoral contests internationally, the image which Ireland presented to the world at the end of 2024 was one of unusual stability and continuity. The two large incumbent parties had come through the election effectively unscathed, bucking the international trend, and seemed well positioned to form a government with Independent support in the first few weeks of 2025. While it faces the same pressing questions as its predecessor over housing, infrastructure and services, the greatest challenges facing that government are likely to come once more from external shocks in an uncertain and unpredictable world. How well equipped the current political model is to cope with such challenges remains an open question.North Carolina GOP lawmakers enact a law eroding the incoming Democratic governor's powers

TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lifeist Wellness Inc. ("Lifeist" or the "Company") LFST (FRANKFURT: M5B0) LFSWF , a health-tech company that leverages advancements in science and technology to support wellness in innovative ways, today announced a reorganization of its Board of Directors. As part of Lifeist's ongoing efforts to enhance corporate governance and further strengthen its leadership structure, Meni Morim, a director of the Company and the former CEO of the Company, has been appointed Chairman of the Board, while Branden Spikes, a director of the Company, has transitioned to the role of Lead Independent Director. Meni Morim, who has been the driving force behind Lifeist's transformation and successful realignment of the Company's business strategy, assumes the role of Chairman. In this capacity, Meni will continue to provide strategic guidance to Lifeist's executive team and Board, ensuring the successful execution of the Company's long-term vision. Branden Spikes, who served as Chairman of the Board since 2019, and has been instrumental in guiding the Company's strategic direction, takes on the role of Lead Independent Director to act as the effective leader of the Board and to ensure that the Board's agenda will enable it to successfully carry out its duties. In this role, Branden will continue to play a critical role in overseeing the Board's discharge of its duties together with the Chairman, corporate governance, strategic initiatives, and Lifeist's operations while providing valuable independent oversight of the Company's management. These appointments reflect Lifeist's commitment to a strong governance framework, ensuring that both executive leadership and independent oversight remain robust as the Company continues to focus on growth in its health and wellness portfolio. In addition, the Board's Compensation Committee has initiated a comprehensive review of board compensation to ensure it aligns with the Company's evolving structure, size, and strategic direction. This review underscores the directors' continued commitment to the long-term success of the Company and their willingness to prioritize the organization's needs over personal gain, as demonstrated throughout their tenure. Lifeist also reports, as required by the TSXV, in connection with the Consulting Agreement originally announced on June 30, 2023, renewed effective August 1, 2024, and as terminated on October 31, 2024, entered into by the Company with Singular Narrative Management Ltd. ("Singular") for the provision of strategic business consulting, product development, and brand marketing services to the Company as well as other services that do not include investor relations or promotional activities, that it has issued an aggregate of 747,305 common shares and 747,305 common share purchase warrants to acquire up to 747,305 common shares as payment to Singular of the monthly fee of $20,000 for services provided in the months of August, September and October 2024, calculated in accordance with the amended Consulting Agreement. The common shares were issued at deemed prices per share ranging from $0.06-$0.09. The warrants have an exercise price ranging from $0.06-$0.10 per share and expire 5 years from their respective date of issuance. About Lifeist Wellness Inc. Sitting at the forefront of the post-pandemic wellness revolution, Lifeist leverages advancements in science and technology to develop innovative products that support human wellness and transform lives. Lifeist's key asset is its U.S. biosciences subsidiary Mikra Cellular Sciences Inc. ("Mikra"), a biosciences and consumer wellness company focused on developing and selling innovative wellness products. Information on Lifeist and its businesses can be accessed through the links below: www.lifeist.com https://wearemikra.com/ Contact: Andrea Judge CEO Lifeist Wellness Inc. Ph: 888-291-8311 Email: ir@lifeist.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release or has in any way approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release. Source: Lifeist Wellness Inc. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

