Missing dog returned to family home and rang the doorbell WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Athena, a 4-year-old German Shepherd and Husky mix, escaped her home in Green Cove Springs, Florida, on Dec. 15, prompting a search among the community and nearby towns for her. Yet on Christmas Eve, Athena appeared at the family's front door ringing on their doorbell — ending a search after more than a week. Her owner, Brooke Comer, said Athena's escape brought multiple communities in her town and neighboring towns to search for her dog, and that Athena's escape was about a 20-mile roundtrip near the train tracks. Sinkhole in New Jersey keeps I-80 closed after a section collapses into an abandoned mine WHARTON, N.J. (AP) — Road crews are repairing Interstate 80 in northern New Jersey after a sinkhole from an abandoned mine shut down the eastbound lanes. The state’s transportation department says it remains unknown when those lanes will reopen. The hole opened up along the highway’s right shoulder Thursday morning, and the guardrail was still hanging suspended across the gaping 40-foot-wide hole on Friday. Drivers are currently having to detour near Wharton, about 40 miles west of New York City. The New Jersey Department of Transportation said crews will work around the clock to the repair the roadway. Customs agents seize 22,000 fake Pennsylvania vehicle inspection stickers shipped from Israel HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency says it seized more than 20,000 counterfeit Pennsylvania vehicle inspection stickers that were shipped from Israel to an address in Philadelphia. The agency said that customs officers found the stickers in two different shipments that arrived on different days, Nov. 26 and Dec. 9. The agency didn't say in a Thursday statement who sent the stickers, who was to receive them and what purpose the stickers were going to serve. The agency said it made no arrests. Pennsylvania requires that motor vehicles be inspected annually to ensure they meet minimum mechanical, safety and emissions standards. One owl rescued by a Minnesota woman is euthanized; efforts to save the other continue ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — One of the two owls rescued by a Minnesota woman in a story that went viral this week has died, but the other is still getting medical care. Wildwoods Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Duluth said in a Facebook post Thursday that the snowy owl rescued by Annabell Whelan had internal injuries, a broken wing and a broken leg, and had to be euthanized. The great gray owl also rescued by Whelan suffered broken bones and large soft tissue wounds. Wildwoods says the injuries are severe and veterinarians are doing everything they can to “give the bird a chance at recovery.” Whelan happened to find both injured owls at different places Monday. 2 Florida tourist spots halt drones in shows following a separate accident that injured a boy ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A theme park resort and a huge hotel in central Florida either have stopped using drones or canceled their drone-based shows after several drones collided and fell from the sky during a separate holiday celebration in downtown Orlando. The accident last weekend injured a boy who required surgery. Universal Orlando said this week that it was pausing the drone component of its “CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular” show, while Orlando World Center Marriott posted that it was canceling its scheduled drone shows during the holiday week. The halt in using drones follows last Saturday’s accident at a holiday show at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando. NASA's Parker Solar Probe survives close brush with the sun's scorching surface NEW YORK (AP) — NASA has confirmed that a spacecraft has made the closest approach to the sun. Earlier this week, the Parker Solar Probe passed within a mere 3.8 million miles of the sun. Space agency officials received an all-clear message Thursday night confirming Parker survived the journey. The spacecraft was launched in 2018 to get a close-up look at the sun. It'll continue circling the sun at this distance until at least September. Scientists hope to better understand what drives the solar wind and why the sun's outer atmosphere iis so much hotter than its surface. 'Morrison Hotel' made famous by The Doors goes up in flames in LA The former Morrison Hotel, which was famously on the cover of a 1970 album by The Doors, has been significantly damaged by a fire in downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Fire Department says the four-story building burned for nearly two hours Thursday. More than 100 firefighters helped bring the fire under control. The building had been vacant for more than a decade but several people who were inside at the time escaped without injuries. The Morrison Hotel was featured on the album’s cover that showed legendary frontman Jim Morrison in the middle. That album was viewed as a comeback for The Doors. Another jackpot surpasses $1 billion. Is this the new normal? Remember this moment because it probably won’t last: A U.S. lottery jackpot is projected to soar above $1 billion, and that's still a big deal. Friday’s Mega Millions drawing is worth an estimated $1.15 billion. The prize has evoked headlines across the country, despite the nation's top 10 jackpots already having boasted billion-dollar payouts. Jonathan Cohen is the author of the book “For a Dollar and a Dream: State Lotteries in Modern America.” He says he expects jackpots to continue to grow in size. Larger payouts attract more media attention, increase ticket sales and bring in new players. Suzuki Motor former boss Osamu Suzuki, who turned the minicar maker into a global player, dies at 94 TOKYO (AP) — Osamu Suzuki, the charismatic former boss of Japanese mini-vehicle maker Suzuki Motor Corp., has died. He was 94. Suzuki was known for his candid remarks and friendliness, calling himself an "old guy from a small to mid-size company.” He became CEO of Suzuki in 1978 and helped turn the company into a global brand name. It was the first Japanese automaker to start local production in India and has had tie-ups with industry leaders like General Motors and Volkswagen. It is working with Toyota on developing self-driving vehicles. The company said Suzuki died Wednesday of malignant lymphoma. Cowboys shutting down CeeDee Lamb with 2 games to go over receiver's shoulder issue FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are shutting down CeeDee Lamb with two games remaining after their 2023 All-Pro receiver spent the second half of the season dealing with a sprained right shoulder. The team says additional exams revealed enough damage to keep Lamb off the field Sunday at Philadelphia and in the final game at home against Washington. The team says surgery isn't expected to be required. Dallas was eliminated from playoff contention a few hours before last weekend’s 26-24 victory over Tampa Bay.Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz has withdrawn as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general following scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation. The Republican's announcement came one day after meeting with senators in an effort to win their support for his confirmation to lead the Justice Department. Here's the latest: As incoming White House chief of staff, one of Susie Wiles ’ vexing challenges will be policing the buffet line of powerful interests who want something from Donald Trump. It’s a world she knows well. During Trump’s first presidency, she lobbied for many of them. Trump was first elected on a pledge to “drain the swamp” in Washington. But his transactional approach to the presidency instead ushered in a lobbying boom that showered allies, including Wiles, with lucrative contracts, empowered wealthy business associates and stymied his agenda after his administration was ensnared in a series of influence-peddling scandals. Now, as Trump prepares to return to power , his victory is likely to embolden those who think they can get his ear, raising the prospect that his second administration could face many of the same perils as his first. That will test the ability of Wiles to manage a growing number of high-powered figures — including Trump’s children, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and billionaires like Elon Musk — who will not be dependent on her for access to the president. ▶ Read more about Susie Wiles and her new role Vance accompanied Matt Gaetz in meetings with GOP senators on Wednesday. “I’m extremely grateful for the work Matt put into the nomination process,” the Ohio senator posted on X. “Matt is a patriot, and I look forward to seeing what he does next.” President Joe Biden still believes President-elect Donald Trump is a dangerous figure in U.S. democracy, his top spokesperson said Thursday. