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ye7 bet Stock market today: Wall Street ends mixed after a bumpy weekALLEN PARK — Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was among several starters added to the practice report following Monday’s session. The All-Pro wideout was listed with a knee injury. Head coach Dan Campbell did not mention St. Brown dealing with any issues following Sunday’s 24-6 win over the Indianapolis Colts. St. Brown had a productive outing, catching six of seven targets for 62 yards.

S&P Dow Jones Indices Announces Dow Jones Sustainability Indices 2024 Review ResultsMcMichael helps the Capitals beat the Maple Leafs 3-1 for franchise-record 8th straight road winRemember all that money you were going to save by canceling your cable TV subscription? Cord-cutters are again dealing with the reality of rising programming costs after YouTube TV told subscribers Thursday that their monthly fee will go up by 14% to $82.99 starting in January. Needless to say, many dissatisfied customers took to social media after learning of another price increase to YouTube TV, the streaming package marketed as a budget-friendly alternative to the traditional multichannel services. “I’m so glad that I made the right financial decision in 2018 and ditched my $89/mo cable package so I can now pay $83/mo for YouTube TV, $23/mo for Netflix, $16/mo for Disney+, $13/mo for Paramount, $15/mo for Prime, $10/mo for AppleTV, and $21/mo for HBO,” wrote Chris Bakke on X. Many of the 8 million subscribers to YouTube TV depend on the service as a cost-efficient way to get live broadcast and cable channels to supplement their favorite streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. YouTube TV is especially popular among sports fans who have abandoned cable but still want access to live sports. The price increase takes effect just as the NFL season heads into the playoffs, which attract some of the largest TV audiences of the year ahead of the biggest TV event of all, the Super Bowl, on Feb. 9. After YouTube TV posted information about the increase on X, readers added a Community Note to point out the price has risen 137% since the service was launched in 2017. The last price hike was in March 2023. Even YouTube TV acknowledged that the rising costs may be too much for some of its members to absorb. The company posted a link on X to where consumers could pause or cancel their subscriptions. Enraged consumers also flooded the YouTube TV fan group page on Facebook with complaints to the point where some members asked the administrator to cut off comments. “We are subsidizing their bad decision to subsidize NFL SUNDAY TICKET,” wrote group member Alan Hulings. (YouTube parent Google agreed to pay the NFL $2.5 billion a year to get the package of out-of-market Sunday games in 2023. The figure is $1 billion above what previous carrier DirecTV paid. YouTube TV offers the Sunday Ticket package to YouTube subscribers for an additional $379 a year.) The fan page posted a video showing how consumers who attempt to cancel the service are being offered a discount to stick around, delaying the $10 increase for six months. YouTube TV did not respond to a request for comment. YouTube is not alone in raising subscription prices. Walt Disney Co. increased the rates for its streaming services Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. Disney’s Hulu + Live TV bundle, which includes live channels and the three Disney streaming services, is also priced at $82.99 a month.After what they say has been months of refused visits with their four children in foster care, Kimberly and Jordan Joseph packed their bags and decided to walk more than 1,500 kilometres from “Prince Rupert, B.C.” to “Victoria.” The couple — both Dakelh (Carrier) — say they’re raising awareness about the lack of support for birth parents resulting in too many kids in the country’s child welfare system. During their 75-day journey, they met dozens of people with lived experience of the child welfare system, visited a number of Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) offices, and earned the encouragement of hundreds of supporters. The Josephs live in Yekooche, a remote community of 87, northwest of “Fort St. James.” They said they weren’t just walking for Indigenous children and Youth — but every young person in foster care. On July 27, the couple set off, sending updates to their growing Facebook community. As the walk — and blisters — progressed, they alternated between walking and travelling by car, sometimes walking together or taking turns making the journey on foot while the other drove. The Josephs said they faced delays when MCFD repeatedly called to arrange visits with their kids, only to cancel after the couple had abandoned their walk to drive north. But they didn’t give