new slots Trump’s promises to conservatives raise fears of more book bans in US

[REFLECTION] He loved with a human heart

Chinese cybersecurity firm sanctioned, employee charged by US

STEM Education Expert Offers Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids of All AgesA number of Donald Trump ’s picks for positions in his administration have been targeted with “violent” threats over the past day, a transition team spokesperson said in a statement. The group, which includes both the president-elect’s Cabinet nominees and administrative appointees, “were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them. These attacks ranged from bomb threats to ‘swatting,’” press aide Karoline Leavitt said in the statement. The threats, however, were not credible, NBC News reported based on three unnamed senior law enforcement officials. They said that no devices had been found and that the threats may have been conveyed on social media, and that the threats were not directed at Trump, JD Vance, or any others protected by the Secret Service. ADVERTISEMENT New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump’s pick for ambassador to the United Nations, was driving home from Washington, D.C., for Thanksgiving with her husband and three-year-old son when they were notified of a bomb threat at their residence, according to a statement released by Stefanik’s office. “New York State, County law enforcement, and U.S. Capitol Police responded immediately with the highest levels of professionalism,” it read . “We are incredibly appreciative of the extraordinary dedication of law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe 24/7. We want to share our best wishes to the Upstate NY community for a happy and safe Thanksgiving.” Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, once Trump’s nominee for attorney general, was also among those targeted—even though he had previously withdrawn his name from contention amid a number of sexual misconduct allegations. Police in Florida’s Okaloosa County said in a statement that a bomb threat had been made against the home of a relative of Gaetz’s, although they emphasized that “Gaetz is NOT a resident” of the address that was targeted. After performing a sweep, the police did not find any devices. Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin, said on X that a bomb threat was also made against his home. “My family and I were not home at the time and are safe. We are working with law enforcement to learn more as this situation develops,” he said. “We are thankful for the swift actions taken by local officers to keep our family, neighbors, and local community secure.” The FBI said in a statement that it is aware of the threats and is working with law enforcement partners to address them. “President Trump and the Transition are focused on doing the work of uniting our nation by ensuring a safe and prosperous future,” Leavitt said. “With President Trump as our example, dangerous acts of intimidation and violence will not deter us.”

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel says he was surprised by reports of Shaq Barrett's unretirement plan

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By MICHELLE L. PRICE and ROB GILLIES NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. They were also prime trolling opportunities for Trump. Related Articles National Politics | Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina Khan National Politics | Biden says he was ‘stupid’ not to put his name on pandemic relief checks like Trump did National Politics | Biden issues veto threat on bill expanding federal judiciary as partisan split emerges National Politics | Trump lawyers and aide hit with 10 additional felony charges in Wisconsin over 2020 fake electors National Politics | After withdrawing as attorney general nominee, Matt Gaetz lands a talk show on OANN television Throughout his first term in the White House and during his campaign to return, Trump has spun out countless provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. There were his belittling nicknames for political opponents, his impressions of other political figures and the plentiful memes he shared on social media. Now that’s he’s preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. On Sunday, Trump turned a photo of himself seated near a smiling first lady Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony into a social media promo for his new perfume and cologne line, with the tag line, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist!” The first lady’s office declined to comment. When Trudeau hastily flew to Florida to meet with Trump last month over the president-elect’s threat to impose a 25% tax on all Canadian products entering the U.S., the Republican tossed out the idea that Canada become the 51st U.S. state. The Canadians passed off the comment as a joke, but Trump has continued to play up the dig, including in a post Tuesday morning on his social media network referring to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” After decades as an entertainer and tabloid fixture, Trump has a flair for the provocative that is aimed at attracting attention and, in his most recent incarnation as a politician, mobilizing fans. He has long relished poking at his opponents, both to demean and minimize them and to delight supporters who share his irreverent comments and posts widely online and cheer for them in person. Trump, to the joy of his fans, first publicly needled Canada on his social media network a week ago when he posted an AI-generated