The head of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) believes that Sir Keir Starmer may be softening his stance on inheritance tax after the pair had a meeting. Tom Bradshaw, the NFU president, was invited to No 10 on Monday to discuss the government’s proposals that all agricultural and business assets worth more than £1 million will face a 20 per cent inheritance tax levy, when they were previously exempt. Bradshaw said: “We are trying to give it a bit of room to breathe. He hasn’t guaranteed me anything but I think there is a general softening of lines and I don’t want to stoke the fire. “I think there is perhaps a more conciliatory tone.” • Rachel Reeves’s tax grab will penalise three in four9 pro gaming phone 。

No. 24 Arizona is coming off consecutive defeats for the first time in the Tommy Lloyd era when it faces undefeated Davidson on Wednesday to begin the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas. Arizona (2-2) lost at Wisconsin 103-88 on Nov. 15 and followed that with a home loss against Duke 69-55 on Friday. The Wildcats have dropped 15 spots in the Associated Press Top 25 poll in two weeks. Arizona's record is .500 this early in a season for the first time since it was 3-3 to start the 2017-18 schedule. "I've got work to do, so let's get to work," said Lloyd, in his fourth year as Arizona's head coach. "Let's see where we're at in a month, and if we're still struggling, you know what I'll do? I still got work to do, but I'm gonna get to it." Arizona shot 39.6 percent from the field against Duke, and just 26.1 percent (6 of 23) from 3-point range. The Wildcats were outrebounded by 43-30 and their 15 turnovers led to 19 points. Jaden Bradley led Arizona with 18 points and KJ Lewis added 12. Preseason All-American Caleb Love had eight points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field, including 1-of-9 from 3-point range. Arizona made only one field goal in the last 5:39 as Duke pulled away after its lead was trimmed to six points. "We didn't play great," Lloyd said. "Now we need to take a step back and figure out why. Are there some schematic problems? Are there some problems with how our personnel is kind of put together? "We got to figure out what our certainties are, and the things we have to have, and then over the course of the next couple of days, if there's adjustments we need to make, we need to figure out what those are." Davidson is 4-0 after a 15-17 record last season, in which it lost its last six games to put an end to postseason hopes. A 93-66 win over visiting VMI on Friday followed a 91-85 win at Bowling Green and 76-70 victory over visiting East Tennessee State. The two wins by 10 points or fewer are important because Davidson was 6-12 in such games last season. It was 4-11 in games decided by five points or fewer. "The goal (is) to get better," Davidson head coach Matt McKillop said after the season opener. "We talk about fighting to win every possession. I think we had to figure out what that really felt like with the lights on." Davidson made 13 shots from 3-point range in the win over VMI. Reed Bailey had 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Bobby Durkin added 19 points, including 17 of them and a career-best five 3-pointers in the first half. Bailey leads Davidson in scoring (19 points per game) and rebounding (7.8). Durkin is shooting 57.9 percent (22 of 38) from the field and 54.2 percent (13 of 24) from 3-point range. By contrast, Arizona's Love is shooting 32 percent (16 of 50) from the field and 21.4 percent (6 of 28) from beyond the arc. Bradley leads Arizona with 15.5 points per game. He is shooting 50 percent (24 of 48) from the field and is 35.7 percent (5 of 14) from 3-point range. --Field Level Media

Argentine ResultsWoodward Reports Record Sales & Earnings for Fiscal Year 2024

Keir Starmer ‘softening’ inheritance tax stance, NFU chief hintsWe Need To Borrow A Leaf From Kebbi, Sultan Urges Sokoto

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks climbed after market superstar Nvidia and another round of companies said they’re making even fatter profits than expected. The S&P 500 pulled 0.5% higher Thursday after flipping between modest gains and losses several times in the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite edged up less than 0.1%. Banks, smaller companies and other areas of the stock market that tend to do best when the economy is strong helped lead the way, while bitcoin briefly broke above $99,000. Crude oil, meanwhile, continued to rise. Treasury yields edged higher in the bond market. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are climbing Thursday after market superstar Nvidia and another round of companies said they’re making even fatter profits than expected. The S&P 500 was pulling 0.7% higher, as of 2:45 p.m. Eastern time, after flipping between modest gains and losses several times in the morning. Banks, smaller companies and other areas of the stock market that tend do best when the economy is strong helped lead the way, while bitcoin briefly broke above $99,000. Crude oil, meanwhile, continued to rise. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 532 points, or 1.2%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.2%. Nvidia's rise of 1.4% was the strongest force pushing the S&P 500 upward after yet again beating analysts’ estimates for profit and revenue. It also gave a forecast for revenue in the current quarter that topped most analysts’ expectations thanks to voracious demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology. Its stock initially sank in afterhours trading Wednesday following the release of the results. Some investors said the market might have been looking for Nvidia's revenue forecast to surpass expectations by even more. But its stock recovered in premarket trading Thursday, and Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said it was another “flawless” profit report provided by Nvidia and CEO Jensen Huang, whom Ives calls “the Godfather of AI.” How Nvidia’s stock performs has tremendous impact because it’s quickly grown into Wall Street’s most valuable company at roughly $3.6 trillion. Its meandering up and down through the day dragged the S&P 500 and other indexes back and forth. The frenzy around AI is sweeping up other stocks, and Snowflake jumped 32.3% after reporting stronger results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company, whose platform helps customers get a better view of all their silos of data and use AI, also reported stronger revenue growth than expected. BJ’S Wholesale Club rose 9.1% after likewise delivering a bigger profit than expected. That may help calm worries about how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain, given high prices across the economy and still-high interest rates. A day earlier, Target tumbled after reporting sluggish sales in the latest quarter and giving a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season. It followed Walmart , which gave a much more encouraging outlook. Nearly 90% of the stocks in the S&P 500 were also rising, and the gains were even bigger among smaller companies. The Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks jumped a market-leading 1.9%. