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WASHINGTON (AP) — In the two weeks since Donald Trump won the presidency, he's tried to demonstrate his dominance by naming loyalists for top administration positions, even though many lack expertise and some face sexual misconduct accusations. It often seems like he's daring Congress to oppose his decisions. But on Thursday, Trump's attempt to act with impunity showed a crack as Matt Gaetz , his choice for attorney general, withdrew from consideration. Trump had named Gaetz, a Florida congressman, to be the country's top law enforcement official even though he was widely disliked by his colleagues, has little legal experience and was accused of having sex with an underage girl, an allegation he denied. After being plagued by investigations during his first presidency, Trump wanted a devoted ally in charge of the Justice Department during his second. However, it was never obvious that Gaetz could win enough support from lawmakers to get confirmed as attorney general. Trump chose for a replacement Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who defended him during his first impeachment trial and supported his false claims of voter fraud. Now the question is whether Gaetz was uniquely unpalatable, or if Trump's other picks might exceed his party's willingness to overlook concerns that would have sunk nominees in a prior political era. The next test will likely be Pete Hegseth, who Trump wants to lead the Pentagon despite an allegation of sexual assault that he's denied. So far, Republicans are rallying around Hegseth , an Army veteran and former Fox News host. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the controversy over Gaetz would have little bearing on Trump’s other choices. He said they would be considered “one at a time.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, suggested otherwise, claiming “the dominoes are falling.” “The drip drip of evidence and truth is going to eventually doom some others,” he said. Trump's election victory was a sign that there may not be many red lines left in American politics. He won the presidential race despite authoritarian, racist and misogynist rhetoric, not to mention years of lies about election fraud and his role in sparking the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was also criminally convicted of falsifying business records to pay hush money, and he was found liable for sexual abuse in a civil case. Empowered by voters who looked past his misconduct and saw him as a powerful agent of change, Trump has shown no deference to Washington norms while working to fill his second administration . The transition team hasn't pursued federal background checks for Trump's personnel choices. While some of his selections have extensive experience in the areas they've been chosen to lead, others are personal friends and Fox News personalities who have impressed and flattered Trump over the years. Several have faced allegations involving sexual misconduct . Hegseth is facing the most scrutiny after Gaetz. Once Trump announced Hegseth as his nominee for Pentagon chief, allegations emerged that he sexually assaulted a woman in California in 2017. The woman said he took her phone, blocked the door to the hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a police report made public this week. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing, the report said. However, he paid the woman a confidential settlement in 2023. Hegseth's lawyer said the payment was made to head off the threat of a baseless lawsuit. Trump’s choice for secretary of health and human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has faced allegations of misconduct too. A woman who babysat for him and his second wife told Vanity Fair magazine that Kennedy groped her in the late 1990s, when she was 23. Kennedy did not deny the allegation and texted an apology to the woman after the article was published. That isn't the only hurdle for Kennedy; he's spent years spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories about vaccines, raising fears about making him a top health official in the new administration. Linda McMahon, chosen by Trump to be education secretary, is fighting a lawsuit connected to her former company, World Wrestling Entertainment. She’s accused of knowingly enabling sexual exploitation of children by an employee as early as the 1980s, and she denies the allegations. Tulsi Gabbard is another person who could face a difficult confirmation battle, but for very different reasons. The former Democratic representative from Hawaii has been a vocal Trump ally, and he chose her to be national intelligence director. But there's grave concern by lawmakers and national security officials over Gabbard’s history of echoing Russian propaganda. Critics said she would endanger relationships with U.S. allies. Gaetz was investigated by federal law enforcement for sex trafficking, but the case was closed without charges and Republicans have blocked the release of a related report from the House Ethics Committee. However, some allegations leaked out, including that Gaetz paid women for sex. One of the women testified to the committee that she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl, according to a lawyer for the woman. As Gaetz met with senators this week, it became clear that he would face stubborn resistance from lawmakers who were concerned about his behavior and believed he was unqualified to run the Justice Department. “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction,” Gaetz wrote on social media when announcing his withdrawal. Sen. Mike Braun, an Indiana Republican, said he believed there were four to six members of the caucus who would have voted against Gaetz, likely dooming his nomination, and “the math got too hard.” He said some of the issues and allegations around Gaetz were “maybe beyond the pale." “I think there were just too many things, it was like a leaky dike, and you know, it broke," Braun said. Trump thanked Gaetz in a post on Truth Social, his social media website, without addressing the substance of the allegations against him. “He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect,” Trump wrote. Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Stephen Groves and Lisa Macaro contributed from Washington. Jill Colvin in New York and Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, also contributed.( MENAFN - EIN Presswire) Dr Linda Pajoel Speaking at Workplace Leadership Conference Dr Linda Pajoel, CEO & Founder of Investornomy Renowned stock investing consultant and CEO of Investornomy, Dr. Linda Pajoel, captivated audiences with her actionable insights on financial freedom. Olivia Morgan Investornomy Inc ... To hear Dr. Linda's powerful insights and learn more about her approach to financial freedom, watch the full recording of her keynote speech below Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above. 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Canadian-founded, United States (US)-based artificial intelligence (AI) hardware company has secured more than $693 million USD in Series D funding from a slew of big-name investors, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s investment firm and electronics giant Samsung. The AI chipmaker said it plans to use the funding to build out its open-source AI software stacks, ramp up hiring, expand its global development and design centres, and build systems and clouds for AI developers as it gears up to compete with Nvidia and other players in the AI chip space. The all-primary Series D financing, which closed last week, was led by a pair of existing backers, South Korea’s AFW Partners and Samsung Securities, and gave Tenstorrent a post-money valuation of $2.6 billion. The round consisted of over $593 million in equity and a convertible note from 2023 that became equity as part of this round. This fresh capital brings Tenstorrent’s total funding to date to nearly $1 billion. In an interview with BetaKit, Tenstorrent vice president of investor relations and corporate communications Bob Grim attributed the company’s successful financing to continually strong interest in AI and the vision and pedigree of CEO . The Series D announcement comes shortly after Tenstorrent from Canada to the US, moving its headquarters from Toronto to Santa Clara, Calif. Grim told BetaKit that the company went stateside for two main reasons. He noted that one of its larger investors wanted to increase its stake, but had a cap on how much it could own if Tenstorrent was based outside of the US. He also said moving to the US is “a very common step” ahead of an eventual initial public offering (IPO) on the Nasdaq or New York Stock Exchange. Despite the move, Tenstorrent has not left Canada altogether: the company has retained its office in Toronto, where Grim said it employs 140 people today, up from 110 earlier this year. Grim emphasized that Canada remains a focus for Tenstorrent going forward, and said the firm has committed to continuing to grow its workforce in Canada as part of its latest round, which was supported by three new Canadian investors: Export Development Canada, the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan, and Georgian. “Canada is at the heart of everything we do ... That’s where our roots are, that’s where we design our AI hardware, and it’s going to remain important to us for the foreseeable future,” Grim said. Tenstorrent’s Series D round also saw participation from new investors, including US-based Bezos Expeditions and Corner Capital, South Korea’s LG Electronics, and XTX Markets and Baillie Gifford out of the United Kingdom, plus existing backers Fidelity Management & Research Company in the US, Taiwan’s Mesh, and South Korea-based Hyundai Motor Group. Founded in 2016 in Toronto by former AMD executive Ljubisa Bajic (now of ), Tenstorrent builds and sells chips that can be used for AI training and inference. The company also licenses its AI and intellectual property (IP) to clients looking to own and customize their silicon. Grim said that Tenstorrent’s business model involves monetizing its tech “every step of the way,” noting that different clients consume its tech differently. In 2021, Tenstorrent , bringing on Keller, a renowned chip designer who previously worked at AMD, Apple, Intel, and Tesla, and raised a more than Series C round at a $1-billion valuation. Last year, Tenstorrent added another to its coffers. According to Grim, Tenstorrent’s open-source software stack differentiates the company from its competitors. He said this approach has helped Tenstorrent sell into the and robotics markets, where buyers typically want to inspect and test every line of code due to the risk associated with developing new products without doing so. To date, Tenstorrent has amassed approximately $150 million in signed contracts. Grim said they have mostly been IP-related up to this point. “We still have a lot of room to grow our hardware business,” he added. “[Investors] love the fact that we have traction with the IP business and that we have this hardware business, and that it just lessens the risk,” said Grim. “We’ve got multiple ways to monetize our products.” Grim said that Tenstorrent has no imminent plans to go public, indicating that it is likely at least a couple of years away from an IPO. “If we can build our