A former employee of California Medical Facility in Vacaville was sentenced to two years and one month in federal prison following a conviction of bribery in connection with programs receiving federal funds, the United States District Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California announced Thursday. Stephen Joseph Crittenden, a 44-year-old Suisun City resident, accepted bribes from inmates from 2021 to 2023 in exchange for smuggling cell phones into the facility, the U.S. Attorney said. He received a total of $45,000, according to a press release. “Crittenden abused the trust placed in correctional officers by repeatedly taking bribes to smuggle contraband into a prison,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert. “Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of his abuse of trust and should deter other correctional officers from engaging in the same conduct.” The FBI worked alongside the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on the case, the release explained. Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel said the case showed strong collaboration between the department and the FBI. “The FBI has no tolerance for corruption by public employees – especially law enforcement officers – who are entrusted to uphold the law and serve the public. No person is above the law,” Patel said.
The long sports-filled Thanksgiving weekend is a time when many Americans enjoy gathering with friends and family for good food, good company and hopefully not too much political conversation. Also on the menu — all the NFL and college sports you can handle. Here's a roadmap to one of the biggest sports weekends of the year, with a look at marquee games over the holiday and how to watch. All times are in EST. All odds are by BetMGM Sportsbook. What to watch Thursday —NFL: There is a triple-header lined up for pro football fans. Chicago at Detroit, 12:30 p.m., CBS: Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears go against the Lions, who are one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl in February. Lions favored by 10. New York at Dallas, 4:30 p.m., Fox: The Giants and Cowboys are both suffering through miserable seasons and are now using backup quarterbacks for different reasons. But if Dallas can figure out a way to win , it will still be on the fringe of the playoff race. Cowboys favored by 3 1/2. Miami at Green Bay, 8:20 p.m., NBC/Peacock: The Packers stumbled slightly out of the gate but have won six of their past seven games . They'll need a win against Miami to try to keep pace in the NFC North. Packers favored by 3. —College Football: Memphis at No. 18 Tulane, 7:30 p.m., ESPN. If college football is your jam, this is a good warmup for a big weekend. The Tigers try to ruin the Green Wave’s perfect record in the American Athletic Conference. Tulane is favored by 14. What to watch Friday —NFL: A rare Friday showdown features the league-leading Chiefs. Las Vegas at Kansas City, 3 p.m. Prime Video: The Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are 12-point favorites over the Raiders. —College Basketball: Some of the top programs meet in holiday tournaments around the country. Battle 4 Atlantis championship, 5:30 p.m., ESPN: One of the premier early season tournaments, the eight-team field includes No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 14 Indiana and No. 24 Arizona. Rady Children's Invitational, 6 p.m., Fox: It's the championship game for a four-team field that includes No. 13 Purdue and No. 23 Mississippi. —College Football: There is a full slate of college games to dig into. Oregon State at No. 11 Boise State, noon, Fox: The Broncos try to stay in the College Football Playoff hunt when they host the Beavers. Boise State favored by 19 1/2. Oklahoma State at No. 23 Colorado, noon, ABC: The Buffaloes and Coach Prime are still in the hunt for the Big 12 championship game when they host the Cowboys. Colorado favored by 16 1/2. Georgia Tech at No. 6 Georgia, 7:30 p.m., ABC: The Bulldogs are on pace for a spot in the CFP but host what could be a tricky game against rival Georgia Tech. Georgia favored by 19 1/2. —NBA. After taking Thanksgiving off, pro basketball returns. Oklahoma City at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m., ESPN: The Thunder look like one of the best teams in the NBA's Western Conference. They'll host Anthony Davis, LeBron James and the Lakers. What to watch Saturday —College Football. There are more matchups with playoff implications. Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State, noon, Fox: The Wolverines are struggling one season after winning the national title. They could make their fan base a whole lot happier with an upset of the Buckeyes . Ohio State favored by 21. No. 7 Tennessee at Vanderbilt, noon, ABC: The Volunteers are a fairly big favorite and have dominated this series, but the Commodores have been a tough team this season and already have achieved a monumental upset over Alabama . Tennessee favored by 11. No. 16 South Carolina at No. 12 Clemson, noon, ESPN: The Palmetto State rivals are both hanging on the edge of the CFP playoff race. A win — particularly for Clemson — would go a long way toward clinching its spot in the field. Clemson favored by 2 1/2. No. 3 Texas at No. 20 Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. ABC: The Aggies host their in-state rival for the first time since 2011 after the Longhorns joined the SEC. Texas favored by 5 1/2. Washington at No. 1 Oregon, 7:30 p.m., NBC: The top-ranked Ducks have been one of the nation’s best teams all season. They’ll face the Huskies, who would love a marquee win in coach Jedd Fisch’s first season. Oregon favored by 19 1/2. —NBA: A star-studded clash is part of the league's lineup. Golden State at Phoenix, 9 p.m., NBA TV: Steph Curry and the Warriors are set to face the Suns' Big Three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. What to watch Sunday —NFL: It's Sunday, that says it all. Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 1 p.m., CBS: Joe Burrow is having a great season for the Bengals , who are struggling in other areas. They need a win to stay in the playoff race, hosting a Steelers team that's 8-3 and won five of their past six. Bengals favored by 3. Arizona at Minnesota, 1 p.m., Fox: The Cardinals are tied for the top of the NFC West while the Vikings are 9-2 and have been one of the biggest surprises of the season with journeyman Sam Darnold under center. Vikings favored by 3 1/2. Philadelphia at Baltimore, 4:25 p.m., CBS: Two of the league's most electric players will be on the field when Saquon Barkley and the Eagles travel to face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Ravens favored by 3. San Francisco at Buffalo, 8:20 p.m. NBC/Peacock: The 49ers try to get back to .500 against the Bills , who have won six straight. Bills favored by 7. —NBA. The best teams in the Eastern Conference meet in a statement game. Boston at Cleveland, 6 p.m., NBA TV: The defending champion Celtics travel to face the Cavs , who won their first 15 games to start the season. —Premier League: English soccer fans have a marquee matchup. Manchester City at Liverpool, 11 a.m., USA Network/Telemundo. The two top teams meet with Manchester City trying to shake off recent struggles. —Auto Racing: The F1 season nears its conclusion. F1 Qatar Grand Prix, 11 a.m., ESPN2 – It's the penultimate race of the season. Max Verstappen already has clinched his fourth consecutive season championship . AP sports: https://apnews.com/sportsShaking sensor continuously monitors inflammation
Attempted bank robber hands teller note, but handwriting can't be decipheredDeep-pocketed investors have adopted a bearish approach towards Nike NKE , and it's something market players shouldn't ignore. Our tracking of public options records at Benzinga unveiled this significant move today. The identity of these investors remains unknown, but such a substantial move in NKE usually suggests something big is about to happen. We gleaned this information from our observations today when Benzinga's options scanner highlighted 16 extraordinary options activities for Nike. This level of activity is out of the ordinary. The general mood among these heavyweight investors is divided, with 37% leaning bullish and 43% bearish. Among these notable options, 3 are puts, totaling $187,556, and 13 are calls, amounting to $647,860. Projected Price Targets After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $67.5 and $100.0 for Nike, spanning the last three months. Analyzing Volume & Open Interest Looking at the volume and open interest is an insightful way to conduct due diligence on a stock. This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for Nike's options for a given strike price. Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of Nike's whale activity within a strike price range from $67.5 to $100.0 in the last 30 days. Nike Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days Largest Options Trades Observed: Symbol PUT/CALL Trade Type Sentiment Exp. Date Ask Bid Price Strike Price Total Trade Price Open Interest Volume NKE PUT SWEEP BEARISH 12/20/24 $2.02 $1.83 $2.0 $78.00 $101.0K 1.0K 551 NKE CALL SWEEP BULLISH 01/17/25 $7.5 $7.35 $7.5 $75.00 $75.0K 9.0K 301 NKE CALL SWEEP BULLISH 01/17/25 $7.2 $7.0 $7.16 $75.00 $71.9K 9.0K 200 NKE CALL TRADE NEUTRAL 12/20/24 $3.35 $3.25 $3.3 $81.00 $71.2K 1.0K 308 NKE CALL SWEEP BULLISH 01/17/25 $7.9 $7.6 $7.87 $75.00 $55.2K 9.0K 405 About Nike Nike is the largest athletic footwear and apparel brand in the world. Key categories include basketball, running, and football (soccer). Footwear generates about two thirds of its sales. Its brands include Nike, Jordan (premium athletic footwear and clothing), and Converse (casual footwear). Nike sells products worldwide through company-owned stores, franchised stores, and third-party retailers. The firm also operates e-commerce platforms in more than 40 countries. Nearly all its production is outsourced to contract manufacturers in more than 30 countries. Nike was founded in 1964 and is based in