image that showed him standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!” After his latest post, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday: “It sounds like we’re living in a episode of South Park.” Trudeau said earlier this week that when it comes to Trump, “his approach will often be to challenge people, to destabilize a negotiating partner, to offer uncertainty and even sometimes a bit of chaos into the well established hallways of democracies and institutions and one of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic.” Even Thanksgiving dinner isn’t a trolling-free zone for Trump’s adversaries. On Thanksgiving Day, Trump posted a movie clip from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with President Joe Biden and other Democrats’ faces superimposed on the characters in a spoof of the turkey-carving scene. The video shows Trump appearing to explode out of the turkey in a swirl of purple sparks, with the former president stiffly dancing to one of his favorite songs, Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” In his most recent presidential campaign, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, refusing to call his GOP primary opponent by his real name and instead dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He added, for good measure, in a post on his Truth Social network: “I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will.” As he campaigned against Biden, Trump taunted him in online posts and with comments and impressions at his rallies, deriding the president over his intellect, his walk, his golf game and even his beach body. After Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden’s spot as the Democratic nominee, Trump repeatedly suggested she never worked at McDonalds while in college. Trump, true to form, turned his mocking into a spectacle by appearing at a Pennsylvania McDonalds in October, when he manned the fries station and held an impromptu news conference from the restaurant drive-thru. Trump’s team thinks people should get a sense of humor. “President Trump is a master at messaging and he’s always relatable to the average person, whereas many media members take themselves too seriously and have no concept of anything else other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “President Trump will Make America Great Again and we are getting back to a sense of optimism after a tumultuous four years.” Though both the Biden and Harris campaigns created and shared memes and launched other stunts to respond to Trump’s taunts, so far America’s neighbors to the north are not taking the bait. “I don’t think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy,” Miller said. Gerald Butts, a former top adviser to Trudeau and a close friend, said Trump brought up the 51st state line to Trudeau repeatedly during Trump’s first term in office. “Oh God,” Butts said Tuesday, “At least a half dozen times.” “This is who he is and what he does. He’s trying to destabilize everybody and make people anxious,” Butts said. “He’s trying to get people on the defensive and anxious and therefore willing to do things they wouldn’t otherwise entertain if they had their wits about them. I don’t know why anybody is surprised by it.” Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.Demi Moore revealed how actor Bruce Willis almost two years after he was revealed his dementia diagnosis . Ex-wife Moore answered questions on CNN about his ongoing health battle, saying that he “in a very stable place at the moment.” “I’ve shared this before, but I really mean this so sincerely,” Moore said. “It’s so important for anybody who’s dealing with this, to really meet them where they’re at, and from that place, there is such loving and joy.” In 2022, Willis' family announced his aphasia diagnosis, a language disorder that makes it hard for those to communicate or understand others. In 2023, they learned the aphasia was a result of frontotemporal dementia. “I’ve known that something was wrong for a long time. It started out with a kind of vague unresponsiveness, which the family chalked up to Hollywood hearing loss,” his daughter Tallulah Willis wrote in Vogue in 2023. “I find that I’m trying to document, to build a record for the day when he isn’t there to remind me of him and of us.” His second wife, Emma Heming Willis, currently is the actor’s caretaker. Moore emphasized that Willis' condition is “very difficult,” and said that she wouldn’t wish it on anyone. “There is great loss,” Moore said. “but there is also great beauty.” Soap opera star Thom Christopher died on Dec. 5 at the age of 84. Christopher starred as villain Carlo Hessler on the long-running soap One Life to Live . Former co-star Anthony Crivello announced his death in a Facebook with a heartfelt message. “He was always a gentleman, always supportive, and he and his wife Judith who proceeded him in death, where always gracious to me and welcoming,” Crivello, who played Christopher’s son, wrote. Christopher’s wife Judith died in 2019. “May Thom fly on Wings of Angels to be beside his beloved Judith, and may they enjoy each other’s company once again, beside the ‘Pearly Gates’ of heaven.” Christopher appeared on the series from 1991 to 2008. One Life to Live ran from 1956 until 2013. In 1992, he won a daytime Emmy for best supporting actor for his work on the show. The name TASER is already synonymous with public safety, with professionals everywhere relying on them for unparalleled protection in all kinds of situations. If you want to get the same sense of security and peace