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said “his thinking on that has not changed” even as the Biden White House emphasizes its commitment to the “peaceful transfer of power.” Jean-Pierre told reporters there is no double-speak in Biden’s approach. Biden framed Donald Trump as a “fundamental threat” to the nation’s identity as a democracy and its stability as a global superpower when he defeated Trump in 2020. He did it as a candidate for reelection. He did it again when he dropped out and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. But Jean-Pierre said Biden recognizes the legitimacy of Trump’s election to another term, even if it’s not the result he wanted. “The American people spoke,” she said, adding that Biden wants to be an example of how to respect U.S. elections. That was an opaque reference to Trump’s refusal to accept Biden’s victory in 2020 and the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters as Congress met to affirm the results. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says she hasn’t spoken to her designated successor, Karoline Leavitt. Jean-Pierre told reporters gathered Thursday at the White House that she hopes the second Trump administration will be forthright with the public by talking to reporters. Trump’s first White House dramatically curtailed its initial interactions with the White House press corps, and Jean-Pierre said Biden and his staff “worked really hard to bring back the norms” with press briefings and interactions. “We’ve tried to do this in a very respectful way,” she said. Jean-Pierre declined to “speak to what any administration is going to do” in the future, but added that the back-and-forth with the press is part of “what democracy is all about.” In other presidential transition news, Trump is urging federal lawmakers to kill a bill that would protect journalists from having to disclose information about anonymous sources or other records obtained during reporting. The proposal that passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, but is pending in the Senate, also bars the government from requesting data from phone or email providers. The bill includes exceptions such as when there’s a reasonable threat of imminent violence or an act of terrorism. As of now, only some states grant absolute protection from disclosing sources or other records. “Republicans must kill this bill!” Trump posted on Truth Social and shared a video from PBS News Hour interviewing the CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalist, Jodie Ginsburg, talking about the proposal. Last month, The Associated Press, along with more than 100 news outlets and organizations, signed a letter authored by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press asking senators to support the bill. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre isn’t commenting on Matt Gaetz withdrawing his nomination as president-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general in the new administration. “We really, truly want to respect the transfer of power,” Jean-Pierre said Thursday during a White House press briefing, explaining her steadfast refusal to comment on Trump personnel moves. But Jean-Pierre nonetheless used the matter to take a subtle jab at how Trump, who was twice indicted by the federal government, has reacted to federal law enforcement. “Look, the president has said when it comes to investigation, that department should be independent. there should be no partisanship. There should be no loyalty to one party or the other,” she said. “The loyalty should be to the Constitution, and the loyalty should be to the rule of law.” Trump has insisted that it was Biden and his lieutenants who weaponized the Justice Department by indicting him for his role in trying to overturn Biden’s 2020 election victory and for hoarding national security documents after Trump left the White House in January 2021. That latter case has been thrown out by a Trump-appointed judge. The former case is still pending. Taken together, there are a striking number of incidents in which potential high-ranking government officials in Trump’s second administration face allegations of sexual abuse. Here’s a look at some of the cases: President-elect Donald Trump: He was found liable by a New York City jury for sexual abuse and defamation and eventually ordered to pay the woman, E. Jean Carroll , $83 million in damages. Pete Hegseth, nominee for secretary of defense: A woman told police she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report made public this week. Hegseth told police the encounter had been consensual and denies wrongdoing. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominee for secretary of health and human services: A woman who babysat for Kennedy and his second wife told Vanity Fair magazine he groped her in the late 1990s, when she was 23. Kennedy did not deny the allegation, telling a podcast: “I had a very, very rambunctious youth.” He texted the woman an apology after the story was published. Linda McMahon, nominee for secretary of education: A lawsuit filed last month alleges McMahon knowingly enabled sexual exploitation of children by a World Wrestling Entertainment employee as early as the 1980s. She denies the allegations. Elon Musk, Trump’s choice to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency: The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX was accused of sexual misconduct by a flight attendant contracted by SpaceX who worked on his private jet in 2016. He denied the claim. ▶ Read more about the allegations of sexual misconduct Among those who were seen as contenders before Gaetz was picked is former acting attorney general Matt Whitaker , who Trump chose earlier this week to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Other names that were floated as potential attorney general nominees include Jeff Jensen, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey. Trump last week chose Todd Blanche , an attorney who led the legal team that defended the Republican at his hush money criminal trial , to serve as the second-highest ranking Justice Department official. Emil Bove, a former federal prosecutor, was chosen to be the principal associate deputy attorney general. An attorney who represents two women who say they were paid by Gaetz for sex says his clients are “relieved to have this chapter behind them.” “They’re grateful for the opportunity to move forward with their lives,” said Joel Leppard, whose clients testified before the House Ethics Committee. “They’re hoping that this brings final closure for all the parties involved.” Leppard revealed earlier this week details about his clients’ testimony to House Ethics Committee to release its report on the Gaetz investigation. Leppard said his clients were paid a total of $10,000 by the congressman. One of his clients testified that she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old at a party in 2017, while he was in Congress. Though Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration for attorney general, he isn’t Trump’s only appointee in hot water. A woman told police she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Pete Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report made public late Wednesday. Hegseth, a former Fox News personality and Trump’s nominee to be defense secretary, told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing, the report said. Earlier today, Hegseth held a round of private meetings alongside incoming Vice President JD Vance in an attempt to shore up support and told reporters afterward: “The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared, and that’s where I’m gonna leave it.” ▶ Read more about the allegations against Hegseth In his Nov. 13 resignation letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Gaetz said, “I hereby resign, as United States Representatives for Florida’s First Congressional District, effective immediately, and I do not intend to take the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress, to pursue the position of Attorney General in the Trump Administration.” He transmitted a similar letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as the state began a special election process to fill the vacancy. Attorneys involved in a civil case brought by a Gaetz associate were notified this week that an unauthorized person accessed a file shared between lawyers that included unredacted depositions from a woman who said Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17 and a second woman who says she saw the encounter, according to attorney Joel Leppard. Leppard said that two women he represents told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions beginning in 2017 when Gaetz was in Congress. The files the person was able to access were part of a defamation case filed by a Gaetz associate against the former representative’s onetime political ally Joel Greenberg , who pleaded guilty in 2021 to sex trafficking of a minor, and admitted that he had paid at least one underage girl to have sex with him and other men. The apparent breach was first reported Tuesday by The New York Times. Gaetz has denied all the allegations. ▶ Read more about the apparent file breach Trump had announced last week that he’d chosen Todd Blanche, an attorney who’s defended him in some of his criminal cases, to serve as deputy attorney general. That’s the second highest ranking position at the Justice Department. A former federal prosecutor, Blanche has been a key figure defended him both in the New York hush money criminal trial that ended in a conviction in May, and the federal cases brought by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Thursday in a post on X that he believes the now-former congressman “will continue to contribute to our nation’s wellbeing for years to come.” Graham, a member of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, also said he looks forward to working with Trump “regarding future nominees to get this important job up and running.” The caption of the Instagram photo reads “The end of an era. No one loves America more than this guy.” The Florida representative was once embroiled in a sex trafficking investigation involving underage girls by the Justice Department, the very department President-elect Trump had tapped him to lead. Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, and in February 2023 said the investigation ended with no federal charges against him.He was also being investigated by the House Ethics panel, but Republicans declined yesterday to release the committee’s findings over objections from Democrats in a split vote. ▶ Read more about the Justice Department’s investigation into Gaetz He had abruptly resigned from his congressional seat upon being nominated as attorney general amid a long-running House Ethics investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, which was seen as a way to halt the probe. The House Ethics panel’s Republicans declined this week to release the committee’s findings into Gaetz over objections from Democrats in a split vote. But the committee did agree to finish its work and is scheduled to meet again Dec. 5 to discuss the matter. However, Gaetz did win re-election earlier this month for the new Congress which convenes Jan. 3. But it’s unclear if he would take office. There’s also been plans for a special election in Florida for his seat. “President Trump remains committed to choosing a leader for the Department of Justice who will strongly defend the Constitution and end the weaponization of our justice system,” said Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump-Vance transition team. In a message on his Truth Social network, Trump also said he was looking forward to seeing what Gaetz will do next after withdrawing as his pick. “He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect,” Trump posted. “Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!” Matt Gaetz has just withdrawn as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general following continued scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on the former congressman’s ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer. The Florida Republican’s announcement came one day after meeting with senators in an effort to win their support for his confirmation to lead the Justice Department. Gaetz’s withdrawal is a blow to Trump’s push to install steadfast loyalists in his incoming administration and the first sign that Trump could face resistance from members of his own party.mobile bet365 288 。

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Kyiv: NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks on Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war. The conflict is “entering a decisive phase”, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and “taking on very dramatic dimensions”. ‘We have this system now’: Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit: AP Ukraine’s parliament cancelled a session as security was tightened following the Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro on Thursday. In a stark warning to the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech that the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was in retaliation for Kyiv’s use of US and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Putin said Western air defence systems would be powerless to stop the new missile. Ukrainian military officials said the missile that hit Dnipro had reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six nonnuclear warheads, each releasing six submunitions. Speaking Friday to military and weapons industries officials, Putin said Russia is launching production of the Oreshnik. “No one in the world has such weapons,” he said with a thin smile. “Sooner or later other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development.” But, he added, “We have this system now. And this is important.” Testing the missile will continue, Putin said, “including in combat, depending on the situation and the character of security threats created for Russia”. He noted there is “a stockpile of such systems ready for use”. The missile prompts the closing of Ukrainian Parliament. Credit: AP Putin said that while it isn’t an intercontinental missile, it is so powerful that the use of several of them fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could be as devastating as a strike with strategic – or nuclear – weapons. General Sergei Karakayev, head of Russia’s strategic missile forces, said the Oreshnik could reach targets across Europe and be fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, echoing Putin’s claim that even with conventional warheads, “the massive use of the weapon would be comparable in effect to the use of nuclear weapons”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov kept up Russia’s bellicose tone on Friday, blaming “the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries” in supplying weapons to Ukraine to strike Russia. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Credit: AP “The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns were not taken into account have also been quite clearly outlined,” he said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the European Union, echoed Moscow’s talking points, suggesting the use of US-supplied weapons in Ukraine likely requires direct American involvement. “These are rockets that are fired and then guided to a target via an electronic system, which requires the world’s most advanced technology and satellite communications capability,” Orban said on state radio. “There is a strong assumption ... that these missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of American personnel.” Orban cautioned against underestimating Russia’s responses, emphasising that the country’s recent modifications to its nuclear deployment doctrine should not be dismissed as a “bluff.” “It’s not a trick ... there will be consequences,” he said. Separately in Kyiv, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky called Thursday’s missile strike an “escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe”. At a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Lipavsky also expressed his full support for delivering the necessary additional air defence systems to protect Ukrainian civilians from the “heinous attacks”. He underlined that the Czech Republic will impose no limits on the use of its weapons and equipment given to Ukraine. Three lawmakers from Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, confirmed that Friday’s previously scheduled session was called off due to the ongoing threat of Russian missiles targeting government buildings in central Kyiv. There was also a recommendation to limit the work of all commercial offices and non-governmental organisations “in that perimeter, and local residents were warned of the increased threat,” said lawmaker Mykyta Poturaiev, who added this is not the first time such a threat has been received. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office continued to work in compliance with standard security measures, a spokesperson said. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the Oreshnik missile, whose name in Russian means “hazelnut tree,” was fired from the Kapustin Yar 4th Missile Test Range in Russia’s Astrakhan region, and flew 15 minutes before striking Dnipro. Test launches of a similar missile were conducted in October 2023 and June 2024, the directorate said. The Pentagon confirmed the missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate-range missile based on its RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. Thursday’s attack struck the Pivdenmash plant that built ICBMs when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The military facility is located about 61⁄2 kilometres south-west of the centre of Dnipro, a city of about 1 million that is Ukraine’s fourth-largest and a key hub for military supplies and humanitarian aid. It is also home to one of the country’s largest hospitals for treating wounded soldiers from the front before their transfer to Kyiv or abroad. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here .Schools, housing societies in Pune upset over premises returned in filthy condition after voting

