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NoneIn a heartfelt plea, Debra Tice, mother of U.S. journalist Austin Tice, declared her belief that her son, missing in Syria since 2012, remains alive. She shared new information from a trusted source, making her statement public at the National Press Club. Meanwhile, the White House reveals that President Joe Biden made a dramatic reversal on his promise to let the justice system take its course, offering a pardon to his son Hunter after previously declining to intervene. The change in circumstances prompted this decision, drawing both criticism and support. In other significant developments, a U.S. federal court has affirmed a staggering $1.3 billion defamation ruling against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for his role in spreading falsehoods about the Sandy Hook shooting, reinforcing the expected consequences of his disinformation campaign. (With inputs from agencies.)Two AFC teams in playoff position will face off Monday night, each seeking an eighth win and a potential top-four seed. Lamar Jackson's Ravens head west to face Justin Herbert's Chargers, an enticing quarterback matchup bound to bring tons of offensive fireworks. The Los Angeles defense is middle-of-the-pack, ranking just outside the top 10 in yards allowed per game, whereas Baltimore's sits toward the bottom. STREAM: Watch Ravens vs. Chargers on Fubo (free trial) The contest also marks the first time the Harbaugh brothers will face off since Jim re-entered the NFL sphere. John is 2-0 against his younger sibling, most notably beating Jim's 49ers with the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII. "That loss was tough, but after some reflection and time, it's my brother and best friend," Jim told reporters in Los Angeles this week. "I'm really proud of him and happy for his success. It was earned." Now, the two are battling with high stakes yet again — though not quite as high as the Super Bowl. Here's everything to know about Ravens vs. Chargers, including live score, updates and highlights from the NFL's "Monday Night Football" game. Ravens vs. Chargers live score 1 2 3 4 F Ravens Chargers NFL HQ: Live NFL scores | Updated NFL standings | Full NFL schedule Ravens vs. Chargers live score, updates, highlights from NFL 'Monday Night Football' game (All times Eastern) Pregame 6:10 p.m. — We are just over two hours away from kickoff in Los Angeles, where the Harbaugh brothers will face off for the third time in their NFL head coaching careers. The Ravens are 2.5-point favorites per ESPN BET , with a 60% chance to come out on top per the network's Analytics. Ravens vs. Chargers start time Date: Monday, Nov. 25 Time: 8:15 p.m. ET | 5:15 p.m. PT Monday's game between the Ravens and Chargers is set to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET (5:15 p.m. local time) from Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. What channel is Ravens vs. Chargers on today? Channel: ESPN, ABC Live stream: fubo (U.S.) | DAZN NFL (Canada) For Week 12, Monday Night Football is broadcast at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN and ABC, which can both be streamed on fubo . Viewers in Canada hoping to stream the games can do so on DAZN .
Donald Trump said he can’t guarantee that his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won’t raise prices for American consumers and he suggested once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned. The president-elect, in a wide-ranging interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, also touched on monetary policy, immigration, abortion and health care, and U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere. Trump often mixed declarative statements with caveats, at one point cautioning “things do change.” A look at some of the issues covered: Trump has threatened broad trade penalties, but said he didn’t believe economists’ predictions that added costs on those imported goods for American companies would lead to higher domestic prices for consumers. He stopped short of a pledge that U.S. households won’t be paying more as they shop. “I can’t guarantee anything. I can’t guarantee tomorrow,” Trump said, seeming to open the door to accepting the reality of how import levies typically work as goods reach the retail market. That’s a different approach from Trump’s typical speeches throughout the 2024 campaign, when he framed his election as a sure way to curb inflation. In the interview, Trump defended tariffs generally, saying that tariffs are “going to make us rich.” He has pledged that, on his first day in office in January, he would impose 25 per cent tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada unless those countries satisfactorily stop illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the United States. He also has threatened tariffs on China to help force that country to crack down on fentanyl production. “All I want to do is I want to have a level, fast, but fair playing field,” Trump said. He offered conflicting statements on how he would approach the justice system after winning the election despite being convicted of 34 felonies in a New York state court and being indicted in other cases for his handling of national security secrets and efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden. “Honestly, they should go