of mind, the TASER Pulse 2 is here to meet your needs. The TASER Pulse 2 is the ultimate compact solution for less-lethal self-defense. Like all TASER devices, the Pulse 2 is designed to empower you to take control of your safety with confidence and clarity while lessening the risk of accidentally hurting yourself (or worse). The TASER Pulse 2 has a traditional compact gun design, making it concealable, easy to carry, and perfect for incorporating into your everyday life , so you can feel fully prepared for any situation that may arise. As the saying goes: if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready. The TASER Pulse 2 also makes the perfect gift to share with a loved one during this holiday season. After all, you can’t put a price on feeling protected! Whether you’re buying for yourself or someone you care about, now is the perfect time to invest in security by grabbing this reliable tool. If you buy something from this post, we may earn a small commission. Randy Moss, former wide receiver, Hall of Famer and current ESPN pundit for “Sunday NFL Countdown,” is stepping back from the show due to heath issues, according to the network. The hiatus, announced on Friday, comes after an Instagram post by Moss on Sunday asking for prayers. In the video, he said he has been battling “something internal,” and that he has a “great team of doctors.” The star then referred to viewers mentioning his seemingly yellow eyes last week, and put on a pair of sunglasses. “Your boy is going to get through it,” Moss said. “So if you see me with my... glasses on, y’all know what I’m battling,” ESPN said Moss had the network’s “full support’ and that they “look forward to welcoming him back when he is ready.” In the Instagram video, Moss, 47, told men to get their check-ups and bloodwork done. “I just ask for all the prayer warriors to put their blessing hands on me and my family through these hard times,” Moss said. A post shared by Randygmoss (@randygmoss) Britney Spears didn’t move to Mexico— despite the video of Spears saying she did, a source told The Hollywood Reporter . The singer originally told fans that she moved to Mexico to escape the “incredibly cruel” paparazzi. “It really kind of hurts my feelings that the paparazzi make my face look like I’m wearing like a white Jason mask, and it doesn’t even look like me,” Spears said on Tuesday. “They’ve always been incredibly cruel to me, the paparazzi and pictures and the way they’ve illustrated me to be in some of it. I know I’m not perfect at all, by any means, but some of it is extremely mean and cruel, and that’s why I’ve moved to Mexico.” The clip was part of a longer video marking Spears’ 43rd birthday on Monday, which was also the day her divorce with Sam Asghari was finalized, according to TMZ . Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. If you’re looking to revamp your at-home fitness lineup ahead of 2025 and don’t have hours to commit to exercising each day, allow us to introduce you to the CAROL Bike . The science-backed and AI-powered fitness bike is engineered to give you maximum results in the shortest time possible—and by the shortest time, we mean as little as five minutes. In fact, according to the brand, the CAROL bike is “proven to deliver double the health and fitness benefits in 90 percent less time compared to regular cardio.” Free Returns | Free Shipping Not only is it a huge time-saver, but the CAROL Bike is also designed to be personalized to the rider’s individual fitness levels, goals, and preferences, making the workouts easy to follow, time-efficient, and super effective. CAROL’s AI and Reduced Exertion HIIT (REHIT) technology optimizes the workout to your ability and fitness level, so every second matters. The personalized, optimal resistance levels are automatically adjusted as you work out—at exactly the right time—making the most efficient workouts easy to follow. “ CAROL Bike is designed to maximize training efficiency, with the shortest, most effective workouts, backed by science. And new rider-inspired features that give riders more flexibility to exercise their way,” says Ulrich Dempfle, CEO & Co-Founder at CAROL. You can try the CAROL Bike for yourself risk-free for 100 days, and the brand offers free shipping (7-10 business days) in the U.S. A federal court upheld a law stating that TikTok needs to cut ties with its parent company, Chinese-owned ByteDance, or be banned in the U.S. on Jan. 19, 2025. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied TikTok’s appeal to overturn the law. The company argued that it violated the First Amendment. “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” said the court’s opinion, written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.” TikTok and ByteDance are expected to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, though it’s unclear if the Court would hear the case. The ban was signed into law by Joe Biden in April, capping off a years-long fight against the popular app, which lawmakers view as a threat to national security. Two hikers reportedly stumbled upon a woman tied to a tree and crying in Monterey County, California, on Wednesday. According to SF Gate , she was walking a trail in Pebble Beach around 7:30 that morning when she noticed a “suspicious male” behind her, holding a gun. The man did not take anything from her or assault her or injure her, just left her tied up for two hours before the passersby found her. With the help of another hiker, he untied the woman and called the police. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office subsequently launched a search for the suspect, described as being in his 30s with a neck tattoo involving the letter Z. SFGate reports that while authorities haven’t identified anyone matching that description yet, they say there is “no active threat to the community.” Confusing celebrity update: Paris Jackson, daughter of late musician Michael Jackson , is engaged to Justin Long. Not the Justin Long I think you’re thinking of (he’s married to Kate Bosworth) but another Justin Long; the Justin Long who Jackson has been dating for about two years. He works as a music producer, sound engineer, and mixer, according to The Daily Mail , and first appeared on Jackson’s Instagram in Nov. 2022. The next time he showed up on her grid was Friday, in a carousel she posted to celebrate Long’s birthday, which also included photos of the proposal. “Happy birthday, my sweet blue,” she captioned the post, using her nickname for her fiancé. “Doing life with you these last years has been an indescribable whirlwind and I couldn’t dream of anyone more perfect for me to do it all with.” As for when the pair became engaged, Jackson was photographed wearing a big diamond ring during Paris Fashion Week this past September. Consider this the hard launch? The jury in Daniel Penny’s manslaughter case signaled Friday that they’re struggling to reach a verdict on the case. They must decide if Penny “recklessly” caused the death of Jordan Neely by putting him in a six-minute chokehold on the subway in May 2023. Penny’s attorneys argued that the former Marine was justified in putting Neely in a chokehold because witnesses say he told passengers, “Somebody’s going to die today,” and that he was ready to go to jail. Prosecutors argue that no witnesses testified that Neely brandished a weapon or touched anybody, and that Penny kept Neely in the chokehold long after other passengers left the train. The jury has been deliberating since Tuesday. The jury could also convict him of the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide. If the jury can’t reach a verdict then Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Maxwell Wiley would issue an “Allen” charge, which urges them to reach a unanimous verdict. Penny faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the manslaughter charge, or up to four years if convicted of a lesser count. Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. It’s not every day that you can score a deal on a high-quality printer at a lower cost. Investing in a quality printer for your home or office is a game-changer, and while it’s not the most fun purchase, it’ll pay for itself in a couple of months. Fortunately, you don’t have to pay full price for a solid printer, thanks to HP’s current sale . Right now, you can score the HP Envy Inspire 7955e , the brand’s premium at-home photo printer for $70 off. If you’re looking for a solid holiday gift that they’ll actually use, the deluxe multi-purpose printer is a great choice—especially for photographers and anyone who works from home. The all-in-one printer is also designed with HP’s Wolf Essential Security system to keep your information secure and keep hackers out. Plus, unlike other printers that require you to get your hands dirty to replenish the ink, this one offers a 15-second mess-free ink refill experience with bottles that can be plugged into the tank. Say goodbye to messes and hello to your new printer . Best of all? For a limited time, score three months of Instant Ink with HP+. Donald Trump on Friday fired off an unequivocal message of support for his defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth in the wake of several damaging reports about the Fox News star’s alleged behavior. “Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe,” the president-elect wrote on Truth Social. “He was a great student—Princeton/Harvard educated—with a Military state of mind. He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense Defense, one who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!” Trump’s post came the morning after Hegseth spent the day meeting with senators whose votes he’ll need to be confirmed as the next Pentagon chief. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Hegseth insisted he’d had a “ great week ”—despite multiple bombshell reports emerging in recent days about his alleged drunken antics, which he denies, along with rumors that Trump is considering replacing him with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as his nominee for defense secretary. “As long as Donald Trump wants me in this fight, I’m going to be standing right here in this fight,” Hegseth said. A top Romanian court alleged Friday that Russia conducted an elaborate TikTok psy op to get a pro-Putin political newcomer elected president. The European Union member state’s Constitutional Court made the unprecedented decision to annul the results after the first round of its election votes, with Sunday’s second round of voting canceled, too. A raft of now-released intelligence reports allege that front-runner Calin Georgescu soared into the lead backed by 25,000 TikTok accounts based in Moscow. The Euro skeptic and anti-NATO Georgescu, who has professed his admiration of Romania’s fascist past, was a relative nobody before the election and was polling at around 5 percent. The U.S. State Department said earlier this week that it was concerned by the Romanian Supreme Council of National Defense’s “report of Russian involvement in malign cyber activity designed to influence the integrity of the Romanian electoral process.”

