Ads jar epic documentaryLampkin, Freeman power Syracuse past Bucknell, 75-63 in final nonconference tune-upCOLUMBIA, South Carolina — Victims’ families and others affected by crimes that resulted in federal death row convictions shared a range of emotions on Monday, from relief to anger, after President Joe Biden commuted dozens of the sentences. Biden converted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The inmates include people who were convicted in the slayings of police, military officers and federal prisoners and guards. Others were involved in deadly robberies and drug deals. Three inmates will remain on federal death row: Dylann Roof, convicted of the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; the 2013 Boston Marathon Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. Opponents of the death penalty lauded Biden for a decision they’d long sought. Supporters of Donald Trump, a vocal advocate of expanding capital punishment, criticized the move as an assault to common decency just weeks before the president-elect takes office. Related Story: Victims’ Families and Former Colleagues Share Relief and Anger Donnie Oliverio, a retired Ohio police officer whose partner was killed by one of the men whose death sentence was commuted, said the execution of “the person who killed my police partner and best friend would have brought me no peace.” “The president has done what is right here,” Oliverio said in a statement also issued by the White House, “and what is consistent with the faith he and I share.” Heather Turner, whose mother, Donna Major, was killed in a bank robbery in South Carolina in 2017, called Biden’s commutation of the killer’s sentence a “clear gross abuse of power” in a Facebook post, adding that the weeks she spent sitting in court with the hope of justice were now “just a waste of time.” “At no point did the president consider the victims,” Turner wrote. “He, and his supporters, have blood on their hands.” Decision to Leave Roof on Death Row Met With Conflicting Emotions There has always been a broad range of opinions on what punishment Roof should face from the families of the nine people killed and the survivors of the massacre at the Mother Emanuel AME Church. Many forgave him, but they can’t forget and their forgiveness doesn’t mean they don’t want to see him put to death for what he did. Felicia Sanders survived the shooting shielding her granddaughter while watching Roof kill her son, Tywanza, and her aunt, Susie Jackson. Sanders brought her bullet-torn bloodstained Bible to his sentencing and said then she can’t even close her eyes to pray because Roof started firing during the closing prayer of Bible study that night. In a text message to her lawyer, Andy Savage, Sanders called Biden’s decision to not spare Roof’s life a wonderful Christmas gift. Related Story: Michael Graham, whose sister, Cynthia Hurd, was killed, told The Associated Press that Roof’s lack of remorse and simmering white nationalism in the country means he is the kind of dangerous and evil person the death penalty is intended for. “This was a crime against a race of people,” Graham said. “It didn’t matter who was there, only that they were Black.” But the Rev. Sharon Richer, who was Tywanza Sanders’ cousin and whose mother, Ethel Lance, was killed, criticized Biden for not sparing Roof and clearing out all of death row. She said every time Roof’s case comes up through numerous appeals it is like reliving the massacre all over again. “I need the President to understand that when you put a killer on death row, you also put their victims’ families in limbo with the false promise that we must wait until there is an execution before we can begin to heal,” Richer said in a statement. Richer, a board member of Death Penalty Action, which seeks to abolish capital punishment, was driven to tears by conflicting emotions during a Zoom news conference Monday. “The families are left to be hostages for the years and years of appeals that are to come,” Richer said. “I’ve got to stay away from the news today. I’ve got to turn the TV off — because whose face am I going to see?” Biden is giving more attention to the three inmates he chose not to spare, something they all wanted as a part of what drove them to kill, said Abraham Bonowitz, Death Penalty Action’s executive director. “These three racists and terrorists who have been left on death row came to their crimes from political motivations. When Donald Trump gets to execute them what will really be happening is they will be given a global platform for their agenda of hatred,” Bonowitz said. Related Story: One Inmate’s Attorney Expresses Thanks — and His Remorse Two of the men whose sentences were commuted were Norris Holder and Billie Jerome Allen, on death row for opening fire with assault rifles during a 1997 bank robbery in St. Louis, killing a guard, 46-year-old Richard Heflin. Holder’s attorney, Madeline Cohen, said in an email that Holder was sentenced to death by an all-white jury. She said his case “reflects many of the system’s flaws,” and thanked Biden for commuting his sentence. “Norris’ case exemplifies the racial bias and arbitrariness that led the President to commute federal death sentences,” Cohen said. “Norris has always been deeply remorseful for the pain his actions caused, and we hope this decision brings some measure of closure to Richard Heflin’s family.”