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, helped keep indexes in check. It fell 5.5% after U.S. regulators asked a judge to break up the tech giant by forcing it to sell its industry-leading Chrome web browser. In a 23-page document filed late Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice called for sweeping punishments that would include restrictions preventing Android from favoring its own search engine. Regulators stopped short of demanding Google sell Android but left the door open to it if the company’s oversight committee continues to see evidence of misconduct. Drops for other Big Tech stocks also weighed on the market, including a 2.4% slide for Amazon. In stock markets abroad, shares of India’s Adani Enterprises plunged 22.6% Thursday after the U.S. charged founder Gautam Adani, 62, in a federal indictment with securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud. The businessman and one of the world’s richest people is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company’s huge solar energy project on the subcontinent was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme. Indexes elsewhere in Asia and Europe were mixed. In the crypto market, bitcoin eclipsed $99,000 for the first time before easing back to roughly $98,250, according to CoinDesk. It’s more than doubled so far this year, and its climb has accelerated since Election Day. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to make the country “the crypto capital of the planet” and create a “strategic reserve” of bitcoin. Bitcoin also got a boost after Gary Gensler, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission who has pushed for more protection for crypto investors, said he would step down in January . Bitcoin and related investments, of course, have a notorious history of big price swings in both directions. MicroStrategy, a company that's been raising cash expressly to buy bitcoin, saw an early gain of 14.6% for its stock on Thursday quickly disappear. It was most recently down 10.7%. In the oil market, a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rose 2% to bring its gain for the week to 4.8%. Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 1.8%. Oil has been rising amid escalations in the Russia-Ukraine war. In the bond market, Treasury yields edged higher following some mixed reports on the U.S. economy. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.43% from 4.41% late Wednesday. One report said fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week in the latest signal that the job market remains solid. Another report, though, said manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic region unexpectedly shrank. Sales of previously occupied homes, meanwhile, strengthened last month by more than expected. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Yuri Kageyama contributed.The Yomiuri Shimbun 6:00 JST, November 26, 2024 * * At the office of world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma, a staff member drew a rough sketch on a computer screen and typed such keywords as “contemporary architecture” and “wooden art museum in city center” on an image generative AI system in early September. A 3D rendering, referred to as a perspective drawing, of a building appeared instantly. Before, the office would first make a 2D drawing and then create a perspective drawing while considering quake resistance and other factors. Work that used to take a week can now be done in 10 minutes. Kuma, 70, says AI has “overwhelming ability” in terms of improving work efficiency. Kuma’s office has been testing out AI for its work since around the beginning of last year. AI has helped the 400-member staff manage 400 projects in Japan and overseas. The time saved has been spent meeting with clients or coming up with new ideas. Kuma uses AI not only to streamline his work but also create new designs by getting ideas from images generated by AI, with the aim of “surpassing the current Kengo Kuma.” After seeing the AI-generated designs, which were created after AI learned Kengo Kuma’s architecture, Kuma said he felt inspired to “become the next version of [himself].” However, through using AI, Kuma came to the realization that there are many jobs that can only be done by humans. In architectural design, an architect needs to understand their client’s needs and create a space that includes features that are easy for people to use. For large urban facilities, the architect also needs to consider the feelings of those who live nearby, as well as how society will perceive it. As design requires the subtleties of humans, Kuma said: “I make decisions by reading the mood of the times while watching social trends. You can’t get AI to calculate that.” Using AI has made Kuma very aware of the responsibilities that can never be left to machines, making him realize that humans should always make the final decisions in what kind of building should be made based on what design. As AI becomes more widely used, there is a movement to have AI handle some of the work. A survey conducted by independent administrative agency Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan (IPA) found that 16% of the approximately 4,900 workers surveyed have either used or were in a position to use AI in their workplace as of March. AI was found to be used for customer inquiries or translations, and IPA believes that the use of AI will further increase. Of the 1,000 respondents who have either used or plan to use AI, about 60% said that the spread of false information and information leaks by AI was a “threat.” Generative AI also has the risk of copyright infringement. The Copyright Law currently allows copyrighted works to be used for machine learning without authorization, except in cases in which it would unfairly harm the author’s interest. Copyright collectives are calling for rights to be protected through such means as the rejection of machine learning. Kuma’s office carefully considers the risks of copyright infringement and other issues and educates its staff about information security. While expectations are high that AI will make work more efficient, there are also risks associated with the technology. We have entered an era in which we are being tested regarding how to use AI.