Priority Income Fund Announces Redemption of its 6.250% Series G Term Preferred Stock Due 2026Opinion Don't miss out on the headlines from Opinion. Followed categories will be added to My News. The irony is extraordinary: Some of our federal parliamentarians are now apparently wavering on their world-leading and lifesaving plans to impose mandatory age limits for social media use because they are being bullied by Elon Musk. Mr Musk took to the X platform that he owns – and that would be included in the ban – to retweet a statement from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese posted when the legislation was introduced last week. Mr Musk added: “Seems like a backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians.” What absolute codswallop. This is about saving kids’ lives, nothing more and nothing less. Our young teens are enduring an epidemic of suicides being fuelled by unlimited access to a tool that makes bullying easy to broadcast, and that our kids cannot escape. The national bullying framework that the government has agreed to pursue needs to be part of the response to this emergency. But without the social media ban, it is like telling 12-year-old kids they can drive a car all they like, so long as they have done a defensive driving course. They are not old enough! Making it illegal for kids under 16 to use social media arms parents and teachers with a big stick. It also means kids will know that using social media is wrong. It is like having an age limit for drinking. You can’t realistically stop teens sneaking some booze before they turn 18, but they sure as heck know they are breaking the law. Imagine a world where there was no age limit for drinking alcohol. Parents would have no way of ever stopping it happening. It is the same now for social media – something that society has now learned is not an appropriate thing for under-16s, as they are not mature enough for it. Mr Musk has further claimed the only way to enforce the ban would be for all Australians, including adults, to have to pass an identity or age verification process. It will be up to the platforms to figure out how to make it work, but the deputy secretary of the federal communications department James Chisholm confirmed in a Senate estimates hearing this month that, indeed, “everybody (would) have to go through an age-verification process” – and the federal government has separately conceded the changes “may require the collection, use and disclosure of additional personal information”. This is, of course, a reasonably significant change. But it will not apply to usage of the internet per se, just if you want to use one of those platforms captured by the change – and at this point that is Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. All already require you to sign up to use them. And the Prime Minister said yesterday there would be an obligation built in that any personal information was destroyed once age was verified. But even if you back Mr Musk’s position, the alternative is that our kids will continue to suffer – and some will tragically take their own lives as they think it is the only way they can escape the bullying that now follows them everywhere. And so what Mr Musk is really saying is that he does not care about Australia’s children. He is fighting to keep them armed with a tool that they are too young to be trusted with, and that is ruining lives. Any parliamentarians pushing for this ban to not be imposed are taking the same position. They are prioritising the profits of billionaires over the lives of our kids. That is the logical extension of not acting here. We simply must stay the course. TEST MATCH LIVES UP TO NAME There is still nothing better in cricket than the challenges a Test match produces, and the game in Perth proved that, despite it not being the result Australia wanted. The term “test match” was coined in 1 861 to designate which were the most important games to be played in Australia by a visiting team of Englishmen – in that those matches should be the greatest tests for the tourists of their “strength and competency”. And so it was 163 years on in Perth – where an unheralded Indian side led from the front by their fire-breathing, pace-bowling captain Jasprit Bumrah dismantled a heavily favoured Australian side packed with this generation’s batting superstars, after which the homeside’s bowling megastars were picked apart by newly arrived batting prodigy Yashasvi Jaiswal and ageing legend Virat Kohli. The Indians thoroughly deserved their record victory. The Aussie team will have to regroup, and the selectors could be forgiven for contemplating whether this is the time for generational change. But the other great thing about Test cricket is that the tables could well turn in Adelaide at the end of next week. Bumrah under lights is the stuff of nightmares, but the same could be said for Australia’s Mitchell Starc if he finds form. An Australian victory in Adelaide would be the perfect scene-setter for Brisbane’s Test from Saturday, December 14. And knowing the curveballs that Tests can so often produce, it shouldn’t be discounted. Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here Originally published as Editorial: Elon Musk doesn’t care about Aussie kids, just his bottom line Read related topics: Let Them Be Kids Join the conversation Add your comment to this story To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout More related stories Opinion Kennett: Only a bad government builds until it goes broke Infrastructure projects must be built as you can afford them, while balancing the other obligations of running the state. Victoria has got that mix badly wrong. Read more Opinion Bracks: Labor is reducing congestion and cutting travel times The Andrews-Allan governments has delivered on its infrastructure promises while delivering world-class projects that have improved the lives of Victorians. Read more

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WV News) – “You never realize how important something is to you until you risk losing or you do lose it.” Bridgeport’s Cam Martin faced the end of his football career, not on Saturday in the Class AAA state championship game against Herbert Hoover, but two weeks earlier when he was ejected from the Tribe’s state quarterfinal against Nitro. The hit wasn’t dirty, but with the Wildcats having played a game the week before that was preemptively halted by a fight, the referees were being cautious. Martin called the moment against Nitro “a bit of a setback. I let my emotions get the best of me. (God) has shown me a lot of favor getting to come out there and play against a great team.” Fortunately for Martin and the Tribe, the slate was wiped clear for last week’s semifinal win over Fairmont Senior and the Tribe didn’t have to go without the standout safety, who has recorded 44 tackles, forced a fumble and recovered another, and broken up four passes. “This is something that is very important to me,” Martin said. “Why would I even react like that? But I think that allowed the team to get mentally locked in to come out here and just play. Just have fun, play with respect and play the game we needed. Martin took on the responsibility of being the primary blocking back in Tyler Phares’ single wing offense this year. “Ultimately, I wanted to be a prime contributor,” Martin said. “We needed a blocking back and that’s a skill I’m good at. I want to fill this spot for my team and play my heart out and be able to lead this team accordingly. “It just gave me more opportunities for coach Phares to put me in and go and hit somebody, just pick out a certain person to go block.” Martin is proud to finish with his fellow seniors on the final day of the season state-wide. “We played together for years and years. Just over time you have a connection with each other. We’ve played almost the same positions defensively as we have our whole lives,” Martin said. “Plus we’ve been going at it since January and it’s given us even more time to connect.” He also gets to share the field with his brother, sophomore Gabe. “I’ve never gotten to play with him before,” Martin said. “He put in the work just as much as I did. He stepped up and he is tremendous. I can’t wait for his senior year. He’s already a prime contributor and I can’t wait to go to the championship with him. By the grace of God, we get a ring.” Bridgeport only allowed 77 points in the regular season, fewest in Class AAA. “We were able to recognize our weaknesses and be able to hone those focal points,” Martin said. “You’ve seen that. We’ve been unified against the pass and against the run.” They’ll have to be against a Huskies team that also enters at 13-0 and with a multi-year star in dual-threat quarterback Devin Hatfield. “They’re a physical team. They like to run the ball like we saw against Fairmont Senior. They like those kinds of plays, counters and treys. Ultimately, (the semifinal) was a good game for us to be able to learn and recognize that play. “Ultimately, it comes down to physicality, who can block and tackle the best. We have to come out physical and give 100% in the playoffs,” Martin said.MagicRoll: AI-powered video editing tool

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Juarno Augustus deal is a real statement of where Ulster want to go: Richie Murphy