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Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player, leads fan balloting for the 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games after one week of voting, the league announced on Monday. Ravens superstar Jackson set the overall pace with 44,681 votes followed by teammate Derrick Henry, the running back leader, in second overall at 40,729 votes. Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was third overall at 40,602, only 127 votes behind Henry in the rusher's race, with Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen fourth overall on 36,574 and Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs fifth on 35,637. The Detroit Lions lead all clubs in total votes received, followed by the Ravens, the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFL's revamped all-star event will be staged in Orlando, Florida, for the second consecutive year. In all, 88 players will gather on February 2 in skills competitions and a flag football showdown with coaches Peyton and Eli Manning. While other vote totals were not revealed, Washington rookie Jayden Daniels was the top NFC quarterback in the fan voting and top receivers were Minnesota's Justin Jefferson in the NFC and Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase in the AFC. NFL fans can vote as often as they wish through December 23 with selections decided by a consensus of ballots by players, coaches and fans with each group counting for one-third of every player's final total. NFL players and coaches will cast votes on December 27. js/rcwRams claim '23 1st-round CB Forbes off waiversAsda has issued a warning to shoppers with an item limit per customer before Christmas. The supermarket has waded into the Christmas dinner price wars after it slashed the cost of several festive food essentials down to just 8p each. In the run up to Christmas , several retailers had launched 15p Christmas veg offers, but by the weekend had cut their prices to just 8p. Asda was one of the supermarkets which had put the offer in place, announcing 8p carrots, brussels sprouts, parsnips, broccoli and potatoes. Such deals are known as ‘loss leaders’, whereby supermarkets sell some products at a loss in order to tempt shoppers into stores, where they would probably spend money on various other higher margin items just before Christmas, making the money back for the retailer. Though there’s nothing stopping you buying just 8p veg and then leaving, Asda has put in place an item limit per customer. Seen in its Leeds Adel store, a sign was put up on the bargain bin vegetables which read: “5 Products Max Per Customer’. The deal is available to everyone, not just shoppers who have an Asda Reward card, which is Asda's own loyalty scheme. Asda said: “The news means that Asda is the only supermarket to have an 8p offer on five Christmas veg lines (which includes 2kg potatoes) accessible to all shoppers – no member pricing or need for a loyalty card. “Available in-store and online while stocks last, customers will be able get 1kg carrots, 500g sprouts, 360g broccoli, 500g parsnips and for the first time 2kg potatoes for just 8p each until Tuesday 24th December. Customers can bag all the key Christmas dinner sides for amazing value - that's Asda Price!”Newly named Prime Minister Francois Bayrou put together the government that includes members of the outgoing conservative-dominated team and some new figures from centrist or left-leaning backgrounds. Coming up with a 2025 budget will be the most urgent order of business. The new government enters office after months of political deadlock and pressure from financial markets to reduce France’s colossal debt. Mr Macron has vowed to remain in office until his term ends in 2027, but has struggled to govern since snap elections in the summer left no single party with a majority in the National Assembly. Since his appointment 10 days ago, Mr Bayrou has held talks with political leaders from various parties in search of the right balance for the new government. Some critics were angry at Mr Bayrou for consulting with Marine Le Pen’s far-right party, and some argue the government looks too much like the old one to win the trust of politicians. Former prime minister Michel Barnier resigned this month following a no-confidence vote prompted by budget disputes in the National Assembly, leaving France without a functioning government. Ms Le Pen played a key role in Mr Barnier’s downfall by joining her National Rally party’s forces with the left to pass the no-confidence motion. Mr Bayrou will need support from moderate legislators on the right and left to keep his government alive. Banker Eric Lombard will be finance minister, a crucial post when France is working to fulfil its promises to European Union partners to reduce its deficit, estimated to reach 6% of its gross domestic product this year. Mr Lombard briefly worked as an adviser to a socialist finance minister in the 1990s. Mr Bayrou has said he supports tax hikes championed by his predecessor, but it is not clear how the new government can find the right calculation for a budget that satisfies a majority of politicians angry over spending cuts. Bruno Retailleau stays on as interior minister, with responsibility for France’s security and migration policy. Sebastien Lecornu, who has been at the forefront of France’s military support for Ukraine, remains defence minister, while foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who has travelled extensively in the Middle East in recent weeks, also retains his post. Among the new faces are two former prime ministers. Manuel Valls will be minister for overseas affairs, and Elisabeth Borne takes the education ministry.

