https sg777 live login Saba Capital Management buys $3.89 million in PIMCO Dynamic Income Strategy Fund stockRescuers reassess safety in search for woman they think fell into a Pennsylvania sinkholeCOLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) — Victims' families and others affected by crimes that resulted in federal death row convictions shared a range of emotions on Monday, from relief to anger, after President Joe Biden commuted dozens of the sentences . Biden converted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The inmates include people who were convicted in the slayings of police, military officers and federal prisoners and guards. Others were involved in deadly robberies and drug deals. Three inmates will remain on federal death row: Dylann Roof , convicted of the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; the 2013 Boston Marathon Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev , and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. Opponents of the death penalty lauded Biden for a decision they'd long sought. Supporters of Donald Trump , a vocal advocate of expanding capital punishment, criticized the move as an assault to common decency just weeks before the president-elect takes office. Donnie Oliverio, a retired Ohio police officer whose partner was killed by an inmate whose death sentence was commuted, said the execution of “the person who killed my police partner and best friend would have brought me no peace.” “The president has done what is right here,” Oliverio said in a statement also issued by the White House, “and what is consistent with the faith he and I share.” Heather Turner, whose mother, Donna Major, was killed in a bank robbery in South Carolina in 2017, called Biden's commutation of the killer's sentence a “clear gross abuse of power” in a Facebook post, adding that the weeks she spent in court with the hope of justice were now “just a waste of time.” “At no point did the president consider the victims,” Turner wrote. “He, and his supporters, have blood on their hands.” There has always been a broad range of opinions on what punishment Roof should face from the families of the nine people killed and the survivors of the massacre at the Mother Emanuel AME Church. Many forgave him, but some say they can’t forget and their forgiveness doesn’t mean they don’t want to see him put to death for what he did. Felicia Sanders survived the shooting shielding her granddaughter while watching Roof kill her son, Tywanza, and her aunt, Susie Jackson. Sanders brought her bullet-torn bloodstained Bible to his sentencing and said then she can’t even close her eyes to pray because Roof started firing during the closing prayer of Bible study that night. In a text message to her lawyer, Andy Savage, Sanders called Biden’s decision to not spare Roof’s life a wonderful Christmas gift. Michael Graham, whose sister, Cynthia Hurd, was killed, told The Associated Press that Roof’s lack of remorse and simmering white nationalism in the country means he is the kind of dangerous and evil person the death penalty is intended for. “This was a crime against a race of people," Graham said. “It didn’t matter who was there, only that they were Black.” But the Rev. Sharon Richer, who was Tywanza Sanders’ cousin and whose mother, Ethel Lance, was killed, criticized Biden for not sparing Roof and clearing out all of death row. She said every time Roof’s case comes up through numerous appeals it is like reliving the massacre all over again. “I need the President to understand that when you put a killer on death row, you also put their victims' families in limbo with the false promise that we must wait until there is an execution before we can begin to heal,” Richer said in a statement. Richer, a board member of Death Penalty Action, which seeks to abolish capital punishment, was driven to tears by conflicting emotions during a Zoom news conference Monday. “The families are left to be hostages for the years and years of appeals that are to come,” Richer said. “I’ve got to stay away from the news today. I’ve got to turn the TV off — because whose face am I going to see?” Biden is giving more attention to the three inmates he chose not to spare, something they all wanted as a part of what drove them to kill, said Abraham Bonowitz, Death Penalty Action’s executive director. “These three racists and terrorists who have been left on death row came to their crimes from political motivations. When Donald Trump gets to execute them what will really be happening is they will be given a global platform for their agenda of hatred,” Bonowitz said. Biden had faced pressure from advocacy organizations to commute federal death sentences, and several praised him for taking action in his final month in office. Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said in a statement that Biden “has shown our country — and the rest of the world — that the brutal and inhumane policies of our past do not belong in our future.” Republicans, including Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, on the other hand, criticized the move — and argued its moral ground was shaky given the three exceptions. “Once again, Democrats side with depraved criminals over their victims, public order, and common decency,” Cotton wrote on X. “Democrats can’t even defend Biden’s outrageous decision as some kind of principled, across-the-board opposition to the death penalty since he didn’t commute the three most politically toxic cases.” Liz Murrill, Louisiana's Republican attorney general, criticized the commuted sentence of Len Davis, a former New Orleans policeman convicted of orchestrating the killing of a woman who had filed a complaint against him. “We can’t trust the Feds to get justice for victims of heinous crimes, so it’s long past time for the state to get it done,” the tough-on-crime Republican said in a written statement to the AP. Two men whose sentences were commuted were Norris Holder and Billie Jerome Allen, on death row for opening fire with assault rifles during a 1997 bank robbery in St. Louis, killing a guard, 46-year-old Richard Heflin. Holder’s attorney, Madeline Cohen, said in an email that Holder, who is Black, was sentenced to death by an all-white jury. She said his case “reflects many of the system’s flaws,” and thanked Biden for commuting his sentence. “Norris’ case exemplifies the racial bias and arbitrariness that led the President to commute federal death sentences,” Cohen said. “Norris has always been deeply remorseful for the pain his actions caused, and we hope this decision brings some measure of closure to Richard Heflin’s family.” Swenson reported from Seattle. Associated Press writers Jim Salter in O'Fallon, Missouri, and Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report.

