717 bet

717 bet It didn't take long for Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs to make an impact in Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers. Josh Jacobs gets free for a big gain early! : #SFvsGB on FOX : https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/injfKW5zxb The Packers RB continued his first-half dominance with a TD run in the second quarter that put Green Bay up 17-0 at the time. Josh Jacobs TD! And then gets for his Lambeau Leap! : #SFvsGB on FOX : https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/fFyMzjs5BR Jacobs' success on the ground was the story of the first half. With 19 carries for 91 yards and a TD, Jacobs could not be contained by the San Francisco defense. As a team, the Packers had 125 yards on the ground to just three for San Francisco. Had it not been for two Christian Watson drops just before halftime, the Packers could have had a larger lead. Sunday's performance continues an impressive first season for Jacobs in Green Bay. Jacobs' 838 yards rushing coming into Sunday rank third in the NFL, only trailing Derrick Henry (1,185) of the Baltimore Ravens and Saquon Barkley (1,137) of the Philadelphia Eagles. Jacobs' TD run on Sunday gives him five on the ground this season. If Jacobs can keep running the ball with this amount of effectiveness, it should help balance out the offense and take some of the load off QB Jordan Love down the stretch.NoneTrump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban so he can weigh in after he takes office

Jack Eichel says Team USA seeks to prove it has closed the gap on Canada at 4 Nations Face-OffFirst of its kind, AI-powered innovation center in National Landing will support startups targeting critical national security challenges at the intersection of defense and energy ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Venture capital firm Energy Innovation Capital (EIC), global digital and AI transformation consulting firm A&MPLIFY by Alvarez and Marsal , world class engineering and research university Virginia Tech , leading cloud and AI platform Amazon Web Services (AWS) , and DC region real estate owner and developer JBG SMITH today announced the launch of the Virtus Innovation Center (Virtus) in National Landing ( www.virtusinnovation.com ). While Washington, DC is the epicenter for energy policy and national security, there is untapped potential in the market and a lack of innovation programs that effectively bridge capital formation, incubation, and acceleration for early-stage companies. Once funding is secured, Virtus' differentiated platform aims to leverage the collective expertise of its partners to provide startup companies the physical resources, capital, and strategic support they need to develop innovative national security and energy technologies. The plan for Virtus' integrated approach includes: "Over the last 20 years the team at EIC has invested in 150 industrial technology companies enabling electrification, decarbonization, AI, autonomy, and critical technology onshoring. The convergence of these sectors has created significant national security and energy resiliency innovation opportunities,” said Andrew Lackner, Managing Partner of EIC Virtus. "The Virtus Innovation Center will enable startups to leverage DC's defense and energy ecosystem to accelerate the commercialization of dual-use technologies. We look forward to collaborating with startups, corporations, federal agencies, and other investors to accelerate technologies critical to the national interest of the US.” "We've seen the success that is possible when startups and corporations work together to find better technological solutions, and Virtus Innovation Incubator is an exciting opportunity to accomplish that in an established and global industry,” said Bob Ghafouri, Co-Founder and Managing Director at A&MPLIFY by Alvarez & Marsal. "Large, forward-thinking companies are engaging successfully with startups, looking at startups as discovery arms and co-collaborators for innovation.” "With the increasing importance of supporting the growth and energy demand of Artificial Intelligence, the intersection of energy and defense has become a national security priority,” said Matt Kelly, JBG SMITH CEO. "As the incubator partner of the Virtus Innovation Center, we are well-positioned with our physical space near the Pentagon and AI infrastructure to collaborate and scale innovation across the startup community to create new solutions for defense and energy.” Virtus aims to meet the heightened demand for technological advancement in energy and security, driven by various factors including: increased geopolitical activity and the evolving complexity of physical and digital threats; the multi-decade shift to lower-carbon energy; and the exponential growth of data, large language models, data centers, and widespread digitalization across sectors that has transformed how work is done. Virtus will also directly benefit from its strategic location in National Landing, which offers a high concentration of defense-tech and adjacent industries, all of which are clustered together with immediate proximity to the Pentagon, Amazon HQ2, Virginia Tech's $1B Innovation Campus and dozens of relevant private enterprises and government agencies, including seven of the ten largest recipients of federal defense spending. "Virginia Tech could not be more excited to collaborate with Virtus and partners to ensure cutting-edge technologies with dual-use applications including artificial intelligence, integrated communications and networking, and quantum information and sensing reach the marketplace to support the pressing needs of the nation,” said Eric Paterson, Virginia Tech National Security Institute Executive Director. "With proximity to the nation's Capital, the institute and Innovation Campus bring vast expertise, unique research facilities, and mission-oriented initiatives, which position us to assist partners in the curation of new startups that seek to solve emerging national security challenges.” Learn more about the Virtus Innovation Center: www.virtusinnovation.com About A&MPLIFY by Alvarez & Marsal A&MPLIFY is the artificial intelligence and digital transformation unit of Alvarez & Marsal. We are marketers, product managers, technologists and data scientists from industry, consulting and technology with innovation studios across the US, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia and the Middle East. To learn more, visit www.a-mplify.com . About Alvarez & Marsal Founded in 1983, Alvarez & Marsal is a leading global professional services firm. Renowned for its leadership, action and results, Alvarez & Marsal provides advisory, business performance improvement and turnaround management services, delivering practical solutions to address clients' unique challenges. With a world-wide network of experienced operators, world-class consultants, former regulators and industry authorities, Alvarez & Marsal helps corporates, boards, private equity firms, law firms and government agencies drive transformation, mitigate risk and unlock value at every stage of growth. To learn more, visit AlvarezandMarsal.com . About Energy Innovation Capital (EIC) Energy Innovation Capital invests in companies that are developing industrial technologies transforming energy, national security, and resource intensive industries. EIC currently manages four venture capital funds with AUM of $350M, a corporate innovation partnership program, and an active portfolio of 33 companies. For more information, please visit www.energyinnovationcapital.com . About JBG SMITH JBG SMITH owns, operates, invests in, and develops mixed-use properties in high growth and high barrier-to-entry submarkets in and around Washington, DC, most notably National Landing. Through an intense focus on placemaking, JBG SMITH cultivates vibrant, amenity-rich, walkable neighborhoods throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Approximately 75.0% of JBG SMITH's holdings are in the National Landing submarket in Northern Virginia, which is anchored by four key demand drivers: Amazon's new headquarters; Virginia Tech's under-construction $1 billion Innovation Campus; the submarket's proximity to the Pentagon; and our retail and digital placemaking initiatives and public infrastructure improvements. JBG SMITH's dynamic portfolio currently comprises 13.1 million square feet of high-growth multifamily, office and retail assets at share, 98% of which are Metro-served. It also maintains a development pipeline encompassing 9.3 million square feet of mixed-use, primarily multifamily, development opportunities. JBG SMITH is committed to the operation and development of green, smart, and healthy buildings and plans to maintain carbon neutral operations annually. For more information on JBG SMITH please visit www.jbgsmith.com . About Virginia Tech In 1987 Virginia Tech was designated an R1 institution, which is the highest designation for research universities. With locations in Blacksburg and Roanoke, Virginia, and the Washington D.C. metro area including the Innovation Campus, Virginia Tech offers approximately 280 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 38,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students across the commonwealth. The university's research enterprise encompasses over $419 million in sponsored research expenditures in fiscal year 2023. Virginia Tech is one of six senior military colleges in the