Mumuex Launches The Crypto Education Program of Women, Empowering the Future of Blockchain 11-22-2024 11:22 PM CET | Business, Economy, Finances, Banking & Insurance Press release from: Getnews / PR Agency: LianPR Mumuex Exchange [ https://www.mumuex.org ] recently announced the launch of its Crypto Education Program for Women, aimed at providing more women with opportunities to engage with and learn about blockchain technology and investment knowledge. Through this initiative, Mumuex hopes to help female users enhance their skills and confidence in the crypto asset space, while also promoting diversity within the industry. Image: https://www.getnews.info/uploads/5742c4eade0a2966618e945b94c15d5a.jpg Creating Comprehensive Learning Paths to Enhance The Financial Capabilities for Women The Crypto Education Program for Women is rich in content and highly targeted, featuring a curriculum that spans from beginner to advanced levels. For instance, the program includes introductory cryptocurrency courses to help novice users quickly grasp the core concepts of blockchain technology and crypto assets. A risk management module teaches how to identify and mitigate investment risks, while an investment portfolio design course offers practical asset allocation strategies to help participants make informed decisions in the market. Mumuex will also host both online and offline seminars, inviting female leaders and senior experts from the blockchain field to share their experiences. Participants will not only gain professional knowledge but also have opportunities to build meaningful connections with peers, expanding both their career and social networks. Partnerships and Support: Expanding Career Development Opportunities To further broaden the impact of the program, Mumuex will collaborate with leading educational institutions to establish exclusive scholarship programs, supporting the learning and development of outstanding female students. This scholarship initiative will not only provide financial assistance but also create more opportunities for them to connect with industry resources. Meanwhile, Mumuex plans to offer career development support services to help participants stand out in the blockchain industry. From career counseling to job recommendations, the platform will provide comprehensive support to help female participants transform their acquired knowledge into tangible competitive advantages. Promoting Industry Diversity and Building an Inclusive Ecosystem The sustainable development of the blockchain industry relies on the support of diverse talent. Through the Crypto Education Program for Women, the platform aims to narrow the gender gap and encourage more women to play a key role in this emerging field. The Head of Community Development at Mumuex stated, "We believe that education and opportunity are key to achieving industry diversity. Through this program, we aim to create more possibilities for female users, enabling them to shine in the blockchain space while driving the industry toward a more fair and inclusive future." The launch of the Crypto Education Program for Women marks an important step for Mumuex in fulfilling its social responsibility and fostering industry development. Going forward, the platform will continue to prioritize user needs, building a more open and supportive industry ecosystem and offering more learning and development opportunities to global users. Disclaimer: This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Media Contact Company Name: Mumuex Digital Wealth Inc Contact Person: Gala Nicolas Oliver Email: Send Email [ http://www.universalpressrelease.com/?pr=mumuex-launches-the-crypto-education-program-of-women-empowering-the-future-of-blockchain ] Country: United States Website: https://www.mumuex.org This release was published on openPR.Syra Health to Present at NobleCon20

He has your nudes. She got the message by text from a girl she barely knew: Your friend, he has your photos on his phone. How could that be, the 16-year-old Toronto high school student remembers thinking. The boy with the photos was a close friend, someone she trusted. And besides, she thought, she had never sent a nude to anyone. “I was like, ‘What? That’s not possible,’” the girl said. Her mind drifted to the worst-case scenario — “Has someone taken photos of me while I was asleep?” In late January of this year, a group of teens between the ages of 15 and 17 went to Toronto police to report what they thought was a crime. A boy they knew had made naked pictures of all of them — his classmates, friends and girls he only knew through social media. Using artificial intelligence tools, he put their faces onto someone else’s naked body, creating explicit “deepfake” porn of them without their consent, essentially out of thin air. To the girls and their parents, the act should have been illegal. However, in a move that illustrates a growing dilemma facing investigators and lawmakers tasked with handling the exploding world of AI technology, Toronto police disagreed. The girls gave statements at the station. Nearly a month later, investigators called them back to explain the situation in a PowerPoint presentation, saying there were gaps in legislation to address the deepfake images and insufficient evidence to prove the photos were distributed. There would be no charges. The legalities surrounding AI-generated deepfakes are murky in Canadian law, particularly in Ontario. Are deepfakes illegal to possess? Are they child pornography if depicting a minor? Is your image legally yours if it’s been attached to someone else’s body? What’s known as deepfake porn involves superimposing a person’s face on someone else’s naked body in a realistic way. In the past, creating fakes would require the use of Photoshop and a relatively high degree of skill — but developments in AI have made it so anyone can generate convincing nude photos with just a few clicks. “Nowadays, you don’t need any tech skills at all,” said Kaitlynn Mendes, a sociologist at Western University who researches “technology-facilitated gender-based violence,” which includes deepfakes. Modern AI tools are so good that users can even create convincing videos without much effort. You can put Tom Cruise’s face over yours to watch him go about your mundane tasks. You can insert yourself in a rapper’s shoes as he walks out to his adoring fans. Or, you can create realistic porn featuring Taylor Swift . Deepfake porn involving minors falls into a “grey area” of Canada’s laws around consent, revenge porn and child exploitation, said Suzie Dunn, an assistant law professor at Dalhousie University whose research centres on deepfakes. Although deepfake porn isn’t clearly defined as illegal in the Criminal Code, the provision for child pornography could apply, Dunn said. It considers material child pornography, “whether or not it was made by electronic or mechanical means.” There is also a provision that makes it an offence to share explicit images of another person without their consent. However, on a plain reading of the law, Dunn said that only includes authentic nude images of someone. Regulations often lag behind technological advances, Toronto police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer said in a statement. In the girls’ situation, investigators from the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit worked closely with a specialized ICE Crown attorney, Sayer said, “dedicating extensive time to the investigation and to explaining the legal challenges that can arise in prosecuting such cases.” The Star interviewed five female high school students who were portrayed in explicit deepfakes and has agreed not to name them — nor their parents — because they are minors, as is the boy they accuse of creating the images. As they tell it, the girls learned about the photos one weekend in late January. During a co-ed slumber party, a separate group of teens came across the nude pictures while scrolling on the boy’s cellphone. They were looking for the selfies they had previously taken on his device. One of them video-recorded the photos as evidence and, with help from her friends, managed to identify every girl depicted in the images. They contacted each one immediately. I didn’t know how to tell my mom. What was I supposed to say? As the girls’ phones blew up with texts and calls, gossip about their faked nudes spread like wildfire, and the boy accused of making them started shifting the blame. “I just started panicking,” said one girl, who was 15 and halfway through her Grade 10 year at the time. “I didn’t know how to tell my mom. What was I supposed to say?” Unlike the others, who were either friends or acquaintances of the boy, this teen had never spoken to him. “I had zero connection,” she said. Another girl said a bikini picture she posted to Instagram was turned into a nude that looked “disgustingly real.” After, she wished she never saw it. “Looking at the picture makes me uncomfortable.” For the 16-year-old who confronted the boy, her former friend, the most upsetting realization was that he manipulated selfies of her face that she had sent him when she was as young as 13. “The images he got were from the girls’ Instagrams. But then the images he used for me were (non-explicit) images I had sent him on Snapchat,” she said. The day she learned about the images, she asked two male friends to accompany her to the boy’s house to confront him. When they arrived, a police car was out front, and an officer was inside — “Someone else had already called the police,” the girl said. The boy’s father let her in, but not her friends. She said the officer and the boy’s parents had no idea