to jail,” Trump said of members of Congress who investigated the Capitol riot by his supporters who wanted him to remain in power. The president-elect underscored his contention that he can use the justice system against others, including special prosecutor Jack Smith, who led the case on Trump’s role in the siege on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump confirmed his plan to pardon supporters who were convicted for their roles in the riot, saying he would take that action on his first day in office. As for the idea of revenge driving potential prosecutions, Trump said: “I have the absolute right. I’m the chief law enforcement officer, you do know that. I’m the president. But I’m not interested in that.” At the same time, Trump singled out lawmakers on a special House committee who had investigated the insurrection, citing Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. “Cheney was behind it ... so was Bennie Thompson and everybody on that committee,” Trump said. Asked specifically whether he would direct his administration to pursue cases, he said, “No,” and suggested he did not expect the FBI to quickly undertake investigations into his political enemies. But at another point, Trump said he would leave the matter up to Pam Bondi, his pick as attorney general. “I want her to do what she wants to do,” he said. Such threats, regardless of Trump’s inconsistencies, have been taken seriously enough by many top Democrats that Biden is considering issuing blanket, preemptive pardons to protect key members of his outgoing administration. Trump did seemingly back off his campaign rhetoric calling for Biden to be investigated, saying, “I’m not looking to go back into the past.” Trump repeatedly mentioned his promises to seal the U.S.-Mexico border and deport millions of people who are in the U.S. illegally through a mass deportation program. “I think you have to do it,” he said. He suggested he would try to use executive action to end “birthright” citizenship under which people born in the U.S. are considered citizens — although such protections are spelled out in the Constitution. Asked specifically about the future for people who were brought into the country illegally as children and have been shielded from deportation in recent years, Trump said, “I want to work something out,” indicating he might seek a solution with Congress. But Trump also said he does not “want to be breaking up families” of mixed legal status, “so the only way you don’t break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back.” Long a critic of NATO members for not spending more on their own defence, Trump said he “absolutely” would remain in the alliance “if they pay their bills.” Pressed on whether he would withdraw if he were dissatisfied with allies’ commitments, Trump said he wants the U.S. treated “fairly” on trade and defence. He waffled on a NATO priority of containing Russia and President Vladimir Putin. Trump suggested Ukraine should prepare for less U.S. aid in its defence against Putin’s invasion. “Possibly. Yeah, probably. Sure,” Trump said of reducing Ukraine assistance from Washington. Separately, Trump has called for an immediate cease-fire. Asked about Putin, Trump said initially that he has not talked to the Russian leader since Election Day last month, but then hedged: “I haven’t spoken to him recently.” Trump said when pressed, adding that he did not want to “impede the negotiation.” The president-elect said he has no intention, at least for now, of asking Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to step down before Powell’s term ends in 2028. Trump said during the campaign that presidents should have more say in Fed policy, including interest rates. Trump did not offer any job assurances for FBI Director Christopher Wray, whose term is to end in 2027. Asked about Wray, Trump said: “Well, I mean, it would sort of seem pretty obvious” that if the Senate confirms Kash Patel as Trump’s pick for FBI chief, then “he’s going to be taking somebody’s place, right? Somebody is the man that you’re talking about.” Trump is absolute about Social Security, not so much on abortion and health insurance Trump promised that the government efficiency effort led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will not threaten Social Security. “We’re not touching Social Security, other than we make it more efficient,” he said. He added that “we’re not raising ages or any of that stuff.” He was not so specific about abortion or his long-promised overhaul of the Affordable Care Act. On abortion, Trump continued his inconsistencies and said he would “probably” not move to restrict access to the abortion pills that now account for a majority of pregnancy terminations, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. But pressed on whether he would commit to that position, Trump replied, “Well, I commit. I mean, are — things do — things change. I think they change.” Reprising a line from his Sept. 10 debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump again said he had “concepts” of a plan to substitute for the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which he called “lousy health care.” He added a promise that any Trump version would maintain insurance protections for Americans with preexisting health conditions. He did not explain how such a design would be different from the status quo or how he could deliver on his desire for “better healthcare for less money.” — Barrow reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Jill Colvin and Michelle L. Price in New York contributed to this report. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Netanyahu is leading Israel into ruin: Der Spiegel