ABC projects that Democrat Adam Gray will win the race for California's 13th Congressional District , unseating incumbent Republican John Duarte and flipping the final unresolved seat in the 2024 election. With all 435 House races projected, ABC News estimates Republicans will hold 220 seats and Democrats 215 in the 119th Congress. But it's not clear how vacancies -- or, illness or other absences -- will impact the day-to-day division of power when the House convenes on Jan. 3. President-elect Donald Trump initially tapped three House Republicans for positions in his upcoming administration: Florida Reps. Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz, and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik. Gaetz has already resigned from Congress and withdrew last month from consideration to serve as President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general. And though he won reelection to his seat last month, he said he won't serve another term. MORE | Democrat Adam Gray projected to win California's 13th Congressional District Republicans could have a 217-215 majority while their seats are vacant -- the narrowest GOP majority in history -- and special elections to fill those seats can take months to complete. In this case, any single Republican can hold Johnson hostage: Losing just one Republican on a vote would result in a 216-216 tie. The speaker acknowledged the thin majority, which could pose a challenge in passing Trump's agenda. "Well, just like we do every day here, we've developed an expertise in that. We know how to work with a small majority. That's our custom now," Johnson said. "So, yes -- do the math. We can, we have nothing to spare. But all of our members know that we talked about that today, as we do constantly, that this is a team effort that we've got to all row in the same direction." But several elderly Democrats have missed votes recently, which could give Republicans a little more breathing room next year. In California's 13th District, Duarte conceded to Gray on Tuesday, according to the Turlock Journal. "I'm a citizen legislator, and I didn't plan on being in Congress forever," Duarte told the newspaper. "But whenever I think I can make a difference, I'll consider public service in different forms, including running for Congress again." Gray released a victory statement on X Tuesday evening, extending his gratitude and saying the "final results confirm this district is ready for independent and accountable leadership that always puts the Valley's people ahead of partisan politics." ABC News' Marilyn Heck and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.The “Hidden Horrors” campaign is being launched in Bermuda by Tammy Richardson Augustus, with an aim to increase awareness about domestic violence and bring attention to the fact that many abusers “make strategic choices to exhibit normal, non-abusive” outside of the home. A spokesperson said, “For perpetrators of domestic violence, every day is a strained performance, as they strive to maintain a perfect facade to masque the monster that lies beneath. From the outside looking in, an abusive relationship may look picture perfect, but the “Hidden Horrors” billboard campaign from , , and , An IPG Health Company, encourages the friends and family of abuse victims to take a closer look. “Local domestic abuse advocate Tammy Richardson Augustus has been steadfast in her efforts to extend international domestic abuse education and awareness campaigns to Bermuda. For her, the Hidden Horrors campaign had immediate resonance, for it exposes abusers as the master manipulators they are, calling attention to how most people have likely been deceived by an abuser at some point in their lives.” “I have been especially dismayed by the spate of complaints – both locally and globally, from victims sitting in mortal danger whose credible allegations of abuse are normalized or dismissed because of two factors: profile of the perpetrator and a lack of understanding of the dynamics of abuse,” said Ms Richardson Augustus. “The ‘Hidden Horrors’ campaign skillfully expands our purview into the malevolent deceptions of an abuser, commanding us to look beyond profile to the actual character and conduct of the perpetrator.” A spokesperson added, “The campaign features an image of an attractive couple posing in front of their beautiful, ideal, home. Both the man and woman are smiling, and the husband’s arm is carefully draped across his wife’s shoulder. At first glance, they look happy, healthy, and aspirational. The husband appears to be an upstanding gentleman and supportive partner, but upon further inspection, the green monster-like hand, clasped upon his wife’s shoulder, insinuates that something much darker is happening behind closed doors.” “It’s vital for the abuser to maintain a perfectly crafted facade, and for outsiders who aren’t the immediate target of abuse, it may come as a shock. “But he’s always so nice to me!” they may say, but what most people don’t understand is that everything is pre-meditated to keep others in the dark while the abuse continues in the privacy of the home,” said Caroline Markel, CEO of Safe in Harm’s Way Foundation, a United States based online platform that safely connects survivors with healing resources, and provides a one-of-a-kind public database of conviction records. “The darkened windows symbolize the fact that any living being behind those closed doors is at risk. It’s estimated that over , children are witnessing abuse within the home, and the same percentage of pets in these homes are actually harmed,” Caroline added. A spokesperson added, “‘Hidden Horrors’ instills an element of fear that’s felt acutely by victims. Abusers gear physically or emotionally abusive behaviors towards a spouse, child, or pets within the home. In contrast, abusers make strategic choices to exhibit normal, non-abusive, or even charming behavior towards anyone outside of the home.” “The abuser isn’t targeting friends or colleagues, so they may experience something completely different. Abusers make great efforts to protect their public perception in order to maintain control over their victim,” said Ashley Rumschlag, National Director of DomesticShelters.org, the largest online searchable directory of domestic violence programs and shelters in the U.S. and Canada. “Hidden Horrors juxtaposes private and public life, honing in on the deception and social nuances that often take place in abusive relationships. At first glance the imagery seems innocuous, but looking closer we see the signs of fear, the breaks in the facade of normal. We wanted to highlight those subtle details – a possessive hand, strained body language, panicked eyes, and ominously dark windows. With the stereotypical perfect home, or the perfect