711 heineken
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Vikings sign ex-Giants quarterback Daniel Jones to practice squadThe November Project gets people outside to exercise and socialize together all winter long
WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors moved Monday to dismiss the criminal charges against President-elect Donald Trump that accused him of plotting to overturn the 2020 election and to abandon the classified documents case against him, citing longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. The decision by special counsel Jack Smith , who had fiercely sought to hold Trump criminally accountable for his efforts to subvert the 2020 election, represented the end of the federal effort against the former president following his election victory this month despite the election-related cases and multiple other unrelated criminal charges against him and is headed back to the White House. The decision, revealed in court filings, also amounts to a predictable but nonetheless stunning conclusion to criminal cases that had been seen as the most perilous of the multiple legal threats Trump has faced. It reflects the practical consequences of Trump ’s victory, ensuring he enters office free from scrutiny over his hoarding of top secret documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Smith ’s team emphasized that the move to abandon the prosecutions, in federal courts in Washington and Florida, was not a reflection of their view on the merits of the cases but rather a reflection of their commitment to longstanding department policy. “That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” the prosecutors wrote in Monday’s court filing in the election interference case. The decision was expected after Smith ’s team began assessing how to wind down both the 2020 election interference case and the separate classified documents case in the wake of Trump ’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. The Justice Department believes Trump can no longer be tried in accordance with longstanding policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted. Trump has cast both cases as politically motivated, and he had vowed to fire Smith as soon as he takes office in January. The 2020 election case brought last year was once seen as one of the most serious legal threats facing the Republican as he vied to reclaim the White House. But it quickly stalled amid legal fighting over Trump’s sweeping claims of immunity from prosecution for acts he took while in the White House. The U.S. Supreme Court in July ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, and sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine which allegations in the indictment, if any, could proceed to trial. The case was just beginning to pick up steam again in the trial court in the weeks leading up this year’s election. Smith’s team in October filed a lengthy brief laying out new evidence they planned to use against him at trial, accusing him of using “ resorting to crimes ” in an increasingly desperate effort to overturn the will over voters after he lost to President Joe Biden. Associated Press writer Colleen Long contributed to this story.
Stocks wavered in afternoon trading, as losses for several Big Tech companies offset gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 fell 0.5 per cent, even though more stocks were rising than falling in the index. The Dow Jones fell 78 points, or 0.2 per cent. Both indexes set records on Tuesday. The Nasdaq composite fell 1.1 per cent. Wall Street’s tech giants retreated on Wednesday. Credit: AP The Australian sharemarket is set to inch up, with futures at 4.56am AEDT pointing to a rise of 14 points, or 0.1 per cent, at the open. The ASX added 0.6 per cent on Wednesday. Losses for tech heavyweights helped pull the broader market lower. Semiconductor giant Nvidia slipped 3.3 per cent. Its huge value gives it outsized influence on market indexes. Microsoft fell 1.1 per cent. Several personal computer makers added to Big Tech’s heavy weight on the market following their latest earnings reports. HP sank 12.6 per cent after giving investors a weaker-than-expected earnings forecast for its current quarter. Dell slumped 12.1 per cent after its latest quarterly revenue fell short of Wall Street forecasts. Gains for financial and health care companies helped counter Big Tech’s downward pull. The US economy expanded at a healthy 2.8 per cent annual pace from July through September, according to the Commerce Department, leaving its original estimate of third-quarter growth unchanged. The growth was driven by strong consumer spending and a surge in exports. The update follows a report on Tuesday from the Conference Board that said confidence among US consumers improved in November, but not by as much as economists expected. Consumers have been driving economic growth, but the latest round of earnings reports from retailers shows a mixed and more cautious picture. Department store operator Nordstrom fell 10.3 per cent after warning investors about a trend toward