U.S., a National Security Agency Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research , Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations, and an Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence. One of the university's seven research institutes , the Virginia Tech National Security Institute brings together transdisciplinary researchers, programs, and resources from across the university, integrating student learning and cutting-edge research at a scale unmatched by other organizations, producing research and impacting policy related to legal and practical challenges facing national intelligence, defense, law enforcement, homeland security, and cybersecurity communities that are relevant to current questions of national security law and policy and that aid senior policymakers, key departments, and agencies. CONTACT: Contact: Bethany Hilt [email protected]We need a leader of that stature By His grace, the Almighty bestowed us a beautiful and powerful country full of potential and with the vision to lead not only ourselves but the whole Muslim Ummah. But unfortunately we are losing our destiny by our negligence and the misbehaving of some of our institutions and there is absolutely nobody to stop them as we all are feeling helpless and hopeless. When Pakistan was in the making there were so many leaders and ulema who were discouraging, and opposing the rationale of Pakistan. However, the great leader, the Quaid-e-Azam, was very much clear in his mind to the follow the two-nation theory. The Quaid Azam made it possible which had seemed to be impossible, and the whole world recognised Pakistan including our diehard enemies and conspirators. Pakistan has everything and every right to grow and develop as an advanced country, but can’t move ahead due to some internal conspiracies of our esteemed institutions and some visible and invisible external friends who desire Pakistan to remain as a poor and dependent country. These countries claimed to be very sincere and are shown like brothers, but they included those who are continuously busy in hatching many killing conspiracies and carrying out diplomacy to ensure our failure. At the same time these countries grant some financial assistance to Pakistan so that they can’t be recognised and their real face couldn’t be disclosed. These countries used our political and departmental leaderships to destroy our way of prosperity by accepting and gaining some personal gifts and invisible benefits so our these leaders understood that they are doing a wonderful job for Pakistan. And this is not happening the first time, it happened so many times and every time Pakistan pulled back to 50 years, however our leaders including officers became billionaires and they left the country and settled in Europe after retirement, as did political leadership. At the same time Pakistan suffered a big financial and political crises or even collapse. The whole system of Pakistan, including the Supreme Court and High Courts and poor public, has to face unbearable price hike, inflation, joblessness, indiscipline, lawlessness, currency consistently devaluing and everywhere frustrations and disappointment. Hundreds of thousands of young boys migrated to Europe and other countries but neither political nor departmental officers (the establishment) had any regrets or felt the defeat of Pakistan. Rather all look busy for another similar episode as it is being repeated so many times and every time Pakistan loses and they, foreign friends and our leaders win to be billionaires. Interestingly, nobody is there to think about a poor man or the public. Pakistan lost many heroes and leaders for this and ready for next time, only faces may change but script and story is the same even the result is also the same and this friendly conspiracy of our foreign friends used to happen in so many other countries like Iraq, Egypt, Sudan and so on Now we are seeking a new Quaid-e-Azam for Pakistan to desire for visionary and principled leadership similar to that of the founder of the nation. The Quaid-e-Azam’s leadership was defined by his steadfast commitment to democracy, rule of law, and the betterment of all citizens, regardless of faith or background. We are in need of such leadership today and Pakistan would benefit from a leader who is transparent, stands against corruption, and builds trust through honest governance. A leader who works to bridge divisions, foster national unity, and create a society where diversity is respected. A forward-thinking leader who focuses on education, economic development, and technological advancement, and upholding the rule of law and reinforcing an independent judiciary to protect democracy and citizens’ rights. The challenge lies in finding or cultivating such a leader within the current political, social, and economic landscape. This requires civic engagement, reforms, and fostering a culture that rewards merit, innovation, and ethical conduct and an independent foreign policy and diplomacy of other friendly countries not to interfere in our internal matters, politics and specially in our establishments. The leader who identifies who is loyal to Pakistan and who is not loyal and at the same time makes laws to control our officers who joined hands with other countries and received highly valuable gifts and invisible benefits from these countries to destroy Pakistan. Although it seems impossible, I as a citizen of Pakistan am seeking and searching for the Quaid-e-Azam who can do it. Searching for the Quaid-e-Azam is a question of one billion dollars. Perhaps that leader is already present in Pakistan or he is behind the bar or we, everybody, is a successor of Quaid-e-Azam, just to realize ourselves by following Allama Iqbal’s ...” Khudi ko kar Buland itna “ To become a new Quaid-e-Azam for Pakistan to save it from all foreign and internal conspiracies and aggression by putting Pakistan on its real path of progress and prosperity. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

University of Phoenix Recognized With 2024 Academic Partner of the Year Award by EC-Council, the World’s Largest Cybersecurity Certification BodyCelebrity-inspired Thanksgiving recipes, plus last-minute holiday meal ideasLiverpool boss Arne Slot hailed “special” Mohamed Salah after seeing him fire the Premier League leaders to the brink of victory at Newcastle. The Reds ultimately left St James’ Park with only a point after Fabian Schar snatched a 3-3 draw at the end of a pulsating encounter, but Salah’s double – his 14th and 15th goals of the season – transformed a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead before the Switzerland defender’s late intervention. The 32-year-old Egypt international’s future at Anfield remains a topic of debate with his current contract running down. Asked about Salah’s future, Slot said: “It’s difficult for me to predict the long-term future, but the only thing I can expect or predict is that he is in a very good place at the moment. Two goals and an assist for Mo tonight 👏 pic.twitter.com/tMXidgeA0P — Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 4, 2024 “He plays in a very good team that provides him with good opportunities and then he is able to do special things. “And what makes him for me even more special is that in the first hour or before we scored to make it 1-1, you thought, ‘He’s not playing his best game today’, and to then come up with a half-hour or 45 minutes – I don’t know how long it was – afterwards with an assist, two goals, having a shot on the bar, being a constant threat, that is something not many players can do if they’ve played the first hour like he did. “That is also what makes him special. If you just look at the goals, his finish is so clinical. He’s a special player, but that’s what we all know.” Salah did indeed endure a quiet opening 45 minutes by his standards and it was the Magpies who went in at the break a goal to the good after Alexander Isak’s stunning 35th-minute finish. Slot said: “The shot from Isak, I don’t even know if Caoimh (keeper Caoimhin Kelleher) saw that ball, as hard as it was.” Salah set up Curtis Jones to level five minutes into the second half and after Anthony Gordon has restored the hosts’ lead, levelled himself from substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold’s 68th-minute cross. He looked to have won it with a fine turn and finish – his ninth goal in seven league games – seven minutes from time, only for Schar to pounce from a tight angle in the 90th minute. Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe was delighted with the way his team took the game to the Reds four days after their disappointing 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace. Howe, who admitted his surprise that VAR official Stuart Attwell had not taken a dimmer view of a Virgil van Dijk shoulder barge on Gordon, said: “It’s mixed emotions. “Part of me feels we should have won it – a big part of me – but part of me is pleased we didn’t lose either because it was such a late goal for us. “Generally, I’m just pleased with the performance. There was much more attacking output, a much better feel about the team. “There was much better energy, and it was a really good performance against, for me, the best team we’ve played so far this season in the Premier League, so it was a big jump forward for us.” We do not moderate comments, but we expect readers to adhere to certain rules in the interests of open and accountable debate.