hardware business reliably to the level we expect, I think a two-year window to an IPO is reasonable, but we don’t know what the market is in two years, so we just have to play it all by ear,” he added.NoneClass A state championship: A tale-of-the-tape look at Millard South, Omaha WestsideThe city of Arlington’s success in securing corporate headquarters continued this week when Texas Trust Credit Union announced it will move its south Arlington headquarters to the 124,000-square-foot Skymark Tower, a building at 1531 N. Cooper St. that it recently purchased. Arlington City Council voted 9-0 Tuesday to approve a tax abatement agreement between the city and Texas Trust Credit Union to make the move possible. Under the agreement, Texas Trust Credit Union will receive a 75% tax abatement on the increased property value for 10 years, conditional upon meeting specific improvement and employment conditions by the end of 2025, the city said. Get Arlington news that matters. Sign up for local stories in your inbox every Thursday. Texas Trust Credit Union CEO Jim Minge said that the move will offer two major benefits to the company. “One is visibility. The new location has just tremendous improvement in visibility for our Texas Trust name in the metroplex. That’s one of the reasons we love the site so much,” Minge said. “The second is it allows us to have a long-term home. Where we are currently, we could see running out of our ability to grow in the next five years or so.” Minge said Skymark Tower offered more space and also room to grow. “We were looking for something that would allow us room to grow and then also have some land to be able to potentially build a second building in the future,” Minge said. “The site we found there on Cooper at I-30 does that tremendously.” Minge said that among the changes to the building will be new signage. Pinnacle Bank, which currently has its name on the tower, is moving out at the end of this year, Minge said. “Pinnacle Bank’s name will be coming off the tower, and we’ll be adding Texas Trust on.” He said the top of the building will be repainted blue. “It’s currently kind of that faded pink,” Minge said. He said the building is a bit distressed and hasn’t seen much money spent on it in the last five years. “So we’re going to give it an exterior facelift, better lighting, some new paint, probably some new window tint. We’re also going to spend money on the inside with the new lobby. We’re having to redo the entire air conditioning system, elevators — lots of deferred maintenance, but it is such a great building, and it is an icon in Arlington. That’s why we’re excited to be there and we’re gonna make it, we’re gonna make it beautiful again.” Minge said the credit union owns the two buildings it occupies in south Arlington, and the company has a plan for their futures. “What we’ll do is transition, and we’ll get some lease tenants in this space that we’re currently in,” Minge said. “Then, probably, we’ll try to sell the two buildings we’re currently in in the next couple of years.” The city also believes the move is a benefit. “We are excited about the impact this partnership will have on the city of Arlington and Texas Trust Credit Union,” said Josh Mejia, economic development specialist for the city. Founded in 1936, Texas Trust Credit Union committed to creating 175 jobs by mid-2026. The company said it plans to move employees into the building in 12-18 months and become the building’s main occupier. The city said the Skymark Tower project will involve more than $15 million in enhancements. “From the outset, we’ll see significant capital investment in a well-known building site, growth in the company’s employee base, and the initiation of Class A development that will attract more corporations to our community. We are proud to partner with Texas Trust Credit Union, a great steward of our community,” Mejia said. The credit union bought the tower out of bankruptcy in June for $8.7 million. “The city of Arlington is thrilled to support Texas Trust Credit Union’s strategic expansion at the key I-30 and Cooper St. intersection,” Gus Garcia, director of economic development for the city, said in a statement. “This project not only signifies a major investment in Arlington but also introduces at least 175 jobs, boosting our city’s prominence as a central hub in the DFW metroplex and attracting transformative redevelopment and corporate relocations. We eagerly anticipate Texas Trust becoming a landmark in our community as they embark on this significant growth phase.” To receive the tax abatements, the city said Texas Trust has to spend at least $15 million on building improvements and occupy the building by Jan. 1, 2026. According to the Dallas Business Journal , Texas Trust Credit Union had net income of $2.7 million this year as of Sept. 30, according to filings with the National Credit Union Administration, as well as $2.02 billion in assets and 136,176 members. The Business Journal reported that Silver Star Properties REIT Inc. previously owned Skymark Tower, citing deed documents. It said the building’s largest tenant, U.S. Energy Development Corp., is leaving at the end of the year for a new headquarters near the Fort Worth Stockyards. Related Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism . Republish This Story Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Do not copy stories straight from the front-end of our web-site. You are required to follow the guidelines and use the republication tool when you share our content. The republication tool generates the appropriate html code. You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you use our stories in any other medium — for example, newsletters or other email campaigns — you must make it clear that the stories are from the Fort Worth Report. In all emails, link directly to the story at fortworthreport.org and not to your website. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. You have to credit Fort Worth Report. Please use “Author Name, Fort Worth Report” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by Fort Worth Report” and include our website, fortworthreport.org . You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. by Lance Murray, Arlington Report November 21, 2024