weakening sales that started in late October. Clothing retailer Urban Outfitters jumped 15.9 per cent after beating analysts’ third-quarter financial forecasts. Weeks earlier, retail giant Target gave investors a discouraging forecast for the holiday season, while Walmart provided a more encouraging forecast. Consumers, though resilient, are still facing pressure from inflation. The latest update from the US government shows that inflation accelerated last month. The personal consumption expenditures index, or PCE, rose to 2.3 per cent in October from 2.1 per cent in September. Overall, the rate of inflation has been falling broadly since it peaked more than two years ago. The PCE, which is the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation, was just below 7.3 per cent in June of 2022. Another measure of inflation, the consumer price index, peaked at 9.1 per cent at the same time. The latest inflation data, though, is a sign that the rate of inflation seems to be stalling as it falls to within range of the Fed’s target of 2 per cent. The central bank started raising its benchmark interest rate from near-zero in early 2022 to a two-decade high by the middle of 2023 and held it there in order to tame inflation. The Fed started cutting its benchmark interest rate in September, followed by a second cut in November. Wall Street expects a similar quarter-point cut at the central bank’s upcoming meeting in December. “Today’s data shouldn’t change views of the likely path for disinflation, however bumpy,” said David Alcaly, lead macroeconomic strategist at Lazard Asset Management. “But a lot of observers, probably including some at the Fed, are looking for reasons to get more hawkish on the outlook given the potential for inflationary policy change like new tariffs.” President-elect Donald Trump has said he plans to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China when he takes office in January. That could shock the economy by raising prices on a wide range of goods and accelerating the rate of inflation. Such a shift could prompt the Fed to rethink future cuts to interest rates. Treasury yields slipped in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.24 per cent from 4.30 per cent late Tuesday. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which more closely follows expected actions by the Fed, fell to 4.21 per cent from 4.25 per cent late Tuesday. US markets will be closed Thursday for Thanksgiving. AP The Market Recap newsletter is a wrap of the day’s trading. Get it each we e kday afternoon .Pakistani police arrest thousands of Imran Khan supporters ahead of rally in the capital
Area Girls Basketball: Rangers take down ranked opponentMumbai: On Wednesday, Uber launched a new feature allowing riders to share live location and trip details directly with police through the app's SOS integration switch. Uber will share with the police department complete driver details, the car's GPS, number, name, and colour in real-time, so that they can respond if the rider presses the SOS button on the app. Uber additionally introduced a pioneering audio recording capability for passengers within the app, whereby they can document audio if they experience discomfort or safety concerns during journeys. Uber maintains no access to the audio unless the passenger opts to present it within a safety report. It can be furnished to law enforcement authorities as evidence should a grievance arise against the driver. A third innovative feature utilised Machine Learning (Artificial Intelligence) ensuring women drivers have the option to exclusively accept women passengers, particularly beneficial during night-time hours. Implemented following driver feedback, this optional feature facilitated over 21,000 journeys nationwide, with few women drivers operating across MMR. "The SOS button (in app) integration with state police is a new feature apart from our 24x7 helpline on the app. It is designed to provide immediate support when every second counts. The feature is live in Telangana, and the pilot project was launched across Maharashtra," said Sooraj Nair, Head — Safety Operations, Uber India. Uber collaborated with Bengaluru-based NGO Durga, intensifying efforts to educate drivers regarding appropriate conduct, particularly concerning female passengers. Priya Varadarajan, founder of Durga, said: "This partnership will encompass sessions for drivers to comprehend and address the distinctive safety concerns of women passengers. Our emphasis will be on sensitising drivers to behave appropriately with women passengers and ensure their security throughout the journey." Uber additionally launched ‘Safety Preferences' whereby passengers can automatically activate technology-driven safety features during each journey. The feature enables passengers to customise their safety settings—from automatically sharing journey details with trusted contacts to enabling audio recording and RideCheck alerts. Passengers can configure safety features to activate based on time or location, such as night-time journeys or rides from specific localities.
