How to Watch Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Games – Saturday, December 7Jimmy Carter, 39th US president, dies at 100Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, has died at 100

Social media users are misrepresenting a report released Thursday by the Justice Department inspector general's office, falsely claiming that it's proof the FBI orchestrated the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The watchdog report examined a number of areas, including whether major intelligence failures preceded the riot and whether the FBI in some way provoked the violence. Claims spreading online focus on the report's finding that 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests on Jan. 6, including three who had been tasked with traveling to the city to report on others who were potentially planning to attend the events. Although 17 of those informants either entered the Capitol or a restricted area around the building during the riot, none of the 26 total informants were authorized to do so by the bureau, according to the report. Nor were they authorized to otherwise break the law or encourage others to do so. Here's a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: A December 2024 report released by the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General is proof that the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was a setup by the FBI. THE FACTS: That's false. The report found that no undercover FBI employees were at the riot on Jan. 6 and that none of the bureau's informants were authorized to participate. Informants, also known as confidential human sources, work with the FBI to provide information, but are not on the bureau’s payroll. Undercover agents are employed by the FBI. According to the report, 26 informants were in Washington on Jan. 6 in connection with the day's events. FBI field offices only informed the Washington Field Office or FBI headquarters of five informants that were to be in the field on Jan. 6. Of the total 26 informants, four entered the Capitol during the riot and an additional 13 entered a restricted area around the Capitol. But none were authorized to do so by the FBI, nor were they given permission to break other laws or encourage others to do the same. The remaining nine informants did not engage in any illegal activities. None of the 17 informants who entered the Capitol or surrounding restricted area have been prosecuted, the report says. A footnote states that after reviewing a draft of the report, the U.S. attorney's office in Washington said that it “generally has not charged those individuals whose only crime on January 6, 2021 was to enter restricted grounds surrounding the Capitol, which has resulted in the Office declining to charge hundreds of individuals; and we have treated the CHSs consistent with this approach.” The assistant special agent in charge of the Washington Field Office's counterterrorism division told the inspector general's office that he “denied a request from an FBI office to have an undercover employee engage in investigative activity on January 6.” He, along with then-Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Steven D'Antuono, said that FBI policy prohibits undercover employees at First Amendment-protected events without investigative authority. Many social media users drew false conclusions from the report's findings. “JANUARY 6th WAS A SETUP!" reads one X post that had received more than 11,400 likes and shares as of Friday. “New inspector general report shows that 26 FBI/DOJ confidential sources were in the crowd on January 6th, and some of them went into the Capitol and restricted areas. Is it a coincidence that Wray put in his resignation notice yesterday? TREASON!” The mention of Wray's resignation refers to FBI Director Christopher Wray's announcement Wednesday that he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden's term in January. Other users highlighted the fact that there were 26 FBI informants in Washington on Jan. 6, but omitted key information about the findings of the report. These claims echo a fringe conspiracy theory advanced by some Republicans in Congress that the FBI played a role in instigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when rioters determined to overturn Republican Donald Trump's 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden stormed the Capitol in a violent clash with police. The report knocks that theory down. Wray called such theories “ludicrous” at a congressional hearing last year. Asked for comment on the false claims spreading online, Stephanie Logan, a spokesperson for the inspector general’s office, pointed The Associated Press to a press release about the report. In addition to its findings about the the FBI's involvement on Jan. 6, the report said that the FBI, in an action its now-deputy director described as a “basic step that was missed,” failed to canvass informants across all 56 of its field offices for any relevant intelligence ahead of time. That was a step, the report concluded, “that could have helped the FBI and its law enforcement partners with their preparations in advance of January 6.” However, it did credit the bureau for preparing for the possibility of violence and for trying to identify known “domestic terrorism subjects” who planned to come to Washington that day. The FBI said in a letter responding to the report that it accepts the inspection general’s recommendation “regarding potential process improvements for future events.” — Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck .FREIBURG, Germany (AP) — Freiburg survived a late comeback to beat Wolfsburg 3-2 and move into fifth place in the Bundesliga on Friday. The sides started the day equal on points and Wolfsburg had won its last five games in the league and cup. But Lukas Kübler scored an opportunist opener three minutes before the break and added a second with his head six minutes into the second half to put Freiburg in the driving seat. Michael Gregoritsch added the third in the 62nd. Jonas Wind came off the bench to score his third goal in two games and Mattias Svanberg cut the deficit seven minutes from time as Wolfsburg desperately looked for a way into the game. But it was too late, and Freiburg moved above Wolfsburg to fifth place on the table and equal on points with Leipzig, which has a game in hand. The match was an important one for two teams vying for a Champions League place next year. Although Bayern Munich have a six-point advantage over second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, only eight points separate the next nine clubs. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerRepublican delegates decide Saturday who will lead the state partySHAREHOLDER INVESTIGATION: Halper Sadeh LLC Investigates AVAV, CTV, AE, PLL on Behalf of Shareholders

Eagles try to cast aside perceived Hurts-Brown relationship issues ahead of Steelers showdown

Coal baby, not cool?SHAREHOLDER INVESTIGATION: Halper Sadeh LLC Investigates AVAV, CTV, AE, PLL on Behalf of Shareholders