Subsea7 awarded contract in the US Gulf of MexicoVoters spoke in the 2024 elections, and what they said was bring prices down and get immigration under control. Some beneficiaries of the 2024 election heard a different message. “On November 5, voters decisively elected Donald Trump with a mandate for sweeping change,” Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who are running Trump’s government-efficiency commission, wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Nov. 21. “They deserve to get it.” Some voters here and there might want sweeping change, but that’s not what a majority of the electorate is looking for. Trump beat incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris in the popular vote by a mere 1.6 percentage points , and his margin in the key swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin was less than that. There was no “ coattail ” effect in the House of Representatives, which Trump’s Republicans will control with the same narrow margin they have now. In post-election polls, 41% of voters said inflation was their top voting concern, followed by 35% citing immigration, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris survey . After that came the economy in general, women’s rights, healthcare, crime, and climate change. The only hint of dissatisfaction with the government was 13% who said the national debt was their top concern. That landed eighth. Yet Musk and Ramaswamy are set to remake the government in much the same way that Musk tore into Twitter after he bought it in 2022, slashing payroll, charging new user fees, and rebranding it as X. Musk and Ramaswamy will run a new “Dept. of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, that will be outside the government but work with the Trump White House to streamline the federal bureaucracy and zap redundancies. In their Wall Street Journal op-ed, the two business gurus said they’d target three types of reform to cut $500 billion in annual spending: killing excessive regulation, reducing administrative bloat, and saving taxpayers money. In other remarks, they’ve sounded more draconian. On Nov. 1, Musk, the CEO of Tesla, said spending cuts likely to come from his commission’s work would involve “temporary hardship ” for many Americans. Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, has called for an across-the-board cut of 75% of federal government workers . For the DOGE Bros, these are the heady days of half-baked plans and exaggerated ambitions that haven’t yet collided with reality. So the hyperbole may be harmless. But voters didn’t ask for anything of the sort that Musk and Ramaswamy seem to have in mind. The two bureaucracy bashers are projecting their own desires onto voters and claiming that Trump’s modest win gives them a blank check to do something voters haven’t asked for. There are three possible outcomes to this assault on Uncle Sam. One is that the efficiency commission proposes deep cuts and painful reforms that never end up happening, as many other commissions have done. Congress holds almost all of the authority for spending and would have to get with the program, which it usually doesn’t. In a recent analysis, investing firm Evercore estimated that DOGE might be able to identify “hundreds of billions” of dollars in possible spending cuts over a decade, far less than the $500-billion-per-year target. Even then, Congress is likely to increase spending on defense and border control while cutting government revenue through lower taxes. All told, that’s the formula for yet another commission that doesn’t make a dent. Another possibility is that the Trump administration tries to slash the government without Congress’s approval, which would surely provoke a superstorm of litigation. Some Trump aides say a 1974 law on “impounding” federal funds could let Trump strangle targeted agencies by simply refusing to spend money Congress appropriated to fund them. The result would probably be chaotic until the Supreme Court settled the question of whether Trump actually has such authority. But that could be a de facto diminution of government, at least until then. Third, Congress could broadly go along with the DOGE commission and grant most of the spending cuts and agency executions it calls for. This seems very unlikely, since members of both political parties exercise power by overseeing the very spending Musk wants to cut. But who knows, Musk might cast a spell that temporarily blocks the self-preservation function on Capitol Hill and allows the unthinkable. Drop Rick Newman a note , follow him on Twitter , or sign up for his newsletter . The bigger question is, how would any of this benefit voters? One way would be if Musk identifies massive spending cuts, Congress enacts them, and Americans get a refund check from the federal government for all the money it is no longer spending. That’s not in Musk’s Twitter template, however, and the amount of savings required to materially lower taxes — without pushing the gigantic national debt even higher — is mathematically fantastical. What is in the Twitter template is a cutback