multiple girls were involved. The parents made their son apologize despite the boy denying he was responsible. The cop allegedly told the girl: “You don’t need to worry, the pictures have been wiped,” she recalled. The experience was “super surreal,” she said. “I was crying in his living room on his couch, begging him to tell me the truth.” That weekend, she and about 12 other girls went to police. They feared the boy shared the doctored photos or posted them online. “Are these everywhere?” the 16-year-old remembers thinking. “Do people have these?” The ordeal left some girls feeling humiliated and violated, causing their mental health and school work to suffer at a time when most were writing exams. “It was hard to focus because of all the chatter,” one said. Are these everywhere? ... Do people have these? Another, the boy’s former friend, stayed in her room for days after learning about the pictures and skipped out on dance class. “I didn’t want to be surrounded by mirrors after seeing ‘myself’ like that,” she said. There were various layers to the girls’ case that made it unclear if deepfake images would be considered illegal. According to them and their parents who listened to the police presentation, a key question was: did the boy share the deepfakes with anyone else? When the investigator told them there was no proof of distribution and the boy made the photos for “private use,” some of the girls said the accused had shown the pictures to a few other boys they knew. (It’s unclear if police interviewed the boys. According to the girls, investigators told them the boys came forward only after they were asked to, and that they could have been pressured into saying what the girls wanted police to hear.) Dunn suggested that police would have wrestled with whether or not the so-called private use exception would apply. In general, the law protects minors who create explicit photos of themselves or their partner for private use, but do not share them with anyone else. I didn’t want to be surrounded by mirrors after seeing ‘myself’ like that In the context of deepfakes, Dunn said an analogy would be if a teen boy cut out a picture of a young girl and placed it onto the face of a Playboy magazine photograph. Whether the private use exception to deepfake porn would hold up in court, to Dunn’s knowledge, it “has never been tested.” Using AI models to produce sexual material is a “very different” scenario, she added, noting companies that own the AI applications could store images in their databases. Would that be captured under “private use,” Dunn questioned, even if the person who made the photos didn’t show them to anyone? To one parent, the girls’ situation felt like a “test case” — an opportunity for investigators to apply the criminal code and set an example for other police jurisdictions dealing with similar matters. Toronto criminal defence lawyer William Jaksa has represented two clients who were subject to police investigations into AI-generated child pornography, one of whom had his charges dropped because there was no reasonable prospect of conviction. After learning from the Star about the case involving the girls, Jaksa commended Toronto police for what sounded like a thorough investigation, saying they took the extra step of consulting a Crown attorney before making a decision. “They could have very easily just laid the charges and let the Crown sort it out later,” he said. “But the reputational damage will have already been done to the kid, and that will always appear somewhere on his Toronto police record.” Mendes, the sociologist at Western, noted that not everyone wants charges laid in situations like this, especially if the accused is a classmate or peer. “Often, people just want the images taken down.” She also said many victims wouldn’t necessarily end up using the law as a resource because it’s expensive, time-consuming and complicated. Regardless, she and Dunn agreed criminal law should cover deepfakes to establish what is and isn’t acceptable. “It’s people understanding their rights, even if they don’t pursue a criminal or a civil case,” said Mendes, who is also Canada’s research chair in inequality and gender. “That sets an important message to society that, ‘Hey, this isn’t cool.’” A week or two after the girls went to police, they returned to the station individually to give full statements. Then, in mid-February, they were called back for a presentation on why police would not lay charges. The outcome left the girls feeling dismissed, disappointed and angry. One mother said it was yet another reminder of why women and girls often don’t report when they’re sexually assaulted, abused, or, in this case, the subject of non-consensual explicit material. “These girls are thinking, ‘We’ve done the right thing in reporting it, and nothing is going to happen,’” she said. Another parent felt as though police “minimized” the harm caused to her daughter when being interviewed by police. She said the detective told the teen that the images were not actually of her — to which her daughter replied: “Yeah, but everyone thinks they are me,” she said. Later, during the presentation, the parent said the general attitude from police in the room was “easy, breezy, casual. ‘You guys will move on from this.’” While Sayer said she couldn’t speak to specifics about the case, she emphasized the care investigators put into ensuring victims feel safe and supported — such as by offering the support of a victim services worker. “While gaps in the law can make it difficult to lay charges in some circumstances, this in no way diminishes the trauma experienced by victims,” she said. The five female students who spoke to the Star attended two high schools under the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). At one school, the girls said they were grateful for the swift support, including exemptions from exams and access to counselling services. At the other school, where the accused also attended, the students and their parents expressed disappointment with the response, suggesting administration prioritized the school’s reputation and legal concerns over their safety. During a meeting with the principal about the incident, one girl said she felt as if she was being told: “Why don’t you think of his feelings instead?” The boy was suspended, the teens and parents said, but only after mounting pressure, and the school was going to allow him to return. In the end, they said the boy chose not to come back and later transferred to a new school. In a statement, TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird said the school “took immediate steps to address the very serious allegations” on the day officials became aware of them. He declined to elaborate on what those steps were, citing “privacy reasons.” “Understanding how difficult this must be for the impacted students, the administration checked in with them and their families on a number of occasions and offered a number of supports,” the statement said. Bird said the school board initially opened an investigation into the matter but halted its inquiry at the request of Toronto police while they carried out their own probe. When police closed their investigation, the board followed suit. The only positive outcome the students and their families said they saw from the school was new language added to its student code of conduct: that students must not possess or be responsible for “the creation or distribution of inappropriate or illegal images,” including pornographic images generated by AI. Nationally, experts and observers have sounded the alarm that Canada needs to better protect victims of deepfakes, especially as the issue is expected to worsen. When Taylor Swift , the world’s biggest pop star, became a deepfake victim , there was outrage and legal threats. The pictures were removed from X, and lawmakers everywhere started paying attention. The Toronto case is a far less public example. Ontario and the territories are the only regions in Canada without intimate image laws that either address deepfakes explicitly or provide protections against “altered” or “fake” photos — which experts said could be applied to deepfakes. (Quebec was the latest province to introduce protections .) Other legislation, such as the recently introduced Online Harms Act, takes aim at social media companies for sharing and amplifying harmful content on their platforms. The federal bill requires them to remove material that sexually victimizes a child if intimate content is posted without their consent, including deepfakes. There are additional civil options to address deepfakes, too, including laws related to defamation, privacy and copyright. Though pursuing criminal charges isn’t as promising of an avenue for victims, there have been at least two known cases in Canada where a person was convicted of child pornography for making deepfakes. In April 2023, a Quebec judge sentenced a 61-year-old man to more than three years in prison for using AI to make synthetic videos of child pornography. Earlier this year, a youth pastor in British Columbia was convicted of creating and possessing child porn, including an image of a teen girl that he manipulated into a deepfake nude. Police seized 150 photos of children