FOX Phoenix's Richard Saenz stepped into The Sports Office to give some insight into the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Saenz talks with FOX 7 producer Julian Martinez about everything Longhorn fans need to know about the Arizona State Sun Devils. AUSTIN, Texas - FOX Phoenix's Richard Saenz stepped into The Sports Office to give some insight into the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Saenz talks with FOX 7 producer Julian Martinez about everything Longhorn fans need to know about the Arizona State Sun Devils. Is Cam Skattebo the game-changing running back that can solve the Horns' vaunted defense? What about Freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt, can he replicate the performance of Clemson QB Cade Klubnik? Saenz details how head coach Kenny Dillingham took a team picked to finish last in the Big-12 and made them a Conference Champion.AppLovin's APP short percent of float has fallen 14.66% since its last report. The company recently reported that it has 18.79 million shares sold short , which is 6.52% of all regular shares that are available for trading. Based on its trading volume, it would take traders 5.9 days to cover their short positions on average. Why Short Interest Matters Short interest is the number of shares that have been sold short but have not yet been covered or closed out. Short selling is when a trader sells shares of a company they do not own, with the hope that the price will fall. Traders make money from short selling if the price of the stock falls and they lose if it rises. Short interest is important to track because it can act as an indicator of market sentiment towards a particular stock. An increase in short interest can signal that investors have become more bearish, while a decrease in short interest can signal they have become more bullish. See Also: List of the most shorted stocks AppLovin Short Interest Graph (3 Months) As you can see from the chart above the percentage of shares that are sold short for AppLovin has declined since its last report. This does not mean that the stock is going to rise in the near-term but traders should be aware that less shares are being shorted. Comparing AppLovin's Short Interest Against Its Peers Peer comparison is a popular technique amongst analysts and investors for gauging how well a company is performing. A company's peer is another company that has similar characteristics to it, such as industry, size, age, and financial structure. You can find a company's peer group by reading its 10-K, proxy filing, or by doing your own similarity analysis. According to Benzinga Pro , AppLovin's peer group average for short interest as a percentage of float is 3.19%, which means the company has more short interest than most of its peers. Did you know that increasing short interest can actually be bullish for a stock? This post by Benzinga Money explains how you can profit from it. This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and was reviewed by an editor. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by January 19 while the government emphasised its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk. “President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the court consider staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19 2025, while it considers the merits of this case,” said Mr Trump’s amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case. The filings come ahead of oral arguments scheduled for January 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. Earlier this month, a panel of three federal judges on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the statute, leading TikTok to appeal to the Supreme Court. The brief from Mr Trump said he opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office”.Editor's Corner: Pocket Gamer's 2024 in review

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — The wildfire alert came in the middle of the night as some college students in Southern California were cramming for final exams and others were woken up in their dorms. But rather than run away from the impending blaze, some 3,000 students at Pepperdine University headed toward two buildings at the heart of the 830-acre (336 hectare) campus in coastal Malibu, California, to shelter in place. The protocol at the Christian university with picturesque views of the Pacific Ocean may seem to defy logic to those accustomed to scenes elsewhere in wildfire-prone California of thousands of residents evacuating fire zones in lengthy caravans of cars. For years, the university nestled in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains has had a special protocol due to its unique terrain and design that calls for students to be brought to a library and campus center where they can get food and water and have their basic needs met, said Michael Friel, a Pepperdine spokesperson. The school began preparing students and community members on what to do in case of a wildfire during new student orientation at the beginning of the academic year. When the fire broke out Monday night, school officials started communicating with students around 11 p.m. and activated the shelter-in-place protocol about two hours later, spreading the word through text messages, email, social media and by going door to door. “A lot of our students were woken up by a knock on the door, and we made sure they were aware of the conditions and we were able to get them out of harm’s way,” Friel said. The quickly moved south, jumping over the famous Pacific Coast Highway and stretching to the coast, where large homes line the beach. Thousands of Southern California residents were under evacuation orders and warnings Tuesday with more than 8,100 homes and other structures under threat. County fire officials estimated that more than 3.5 square miles (9 square kilometers) of trees and dry brush had burned amid dangerous conditions fanned by dry, gusty that were expected to last into Wednesday. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Ryan Song, a resident assistant at Pepperdine University, said he noticed the power went out at his dorm late Monday. When he looked out the window, he saw a huge pink glow. “I thought, ‘This is too bright,’ and it got bigger and bigger,” the 20-year-old junior said. “I immediately went outside and saw that it was a real fire.” Song and the other assistants went door to door to get students out. Most were calm and followed instructions, he said; a few who were scared rushed to their cars to get off campus. Song said he spent the next few hours racing back and forth in the dark between his dorm and the main campus to ensure no one was left behind. Pepperdine University officials said the campus was designed in the 1960s with fire safety in mind due to the region’s experience with wildfires. Buildings were clustered together and covered in stucco while roadways were constructed to make it easy for firefighters to get in, said Phil Phillips, the school’s executive vice president. During the 1990s, campus officials worked with Los Angeles County fire authorities to develop a safety plan, and authorities said the safest option for students would be to remain on campus. The school is diligent about brush clearance and has a plan to reduce smoke in shelter-in-place locations by taping shut doors and using air filters, he said. The nearby stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway can also become congested during an emergency, Phillips said, such as during the deadly in 2018. “What you don’t want is to be stuck,” said Phillips, who has been at the campus for three decades — including as a student — and said he has been through seven fires. “Protecting our students, providing for their safety is a moral obligation for us, so we take it really, really seriously.” On Tuesday, heavy smoke from the Franklin Fire, burning northeast of the school, billowed over the campus 29 miles (47 kilometers) west of Los Angeles, and classes were cancelled and final exams postponed. Firefighters had not contained any part of the blaze as of Tuesday afternoon. The campus was singed but no injuries were reported, and only one structure possibly was minimally damaged thanks to firefighters’ hard work and collaboration from students, faculty and others on campus, Friel said. Jim Gash, the college’s president, said the campus was no longer threatened on Tuesday afternoon. “I am grateful that through prayer, preparation, and cooperation, our Pepperdine community safely navigated the challenges encountered over the last 12 hours,” Gash said in a statement. “Our prayers continue to go out to the Malibu community.” ___ Taxin reported from Santa Ana, Calif. Associated Press writer Julie Watson in San Diego contributed to this report. Amy Taxin And Eric Thayer, The Associated Press

Bathinda: Farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal ’s fast unto death, to demand a legal guarantee to minimum support price (MSP) on farm produce, entered the the 15th day on Tuesday, stretching longer than the 13-day hunger strike by anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare in Aug 2011. Dallewal, who is on a fast at the farm protest site on the Khanauri border of Punjab and Haryana, has lost 11kgs and is under observation by a team of doctors. The functioning of his kidneys has also been affected due to less intake of water, said a doctor attached with the team of US-based Dr Swaiman Singh, a cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic who has been part of the farm protests. Doctors have installed medical equipment to monitor the vitals of Dallewal, and are observing his blood pressure (BP) and sugar levels. Hoping to raise support for the fasting leader, farm groups SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have urged people to pray for Dallewal’s health and skip dinner or one meal on Dec 12, and also post on social media with the hashtag #WeSupportJagjitSinghDallewal. Farmers have formed a security ring around Dallewal to not allow authorities to take him to the hospital. They have stated that if anything happens to Dallewal, the central govt will be held responsible for it. Protesters at Khanauri held a day-long fast in solidarity with Dallewal. No chullah (earthen stove) was ignited and neither was langar brought or distributed at the protest site. Even residents of Dallewal’s eponymous native village in Faridkot district observed the fast. Faridkot MP Sarabjit Singh Khalsa visited Khanauri border and said he will raise the issue in Lok Sabha. We also published the following articles recently 12th day of Dallewal fast unto death, but no word on resumption of talks Farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal's hunger strike demanding guaranteed minimum support prices (MSP) entered its 12th day with no government response. Dallewal's health has deteriorated, but he remains resolute. Protesting farmers plan to send another group to Delhi on Sunday after talks stalled ten months ago. They accuse Haryana authorities of obstructing their protest while allowing other large gatherings. Lucknow traders to observe half-day closure on Dec 10 Lucknow's business community, led by the Akhil Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal and Uttar Pradesh Yuva Udyog Vyapar Mandal, is planning a half-day market closure and a 'Jan Aakrosh Rally' on December 10th. This demonstration aims to protest the recent violence against Hindus and attacks on temples in Bangladesh. Modi government to purchase all farm produce at MSP, assures agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Rajya Sabha Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan assured Parliament that the Modi government is committed to procuring all farm produce at minimum support prices (MSP). He emphasized the government's policy of calculating MSP with a 50% profit margin over production costs, contrasting it with previous administrations. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .

Greg Gumbel, a long-time NFL sportscaster for CBS, has passed away at the age of 78. As was announced by the network on behalf of his family on Friday, Gumbel died after a battle with cancer. A statement from the family of Greg Gumbel pic.twitter.com/oAkSrW8EtJ It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our beloved husband and father, Greg Gumbel. He passed away peacefully surrounded by much love after a courageous battle with cancer. Greg approached his illness like one would expect he would, with stoicism, grace and positivity. He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten. Greg’s memory will forever be treasured by his family, dearest friends, colleagues and all who loved him. New England Patriots fans will remember Gumbel from numerous calls throughout the years, including the team’s victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Incredible PS5 Pro Black Friday sale cuts £300 from the priceEconomists at two Southern California universities see new reasons to worry ahead, namely policies from the nation’s next president. They warn in new forecasts released this week that the economy may stumble in 2025 because of controversial policies promised by President-elect Donald Trump. Economist James Doti, president emeritus at Chapman University, said the economy “still appears to be strong,” even though a long period of declining inflation could reverse course under Trump. A year ago, Doti’s reading of the tea leaves showed “very slow growth” and no recession in 2024. Today, he’s sticking to a similar tale of “slow growth” that now extends through 2025. New to the mix is “some upward pressure” on inflation due to proposed tariffs and mass deportations Trump has vowed to launch after his inauguration in January. Economist Jerry Nickelsburg at UCLA agreed with Doti’s analysis. “The underlying fundamentals of the economy are strong. They have been for some time, which is why we did not say that we were going to have a recession in 2023 or 2022,” said the director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast. “Now, that doesn’t mean that geopolitical events or different policies from Washington that are not in our forecast couldn’t generate a recession. It’s just not in the data right now.” Both economists said Trump is inheriting a strong economy that will grow more slowly than previously forecast while it adjusts to new national economic policies. Cloudy times The clarity of post-presidential election forecasts at Chapman and UCLA are clouded by Trump’s plans to implement several economic policies promised during his 2024 campaign. Among the most controversial policies are new or increased tariffs on the nation’s largest trading partners – including Canada, China and Mexico. Policies also include mass deportations, tax cuts and deregulation. Doti believes Trump’s vow to deport of 500,000 to 1 million undocumented immigrants and 10%-25% tariffs on imported goods could push inflation closer to 3% than the Fed’s desired 2% level. How these policies manifest is not necessarily clear, considering practical, legal and political constraints on implementation, according to Nickelsburg. The UCLA professor of economics said this month’s forecast was one of the most difficult ones he’s ever written, with the exception of a recession prediction four years ago as the COVID-19 pandemic began. “When we did our March forecast in 2020, we had no idea how the pandemic was going to play out, and so there was a great deal of uncertainty then as well as now,” he said. “Economic policy in Washington is changing in a pretty fundamental way, so that increases uncertainty until we get some clarity as to what policies are going to be implemented.” Meanwhile, UCLA predicts a slowdown in interest rate cuts as the federal government grapples with those new policies. Nickelsburg sees the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates by 25 basis points at its board of governors meeting Dec. 18. He expects a pause on cuts until 2026 when the economy has absorbed the impacts of tariffs. The Fed could end up with interest rates hovering between 4% and 4.25% in 2026, he said. Doti has a different take, saying the Fed won’t cut rates in December and will instead take a wait-and-see approach. He expects the central bank will make only two, 25 basis-point cuts in 2025. “The reason we don’t think there’ll be a cut in rates next week is because we still have high inflation (2.7% for the year ended in November 2024), and it’s above the Fed’s target range of 2%, and GDP growth is at 2.8%, and job growth has still been very strong,” Doti said. “Given the Fed’s cautious approach, it’ll hold back on making further cuts.” Growth in gross domestic product, used to measure the nation’s economic health, is expected to fall to 1.4% by the end of 2025 from 2.8% in the 2024’s third quarter, he said. Tough housing market Both economists said the state of housing in California is showing financial strain. On the construction front, residential permits in California are forecast to rise by 12.9% in 2025, despite continuing high mortgage rates, Doti said. He argued that high mortgage rates may indirectly spur new construction. “There is a paucity of resale homes on the market because homeowners don’t want to sell and lose their sweetheart locked-in