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Some tech industry leaders are pushing the incoming Trump administration to increase visas for highly skilled workers from other nations. Related Articles National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Court rules Georgia lawmakers can subpoena Fani Willis for information related to her Trump case National Politics | New 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire guns National Politics | Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen National Politics | Exhausted by political news? TV ratings and new poll say you’re not alone The heart of the argument is, for America to remain competitive, the country needs to expand the number of skilled visas it gives out. The previous Trump administration did not increase the skilled visa program, instead clamping down on visas for students and educated workers, increasing denial rates. Not everyone in corporate America thinks the skilled worker program is great. Former workers at IT company Cognizant recently won a federal class-action lawsuit that said the company favored Indian employees over Americans from 2013 to 2022. A Bloomberg investigation found Cognizant, and other similar outsourcing companies, mainly used its skilled work visas for lower-level positions. Workers alleged Cognizant preferred Indian workers because they could be paid less and were more willing to accept inconvenient or less-favorable assignments. Question: Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers? Caroline Freund, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy YES: Innovation is our superpower and it relies on people. Sourcing talent from 8 billion people in the world instead of 330 million here makes sense. Nearly half our Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Growing them also relies on expanding our skilled workforce. The cap on skilled-worker visas has hardly changed since the computer age started. With AI on the horizon, attracting and building talent is more important than ever. Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research YES: After years of openly allowing millions of undocumented entrants into the country, why is there controversy over legally increasing somewhat the number having desirable skills? Undocumented immigration significantly impacts lower skill level jobs and wages competing with domestic workers at every skill level. Why should special cases be made against those having higher skills? Could they just not walk across the border anyway, why make it more inconvenient to those with desirable skills? James Hamilton, UC San Diego YES: Knowledge and technology are key drivers of the U.S. economy. Students come from all over the world to learn at U.S. universities, and their spending contributed $50 billion to U.S. exports last year. Technological advantage is what keeps us ahead of the rest of the world. Highly skilled immigrants contribute much more in taxes than they receive in public benefits. The skills immigrants bring to America can make us all better off. Norm Miller, University of San Diego YES: According to Forbes, the majority of billion-dollar startups were founded by foreigners. I’ve interviewed dozens of data analysts and programmers from Berkeley, UCSD, USD and a few other schools and 75% of them are foreign. There simply are not enough American graduates to fill the AI and data mining related jobs now exploding in the U.S. If we wish to remain a competitive economy, we need highly skilled and bright immigrants to come here and stay. David Ely, San Diego State University YES: Being able to employ highly skilled workers from a larger pool of candidates would strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. companies by increasing their capacity to perform research and innovate. This would boost the country’s economic output. Skilled workers from other nations that cannot remain in the U.S. will find jobs working for foreign rivals. The demand for H-1B visas far exceeds the current cap of 85,000, demonstrating a need to modify this program. Phil Blair, Manpower YES: Every country needs skilled workers, at all levels, to grow its economy. We should take advantage of the opportunity these workers provide our employers who need these skills. It should be blended into our immigration policies allowing for both short and long term visas. Gary London, London Moeder Advisors YES: San Diego is a premiere example of how highly skilled workers from around the globe enrich a community and its regional economy. Of course Visa levels need to be increased. But let’s go further. Tie visas and immigration with a provision that those who are admitted and educated at a U.S. university be incentivized, or even required, to be employed in the U.S. in exchange for their admittance. Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates NO: While attracting high-skilled immigrants can fill critical gaps in sectors like technology, health care and advanced manufacturing, increasing high-skilled immigration could displace American workers and drive down wages in certain industries. There are already many qualified American workers available for some of these jobs. We should balance the need for specialized skills with the impact on the domestic workforce. I believe we can begin to increase the number of visas after a careful review of abuse. Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth YES: We should expand skilled visas to drive innovation and economic growth. Individuals who perform high-skilled work in labor-restricted industries or graduate from respected colleges with relevant degrees should be prioritized for naturalization. We depend on immigration for GDP growth, tax revenue, research, and so much more. Despite the abhorrent rhetoric and curtailing of visas in the first term, I hope the incoming administration can be persuaded to enact positive changes to a clearly flawed system. Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health YES: But it should be based upon need, not politics. There are several industries that have or could have skilled workforce shortages, especially if the next administration tightens immigration as promised and expected. Over the years, there have been nursing shortages that have been met partially by trained and skilled nurses from other countries. The physician shortage is expected to get worse in the years to come. So, this visa program may very well be needed. Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere NO: While skilled immigration could boost our economy and competitiveness, the U.S. should prioritize developing our domestic workforce. Hiring foreign nationals in sensitive industries or government-related work, especially in advanced technology or defense, raises security concerns. A balanced approach could involve targeted increases in non-sensitive high-demand fields coupled with investment in domestic STEM education and training programs. This could address immediate needs while strengthening the long-term STEM capabilities of the American workforce. Not participating this week: Alan Gin, University of San DiegoHaney Hong, San Diego County Taxpayers AssociationRay Major, economist Have an idea for an Econometer question? Email me at phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com . Follow me on Threads: @phillip020South Korea votes to impeach acting president Han Duck-sooTO boost the popularity of Web3 in the mainstream market, its creators must also help to simplify complex technologies and champion new concepts like digital asset ownership for their audiences. Increasingly, the occupation is seen as a legitimate and rewarding career path, requiring strong creative and business expertise. “In web3, there are the builders, there are the gamers, and there are the creators. Creators are especially important because they are the front-facing people who keep the gaming space alive. They provide not just entertainment but also educational value,” said “YellowPanther,” co-founder of Gaming Grid and official ambassador to the Yield Guild Games (YGG) Play Summit, who was named the GAM3S.GG 2024 Content Creator of the Year during the recent GAM3 Awards held in Manila. “Yellow Panther” said the launching of more games will present several opportunities to develop more creators. With more games launching, there are so many opportunities to be a creator. For interested parties, he said all a budding creator needs is to start posting and stay consistent, hoping that the next piece of content “might just go viral.” “Creators drive awareness and engagement and play a pivotal role in shaping the narratives and communities that fuel the Web3 gaming industry’s growth,” said Wolves DAO marketing director Sam Steffanina. “Bringing this group of creators to Manila wasn’t just about content production; it was about East meeting West and seeing firsthand the Philippines’ impact on Web3 gaming and shaping the industry’s future. Supporting YGG’s mission and amplifying their vision made this event impactful for everyone involved, solidifying why WolvesDAO prioritizes initiatives like these.” Built on blockchain technology, Web3 is decentralized as it distributes power and control away from a central authority. As a result, it fosters a more democratic and resilient system that’s resistant to hacking and manipulation. As for the ownership, Web3 users can determine who can access, use, or monetize their data without relying on third parties. Transparency and accountablity are guaranteed as all transactions are publicly recorded on the blockchain. Moreover, Web3 is permissionless as users can communicate freely without asking for permission from a central authority. Web3 will expand the reach of the internet to include everyone, regardless of location or device. Other benefits of Web3 include: fewer intermediaries, efficient searching and information linking, personalized web surfing experience, uninterrupted services, better marketing, tokenization and monetization, effective supply chain management, incentives for collaboration, interoperability. Rizal Raoul S. Reyes has covered technology, science, business, property and special reports. He had working stints with the Business Star, Manila Bulletin and Independent Daily News.