that they suspected the pastor planned to run through the “nudify” application. In both cases, the photos had been shared with the girls themselves or distributed on a larger network — elements that couldn’t be proven in the Toronto case. In interviews with the five girls, a recurring theme emerged: they don’t want other young women to experience what they did. While the gossip at school has subsided, the emotional and psychological toll lingers. Some have turned to therapy to help them cope. “Until recently, I would think about it constantly,” said the teen who described her deepfake as hyper-realistic. She previously loved posting on social media but no longer feels she can enjoy it as much. It can “make you so vulnerable to anybody on the internet.” At school, she said students are taught to be careful online because of adults with nefarious intentions. But, the teen asked, how come no one ever talks about people their own age? “People following your account already can be the predator. Not some grown man on a fake account.”Some tech industry leaders are pushing the incoming Trump administration to increase visas for highly skilled workers from other nations. Related Articles National Politics | Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopes National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Court rules Georgia lawmakers can subpoena Fani Willis for information related to her Trump case National Politics | New 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire guns National Politics | Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen The heart of the argument is, for America to remain competitive, the country needs to expand the number of skilled visas it gives out. The previous Trump administration did not increase the skilled visa program, instead clamping down on visas for students and educated workers, increasing denial rates. Not everyone in corporate America thinks the skilled worker program is great. Former workers at IT company Cognizant recently won a federal class-action lawsuit that said the company favored Indian employees over Americans from 2013 to 2022. A Bloomberg investigation found Cognizant, and other similar outsourcing companies, mainly used its skilled work visas for lower-level positions. Workers alleged Cognizant preferred Indian workers because they could be paid less and were more willing to accept inconvenient or less-favorable assignments. Question: Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers? Economists Caroline Freund, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy YES: Innovation is our superpower and it relies on people. Sourcing talent from 8 billion people in the world instead of 330 million here makes sense. Nearly half our Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Growing them also relies on expanding our skilled workforce. The cap on skilled-worker visas has hardly changed since the computer age started. With AI on the horizon, attracting and building talent is more important than ever. Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research YES: After years of openly allowing millions of undocumented entrants into the country, why is there controversy over legally increasing somewhat the number having desirable skills? Undocumented immigration significantly impacts lower skill level jobs and wages competing with domestic workers at every skill level. Why should special cases be made against those having higher skills? Could they just not walk across the border anyway, why make it more inconvenient to those with desirable skills? James Hamilton, UC San Diego YES: Knowledge and technology are key drivers of the U.S. economy. Students come from all over the world to learn at U.S. universities, and their spending contributed $50 billion to U.S. exports last year. Technological advantage is what keeps us ahead of the rest of the world. Highly skilled immigrants contribute much more in taxes than they receive in public benefits. The skills immigrants bring to America can make us all better off. Norm Miller, University of San Diego YES: According to Forbes, the majority of billion-dollar startups were founded by foreigners. I’ve interviewed dozens of data analysts and programmers from Berkeley, UCSD, USD and a few other schools and 75% of them are foreign. There simply are not enough American graduates to fill the AI and data mining related jobs now exploding in the U.S. If we wish to remain a competitive economy, we need highly skilled and bright immigrants to come here and stay. David Ely, San Diego State University YES: Being able to employ highly skilled workers from a larger pool of candidates would strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. companies by increasing their capacity to perform research and innovate. This would boost the country’s economic output. Skilled workers from other nations that cannot remain in the U.S. will find jobs working for foreign rivals. The demand for H-1B visas far exceeds the current cap of 85,000, demonstrating a need to modify this program. Executives Phil Blair, Manpower YES: Every country needs skilled workers, at all levels, to grow its economy. We should take advantage of the opportunity these workers provide our employers who need these skills. It should be blended into our immigration policies allowing for both short and long term visas. Gary London, London Moeder Advisors YES: San Diego is a premiere example of how highly skilled workers from around the globe enrich a community and its regional economy. Of course Visa levels need to be increased. But let’s go further. Tie visas and immigration with a provision that those who are admitted and educated at a U.S. university be incentivized, or even required, to be employed in the U.S. in exchange for their admittance. Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates NO: While attracting high-skilled immigrants can fill critical gaps in sectors like technology, health care and advanced manufacturing, increasing high-skilled immigration could displace American workers and drive down wages in certain industries. There are already many qualified American workers available for some of these jobs. We should balance the need for specialized skills with the impact on the domestic workforce. I believe we can begin to increase the number of visas after a careful review of abuse. Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth YES: We should expand skilled visas to drive innovation and economic growth. Individuals who perform high-skilled work in labor-restricted industries or graduate from respected colleges with relevant degrees should be prioritized for naturalization. We depend on immigration for GDP growth, tax revenue, research, and so much more. Despite the abhorrent rhetoric and curtailing of visas in the first term, I hope the incoming administration can be persuaded to enact positive changes to a clearly flawed system. Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health YES: But it should be based upon need, not politics. There are several industries that have or could have skilled workforce shortages, especially if the next administration tightens immigration as promised and expected. Over the years, there have been nursing shortages that have been met partially by trained and skilled nurses from other countries. The physician shortage is expected to get worse in the years to come. So, this visa program may very well be needed. Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere NO: While skilled immigration could boost our economy and competitiveness, the U.S. should prioritize developing our domestic workforce. Hiring foreign nationals in sensitive industries or government-related work, especially in advanced technology or defense, raises security concerns. A balanced approach could involve targeted increases in non-sensitive high-demand fields coupled with investment in domestic STEM education and training programs. This could address immediate needs while strengthening the long-term STEM capabilities of the American workforce. Not participating this week: Alan Gin, University of San DiegoHaney Hong, San Diego County Taxpayers AssociationRay Major, economist Have an idea for an Econometer question? Email me at phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com . Follow me on Threads: @phillip020

Why do many customers prefer to use kraft paper as the raw material for packaging boxes?NDP will not support Liberal GST holiday bill unless rebate expanded: Singh