up, and kept coming back to try and finish the walking journey. By late November, the Josephs had reached Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish). “It’s terrifying for a child to not understand why they can’t talk to their mom and their dad, or talk to their siblings,” said Kimberly during the stop on Nov. 25. Earlier that morning, the Josephs arrived holding hands, listening carefully to Kimberly’s smartphone. They were attending family court virtually — waiting to hear a judge’s response to their refusal for their children’s foster parents to continue caring for their boys. For Kimberly and Jordan, it was good news: the couple’s case will go to trial, she confirmed with a smile. There are now nearly 2,000 members of a Facebook group, “Walking For All Children in Ministry Care,” where the Josephs have given regular updates on their way. Until June 2023, the boys were in custody of Kimberly’s mother in “Kamloops,” but when she was no longer able to provide the care they needed, MCFD asked Kimberly if she would take them back. Though eager to be reunited with the children — of whom Jordan is a stepfather to three and biological father to one — it was not an easy process. The couple said they struggled with MCFD and Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS) for almost a year. While caring for their children, Kimberly said CSFS had received money through Jordan’s Principle — a legal rule ensuring First Nations children can access services and support in a timely manner — to deliver the couple diapers and baby formula from CSFS’s “Fort St. John” office to their remote home, where they had no access to transportation. “They didn’t do it for a month,” alleged Kimberly, who said despite phoning countless times, she had to enlist help from friends and family to get by. “Finally, we showed up at their office and they gave us [an entire month’s worth] of formula. They were like, ‘this is all yours, it’s just been sitting at the office.’” While Jordan was in counseling after the death of his grandfather, a therapist reported his behaviour to MCFD as “aggressive,” the couple alleged. “It was all false,” said Kimberly, who said she wishes the ministry had handled Jordan’s grief with more compassion. Eventually, they said, MCFD insisted that Kimberly move into a shelter, separate from Jordan — who had been residing in a tiny house. During this time, she was given a chance to prove she could care for her children, but said she was chastized by social workers, who allegedly told her she was neglectful and didn’t dress properly (“but I like to dress cozy,” she said). A 2021 report released by the MCFD states that 84 per cent of Indigenous children in foster care were there due to what they call “neglect.” “But neglect from whom?” said Cindy Blackstock, speaking to this issue at the recent Our Children Our Way National conference in “Vancouver.” Blackstock said she believes that child welfare laws push the blame onto the parents, when they should be asking, “What is the actual source of this risk?” she said. While in the women’s shelter, Kimberly said she experienced a health emergency that resulted in her needing to be hospitalized. When MCFD showed up alongside paramedics, she expressed to MCFD that she needed time to recuperate — knowing she would be closely watched and her poor health would make it impossible to comprehensively care for her children on her own. She said she got an ultimatum in return. “And now they’re saying I could have had the boys but I gave them up,” she said. Now that the couple’s children are back in foster care, Kimberly alleged there have been multiple occasions where MCFD has told them there are no funds available to allow them to visit their children, who are divided between foster families in “Prince Rupert” and “Prince George.” But Jordan said after being given a vehicle from Jordan’s aunt, he and Kimberly decided to visit their children using their own money. “It was awesome, we finally had our own transportation,” he said. When they phoned the MCFD office to ask for a visit, they repeated the same reason — “a lack of funds,” Jordan recalled. “We told them they don’t need funding — we are already down here, and we’ve got the money to do stuff with the boys.” An MCFD employee replied they’d look into scheduling a visit, but one week later — after multiple inquiries from Kimberly and Jordan — they said they were told there was no supervisor available to attend a visit. “I feel like whenever we ask for anything, our file gets thrown to the side and they say no,” said Kimberly. IndigiNews requested comment from MCFD, who said that although it could not comment on individual cases, it noted that “recruitment and retention are a continuous priority for the ministry and direct child and family service staffing numbers are stable.” “In