couple, things are not always as they seem, and our aim is to make that truth visible.” said Morgan Mellas, Group Art Supervisor at Neon “Abusers seek to obscure their predatory behavior,” said Ms Richardson Augustus, “but certain ‘watermarks’ remain evident. Recognizing these subtle cues of abuse can save a life or reduce adverse childhood experiences [ACEs] of the children in the family, who are often the silent witnesses or co-victims. Through the imagery of the campaign, we hope to unravel the duplicitous nature of abusers, underscore that the home can be a bleak place for victims and their children and to finally move the dialogue beyond an incident-based conceptualization of abuse to the idea that a perpetrator’s insidious pattern of behavior becomes omnipresent in the life of the victim.” A spokesperson added, “The Hidden Horrors campaign initially premiered in 2023 in the U.S. and has since been featured on over 2,900 national screens in high-traffic areas in the US, including Times Square’s entrance in New York City, Union Station in D.C, Bayside Marketplace in Miami, 110 Freeway entrance in LA, and general office lobbies and elevators, gas stations, billboards, digital bulletins, and mall kiosks throughout the United States. The campaign has won multiple awards since its launch, including Gold Anthem Awards in Diversity Equity and Inclusion, and Responsible Technology. “The Bermuda campaign is expected to be featured on television, buses, digital bulletins and social media. Additionally, a website has been launched that offers resources for victims and the broader community, providing essential links to Bermuda-based associations for those at risk and to help individuals identify the signs of abuse. “The site can be found at , developed by IPG Health advertising agency, Neon. By introducing the campaign at the close of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, activist Richardson Augustus hopes to galvanise the momentum and drive lasting change. “Ms Richardson Augustus has been moved by the generosity of support from Safe In Harm’s Way, DomesticShelters.org, Neon and Gemma Godfrey, who is an invaluable part of her local team. “The initiative’s microsite, is designed to address visitors’ specific situational needs and provide them with resources based on what specialized help they are looking for.” : ,

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White House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaign

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Cramer's Lightning Round: Diamondback Energy is a buyPublished 4:48 pm Wednesday, December 4, 2024 By Data Skrive Thursday’s contest that pits the Arkansas State Red Wolves (5-3) against the Jackson State Tigers (0-8) at First National Bank Arena should be a one-sided matchup based on our computer prediction, which projects a final score of 81-66 in favor of Arkansas State, who is heavily favored by our model. Tipoff is at 8:00 PM ET on December 5. Based on our computer prediction, Jackson State is projected to cover the spread (16.5) against Arkansas State. The two teams are projected to go under the 148.5 over/under. Catch tons of live college basketball , plus original programming, with ESPN+ or the Disney Bundle. Place your bets on any men’s college basketball matchup at BetMGM. Sign up today using our link. Arkansas State’s record against the spread this season is 2-5-0, and Jackson State’s is 3-5-0. In terms of going over the point total, games involving the Red Wolves are 3-4-0 and the Tigers are 2-6-0. The teams average 138.6 points per game combined, 9.9 fewer than this matchup’s total. Bet on this or any men’s college basketball matchup at BetMGM. Rep your favorite players with officially licensed gear. Head to Fanatics to find jerseys, shirts, hats, and much more. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .AP Sports SummaryBrief at 4:44 p.m. EST

Article content You can take Christmas out of the market, but you can’t change the fact that it’s still a Christmas market. But they are sure going to try. Just when you thought the politically correct, woke, cancel-culture world was starting to be pushed back upon comes word Toronto’s most famous Christmas market is actually more of a seasonal market. They call it the Distillery Winter Village. “It was a joy to join everyone at the Distillery Winter Market!” Mayor Olivia Chow said in a recent X post. Mayor Chow got it wrong twice. She left out Christmas and got the new name mixed up, too. Only in Toronto. That’s what happens when you replace tradition and common sense with madness and revisionism. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow can’t bring herself to say “Christmas market”. This calls for a @BenBankas video. https://t.co/u4gbIs7ftV Chow, who did use ‘Christmas’ to describe the Leslieville market, didn’t disappoint her leftist base with the second part of her message about the one at the Distillery. “If you plan to head down, Bike Share or the TTC are great ways to travel,” she posted to X. Last year pic.twitter.com/yh4nMrDmSb Member of Parliament Kevin Vuong weighed in on X as well. It’s called a Christmas Market. “It’s called a Christmas Market,” he posted, adding in a second post that he prefers to not “woke wash” Canada’s heritage. Then on Toronto 640 radio, in which he was sitting in on the morning show for Greg Brady, Vuong talked with guest, Toronto Councillor Brad Bradford, about if the mayor had dropped another cultural ball like she did by not showing up for the Oct. 7 one-year anniversary vigil for the slain in Israel. Bradford, who does not shy away from being critical of the mayor, said this was not one of those times. He pointed out that Chow was merely referring to what the market is now called. What happened to it being called a Christmas market? It says online it was called the Toronto Christmas Market at the Distillery District in 2024. However, apparently this is not what it was called. “The name of the seven-and-a-half-week event is “The Distillery Winter Village.” This is not a new name change, it’s been called The Distillery Winter Village for the past five years to reflect the extended winter wonderland experience we offer visitors beyond Christmas Day,” said the Distillery District in a statement. “Unlike many other markets, ours runs until the end of the first week of January each year. This year, we close on January 5, 2025. However, the Christmas Tree will remain on display for all to enjoy until mid-January.” As for Chow’s X post, the Distillery Winter Village defended the mayor. “We don’t believe Mayor Chow’s X post on December 21 was intentionally avoiding using the word Christmas, she was simply referring to the name of our event (though mistakenly called the event the Distillery Winter Market, and