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wow888 casino In the wake of a successful effort to kill a year-end spending bill and replace it with more limited legislation to keep the government open, Elon Musk declared victory on X (formerly Twitter), the social media platform he owns: “Your actions turned a bill that weighed pounds into a bill that weighed ounces!” he crowed. “You are the media now. VOX POPULI VOX DEI.” The stopgap funding measure will largely delay major spending decisions until after Donald Trump’s inauguration, keep the government open through the holidays and at least temporarily delay the most indefensible spending that was crammed into the scale-tipping bill. But those who believe the indefensible spending won’t end up back in the budget are endearingly optimistic. The most interesting political takeaway from the drama is that the Republican Party now has two masters with different goals. Musk’s stated mission was to impose fiscal restraint and greater efficiency on government (though his unstated motives are a matter of speculation). Trump’s objective was to avoid the hassles of a debate over raising the government borrowing limit early in his term, freeing him to rack up more debt through spending and tax cuts. Based purely on the political result, Musk won and Trump lost. While the bill does spend less than the earlier version, it does not raise the debt ceiling. A case can be made for both goals. I think Musk is indisputably correct about the need to cut spending. And although I don’t want Trump to be able to amass more debt, fights over the borrowing limit are reckless because they put the full faith and credit of the United States in doubt. The challenge for Republican legislators is that they are caught between the agendas of two figures who are very popular on the right, and those agendas — and perhaps others — are in conflict. We’ll have to wait to see how the politics play out. In the meantime, I want to address the more philosophical problems with Musk’s position. First of all, literally weighing the value or profligacy of a piece of legislation by the ounce, as Musk proposes, is not exactly logical. The National Industrial Recovery Act — the foundational legislation of the New Deal — comes in at an economical 18 pages, but that hardly gives one a sense of its massive impact on the economy. Then there’s the idea that Musk’s minor budget victory proves his X followers are “the media now.” Huh? The standard conservative complaint about traditional national media is that they mislead the public in the service of an ideological or self-serving agenda. Musk rallied his virtual mob with a host of false claims about the bigger-spending bill. Now he is suggesting that misleading the public in the service of the agenda of the owner of a media platform is a glorious triumph. It’s certainly a triumph for if-you-can’t-beat-them-join-them hypocrisy. Lastly, Musk’s oft-repeated motto “Vox populi, vox dei” — “The voice of the people is the voice of God” — is theological nonsense. Its use by British Whigs to challenge monarchical power in the 18th century was politically defensible, but it doesn’t take a divinity degree to understand that, taken literally, the phrase argues that God is subservient to the passions and vicissitudes of public opinion. It’s very difficult to find anything in the Old or New Testament to back up that idea. If a poll were all it took to change God’s mind, Sodom and Gomorrah would have been fine, Noah wouldn’t have needed a boat, and Jesus wouldn’t have had to ask God to “forgive them, for they know not what they do.” One of the earliest mentions of the Latin phrase is found in the writings of Alcuin of York, an adviser to Charlemagne. Alcuin told the first holy Roman emperor to ignore such declarations of public godliness “since the riotousness of the crowd is always very close to madness.” Musk started using the phrase “Vox populi, vox dei” to validate the verdicts of his own Twitter polls. When users voted to reinstate Trump’s account two years ago, Musk declared that the result he clearly wanted amounted to a divine statement. We can only guess what this says about Musk’s God complex and its compatibility with his role as Trump’s Alcuin. But my main objection to Musk’s assertion is that it’s a dangerous lie. The idea that the largest mob has God on its side is even more pernicious than the notion that legislation should be measured in pounds. Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and the host of The Remnant podcast.Streaming and betting are driving up the number of greyhound races in Wales, animal welfare campaigners have said. Greyhound Rescue Wales said streaming had played a big part in the “uplift” in races at Wales’ only track, Valley Stadium, which was licensed last year. But the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), the regulator for licensed greyhound racing, said the increase was due to the track becoming regulated, with formal safeguards and welfare measures now in place. The Welsh government is expected to publish its response to a consultation, which looked at a phased ban on greyhound racing, this autumn. Tim Doyle, the chief executive of Greyhound Rescue Wales, said the "main output of the Valley track, like most tracks in the UK, is to serve live streaming contracts”. He said the Valley Stadium, in Hengoed, Rhymney Valley, which was licensed by GBGB in August last year, held 42 races in November 2023 compared with 168 races last month. “A lot of people have this rose-tinted view of greyhound racing as a night out at the dogs [and] that the tracks are packed with people of an evening," said Mr Doyle. “That's not really where the majority of business is coming from." Mr Doyle said the industry had been steadily declining for the last 20 years, but he feared the streaming business model would keep it "clinging on" for longer. His organisation has been working with Gamban, a software that people can download to block gambling sites, to call for an end to greyhound racing in Wales. One of Gamban's founders, Matt Zarb-Cousin, described greyhound racing as "antiquated" and said races had become no more than "random betting events”. "It's an industry that unfortunately derives far too much of its revenues from people with gambling problems,” Mr Zarb-Cousin said. He criticised the gambling industry for the harm he said was caused to animals and people as part of its “pursuit of profit”. Both he and Mr Doyle raised concerns over the welfare of the animals and the regulation of the industry. "It's not regulation, it's self-regulation; it's regulated by the industry itself," Mr Doyle said. He pointed to GBGB figures which showed some 2,000 greyhounds died and more than 18,000 were injured on regulated tracks between 2018 and 2021. Mr Doyle said it was increasingly difficult to rehome greyhounds due to a "stagnation" in the number of people coming forward. This, he said, was due to the cost-of-living crisis and fears over rising vet bills. A Welsh government consultation looking at a phased ban of greyhound racing closed earlier this year. A spokesperson said it was expected to publish its response this autumn. That came after a petition signed by 35,000 people and a Senedd committee called for a "gradual" end to the sport in Wales. A petition in support of the sport also generated more than 10,000 signatures at the time. The GBGB said the increased activity at Valley Stadium was “about a previously unlicensed track – which had no formal safeguards in place around welfare – becoming regulated in Wales". It said the track welcomed a “strong, local core of racing enthusiasts who appreciate and enjoy the sport, and importantly, value the measures now in place to protect welfare”. "There is a vet on site at all times, a national network of experts offering advice and visiting trainers' residential kennels, and an extensive set of rules that ensure racing has the highest standards of welfare and integrity," a spokesperson added. They said it was because of those standards that "we are proud to uphold that British licensed greyhound racing remains a popular product of choice for broadcasters here and globally – something which... contributes £166 million to the British economy”. "Online betting on sport involving animals is something that cuts across horseracing, greyhound racing and other sports," they added. The spokesperson said that if its approach to improving the welfare of greyhound racing by regulating a previously unlicensed track was worthy of "scrutiny and criticism, then the BBC's multimillion-pound spend on horseracing is likewise in the dock”. Valley Racetrack declined to comment. A spokesperson for the Betting and Gaming Council, the standards body for the regulated UK betting and gaming industry, said: "We welcome the significant improvement in facilities and standards at the Valley. "Last year, industry sponsorship for greyhound racing totalled £30,000 while in the same year, our members voluntarily donated over £7m to the British Greyhound Racing Fund for the welfare of greyhounds."