The foreign policy community back home fears Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has given too much away to China in a departure from longstanding policy. It is not uncommon for new leaders, especially those who come through with strong mandates, to allow themselves to believe that their popularity with the home crowd can be ported across to the field of foreign relations in the quest to find solutions to thorny issues. President Rodrigo Duterte did so in his attempt to reset the Philippines’ relations with China, India’s Narendra Modi tried the same with Pakistan. But before long, wisdom dawns as the airborne trajectories of such ambitions are brought down to earth by the weight of national interests, the cautionary warnings of bureaucrats and their institutional memory, and the hard realities of global politics. Balance is restored. Already a subscriber? Log in Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month $9.90 $9.90/month No contract ST app access on 1 mobile device Subscribe now All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel nowOROVILLE — Butte County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect in Wednesday’s shooting at Feather River Adventist School as Glenn Litton, 56. According to Sheriff Kory Honea, investigators determined Litton’s motivation for the shooting on a typed on a note found on his body, as well as subsequent correspondence to other people. Honea said evidence indicates Litton targeted the school because of its affiliation with the Seventh-Day Adventist church. Litton held a belief the Seventh-Day Adventists were involved in the genocide and oppression of Palestinians, as well as the U. S. attack on Yemen, according to Honea. Honea said Litton’s most recent activity is described as being homeless, and that he spent time between the Sacramento and Chico area. Litton had a lengthy criminal history and history of mental health issues, and he was first imprisoned in 1991 for theft with and other convictions include theft fraud forgery in 1990s to early 2000s, Honea said. Litton was reported to have severe mental health issues from the age of 16 moving forward. Honea said there was no official diagnosis. Litten was most recently arrested on Nov. 12 for being inside a stolen pickup and for possession of false identification under the name of “Michael Sanders.” He was released from San Mateo County Jail on Nov. 21, took a bus to the Chico area, and stayed in various hotels in the Chico area. On Dec. 4, Litton was was in the vicinity of the Motel 6 in Chico, and around 7:45 a.m. he got onto a bus at Second and Salem streets in Chico, then exited the bus at Montgomery and Myers in Oroville, carrying a large duffel bag. This was when Litton was driven by an Uber driver to the school to attend an appointment he made with school administration and to carry out the shooting, according to Honea. Litton’s story was that his daughter recently moved to Gridley, and he wanted his grandson to go to the Feather River school. “As it turns out, that was all a lie,” Honea said. “It appears to us that story was a ruse to set up an appointment so that he could gain access to the campus.” Honea said the man claimed to be a lieutenant for an organization called The International Alliance. Investigators believe there are no organizations that call themselves The International Alliance and “is active in this regard.” “There’s nothing we’ve found no information to believe that this organization has some kind of military structure,” Honea said. Honea also identified the two boys injured in the shooting as Roman Mendez, 6, and Elias Wolford, 5. Mendez sustained two gunshot wounds resulting in internal injuries, Honea said. Wolford was shot one time in the abdomen that resulted in internal injuries. The boys continue to be in critical but stable condition as they continue treatment at local hospitals, according to a social media update posted at 10 a.m. Thursday by the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. “It is likely they will need a number of surgeries going forward,” Honea said. “The fact that they are still with us is a miracle and something we can be hopeful for.” The shooting was reported at 1:08 p.m. Wednesday at the school near Highway 99 and Cox Lane. First responders found two boys injured and one man lying on the ground, dead from an apparent self-inflected gunshot wound. An investigation to learn about the shooting is being coordinated by the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, the Butte County District Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Sacramento. A vigil for the victims will be held 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Oroville Convention Center, 1200 Myers St. The vigil will have cards at a table to sign that will be delivered to the injured boys, Oroville Mayor David Pittman said. All schools under the jurisdiction of the Northern California Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church closed today in light of the shooting, according to an email by the organization Thursday afternoon. Oroville schools have remained open following the shooting, said Butte County Office of Education communication officer Travis Souders. As a result of Wednesday’s shooting, the Oroville Police Department stated in a news release Thursday that it increased its presence Thursday at all Oroville school campuses, and the department encouraged anyone experiencing anxiety to reach out to school counselors or local resources available in our community. “Our officers, including our school resource officers, are trained for situations like this and are dedicated to maintaining a safe environment for students, educators and families,” the department stated. “Officers will remain on campus to offer visible support and ensure everyone’s safety during this difficult time.” While Feather River Adventist School is a private school unaffiliated with the Butte County Office of Education, Souders said the tragedy was felt throughout the district. “We’re part of the same community,” said Souders. “We’re helping support them as much as we can.” Northern California Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church provided a statement Wednesday that reads: “We are deeply saddened by the events that occurred today. “Our students, faculty, and staff at Feather River (school) have been reunited with their families. Two of our students are being treated for their injuries. Join us as we lift up these children and their families in prayer. Today, the Northern California Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church will close its schools to allow everyone to spend time with their families,” the organization stated. “We are grateful for the brave officers of the Butte County Sheriff’s (Office) who acted quickly to protect our students. We will continue to work closely with Sheriff Kory Honea and his team during this investigation.” After the shooting, the senior advisor to the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Sophia Sokolowski, called Oroville Mayor David Pittman to offer support. Pittman put the White House in contact with Butte County Chief Administrative Officer Andy Picket, whom they also offered support and asked how they may be of assistance in this time. “I appreciate their contact to reach out to us to help assist with any needs,” Pittman said. The North Valley Community Fund has started a fund on its website to help the victims and their families at . “Like so many in the community, we are stunned by the shooting of two kindergarten students at Feather River Adventist School near Oroville,” stated the foundation. “We’ve opened up a fund to provide financial support for medical bills and other expenses for the victims injured and their families. “ Online, GoFundMe is monitoring its platform to help fundraisers for those affected, said GoFundMe Communications Manager Jasmine Han.

Few cars on the road in the post-war period display the kind of recognizable charm and enduring connection to pop culture as the Volkswagen Type 1, commonly referred to as the Volkswagen Beetle. Just to reinforce this point, multiple generations of the Ford F-150 have been the best-selling vehicle in the United States for decades, but its sales overseas remain near non-existent — European sales only began in 2023. The Volkswagen Beetle is represented on all seven continents, including Antarctica. Simply put, people everywhere know the Beetle. Reinforcing the Beetle's familiarity on a global scale is its incredibly long life cycle. It remained in production for 57 years with few major changes and no overall redesigns. It has also delved deep into popular culture from its roles in countless movies from the "The Love Bug" films to its more recent starring role in the Transformers franchise . It further ingratiated itself to the counterculture of the '60s and later became a favorite of custom car builders, who use Beetles to build dune buggie s and more. It makes no difference from which angle you look at a Beetle, it is iconic. While its technology and design are both archaic compared to modern automobiles, its charm is both compelling and enduring. Although Beetles no longer roll off assembly lines anywhere, we can appreciate them and the story of the rise and fall of this unique automotive icon. In 1933 Germany, massively consequential plans for the world were being concocted by men who would turn out to be among the most despised and despicable of the modern era. Most of these plans sought either domination or destruction of communities far afield from Germany, but one plan of this era created for the German people managed to survive the absolute defeat of the German government in 1945. After announcing his "people's motorization" in 1933, Germany's fascist dictator Adolf Hitler commissioned a car that would offer the people of Germany affordable transportation for the masses. The task of designing a car fell to Ferdinand Porsche, a skilled industrial designer with much experience in auto design who had already designed a car that nearly fulfilled the requirements, the Porsche Type 12, and used it to develop the new car. Hitler wanted an air-cooled car that could carry a family of five with their luggage and cruise at 100 km/h (60 mph) on the newly laid Autobahns available to the average German worker for under 1,000 Reichsmarks, about 31 weeks of the average salary. By 1938, Porsche had delivered a prototype that fulfilled the requirements and a few hundred were built. The initial batch of cars went to military officers, but production abruptly stopped once the invasion of Poland commenced and wartime manufacturing took over. The people's car went dormant but its chassis was put to use to build the Kubelwagen and Schwimmwagen military adaptations. In 1944, American soldiers liberated forced laborers at the Kubelwagen plant in Stadt des KdF-Wagens, taking it over to use as a repair shop and completing vehicles to use for themselves. Once the war ended in 1945, the British Occupation Zone included the renamed city of Wolfsburg, leaving them responsible for the heavily damaged plant. Initially slated for decommissioning, the plant's salvation came from one enterprising and persuasive British Army Major named Ivan Hirst. Despite being told the plane had no value by Henry Ford II and British carmaker Sir William Rootes saying nobody would buy the ugly and noisy cars, Major Hirst saw the potential of the factory and the value of restarting civilian automobile production. He found an intact car and sent it to headquarters for evaluation, receiving an order in August 1945 for 20,000 vehicles for use by the British occupying administration. Two weeks later, the order was doubled. Production ramped up quickly. Military production began in the summer of 1945, and civilian model production began by the end of the year. In 1946, the target of 1,000 vehicles per month was reached and export models began leaving Germany in 1947. 