the correct name is The Distillery Winter Village),” said the statement. “Mayor Chow joined us for a special holiday concert with Mirvish Productions on Sunday, December 15 – A Very Merry Mirvish Holiday Concert – where she provided opening remarks and, in fact, wished everyone a Merry Christmas and commented on the beautiful Christmas tree.” It doesn’t matter the issue, society has to tip-toe around those who not only change and cancel Canadian treasures, then they want to sell that it is actually others who got it wrong. But everybody knows. Everybody can see it. That's Santa Claus - and this is Christmas https://t.co/HboBfxBlyQ It’s insulting to take Christmas out of Christmas markets and no matter the spin, they need to put it back in there — if not on Christmas Eve — at least for next year. They should stop insulting Christians and re-writing Canadian history. And more people should push back on those who do that feeling like nobody can say anything. It’s especially important considering what happened at the Christmas market in Germany in which five people were murdered — including a nine-year-old boy, and dozens wounded by a terror attack in the form of a man driving a car into the crowd. He didn’t do that at a winter market or holiday market. It was a Christmas market. RECOMMENDED VIDEO No one should try to appease terrorists or bend to the woke. No one should change the name of a Christian tradition like Christmas. The Christmas market at the Distillery is a good one. People from all over come to it. “This year’s Distillery Winter Village has been one of our most successful in terms of attendance, and we expect to welcome one million visitors from around the world this year, up from 800,000 last year,” Distillery officials said in a statement. “We’ve been named to several global ‘best Christmas Markets’ lists, including Stern Magazine’s ‘Twelve most beautiful Christmas Markets outside Germany’ and CNN Travel’s ‘The best Christmas Markets taking place around the world in 2024.'” Fantastic. The only complaint is taking the word Christmas out of the name. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Hells Angels-linked Canadian gangster killed in targeted Mexico hit Father and son duke it out on the ice in viral video from Saskatchewan men's league game Kim Kardashian riles the internet with 'disturbing' 'Santa Baby' video Trudeau, CBC top taxpayers' watchdog group's annual naughty and nice list HUNTER: These are the monsters Joe Biden took off federal death row 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 © 2024 Toronto Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here . By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . You've reached the 20 article limit. You can manage saved articles in your account. and save up to 100 articles! Looks like you've reached your saved article limit! You can manage your saved articles in your account and clicking the X located at the bottom right of the article.Mark Rutte says to maintain current level of deterrence, 2 percent of GDP spending is not sufficient. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has urged members of the alliance to ramp up defence spending as countries brace for renewed pressure from United States President-elect Donald Trump. After Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula a decade ago, NATO leaders agreed to halt the defence cuts that began when the Cold War ended and move towards spending 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on their military budgets. Rutte told reporters on Wednesday after chairing a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels that to maintain the current level of deterrence, “2 percent is not enough.” “We can now defend ourselves, and nobody should try to attack us. But I want that to stay the same in four or five years,” he said. Countries across the transatlantic military alliance have increased defence spending substantially in recent years, particularly after Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. NATO estimated 23 of its 32 members will meet the 2 percent goal this year – up from only three countries who met the target when it was set in 2014. Since Russia launched its Ukraine invasion almost three years ago, the leaders have agreed that the 2 percent target should be the floor rather than the ceiling for defence spending. On average, the NATO allies combined meet that figure, but about a third of the members still do not individually. Trump, who takes office on January 20, has threatened not to defend “delinquent” countries. NATO is founded on the principle that an attack on any member must be considered an attack on them all. In July, outgoing US President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts endorsed the biggest shake-up of the way the military alliance would respond to any attack on its territory by Russia since the Cold War. It was meant to deter Moscow from targeting any of the 32 allies. Under highly secret new plans, NATO intends to have up to 300,000 soldiers ready to move to its eastern flank within 30 days. The plans lay out which allies would respond to an attack anywhere from the Arctic and Baltic Sea region through the Atlantic and east to the Black Sea. But senior NATO officials conceded that countries might have to spend up to 3 percent of their GDPs to execute the security blueprint successfully. Living in ‘very dangerous times’ United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Lammy insisted that “the time to act is now.” “We’re living in very dangerous times,” he said, singling out Russia and its role in conflicts in the Middle East and Africa on top of its war on Ukraine. “We urge all allies across the NATO family to get serious about defence spending.” Speaking to the Reuters news agency, Lammy said he agreed with Trump that the alliance should move beyond its current goal of spending 2 percent. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was on his last visit to Brussels for a NATO meeting before leaving his post, said: “This is a time for every ally to lean in, not lean back.” The US is by far the organisation’s most powerful member. “A stronger NATO means more capabilities to deter aggression, more effective allies to meet more complex challenges, and the peace and stability that allows our people to pursue fuller lives,” Blinken said. Rutte also underlined the importance of expanding Europe’s defence industry, proposing incentives to drive companies to set up more production lines and hire more workers to staff them as Western support for Ukraine drains armament stocks. “We are producing not enough at too high prices, and the delivery is too slow,” he said. “We cannot have a situation where we just pay more for the same, and we see large kickbacks to the shareholders.”