the last two years, there has been a 17 per cent increase in staffing levels and staffing has been up year-over-year since the pandemic,” the statement reads. IndigiNews also reached out to Carrier Sekani Family Services, but did not receive a response by time of publication. For Kimberly and Jordan, their frustrations soon reached a tipping point. “We decided we wanted to walk,” Jordan said. The couple spent one week preparing — alerting police they’d be walking the road, telling friends and family, and creating a Facebook group. “It was a really nice send-off,” Kimberly recalled. “People came to see us and it was fun.” After just a day of walking, she was shocked to find roughly 500 people had joined their Facebook group by the time Kimberly regained cell service — and nearly 100 messages of encouragement. The number of people in the group soon grew to close to a couple thousand. “We were like, ‘No way!’ And then people were stopping for us along the way, giving us their food and drinks.” Originally, the couple’s plan was to walk just the 700-kilometre route from “Prince Rupert” to “Prince George” — because their children had been split up between homes in the two cities. But when the Josephs finally reached “Prince George,” they felt so encouraged by the public’s support that they decided to extend their journey to the province’s capital — an additional walk of more than 800 kilometres south. They packed up their car and began leapfrogging their way down — alternating between walking and driving in a shared effort. The couple said they’ve found the walk healing. “I’ve opened up a lot about my past,” said Kimberly, who herself grew up in the “child welfare” system. “I really don’t ever talk about my past, but I think walking has helped me quite a lot.” Jordan said the walk has been healing for him too. “Being close to nature, seeing all the animals and getting to connect with everything has been awesome,” he said. The couple weren’t as fond of the countless tiny frogs, grasshoppers, beetles. “We hate insects,” the couple said in unison. Kimberly says that — besides offering counselling — MCFD also wants her to take parenting and relationship courses. But she believes the structure of such programs are colonial. “There’s Indian time, right?” she said. “I’ve never liked Western structure.” During their walk, Kimberly and Jordan met with many people through social media who shared their own experiences with the child welfare system. “It’s a lot easier to open up to people like that,” Kimberley said, “than to have someone sitting across from you that you don’t really know, that doesn’t say anything back to you other than, ‘How do you feel about that?’” When she and Jordan spoke to IndigiNews in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, it was actually their second time reaching the community. Back in October, the couple had walked as far as “Lions Bay” — 40 kilometres north of “Vancouver” — just when MCFD called about a visit they’d managed to arrange with their children. The Josephs headed back north. When they resumed their walk in November and finally reached “Vancouver,” the couple visited two local MCFD offices to ask staff what support systems they have for Indigenous mothers needing help. Kimberly recalls staff at both offices telling her she should make complaints through “the main office.” Later, after reaching “New Westminster,” the couple received another phone call from MCFD, alerting them to another visit the agency had arranged with their children. So for a second time, the couple returned north, only to learn the ministry had cancelled the visit due to “poor weather,” said Kimberly. “I keep telling them if you arrange a visit for us and we can show up, you have no excuse. You should be ready for us to receive our kids,” said Kimberly. On Nov. 30, the couple updated that they were finally being given an opportunity to visit their boys for a few hours. “I can’t wait to see our boys,” Jordan told the Facebook live. “Love and miss them so much.” With winter quickly approaching, Kimberly doesn’t think they’ll actually reach “Victoria” this year, though she hasn’t completely laid the idea to rest. In fact, she’s already planning next year’s walk. “We want to do it until something’s done for the foster children,” she said. With a pre-trial date being set, Kimberly and Jordan now want to focus their attention on preparing for their day in court, hoping to finally be reunited with their children. “Not all parents get to hug their children, not all parents get to play with them, wake up to them, go to sleep and tuck them in,” Kimberly said. As the couple ponders the next steps on their journey, Jordan added that “time is precious” for any parent. “We have to be watched every time we see ours,” he said. “So cherish every moment with your kids.”