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By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Andrew Ferguson as the next chair of the Federal Trade Commission . He will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars’ worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behavior . Ferguson is already one of the FTC’s five commissioners, which is currently made up of three Democrats and two Republicans. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” Related Articles National Politics | Donald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trolling National Politics | Biden says he was ‘stupid’ not to put his name on pandemic relief checks like Trump did National Politics | Biden issues veto threat on bill expanding federal judiciary as partisan split emerges National Politics | Trump lawyers and aide hit with 10 additional felony charges in Wisconsin over 2020 fake electors National Politics | After withdrawing as attorney general nominee, Matt Gaetz lands a talk show on OANN television The replacement of Khan likely means that the FTC will operate with a lighter touch when it comes to antitrust enforcement. The new chair is expected to appoint new directors of the FTC’s antitrust and consumer protection divisions. “These changes likely will make the FTC more favorable to business than it has been in recent years, though the extent to which is to be determined,” wrote Anthony DiResta, a consumer protection attorney at Holland & Knight, in a recent analysis . Deals that were blocked by the Biden administration could find new life with Trump in command. For example, the new leadership could be more open to a proposed merger between the country’s two biggest supermarket chains, Kroger and Albertsons, which forged a $24.6 billion deal to combine in 2022. Two judges halted the merger Tuesday night. The FTC had filed a lawsuit in federal court earlier this year to block the merger, claiming the deal would eliminate competition, leading to higher prices and lower wages for workers. The two companies say a merger would help them lower prices and compete against bigger rivals like Walmart. One of the judges said the FTC had shown it was likely to prevail in the administrative hearing. Yet given the widespread public concern over high grocery prices, the Trump administration may not fully abandon the FTC’s efforts to block the deal, some experts have said. And the FTC may continue to scrutinize Big Tech firms for any anticompetitive behavior. Many Republican politicians have accused firms such as Meta of censoring conservative views, and some officials in Trump’s orbit, most notably Vice President-elect JD Vance, have previously expressed support for Khan’s scrutiny of Big Tech firms. In addition to Fergson, Trump also announced Tuesday that he had selected Jacob Helberg as the next undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment.Expect more affordable housing units as the province spends $150 million for new developments. “I am pleased to announce that the Alberta Affordable Housing Partnership Program is opening for the next round of applications,” said Jason Nixon, Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister. With National Housing Day, the Alberta Government pledge to increase its efforts to address housing affordability in the province. From the start of 2024 up until October, the province saw an estimated $38,000 houses being constructed, which is more compared to last year. “The reality is though that while Alberta is having success we recognize that there are still many struggling to find housing and to meet their needs. Which is why we know there’s more that needs to be done,” said Nixon. Alberta saw an increase in population by about 200,000 last year. One organization stated that while the funding is a start, there’s still a lot more that needs to be done. “We didn’t have a real housing crisis and the government didn’t invest in affordable and community housing over the years the same way. And now we’re here and we’re trying to meet the growing demand, so we are playing catch up,” said Irene Martion-Lindsay, the executive director of Alberta Seniors and Community Housing Association. Martin-Lindsay also says that there has been a growing demand for the adult population needing affordable homes. “This has been happening for a while and it’s really hard for them to be prioritized, but the older adults that aren’t seniors that are in that 55 to 65, they’re really struggling because of the lower-end fixed income,” said Martin-Lindsay. This is not the first time Alberta invested in affordable housing, in 2022 the government put $189 million into supporting units and shelters within 15 communities. The province opens the application for the new housing development this Friday up until January 31, 2025.