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — Marcus Johnson scored 20 points as Bowling Green beat Aquinas (Michigan) 87-62 on Monday. Johnson went 8 of 10 from the field (3 for 5 from 3-point range) for the Falcons (5-7). Derrick Butler scored 18 points and added five rebounds. Jamai Felt had 13 points and shot 5 of 6 from the field and 3 for 4 from the line. Jadakiss Lewis led the Saints in scoring, finishing with 15 points and two steals. Caden Pokorzynski added 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Bowling Green led 43-25 at halftime, with Johnson racking up 15 points. Butler scored a team-high 13 points after intermission. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .UTP unveils nation’s first Bachelor of Integrated Engineering programme

As the year draws to a close, Waikato Herald is taking stock of 2024. What moved readers most? As part of a 12-day series, Waikato Herald reporter Danielle Zollickhofer looks at the top stories each month. Welcome to day 6: June. Nationally, June 2024 was the month the Interislander ferry Aratere ran aground near Picton after it suffered a steering failure. There were no injuries, but 47 people – eight commercial truck drivers and 39 crew – were forced to spend nearly 13 hours on board, including the night. Lauren Dickason was sentenced to 18 years in Hillmorton Hospital with no minimum term of imprisonment for murdering her three children. Nearly 100,000 people were without electricity in Northland after a transmission tower linking the region to the rest of the country collapsed. The tower was undergoing maintenance work when it fell. And Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson announced her breast cancer diagnosis .It looked like a recipe for disaster. So, when his country's swimmers were being accused of doping earlier this year, one Chinese official cooked up something fast. He blamed it on contaminated noodles. In fact, he argued, it could have been a culinary conspiracy concocted by criminals, whose actions led to the cooking wine used to prepare the noodles being laced with a banned heart drug that found its way into an athlete's system. This theory was spelled out to international anti-doping officials during a meeting and, after weeks of wrangling, finally made it into the thousands of pages of data handed over to the lawyer who investigated the case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for that same drug. The attorney, appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, refused to consider that scenario as he sifted through the evidence. In spelling out his reasoning, lawyer Eric Cottier paid heed to the half-baked nature of the theory. "The Investigator considers this scenario, which he has described in the conditional tense, to be possible, no less, no more," Cottier wrote. Even without the contaminated-noodles theory, Cottier found problems with the way WADA and the Chinese handled the case but ultimately determined WADA had acted reasonably in not appealing China's conclusion that its athletes had been inadvertently contaminated. Critics of the way the China case was handled can't help but wonder if a wider exploration of the noodle theory, details of which were discovered by The Associated Press via notes and emails from after the meeting where it was delivered, might have lent a different flavor to Cottier's conclusions. "There are more story twists to the ways the Chinese explain the TMZ case than a James Bond movie," said Rob Koehler, the director general of the advocacy group Global Athlete. "And all of it is complete fiction." Something in the kitchen was contaminated In April, reporting from the New York Times and the German broadcaster ARD revealed that the 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine, also known as TMZ. China's anti-doping agency determined the athletes had been contaminated, and so, did not sanction them. WADA accepted that explanation, did not press the case further, and China was never made to deliver a public notice about the "no-fault findings," as is often seen in similar cases. The stock explanation for the contamination was that traces of TMZ were found in the kitchen of a hotel where the swimmers were staying. In his 58-page report, Cottier relayed some suspicions about the feasibility of that chain of events — noting that WADA's chief scientist "saw no other solution than to accept it, even if he continued to have doubts about the reality of contamination as described by the Chinese authorities." But without evidence to support pursuing the case, and with the chance of winning an appeal at almost nil, Cottier determined WADA's "decision not to appeal appears indisputably reasonable." But how did the drugs get into the kitchen? A mystery remained: How did those traces of TMZ get into the kitchen? Shortly after the doping positives were revealed, the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations held a meeting on April 30 where it heard from the leader of China's agency, Li Zhiquan. Li's presentation was mostly filled with the same talking points that have been delivered throughout the saga — that the positive tests resulted from contamination from the kitchen. But he expanded on one way the kitchen might have become contaminated, harkening to another case in China involving a low-level TMZ positive. A pharmaceutical factory, he explained, had used industrial alcohol in the distillation process for producing TMZ. The industrial alcohol laced with the drug "then entered the market through illegal channels," he said. The alcohol "was re-used by the perpetrators to process and produce cooking wine, which is an important seasoning used locally to make beef noodles," Li said. "The contaminated beef noodles were consumed by that athlete, resulting in an extremely low concentration of TMZ in the positive sample. "The wrongdoers involved have been brought to justice." New information sent to WADA ... eventually This new information raised eyebrows among the anti-doping leaders listening to Li's report. So much so that over the next month, several emails ensued to make sure the details about the noodles and wine made their way to WADA lawyers, who could then pass it onto Cottier. Eventually, Li did pass on the information to WADA general counsel Ross Wenzel and, just to be sure, one of