CALGARY, Alberta, Nov. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Birchcliff Energy Ltd. (“ ” or the “ ”) (TSX: BIR) is pleased to announce that the Toronto Stock Exchange (the “ ”) has accepted the Corporation’s notice of intention to make a normal course issuer bid (the “ ”). The NCIB allows Birchcliff to purchase up to 13,489,975 common shares, which represents 5% of its 269,799,514 common shares outstanding as at November 14, 2024. The NCIB will commence on November 27, 2024 and will terminate no later than November 26, 2025. Under the NCIB, common shares may be purchased in open market transactions on the TSX and/or alternative Canadian trading systems at the prevailing market price at the time of such transaction. Subject to exceptions for block purchases, the total number of common shares that Birchcliff is permitted to purchase on the TSX during a trading day is subject to a daily purchase limit of 276,992 common shares, which represents 25% of the average daily trading volume on the TSX of 1,107,970 common shares for the six-month period ended October 31, 2024. All common shares purchased under the NCIB will be cancelled. Birchcliff believes that at times, the market price of its common shares may not reflect the underlying value of the Corporation’s business and that purchasing its common shares for cancellation may represent an attractive opportunity to allocate capital resources to reduce the number of common shares outstanding, thereby increasing the value of the remaining common shares and shareholders’ ownership in the underlying business. In addition, Birchcliff may use the NCIB to offset the number of common shares it issues throughout the year pursuant to the exercise of options granted under its stock option plan to minimize or eliminate associated dilution to shareholders. The actual number of common shares purchased pursuant to the NCIB and the timing of such purchases will be determined by Birchcliff. Decisions to purchase common shares under the NCIB will be based on market conditions, the trading price of the common shares and alternative uses of capital resources available to the Corporation. There cannot be any assurance as to how many common shares, if any, will ultimately be acquired by Birchcliff. Under Birchcliff’s existing normal course issuer bid, it obtained the approval of the TSX to purchase up to 13,328,267 common shares over the period from November 27, 2023 to November 26, 2024. The Corporation has not purchased any common shares under this normal course issuer bid. Birchcliff is a dividend-paying, intermediate oil and natural gas company based in Calgary, Alberta with operations focused on the Montney/Doig Resource Play in Alberta. Birchcliff’s common shares are listed for trading on the TSX under the symbol “BIR”.Reeling Cowboys visit Dan Quinn's overachieving Commanders in a franchise role reversal
Even before women had the right to vote, they were winning elections in the West. Now they're breaking barriers in three states with majority women-led legislatures. By Jessica Kutz , for The 19th The stereotypical story of the American West conjures images of unforgiving terrain, rugged masculinity and a cowboy and ranching culture. But despite these Western tropes it also has a surprising history of offering women a way into political life long before it became the norm. Every western state except for New Mexico gave women—though typically only White women—the right to vote before the 19th Amendment, which enfranchised women in 1920. Still some women were left out. Native American women, for example, could not vote until 1948. As with Black women in the American South, laws like literacy tests and poll taxes made it difficult for them to cast ballots. But even before they were granted suffrage, women were making political history as elected officials. Colorado became the first state to elect women to a state legislature in 1894, while Utah elected the first woman state senator in 1896. Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1916, and Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming became the first woman to serve as governor in 1925. “A lot of the western states just really led the way,” said Jean Sinzdak, associate director for the Center for American Women and Politics. “That sense of new frontiers, it really spills out into women's representation.” So it should come as no surprise that the West also has broken records this election, with New Mexico and Colorado joining Nevada to become the only three states in the country where women make up the majority in state legislatures. RELATED STORY: Number of women who are state lawmakers inches up to a record high This pattern stems from back when western states were being formed. As newer states, their governments were being built in more fluid environments and were less entrenched in the longer standing governance of the eastern colonies, Sinzdak said. The times offered more room for experimentation. “They were literally