Biden opens final White House holiday season with turkey pardons and first lady gets Christmas tree WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has kicked off his final holiday season at the White House, issuing the traditional reprieve to two turkeys who will bypass the Thanksgiving table to live out their days in Minnesota. The president welcomed 2,500 guests under sunny skies as he cracked jokes about the fates of “Peach” and “Blossom.” He also sounded wistful tones about the last weeks of his presidency. Separately, first lady Jill Biden received the delivery of the official White House Christmas tree. And the Bidens are traveling to New York later Monday for an early holiday celebration with members of the Coast Guard. Formula 1 expands grid to add General Motors' Cadillac brand and new American team for 2026 season LAS VEGAS (AP) — Formula 1 will expand the grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a federal investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti, who has since stepped aside. The 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is retiring from international soccer U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is retiring from international soccer. Naeher is on the team’s roster for a pair of upcoming matches in Europe but those will be her last after a full 11 years playing for the United States. Naeher was on the U.S. team that won the Women’s World Cup in 2019 and the gold medal at this year's Olympics in France. She’s the only U.S. goalkeeper to earn a shutout in both a World Cup and an Olympic final. Bah, humbug! Vandal smashes Ebenezer Scrooge's tombstone used in 'A Christmas Carol' movie LONDON (AP) — If life imitates art, a vandal in the English countryside may be haunted by The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Police in the town of Shrewsbury are investigating how a tombstone at the fictional grave of Ebenezer Scrooge was destroyed. The movie prop used in the 1984 adaption of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol” had become a tourist attraction. The film starred George C. Scott as the cold-hearted curmudgeon who is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve who show him what will become of his life if he doesn’t become a better person. West Mercia Police say the stone was vandalized in the past week. Megachurch founder T.D. Jakes suffers health incident during sermon at Dallas church DALLAS (AP) — The founder of Dallas-based megachurch The Potter's House, Bishop T.D. Jakes, was hospitalized after suffering what the church called a “slight health incident.” Jakes was speaking to churchgoers after he sat down and began trembling as several people gathered around him Sunday at the church. Jakes' daughter Sarah Jakes Roberts and her husband Touré Roberts said in a statement on social media late Sunday that Jakes was improving. The 67-year-old Jakes founded the non-denominational The Potter's House in 1996 and his website says it now has more than 30,000 members with campuses in Fort Worth and Frisco, Texas; and in Denver. At the crossroads of news and opinion, 'Morning Joe' hosts grapple with aftermath of Trump meeting The reaction of those who defended “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski for meeting with President-elect Trump sounds almost quaint in the days of opinionated journalism. Doesn't it makes sense, they said, for hosts of a political news show to meet with such an important figure? But given how “Morning Joe” has attacked Trump, its viewers felt insulted. Many reacted quickly by staying away. It all reflects the broader trend of opinion crowding out traditional journalist in today's marketplace, and the expectations that creates among consumers. By mid-week, the show's audience was less than two-thirds what it has typically been this year. Pilot dies in plane crash in remote woods of New York, puppy found alive WINDHAM, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a pilot and at least one dog he was transporting died when a small plane crashed in the snowy woods of the Catskill Mountains, though a puppy on the flight was found alive with two broken legs. The Greene County sheriff’s office says Seuk Kim of Springfield, Virginia, was flying from Maryland to Albany, New York, when the plane crashed at about 6:10 p.m. Sunday in a remote area. Officials believe the pilot died from the impact. The surviving dog was hospitalized, while a third dog was not located. The flight was connected with a not-for-profit group that transports rescue animals. Warren Buffett gives away another $1.1B and plans for distributing his $147B fortune after his death OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investor Warren Buffett renewed his Thanksgiving tradition of giving by handing out more than $1.1 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock to four of his family's foundations Monday, and he offered new details about who will be handing out the rest of his fortune after his death. Buffett has said previously that his three kids will distribute his remaining $147.4 billion fortune in the 10 years after his death, but now he has also designated successors for them because it’s possible that Buffett’s children could die before giving it all away. Buffett said he has no regrets about his decision to start giving away his fortune in 2006. Pop star Ed Sheeran apologizes to Man United boss Ruben Amorim for crashing interview MANCHESTER, England (AP) — British pop star Ed Sheeran has apologized to Ruben Amorim after inadvertently interrupting the new Manchester United head coach during a live television interview. Amorim was talking on Sky Sports after United’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich on Sunday when Sheeran walked up to embrace analyst Jamie Redknapp. The interview was paused before Redknapp told the pop star to “come and say hello in a minute.” Sheeran is a lifelong Ipswich fan and holds a minority stake in the club. He was pictured celebrating after Omari Hutchinson’s equalizing goal in the game at Portman Road. A desert oasis outside of Dubai draws a new caravan: A family of rodents from Argentina AL QUDRA LAKES, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A desert oasis hidden away in the dunes in the far reaches of skyscraper-studded Dubai has drawn a surprising new set of weary world travelers: a pack of Argentinian rodents. A number of Patagonian mara, a rabbit-like mammal with long legs, big ears and a body like a hoofed animal, now roam the grounds of Al Qudra Lakes, typically home to gazelle and other desert creatures of the United Arab Emirates. How they got there remains a mystery in the UAE, a country where exotic animals have ended up in the private homes and farms of the wealthy. But the pack appears to be thriving there and likely have survived several years already in a network of warrens among the dunes.

L3Harris Technologies, Inc. ( NYSE:LHX – Get Free Report ) insider Ross Niebergall sold 1,764 shares of L3Harris Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.65, for a total value of $376,878.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,812 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,455,383.80. This represents a 20.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website . Ross Niebergall also recently made the following trade(s): L3Harris Technologies Stock Performance NYSE LHX opened at $212.37 on Friday. L3Harris Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $200.18 and a 12-month high of $265.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $238.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $234.22. The company has a market capitalization of $40.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. L3Harris Technologies Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. L3Harris Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.30%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of L3Harris Technologies from $295.00 to $287.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Argus raised L3Harris Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on L3Harris Technologies from $293.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on L3Harris Technologies from $252.00 to $250.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of L3Harris Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, L3Harris Technologies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $269.13. Read Our Latest Stock Report on L3Harris Technologies Hedge Funds Weigh In On L3Harris Technologies Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of L3Harris Technologies by 11.8% during the second quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $338,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC acquired a new position in shares of L3Harris Technologies during the second quarter valued at about $245,000. Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in L3Harris Technologies by 42.5% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of L3Harris Technologies by 27.6% in the second quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 1,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in L3Harris Technologies by 12.5% during the second quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 56,438 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,675,000 after purchasing an additional 6,256 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.76% of the company’s stock. L3Harris Technologies Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) L3Harris Technologies, Inc provides mission-critical solutions for government and commercial customers worldwide. The company's Integrated Mission Systems segment provides intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems, passive sensing and targeting, electronic attack, autonomy, power and communications, and networks and sensors, as well as advanced combat systems for air, land, and sea sectors. 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