Mumbai: Domestic carrier IndiGo on Saturday said it has arranged an alternative aircraft to fly the stranded passengers after its Mumbai-Istanbul flight of December 28, scheduled to depart at 6.55 am, had to be cancelled due to a technical glitch. The long delay prompted some of the passengers to vent their anger on social media. No food or even water was served and there was no representative from the airline willing to listen to their grievances, some passengers claimed. The alternative aircraft will depart for Istanbul at 11 pm, the airline said in a statement. “We regret that our flight 6E17, originally scheduled to operate from Mumbai to Istanbul, faced a delay due to technical issues. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to rectify the issue and dispatch it to the destination, we eventually had to cancel the flight,” IndiGo said in a statement. “Mumbai to Istanbul journey suspended after 10 hours waiting by passengers. Information that there are around 100 passengers in this journey and the number of students is large. Kids are crying at the airport, no resolution from authorities,” said a passenger in his post on X, also tagging Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol. “There are 500 passengers who have been scammed by continuous delays and eventual cancellation. All passengers have not been served any food or water. There is no representative from indigo willing to listen to grievances,” said another passenger in his post. IndiGo, however, said its teams were “working hard” to provide support to the affected customers, keeping them informed and arranging accommodation, meal vouchers and full refunds.
NEW YORK, Dec. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of PACS Group Inc. (NYSE: PACS) of (i) common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and prospectus (collectively, the “Registration Statement”) in connection with the Company’s April 11, 2024 initial public offering ("IPO"); (ii) securities between April 11, 2024 and November 5, 2024, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”); and/or (iii) common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and prospectus issued in connection with the Company’s September 2024 secondary public offering (“SPO”), of the important January 13, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased PACS common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the IPO and/or securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the PACS class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=30617 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than January 13, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, in the Registration Statement and throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) PACS engaged in a “scheme” to submit false Medicare claims which “drove more than 100% of PACS’ operating and net income from 2020 – 2023”; (2) PACS engaged in a “scheme” to “bill thousands of unnecessary respiratory and sensory integration therapies to Medicare”; (3) PACS engaged in a scheme to falsify documentation related to licensure and staffing; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants’ positive statements about PACS’ business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the PACS class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=30617 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor’s ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. ______________________ Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com
The city of Arlington’s success in securing corporate headquarters continued this week when Texas Trust Credit Union announced it will move its south Arlington headquarters to the 124,000-square-foot Skymark Tower, a building at 1531 N. Cooper St. that it recently purchased. Arlington City Council voted 9-0 Tuesday to approve a tax abatement agreement between the city and Texas Trust Credit Union to make the move possible. Under the agreement, Texas Trust Credit Union will receive a 75% tax abatement on the increased property value for 10 years, conditional upon meeting specific improvement and employment conditions by the end of 2025, the city said. Get Arlington news that matters. Sign up for local stories in your inbox every Thursday. Texas Trust Credit Union CEO Jim Minge said that the move will offer two major benefits to the company. “One is visibility. The new location has just tremendous improvement in visibility for our Texas Trust name in the metroplex. That’s one of the reasons we love the site so much,” Minge said. “The second is it allows us to have a long-term home. Where we are currently, we could see running out of our ability to grow in the next five years or so.” Minge said Skymark Tower offered more space and also room to grow. “We were looking for something that would allow us room to grow and then also have some land to be able to potentially build a second building in the future,” Minge said. “The site we found there on Cooper at I-30 does that tremendously.” Minge said that among the changes to the building will be new signage. Pinnacle Bank, which currently