mortgages,” he said. “That has led to a sharp drop in resale home sales. The dearth of resale homes on the market is buttressing demand for new homes, often available for sale at heavily subsidized financing rates.” Nickelsburg said normalization is slowly returning to the California housing market, but potential construction cost increases due to tariffs and labor shortages could slow that process. “Builders should be responding with new development given existing homes sales are at depression levels,” said Nickelsburg. Tightening job market Both forecasts raised concerns about the jobs picture. Doti sees economic growth in California hampered by population losses, which he blames on the state’s regulatory and tax burdens, which have led people and businesses to leave for cheaper states like Florida and Texas. California’s job growth is forecast to rise 4.6% to 18.2 million in 2025, up from 17.4 million in 2019, but trailing U.S. job growth of 5.9% over the same period. The flight of people from the state also has lowered retail sales tax revenue, prompting some cities to raise sales tax rates in order to replenish budgets left with financial gaps. Data from Chapman showed fewer people are shopping, which translates to less tax revenue for cities. For the year-period that ended June 30, 2024, retail sales fell 4% in Orange County, 2.3% in Los Angeles County, 1.2% in the Inland Empire and 0.8% in San Diego County. For Nickelsburg, the big unknown on jobs will be the mass deportation and tariff policies of the incoming president, and their impact on a wide of industries including agriculture, construction, leisure and hospitality, retail trade and transportation and warehousing industries. Taken together, the deportations and tariffs will raise the prices for many goods and services, and potentially cause product shortages and higher labor costs as jobs go unfilled, he argued. “The uncertainty regarding the future path of unemployment is more elevated than usual because the impact of mass deportations on unemployment is not well understood due to limited empirical research on the subject,” according to Nickelsburg. Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast, using various graphs and charts to explain his predictions and projections, at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast, using various graphs and charts to explain his predictions and projections, at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast, using various graphs and charts to explain his predictions and projections, at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast for the U.S., California and Orange County at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast for the U.S., California and Orange County at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast for the U.S., California and Orange County at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast for the U.S., California and Orange County at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast for the U.S., California and Orange County at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast, using various graphs and charts to explain his predictions and projections, at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)

Winnipeg Jets’ Challenge Cup brings thousands of young hockey players to WinnipegAP Trending SummaryBrief at 2:21 p.m. EST

Indiana Fever general manager opens up on ruthlessly sacrificing Caitlin Clark's teammateUPDATE 3:24 PM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained more footage from the incident ... which shows the two ladies chatting with cops as they were escorted off the field. It's rather funny -- one of the women begs an officer to not "hate" her -- but based on his reaction, that probably wasn't the case. The cop was a good sport over it all, saying they weren't going to get in too much trouble ... and admitted the crowd probably "appreciated" the whole ordeal. As for whether the stunt made it to the Prime Video broadcast ... they got the bad news that the league makes an effort to keep acts like thee off the air. Two models made the 49ers vs. Rams game a bit more memorable -- hopping a fence and running around on the field in some skimpy Santa-ish outfits, and naturally, the stunt got 'em on the "naughty" list ... with cops. The ladies -- Toochi Kash and Amberghini -- had lower-level seats Thursday night for the NFC West showdown ... but at one point in the action, they took matters into their own hands to get a field-level view. The models -- who have social media followings in the millions -- rocked festive one-piece ensembles, white snow boots and Santa hats ... with the word "$treak" written on the back. We're told the stunt was meant to make some noise for a meme coin that recently launched ... but stadium staffers on site were a bunch of Grinches. Amber tried to dash onto the field first after jumping over the railing, but Levi's Stadium security chased her down right before she reached the playing field. Toochi was caught rather quickly and held up a sign while security restrained her ... but she remained jolly like St. Nick himself through it all. We reached out to law enforcement to get more details on the legal trouble they'll be in -- as far as the North Pole goes, though, they can expect coal under their trees this year.