being formed as people were moving out there,” she said. And because the number of people living in the West was so small, there was a greater need to include women as a formal part of the population for voting and elected office, and to earn statehood, which required proof of a functioning government. “You want to count everybody you possibly can to say we have enough people. And so oftentimes you're going to say, ‘Well, women, yeah we need you over here, and we are going to need to have a convention, and we need to have somebody being in charge of education or Congress is not going to recognize us,’” said Sondra Cosgrove, a history professor at the College of Southern Nevada. “There literally was no one else. And so, it's like, ‘OK, I guess it's you guys.’” Having women in these positions so early on normalized their leadership, making it less of a barrier for future generations. “You can now have a good old girls network, where you can have mentoring, and you can have people who are in power, bringing people on,” Cosgrove said. While women’s political wins in the West are the foundation to today’s record-breaking numbers, an uptick in representation can also be attributed to a more recent concerted effort nationwide to elect women to office. The number of women running for office skyrocketed in response to the 2016 election, in which Hillary Clinton was poised to break the gender barrier for representation as president and was instead defeated by Donald Trump. Before then, “the story of women's representation in the state legislatures was one of complete stagnation,” Sinzdak said. “The 2018 midterms were just astonishing, and that's when the needle, in a meaningful way, actually jumped.” Women previously held about 25 percent of seats in state legislatures. Today, they fill 33 percent of seats, though this year, the increase in representation was marginal, with an additional 19 seats so far (results continue to roll in). “We would like to see a little less incremental change, and more big jumps,” Sinzdak said. “We do not see that this year.” In addition to reaching gender majority status in Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado, women already hold a majority in the Arizona Senate. California will join them as a result of the 2024 election. Oregon will return to gender parity in the statehouse in 2025. Organizations like Emerge , which supports Democratic women candidates, have been part of the reason why more women are running and winning elected office. According to their latest report for the 2024 election, of the 550 women they supported, 70 percent won their races, including women in New Mexico who now make up the majority of legislators. They also aided in the election of the first Black woman to Oregon’s congressional delegation, who joins the first Latina they helped elect. Sixty-six percent of Oregon’s congressional delegation are Emerge-supported candidates. While Republicans are also making gains, they are far behind Democrats in electing women to office. According to the latest tally, 1,580 Democratic women will hold state legislature seats compared to 857 Republican women next year. “It comes out of two things, one, which is that the party has just been more receptive to the idea that identity plays a role in how you legislate,” Sinzdak said. “But the other piece of it is the support infrastructure has been much bigger overall, nationally, and then in various states, much more robust for Democratic women. And it started decades ago, when you had groups like Emily's List,” “It's so much smaller on the Republican side, but potentially growing. Newer [organizations] have been cropping up, but they are much, much smaller,” she said. Whether having a majority of women in state legislatures makes a difference in terms of what bills get passed remains up for debate, according to Cosgrove, who has been studying how this dynamic plays out in Nevada. “When this all started, we were all very hopeful that there was going to be noticeable change. And I do believe that there are bills that relate to women and children that have definitely gotten a better ability to be heard in our legislature,” she said. “But ultimately, what I'm seeing right now is there's not systemic change, the women are still operating within a system that's controlled by donors.” They still have to worry about who is going to sign checks for their campaign, and the casino and mining industries have big pockets to influence candidates, she said. One solution, according to Cosgrove, is a move away from closed primaries, which limit voters to register with a political party and then vote for that party’s candidates. This often means that candidates have to toe the party line in order to win, Cosgrove said. In an open primary, candidates can court voters from other parties. Cosgrove used Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski as an example. “Alaska now has open primaries and ranked choice voting, and if you watch her, when she's being interviewed about what's happening, she speaks her mind and she does what she wants,” she said. “She is accountable to her voters, but she knows that over 20,000 Democrats helped her get through.” For that reason, Cosgrove sees a move to open primaries as a feminist issue. “Women can't act independently if they can't act independent of the parties.”