has its name on the tower, is moving out at the end of this year, Minge said. “Pinnacle Bank’s name will be coming off the tower, and we’ll be adding Texas Trust on.” He said the top of the building will be repainted blue. “It’s currently kind of that faded pink,” Minge said. He said the building is a bit distressed and hasn’t seen much money spent on it in the last five years. “So we’re going to give it an exterior facelift, better lighting, some new paint, probably some new window tint. We’re also going to spend money on the inside with the new lobby. We’re having to redo the entire air conditioning system, elevators — lots of deferred maintenance, but it is such a great building, and it is an icon in Arlington. That’s why we’re excited to be there and we’re gonna make it, we’re gonna make it beautiful again.” Minge said the credit union owns the two buildings it occupies in south Arlington, and the company has a plan for their futures. “What we’ll do is transition, and we’ll get some lease tenants in this space that we’re currently in,” Minge said. “Then, probably, we’ll try to sell the two buildings we’re currently in in the next couple of years.” The city also believes the move is a benefit. “We are excited about the impact this partnership will have on the city of Arlington and Texas Trust Credit Union,” said Josh Mejia, economic development specialist for the city. Founded in 1936, Texas Trust Credit Union committed to creating 175 jobs by mid-2026. The company said it plans to move employees into the building in 12-18 months and become the building’s main occupier. The city said the Skymark Tower project will involve more than $15 million in enhancements. “From the outset, we’ll see significant capital investment in a well-known building site, growth in the company’s employee base, and the initiation of Class A development that will attract more corporations to our community. We are proud to partner with Texas Trust Credit Union, a great steward of our community,” Mejia said. The credit union bought the tower out of bankruptcy in June for $8.7 million. “The city of Arlington is thrilled to support Texas Trust Credit Union’s strategic expansion at the key I-30 and Cooper St. intersection,” Gus Garcia, director of economic development for the city, said in a statement. “This project not only signifies a major investment in Arlington but also introduces at least 175 jobs, boosting our city’s prominence as a central hub in the DFW metroplex and attracting transformative redevelopment and corporate relocations. We eagerly anticipate Texas Trust becoming a landmark in our community as they embark on this significant growth phase.” To receive the tax abatements, the city said Texas Trust has to spend at least $15 million on building improvements and occupy the building by Jan. 1, 2026. According to the Dallas Business Journal , Texas Trust Credit Union had net income of $2.7 million this year as of Sept. 30, according to filings with the National Credit Union Administration, as well as $2.02 billion in assets and 136,176 members. The Business Journal reported that Silver Star Properties REIT Inc. previously owned Skymark Tower, citing deed documents. It said the building’s largest tenant, U.S. Energy Development Corp., is leaving at the end of the year for a new headquarters near the Fort Worth Stockyards. Related Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism . Republish This Story Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Do not copy stories straight from the front-end of our web-site. You are required to follow the guidelines and use the republication tool when you share our content. The republication tool generates the appropriate html code. You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you use our stories in any other medium — for example, newsletters or other email campaigns — you must make it clear that the stories are from the Fort Worth Report. In all emails, link directly to the story at fortworthreport.org and not to your website. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. You have to credit Fort Worth Report. Please use “Author Name, Fort Worth Report” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by Fort Worth Report” and include our website, fortworthreport.org . You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. by Lance Murray, Arlington Report November 21, 2024
What we know about Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group that led the offensive to oust Syria's leaderBEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s embassy in Lebanon suspended consular services Saturday, a day after two relatives of deposed Syrian President Bashar Assad were arrested at the Beirut airport with allegedly forged passports. Also on Saturday, Lebanese authorities handed over dozens of Syrians — including former officers in the Syrian army under Assad — to the new Syrian authorities after they were caught illegally entering Lebanon, a war monitor and Lebanese officials said. The embassy announced on its Facebook page that consular work was suspended “until further notice” at the order of the Syrian foreign ministry. The announcement did not give a reason for the suspension. Two Lebanese security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said the suspension was ordered because the passports belonging to Assad’s relatives — the wife and daughter of one of his cousins — were believed to have been forged at the embassy. Assad’s uncle, Rifaat Assad — who has been indicted in Switzerland on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity — had flown out the day before on his real passport and was not stopped, the officials