Beaverton, Oregon. Having examined the options trading patterns of Nike, our attention now turns directly to the company. This shift allows us to delve into its present market position and performance Nike's Current Market Status Trading volume stands at 7,335,567, with NKE's price up by 1.73%, positioned at $79.94. RSI indicators show the stock to be may be approaching overbought. Earnings announcement expected in 13 days. Professional Analyst Ratings for Nike In the last month, 5 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $81.0. Unusual Options Activity Detected: Smart Money on the Move Benzinga Edge's Unusual Options board spots potential market movers before they happen. See what positions big money is taking on your favorite stocks. Click here for access .* Maintaining their stance, an analyst from RBC Capital continues to hold a Sector Perform rating for Nike, targeting a price of $80. * Maintaining their stance, an analyst from B of A Securities continues to hold a Buy rating for Nike, targeting a price of $95. * Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from JP Morgan keeps a Neutral rating on Nike with a target price of $73. * In a cautious move, an analyst from Needham downgraded its rating to Buy, setting a price target of $84. * An analyst from TD Cowen has decided to maintain their Hold rating on Nike, which currently sits at a price target of $73. Options are a riskier asset compared to just trading the stock, but they have higher profit potential. Serious options traders manage this risk by educating themselves daily, scaling in and out of trades, following more than one indicator, and following the markets closely. If you want to stay updated on the latest options trades for Nike, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Louisiana lawmakers pass income and corporate tax cuts, raising statewide sales tax to pay for it
WASHINGTON — The House shut down Democrats' efforts Thursday to release the long-awaited ethics report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, pushing the fate of any resolution to the yearslong investigation of sexual misconduct allegations into further uncertainty. Matt Gaetz talks before President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate Nov. 14 in Palm Beach, Fla. The nearly party-line votes came after Democrats had been pressing for the findings to be published even though the Florida Republican left Congress and withdrew as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., was the sole Republican to support the effort. Most Republicans have argued that any congressional probe into Gaetz ended when he resigned from the House. Speaker Mike Johnson also requested that the committee not publish its report, saying it would be a terrible precedent to set. While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare. Shortly before the votes took place, Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., who introduced one of the bills to force the release, said that if Republicans reject the release, they will have “succeeded in sweeping credible allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug.” Gaetz has repeatedly denied the claims. Earlier Thursday, the Ethics panel met to discuss the Gaetz report but made no decision, saying in a short statement that the matter is still being discussed. It's unclear now whether the document will ever see the light of day as lawmakers have only a few weeks left before a new session of Congress begins. It's the culmination of weeks of pressure on the Ethics committee's five Republicans and five Democrats who mostly work in secret as they investigate allegations of misconduct against lawmakers. The status of the Gaetz investigation became an open question last month when he abruptly resigned from Congress after Trump's announcement that he wanted his ally in the Cabinet. It is standard practice for the committee to end investigations when members of Congress depart, but the circumstances surrounding Gaetz were unusual, given his potential role in the new administration. Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., the committee chairman, said Wednesday that there is no longer the same urgency to release the report given that Gaetz has left Congress and stepped aside as Trump's choice to head the Justice Department. “I’ve been steadfast about that. He’s no longer a member. He is no longer going to be confirmed by the Senate because he withdrew his nomination to be the attorney general,” Guest said. The Gaetz report has also caused tensions between lawmakers on the bipartisan committee. Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the panel, publicly admonished Guest last month for mischaracterizing a previous meeting to the press. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and said last year that the Justice Department’s separate investigation against him into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended without federal charges. His onetime political ally Joel Greenberg, a fellow Republican who served as the tax collector in Florida’s Seminole County, admitted as part of a plea deal with prosecutors in 2021 that he paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men. The men were not identified in court documents when he pleaded guilty. Greenberg was sentenced in late 2022 to 11 years in prison. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
