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lucky emma None(The Center Square) – Although it remains unclear how many Democratic Senators will vote for the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, some House members in the party have explained why they voted yes, despite a controversial provision restricting military-funded transgender surgeries for minors. The nearly $900 billion bill passed the House 281-140 Wednesday, with 200 Republicans and 81 Democrats voting in favor versus 124 Democrats and 16 Republicans voting against it. Most of the NDAA consists of bipartisan agreements, such as pay raises for service members, strengthened ties with U.S. allies, and funding of new military technology. But a critical point of contention is a Republican addition that would prohibit the military’s health program from covering any gender dysphoria treatments on minors that could "result in sterilization.” The must-pass bill is so critical that nearly 40% of House Democrats voted in favor–but not without expressing their disappointment. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., condemned Republican colleagues who, she said, “chose to sully this bill with political culture wars;” nevertheless, she voted in favor. “While it doesn't address everything we asked for and consider important, including the full ability of parents to make their own decisions about healthcare for their children, it marks a rare moment of productive bipartisan agreement on what is arguably the most crucial legislation we take up as a body each year,” Houlahan said. The bill’s provision does not forbid service members’ children from receiving transgender therapy. It forbids the military’s health insurance provider, TRICARE, from covering treatments on minors that “may result in sterilization.” Reps. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, and Terri Sewell, D-Ala., also voted in favor of the bill despite their displeasure at the ban. “The NDAA is a hugely important bill. We had to pass it, which is why I voted yes,” Landsman posted on X Friday. “However, the anti-trans language that was attached to it was mean and awful and should never have been included.” “I have serious concerns about some remaining provisions that were placed in the bill for political purposes,” Sewell said Wednesday. “Still, the responsibility to support our service members and provide for our national security is one that I do not take lightly, which is why I ultimately chose to support the bill.” Besides the importance of annual military funding, another reason some House Democrats assented to the legislation is because they were successful in axing other House Republican amendments, such as a plan to eliminate reimbursements for service members who travel to obtain abortions. The Senate is expected to pass the bill within the next few days, after which President Joe Biden is expected to sign it into law.

MQ CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT: Marqeta, Inc. Investors With Losses Are Notified Of February 7 Deadline In Securities Fraud Class Action Contact BFA Law (NASDAQ:MQ)Brandon Bell/AP Less than a month before Donald Trump returns to office, two of his most ardent allies have plunged into a fierce online debate over immigration, specifically the government’s visa program that allows American companies to hire so-called “highly skilled” foreign workers. The clash started on Monday with Laura Loomer, the far-right social media character known for her virulent racism, condemning Trump’s decision to name Sriram Krishnan , a tech investor who was born in India, as a senior adviser on artificial intelligence. Tech leaders, including Elon Musk, weighed in to defend the practice of hiring foreign workers, specifically through the government’s H-1B visa program. (Musk, a naturalized US citizen from South Africa, once held the visa.) The debate has since devolved into a relentless string of petty insults—Loomer likened tech billionaires to “termites” at Mar-a-Lago; Musk called Loomer a troll—as well as accusations of censorship on X as retaliation. At a different point, Vivek Ramaswamy chimed in to register his support for hiring foreign workers. The former presidential candidate and now-DOGE partner blamed an American culture that has so “venerated mediocrity over excellence” that tech companies have no other option but to hire engineers from abroad. One might be tempted to view this MAGA infighting as a signal that Musk may not be as extreme as the other faithful. Could this mean that the tech billionaire who openly embraced some of MAGA’s most pernicious racism and conspiracy theories is capable of restraint, at least when it comes to matters of business and the economy? Such a takeaway from this online war would be a mistake. After all, the tech billionaire, who just last week endorsed Germany’s far-right AfD party, is simply acting as he always does: framing any argument to be of service to himself. For him, immigration policy should be crafted strictly in terms of what is economically beneficial to a company, or individual’s bottom line. Never mind immigrants who are deemed to be less than “highly skilled.” As for Loomer, at least you can say she’s consistent: her attacks against Musk are just the newest iteration of her long record of xenophobia and shit-posting. So who will win this MAGA war? Trump has yet to publicly comment on the acrimony—much less the H1B program that set this all off. But it seems safe to say that the president-elect is unlikely to enjoy Musk’s continued dominance in the headlines, offering yet another opportunity for more of the interpersonal chaos that has always been central to MAGA.