Rachel Reeves vows NO more tax rises after Labour’s bruising £40bn budget raid

Rotary Hartlepool announce winners in 2024 Poppy Appeal collectionsAfter the huge changes, what does the future hold for Hollyoaks? It could be brighter than ever

Heartbreaking tributes have been paid to a former Royal Marine Commando from Teesside who has died at the age of 36. Guisborough's Sam Morgan served three tours of Afghanistan with distinction. Sam leaves behind his devastated wife, Holly, and their three young children, three-year-old twin girls, Clementine and Fell, and two-year-old son, Tarn. A former pupil of Laurence Jackson School, in Guisborough, Sam showed determination to follow his childhood dream and become a Green Beret. He excelled in the gruelling 32-week Commando training course, and of the original 50 who started the course with him, Sam was among only five recruits who passed out. At his passing out parade he achieved the rare triple honour of receiving the Commando Medal, the PT Medal, and the Diamond Award for leadership. Sam was deployed to Afghanistan for the first time towards the end of 2008, and lost numerous comrades whom he fought alongside. He trained as a heavy weapons anti-tank specialist in 2011 and was deployed to Afghanistan again that summer. He returned to Afghanistan for a final tour in 2012, where he again saw colleagues killed in action while on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, Teesside Live reports . A year later he transferred back to 45 Commando until he left the service in 2015. Sam is lovingly remembered for his great loyalty, his boldness in combat, his cheerfulness and ability to raise morale by his mischievous personality and infectious laugh. Despite his military successes, Sam faced significant personal challenges after leaving the Royal Marines and was diagnosed with PTSD. His family say he sought help from military charities, but none were able to provide the face-to-face counselling or residential treatment that he needed due to resource constraints, they said. They say his tragic death highlights the urgent need for improved mental health support for veterans in the North East, and that Sam struggled for two years to get mental health care. Paying tribute to him, Sam's family said: "Sam was a warrior, but he had a caring soul, as time progressed he could not live with his memories. "He once said that he left a part of himself in Afghanistan, he has found peace at last. Sam's time on earth was short, but he filled that time full of fun, love and adventure. "He was larger than life, in every way. There will never be another man like Sam Morgan. We are all heartbroken." Sam's father, Steve said: "Typically, by the time PTSD emerges to become a problem, very often the casualty has left the armed forces and can no longer access the care afforded to those still serving. PTSD is not attributed to any weakness of the mind, quite the contrary. "Royal Marine Commandos are an elite force specially chosen for their ability to demonstrate the greatest mental, as well as physical, strength and determination. Which is testament to the extreme level of trauma that Sam and his comrades have been exposed to. "Sam's injury occurred during active service, and I call for the care of severe cases like Sam's to be met by military resources, just the same as those who sustained physical injuries in the same battles." Sam's wife, Holly, said: "Men like Sam were trained to be very tough and resilient. Therefore, they are likely to have already borne the pain of PTSD for a very long time before its toll becomes unbearable and they finally reach out for help. "For many, it is hard to admit that they need help for a mental illness, which still bears an element of social stigma. Sam had been asking for professional help for almost three years, and as time went by his need became ever more urgent." Sam's funeral will take place at 10am on Saturday, December 14 at St Nicholas Parish Church, Guisborough, and 11am at Kirkleatham Crematorium, Redcar. A JustGiving page has been set up in support of Sam's wife and children. In just a few days it has already received almost £40,000 anyone who would like to make a donation can do so here .

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Former South Carolina Sen. Kay Patterson, who rose from cleaning offices at the segregated Statehouse to serving as a state legislator for over 30 years died Friday. He was 93. The South Carolina Democratic Party announced Patterson's death saying he “left an indelible mark on our state. Senator Patterson commanded everyone’s attention with his wit and wisdom.” The statement did not list a cause of death. Patterson was born in 1931 in Darlington County and raised by his grandmothers. They recalled his hardheaded spirit early, recommending he not take jobs as a golf caddy or shoe shiner because he was likely to mouth off to white people in segregated 1940s South Carolina and get in trouble. Instead, Patterson served in the military and then got his teaching degree through the GI Bill at Allen University. While in college, he cleaned offices at the segregated capitol where he and other Black people couldn't be unless they were working. "When I was a janitor, Black people couldn’t go in the Statehouse," Patterson said in a 2004 interview with the University of South Carolina. “And then one day I came back down here as a member of the House and then in '84, I came back sitting in the Senate as a senator. Now that’s a hell of a long way to come.” Patterson spent 30 years in