in services that alienates users and a degradation of value that costs investors. Applied to the government, this would mean Trump and his Boys Wonder fire thousands of people who answer questions at the Social Security office, process passports, administer farm aid, manage national parks, oversee highway repair, enforce workplace safety, staff air traffic control towers, and take care of veterans. The federal government surely is bloated, like many big organizations. But it also provides valuable services to millions of Americans who may not even realize that their customer service agent is a villainous bureaucrat. About 3 million people work for the government. If you fired one-third of them, the unemployment rate would jump from 4.1% to 4.7%. Musk says the plan is to resettle these federal exiles in the private sector, but that wouldn’t happen immediately and for some people it wouldn’t happen at all. That would be a million families applying for unemployment insurance and tightening up their spending in the face of sudden career uncertainty. Coffee shops, dry cleaners, barbershops, and many other small businesses in the vicinity of affected agencies would lose customers, and some would shut down. Many federal agencies are spread around the country, way beyond Washington, D.C., including some in underdeveloped areas that don’t have other big employers. Maybe they could apply for the farm work likely to be available when Trump deports millions of undocumented migrants. This is the “temporary hardship” Musk is talking about. Do voters want this? Ramaswamy thinks so. “Do we want incremental reform, or do we want revolution?” he asked during his own brief presidential bid , the point being revolution, of course. Then he got Trump’s ear. It remains to be seen if Trump heard the voters who simply want a break on the rent and a cheaper fill-up at the gas station. Rick Newman is a senior columnist for Yahoo Finance . Follow him on Twitter at @rickjnewman . Click here for political news related to business and money policies that will shape tomorrow's stock prices . Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo FinanceTulane QB Mensah transfers to Duke

Visualizing the Future: Transforming Decisions Through DataGREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — While other teams around the NFL are seeing their injury lists grow as the season winds down, the Green Bay Packers appear to be getting healthy at just the right time. Not only is quarterback Jordan Love looking like himself after dealing with early-season left knee and groin injuries, but the rest of the roster is getting better, too. “I think every team that can realize their potential needs to be as healthy as they can be. And injuries are a part of this business,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “It is what it is in terms of the next man up, but obviously, you want the guys that are your starters to be available — especially as you get closer to the end of the year.” Love certainly has been rolling of late, completing 67.1% of his passes for 904 yards with six touchdowns and one interception (118.8 passer rating) over the past four games, owing some of his hot streak to simply being healthy again. “The name of the game is trying to stay as healthy as possible, especially late into the season,” Love said. “There’s definitely injuries that stack up and guys being out. To have everybody relatively healthy and to be able to have our top guys out there would be huge for us." The Packers (9-4) head into their Sunday night matchup with the Seahawks (8-5) in Seattle with only one player having been unable to take part in Wednesday’s practice at all: safety Javon Bullard. LaFleur said Bullard is week-to-week with an ankle injury he suffered in the team’s Dec. 5 loss at Detroit . The Packers got full participation from Jaire Alexander, who has missed four of the team’s last five games with a knee injury suffered at Jacksonville on Oct. 27, and wide receiver Romeo Doubs, who has missed the last two games with a concussion he suffered against San Francisco on Nov. 24. Although Alexander had practiced on a limited basis in recent weeks, he has missed the last three games and pulled himself out of the team’s Nov. 17 win at Chicago because of his knee. Getting Alexander back to face Seahawks receivers DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba would give a major lift to the Packers’ pass defense, currently ranked 21st with 222.2 yards per game allowed. “When I was watching him, he looked like he was moving around well, and we’ll just see how it transpires throughout the course of the week,” LaFleur said. “Hopefully, he’ll be ready to roll.” LaFleur said Doubs and rookie safety Evan Williams, who left the Packers’ 34-31 loss to the Lions because of a concussion, are still in the concussion protocol. But Williams was able to practice on a limited basis. Meanwhile, tight end Luke Musgrave, who hasn’t played a snap since injuring his left ankle during a a Sept. 29 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, has been designated for return from injured reserve. Musgrave took part in practice for the first time since undergoing surgery in early October to repair a torn ligament in the ankle. He said he only did individual drill work Wednesday, making it unlikely he would be activated this week. “Just going to ease back into it, but I feel good,” Musgrave said. “Still getting the cutting back, but overall, it feels good.