the anti-doping leaders forwarded it, as well, according to the emails seen by the AP. All this came with Li's request that the noodles story be kept confidential. Turns out, it made it into Cottier's report, though he took the information with a grain of salt. "Indeed, giving it more attention would have required it to be documented, then scientifically verified and validated," he wrote. Neither Wenzel nor officials at the Chinese anti-doping agency returned messages from AP asking about the noodles conspiracy and the other athlete who Li suggested had been contaminated by them. Meanwhile, 11 of the swimmers who originally tested positive competed at the Paris Games earlier this year in a meet held under the cloud of the Chinese doping case. Though WADA considers the case closed, Koehler and others point to situations like this as one of many reasons that an investigation by someone other than Cottier, who was hired by WADA, is still needed. "It gives the appearance that people are just making things up as they go along on this, and hoping the story just goes away," Koehler said. "Which clearly it has not."

My encounter with Justin BaldoniRECELL GO mini AVITA Medical receives FDA approval of RECELL GO mini, a new addition to the RECELL Spray-On SkinTM technology platform. RECELL GO mini addresses a critical need in the full-thickness skin defect market, which includes a high volume of smaller wounds. As part of the RECELL GO platform, RECELL GO mini uses the same multi-use processing device as the standard disposable cartridge but features a modified cartridge optimized for smaller skin samples that reduces resource use and minimizes waste. This design provides an entry point for clinicians who may not have previously used the RECELL GO platform for smaller wounds, enabling broader accessibility and use in trauma and burn centers. "The FDA approval of RECELL GO mini strengthens our ability to provide clinicians with fit-for-purpose solutions that meet the diverse needs of patients with full-thickness wounds,” said Jim Corbett, Chief Executive Officer of AVITA Medical. "By introducing a treatment option specifically for smaller wounds, we are expanding the accessibility of RECELL to a wider range of patients. We believe this addition will drive greater adoption across trauma centers, where smaller wounds are common, and support our broader growth strategy.” The company expects RECELL GO mini to serve as a growth driver within the broader RECELL GO platform, further advancing AVITA Medical's strategy to expand its impact on patient care. Rollout will begin with trauma and burn centers that currently treat smaller wounds during the first quarter of 2025. The PMA supplement follows the original PMA of RECELL Autologous Cell Harvesting Device and subsequent PMA supplements. About AVITA Medical, Inc. AVITA Medical is a commercial-stage regenerative medicine company transforming the standard of care in wound care management and skin restoration with innovative devices. At the forefront of our platform is the RECELL System, approved by the FDA for the treatment of thermal burn wounds and full-thickness skin defects, and for repigmentation of stable depigmented vitiligo lesions. RECELL harnesses the regenerative properties of a patient's own skin to create Spray-On Skin TM Cells, delivering a transformative solution at the point-of-care. This breakthrough technology serves as the catalyst for a new treatment paradigm enabling improved clinical outcomes. In the United States, AVITA Medical also holds the exclusive rights to market, sell, and distribute PermeaDerm ® , a biosynthetic wound matrix, and Cohealyx, an AVITA Medical-branded collagen-based dermal matrix. In international markets, the RECELL System is approved to promote skin healing in a wide range of applications including burns, full-thickness skin defects, and vitiligo. The RECELL System, excluding RECELL GO TM , is TGA-registered in Australia, has received CE mark approval in Europe, and has PMDA approval in Japan. To learn more, visit www.avitamedical.com . Forward-Looking Statements Th is press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements generally may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate,” "expect,” "intend,” "could,” "would,” "may,” "will,” "believe,” "continue,” "estimate,” "look forward,” "forecast,” "goal,” "target,” "project,” "outlook,” "guidance,” "future,” and similar words or expressions, and the use of future dates. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the timing and realization of regulatory approvals of our products; physician acceptance, endorsement, and use of our products; anticipated market share growth and revenue generation from certain products; failure to achieve the anticipated benefits from approval of our products; the effect of regulatory actions; product liability claims; risks associated with international operations and expansion; and other business effects, including the effects of industry, as well as other economic or political conditions outside of the Company's control. These statements are made as of the date of this release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any of these statements, except as required by law. For additional information and other important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements, please see the "Risk Factors” section of the Company's latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and other publicly available filings for a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. Authorized for release by the Chief Financial Officer of AVITA Medical, Inc. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b6b7df71-e67c-4a6e-847c-bdcca54fad27 CONTACT: Investor & Media Contact: Jessica Ekeberg Phone +1-661-904-9269 [email protected] [email protected]