said. The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Saturday that 70 Syrians, including former army officers, were handed over by a Lebanese security delegation to the security forces of the new Syrian government, led by the former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. Three Lebanese judicial officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the report. Regional countries have been quick to establish ties with Syria’s new rulers. Delegations of Libyan and Bahraini officials arrived in Damascus on Saturday on official visits. HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, has largely succeeded in calming fears within and outside of Syria that his group would unleash collective punishment against communities that supported Assad’s rule or attempt to impose strict Islamic law on the country’s religious minorities. However, in recent days, sporadic clashes have broken out between the HTS-led security forces and pro-Assad armed groups. The country’s new security forces have launched a series of raids targeting officials affiliated with Assad and have set up checkpoints in areas with significant populations of the Alawite religious minority to which the former president belongs to search for weapons. There have also been ongoing tensions and clashes in northeastern Syria between Kurdish-led forces and armed groups backed by Turkey. Many Kurds have viewed the new order in Damascus, which appears to have strengthened Turkey’s hand in Syria, with anxiety. Ankara sees the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces — a key U.S. ally in the fight against the Islamic State group — as an affiliate of its sworn enemy, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which it classifies as a terrorist organization. The U.S. State Department said Saturday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had spoken with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to “discuss the latest developments in Syria.” “Secretary Blinken emphasized the need to support a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process that upholds human rights and prioritizes an inclusive and representative government,” the statement said, adding that they “also discussed the shared goal of preventing terrorism from endangering the security” of Turkey and Syria. On Saturday, hundreds of protesters convened by Kurdish women’s groups participated in a demonstration in the northeastern city of Hasaka to demand women’s rights in the new Syria. Perishan Ramadan, a participant from Hasaka, said the new government “is worse than Bashar” and that its leaders are Islamist extremists who “don’t accept any role for women.” While the country’s new leaders have not attempted to impose Islamic dress or other conventions, it remains to be seen what role women will have in the new order and whether they will hold political or government positions. "Women must be present in the new constitution for Syria,” said Rihan Loqo, spokeswoman for the Kongra Star women’s organization. "... Women’s rights should not be ignored.” Associated Press writers Hogir Abdo in Hasaka, Syria, and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.
If tax on popcorn is a worry, try munching them in a movie hall. Thankfully, things may changeSEEP issues to be ironed out before February, assures deputy minister
Tam Union District ethnic studies will be scrutinized As a Tamalpais High School alum (class of 1977), I recall something our social studies teacher, Mr. Philbrook, once said to our school: “You can gauge how the rest of the country will be in five years by looking at Tam High.” He said we were, “the meter for the rest of the country.” Now, after following recent discussions at the school board meetings (“Tam Union parents scrutinize ethnic studies plan,” Dec. 19), I look forward to watching Tam High (and the rest of the Tamalpais Union High School District) take the local lead in (hopefully) rolling back the ill-conceived ideas of ethnic studies classes (previously from elements of critical race theory and the DEI movement) that do far more harm than good. — Tim Amyx, Novato US should stop subsidizing the fossil-fuel industry Contrary to sentiments expressed in the recently published Another View commentary by Ryan M. Yonk (“Time to get real about renewables,” Dec. 16), the energy transition to clean renewable energy sources is well underway, especially here in California. I believe the main reason that only 17% of U.S. energy comes from sources that do not emit greenhouse gases today is that the fossil-fuel industry uses its vast wealth to slow this necessary transition. Not only do fossil-fuel companies get our money directly at the gas pump, they’re heavily subsidized with tax credits, sub-market federal royalties, and the like. More significantly, they bear little to no financial liability for selling products that damage our atmosphere. Who pays for that damage? We do, the ones whose home insurance has gone up or gone away, whose houses are destroyed by climate-driven wildfires, floods and hurricanes, whose health is degraded from smokestack and tailpipe emissions. The International Monetary Fund says that, in 2023, the world paid $7 trillion in direct and indirect fossil fuel subsidies. The fossil fuel lobby’s opposition has made the situation urgent. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently announced that the Arctic has flipped from being a carbon sink to a carbon emitter. I expect that will only accelerate wildfires, droughts and flooding. Yes, there will be costs to develop 24/7, greenhouse-gas-free resources — just as there were costs to build today’s fossil-fuel system, and there are costs to run it now. Transitioning responsibly to greenhouse-gas-free energy is far cheaper than continuing reverse-Robin Hood subsidies that result in accelerating climate change. — Ray Welch, Marinwood Hard to see pedestrians at night this time of year I submit this letter as a public service announcement to everyone walking at dusk or after dark in Marin. It’s the darkest time of year — we just passed 2024’s shortest day and its earliest sunset. The early darkness makes it harder to see people walking. So, if you are walking — possibly in all dark clothing with a black dog — do not expect to be seen by passing or turning cars. Nobody wants to hit you or your dog (or your kid in a stroller, for that matter). Would it be so hard to wear something reflective? Or maybe use a flashlight? Thanks for reading. — AR Danielson, San Rafael Sausalito council should not declare a surplus I am responding to former Sausalito Mayor Ron Albert’s letter published Dec. 14 regarding the letter critical of Sausalito City Council spending that I had published in November. I think Albert misunderstood my point. As a former council member, I believe that, much like a homeowners association can’t transfer funds from its reserve account to the operating account (and then declare a budget surplus), a city shouldn’t be allowed to transfer funds from its designated reserve accounts to the general operating account and declare a budget surplus. That is why I called the members of the City Council ‘”wishful thinkers.” If the council doesn’t focus on fixing the infrastructure instead of costly special interest projects, I think Sausalito (with its $500,000 insurance deductible) is headed toward bankruptcy. Considering that it’s mostly the same people on the City Council as before the election, and that they are pushing the same projects, I am worried. I think Albert is misguided about the role of city staff in these actions. From my perspective, the City Council sets policies and the city manager carries them out. Responsibility lies at these levels. — Carolyn Ford, SausalitoDuring a 2020 meeting with then-President Donald Trump ’s White House staff, Christopher Rufo, a conservative commentator known for his pugilistic social media presence, called for a ban on critical race theory in government. The message landed. Two days later, the White House instructed all federal agencies to begin to identify contracts or other spending related to any training on “’critical race theory,’ ‘white privilege,’ or any other training or propaganda effort that teaches or suggests that the United States is an inherently racist or evil country or ... that any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil.” Four years later, with Trump returning to the Oval Office, Rufo will return to Mar-a-Lago to meet with the president-elect’s team, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday — this time, to discuss his mission to reform America’s higher education system. Their talks could reverberate across the nation’s colleges and universities. Florida may offer the clearest example of Rufo’s vision. “President Trump has the opportunity to do what we’ve done in Florida on a national scale,” Rufo said in a Fox News interview Tuesday . Rufo has appeared next to Gov. Ron DeSantis at key moments in the governor’s foray into campus culture wars and helped catapult New College of Florida, where he sits on the board of trustees, into national headlines. He consulted on the state’s Stop WOKE Act and helped instigate the governor’s war with Disney, after leaking internal company training slides on systemic racism . While he’s eager to take credit for Florida’s war on woke, his actual behind-the-scenes influence is more difficult to pin down. Christopher Rufo’s spokesperson did not respond to multiple emails and phone calls requesting comment, nor did Trump’s campaign and personal staff. A New College spokesperson declined to comment for this story. Rufo has never shied away from publicly stating his goals and tactics , and Tallahassee has often — by cause or coincidence — followed his drumbeat. Taking a page from 1960s student activists’ “long march through the institutions,” Rufo has targeted America’s higher education system as a central focus in his quest to banish diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from American institutions. “It’s time to really put the hammer to these institutions and to start withdrawing potentially billions of dollars in funding until they follow the law,” Rufo told the Wall Street Journal . Trump appears to be on board. His campaign platform included cutting” federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.” Rufo offered conditional support for Trump’s calls to close the Department of Education on his podcast. There’s likely no better example of Rufo’s vision for academic reform than New College, where he was appointed to the board of trustees by DeSantis in early 2023. Over the past two years the board has eliminated its office of diversity, equity and inclusion , abolished gender studies , and introduced what critics call a restrictive core curriculum centered around western values . After losing a third of the school’s teaching staff , administrators brought on more ideologically aligned replacements, in some cases circumventing traditional academic hiring practices to do so. New College administrators have wrangled control of the school’s endowment and singled out dissenting students for punishment . They’ve also overseen a rapid increase in enrollment — bolstered by a new sports program and generous scholarships — and initiated a construction spree to revamp the aging campus . Behind his public persona, Rufo’s personal involvement in crafting policy