Raw Farm LLC, of Fresno, California, voluntarily recalled one lot of “cream top” whole raw milk after Santa Clara County health officials found the bird flu virus in a sample last week.

The states that saw the most active attacks against two years ago certified the results of this year’s races without controversy this week, prompting the Arizona secretary of state to proclaim that “election denialism” is a thing of the past. Others said they weren’t so sure. Certification proceeded normally this year in part because won the presidential race, quieting his supporters after he had making that he could . The statewide certification votes Tuesday in Nevada and New Mexico follow a vote Monday to certify the results in Arizona. In all three states, the was tumultuous during the when Democrats won most statewide offices. Those controversies followed attempts by Trump and his allies to in Michigan, Georgia and in 2020, disrupting what until then had been a routine administrative process. This year, some who have been the most vocal in questioning the integrity of elections have instead been celebrating Trump’s victory. “The results are being accepted in the manner that they are, in part, because those who have been eroding trust or casting doubt on the integrity of U.S. elections have a result they feel good about,” said David Levine, a former local election official in Idaho who now advises on election administration issues. “Hopefully we can get back to a place where Americans can feel confident in the results even if it’s one they disagree with.” On Tuesday, Nevada and New Mexico certified their statewide results with little discussion. During Monday’s certification in Arizona, reflected on the lack of controversy this year. “I think the age of election denialism, for all intents and purposes, is dead,” he said. Sitting next to Fontes, state Attorney General Kris Mayes, a fellow Democrat, said she was more skeptical. Her Republican opponent in 2022 spent two years . “Do I think election denialism is dead? No, I don’t,” she said. “We’ll see over the next couple of election cycles what happens, but I don’t think we’re there yet.” Public confidence in elections has dropped since Trump challenged his loss in 2020 and made false claims of widespread fraud, . Some Republicans began targeting the certification process, when local and state boards certify the results after local election officials provide them with the final tally of votes. A firestorm erupted in Georgia over the summer when the state election board, with a new pro-Trump majority, the certification process with changes later blocked by the courts. While certification battles did not surface , a vocal segment within the Republican Party remains deeply skeptical of election processes, particularly of the availability of mail ballots and the use of ballot scanners to tally votes. During a forum Monday on the social platform X led by the group Cause of America, the group’s director expressed doubt about voting equipment. Shawn Smith, who also is a retired Air Force colonel, argued the certification process suppresses legitimate concerns and goes against “the sovereignty of the people.” Although not as widespread as four years ago, this sentiment did surface sporadically at the local level this month. In Washoe County, Nevada, which includes Reno and voted narrowly for Vice President Kamala Harris, the vote to certify the results was 3-1 with one abstention. Commissioner Jeanne Herman has consistently voted against certification and did not make a public comment about her vote this year. Commissioner Mike Clark, a staunch Trump supporter who had also previously voted against certification, said he would abstain and left before the vote. “I am not an election denier and clearly the person I wanted to win, won this state,” Clark said before leaving the meeting. “However, that does not mean that all the protocols were followed and that we can truly certify the election.” Such skepticism, whether in Nevada or elsewhere, leaves the door open to certification disputes during future elections. The questioning of election results isn’t limited to Republicans. Even though Harris quickly conceded after , online posts among her supporters continue to raise concerns about her loss. One Reddit community that has amassed 23,000 members features a steady drumbeat of Democrats scrutinizing a result they can’t believe is real. Some posting in the group have issued calls to contact Harris and her running mate to ask them to demand a recount or otherwise object to the outcome. Among the battlegrounds, Michigan was among those where and his allies for Democrat Joe Biden amid false claims of fraud and manipulation. Two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers who initially opposed certification eventually relented. The state board of canvassers eventually voted to certify, even after one Republican member abstained. This year, the state board voted on Nov. 22 in favor of certifying and praised the state’s election workers. In Georgia, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger certified his state’s results on Nov. 22. Four years ago, the Republican state official was facing from Trump and his allies to investigate their unsubstantiated claims of fraud. Also certifying results Tuesday, and doing so unanimously, was the state Board of Elections in North Carolina. It was the only presidential battleground state won by Trump in 2020 — and the only one where he and his allies didn’t make claims of fraud. ___ Cassidy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ken Ritter in Las Vegas, Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, and Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report. Christina A. Cassidy, The Associated PressWalmart’s DEI rollback signals a profound shift in the wake of Trump’s election victoryABU