Rookie Bucky Irving relishes opportunity to help Buccaneers any way he can against skidding Raiders
The Boxing Day Test is currently slightly tilted in Australia's favour, but India managed to pull things back on Day 3. The IND vs AUS 4th Test 2024 is being played at The Melbourne Cricket Ground and starts at 4:30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST). The broadcasting rights for the IND vs AUS Test 2024 are with Star Sports Network and will provide live telecast viewing options on Star Sports TV channels. Fans can switch over to the Disney+Hotstar for the live streaming viewing option of IND vs AUS 4th Test Day 4 of the BGT 2024-25 series on their app and website, which will need a subscription. ‘One of The Best Centuries Under Pressure’: Fans Praise Nitish Kumar Reddy For His Heroic Century During IND vs AUS 4th Test 2024 . #NitishKumarReddy 's scintillating 💯 highlights Day 3 of the #BoxingDayTest ! 🙌🏻 #AUSvINDOnStar 👉 4th Test, Day 4 | SUN, 29th DEC, 4:30 AM | #ToughestRivalry #BorderGavaskarTrophy pic.twitter.com/HG9PoGTJWu — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 28, 2024 (SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter (X), Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
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Two CMFRI scientists earn prestigious NAAS recognitionReady or not, the Washington women’s basketball team’s first season in its new conference begins in earnest this weekend. Set aside for a second UW’s 73-62 loss at home to top-ranked UCLA on Dec. 8 in the first-ever Big Ten Conference game for the former Pac-12 rivals. The Huskies will make a little bit of history while literally venturing into unknown territories during their first Big Ten Conference road games to Northwestern and Illinois. Saturday’s 12 p.m. PT tipoff versus the Wildcats (7-5, 0-1) will be UW’s first game at Welsh-Ryan Arena, a 7,039-seat facility on Northwestern’s campus in Evanston, Ill. Three days later, UW takes on the Illini at 10 a.m. PT Tuesday for the first time at State Farm Center (capacity: 15,544). Here’s what you need to know about the Huskies (9-4, 0-1) as they embark on a 17-game trek through the Big Ten. Are they battle tested? Well, maybe? It’s difficult to know because UW has undergone several transformations over the past two months. Washington began the season on fire while ripping apart four overmatched opponents at home to start 4-0. At the time, UW averaged 88.3 points per game and allowed just 53.3 points. Then, the Huskies offense ran into a brick wall during an 82-68 defeat at Montana, and seemingly didn’t fully recover despite claiming narrow wins at home during their next two outings. Washington was at its best during a four-game stretch, but came up short in the final minutes against UCLA, No. 6 LSU and a stout Utah team that’s ranked 27 th in the NET. And finally, UW stemmed a two-game slide with blowout wins at home last week versus North Dakota State and Furman. “What gives you confidence is confidence,” coach Tina Langley said. “We want to really know who we are and what we run and how we do it and what pace we do it at and all those small details. “We could have been sharper in some details in preparation as a staff and preparation as a team. We started cleaning up that up toward the end and having more moments where we could see that execution. We want to execute for 40 minutes on both ends of the floor as high level as we can. That’s the goal going forward.” Until further notice, the Huskies are good enough to beat bad teams, but not quite ready for prime time. A star in the making Sophomore Sayvia Sellers, a 5-foot-7 point guard, is making a bid for All-Big Ten honors. She leads UW in scoring (15.5 points per game), assists (2.8), steals (1.9), field goal percentage (53.6%) and three-point percentage (44.4%). “I'm excited for her leadership to continue to develop because when you work the way she works and you're committed the way she's committed, and you're humble the way she's humble, you should have the ability to walk into a room and say ‘We need to do this better,’” Langley said. “She's really growing in that because she has earned that right and it's beautiful to see.” Sellers tallied a career-high 30 points in a 67-57 loss against Utah — the most points for a UW player since March 5, 2020. Keep an eye on Tayra Eke Eastern Michigan transfer Tayra Eke, a 6-3 senior forward, had been a difference maker at times in the low post. During a blowout win against Prairie View, she tallied a career-high eight blocks, which is the most for a UW player, and collected a personal-best 14 rebounds. She's tied for fourth in the Big Ten with 24 blocks and leads UW with 7.0 rebounds per game. Eke averages