White House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaign

NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urged a judge again Friday to throw out his hush money conviction, balking at the prosecution’s suggestion of preserving the verdict by treating the case the way some courts do when a defendant dies. They called the idea “absurd.” The Manhattan district attorney's office is asking Judge Juan M. Merchan to “pretend as if one of the assassination attempts against President Trump had been successful,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in a blistering 23-page response. In court papers made public Tuesday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books after Trump’s lawyers filed paperwork earlier this month asking for the case to be dismissed. They include freezing the case until Trump leaves office in 2029, agreeing that any future sentence won't include jail time, or closing the case by noting he was convicted but that he wasn't sentenced and his appeal wasn’t resolved because of presidential immunity. Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove reiterated Friday their position that the only acceptable option is overturning his conviction and dismissing his indictment, writing that anything less will interfere with the transition process and his ability to lead the country. The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined comment. It’s unclear how soon Merchan will decide. He could grant Trump’s request for dismissal, go with one of the prosecution’s suggestions, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court, or choose some other option. In their response Friday, Blanche and Bove ripped each of the prosecution’s suggestions. Halting the case until Trump leaves office would force the incoming president to govern while facing the “ongoing threat” that he’ll be sentenced to imprisonment, fines or other punishment as soon as his term ends, Blanche and Bove wrote. Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. “To be clear, President Trump will never deviate from the public interest in response to these thuggish tactics,” the defense lawyers wrote. “However, the threat itself is unconstitutional.” The prosecution’s suggestion that Merchan could mitigate those concerns by promising not to sentence Trump to jail time on presidential immunity grounds is also a non-starter, Blanche and Bove wrote. The immunity statute requires dropping the case, not merely limiting sentencing options, they argued. Blanche and Bove, both of whom Trump has tabbed for high-ranking Justice Department positions, expressed outrage at the prosecution’s novel suggestion that Merchan borrow from Alabama and other states and treat the case as if Trump had died. Blanche and Bove accused prosecutors of ignoring New York precedent and attempting to “fabricate” a solution “based on an extremely troubling and irresponsible analogy between President Trump" who survived assassination attempts in Pennsylvania in July and Florida in September “and a hypothetical dead defendant.” Such an option normally comes into play when a defendant dies after being convicted but before appeals are exhausted. It is unclear whether it is viable under New York law, but prosecutors suggested that Merchan could innovate in what’s already a unique case. “This remedy would prevent defendant from being burdened during his presidency by an ongoing criminal proceeding,” prosecutors wrote in their filing this week. But at the same time, it wouldn’t “precipitously discard” the “meaningful fact that defendant was indicted and found guilty by a jury of his peers.” Prosecutors acknowledged that “presidential immunity requires accommodation” during Trump’s impending return to the White House but argued that his election to a second term should not upend the jury’s verdict, which came when he was out of office. Longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution . Other world leaders don’t enjoy the same protection. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges even as he leads that nation’s wars in Lebanon and Gaza . Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his May 30 conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records . Prosecutors said he fudged the documents to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier, which Trump denies. In their filing Friday, Trump’s lawyers citing a social media post in which Sen. John Fetterman used profane language to criticize Trump’s hush money prosecution. The Pennsylvania Democrat suggested that Trump deserved a pardon, comparing his case to that of President Joe Biden’s pardoned son Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of tax and gun charges . “Weaponizing the judiciary for blatant, partisan gain diminishes the collective faith in our institutions and sows further division,” Fetterman wrote Wednesday on Truth Social. Trump’s hush money conviction was in state court, meaning a presidential pardon — issued by Biden or himself when he takes office — would not apply to the case. Presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes. Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith has ended his two federal cases , which pertained to Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and allegations that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. A separate state election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, is largely on hold. Trump denies wrongdoing in all. Trump had been scheduled for sentencing in the hush money case in late November. But following Trump’s Nov. 5 election victory, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed the former and future president’s sentencing so the defense and prosecution could weigh in on the future of the case. Merchan also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. A dismissal would erase Trump’s conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office.Ancient meets modern as a new subway in Greece showcases archaeological treasures