19,000 cars were built in 1948 and double that number the next year. British control of the factory ended in October 1949, leaving the fully revived Volkswagen GmbH with much potential in the hands of the West German federal government. Considered part of Germany's "Wirtschaftswunder," or economic miracle, Volkswagen showed how the country could climb out from under the rubble as a manufacturing powerhouse. A third of its production went to export markets in 1950, and the company had plans to expand this to everywhere possible. Max Hoffman, the man who introduced Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo, BMW, and Porsche to America, became the first authorized American dealer in 1950 but failed to gain much traction with the brand and dropped it in 1953. Despite celebrating 1 million cars produced in Germany in 1955, American sales started slowly, leading to the establishment of Volkswagen of America, Inc. (VWoA) as a subsidiary to handle all American import and sales operations. Volkswagen sold 42,884 Beetles and 6,666 Transporters in 1956 as it worked to expand its dealer network and raise standards for customer service and after-sales. Americans were slow to take to the diminutive Beetle and even the German head of Volkswagen of America failed to grasp the American auto market. A younger executive with a stronger grasp on the English language replaced him in 1958 to work out the growing pains and establish Volkswagen as a competent option to American buyers. One thing missing from the mix was a good marketing strategy, and when that came, it would change everything. Launched in 1960, Volkswagen's Think Small marketing campaign became wildly successful and continues to be influential as a model for advertising campaigns today. Advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) was chosen to help the nascent importer boost its sales and created a campaign to use the Beetle's perceived weaknesses and turn them into strengths. It was risky and bold, but it worked. At the time, American car companies pushed their cars by focusing on power and luxury, enticing buyers to increasingly bigger cars full of options and accessories. DDB knew Volkswagen would not compete on the same level, choosing instead to highlight how small and simple the cars were, turning them into positive traits for buyers. The campaign used iconic imagery such as showing a small Beetle on a blank page With "Think small." below while another proclaimed the Volkswagen to be "America's slowest fastback." The results were immediate as Volkswagen sold 120,000 cars in 1960 and saw exponential growth throughout the rest of the decade. It proved that edgy advertising with clever copy could raise brand awareness and entice customers to show up to dealerships, and they did. Furthermore, it is still used today as a case study in good marketing strategy. While the Think Small campaign raised awareness of Volkswagen to potential buyers, other factors about the car attracted a different kind of attention, although standing outside of the norm was a common thread. At some point during the '60s, the practical efficiency, rugged durability, and low purchase price attracted a new and young counterculture, including hippies and outcasts, destined to live a life considered unorthodox to the generation that came before. Its appeal continued to grow with sales, and regular appearances on screens large and small helped to cement its place within the zeitgeist. "The Love Bug" featuring a sentient Beetle named Herbie debuted in 1969, spawning a Beetle movie franchise of a half dozen films while one graced the cover of the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album cover the same year. Jack Nicholson drives one as Jack Torrance drives his family in "The Shining," Kevin Bacon drives one in the 1984 movie "Footloose," and Cuba Gooding, Jr. cruises South Central in a shiny blue convertible in 1991's "Boyz N the Hood." Beetles have also been a favorite canvas for the art car movement. Some combination of the abundance of cheap used Beetles and the unchanging and endurable design made them popular for use by artists to make them into rolling art and the occasional fixed installment. Even today, Beetles continue to pop up in literature, art, and song, and that will hopefully never change. By 1968, sales of the Beetle had surpassed 1 million units annually and other models helped fill out the Volkswagen lineup, but they were becoming dated, particularly the Type 1, which was only first called Beetle the next year. While a plan to redesign and update the car had been near completion by 1965, it was shelved as sales of the existing model soared. Nonetheless, it needed a refresh. Volkswagen released for the 1971 model year a new model called the Super Beetle to be sold alongside the existing model. It retained the same basic shape of the original along with the chassis, but significant upgrades came to the rest of the car. Mechanically, the engine was upgraded with new dual port cylinder heads on either 1,300 or 1,600cc options, and an oil cooler was added to help keep the number three cylinder cool. The front suspension received MacPherson struts while the rear received updated trailing arms to provide an upgraded ride in response to increasing competition from Toyota and Datsun. A new curved glass windshield provided the most noticeable difference in appearance but new free-flowing cooling vents hopefully made a more noticeable difference while seated inside. Furthermore, moving the spare tire increased cargo capacity by 86%. All in all, the improvements made for a better car, but it was still pure Beetle underneath. Also, the Beetle surpassed the Model T as the best-selling car of all time in 1972 with 15,007,034 produced. Even with the introduction of a revised Beetle, sales saw a sharp decline starting in 1973. Emissions regulations threatened its existence, and after adding fuel injection in 1975, Volkswagen could not keep up. It had released its new water-cooled Golf and focused on making more modern cars, and the archaic Beetle no longer held the same charm. Air cooling makes it difficult to control emissions as temperature is crucial to obtaining a clean burning car. Volkswagen had already been working on this problem by adding fuel injection to its air-cooled Type 3 in 1968. However, Beetle sales were on the decline throughout the 1970s — German production in Wolfsburg ended in 1974 and in 1978 in Emden, shifting production to Mexico and elsewhere. Volkswagen held on for another couple of years and in 1976, the last American sales concluded. The EPA had finally banned the Beetle in America . It was the end of an era, although buyers at the time likely did not make much to do about it. With the Rabbit on dealer lots and plenty of Japanese competition, there simply was no longer room for a car from the '30s in the market. And while this would close a chapter on the plucky little Type 1, it was not the end of the story. Much like the undead that roam the Earth, the Volkswagen Beetle forged ahead without the American and European market. The manufacturing that had shifted to Mexico before it left the American market continued to supply the Mexican market after 1976. Without a Clean Air Act to dictate its emissions output, Volkswagen could continue building its 40-year-old engine technology with abandon. And so they did. The classic Beetle continued to be sold in Mexico for many years. While they were available to the general public, there was one particular application making them more memorable. Travelers to the country in the latter part of the 20th century and even into the 21st will have seen many Beetles serving as taxis. These cars, known locally as "Vochos," had previously been yellow, but a law enacted in the '90s forced owners to modify engines to run on unleaded fuel and paint them in the now familiar green and white color scheme. Sales declined steadily in the waning years of the '90s as more modern and capable competition arrived. Furthermore, concerns over the safety of the archaic taxis grew despite upgrades like disc brakes, three-point seatbelts, and fuel injection being added. By 2003, sales slowed to a trickle, prompting Volkswagen to discontinue production, ending 65 years of production. Additional laws enacted in the following years placed further restrictions on taxis, forcing the Beetles out of service altogether. Even though this seemed to have placed some finality on the story of the Beetle, a new version, literally called the New Beetle, had already emerged. It debuted in 1997 riding on the Golf platform but with sheet metal reminiscent of the old Type 1. Gone were the air-cooled engine and dead simple mechanicals, replaced by turbocharged and direct-injected diesel engines accompanied by creature comforts, accessories, and upgrades like leather interior. It was much more a throwback than a rebirth of the original. The New Beetle received one major update in 2011. Dropping New and simply called Beetle, the golf-based car threw a little and took on more modern and mature styling along with even more mechanical and technological upgrades. It was a handsome car that offered drivers what had become a typically premium Volkswagen interior, a far cry from the original. Although it managed enough success to go another eight years, it all ended in 2019, possibly closing the Beetle's door for the last time. With more than two decades having passed since the last Beetle left the factory in Mexico, one might think the car's best days were behind it. After all, its rise to prominence rested on its ability to deliver economical transportation at a low cost and with pain-free maintenance. Some of the most celebrated classic and antique cars began as desirable performance or luxury cars, or sometimes both, such as the factory modified AMG Hammer of the '80s . Despite its lowly position in the automotive hierarchy, the Beetle's popularity seems to be as strong as ever. One of