just 6.4 points, but she hasn't been often been prioritized offensively, considering she's attempted five or fewer shots in eight games despite shooting 46.9% on field goals. Can UW win with defense? There’s no evidence to suggest Washington’s offense, which ranks 15 th in the Big Ten in scoring at 71.5 points, will radically improve when conference play begins. However, the Huskies have a winning formula with their stingy defense that allows 57.5 points and ranks 10 th in the conference. Washington held LSU, the third highest scoring team in the country, to a season-low 68 points and lost by a point to the Tigers in the Bahamas last month. That performance gives UW confidence that it can go on the road and win games in the vaunted Big Ten. The Big Ten is loaded No. 1 UCLA, seven Big Ten teams are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, including USC (4), Maryland (8), Ohio State (10), Michigan State (19), Michigan (23) and Iowa (24). Currently, ESPN’s bracket guru Charlie Crème predicts 12 Big Ten teams will make the NCAA tournament — the most from any conference. In addition to the aforementioned ranked teams, Crème has Oregon, Indiana, Nebraska, Minnesota and Illinois advancing to the Big Dance. Seemingly, that leaves Purdue, Norhtwestern, Rutgers, Penn State, Wisconsin and UW, which is No. 76 in the NET, scrambling for a postseason berth. Keep in mind, 14 teams qualify for the Big Ten women’s basketball tournament.House rejects Democratic efforts to force release of Matt Gaetz ethics report
No secrets as Bucs visit Dave Canales, Panthers for NFC South showdownLiberty Energy CEO Christopher Wright sells $588,480 in stock
New York Knicks vs. Dallas Mavericks FREE LIVE STREAM (11/27/24): Watch NBA regular season game | Time, TV, Channel
New Orleans (4-8) at New York Giants (2-10) Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox BetMGM NFL Odds: Saints by 5. Against the spread: Saints 5-7; Giants 3-9. Series record: Giants lead 17-15. Last meeting: Saints beat Giants 24-6 on Dec. 17, 2023, in New Orleans. Last week: Saints lost to Rams 21-14; Giants lost to Cowboys 27-20. Saints: overall (12), rush (10), pass (19), scoring (14) Saints defense: overall (30), rush (26), pass (29), scoring (19) Giants offense: overall (T26), rush (15), pass (31), scoring (32) Giants defense: overall (19), rush (29), pass (6), scoring (18) Turnover differential: Saints plus-2; Giants minus-8. Saints player to watch Derek Carr. The quarterback completed 23 of 28 for 218 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in the previous meeting and had a 134.8 quarterback rating. Giants player to watch Drew Lock. The veteran quarterback is going to make his second straight start with Tommy DeVito (forearm) hurt. He threw for 178 yards and ran for a career-high 57 yards in the loss to the Dallas. He scored on an 8-yard run and had a 28-yard scramble to set up another. He also made mistakes, throwing a pick-6 and losing a fumble on a scramble. Key matchup Saints offense vs Giants defense. The Giants defense is banged up. DT Dexter Lawrence (elbow) was put on injured reserve Monday and fellow starter Rakeem Nunez-Roches (neck) missed practice earlier in the week. Leading tackler and ILB Bobby Okereke is dealing with a back issue. Key injuries Saints: Tight end Taysom Hill's knee injury last week will sideline him the rest of the season. Running back Kendre Miller (hamstring) is eligible to come off injured reserve and could return to the lineup Sunday. Guards Cesar Ruiz (concussion) and Nick Saldiveri (knee) have been held out of practice this week. Center Erik McCoy (groin) , who sat out last week's game, returned to practice early this week on a limited basis. Guard Lucas Patrick (calf) has practiced on a limited basis after sitting out the past three games. Tyrann Mathieu (forearm) has returned to full practice this week after sitting out much of the second half of last week's loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Giants: Lawrence and rookie TE Theo Johnson (foot) were placed on injured reserve and probably are out for the season. ... DeVito (forearm) and LT Jermaine Eluemunor (quad) missed the Dallas game but they are making progress this week. DeVito will back up Lock. ... Eluemunor and RT Evan Neal (hip) may be game-time decisions. ... CB Deonte Banks (ribs), Okereke (back) and Nunez-Roches (neck) are unlikely to play. WR Malik Nabers was added to the report Thursday with a nagging groin issue. Series notes The Saints have won two of the past three meetings. The Giants are winless in all six games at MetLife Stadium this season. Stats and stuff The Saints are 2-1 under interim coach Darren Rizzi, who was born in New Jersey and grew up a Giants fan. ... Carr ranks sixth among qualified passers with a 103.3 rating in 2024. ... WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling has had TD catches in his past three games. ... TE Juwan Johnson had five catches against the Rams. ... DT Bryan Bresee has a career-high 6 1/2 sacks and is looking for his third straight game