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets running back Breece Hall could play Sunday at Jacksonville after missing a game with a knee injury. Hall has been dealing with a hyperextension and injured MCL in his left knee that sidelined him last Sunday at Miami. But he was a full participant at practice Friday after sitting out Wednesday and Thursday. Hall was officially listed as questionable on the team's final injury report. “He looks good right now,” interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “So it’s promising.” Hall leads the Jets with 692 yards rushing and four touchdown runs, and he also has 401 yards receiving and two scores on 46 catches. A pair of rookies helped New York offset Hall's absence last weekend, with Braelon Allen rushing for 43 yards on 11 carries, and Isaiah Davis getting 40 yards on 10 attempts and scoring his first rushing touchdown. “We’re hopeful and we’ll see how it goes,” Ulbrich said of Hall. The Jets will get star cornerback Sauce Gardner back after he missed a game with a hamstring injury, but New York's secondary appears likely to be without cornerback D.J. Reed because of a groin injury. Reed was listed as doubtful after he didn't practice Thursday or Friday. “It’s been something that’s kind of lingered here and there,” Ulbrich said. “It’s gotten aggravated and then it went away, and then it got aggravated again. So, it’s just dealing with that.” Story continues below video Backup Brandin Echols is out with a shoulder injury, so veteran Isaiah Oliver or rookie Qwan'tez Stiggers could get the start opposite Gardner if Reed can't play. Kendall Sheffield also could be elevated from the practice squad for the second game in a row. Ulbrich said kick returner Kene Nwangwu will be placed on injured reserve after breaking a hand last weekend at Miami. The injury came a week after he was selected the AFC special teams player of the week in his Jets debut, during which he returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and forced a fumble in a loss to Seattle. “To put him out there with a broken hand, just thought it’d be counterproductive for him and for us as a team, so it unfortunately cuts the season short and what a bright light he was,” Ulbrich said. “What an amazing future I think he has in this league. With saying that, he’s already been a really good player for quite a while, so (it's) unfortunate, but he’ll be back.” Offensive lineman Xavier Newman (groin) is doubtful, while right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle) and RT Morgan Moses (wrist) are questionable. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

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The billing of London-born former Chelsea boss Hayes against England’s Dutch manager Sarina Wiegman – arguably the best two bosses in the women’s game – had generated more buzz in the build-up than the players on the pitch, despite it being a rare encounter between the two top-ranked sides in the world. Hayes enjoyed her return to familiar shores but felt the US lacked the “killer piece” after they looked the likelier side to make the breakthrough. Elite meeting of the minds 🌟 pic.twitter.com/R4d8EArqTp — U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) November 30, 2024 Asked what was going through her mind during the national anthem, Hayes said: “I was definitely mouthing (it), and Naomi (Girma) and Lynn (Williams) could see that I was struggling with where to be and all that. “I got to the end of the anthems and I thought, ‘that’s so ridiculous. I’m proud to be English and I’m proud of our national anthem, and I’m also really proud to coach America’. “Two things are possible all at once. I don’t want to fuel a nationalist debate around it. The realities are both countries are really dear to me for lots of reasons, and I’m really proud to represent both of them.” The Lionesses did not register a shot on target in the first half but grew into the game in the second. US captain Lindsey Horan had the ball in the net after the break but the flag was up, while Hayes’ side had a penalty award for a handball reversed after a VAR check determined substitute Yazmeen Ryan’s shot hit Alex Greenwood’s chest. Hayes, who left Chelsea after 12 trophy-packed years this summer, said: “I’ve been privileged to coach a lot of top-level games, including here, so there’s a familiarity to being here for me. “It’s not new to me, and because of that there was a whole sense of I’m coming back to a place I know. I have a really healthy perspective, and I want to have a really healthy perspective on my profession. “I give everything I possibly can for a team that I really, really enjoy coaching, and I thrive, not just under pressure, but I like these opportunities, I like being in these situations. They bring out the best in me. “You’ve got two top teams now, Sarina is an amazing coach, I thought it was a good tactical match-up, and I just enjoy coaching a high-level football match, to be honest with you. I don’t think too much about it.” Hayes had travelled to London without her entire Olympic gold medal-winning ‘Triple Espresso’ forward line of Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith, all nursing niggling injuries. Before the match, the 48-year-old was spotted chatting with Wiegman and her US men’s counterpart, fellow ex-Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, who was also in attendance. England were also missing a number of key attackers for the friendly including Lauren Hemp, Lauren James and Ella Toone, all ruled out with injury. "This shows where we are at and we need to keep improving. It is November now. This is good but we want to be better again. We have to be better again." 