education and was elected to the South Carolina House in 1974 and the Senate 10 years later after U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn urged him to run for the upper chamber seat. In a statement, Clyburn called Patterson “a trusted leader, a tireless champion for civil rights, and a treasured friend. He was a person of strength, determination, wisdom, and a long proponent of removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Statehouse dome .” Patterson was also the first Black person to serve on the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees since Reconstruction. Patterson was a key member of both the House and Senate, He served on the budget committees in both chambers and was a major voice in support of civil rights, public education and helping poor people. He adamantly demanded the Confederate flag be removed from atop the Statehouse dome and inside the House and Senate chambers long before they were taken down in 2000. The lifelong Democrat said the final years of his political career were the toughest after Republicans took over state government. His seniority no longer mattered and he felt many newer Republicans were religious hypocrites who claimed to help others but only cared for people just like themselves. A few years before he retired from the Statehouse, Patterson said it was important to respect elders and supervisors, but not be afraid to speak up if bothered or something was on one's mind. “That’s just my hallmark ever since I was a little child. It will get you in trouble now, but you can sleep well at night. And learn to treat everybody as human beings with respect,” Patterson said in the interview with the university's Champions of Civil and Human Rights in South Carolina program. “You can sleep real good at night. Right now, I’m 73 years old and sleep like a log when I go to bed because I know I’ve done no wrong to my fellow man,” Patterson said.PORTLAND, Maine — The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is likely to bring big changes for one of the oldest sectors of the U.S. economy — seafood — and some in the industry believe the returning president will be more responsive to its needs. Economic analysts paint a more complicated picture, as they are concerned Trump’s pending trade hostilities with major trading partners Canada and China could make an already pricy kind of protein more expensive for consumers. Conservationists also worry Trump’s emphasis on government deregulation could jeopardize fish stocks that are already in peril. But many in the commercial fishing and seafood-processing industries said they are excited for Trump’s second presidency. They said they expect he’ll allow fishing in protected areas as he did in his first presidency, crack down on offshore wind expansion and cut back regulations they describe as burdensome. They expect a marked shift from the administration of President Joe Biden, who prioritized ocean conservation and championed wind power from the start. The seafood industry isn’t hungry for another tariff war, which hurt fishermen during Trump’s first term, said Beth Casoni, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association. But she said the new Trump administration has a unique chance to throw its support behind U.S. fishermen. “I think we should be focused on feeding Americans,” Casoni said. “The ‘America First’ administration I think will make that point loud and clear. Know where your food is coming from.” But the seafood industry, which is international in nature, could be seriously disrupted if Trump goes through with a plan to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada, said John Sackton, a longtime industry analyst and founder of Seafood News. Canada is the largest seafood market for the U.S. for both imports and exports, and nearly a sixth of the seafood imported by the U.S. is from its northern neighbor, according to federal statistics published in November. In total, about 80% of seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported. Losing Canada — an especially important buyer of American lobster — as a market for U.S. seafood could cause prices for fishermen to collapse, Sackton said. And some products could become unavailable while others become more expensive and still others oversupplied, he said. He described the seafood industry as “interdependent on both sides of the border.” In Canada, members of the country’s seafood industry are watching closely to see what changes Trump ushers in, said Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. “A potential trade war will cost everyone more (in Canada and the U.S.) and cause damage to the seafood section in Canada and the United States,” Irvine said via email. “We are working with allies in Canada and the U.S. to send this message to all governments.” One of the major changes for fishermen under a new Trump administration is that they can expect to have a seat at the table when high-level decisions get made, representatives for several commercial fishing groups said. Last time around, Trump sat down with fishermen and listened to their concerns about loss of fishing rights in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a nearly 5,000-square mile protected area off New England, said Robert Vanasse, executive director of industry advocate Saving Seafood. That goodwill is likely to carry over into Trump’s new presidency. And the industry feels it already scored a win with election of a president who is an outspoken critic of offshore wind power, said Drew Minkiewicz, an