Ross Stores Reports Third Quarter Earnings, Updates Fourth Quarter GuidanceAssad’s fall: The end of Syria’s brutal ruling dynasty
She's not sure what to think about Jaguar now after the 89-year-old company announced a radical rebranding that featured loud colors and androgynous people — but no cars. Jaguar, the company says, will now be JaGUar. It will produce only electric vehicles beginning in 2026. Say goodbye to British racing green, Cotswold Blue and black. Its colors are henceforth electric pink, red and yellow, according to a video that sparked backlash online. Its mission statement: "Create exuberance. Live vivid. Delete ordinary. Break moulds." "Intrigued?" @Jaguar posted on social media. "Weird and unsettled" is more like it, Vogt wrote on Instagram. "Especially now, with the world feeling so dystopian," the Cyprus-based brand designer wrote, "a heritage brand like Jaguar should be conveying feelings of safety, stability, and maybe a hint of rebellion — the kind that shakes things up in a good way, not in a way that unsettles." Our brands, ourselves Jaguar was one of several iconic companies that announced significant rebrandings in recent weeks, upending a series of commercial — and cultural — landmarks by which many modern human beings sort one another, carve out identities and recognize the world around them. Campbell's, the 155-year-old American icon that artist Andy Warhol immortalized in pop culture decades ago, is ready for a new, soupless name. Comcast's corporate reorganization means there will soon be two television networks with "NBC" in their name — CNBC and MSNBC — that will no longer have any corporate connection to NBC News, a U.S. legacy news outlet. One could even argue the United States itself is rebranding with the election of former President Donald Trump and Republican majorities in the House and Senate. Unlike Trump's first election in 2016, he won the popular vote in what many called a national referendum on American identity. Are we, then, the sum total of our consumer decisions — what we buy, where we travel and whom we elect? Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts Certainly, it's a question for those privileged enough to be able to afford such choices. Volumes of research in the art and science of branding — from "brandr," an old Norse word for burning symbols into the hides of livestock — say those factors do contribute to the modern sense of identity. So rebranding, especially of heritage names, can be a deeply felt affront to consumers. "It can feel like the brand is turning its back on everything that it stood for — and therefore it feels like it's turning its back on us, the people who subscribe to that idea or ideology," said Ali Marmaduke, strategy director with the Amsterdam-based Brand Potential. He said cultural tension — polarization — is surging over politics, wars in Russia and the Mideast, the environment, public health and more, creating what Marmaduke said is known as a "polycrisis": the idea that there are several massive crises converging that feel scary and complex. "People are understandably freaked out by that," he said. "So we are looking for something that will help us navigate this changing, threatening world that we face." Trump's "Make America Great Again" qualifies. So did President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" slogan. Campbell's soup itself — "Mmm Mmm Good" — isn't going anywhere, CEO Mark Clouse said. The company's new name, Campbell's Co., will reflect "the full breadth of our portfolio," which includes brands like Prego pasta sauce and Goldfish crackers. What is Jaguar? None of the recent activity around heritage brands sparked a backlash as ferocious as Jaguar's. The company stood as a pillar of tradition-loving British identity since World War II. Jaguar said its approach to the rebrand was rooted in the philosophy of its founder, Sir William Lyons, to "copy nothing." What it's calling "the new Jaguar" will overhaul everything from the font of its name to the positioning of it's famous "leaper" cat. "Exuberant modernism" will "define all aspects of the new Jaguar world," according to the news release. The approach is thought to be aimed at selling fewer cars at a six-figure price point to a more diverse customer base. The reaction ranged from bewilderment to hostility. Memes sprouted up likening the video to the Teletubbies, a Benetton ad and — perhaps predictably — a bow to "woke" culture as the blowback intersected with politics.