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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NoneOTTAWA — The House of Commons Speaker has intervened to end a parliamentary impasse, ruling that members of Parliament must debate and vote on opposition motions and government spending before returning to a Conservative filibuster that has dragged on for two months. Speaker Greg Fergus made the ruling Monday afternoon as a deadline for those motions and spending votes to happen just one week away. "This is a situation that Parliament has never been in before," Liberal House leader Karina Gould told reporters on Monday. Last week, the Conservatives signalled an intent to introduce a non-confidence motion quoting NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh's criticism of the Liberals, in a bid to get his caucus to vote to bring down the minority government. That would be the third non-confidence motion the Conservatives have introduced this fall sitting. No opposition days have been held since early October because the House has been bogged down in debate over a matter of privilege, which has consumed most of the sitting time for nearly two months and is jeopardizing the government's ability to get spending approved. The filibuster stems from a Conservative demand that the Liberals provide unredacted documents to the RCMP about allegations of misspending at a now-defunct green technology fund. Monday morning, Gould offered to hold opposition days this week if members of Parliament unanimously agreed to temporarily suspend the filibuster, but the Tories rejected that. Gould characterized the Conservatives' tactics as "disappointing or pathetic," saying all other parties had agreed to move forward. "They’re talking of a big game and all this stuff, and when the rubber hits the road they’re actually too afraid to move forward," she told reporters on Parliament Hill. Eventually, Fergus told the Commons he had scheduled opposition days for Thursday and Friday, meaning the government could face another non-confidence vote as early as Monday. Gould's office later said the first motion to be heard Thursday will come from the Conservatives, and is set for a vote Monday after question period. The second motion, set to be heard Friday, will come from the NDP and would receive a vote around the same time. Another two Conservative motions would be heard Monday and Tuesday, with both set for a vote on Tuesday, barring changes to those plans. Voting on departmental spending would likely follow. Fergus said his ruling was a way to balance the opposition's right to have its motions debated and Parliament's prerogative to scrutinize government spending. He said he had asked the parties to find a solution to the gridlock, for which "the discussions do not seem to have been productive." Opposition parties must be given four days to introduce their own motions before Dec. 10. That is also the deadline for the House to vote to approve billions of dollars in spending, without which some government departments risk running out of money. Treasury Board President Anita Anand introduced a request last month for $21.6 billion to fund programs including housing, dental care and the national school food program. Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer wrote in a statement that Gould's proposal amounted to a coverup of the misspending allegations. "The Liberals tried a sneaky procedural trick today to suspend questions into their scandal," he said in a statement. "Even the Liberal Speaker has ruled that Justin Trudeau must face opposition debate on nine years of his failures," he wrote, confirming the Conservatives will put forward three non-confidence motions. The Tories say they will only end their filibuster if the Liberals provide documents they're demanding, or if the NDP agrees to vote non-confidence in the government. Two Conservative opposition motions declaring non-confidence in the government were defeated in September with the Bloc Québécois and the NDP voting against them. The Bloc has since pledged to work with the other opposition parties to defeat the government after the Liberals refused to adopt a Bloc bill to raise old age security payments for seniors under age 75. However, Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said his party would only vote in favour of non-confidence motions that are deemed to be in the best interests of Quebec. Singh has said his party will take each non-confidence vote on a case-by-case basis, and has said that while his party is ready for an election it does not want to push for one immediately. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2024. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press