attorney who represents the New Bedford, Massachusetts-based Sustainable Scalloping Fund. Fishermen of valuable seafoods such as scallops and lobsters long opposed offshore wind development because of concerns wind power will disrupt prime fishing grounds. “There is excitement in the industry that offshore wind will basically be contained to its existing footprint and nothing beyond that,” Minkiewicz said. Others in the industry said they’re concerned about how Trump will handle the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency that regulates fisheries. The undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, who is currently the Biden-appointed Rick Spinrad, will be one of Trump’s key appointees. Trump went through three different administrators at the post during his first term of office. The industry recently suffered major crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and trade hostilities with Russia, another major trading partner, and isn’t in a position to withstand unstable leadership, said Noah Oppenheim, coordinator for Fishing Communities Coalition, which represents small-scale commercial fishing groups. “The Fishing Communities Coalition is always deeply concerned that any administration’s shifts away from a fishery management focus on conservation and accountability will do serious lasting damage to the industry,” Oppenheim said. Conservation groups who pushed for stricter vessel speed rules and new fishing standards, such as new gear that is less likely to harm whales, said they’re also waiting to see the direction Trump takes fisheries and ocean policy. They said they’re hopeful progress made under Biden can withstand a second Trump presidency. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Donald Trump is considering making Kimberly Guilfoyle his ambassador to GreeceS&P Dow Jones Indices Announces Dow Jones Sustainability Indices 2024 Review Results

Young's fans can point to numbers and say he's an elite player. His detractors can point to numbers and say he's overrated. Both arguments have validity. To some, his cocky ways are endearing. To others, they're infuriating. This can't be argued: He's helping Atlanta author one of the season's surprise stories. The Hawks are in the NBA Cup semifinals, set to play Milwaukee on Saturday before the other semifinal between Oklahoma City and Houston. The title game is Tuesday night. “When we talk about Trae, the word I like to use is evolution,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “And every player evolves. They just evolve in different ways. He's been an important part of our young guys' growth and being able to elevate them.” The Hawks haven't had a ton of big moments in Young's seven seasons. But he has shown a propensity for rising to the occasion: ousting New York in the 2021 playoffs, ousting the Knicks from the quarterfinals of this tournament to get to Las Vegas — and now comes another chance on national TV on Saturday, facing the Bucks with a chance to play for a trophy. “I feel like this team has been embracing the challenge each and every night from the beginning of the season,” Young said. “We haven’t looked too far ahead in any moment. We’re just taking it day by day. Even though early on in the season we may have had some struggles and some bumps in the road and some guys out, we stuck with the process and focus on each day." Here's part of the pro-Young argument: He's averaging 21 points and 12 assists something that only Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas have done over a full season, and he's on pace to lead the league in assist average for the first time. Here's part of the anti-Young argument: Among the 220 players with at least 50 3-point attempts this season he ranks 189th at 30.8%, and of the 248 players with at least 100 field goal attempts this season he ranks 231st at 38.4%. Choose your side. They're both valid. But it's clear that Young — who made no secret that he was upset over not being picked for the team that won gold for USA Basketball at the Paris Olympics this past summer — is growing and maturing. “He’s doing a better job on both ends of the floor,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “Defensively he’s figured out a way of keeping himself out of actions. I know that sounds easy. That’s hard to do, and he’s brilliant at it, he really is. ... He must be really studying the game on both ends of the floor, and you can see that in his play. And he’s earned the trust of his players. This team likes playing with him, that’s obvious. I couldn’t say that in the past, but now they love playing with him.” Hawks forward Jalen Johnson doesn't deny that point. “He’s so good, man,” Johnson said. "It’s crazy, like just seeing it in person and on TV prior to me playing with the Hawks and getting drafted by the Hawks, it was crazy just watching it. A guy that’s undersized, being able to score at will, being able to make any pass at will. And then next thing you know you’re his teammate and you’re on the receiving end of those passes. “Watching those clutch late game buckets, it’s a joy to watch. It’s a gift that he has that’s very special and not many people have had it at that elite of a level. It’s been great being his teammate. It’s been a blessing.” Saturday is an opportunity. The semifinals are the only games on the NBA calendar for that day; the title game Tuesday — which doesn't count in the standings — is the only game on the NBA slate that night as well. Young will have tons of eyeballs on him Saturday and would