CHICAGO (AP) — Two-time NBA scoring champion Joel Embiid returned to the Philadelphia 76ers' starting lineup against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday. After missing his first seven shots and ambling deliberately in his left knee brace in the first quarter, the 2023 MVP went on a tear to propel the Sixers to a 108-100 win over the Chicago Bulls. Embiid connected on eight of his next 10 shots in the second quarter for his first 19 points of the game, which lifted Philadelphia to a 62-50 halftime lead. The Sixers stretched it to 19 before holding on for their fourth win in five games, and Embiid finished with 31. “I just got lucky and started making shots,” Embiid deadpanned when he talked to reporters almost 90 minutes after the game. “We just missed shots and we adjusted and we got them in.” Embiid, a seven-time All-Star, added 12 rebounds in his fifth game this season. The 7-foot center had missed the previous seven games because of knee injuries and a three-game suspension for pushing a sports columnist. Embiid finished slightly above his career average of nearly 27.8 points per game in 33 minutes. The Sixers don't play again until Friday thanks to the NBA Cup, so coach Nick Nurse planned to give his star ample work Sunday with a break and recovery time ahead. “All of a sudden he certainly caught fire there with a little bit of variety,” Nurse said. “I know a lot of it seemed like foul-line jumpers, which it was. He snuck in a roll or two and a couple of post-ups. It gave us a lot of confidence.” The Sixers trailed 33-23 after the first quarter. Behind Embiid and a 16-0 run in the second, they took the lead for good. Chicago got within four points twice in the fourth, but Philadelphia closed it out. “We guarded really well and we rebounded extremely well at both ends,” Nurse said. Tyrese Maxey got his first career triple-double as part of the winning formula and clicked with Embiid. Maxey finished with 25 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds. “It was great, that's who he is,” Maxey said of Embiid. “After he got in the game it's easy, it was easier, man. There was a lot more space out there.” The All-Star trio of Embiid, Maxey and Paul George (12 points) played together for only the second game this season. “Obviously we've got the connection,” Embiid said. "We know when things are not going right, what we need to do. Now it's up to us to make the shots and the plays. “After that first quarter, it just felt like we needed to take more of an ownership as far as getting us back in the game. They're great players.” AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nbaSyria's Assad Regime May Be Falling as Rebels Reach Damascus Suburbs; Trump Calls for No US Involvement Share This article JERUSALEM, Israel – Syrian rebels reached the suburbs of Damascus, Syria's capital, on Saturday as the government of President Bashar al-Assad appeared to be on the verge of collapse. The opposition forces' surprising march through Syria picked up speed as people stocked up on food and many fled to the Lebanese border. The government was forced to deny that Assad had fled the country as several reports indicated his family escaped to Russia after the rebels' initial advances. Israel has fortified its troops in the Golan Heights amid rebel claims that they were advancing on Quneitra near the Israeli border. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his Security Cabinet Saturday night to assess the situation. President-elect Donald Trump, in Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral and for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, released a statement on Truth Social calling for no U.S. involvement in Syria. Trump noted the rebels are "obviously preparing to make a very big move toward taking on Assad." He added, "Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!" Biden administration officials told CNN on Saturday that the chances of Assad being pushed out of power are increasing as the rebel offensive gains speed. ***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news.*** The Associated Press reported, "Assad's chief international backer, Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine . Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad's forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran, meanwhile, has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes." CBN News will have further coverage of events in Syria and the surrounding countries. For analysis of the situation, see CBN News Jerusalem Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell's report on YouTube below. Share This article About The Author
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Tyrese Hunter scored 17 of his 26 points after halftime to lead Memphis to a 99-97 overtime win against two-time defending national champion and second-ranked UConn on Monday in the first round of the Maui Invitational . Hunter shot 7 of 10 from 3-point range for the Tigers (5-0), who were 12 of 22 from beyond at the arc as a team. PJ Haggerty had 22 points and five assists, Colby Rogers had 19 points and Dain Dainja scored 14. Tarris Reed Jr. had 22 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Huskies (4-1). Alex Karaban had 19 points and six assists, and Jaylin Stewart scored 16. Memphis led by as many as 13 with about four minutes left in regulation, but UConn chipped away and eventually tied it on Solo Ball’s 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining. Memphis: The Tigers ranked second nationally in field goal percentage going into the game and shot it at a 54.7% clip. UConn: The Huskies saw their string of 17 consecutive wins dating back to February come to an end. The teams were tied at 92 with less than a minute remaining in overtime when UConn coach Dan Hurley was assessed a technical foul for his displeasure with an over-the-back call against Liam McNeeley. PJ Carter hit four straight free throws — two for the tech and the other pair for the personal foul — to give Memphis a 96-92 lead with 40.3 seconds to play. UConn had three players foul out. Memphis attempted 40 free throws and made 29 of them. Memphis will play the winner of Colorado-Michigan State on Tuesday in the second round of the invitational. UConn will play the loser of that game in the consolation bracket. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball .Welcome to the new 49ers, beaten, bullied and with their season in doubt"World's simplest" nuclear reactors could be installed underground to provide heat to cities
The political circumstances that surrounded the publication of "Ultimatum," once a best-selling novel that imagined an American effort to annex Canada, may ring familiar to anyone following recent headlines. A US leader announces tariffs on Canadian imports, signaling a more confrontational relationship, and a prime minister named Trudeau scrambles to respond. But the American, in this case, was former president Richard Nixon and the Canadian leader was Pierre Elliott Trudeau -- father of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Nixon and the elder Trudeau are long dead, but the author of "Ultimatum," published in 1973, is D-Day veteran Richard Rohmer, the honorary lieutenant general of the Canadian Armed Forces, who recently turned 101. Still an avid news consumer and writer, Rohmer told AFP that remarks by President-elect Donald Trump implying that Canada could be absorbed by the United States should not be laughed off. "This man has to be taken seriously," he said. "He is a man with great imagination who has ideas about what he can do and what he cannot do, and as far as Canada is concerned." Trump mocked Trudeau this week as the "governor" of a state, rather than prime minister of the giant US neighbor -- a taunt beyond any seen during Trump's first term. The president-elect's jibe followed Fox News reports that, in talks with Trudeau in Florida, he had suggested that if Canada could not withstand his threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports, then it should be absorbed as the 51st US state. While some analysts dismissed the barbs as "Trump being Trump," it hit a sensitive nerve in Canada. Days after meeting Trudeau, Trump posted an AI-generated image showing himself standing high atop a mountain next to a Canadian flag, gazing forward. Former Quebec premier Jean Charest responded on X by tartly cautioning Trump to "think twice before invading Canada." Charest recalled the War of 1812, when US advances on Canadian territory ended in defeat -- and the torching of the White House. Yet not everyone in Canada views US annexation as a terrible idea. A poll by the Leger research firm conducted after Trump's comments found that 13 percent of Canadians would like the country to become a US state, with support strongest among men and Conservative Party supporters. Trudeau has not publicly responded to Trump's taunts. An op-ed piece in the Toronto Star said Trump was behaving "like a toddler," and the prime minister was wise to not "rise to the bait." For Laura Stephenson, chair of the political science department at Western University, Trump's musings amount to an escalation compared to a tariff threat. "We're in a different world now. Annexation isn't the same as 'I'm going to hurt your industry.'" Even if an active confrontation with the US remains unthinkable, Stephenson told AFP that such mockery can be "humiliating" to Canadians. She said many Canadians identify themselves explicitly as "not American," and Trump's poking at the issue "has all sort of implications for Canadian identity." University of Toronto political scientist Renan Levine, on the other hand, suggested Trump's ribbing could be a "good sign" for Canadians, as it implies a bond with Trudeau. "He's basically signaling, 'I have a certain level of comfort with you and we can exchange wisecracks,'" Levine told AFP. Rohmer said the moment calls for patriotism. The success of his book "Ultimatum" came at a curious time in Canadian fiction, with a flurry of books, including a novel by acclaimed author Margaret Atwood, exploring conflict with the US. Rohmer said his book likely tapped into a thirst for national pride that Canadians crave but are notorious for suppressing. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland responded to Trump's mockery by saying "Canada is the greatest country in the world" -- while adding that such a boast was not "appropriately Canadian." When asked if he thought Trump's insults should prompt Canada to assert its strength, Rohmer said: "I think we should, but I have no idea how." bs/bbk/bgs
Meghan Markle's favourite Jo Malone scent is in a limited edition Christmas cracker for £38