California vows to step in if Trump kills US EV tax creditNimbleTech CastGo Wireless HDMI Now Supports 4 DisplaysBrainrot, brat, extreme weather, midwest nice and weird round out the shortlist SAN MATEO, Calif. , Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Dictionary.com , the world's leading digital dictionary, today announced its 2024 Word of the Year: demure . Traditionally used to describe reserved or modest individuals, demure has taken on an expanded meaning this year to signify refined and sophisticated appearances or behaviors. "As remote work fades and in-person experiences become the norm again, the subtle art of personal presentation has taken on renewed importance," said Steve Johnson , Curriculum Design Manager of the Dictionary Media Group at IXL Learning . " Demure captures this cultural shift with a modern twist: a word that once carried traditional, often limiting connotations has been reimagined to celebrate understated elegance and suavity. Its evolving meaning gives people a way to express quiet confidence—embracing modesty and charm as intentional, empowering choices . " In making the annual selection, Dictionary.com 's lexicographers analyzed a wealth of data—including newsworthy headlines, search engine results and social media trends—to identify words that captured pivotal moments in 2024. The word demure dominated the cultural zeitgeist, with its usage in digital media surging a remarkable 1,200% between January and August. This meteoric rise is largely attributed to Jools Lebron, a content creator who popularized the phrase "very demure, very mindful" in a series of TikTok videos illustrating how to embody the term in professional, travel and social settings. The social media buzz surrounding demure sparked a similar spike in search interest. In the 11 months before Lebron's videos, there was no notable trend in Google searches for the term, but interest surged 14-fold by August 2024 . At its peak, searches for demure on Dictionary.com were 200 times greater than their previous rate. While the initial trend has cooled, the word remains five times more popular on Dictionary.com than it was before its breakout moment. Alongside demure, Dictionary.com 's lexicographers identified five additional words that shaped the cultural conversation in 2024, rounding out this year's shortlist. Read more about Dictionary.com 's 2024 Word of the Year at http://dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-year/ . About Dictionary.com Words define every aspect of our lives, from our ideas to our identities. Dictionary.com aspires to empower people to express themselves, make connections and find opportunities through the power and joy of language. With 96 million visitors each month, Dictionary.com is the premier destination to learn, discover and have fun with the limitless world of words and meanings. The brand helps you make sense of the ever-evolving English language so you can put your ideas into words—and your words into action. Press Contact Joslyn Chesson IXL Learning press@ixl.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dictionarycom-names-demure-as-the-2024-word-of-the-year-302315735.html SOURCE IXL Learning
NoneHead coach Vanni Sartini paid the price Monday for the Vancouver Whitecaps’ mediocre results this past season and subsequent first-round playoff exit. His firing came about two weeks after the Major League Soccer team won a play-in game before falling to top-seeded Los Angeles FC in a three-game series that went the distance. “The desperation on my side is absolutely there,” said Axel Schuster, the Whitecaps’ sporting director and chief executive officer. One of the reasons for the change, he said, is everyone in the organization, including himself, needs a reminder that playoff success next year is imperative. “We cannot not get there.” The Whitecaps haven’t reached the conference semifinals since 2017. In a one-hour availability with reporters, Schuster noted the team had the second-worst home record in the Western Conference this year and recorded just two points over its last seven regular-season games. He referenced the need for fresh energy from a new coach and added there was no firm timeline in place for a replacement to be named. “I had to make a professional decision (for) how we can get the biggest impact to make this step forward and to get to a progression,” he said. The Whitecaps’ late-season slump dropped them to eighth place in the West with a record of 13-13-8. Vancouver won a play-in game at Portland before dropping a 1-0 decision at LAFC in the deciding game of the series. Vancouver also won its third-straight Canadian championship this season, beating Toronto FC 4-2 on penalties after the final ended in a 0-0 tie. “I took my time with this decision, and it was not taken lightly,” Schuster said. Sartini, a 47-year-old from Florence, Italy, took over coaching duties on an interim basis in August 2021 after the Whitecaps dismissed Marc Dos Santos. He was officially named head coach that November. “For the last three years and three months, it has been an absolute honour to be the head coach of Vancouver Whitecaps FC,” Sartini said in a release. “I will always be grateful to Axel Schuster and ownership for entrusting me to be the technical lead of this club in such an important time. “Vancouver will always have a special place in my heart and my wife’s heart,” he added. He posted a record of 57-51-39 across all competitions. The exuberant Italian made headlines in November 2023 when he publicly criticized a referee following a playoff game and made a joke about being a suspect if the official were to be found dead. He was suspended for the first six games of the 2024 MLS campaign, fined US$20,000 and ordered to complete a league-approved behavioural assessment. The coach later apologized for the comments and his suspension was cut to four games. Sartini came to Vancouver in 2019 as Dos Santos’ assistant coach and spent two seasons with the first team before being named the club’s “director of methodology” and taking over coaching the U-23 team in 2020. Before joining the Whitecaps, he worked as a coach educator for the Italian Football Federation and the U.S. Soccer Federation, and coached several different clubs in Italy.