👊 Reaction from the boss ⬇️ — Lionesses (@Lionesses) November 30, 2024 Wiegman brushed aside suggestions from some pundits that her side were content to settle for a draw. She said: “I think we were really defending as a team, very strong. We got momentum in the second half, we did better, and of course both teams went for the win. “So many things happened in this game, also in front of the goal, so I don’t think it was boring. “We wanted to go for the win, but it was such a high-intensity game, you have to deal with a very good opponent, so you can’t just say, ‘Now we’re going to go and score that goal’. “We tried, of course, to do that. We didn’t slow down to keep it 0-0. I think that was just how the game went.”Risk-tolerant investors hunting for growth often gravitate toward technology stocks -- and for good reason. These companies are driving some of the world's top social, economic, and cultural changes, after all. That's why so many of these tickers experience great gains (and a select few see outright massive ones). Indeed, the right tech stock can make you a millionaire with just a relatively small investment. Is SoundHound AI ( SOUN -1.16% ) such a millionaire-making name? Maybe. The stock's 300% price spike since late October certainly suggests at least some investors see big things in its foreseeable future. Before you take the same plunge in anticipation of becoming a millionaire within the next 10 years, however, there are a few things you'll want to consider. SoundHound's (very) cool interactive voice technology SoundHound is an artificial intelligence (AI) technology company. Its specialty is voice-based solutions, like turning a spoken drive-thru order into a written prep list for the fast-food restaurant staff, or hands-free activation (or deactivation) of an automobile's features. By leveraging the full potential of modern large language model (or LLM) AI, it can even support assistance-minded conversations with users of its tech. And customers are paying for access to its solutions. Restaurant management software provider Toast has integrated SoundHound's voice ordering technology into its offerings, while hamburger chain White Castle has directly secured access to it as a means of streamlining its drive-thrus. Carmaker Stellantis -- parent to Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat, and others -- has utilized SoundHound's in-car solutions in some of its more driver-interactive vehicles. Streaming music platform Pandora (owned by SiriusXM ) can now be managed by subscribers' voices thanks to SoundHound AI. All told, this company monetized its technology to the tune of $25 million during the quarter ending in September, up 89% year over year. There's more growth on the horizon, too. Market research outfit Straits Research believes the global speech recognition industry is poised to grow at an annualized pace of 17% through 2032, jibing with outlooks from Technavio as well as Polaris Market Research. This business being its sole focus, SoundHound AI is seemingly well-positioned to capture at least its fair share of this growth. This possibility is the top reason at least a small handful of investors are piling in, perhaps in anticipation of riding the stock's coattails to reach the millionaire mark in the relatively near future. If you're thinking of doing the same, though, know that there's a fairly low likelihood of this stock actually making you a millionaire by 2035 no matter how much capital you commit to it today. In fact, there's arguably more risk than reward. Overvalued for any time frame There's no denying this company has significantly raised the bar on the voice-based artificial intelligence front. It's successfully monetizing its technology, too. Indeed, as Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives recently noted, "SoundHound represents an underappreciated pure-play AI company" that's likely to report accelerated growth and new market prospects over the course of 2025. There are legitimate concerns about its longer-term growth prospects, however. Chief among them is the fact that, while impressive, there's nothing particularly unique about its technology . Take OpenAI's ChatGPT and Alphabet Google's Gemini as examples. Both are capable of offering text-based AI-generated conversations, and Google has already developed a serviceable speech-to-text tool for some of its offerings. Microsoft 's AI assistant, Copilot, can also be voice-based. Tweaking any of these solutions into a tool that's akin to SoundHound AI's wouldn't be a great leap. It's just that these companies have thus far opted not to. Microsoft, Google, and ChatGPT owner OpenAI all certainly enjoy access to deeper developmental pockets though. If and when any of them attempt to step onto SoundHound's turf, they could easily topple the smaller outfit. This fragility makes the second concern surrounding this stock all the more troubling. That's the stock's valuation. SoundHound AI shares are incredibly expensive. Never even mind the company's current lack of profits. It's obviously difficult to value any company operating in the red. You own a stock based on where the organization is going rather than where it is, but the future isn't always clear. Investors simply believe SoundHound will be fiscally viable at some point in time even with no real clarity as to when that might be. And maybe it will eventually swing to a profit. Even by the most forgiving valuation standards, though, at roughly 100 times its trailing-12-month revenue, this stock's still wildly expensive. For the sake of comparison, the S&P 500 's current price-to-sales ratio is in the ballpark of 3.1. Said in more practical terms, SoundHound AI's top line could grow more than 30-fold from here and shares would still be priced in line with its peers where it stands right now. The stock's really not any more promising in the near term, either. Analysts' current consensus price target of $14.36 is 40% below SoundHound shares' present price. Sure, target prices can and do rise over time. It could be a long time before the analyst community's consensus catches up with the stock's current level, however, if it ever does. The company continues to issue new stock to raise funds in the meantime, diluting existing shareholders. It's not clear when this practice is set to slow down. Not enough reward to justify the risk, but... Never say never. SoundHound could make you a millionaire by 2035. It might acquire or develop a new marketable tech with a wider defensive moat than its voice-based AI currently has, for instance. From an odds-making perspective though, that's a very low-likelihood prospect. There are just too many short-term headwinds already blowing, and too many long-term headwinds waiting in the wings. Don't sweat it too much if you're looking for millionaire-making stocks, however. They're out there. It's just that SoundHound AI isn't one of them. Check out these tickers if you can stomach the risk required of promising millionaire-making prospects.