with a sack. He had two sacks against New York last season. ... DL Chase Young has two sacks and three tackles for loss against the Giants in December. ... LB Demario Davis had 10 tackles and a sack in the previous meeting. ... CB Alontae Taylor is the only player with at least 10 passes defended and five tackles for loss in each of the past two seasons. ... Mathieu needs five tackles for his eighth straight season of at least 50 tackles. ... Giants: RB Tyrone Tracy ranks second among rookies with 619 yards rushing. He has run for four touchdowns. ... WR Malik Nabers has 75 catches for 740 yards. His reception total is the most by a rookie in his first 10 games. .... Wan'Dale Robinson has career-high 63 catches. ... OLB Brian Burns has a career-high eight passes defended and 10 tackles for loss. ... Okereke needs seven tackles for his fourth straight season of 100 or more tackles. ... S Tyler Nubin leads all rookies and ranks fourth among DBs with 93 tackles. ... The Giants have set an NFL record going 11 straight games without an interception. They have one interception this season. The NFL record for fewest in a season is two by the 2018 San Francisco 49ers. The fewest in a season by the Giants was six in 2022. Fantasy tip Look for running back Alvin Kamara to have a big game. He has 894 yards rushing on 206 carries and he has caught 59 passes for 450 yards. He has seven touchdowns, six rushing. The 29-year-old has had eight games of at least 100 yards from scrimmage this season and he is third in the league with 1,344 yards from scrimmage. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflNew Orleans (4-8) at New York Giants (2-10) Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox BetMGM NFL Odds: Saints by 5. Against the spread: Saints 5-7; Giants 3-9. Series record: Giants lead 17-15. Last meeting: Saints beat Giants 24-6 on Dec. 17, 2023, in New Orleans. Last week: Saints lost to Rams 21-14; Giants lost to Cowboys 27-20. Saints: overall (12), rush (10), pass (19), scoring (14) Saints defense: overall (30), rush (26), pass (29), scoring (19) Giants offense: overall (T26), rush (15), pass (31), scoring (32) Giants defense: overall (19), rush (29), pass (6), scoring (18) Turnover differential: Saints plus-2; Giants minus-8. Derek Carr. The quarterback completed 23 of 28 for 218 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in the previous meeting and had a 134.8 quarterback rating. Drew Lock. The veteran quarterback is going to make his second straight start with Tommy DeVito (forearm) hurt. He threw for 178 yards and ran for a career-high 57 yards in the loss to the Dallas. He scored on an 8-yard run and had a 28-yard scramble to set up another. He also made mistakes, throwing a pick-6 and losing a fumble on a scramble. Saints offense vs Giants defense. The Giants defense is banged up. DT Dexter Lawrence (elbow) was put on injured reserve Monday and fellow starter Rakeem Nunez-Roches (neck) missed practice earlier in the week. Leading tackler and ILB Bobby Okereke is dealing with a back issue. Saints: Tight end Taysom Hill's knee injury last week will sideline him the rest of the season. Running back Kendre Miller (hamstring) is eligible to come off injured reserve and could return to the lineup Sunday. Guards Cesar Ruiz (concussion) and Nick Saldiveri (knee) have been held out of practice this week. Center Erik McCoy (groin) , who sat out last week's game, returned to practice early this week on a limited basis. Guard Lucas Patrick (calf) has practiced on a limited basis after sitting out the past three games. Tyrann Mathieu (forearm) has returned to full practice this week after sitting out much of the second half of last week's loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Giants: Lawrence and rookie TE Theo Johnson (foot) were placed on injured reserve and probably are out for the season. ... DeVito (forearm) and LT Jermaine Eluemunor (quad) missed the Dallas game but they are making progress this week. DeVito will back up Lock. ... Eluemunor and RT Evan Neal (hip) may be game-time decisions. ... CB Deonte Banks (ribs), Okereke (back) and Nunez-Roches (neck) are unlikely to play. WR Malik Nabers was added to the report Thursday with a nagging groin issue. The Saints have won two of the past three meetings. The Giants are winless in all six games at MetLife Stadium this season. The Saints are 2-1 under interim coach Darren Rizzi, who was born in New Jersey and grew up a Giants fan. ... Carr ranks sixth among qualified passers with a 103.3 rating in 2024. ... WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling has had TD catches in his past three games. ... TE Juwan Johnson had five catches against the Rams. ... DT Bryan Bresee has a career-high 6 1/2 sacks and is looking for his third straight game with a sack. He had two sacks against New York last season. ... DL Chase Young has two sacks and three tackles for loss against the Giants in December. ... LB Demario Davis had 10 tackles and a sack in the previous meeting. ... CB Alontae Taylor is the only player