Walmart's DEI rollback signals a profound shift in the wake of Trump's election victory NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart’s sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are re-evaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups in business. The changes announced by the world’s biggest retailer on Monday followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The retreat from such programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump's threat to impose tariffs could raise prices for consumers, colliding with promise for relief DETROIT (AP) — If Donald Trump makes good on his threat to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, the price increases that could follow will collide with his campaign promise to give American families a break from inflation. Economists and industry officials say companies would have little choice but to pass along the added costs, dramatically raising prices for food, clothing, automobiles, booze and other goods. The president-elect floated the tariff idea and an additional 10% tax on goods from China, as a way to force the countries to halt the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the U.S. But his posts Monday threatening tariffs on his first day in office could be a negotiating ploy to get the countries to change behavior. Trump’s latest tariff plan aims at multiple countries. What does it mean for the US? WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has identified what he sees as an all-purpose fix for what ails America: Slap huge new tariffs on foreign goods entering the United States. On Monday, Trump sent shockwaves across the nation’s northern and southern borders, vowing sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada, as well as China, as part of his effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. Trump said he will impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, as one of his first executive orders. Federal Reserve officials signal cautious path for rate cuts amid still-high inflation WASHINGTON (AP) — With inflation still elevated, Federal Reserve officials expressed caution at their last meeting about cutting interest rates too quickly, adding to uncertainty about their next moves. Even if inflation continued declining to the Fed’s 2% target, officials said, “it would likely be appropriate to move gradually” in lowering rates, according to minutes of the November 6-7 meeting. The minutes don’t specifically provide much guidance about what the Fed will do at its next meeting in December. Wall Street investors see the odds of another quarter-point reduction in the Fed’s key rate at that meeting as nearly even, according to CME Fedwatch. Canadian officials blast Trump's tariff threat and one calls Mexico comparison an insult TORONTO (AP) — Canadian officials are blasting President-elect Donald’s Trump’s threat to impose sweeping tariffs. The leader of Canada's most populous province on Tuesday called Trump’s comparison of Canada to Mexico “the most insulting thing I’ve ever heard.” Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada, Mexico and China as soon as he takes office in January as part of efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico. Canadians say their economy and the U.S. one are deeply intertwined and Americans would feel tariffs, too. Biden proposes Medicare and Medicaid cover costly weight-loss drugs for millions of obese Americans WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of obese Americans would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Zepbound covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning. The proposal, which would not be finalized until after President-elect Donald Trump takes office, could cost taxpayers as much as $35 billion over the next decade. It would give millions of people access to weekly injectables that have helped people shed pounds so quickly that some people have labeled them miracle drugs. Surveillance tech advances by Biden could aid in Trump's promised crackdown on immigration President-elect Donald Trump will return to power next year with a raft of technological tools at his disposal that would help deliver his campaign promise of cracking down on immigration — among them, surveillance and artificial intelligence technology that the Biden administration already uses to help make crucial decisions in tracking, detaining and ultimately deporting immigrants lacking permanent legal status. One algorithm, for example, ranks immigrants with a “Hurricane Score,” ranging from 1-5, to assess whether someone will “abscond” from the agency’s supervision. It’s almost time for Spotify Wrapped. When can you expect your 2024 recap? NEW YORK (AP) — It’s almost that time of year. Spotify is gearing up to release its annual Spotify Wrapped, a personalized recap of its users' listening habits and year in audio. The streaming service has been sharing these personalized analyses with since 2016. And each year, it’s become a bigger production than the last. Spotify claimed its 2023 Wrapped was the “biggest ever created” in terms of audience reach and the kind of data it provided to users. But information on Wrapped's 2024 release has been kept under ... er, wraps. In previous years, it’s been released after Thanksgiving, between Nov. 30 and Dec. 6. Thanksgiving travel is cranking up. Will the weather cooperate? The Thanksgiving travel rush is picking up, with Tuesday and Wednesday expected to be much busier than the last couple days. A lot of travelers will be watching weather forecasts to see if rain or snow could slow them down. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen more than 2.8 million people on Tuesday and 2.9 million on Wednesday after handling more than 2.5 million people on Monday. So far, relatively few flights have been canceled this week, but there have been thousands of delayed flights every day. That is becoming normal for U.S. airlines. Federal agency raises the size of most single-family loans the government can guarantee to $806,500 The Federal Housing Finance Agency is increasing the size of home loans that the government can guarantee against default as it takes into account rising housing prices. Beginning next year, mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be able to acquire loans of up to $806,500 on single-family homes in most of the country, the agency said Tuesday. The new conforming loan limit is a 5.2% increase from its 2024 level. FHFA oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which buy home loans from banks and other lenders. FHFA adjusts the loan limits annually to reflect changes in U.S. home values, which have been rising this year despite a national home sales slump.A History of the Panama Canal — and Why Trump Can't Take It Back on His Own