have tons more on him Tuesday if the Hawks find a way to win another big game against the Bucks. They're 3-1 against Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland and Boston already this season, 1-0 against Milwaukee. The potential is clear for the Hawks. The potential for Young has always been clear as well. Only now, it's starting to be realized. “The narrative about me not being able to do certain things or being too mad or frustrated about certain things is — I mean, just aren’t true,” Young said. "I think you’re just now being able to see like with the young team we have, just some of the different things we’ve been doing this year, I think just now you’re starting to kind of see it because the results are showing and we’re winning now. We’re here in this final four of the Cup, and it’s a big deal.” AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Topline President-elect Donald Trump confirmed his continued support of Pete Hegseth as Defense secretary in a Truth Social post Friday, saying Hegseth will be a “fantastic” leader—a day after Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, added to Hegseth’s strained Senate confirmation battle by saying she’s isn’t ready to support him, while allegations of concerning drinking habits and sexual misconduct crop up for Hegseth. Timeline Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts : We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here . What To Watch For Hegseth, or any cabinet nominee that requires Senate approval, can afford to lose only three Republican votes to be confirmed for the job as the GOP will hold a slim 53-47 majority beginning next year. Other GOP senators have expressed support for Hegseth, including Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who told Politico after meeting with him that he is a “strong nominee” who “pledged that the Pentagon will focus on strength and hard power—not the current administration’s woke political agenda.” How Were The Sexual Assault Allegations Against Hegseth Made Public? The sexual assault allegations first surfaced in a memo sent to Trump’s transition team from a woman who said she was friends with the accuser. The memo was obtained by multiple news outlets several days after Hegseth was nominated by Trump on Nov. 12. What Are The Allegations About Hegseth’s Drinking? In addition to the NBC News report Tuesday in which his former Fox News colleagues raised concerns about his drinking—with two of them saying they smelled alcohol on him at least a dozen times before he went on air— The New Yorker published an article Sunday alleging he had been intoxicated at work in the past. The article alleged there was a whistle-blower reporter from when Hegseth was president of Concerned Veterans for America that said he was “repeatedly intoxicated while acting in his official capacity,” and that he had to be restrained at least once. The whistle-blower report also mentioned an incident in which Hegseth allegedly drunkenly chanted “Kill All Muslims!” while on an official tour in Ohio. Three people with knowledge of Hegseth’s time at CVA told The New Yorker he was forced to step down from his role there in part because of his abuse of alcohol on the job. What Is Hegseth’s Response To The Sexual Assault Allegations? Hegseth has firmly denied the allegations through his lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, who said Hegseth paid the woman a settlement in 2020 as part of a nondisclosure agreement. Parlatore said Hegseth entered into the agreement when he learned the woman and her husband hired a lawyer and told other people she planned to file a lawsuit against him. Hegseth told police he was intoxicated that night and did not know why the accuser returned to his hotel room with him, but that they had consensual sex, according to the police report. He said the woman, who was staying at the hotel with her husband, “showed early signs of regret” the next morning, and he assured her that he would not tell anyone about the encounter, the report states. Has Hegseth Been Charged With A Crime? No. Police recommended the case to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for review, but charges were never filed. What Are Hegseth’s Views On The Military? Hegseth—who served in the National Guard—has intensely criticized military leadership, castigating their handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal. He has also drawn controversy for criticizing diversity initiatives within the military, and calling for the dismissal of military leaders he believes are connected to “woke” policies. He has publicly and privately advocated for members of the military accused of war crimes. Meanwhile, The Guardian reported Hegseth wrote in his 2020 book “American Crusade” that if President Joe Biden won the election, the military and police would be “forced to make a choice” and that there would be “some form of civil war.” Trump has previously suggested he would use the military to go after domestic political opponents, which he described as “the enemy from within.” What Has Hegseth Said About Women In The Military? In his 2024 “The War on Warriors,” recapped by The Guardian , Hegseth wrote that only men should serve in combat roles. “If we’re going to send our boys to fight—and it should be boys—we need to unleash them to win,” he wrote, adding they need “to be the most ruthless” and “the most uncompromising. The most overwhelmingly lethal as they can be.” Hegseth reiterated his stance in a recent podcast, telling host Shawn Ryan on Nov. 7 “I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn’t made us more effective.” What Has Trump Said About Hegseth? Trump called Hegseth a “warrior” and “a true believer in America First” in a statement announcing the nomination on Nov. 12. The statement touts his service in the Army National Guard and his deployments to Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan, along with his eight years as a Fox News host. A spokesperson for Trump’s transition team told the Associated Press in response to the police report being made public that it “corroborates what Mr. Hegseth’s attorneys have said all along: the incident was fully investigated and no charges were filed because police found the allegations to be false.” The police report does not say whether officials made a determination about the allegations. Further Reading New Sexual Assault Allegation Details Against Pete Hegseth Emerge: Here’s What To Know As Trump Defends Defense Secretary Nominee (Forbes) Police Report Details 2017 Sexual Assault Allegation Against Pete Hegseth (Forbes) Trump’s Defense Secretary Pick Pete Hegseth Named In 2017 Sexual Assault Probe (Forbes)

December 6, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked peer-reviewed publication trusted source proofread by Tatyana Woodall, The Ohio State University A team of scientists has created a new shape-changing polymer that could transform how future soft materials are constructed. Made using a material called a liquid crystalline elastomer (LCE), a soft rubber-like material that can be stimulated by external forces like light or heat, the polymer is so versatile that it can move in several directions. Its behavior, which resembles the movements of animals in nature, includes being able to twist, tilt left and right, shrink and expand, said Xiaoguang Wang, co-author of the study and an assistant professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering at The Ohio State University. "Liquid crystals are materials that have very unique characteristics and properties that other materials cannot normally achieve," said Wang. "They're fascinating to work with." This new polymer's ability to change shapes could make it useful for creating soft robots or artificial muscles, among other high-tech devices in medicine and other fields. Today, liquid crystals are most often used in TVs and cell phone displays, but these materials often degrade over time. But with the expansion of LEDs, many researchers are focused on developing new applications for liquid crystals. Unlike conventional materials that can only bend in one direction or require multiple components to create intricate shapes, this team's polymer is a single component that can twist in two directions. This property is tied to how the material is exposed to temperature changes to control the molecular phases of the polymer, said Wang. "Liquid crystals have orientational order, meaning they can self-align," he said. "When we heat the LCE, they transition into different phases causing a shift in their structure and properties." This means that molecules, tiny building blocks of matter, that were once fixed in place can be directed to rearrange in ways that allow for greater flexibility. This aspect may also make the material easier to manufacture, said Wang. The study was recently published in the journal Science . If scaled up, the polymer in this study could potentially advance several scientific fields and technologies, including controlled drug delivery systems, biosensor devices and as an aid in complex locomotion maneuvers for next-generation soft robots. One of the study's most important findings reveals the three phases that the material goes through as its temperature changes, said Alan Weible, co-author of the study and a graduate fellow in chemical and biomolecular engineering at Ohio State. Throughout these phases, molecules shift and self-assemble into different configurations. "These phases are one of the key factors we optimized to allow the material ambidirectional shape deformability," he said. In terms of size, the study further suggests that the material can be scaled up or down to adapt to nearly any need. "Our paper opens a new direction for people to start synthesizing other multiphase materials," said Wang. Researchers note that with future computational advances, their polymer could eventually be a useful tool for dealing with delicate situations, like those that require the precise design of artificial muscles and joints or upgrading soft nanorobots needed for complex surgeries. "In the next few years, we plan to develop new applications and hopefully break into the biomedical field," said Weible. "There's a lot more we can explore based on these results." Other co-authors include Yuxing Yao, Shucong Li, Atalaya Milan Wilborn, Friedrich Stricker, Joanna Aizenberg, Baptiste Lemaire, Robert K. A. Bennett, Tung Chun Cheung and Alison Grinthal from Harvard University; Foteini Trigka and Michael M. Lerch from the University of Groningen; Guillaume Freychet, Mikhail Zhernenkov and Patryk Wasik from Brookhaven National Laboratory; and Boris Kozinsky from Bosch Research. More information: Yuxing Yao et al, Programming liquid crystal elastomers for multistep ambidirectional deformability, Science (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.adq6434 Journal information: Science Provided by The Ohio State UniversityTransDigm Group Inc. stock underperforms Tuesday when compared to competitors despite daily gains

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