the things that keeps these cars going is the sheer number originally produced. With more than 21 million built over the decades, they are still relatively easy to find, despite being out of production for decades. Furthermore, the simple and basic nature of the car makes it easy to keep going, and continued demand keeps the replacement parts industry thriving, contributing to the reasons a Beetle is still worth owning . In developing nations such as Ethiopia, Beetles are still common sights as regular transportation, while in Mexico, enthusiasts keep them going as a hobby but also drive them daily. They are less commonly seen on American streets and highways, but that does not mean they aren't out there. A robust community of owners, customizers, and part suppliers exists, allowing people to do everything from performing a meticulous restoration to high-performance racers. With this kind of support, it appears the Volkswagen Type 1 Beetle will live forever.In the end, Munster were not without fight but the constant pressure from Leinster sapped energy and amounted to little with Leinster taking four tries to Munster’s one. And the opening try came too easily. When Robbie Henshaw threw a forward ball to Tommy O’Brien after six minutes with the line at his mercy, Munster breathed a sigh of relief. But Leinster won the scrum, Sam Prendergast kicked for an attacking lineout and Leinster’s bigger bodies hit the line. After Josh van der Flier and Ryan Baird had bumped up, Luke McGrath picked up the ball with a giant gap opening. The scrumhalf sailed in unopposed for the first score. Prendergast kicked for the conversion and after 10 minutes Leinster had taken a 0-7 lead. But a high-energy Munster were far from winded and took the game to Leinster. When O’Brien was yellow carded at 21 minutes on the Leinster line after Scottish referee Sam Grove-White had spoken to captain Caelan Doris for infringing, Munster chose to tap and run. For a while it looked like Leinster would break as they absorbed pressure before Tadhg Beirne threw himself over the line under the posts. It seemed then a deserved try had fallen Munster’s way, but heroic defending from Garry Ringrose had held the ball up and within seconds Leinster were up in the other half of the field. On 32 minutes hooker Rónan Kelleher did as Munster had done and tapped with the big bodies that were defending their line minutes before pumping towards Munster’s posts. Finally, McGrath whipped the ball out with Prendergast on a scything run inside the 22. With room to spare he ran in and under the posts to convert and make it 0-14. It was not what Munster deserved going in at the break, but their inaccuracy at times had let them down. However it didn’t show, and far from any signs of despondency Munster opened the second half at high tempo and Leinster were again backing off. A scrum penalty allowed them kick into the Leinster 22 and again they were probing the Leinster defence. Three tap penalties later from Niall Scannell five metres out and Tom Ahern took on the ball at pace bursting through the blue wall. They had found their accuracy. Munster were finally on the board with Billy Burns converting for 7-14 on 53 minutes, home confidence soaring. Leinster though were irrepressible and less than 10 minutes later were pushing Munster on their line. Just like that they had flipped the pressure and with Munster stretched, Joe McCarthy drove his way towards the posts. Van der Flier was at his side to pick and go from yards out with no Munster body to lay a hand on him. Prendergast again converted and Leinster had reestablished their 14-point lead. Munster did continue to fight but Leinster by then felt they had the resources to see out the match. As the bench started to empty, it looked more and more like Munster had given all they had and it just wasn’t enough on the night. Leinster ended the match looking for more scores to strengthen their position at the top of the URC table and Munster looked out on their feet. Finally, it fell to the Leinster captain Doris to barge in for Leinster’s fourth try, momentum and strength taking him over the Munster line for the final time to bring it to 7-28. The result leaves Leinster unbeaten this season in the URC and Champions Cup. Scoring sequence – 10 mins: L McGrath try, S Prendergast con 0-7; 32: S Prendergast try, con 0-14; Half-time 0-14 ; 44: T Ahern try, B Burns con 7-14; 52: J van der Flier try, Prendergast con 7-21; 73: C Doris try, R Byrne con 7-28. MUNSTER: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Rory Scannell, Shane Daly; Billy Burns, Ethan Coughlan; Dian Bleuler, Niall Scannell, Oli Jager, Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne (CAPT), Tom Ahern, Alex Kendellen, Gavin Coombes Replacements: Eoghan Clarke for Scannell 21 mins; Scannell for Clarke 37 mins; John Hodnett for Wycherley 40 mins; Paddy Patterson for Coughlan 51 mins; John Ryan for Jaeger 54 mins; Tony Butler for Burns 65 mins; Brian Gleeson for Kendellen 64 mins; Clarke for Scannell 73 mins; Kieran Ryan for Bleuler 73 mins; Ben O’Connor for Haley 74 mins LEINSTER: Jamie Osborne; Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Jimmy O’Brien; Sam Prendergast, Luke McGrath; Jack Boyle, Ronan Kelleher, Rabah Slimani, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt). Replacements: Andrew Porter for Boyle 21 mins; Cian Healy for Slimani 52 mins; Fintan Gunne for McGrath 52 mins; Lee Barron for Kelleher 63 mins; Ross Byrne for Prendergast 63 mins; Scott Penny for van der Flier 72 mins; Jordan Larmour for Ringrose 73 mins; Brian Deeny for Ryan 74 mins Yellow card: T O’Brien (22 mins). Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU). Johnny Watterson is a sports writer with The Irish Times

After Trump's win, Black women are rethinking their role as America's reliable political organizersA landmark defence pact between North Korea and Russia, signed by its leaders in June, has gone into effect after the two sides exchanged ratification documents, North Korea’s official KCNA news agency said Thursday. The formalization of the treaty comes as the United States and South Korea have accused the nuclear-armed North of sending more than 10,000 soldiers to help Russia fight Ukraine. Experts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is keen to acquire advanced technology from Moscow and battle experience for his troops in return. Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the strategic partnership deal during the Kremlin chief’s visit to Pyongyang. It obligates both states to provide military assistance “without delay” in the case of an attack on the other, and to jointly oppose Western sanctions. It came into effect from Wednesday, when the ratification documents were exchanged in Moscow by the countries’ vice foreign ministers Kim Jong Gyu and Andrei Rudenko, KCNA reported. Lawmakers in Moscow last month voted unanimously for the deal and it was later signed by Putin. Pyongyang said it was ratified by a decree from Kim. The treaty will serve “as a strong driving force accelerating the establishment of an independent and just multi-polarized world order without domination, subjugation and hegemony,” KCNA said. Analysts have suggested Pyongyang could be using Ukraine as a means of realigning its foreign policy. By sending soldiers, North Korea is positioning itself within the Russian war economy as a supplier of weapons, military support and labour — potentially even bypassing traditional ally, neighbour and main trading partner China, they say. North Korea and Russia have strengthened their military ties since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Both countries are under rafts of UN sanctions — the former for its nuclear weapons programme and the latter for the Ukraine conflict. Kim said last week during a visit to Pyongyang by Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov that his government, army and people would “invariably support the policy of the Russian Federation to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity”. Putin hailed the deal in June as a “breakthrough document”. With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

SIR Royalty Income Fund Announces Filing of SIR Corp. Fiscal 2025 First Quarter ResultsPHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley wanted to be a student in team history before he had a chance to make some with the Eagles. The running back who had just signed with Philadelphia for $26 million guaranteed took a deep dive on some of the franchise’s greats out of the backfield. He learned about Wilbert Montgomery. Brushed up on LeSean McCoy. Barkley then put them in his sights — and this week against Carolina, he could become the top single-season rusher in Eagles history. Get past those two Eagles Hall of Famers and the target narrows: McCoy has a chance to break Eric Dickerson's NFL single-season rushing mark of 2,105 yards, set in 1984. “That's your goal,” Barkley said. “You want to come in here, you want to leave a legacy on a place, on a franchise.” Here's where things stand with Barkley in his pursuit of records: — Barkley has an NFL-best 1,499 yards rushing through 12 games, an average of 124.9 yards per game. At that pace and with one more game to play than Dickerson, he would surpass the NFL mark that's stood for 40 years. — Barkley needs to run for 108 yards against the Panthers to break McCoy's Eagles record of 1,607 yards set in 2013. Montgomery ran for 1,512 yards in 1978. “I'm aware of the things I can accomplish,” Barkley said. “The way I accomplish that is sticking to the script.” The Eagles (10-2) have won eight straight to take control of the NFC East and remain in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the conference. Barkley — with a little help from Jalen Hurts — has largely led the way and moved into MVP consideration. The former New York Giant also ranks third in the league with 11 rushing touchdowns. It's reasonable to expect Barkley to pile on the yards against Carolina (3-9). The Panthers are 32nd in the league against the run and just allowed Tampa Bay's Bucky Irving to run for a career-high 152 yards last week (he had never broken 100). “It’s incredible what he is doing. The record has stood up for a while. I mean 17 games or 14 games, it’s ridiculous,” Panthers defensive lineman Shy Tuttle said. “It’s a record that has been held for a long time and whoever breaks it, Saquon or someone else, it’s an incredible achievement.” Barkley leads the NFL with four rushing touchdowns of 25-plus yards this season and tied Montgomery for the most 100-yards games in an Eagles season with eight. “You get to see the player on Sundays. We get to see the person every other day during the week,” offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said. “He’s special. At the end of the day, he’s a special teammate, special person. The way he connects with everyone, rallies everyone together. He’s one of the best.” Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard is eager to get back on the field and put last week behind him. Carolina’s leading rusher had a costly fumble in overtime last Sunday against Tampa Bay as the Panthers were driving for a potential game-winning field goal, resulting in a 26-23 loss to division rival Tampa Bay. A dejected Hubbard remained on the bench for several minutes after the loss. “You definitely use it as motivation,” Hubbard said. “I have come a long way and I know what it’s like to play great football. That was a big mistake on my end, but I don’t just lose all of the work I have put in because of that one mistake.” Bryce Young is beginning to show he can be a factor with his legs, scoring on a 10-yard run last week against the Buccaneers. However, Young still receives plenty of good-natured ribbing from his teammates when it comes to his sliding ability, which the QB has previously admitted is limited because he wasn’t much of a baseball player. “He definitely has to work on his slide,” Hubbard said. “He has been making people miss so he hasn’t had to slide like that a lot. I mean I’m not trying to hate on my dog’s slide but it’s just a work in progress. He will be all right.” Panthers guard Robert Hunt said it’s always interesting playing in Philadelphia because of the team’s passionate fan base. Last year, while Hunt was playing for the Dolphins, he said an Eagles fan attempted to board the Miami team bus. “They have some characters there — some people who don’t really give a damn,” Hunt said. “He was trying to trash-talk us. But he was confident and that is what makes them them.” Hunt said the fan never made it on the bus. “Aw hell no, we would have stomped that boy,” Hunt said with a laugh. “He tried. He was talking his noise. Good for him. I don’t want to say you want a fan base like that, but you want a fan base that cares about the team.” AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFLKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war. The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and “taking on very dramatic dimensions.” Ukraine’s parliament canceled a session as security was tightened following Thursday’s Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro. In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech that the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was in retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Putin said Western air defense systems would be powerless to stop the new missile. Ukrainian military officials said the missile that hit Dnipro had reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six nonnuclear warheads each releasing six submunitions. Speaking Friday to military and weapons industries officials, Putin said Russia is launching production of the Oreshnik. “No one in the world has such weapons,” he said with a thin smile. “Sooner or later other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development.” But he added, “we have this system now. And this is important. Testing the missile will continue, “including in combat, depending on the situation and the character of security threats created for Russia,” Putin said. noting there is ”a stockpile of such systems ready for use.” Putin said that while it isn’t an intercontinental missile, it’s so powerful that the use of several of them fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons. Gen. Sergei Karakayev, head of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, said the Oreshnik could reach targets across Europe and be fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, echoing Putin’s claim that even with conventional warheads, “the massive use of the weapon would be comparable in effect to the use of nuclear weapons.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov kept up Russia’s bellicose tone on Friday, blaming “the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries” in supplying weapons to Ukraine to strike Russia. “The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns were not taken into account have also been quite clearly outlined,” he said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the European Union, echoed Moscow’s talking points, suggesting the use of U.S.-supplied weapons in Ukraine likely requires direct American involvement. “These are rockets that are fired and then guided to a target via an electronic system, which requires the world’s most advanced technology and satellite communications capability,” Orbán said on state radio. “There is a strong assumption ... that these missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of American personnel.” Orbán cautioned against underestimating Russia’s responses, emphasizing that the country’s recent modifications to its nuclear deployment doctrine should not be dismissed as a “bluff.” “It’s not a trick... there will be consequences,” he said. Separately in Kyiv, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský called Thursday’s missile strike an “escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe.” At a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Lipavský also expressed his full support for delivering the necessary additional air defense systems to protect Ukrainian civilians from the “heinous attacks.” He underlined that the Czech Republic will impose no limits on the use of its weapons and equipment given to Ukraine. Three lawmakers from Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, confirmed that Friday’s previously scheduled session was called off due to the ongoing threat of Russian missiles targeting government buildings in central Kyiv. In addition, there also was a recommendation to limit the work of all commercial offices and nongovernmental organizations “in that perimeter, and local residents were warned of the increased threat,” said lawmaker Mykyta Poturaiev, who added this is not the first time such a threat has been received. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office continued to work in compliance with standard security measures, a spokesperson said. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the Oreshnik missile, whose name in Russian means “hazelnut tree,” was fired from the Kapustin Yar 4th Missile Test Range in Russia’s Astrakhan region, and flew 15 minutes before striking Dnipro. Test launches of a similar missile were conducted in October 2023 and June 2024, the directorate said. The Pentagon confirmed the missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate-range missile based on its RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. Thursday’s attack struck the Pivdenmash plant that built ICBMs when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The military facility is located about 4 miles (6 1/2 kilometers) southwest of the center of Dnipro, a city of about 1 million that is Ukraine’s fourth-largest and a key hub for military supplies and humanitarian aid, and is home to one of the country’s largest hospitals for treating wounded soldiers from the front before their transfer to Kyiv or abroad. The stricken area was cordoned off and out of public view. With no fatalities reported from the attack, Dnipro residents resorted to dark humor on social media, mostly focused on the missile’s name, Oreshnik. Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia struck a residential district of Sumy overnight with Iranian-designed Shahed drones, killing two people and injuring 13, the regional administration said.. Ukraine’s Suspilne media, quoting Sumy regional head Volodymyr Artiukh, said the drones were stuffed with shrapnel elements. “These weapons are used to destroy people, not to destroy objects,” said Artiukh, according to Suspilne. —— Associated Press journalists Lorne Cook in Brussels, Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, contributed. —— Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley wanted to be a student in team history before he had a chance to make some with the Eagles. The running back who had just signed with Philadelphia for $26 million guaranteed took a deep dive on some of the franchise’s greats out of the backfield. He learned about Wilbert Montgomery. Brushed up on LeSean McCoy. Barkley then put them in his sights — and this week against Carolina, he could become the top single-season rusher in Eagles history. Get past those two Eagles Hall of Famers and the target narrows: McCoy has a chance to break Eric Dickerson's NFL single-season rushing mark of 2,105 yards, set in 1984. “That's your goal,” Barkley said. “You want to come in here, you want to leave a legacy on a place, on a franchise.” Here's where things stand with Barkley in his pursuit of records: — Barkley has an NFL-best 1,499 yards rushing through 12 games, an average of 124.9 yards per game. At that pace and with one more game to play than Dickerson, he would surpass the NFL mark that's stood for 40 years. — Barkley needs to run for 108 yards against the Panthers to break McCoy's Eagles record of 1,607 yards set in 2013. Montgomery ran for 1,512 yards in 1978. “I'm aware of the things I can accomplish,” Barkley said. “The way I accomplish that is sticking to the script.” The Eagles (10-2) have won eight straight to take control of the NFC East and remain in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the conference. Barkley — with a little help from Jalen Hurts — has largely led the way and moved into MVP consideration. The former New York Giant also ranks third in the league with 11 rushing touchdowns. It's reasonable to expect Barkley to pile on the yards against Carolina (3-9). The Panthers are 32nd in the league against the run and just allowed Tampa Bay's Bucky Irving to run for a career-high 152 yards last week (he had never broken 100). “It’s incredible what he is doing. The record has stood up for a while. I mean 17 games or 14 games, it’s ridiculous,” Panthers defensive lineman Shy Tuttle said. “It’s a record that has been held for a long time and whoever breaks it, Saquon or someone else, it’s an incredible achievement.” Barkley leads the NFL with four rushing touchdowns of 25-plus yards this season and tied Montgomery for the most 100-yards games in an Eagles season with eight. “You get to see the player on Sundays. We get to see the person every other day during the week,” offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said. “He’s special. At the end of the day, he’s a special teammate, special person. The way he connects with everyone, rallies everyone together. He’s one of the best.” Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard is eager to get back on the field and put last week behind him. Carolina’s leading rusher had a costly fumble in overtime last Sunday against Tampa Bay as the Panthers were driving for a potential game-winning field goal, resulting in a 26-23 loss to division rival Tampa Bay. A dejected Hubbard remained on the bench for several minutes after the loss. “You definitely use it as motivation,” Hubbard said. “I have come a long way and I know what it’s like to play great football. That was a big mistake on my end, but I don’t just lose all of the work I have put in because of that one mistake.” Bryce Young is beginning to show he can be a factor with his legs, scoring on a 10-yard run last week against the Buccaneers. However, Young still receives plenty of good-natured ribbing from his teammates when it comes to his sliding ability, which the QB has previously admitted is limited because he wasn’t much of a baseball player. “He definitely has to work on his slide,” Hubbard said. “He has been making people miss so he hasn’t had to slide like that a lot. I mean I’m not trying to hate on my dog’s slide but it’s just a work in progress. He will be all right.” Panthers guard Robert Hunt said it’s always interesting playing in Philadelphia because of the team’s passionate fan base. Last year, while Hunt was playing for the Dolphins, he said an Eagles fan attempted to board the Miami team bus. “They have some characters there — some people who don’t really give a damn,” Hunt said. “He was trying to trash-talk us. But he was confident and that is what makes them them.” Hunt said the fan never made it on the bus. “Aw hell no, we would have stomped that boy,” Hunt said with a laugh. “He tried. He was talking his noise. Good for him. I don’t want to say you want a fan base like that, but you want a fan base that cares about the team.” AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFLHydro One expands transmission ownership in northern OntarioApple Cash: How to use it to send and receive moneyTight Presidential Race in Romania: Exit Polls Show Close Contest