LAS VEGAS — There are three races remaining in the Formula 1 season and Max Verstappen of Red Bull is close to a fourth consecutive world championship, which can wrap up Saturday night at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. All is not smooth sailing headed into this final month of racing: "It was a bit of a surprise, I think, for everybody," said Mercedes driver George Russell, a GPDA director. "It's a hell of a lot of pressure now onto the new race director (with) just three races left. Often, as drivers, we probably feel like we're the last to find out this sort of information." The Andretti team is expected to receive F1 approval to join the grid, albeit without Michael Andretti, who has scaled back his role dramatically since the IndyCar season ended in September. Many drivers, particularly seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, have been at odds with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem since his election following the 2021 season finale. In the GDPA statement, they reminded the sanctioning body "our members are adults" who don't need lectures and fines on foul language or jewelry bans, and simply want fair and consistent race control. There's been no response from Ben Sulayem, and won't be this weekend since he does not attend the LVGP. He will be at Qatar and the finale in Abu Dhabi next month. Hamilton doesn't think all the behind-the-scenes changes will be a fan topic as the season comes to a close. But he noted that consistency from race control is all the drivers have asked for, while throwing his support behind Domenicali and the job Maffei has done in growing F1 since Liberty took over. "I really hope Stefano is not leaving because he's been so instrumental in changes and progress to this whole thing," Hamilton said. "And he knows the sport as well as anyone. But all good things do come to an end, and whoever they put into place, I just hope they are like-minded. But sometimes you have to shake the trees." That's just what happened with the surprise departure of race director Wittich. Although drivers have been unhappy with race officiating this season and held a private GPDA meeting in Mexico City, Russell said they had no prior warning Wittich was out. The race director is the referee each weekend and Wittich has been in charge since 2022, when Michael Masi was fired following the controversial 2021 season-ending, championship-altering finale at Abu Dhabi. Now the man in charge for the final three races is Rui Marques, the Formula 2 and Formula 3 race director. Las Vegas, which overcame multiple stumbling blocks in last year's debut before putting on one of the best races of the season, is a difficult place to start. Verstappen can win his fourth title by simply scoring three points more than Lando Norris of McLaren. "It's a bit weird with three races to go to do that," Verstappen said. "It doesn't matter if you're positive or negative about certain things. I thought in Brazil there was definitely room for improvement, for example. It's still a bit weird having to now then deal with a different race director." Charles Leclerc of Ferrari wondered why the move was made with only three races to go. "To do it so late in the season, at such a crucial moment of the season, it could have probably been managed in a better way," he said. The drivers have consistently asked for clearer guidelines in the officiating of races, specifically regarding track limits and racing rules. The drivers have no idea how Marques will officiate, highlighting a disconnect between the competitors and Ben Sulaymen's FIA. "We just want to be transparent with the FIA and have this dialogue that is happening," Russell said. "And I think the departure of Niels is also a prime example of not being a part of these conversations." The GDPA statement made clear the drivers do not think their voice is being heard. "If we feel we're being listened to, and some of the changes that we are requesting are implemented, because ultimately we're only doing it for the benefit of the sport, then maybe our confidence will increase," Russell said. "But I think there's a number of drivers who feel a bit fed up with the whole situation. It only seems to be going in the wrong direction." He also said the relationship between the drivers and the FIA seems fractured. "Sometimes just hiring and firing is not the solution," he said. "You need to work together to improve the problem." Norris, who has battled Verstappen this year with mixed officiating rulings, said "obviously things are not running as smoothly as what we would want." Marques has his first driver meeting ahead of Thursday night's two practice sessions and then three weeks to prove to the competitors he is up for the job. Carlos Sainz Jr., who will leave Ferrari for Williams at the end of the season, hopes the drama doesn't distract from the momentum F1 has built over the last five years. "I think Formula 1 is in a great moment right now and all these rumors, I think in every team, every job, there's job changes," he said. "It's not big drama. I'm a big fan of the people you mentioned, they've done an incredible job in Formula 1 and Formula 1 is what it is thanks to these people. But it's just so emotional, especially the Stefano one. The only one that has a real effect is the race director. But I think if he does a good job, it should be transparent and nothing big." Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!The 9-2 Buffalo Bills are back at it this week as they host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. The Bills are getting healthier on both sides of the ball as the team enters December, while the 49ers have questions at quarterback going in. Kevin Carroll and former Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson take a look ahead and more on the Buffalo End Zone podcast. ABOUT THE SHOW Want to stay up to date on everything Buffalo Bills? Spectrum News 1 sports anchor Kevin Carroll and Andy Young will keep you in the know with everything that is happening with Buffalo's beloved team. You'll get in-depth discussions on upcoming games, match-ups and exclusive information throughout the week on the Buffalo End Zone podcast! Listen and Follow: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTubeConditions in abandoned mine are too dangerous for crew searching for Pennsylvania woman