Chase Strangio stood before the Supreme Court on a cold December morning, the weight of history pressing against his shoulders. As the first openly transgender attorney to argue before the nation’s highest court, he carried not just legal briefs but the echoes of protests past – from the Stonewall uprising to the Compton Cafeteria riots, trans people have created a legacy of fighting for justice. Outside, hundreds of protesters pressed against police barricades, their chants rising above the marble columns. The demonstration was organized by Gender Liberation Movement (GLM) , a national collective that builds direct action, media, and policy interventions focused on bodily autonomy and self-determination in response to gender-based threats. “They want trans people to no longer exist,” said Eliel Cruz, co-founder of GLM. “And young people are the way to begin that kind of larger project.” The grassroots group has emerged as a significant force in coordinating nationwide protests against gender-based restrictions, combining street demonstrations with policy advocacy. As the Supreme Court heard arguments inside, GLM activists led chants demanding protection for transgender healthcare rights. The next day, 15 activists were arrested in a Capitol bathroom protest against new restrictions proposed by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) – restrictions targeting even Congress’s first openly transgender member, Sarah McBride (D-Del.) . Among those detained were Raquel Willis, a Black transgender activist known for leading the historic Brooklyn Liberation March and her rallying cry “I believe in Black trans power,” and Chelsea Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst who served seven years in prison for leaking classified documents about civilian casualties in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the bathroom restrictions in a statement, saying single-sex facilities in the Capitol are “reserved for individuals of that biological sex.” Supporters of similar state-level restrictions argue they protect women’s privacy rights. “Women deserve women-only spaces,” Johnson said to The Tennessean , echoing sentiments from conservative lawmakers who have introduced similar measures in state legislatures. The parallels to history are not lost on today’s movement leaders. As Republican-led states advance hundreds of bills restricting transgender rights and healthcare, activists move in lockstep with pioneers like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. But this time, the battleground isn’t just the city streets, but also the marble corridors of power, and the weapons are legal briefs instead of bricks. How LGBTQ+ activism made everything better for everyone LGBTQ+ activists have emerged as a cornerstone for civil rights movements in the United States. “We are part of every community considered from the point of view of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, and class,” said Chris Sanders, executive director at the Tennessee Equality Project (TNEP.) “So we are affected by all forms of discrimination.” Sanders highlighted historic figures like Pauli Murray , civil rights activist, lawyer, and co-founder of the National Organization for Women, who they say used both she/her and they/them pronouns ; Audre Lorde, a pioneer in Black feminism; and Bayard Rustin, a core architect of the historic March on Washington, who adapted civil disobedience tactics from organizers in India, which established an iconic strategy of the Civil Rights Era. The list goes on. Larry Kramer, a Jewish American and founder of ACT UP during the HIV/AIDS pandemic , influenced healthcare policymakers including Anthony Fauci , who referenced Kramer during COVID-19. Trans figures fought in several instances to protect the First Amendment right of peaceful assembly and the constitutional rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Such examples include Tamara Ching, a trans Asian American woman at the Compton Cafeteria uprising, and Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera at Stonewall, all three women mobilizing against police brutality. Meanwhile, Harry Weider , a hard of hearing child of Holocaust survivors with dwarfism, joined ACT UP and advocated for public housing. Kiyoshi Kuromiya, an openly gay Japanese American and survivor of World War II internment, marched with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Selma and served as his personal assistant . When King was assassinated, Kuromiya looked after King’s children . In 1970, Kuromiya served as the only openly gay panelist at the Black Panther Convention , representing the Gay Liberation Front Philadelphia chapter; that same year, Black Panther co-founder Huey P. Newton endorsed LGBTQ+ and women’s liberation movements . “The visibility and success of LGBTQ+ rights movements have sparked broader conversations about