with at least 10 passes defended and five tackles for loss in each of the past two seasons. ... Mathieu needs five tackles for his eighth straight season of at least 50 tackles. ... Giants: RB Tyrone Tracy ranks second among rookies with 619 yards rushing. He has run for four touchdowns. ... WR Malik Nabers has 75 catches for 740 yards. His reception total is the most by a rookie in his first 10 games. .... Wan'Dale Robinson has career-high 63 catches. ... OLB Brian Burns has a career-high eight passes defended and 10 tackles for loss. ... Okereke needs seven tackles for his fourth straight season of 100 or more tackles. ... S Tyler Nubin leads all rookies and ranks fourth among DBs with 93 tackles. ... The Giants have set an NFL record going 11 straight games without an interception. They have one interception this season. The NFL record for fewest in a season is two by the 2018 San Francisco 49ers. The fewest in a season by the Giants was six in 2022. Look for running back Alvin Kamara to have a big game. He has 894 yards rushing on 206 carries and he has caught 59 passes for 450 yards. He has seven touchdowns, six rushing. The 29-year-old has had eight games of at least 100 yards from scrimmage this season and he is third in the league with 1,344 yards from scrimmage. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflSignal Gold Shareholders Overwhelmingly Approve Transaction With NexGold Mining
Looking to rebound from lost opportunity
New Delhi: Ahead of the farmers’ march to Delhi scheduled for Friday, security has been tightened at the Shambhu border on NH-44, with both Haryana and Punjab police deploying significant resources to manage the swelling crowds of protesters. Over 100 farmers are preparing to march towards Delhi on Friday to press for their demands. On Thursday, Haryana police reinforced the barricades near the border, adding three new layers, including a wire mesh and movable traffic barriers, to the already extensive seven-layer setup featuring walls, iron nails, and barbed wire. A tent was also erected as part of the preparations. Multiple unions, including Bharatiya Kisan Union-Ekta and others from Haryana, are rallying under the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) banners to push their demands during the march. The protest site at the Shambhu border continues to swell with farmers arriving from Punjab districts like Taran Taran, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Bathinda, Sangrur, and Patiala, as well as Haryana districts such as Ambala and Sirsa. Dialogue is the only way forward to resolve the issues of farmers, who should hold talks with Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan said on Thursday, as he extended an olive branch to the farmers protesting on the Punjab-Haryana border. “No other government has done as much for farmers as the Modi government. We have helped them in every sector,” Paswan told reporters at a press conference here. “I would urge them (farmers) that our Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is very accessible, anyone who wants to discuss some issue, there can be no better place for discussion,” he said. Protests that disturb other people will not help, Paswan said, adding that the farmers’ issues can only be “resolved through talks”. Meanwhile, addressing a press conference on the Shambhu border, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said that farmers will move towards Delhi. Farmers, gathered under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, had earlier announced a foot march to the national capital. They have several demands, including seeking a legal guarantee for the minimum support price of crops. A ‘jatha’ (group) of 101 farmers will embark on a foot march to Delhi at 1 p.m. on Friday from the Shambhu border protest site, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said. However, the Ambala district administration has issued an order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), restricting any unlawful assembly of five or more persons in the district. According to the order issued by the Deputy Commissioner, taking out any procession on foot, vehicles, or other modes has been prohibited till further orders. The police in Ambala also sounded an alert on Thursday over the farmers’ plan to march to Delhi, and sent senior officers to the border to assess the security situation there. Central paramilitary forces have also been deployed on the Haryana side of the border along with multi-layer barricading. The Ambala district administration on Wednesday asked the farmers to reconsider their march and contemplate any action only after obtaining permission from Delhi Police. Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at the Shambhu border on Thursday, Pandher said, “The jatha will march towards Delhi (on Friday). What the government will do is for them to decide. We will begin our march towards Delhi at 1 p.m. from the Shambhu border.” He also said if the government stops them from carrying out their march, it will be a “moral victory” for the farmers. “Their leaders at the Centre and in states have been regularly saying that if the farmers do not bring tractor-trolleys, there should be no objection. So if we go to Delhi on foot, there should be no reason to stop the farmers,” he added. The farmers gathered under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha earlier announced a foot march to the national capital seeking legal guarantee for minimum support price of crops, among several other demands. They have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces. Invoking Section 163 of the BNSS, the Ambala deputy commissioner-cum-district magistrate in an order dated November 30 prohibited unlawful assembly of five or more persons, and taking out any procession on foot, vehicles or through any other mode. “It is apprehended that a large number of protesters are likely to come from Punjab and Haryana and assemble at Shambu border to move towards Delhi. Hence, appropriate steps need to be taken at the border points and within the district, including issuance of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of BNSS so as not to allow movement of any such person without prior permission,” the order said. “Any individual or group on foot or vehicles which can be used to damage public/private property and/or to confront law enforcement agencies, thereby creating hindrance in maintaining peace and public order, has been prohibited,” it added. The order will not apply to police and other public servants on duty for maintaining law and order, it added. “This order shall come into force from November 30, 2024, and continue till further order,” it said. “There are inputs that the agitators may gherao Parliament or camp permanently on the national highways leading to the national capital territory,” the order said, adding that the agitators have not obtained any permission under Section 69 of the Haryana Police Act. Talking to reporters in Ambala on Thursday, Superintendent of Police Surinder Singh Bhoria appealed to all the farmers to maintain peace and obtain permission to march to Delhi. “I want to assure all that the district police have made adequate arrangements to maintain law and order,” he said. When told that farmer leaders have said that 101 of them will march to Delhi in a peaceful manner, Bhoria said, “As I have told you, it is our collective responsibility to follow the law. Whatever may be the provisions of law, they should be followed.” Pandher, on his part, told reporters, “This does not look like a Punjab-Haryana border, but an international territory. If they (authorities) have their way, they will not even allow a bird to cross the border. They are treating us like we are enemies from some other country, whereas we are citizens of this land who want to peacefully march to the national capital to press our demands.” “The first jatha which will leave from Shambhu border has been named ‘Marjeevda Jatha’. It will consist of 101 farmers who will march to Delhi on foot from the Shambhu border,” Pandher said. Referring to a recent meeting between a farmers’ delegation and Ambala SP, Pandher said, “A proposal for talks came from the government side to which we said the farmers are open to a dialogue only if the proposal comes from either the Centre or the Chief Minister’s office in Haryana or Punjab.” Replying to a query, Pandher said after the first ‘jatha’, other ‘jathas’ will also move towards the national capital in subsequent days. To another question, he said if the Haryana government uses force to stop the first ‘jatha’ of 101 farmers from marching towards Delhi, “it will only expose the government”. “If they have deployed Central forces, drones or are testing water cannons, it shows they intend to stop us,” he added. “Tomorrow Guru Teg Bahadur Ji’s martyrdom day will be observed at both Shambhu and Khanauri border points. The jatha will be dedicated to the martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji,” Pandher said. Earlier on Thursday, Punjab DIG (Patiala Range) Mandeep Singh Sidhu and SSP (Patiala) Nanak Singh met Pandher and Surjit Singh Phul at the Shambhu border. Sidhu said the farmers have assured the police that they will maintain peace and not involve tractor-trolleys in the march. The farmer leaders had earlier announced that the first ‘jatha’ of farmers would be led by Satnam Singh Pannu, Surinder Sinhgh Chautala, Surjit Singh Phul, and Baljinder Singh. Meanwhile, SKM leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal continued his fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border point on Thursday. Besides MSP, the farmers are also demanding farm debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases (against farmers), and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence. Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of farmers who died during the previous agitation in 2020-21 are also part of their demands.Unmasking Salt Typhoon: China's Espionage Campaign Against US Telecom Firms
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