DHABI, Verenigde Arabische Emiraten--(BUSINESS WIRE)--nov 26, 2024-- De Open-Source AI Summit van Abu Dhabi, gehost door de Technology Innovative Institute (TII), een internationaal onderzoekscentrum gespecialiseerd in toegepaste wetenschappen, ging van start met kritieke besprekingen die de globale AI-agenda bepalen. De summit, die vandaag en morgen doorgaat op het St. Regis Saadiyat Island met meer dan 300 genodigden, convergeert met een groeiende internationale focus op het getouwtrek tussen open- en closed-source AI. Dit persbericht bevat multimedia. Bekijk hier het volledige persbericht: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241126363507/nl/ Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute Inaugurates Open-Source AI Summit with Critical Discussions on the Future of AI (Photo: AETOSWire) “Er zijn twee kritieke keuzes als het over AI gaat,” zegt Zijne Excellentie Faisal Al Bannai, secretaris-generaal van de Advanced Technology Research Council en raadsman van de president van de VAE. “Men kan gebruik maken van een closed-source AI-model dat eigendom is van een bedrijf. Zij controleren het, met inbegrip van de gegevens die u eraan geeft. Innovatie begint en eindigt met hen. “Ofwel kan men gebruik maken van een open-source model dat binnen de gemeenschap groeit. We innoveren samen, en iedereen kan overal toegang ertoe hebben en erop bouwen. Als AI deel zal uitmaken van het weefsel van onze maatschappij — en dat zal zo zijn — dan moeten landen, bedrijven en particuliere personen beslissen wij het zal controleren. Falcon AI-modellen openen was TII’s bijdrage aan de wereld.” Dr. Najwa Aaraj, CEO van TII die de summit heeft ingeleid, verklaart: “De Open-Source AI Summit van Abu Dhabi is een beslissend moment voor wereldwijd overleg over AI. Net als andere open-source modellen, verenigt Falcon wetenschappers, ontwikkelaars en innovators om technologische vorderingen te versnellen als katalysator voor wereldwijde verandering. We kijken ernaar uit om de impact te zien die het verder zal blijven hebben, vooral nu we ons werk met de Falcon Foundation verderzetten.” De agenda van de summit werd verdergezet met toespraken van gerenomeerde sprekers, waaronder Dr. Belgacem Haba, de vicevoorzitter van de Adeia Corporation in de V.S., die het had over de uitdagingen die AI heeft gecreëerd in de sector van de productie van halfgeleiders. Prof. Philip Torr, professor en wetenschappelijk hoofdadviseur van de Oxford University in de U.K, sprak over wie AI zou moeten bezitten, waarmee hij mogelijke nadelen aanstipte, evenals regelgeving, en betoogde dat de voordelen van open-source AI op lange termijn de risico's ervan compenseren. Dr. Hakim Hacid, hoofdonderzoeker van TII’s AI Research Center, verklaart: “We zijn van mening dat open-source AI de weg vooruit is, maar het is allesbehalve eenvoudig. Er zijn uitdagingen en kwesties inzake controle, beleid, de macht van computers en hardware die we moeten aanpakken. Dit is de reden waarom we zoveel experts van wereldformaat op deze summit bijeenbrengen en dit zullen we in de toekomst verder blijven doen in partnerschap met de Falcon Foundation. Deze gesprekken zijn van cruciaal belang.” Sprekers die later aan de beurt komen, zijn Dr. Natalia Vassilieva, vicevoorzitter en Field CTO van Cerebras Systems in de V.S., Dr. June Paik, oprichter en CEO van FuriosaAI in de V.S., Dr. Armand Joulin, onderzoeksdirecteur bij Google DeepMind in Frankrijk, en Dr. Michal Valko, Principal Llama Engineer van Meta Paris in Frankrijk. Zij zullen het hebben over de niveaus van AI-openheid, duurzaam AI-computergebruik, het creëren van compactere LLM's, het benutten van basismodellen voor betrouwbare algoritmes, en dergelijke meer. Dr. Jingwei Zuo van TII zal een toespraak houden over Falcon Mamba, het eerste State Space Language Model, gebouwd met behulp van volledig nieuwe architectuur en eerder dit jaar gelanceerd. Hoogtepunt van de summit wordt een panel onder leiding van TII over hun visie met betrekking tot open-source AI. De Falcon AI LLM-serie van TII heeft wereldwijde erkenning geoogst. De serie begon met de lancering van Falcon 40B, de eerste open-source LLM van de VAE, in mei 2023. Sindsdien worden de volgende Falcon-modellen wereldwijd consistent onder de top open-source AI-modellen gerangschikt, zoals gevalideerd door Hugging Face, de onafhankelijke leidersraad van de sector. Een nieuw Falcon-model wordt eind 2024 verwacht. *Bron: AETOSWire Deze bekendmaking is officieel geldend in de originele brontaal. Vertalingen zijn slechts als leeshulp bedoeld en moeten worden vergeleken met de tekst in de brontaal, die als enige rechtsgeldig is. Bekijk het oorspronkelijke bericht op businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241126363507/nl/ CONTACT: Victoria Meven victoria.meven@edelman.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES FRANCE UNITED KINGDOM UNITED ARAB EMIRATES NORTH AMERICA EUROPE MIDDLE EAST INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SCIENCE SOFTWARE OTHER SCIENCE RESEARCH HARDWARE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY OTHER TECHNOLOGY SOURCE: Technology Innovation Institute Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/26/2024 04:54 PM/DISC: 11/26/2024 04:52 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241126363507/nl