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(The Center Square) – The majority of Americans generally support the idea of cutting back on the federal government, polling finds. The Pew Research poll from this summer found that 56% of Americans say the government is “almost always wasteful and inefficient.” Gallup’s recent polling data shows that 55% of Americans say the government is doing “too much” while only 41% say it should do more. Americans are more evenly split how big the government should be, but increasing government efficiency has more broad support. “Gallup polling earlier this year showed that 58% of Americans are dissatisfied with the size and power of the federal government,” Gallup said. “A slight majority of Americans say the government has too much power. Seven in 10 Americans in 2019 agreed that businesses can do things more efficiently than the federal government.” The survey comes after President-elect Donald Trump won the White House and issued broad, sweeping plans to decrease the scope of the federal government. To accomplish this task, Trump appointed businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and billionaire Elon Musk to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency. “Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies – Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement,’” Trump said in his announcement. Both Ramaswamy and Musk have publicly issued scathing remarks about the waste of federal resources currently occurring in Washington, D.C. Ramaswamy, for instance, has laid out a specific plan on how thousands of federal workers could be fired. The pair of businessmen have said publicly DOGE could cut $2 trillion in federal spending. Ramaswamy and Musk visited Capitol Hill on Thursday to meet with lawmakers to discuss the potential cuts, which could even include ideas as drastic as eliminating the Department of Education and returning that responsibility to the states. Trump's allies have also discussed cutting spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which are seen by Trump's camp as taxpayer-funded investment in woke ideology. Whether such stark actions would be supported by Americans remains unclear, but for now the latest polling shows Americans want something to be done. On top of that, Americans’ desire for smaller government seems to be more than a momentary political phase. “Gallup has asked this question annually over the past 24 years. On average, 52% of Americans have said the government is doing too much, compared with 42% saying the government should do more...” Gallup said. “Only twice have more Americans chosen the ‘government should do more’ alternative over the ‘government doing too much’ alternative -- in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and in 2020 after the outbreak of COVID-19.”

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Wall Street stocks surged to fresh records Wednesday on hopes about easing US monetary policy, shrugging off political upheaval in South Korea and France. All three major US indices scored records, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average finishing above 45,000 for the first time. "The market at this point is looking for excuses to go up, and there's not really anything that might work against that narrative," said Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers. "Over the last couple of days, it's managed to ignore all sorts of inconvenient things and decided that the situation in France doesn't matter for them," Sosnick said of the stock market. "The situation in Korea doesn't matter." South Korea's stock market fell less than feared and the won rebounded from earlier losses after President Yoon Suk Yeol swiftly reversed a decision to impose martial law. In Europe, Paris stocks managed to advance as France's government faced looming no-confidence votes. Late Wednesday in Paris, French lawmakers voted to oust the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier after just three months in office, pushing the country further into political uncertainty. For the first time in over sixty years, the National Assembly lower house toppled the incumbent government, approving a no-confidence motion that had been proposed by the hard left but which crucially was backed by the far-right headed by Marine Le Pen. "Political turmoil in both France and South Korea provide a uncertain backdrop for global markets, with the likely removal of both Barnier and Yoon bringing the potential for both countries to find a fresh direction," said Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets. Thomas Mathews, head of Asia-Pacific markets at Capital Economics, said the losses in Seoul could have been "much worse" had the president not aborted his plan. "Rarely does a combined sell-off in a country's stocks, bonds and currency feel like a relief rally," he said. Oil prices turned lower after surging around 2.5 percent Tuesday, mainly after the United States sanctioned 35 companies and ships it accused of involvement with Iran's "shadow fleet" illicitly selling Iranian oil to foreign markets. Major producers at the OPEC+ grouping led by Saudi Arabia and Russia were set to meet Thursday to discuss extending output limits. Back in New York, major indices were led by the Nasdaq, which piled on 1.3 percent to finish at a third straight record. Wednesday's gains came after payroll firm ADP said US private-sector hiring in November came in at a lower-than-expected 146,000 jobs, while a survey from the Institute for Supply Management showed weaker sentiment than expected in the services sector. But the lackluster data boosts expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates later this month. At a New York conference, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell refrained from tipping his hand, but he "didn't say anything that would scare the market," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare. O'Hare noted that Wednesday's gains were led by large tech names such as Nvidia and Microsoft, which are major AI players. The boost followed strong results from Salesforce, which was the biggest gainer in the Dow with an 11 percent jump. New York - Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 45,014.04 (close) New York - S&P 500: UP 0.6 percent at 6,086.49 (close) New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 1.3 percent at 19,735.12 (close) London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.3 percent at 8,335.81 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 7,303.28 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.1 percent at 20,232.14 (close) Seoul - Kospi Index: DOWN 1.4 percent at 2,464.00 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.1 percent at 39,276.39 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: FLAT at 19,742.46 (close) Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.4 percent at 3,364.65 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0510 from $1.0509 on Tuesday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2702 from $1.2673 Dollar/yen: UP at 150.56 yen from 149.60 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.71 from 82.92 pence Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 1.8 percent at $72.31 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 2.0 percent at $68.54 per barrel burs-jmb/jgcTwitch star Asmongold is warning that if Nintendo and the Pokemon Company win their infringement lawsuit against Palworld, there would be serious consequences in store for the entire games industry. Back in September, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company hit Palworld developer Pocketpair with an infringement lawsuit, demanding 10 million yen (about $66,000). One of the patents believed to have been infringed involves throwing an item to catch a monster , which, of course, has been a Pokemon staple ever since its inception. However, top Twitch streamer Asmongold has voiced some major concerns about this case and is worried that its ramifications could hurt gamers and developers looking to design their own titles. Asmongold explains why Nintendo needs to lose Palworld lawsuit During a Twitch broadcast, Asmongold watched a video from Bellular News about the Palworld situation, and after finishing it, remarked that he “really, really, really hopes [ Nintendo ] loses.” “I think it sets a terrible precedent for gaming,” he added. “What that does, is it creates a world where people who are trying to make new video games are limited by so many existing claimed land that they can’t build their own place.” (Segment begins at 19:08 ) According to Asmongold, companies being able to patent simple game features would be bad for players, because instead of making games, companies could just license mechanics. “That’s obviously much easier to do. All companies are going to try to make things as easy as possible for themselves,” he remarked. He also took issue with how Warner Bros owns Lord of the Rings: Shadow of Mordor’s Nemesis system , a feature that allowed for more depth between the player and NPCs. Asmongold insisted that such a concept shouldn’t be owned to begin with. Related: Despite the lawsuit, Palworld hasn’t backed down from Nintendo, instead calling the situation “truly unfortunate” while still taking “appropriate” legal action.