intersectionality, encouraging other marginalized groups to advocate for their rights,” said Manuel Hernández, who uses pronouns li/naya and he/they. Hernández serves as the executive director of ALMA Chicago , which since the AIDS epidemic has advocated for the fair treatment and equality of the Latinx LGBTQ+ community. “This ripple effect has made the fight for equality more comprehensive and interconnected.” Trans people are still left behind Despite broader LGBTQ+ gains, trans people find themselves excluded while being drastically impacted by modern political debates. While the recent election cycle ushered in the historic election of openly trans Sarah McBride to Congress , less than 1% of U.S. elected officials identify publicly as LGBTQ+. Since 2017, t he Victory Institute tracked a 6% decrease in elections of trans people amid increases in elections of other LGBTQ+ candidates. Representation in office continues to be dominated by cis white gay men. This underrepresentation leaves transgender people vulnerable to discrimination and political exploitation from both parties, advocates say. Blossom C. Brown, an Afro-Native trans activist based in Los Angeles, with appearances on the trans rights podcast Transparency and in viral content at Jubiliee’s Middle Ground debates, said, “We are the easiest community to be used for political points by politicians, including some Democrats.” In 2015, Jennicet Gutierrez, co-founder of trans Latine advocacy group Familia TQLM , confronted then President Barack Obama during a White House Pride Month reception about gender-based violence against trans women in ICE detention centers . Security removed her from the event, and media outlets described her actions as heckling. During her 2024 presidential run, Vice President Kamala Harris received endorsements from several major LGBTQ+ organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign and the National LGBTQ Task Force . However, trans speakers were excluded from the 2024 Democratic National Convention. In 2018, then president Donald Trump referred to migrant caravans arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border as “hardened criminals.” Some of the earliest known caravans consisted primarily of transgender migrates, displaced by internal conflicts including U.S.-backed coups across Latin America and targeted by police due to gender identity, self-expression, and sexual orientation. In August 2017, the Transgender Law Center recorded the first known official migrant Rainbow Caravan , 11 of whom were trans and the rest LGB . The following year, several LGBTQ+ couples married at the border with Mexico before crossing over. Cruz also warned of parallel and potentially deadly consequences similar to the struggle for abortion rights. “We are going to have thousands and thousands of families and trans young people unable to access that care,” he said. “We’ll need to find either ways to get it illegally in their state, or they might have to flee.” Transgender people have begun leaving the United States. They have fled to New Zealand , France , the Netherlands, and other countries where immigration policies welcome trans asylum seekers. According to a 2023 report from Data for Progress , 41% of trans adults and 43% of trans people aged 18-24 have considered moving. Eight percent of trans adults, including those aged 18-24, have already left, alongside 9% of LGBTQ+ adults 65 or older. “The SCOTUS ruling will have a much more impact on the trans community than it will the LGBTQ community as a whole,” said Brown. “We must wake that up in this movement.” What’s at stake As the protests at the Supreme Court over healthcare for trans youth remain at the forefront of the debate, gender-affirming care also applies to cisgenderpeople. A Hastings Center report found that cisgender make up the majority of those seeking gender-affirming care . “These issues have systematically contributed to our detriment,” said Brown. “[S]ystemic oppression...tries to keep us as the ‘outsider.’ But truth is we are far from it!” In November 2024, TNEP and other groups successfully fought off a second conservative proposal in Tennessee’s Knox County campaign to “ protect child innocence ” by cutting funding to programs deemed sexually explicit. Opponents called it “ undefined,” while the four-page document defined prohibited content as “harmful to minors,” “matter,” “nudity,” “obscene,” “prurient interest,” and “sexual conduct.” Several nonprofits argued that such a vague resolution threatened services, such as programs that respond to and protect children from abuse . Critics called it a thinly disguised anti-drag initiative, which could have had drastic repercussions on the entire state. Thirty-five state constitutions still ban marriage equality . While federal courts overruled these bans in the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges ruling in 2015, some legal experts worry the current court could overturn that decision as it did with abortion. Other SCOTUS rulings have undone LGBTQ+ efforts regarding universal human rights, including work and healthcare discrimination. In 2023, the Supreme Court sided with Lorie Smith, a wedding website designer, declaring that she could deny a gay couple services. However, the case centered on a straight man married to a woman who claimed that he never submitted a request . This ruling now means that anyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender, can be denied services. In July this year, the Biden administration was unable to enforce new rules affirming healthcare for trans U.S. citizens. The SCOTUS overturning of the 1984 Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council ruling weakened federal enforcement of regulations and reduced the political authority of the Environmental Protection Agency, creating an unforeseen connection between trans rights and climate justice. In 2017, the same year as the Rainbow Caravan, the Trump administration ordered the end of the DACA program , which SCOTUS reversed in 2020 . Trump’s vows of mass deportation , partially which incorporated his twisting of the trans struggle to fit his agenda, could threaten the livelihood of many people essential to the U.S. economy, like the agriculture sector, which employs a 73% migrant workforce . What comes next As a common practice, activists center the needs of the most marginalized to create universal solutions. Cruz said that by addressing the needs of Black trans women, including disabled Black trans undocumented women with English as a second language, the rights and needs of all will be served. “This is true for all Americans,” he said. “It’s not some special thing that only Black trans people or queer trans people need.” Amid 574 anti-LGBTQ bills circulating across state legislatures and the resulting mental health crisis for trans youth, organizers plan to follow the trans legacy of activism and continue to pressure the Supreme Court to side with them through direct action. “We will never give up on our trans youth,” said Brown. “I have hope and faith that the LGBTQ community will respond with even more powerful mechanisms of change.” Sanders encouraged activists to show up for TNEP’s Zoom phone banks and “Day on the Hill” action to campaign for LGBTQ+ rights, which they will announce later. In Chicago, Hernández indicated that ALMA will mobilize through educating the wider community about transgender issues and collaborating with legal organizations like Equality Illinois . ALMA currently offers empowerment and economic mobility through programs like its Latinx LGBTQ+ Advocacy Leadership Institute. “Where possible, we’ll also explore ways to offer financial support to trans youth and families navigating new legal or medical challenges,” said Hernández. In New York City, Cruz called for increased volunteer and financial support of the Transgender Law Center and other trans-led legal efforts nationwide. “We’ve made America a better place by pushing for inclusivity,” said Brown. “Unfortunately there are groups who are threatened by this. Not our problem! We will continue the fight.” Rohan Zhou-Lee (They/Siya/祂(Tā)/Elle) is a queer/nonbinary Black Asian dancer, writer, and organizer. A 2023 Open City Fellow at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, they have written for Newsweek, Prism Reports, NextShark, and more . Siya is also the founder of the award-winning Blasian March , a Black-Asian-Blasian grassroots solidarity organization, and for their work has been featured on CNN , NBC Chicago , USA Today , WNYC , and more . Zhou-Lee has spoken on organizing, human rights , and other subjects at New York University, The University of Tokyo, the 2022 Unite and Enough Festivals in Zürich, Switzerland, Harvard University, and more. www.diaryofafirebird.comNewcastle 0 West Ham 2: Aaron Wan-Bissaka hits rare Premier League goal as Hammers secure shock win on Tyneside
Indiana should be able to breathe easy this week. It has very little chance of making it into the Big Ten championship game. On the other hand, Georgia's spot in the Southeastern Conference title game is so risky that if the Bulldogs lose they might have been better off sitting it out. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Buni warns Yobe civil servants against 2027 election engagements