Washington, Nov 24 (AP) As a former and potentially future president, Donald Trump hailed what would become Project 2025 as a road map for “exactly what our movement will do” with another crack at the White House. As the blueprint for a hard-right turn in America became a liability during the 2024 campaign, Trump pulled an about-face. He denied knowing anything about the “ridiculous and abysmal” plans written in part by his first-term aides and allies. Now, after being elected the 47th president on November 5, Trump is stocking his second administration with key players in the detailed effort he temporarily shunned. Most notably, Trump has tapped Russell Vought for an encore as director of the Office of Management and Budget; Tom Homan, his former immigration chief, as “border czar;” and immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of policy. Those moves have accelerated criticisms from Democrats who warn that Trump's election hands government reins to movement conservatives who spent years envisioning how to concentrate power in the West Wing and impose a starkly rightward shift across the US government and society. Trump and his aides maintain that he won a mandate to overhaul Washington. But they maintain the specifics are his alone. “President Trump never had anything to do with Project 2025,” said Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt in a statement. “All of President Trumps' Cabinet nominees and appointments are whole-heartedly committed to President Trump's agenda, not the agenda of outside groups.” Here is a look at what some of Trump's choices portend for his second presidency. As budget chief, Vought envisions a sweeping, powerful perch The Office of Management and Budget director, a role Vought held under Trump previously and requires Senate confirmation, prepares a president's proposed budget and is generally responsible for implementing the administration's agenda across agencies. The job is influential but Vought made clear as author of a Project 2025 chapter on presidential authority that he wants the post to wield more direct power. “The Director must view his job as the best, most comprehensive approximation of the President's mind,” Vought wrote. The OMB, he wrote, “is a President's air-traffic control system” and should be “involved in all aspects of the White House policy process,” becoming “powerful enough to override implementing agencies' bureaucracies.” Trump did not go into such details when naming Vought but implicitly endorsed aggressive action. Vought, the president-elect said, “knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State” — Trump's catch-all for federal bureaucracy — and would help “restore fiscal sanity.” In June, speaking on former Trump aide Steve Bannon's “War Room” podcast, Vought relished the potential tension: “We're not going to save our country without a little confrontation.” Vought could help Musk and Trump remake government's role and scope The strategy of further concentrating federal authority in the presidency permeates Project 2025's and Trump's campaign proposals. Vought's vision is especially striking when paired with Trump's proposals to dramatically expand the president's control over federal workers and government purse strings — ideas intertwined with the president-elect tapping mega-billionaire Elon Musk and venture capitalist Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a “Department of Government Efficiency.” Trump in his first term sought to remake the federal civil service by reclassifying tens of thousands of federal civil service workers — who have job protection through changes in administration — as political appointees, making them easier to fire and replace with loyalists. Currently, only about 4,000 of the federal government's roughly 2 million workers are political appointees. President Joe Biden rescinded Trump's changes. Trump can now reinstate them. Meanwhile, Musk's and Ramaswamy's sweeping “efficiency” mandates from Trump could turn on an old, defunct constitutional theory that the president — not Congress — is the real gatekeeper of federal spending. In his “Agenda 47,” Trump endorsed so-called “impoundment,” which holds that when lawmakers pass appropriations bills, they simply set a spending ceiling, but not a floor. The president, the theory holds, can simply decide not to spend money on anything he deems unnecessary. Vought did not venture into impoundment in his Project 2025 chapter. But, he wrote, “The President should use every possible tool to propose and impose fiscal discipline on the federal government. Anything short of that would constitute abject failure.” Trump's choice immediately sparked backlash. Homan and Miller reflect Trump's and Project 2025's immigration overl Trump's protests about Project 2025 always glossed over overlaps in the two agendas. Both want to reimpose Trump-era immigration limits. Project 2025 includes a litany of detailed proposals for various US immigration statutes, executive branch rules and agreements with other countries — reducing the number of refugees, work visa recipients and asylum seekers, for example. Miller is one of Trump's longest-serving advisers and architect of his immigration ideas, including his promise of the largest deportation force in US history. As deputy policy chief, which is not subject to Senate confirmation, Miller would remain in Trump's West Wing inner circle. “America is for Americans and Americans only,” Miller said at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally on October 27. “America First Legal,” Miller's organisation founded as an ideological counter to the American Civil Liberties Union, was listed as an advisory group to Project 2025 until Miller asked that the name be removed because of negative attention. Homan, a Project 2025 named contributor, was an acting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement director during Trump's first presidency, playing a key role in what became known as Trump's “family separation policy.” Previewing Trump 2.0 earlier this year, Homan said: “No one's off the table. If you're here illegally, you better be looking over your shoulder.” Project 2025 contributors slated for CIA and Federal Communications chiefs John Ratcliffe, Trump's pick to lead the CIA, was previously one of Trump's directors of national intelligence. He is a Project 2025 contributor. The document's chapter on US intelligence was written by Dustin Carmack, Ratcliffe's chief of staff in the first Trump administration. Reflecting Ratcliffe's and Trump's approach, Carmack declared the intelligence establishment too cautious. Ratcliffe, like the chapter attributed to Carmack, is hawkish toward China. Throughout the Project 2025 document, Beijing is framed as a US adversary that cannot be trusted. Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, wrote Project 2025's FCC chapter and is now Trump's pick to chair the panel. Carr wrote that the FCC chairman “is empowered with significant authority that is not shared” with other FCC members. He called for the FCC to address “threats to individual liberty posed by corporations that are abusing dominant positions in the market,” specifically “Big Tech and its attempts to drive diverse political viewpoints from the digital town square.” He called for more stringent transparency rules for social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube and “empower consumers to choose their own content filters and fact checkers, if any.” Carr and Ratcliffe would require Senate confirmation for their posts. (AP) GRS GRS (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)Lifestyle expert Carey Reilly shows various travel gifts for your family this summer. It’s the perfect time to pick up holiday gifts for your family and treat yourself to that pricey watch you wouldn’t splurge on otherwise. Black Friday is a worldwide cultural and economic phenomenon today. It comes with much anticipation, great discounts and a shopping frenzy. Its success is such that it now lasts the whole month. But don’t let the excitement cloud your judgment. The deals are enticing, but there are dangers lurking beneath the surface. I’M GIVING AWAY A $500 GIFT CARD FOR THE HOLIDAYS A woman shopping online on her laptop. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson) The devil’s in the privacy policy Particularly when it comes to online shopping, we give up personal data with every purchase. Information such as your email address, name and address is necessary to create an account or receive a delivery. And that’s fine as long as it’s used for these purposes only. However, the fine print linked under " Privacy Policy " that you agree to at checkout often comes with a long list or, worse still, an unspecified number of third parties with which your data will be shared. Retailers often sell personal information and purchase histories to third parties, such as marketing companies and data brokers, who use it to build detailed consumer profiles. Once it’s out there, it’s very hard to remove your information from these third-party databases. Arguably, this happens all the time, Black Friday or not. But with all the marketing strategies pushing us to buy quickly and buy more, we’re just less likely to pay attention. A woman shopping online on her laptop. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson) BEST WAY TO CONNECT YOUR NEW LAPTOP TO EXTERNAL DEVICES The spam and scam aftershock, a post-Black Friday hiccup The term "Black Friday" was originally coined in the 1950s by Philadelphia police officers to describe the chaos that ensued the day after Thanksgiving, when hordes of shoppers and tourists flooded the city. After the shopping extravaganza of Black Friday, your inbox and phone may experience their own dark moments. A surge in spam is widely reported during the month of November. This unwanted communication can come from several sources. First, from the online shops where you’ve left your email and phone number. Second, from all the companies that received your consumer profile, the ones listed (or not) in the fine print of the privacy policy. Third, from all the retailers you bought from in the past, including that one-time purchase of a kettlebell set three years ago (that you’d rather forget). But that’s not all; Black Friday is a fiesta for hackers, too, and the perfect time for social engineering attacks! The urgency and excitement of Black Friday deals encourage you to let your guard down. You’re likelier to click on links or open attachments without checking the source. And less likely to notice that a phishing email pretending to be sent by a big retailer has sneaked into your inbox. Your data is being collected, shared and sold as you read this article. A woman shopping online on her laptop. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson) THE DANGEROUS INTERSECTION OF PEOPLE SEARCH SITES AND SCAMS How to buy without being sold at the same time Reading privacy policies every time you buy something isn’t realistic. If you’re ambitious, use the search function (Ctrl+F or Command+F) to find terms like "opt out," "unsubscribe" or "do not sell" to quickly locate sections where you can limit data sharing. Depending on where you live, these options may simply not be available to you. An easier solution is to use a disposable email address whenever you open an account for the sole purpose of making a purchase. Once you receive your order confirmation, you can disable it so that no further communication is sent your way. You can also use privacy-focused tools or browsers that block tracking cookies and prevent companies from collecting your data. A woman shopping online on her laptop. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson) 5 SECRETS TO SHOPPING SMARTER ON AMAZON 8 tips to safeguard your email after Black Friday As the dust settles from the shopping rush, it's crucial to be proactive; here are eight essential tips to help you protect your email and personal information from the surge of spam and scams that often follow. 