Photos: Remembering Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president

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Cam Ward Opting Out of Pop-Tarts Bowl at Halftime Was Pretty WeirdDENVER — Highly touted high school quarterback Julian Lewis has committed to the University of Colorado, possibly an indicator that coach Deion Sanders does indeed plan to stick around in Boulder. The five-star recruit recently decommitted from Southern California to explore his options. He announced Colorado would be his destination Thursday on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” as he donned a Buffaloes stocking cap. Lewis figures to be the heir apparent to Shedeur Sanders, who’s expected to be a top pick in the next NFL draft. There’s an image of Sanders handing the keys over to the young QB in a video posted on Lewis’ Instagram account. It gives Deion Sanders another elite quarterback to build around at Colorado. On Tuesday, Sanders tamped down speculation over his future. “I’m enthusiastic about where I am,” he said. “I love it here. Truly do.” His roster this season has several young players making significant contributions, including freshman left tackle Jordan Seaton. “We ain’t going nowhere,” Sanders said. “We’re about to get comfortable.” Lewis, whose nickname is “Ju Ju,” became the starting quarterback at Carrollton High School in Georgia as a freshman. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound player was the 2023-24 Gatorade Georgia football player of the year. This season, he’s thrown for 2,842 yards and 40 touchdowns with only four interceptions, according to MaxPreps. He’s completing 77.8% of his passes. “It’s big for me, just coming in after Shedeur, seeing what he’s done at Colorado, and what he’s turned it into,” Lewis said on McAfee’s show. “It’s definitely a blessing to get to this position, coming in after him with his dad. “Coach Prime has always said the best man is going to play. That’s really what I wanted, was to be able to compete ... I don’t have much fun sitting on the bench, so I want to come to where I have a chance to play.” Lewis delivered the news to Deion Sanders over a phone call. He’s set join the Buffaloes (8-2, 6-1 Big 12, No. 16 CFP) this spring. “Julian loves to compete; he’s extremely excited for the challenge that lies ahead in college football,” said TC Lewis, Julian’s father. “What ‘Coach Prime’ and Colorado provide for him in regards to development and a path to play are exceptional.”

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