LAS VEGAS — The runaway streaming success of Hulu’s racy “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” has propelled the series onto ABC’s broadcast schedule in January — and sparked a creative sort of pushback. The show centers on a group of Mormon women whose TikTok videos went viral. The first eight episodes are replete with tales of “soft swinging,” in which cheating partners don’t “go all the way”; some of the women drinking alcohol, a taboo in the faith; and even a domestic-violence arrest, among other eye-popping vignettes. Instead of protesting, eight women members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wrote, edited and published “The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL ‘Mormon’ Wives” — in under two months — to show how more devout members of the faith actually live, they exclusively tell The Post. Although church members have been called “Mormons” for decades, the current vibe is to prefer the longer name. This came from a 2018 change by the group’s president and prophet, Russell M. Nelson, now age 100. The edict morphed the famed “Mormon Tabernacle Choir” handle into the “Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square,” for example. But if you imagine the volume comprises stories of prepping batches of lime-green Jell-O (a Utah staple), saying “Oh, my heck” and listening to Donny Osmond albums, think again. The eight authors — each telling her tale in a single chapter — want their stories to be seen as reinforcing the church’s basic teachings but also about how faith helps them deal with various challenges, from the mundane to the extraordinary. The stories range from the account of a hyper-successful fashion entrepreneur to a Zumba-teaching mom who “advocates” for a child born with Down syndrome to a Nigerian chieftain’s daughter who built a successful real-estate business during her husband’s 17 years in the military. Fashion-forward business owner credits faith Fernanda Böhme, co-founder of an eponymous 22-store fashion house offering stylish-but-modest women’s clothes, was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and emigrated to America as a child, when her church-member parents had an opportunity to attend Brigham Young University. Raised in the faith and a member today, Böhme said the Hulu series didn’t upset her but inspired her to share her story, including building her business and parenting a special-needs child. “I hate to say this, but it’s almost a good thing because it’s making people ask questions” about the 194-year-old religion organized in Fayette, New York, about an hour west of Syracuse., she told The Post. “It’s kind of like when ‘The Book of Mormon’ musical came out, the Broadway musical — it got people asking questions.” Böhme said many of the queries — such as whether church members dress like the Amish (they don’t) or ‘How many sister wives do you have?’ (none) — can be answered by coming to the church and seeing what it’s accomplished. “Look at what we’ve done,” she said. “Look at the fruits of our labors. Look at all the people we feed all over the world. You’ll see what we’ve done.” Ironically, Böhme said, one of the Hulu “Mormon Wives” — whom she did not name —is also an online influencer for her fashion brand. “I didn’t find out ’til days ago that we’re sponsoring her wardrobe, and we’re sending clothing or whatever. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh. How did this happen?’ But she was an influencer before the show, so it just kind of happened,” she said. “It’s business, right?” Zumba instructor, mother of Down syndrome teenager Kimberly DowDell’s faith helped her cope with the birth of a Down syndrome child — now 14 and thriving, she said — and the ups and downs of her husband’s career as well as her fast-paced life as a Zumba instructor. “My faith is really what got me through those difficult times,” she said. “I was excited to be a part of this project because I have been sharing our family and our life with our son who has Down syndrome online,” she said. “He’s 14 years old, and our social media blew up with videos that we share of him on a daily basis a little over two years ago.” DowDell said she viewed “maybe the first episode and a half” of the series before dropping it. “You know, life gets busy. I honestly don’t watch a lot of TV,” she said. “As I started to see some of the things that these girls were talking about and the things that unfolded, I thought, ‘Well, that isn’t my experience,’” DowDell said of the show’s extremes. “I haven’t grown up feeling that way or, anyway, having those experiences that they’ve had.” Nigerian chieftain’s daughter Although Esther Jackson-Stowell’s in-laws call her a “Nigerian princess,” the title is more honorary than real. Her father was a chieftain in their southeastern Nigeria home, but the family emigrated to northern California to pursue opportunities and the much-vaunted “American dream.” Jackson-Stowell, mother of five including two foster children, is the “underpaid chauffeur” for the brood as well as a successful real-estate agent and businesswoman in Salt Lake City. She joined the church after meeting a young man who became her husband and who’s spent 17 years in the military. Her book chapter details a journey that spans two continents and two radically different cultures: Nigerian and Mormon. She said she’s grateful for the opportunity the Hulu show gave her to share her story. “I think the members of the church have gotten such a bad rap for so long that to even be a topic of conversation, to me it’s well worth having that conversation because we have something so dear to share, and that is that we love Jesus Christ,” she said. Would she chastise the Hulu show participants for what they’ve portrayed? “I’d probably just give them a hug,” Jackson-Stowell said. “I would give all of them a hug and just tell them, you know, ‘Thank you for bringing this topic to the forefront.’”