1. Create alias email addresses. An alias email address is an additional email address that can be used to receive emails in the same mailbox as the primary email address. It acts as a forwarding address, directing emails to the primary email address. An email alias address is a great way for you to stop receiving constant spam mail by simply deleting the email alias address. See my review of best secure and private email services here. 2. Use a password manager to consistently use complex passwords that you can change frequently. 3. Avoid opening attachments or clicking on links from emails unless you are sure they are from a trusted source. Scammers or hackers can easily change the name of the sender to make it look like it came from a legitimate organization such as Amazon or an individual. But if you click the email header, you will see the sender's actual email address. By pretending to be a reputable organization, the crooks send urgent messages to make you click on links, reply or provide personal information in an attempt to fix a problem or claim a reward. If you click on a malicious link, then a scammer may be able to access your email and other personal data. 4. Have strong antivirus software on all your devices: The best way to protect yourself from having your data breached is to have antivirus protection installed on all your devices. Having good antivirus software actively running on your devices will alert you of any malware in your system, warn you against clicking on any malicious links in phishing emails, and ultimately protect you from being hacked. WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)? Malicious links are often disguised as legitimate ones, but they can download malware onto your device without your knowledge. Malware is a type of software that can damage your device, steal your personal information, or give hackers access to your data. Hackers can then use your data for various purposes, such as identity theft , fraud or blackmail. This is why it is important to have antivirus software that can detect and remove malware before it causes any harm. Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices . 5. Go directly to the official site where you have any accounts , such as your financial institution, to check if any changes or charges were made instead of clicking links in the email you received or responding to the email. This way, you can avoid falling for phishing scams and keep your account secure. 6. Limit the number of accounts or profiles you create with your personal email account. 7. Regularly scrub your personal information on the internet . You don’t want spammers to take your email and add it to their lists, do you? That would result in annoying and potentially dangerous messages flooding your inbox. To prevent that, you need to make sure your personal information is not exposed on the internet. While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for data removal services here. 8. Using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) service can enhance your privacy by encrypting your internet traffic, making it harder for hackers and third parties to intercept your data, especially on public Wi-Fi. A VPN masks your IP address, helping to obscure your location and online activity. While VPNs don’t directly prevent phishing emails, they reduce the exposure of your browsing habits to trackers that may use this data maliciously. With a VPN, you can securely access your email accounts from anywhere, even in areas with restrictive internet policies. See my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices. I've been scammed! What to do next? If a scammer gets hold of your email address, they can use it to access your other accounts, send phishing emails to trick you into revealing your passwords or personal details, or even impersonate you to commit fraud or other crimes. This is why it is important to protect your email address from falling into the wrong hands and to act quickly if you suspect that it has been compromised. Below are some next steps if you find you or your loved one is a victim of identity theft. 1. If you can regain control of your accounts , change your passwords and inform the account provider. 2. Look through bank statements and checking account transactions to see where outlier activity started. GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE 3. Use identity theft protection services to manage your personal information on and offline. Identity Theft protection companies can monitor personal information like your home title, Social Security Number (SSN), phone number, and email address and alert you if it is being used to open an account. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals. One of the best parts of using identity theft protections services is that it can include identity theft insurance of up to $ 1 million to cover losses and legal fees and a white-glove fraud resolution team where a U.S.-based case manager helps you recover any losses. See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft. 4. Report any breaches to official government agencies like the Federal Communications Commission. 5. You may wish to get the professional advice of a lawyer before speaking to law enforcement, especially when you are dealing with criminal identity theft, and if being a victim of criminal identity theft leaves you unable to secure employment or housing. 6. Alert all three major credit bureaus and possibly place a fraud alert on your credit report. 7. Run your own background check or request a copy of one if that is how you discovered your information has been used by a criminal. If you are a victim of identity theft, the most important thing to do is to take immediate action to mitigate the damage and prevent further harm. Kurt's key takeaways Navigating the world of online shopping during Black Friday can be a thrilling yet daunting experience. While the discounts are enticing, they often come with hidden costs — namely, your personal data. As you prepare your shopping list, consider utilizing tools to safeguard your information. These resources can help you maintain your privacy while enjoying the benefits of online shopping. Also, remember that post-Black Friday, you may find yourself inundated with spam and unwanted communications from retailers and third parties. Taking proactive steps now can save you from future headaches. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Have you ever experienced a data breach or privacy issue while shopping online? How did you handle it? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to cover . Follow Kurt on his social channels: Facebook YouTube Instagram Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions: What is the best way to protect your Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android devices from getting hacked? What is the best way to stay private, secure and anonymous while browsing the web? How can I get rid of robocalls with apps and data removal services? How do I remove my private data from the internet? New from Kurt: Try CyberGuy's new games (crosswords, word searches, trivia and more!) Enter Cyberguy’s $500 Holiday Gift Card Sweepstakes Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of Spaniards marched in downtown Barcelona on Saturday to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in the popular tourist destination. Protesters cut off traffic on main avenues in the city center, holding up homemade signs in Spanish reading “Fewer apartments for investing and more homes for living" and “The people without homes uphold their rights.” The lack of affordable housing has become one of the leading concerns for the southern European Union country, mirroring the housing crunch across many parts of the world, including the United States . Organizers said that over 100,000 had turned out, while Barcelona’s police said they estimated some 22,000 marched. Either way, the throngs of people clogging the streets recalled the massive separatist rallies at the heigh of the previous decade’s Catalan independence movement. Now, social concerns led by housing have displaced political crusades. That is because the average rent for Spain has doubled in last 10 years. The price per square meter has risen from 7.2 euros ($7.5) in 2014 to 13 euros this year, according to the popular online real estate website Idealista. The growth is even more acute in cities like Barcelona and Madrid. Incomes meanwhile have failed to keep up, especially for younger people in a country with chronically high unemployment. Protestor Samuel Saintot said he is “frustrated and scared” after being told by the owners of the apartment he has rented for the past 15 years in Barcelona’s city center that he must vacate the premises. He suspects that the owners want him out so they can renovate it and boost the price. “Even looking in a 20- or 30-kilometer radius outside town, I can’t even find anything within the price range I can afford,” he told The Associated Press. “And I consider myself a very fortunate person, because I earn a decent salary. And even in my case, I may be forced to leave town.” A report by the Bank of Spain indicates that nearly 40% of Spaniards who rent dedicate an average of 40% of their income to paying rents and utilities, compared to the European Union average of 27% of renters who do so. “We are talking about a housing emergency. It means people having many difficulties both in accessing and staying in their homes,” said Ignasi Martí, professor for Esade business school and head of its Dignified Housing Observatory. The rise in rents is causing significant pain in Spain, where traditionally people seek to own their homes. Rental prices have also been driven up by short-term renters including tourists. Many migrants to Spain are also disproportionately hit by the high rents because they often do not have enough savings. Spain is near the bottom end of OECD countries with under 2% of all housing available being public housing for rent. The OECD average is 7%. Spain is far behind France, with 14%, Britain with 16%, and the Netherlands with 34%. Carme Arcarazo, spokesperson for Barcelona’s Tenants Union which helped organize the protest, said that renters should consider a “rent strike” and cease paying their monthly rents in a mass protest movement. “I think we the tenants have understood that this depends on us. That we can’t keep asking and making demands to the authorities and waiting for an answer. We must take the reins of the situation,” Arcarazo told the AP. “So, if they (the owners) won’t lower the rent, then we will force them to do it." The Barcelona protest came a month after tens of thousands rallied against high rents in Madrid. The rising discontent over housing is putting pressure on Spain’s governing Socialist party, which leads a coalition on the national level and is in charge of Catalonia’s regional government and Barcelona’s city hall. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez presided over what the government termed a “housing summit” including government officials and real estate developers last month. But the Barcelona’s Tenants Union boycotted the event, saying it was like calling a summit for curing cancer and inviting tobacco companies to participate. The leading government measure has been a rent cap mechanism that the central government has offered to regional authorities based on a price index established by the housing ministry. Rent controls can be applied to areas deemed to be “highly stressed” by high rental prices. Catalonia was the first region to apply those caps, which are in place in downtown Barcelona. Many locals blame the million of tourists who visit Barcelona, and the rest of Spain, each year for the high prices. Barcelona’s town hall has pledged to completely eliminate the city’s 10,000 so called “tourist apartments,” or dwellings with permits for short-term rents, by 2028.