Controversial billionaire Elon Musk responded to speculation that MSNBC could be put up for sale , asking on Friday how much the cable news network would set him back. The Comcast media conglomerate announced Wednesday it planned to spin some of its NBCUniversal properties — including MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Oxygen and E! — into “a new publicly traded company.” The announcement prompted some social media users, including Donald Trump Jr., to suggest the world’s richest man should buy MSNBC . Many of the left-leaning network’s hosts, including Joe Scarborough, Rachel Maddow and Mika Brzezinski, have been critical of Musk and the MAGA movement he supports . “Hey @elonmusk I have the funniest idea ever!!!” Trump Jr. posted on Friday alongside a graphic joking that MSNBC would sell for the “best offer.” “How much does it cost?” replied Musk, whose net worth was estimated to have reached a record high of $321.7 billion on Friday. Musk’s response was very similar to the one he gave in 2017 when some social media users suggested he buy Twitter. Five years later, he spent $44 billion to purchase the platform , which he renamed X and has since used to promote his right-wing ideology and conspiracy theories . “I mean it can’t be much,” Trump Jr. wrote back. “Look at the ratings.” MSNBC viewership reportedly plummeted 38% after Election Day, according to The Wrap. Musk’s banter with Trump Jr. continued, with the entrepreneur writing, “The most entertaining outcome, especially if ironic, is most likely.” While Comcast made no mention of selling MSNBC to Musk , the big-spending tech wiz has proven he can take over companies despite resistance from their board of directors, just as he did with Twitter. Speculation about Musk buying a progressive cable news network comes a week after satirical site The Onion announced it had purchased Alex Jones’ far-right “InfoWars” empire in a bankruptcy auction. Jones was forced to sell the disgraced brand to satisfy a judgment against him in connection with the lies and conspiracy theories he pushed about the 2012 massacre at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School . A Texas judge has delayed that acquisition while a court reviews details of the bidding process.Exit interview: Andrew Coolidge reflects on council, mayoral terms
The Housefly Effect explained and how it shapes human behaviourMEXICO CITY (AP) — Over 18,000 people have registered online to run for Supreme Court seats and federal judgeships in Mexico’s contentious new selection process, officials said Monday. But a random drawing in the end will determine who gets on the ballot. The ruling party pushed through to make all federal judges stand for election, replacing the system where court employees and lawyers mainly move up through the ranks. Current court employees and their supporters have staged dozens of demonstrations against the reforms, calling them part of a ruling-party campaign to weaken checks and balances and eliminate independent regulatory and oversight bodies. Now, candidates for Supreme Court seats and federal judgeships need only a law degree, a grade point average of 3.2, “five years of professional experience” and five letters of recommendation from neighbors or friends. That, and some luck in the final drawing. Officials rejected criticism that has called the process rushed or amateurish for the often highly technical posts that can hear cases including intellectual property, organized crime and Constitutional law. “The results have been spectacular,” said Arturo Zaldivar, a top adviser to President Claudia Sheinbaum. According to the plan, evaluation committees will have just over a month to review thousands of resumes and whittle the field to about 10 candidates or less for each for the 881 judgeships and Then 1,793 names chosen at random from those selected will appear on the ballot on June 1. Critics warn that many who land on the ballot will be unknowns who perhaps have never argued a case in the courts they seek to run. “You don’t elect a doctor or a surgeon for an operation based on their popularity, you elect them based on their technical expertise, their ability, their knowledge,” said Sergio Méndez Silva, the legal coordinator for the civic group Foundation for Justice. “That also applies for a judge.” With candidates now having to run election campaigns, critics warn there’s a chance that drug cartels or political parties could finance them to get friendly judges onto the bench. There are also concerns that the evaluation committees deciding who makes the cut for the selection to appear on ballots may not be impartial. Most committee members were appointed by the legislative or executive branches, controlled by the ruling Morena party. Some critics argue that the current justice system, which is riddled with nepotism, corruption and a lack of accountability, needs to be changed. “We need a justice system that gives results,” said Minerva Martínez Garza, an academic and former head of the human rights commission in the northern border state of Nuevo Leon who has registered to run for a Supreme Court seat. Trials in Mexico can last for years, and the ruling party has added to meaning that a large percentage of the prison population is people awaiting trial. ____ Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