is unclear. Rufo, who lives outside Seattle, usually video calls into New College trustee meetings and often stays out of weedy academic or budgetary discussions. He missed five out of six academic committee meetings in the past two years, and appears to have occasionally tweeted during board meetings. Amy Reid, a former New College professor and trustee, said Rufo was largely “just phoning it in” during regular meetings. “His comments tended more to ad hominem attacks or sound bites than anything substantive.” Rufo’s most concrete public action on the board in the past two years was to introduce a motion eliminating the school’s gender studies department, which Reid led. “He is not against the reading of Marx, Nietzsche, and other figures of the left. He’s against indoctrination of any kind,” said trustee Mark Bauerlein, a former Emory professor who was appointed to the board by DeSantis. Bauerlein couldn’t point to any particular initiative Rufo had spearheaded, noting that trustees are not allowed to plan and confer outside public meetings. But he said Rufo was not one to back down from challenging talks. “Chris Rufo will talk to anybody, listen and debate,” Bauerlein said. ©2024 Tampa Bay Times. Visit tampabay.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.AI chipmaker Tenstorrent closes nearly $700-million USD Series D at $2.6-billion valuation
Oklahoma residents on Sunday mourned the death of former Democratic U.S. Sen. Fred Harris , a trailblazer in progressive politics in the state who ran an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1976. Harris died on Saturday at 94. Democratic Party members across Oklahoma remembered Harris for his commitment to economic and social justice during the 1960s — a period of historical turbulence. Harris chaired the Democratic National Committee from 1969 to 1970 and helped unify the party after its tumultuous national convention in 1968 when protesters and police clashed in Chicago. “Fred Harris showed us what is possible when we lead with both heart and principle. He worked to ensure everyone had a voice and a seat at the table,” said Alicia Andrews, chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party. Harris appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago earlier this year as a guest speaker for the Oklahoma delegation, where he reflected on progress and unity. "Standing alongside him in Chicago this summer was a reminder of how his legacy continues to inspire,” Andrews said. Kalyn Free, a member of the Choctaw nation of Oklahoma and the DNC, said that there is no one else in public service whom she admired more than the former senator. “He was a friend, a mentor, a hero and my True North. Oklahoma and America have lost a powerful advocate and voice,” Free said in a statement. “His work for Indian Country will always be remembered.” “Senator Harris truly was an Oklahoma treasure and was ahead of his time in so many ways,” said Jeff Berrong, whose grandfather served in the state Senate with Harris. “He never forgot where he came from and he always remained focused on building a society that would provide equality of opportunity for all.” Harris served eight years in the state Senate before he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served another eight years before his 1976 presidential campaign. State party leaders commemorated his work on the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, or the Kerner Commission, to investigate the 1960s riots. Harris was the last surviving member of the commission. Shortly after his presidential campaign, Harris left politics and moved to New Mexico and became a political science professor at the University of New Mexico. —- Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Romanian nationalist Calin Georgescu has surprised observers by likely topping the first round of the country’s presidential election, according to provisional results. With more than 80 percent of ballots counted, in the early hours of Monday Georgescu, who has gained traction for his anti-Ukraine war stance, holds 22.1 percent of the vote, narrowly ahead of sitting Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who follows with just over 22 percent. Georgescu, an ultra-religious and nationalist figure, has campaigned on reducing Romania’s reliance on imports and boosting domestic food and energy production. He has been a vocal critic of Bucharest’s role in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, arguing that NATO and the EU do not represent Romanian interests and suggesting that the war is being manipulated by American military companies. The shock result has upended expectations, as Elena Lasconi – billed as a ‘reformer’ – was initially predicted to make it into the runoff, but now trails at 15.3 percent. Far-right candidate George Simion, also considered a strong contender, lags behind with 14.8 percent support. The final composition of the runoff is still uncertain as further ballots are counted. Georgescu’s views have struck a chord with a significant portion of the electorate, but have also drawn heavy criticism, particularly for his past support of Romania’s 20th-century fascist Legionary Movement. A relative political outsider, he has leveraged social media platforms like TikTok to rally voters, capitalizing on dissatisfaction with the political establishment. He has garnered a sizable following, particularly among those disillusioned with the current government’s foreign policy. Voter turnout for the election was 52.5 percent, slightly higher than in the 2019 presidential race. The second round of voting is scheduled for December 8, following Romania’s parliamentary elections next Sunday.