The Solicitor-General has reissued prosecution guidelines, which are used by prosecutors and prosecuting agencies, after the wording of her initial release led to political backlash. The guidelines were last issued in 2013. In October, Una Jagose published 27 updated guidelines, but then backtracked later that month. Jagose's introduction to the advice asked prosecutors to "think carefully about particular decisions where a person (whether the victim or the defendant) is Māori, or a member of any other group that is disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system." The guidelines are not rules for prosecutors to follow, but are instead a tool for them to use when deciding whether to prosecute a person, as well as guidelines around things like bail and sentencing. While Jagose wrote that the guidelines did not promote different treatment based on ethnicity, the document was still criticised by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and ACT leader David Seymour, and not endorsed by Attorney-General Judith Collins. At the time, Luxon said the coalition's view was that policy should not take race into account, and that while individuals can make a case to a judge around their circumstances and background, prosecution should be colourblind. On Thursday, Jagose re-released the guidelines with a re-written introduction, and said she had reviewed the guidelines themselves to make edits ensuring her language was clear. The new introduction states the guidelines were reviewed to reflect the modern context in which prosecutions are conducted: "Some prosecuting agencies did not find the previous guidelines to be relevant to the offending they prosecute because the guidelines were largely focused on serious offending prosecuted by the Police. Another part of the context was that Māori are among those groups that are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system, as both defendants and victims. Victims' groups and advocates also considered the guidelines could better reflect victims' interests and experiences in prosecution decisions," Jagose wrote. Appearing before Parliament's justice committee on Thursday, Jagose said she had "missed the mark" with her original wording. "I realised that I could have done better with the way that I had worded that particular part of the introduction, recognising the context that Māori are overrepresented in the criminal justice system, but not being clear enough about what that meant for prosecutors," she told MPs. Jagose said the criminal justice system had always required understanding of someone's individual circumstances and background, why they had come to offend, and what their culpability was, as well as how the law, prosecutor, and court should respond. But her introduction had been interpreted so that she was advocating for a different rule for Māori from everyone else. "It was just too important for that misunderstanding. The misunderstanding being 'the Solicitor General saying there are two different types of approach in the law.' That cannot stand, so that was why I had to take it down and clarify, which we've done," she said. Speaking to media after the hearing, Jagose made it clear that the decisions to publish the guidelines, backtrack, and reissue them were all hers, but public commentary had told her she had originally got it wrong. "That's why they came down, and I've revised that. There is no lack of clarity now, and the guidelines themselves are substantially the same. But the criticism over 'what does she mean there?' That's the thing I had to listen to," she said. "I did listen to it, it's too important for people to understand how prosecutions work and how the criminal justice system operates to have left that misunderstanding in my own wording and drafting." Asked whether politicians were responsible for muddying those waters, Jagose re-iterated it was public commentary she was responding to. "Some of the public commentary was from ministers and other members, and also from members of the public. And we listened to that, of course we do. People say 'we're confused,' that was not the place for the guidelines to be." When the guidelines were initially released in October, the Attorney-General did not write a foreword, as has been common practice, indicating she did not endorse them. This time, Judith Collins has written one. Despite the delay, it is still expected Crown Law prosecutors will start applying the guidelines as-planned from 2025. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.