A NEW parking system has left drivers furious as they're slapped with tickets costing $75 instead of the former charge of $50. The entire town of Brattleboro, Vermont , got rid of parking meters and increased fines in an attempt to make parking more self-reliant for drivers. However, the changes have left residents angry and confused, bringing complaints to their government as well as local stores. Red Durkin, the owner of a local bookstore called Everyone's Books, said his customers have been vocal about their distaste for the new regulations. "We've heard nothing but complaints," Durkin told Brattleboro newspaper The Commons . "People are trying to comply, but it's not very clear." READ MORE ON PARKING LAWS Brattleboro replaced 147 parking meters with nine centralized kiosks for drivers to pay their fares with coins or through an app or texting. Durkin said drivers have also been frustrated with the new system's requirement of entering a license plate number - along with a newly introduced parking fee on Sundays. "I've started parking down the road and walking," said Ann Zimmerman, who works at Everyone's Books. "One of the perks of working Sundays was not having to pay to park." Most read in Motors The city has also established clear loading zones throughout the town, which is where people can face $75 citations. Drivers are hit with a fine when they park in the spots, marked with green paint lining, between 8 am and 2 pm. As the cost has now risen by $25, officials say they're open to feedback if the new rules aren't clear enough. "If we find that we're issuing a lot of additional tickets for the loading zone, then maybe we look for a way to make that sign a little bigger," Assistant Town Manager Patrick Moreland told The Commons. The new parking kiosks have also sparked confusion as drivers aren't sure how to prove that they've paid after they park. "Customers aren't sure if they're supposed to get a paper voucher to prove they've paid," Greg Worden, co-owner of Vermont Artisan Designs and Kitchen Sync, said. You can avoid being ticketed by following all posted laws and ordinances, but sometimes mistakes are made Like any form of citation, parking tickets are preventable by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes are made. Suddenly there's a ticket you weren't prepared to pay for. If the ticket is a surprise to you, there are a few things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket. Carefully read the ticket. Look for errors like incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would then make the ticket invalid. Take photos. Of the vehicle in the parking space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that weren't cited for performing the same parking job. If the ticket involves parking too close to something like a fire hydrant, a photo showing a reasonable distance would help your case. Make sure metadata with the time and date are accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or are on bent posts, or aren't "obvious" are great things to photograph, too. Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If not listed, the ticket is not valid. Promptly follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have directions for appeal. Waiting until the very last moment weakens your argument and can result in late fees. When in court, avoid these phrases as they reduce your credibility and weaken your argument: "I didn’t know the law." "I was on my way to move my car." "I can’t afford this ticket." "I’ve been doing this for years." "I checked with the parking officer, who said it was OK." Contact a lawyer. If you're running into roadblocks and feel stuck, it may be best to reach out to a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations. Source: Reader's Digest "And they don't know how much time they have left on their parking." Worden added that the new kiosks also take more time for the customers to use. "By the time they finish, a line has formed behind them," he said. However, using the systems' app seems to be an easier experience and allows drivers to see how much time they have left at their spot. Read More on The US Sun The system's changes and increased fines aim to recover a deficit in Brattleboro's parking fund, which is supported by property taxes. City officials haven't responded to The U.S. Sun's request for comment.-- Amazon Web Services Recognizes Solution as a Top AI/Blockchain Product at re:Invent Conference -- NEW YORK and CHESTERFIELD, Mo. and BOISE, Idaho , Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bridgetower Capital, a leading global provider of AI and Web3 platform services and infrastructure, InterVision Systems, a premier Managed Service Provider and leader in innovative IT solutions, and ProvLabs, a provider of enterprise-grade APIs and SaaS solutions that enable regulated firms to deploy digital assets on Provenance Blockchain, have launched a breakthrough Sovereign AI Data Lineage solution solving significant corporate and regulatory concerns about data use in AI LLM models globally. The solution was recognized by Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a top Blockchain/AI solution at its re:Invent 2024 conference last week. "This is an extremely strong solution expertly filling a growing need in a massive market," said Jonathan Lerner , CEO of InterVision Systems. "We are excited to partner with Bridgetower and to have the solution recognized and validated by AWS is encouraging and gratifying." Bridgetower's Sovereign AI Data Lineage Solution is a part of a transformative proprietary suite of AI and Web3 services developed in partnership with InterVision Systems to accelerate adoption of the technologies in a variety of industries around the world. The solution is being integrated by Provenance, the world's largest public Layer 1 blockchain measured by real-world assets controlling approximately 70% of all RWAs ledgered on public blockchains. As a leading financial services blockchain, Provenance has facilitated more than $41 billion in financial transactions. "The Provenance Blockchain was purpose-built for regulated financial and data services, with interoperability, confidentiality, and privacy incorporated directly into the protocol," said Anthony Moro , ProvLabs CEO. "Sovereign data lineage is crucial for highly regulated entities and is a perfect fit for the Provenance Blockchain ecosystem. ProvLabs' ProvConnect and BlockVault services remove the friction of bringing this solution to life on-chain. We are thrilled to be participating." "Bridgetower's roots are anchored in blockchain technology aimed at real world solutions. By partnering with world-class companies, we are seeing the results of a patient and purposeful strategy," Bridgetower CEO Cory Pugh . "Our Sovereign AI Data Lineage solution is at the nexus of blockchain and AI – two of the centuries most transformative technologies - and will have a meaningful impact on the continued acceleration of AI models for the public and private sectors." Bridgetower's solution innovatively uses Blockchain-Integrated Traceability to maintain immutable records of data transformations and robust traceability of data being sourced and utilized across the full stack of AI services including model creation, fine tuning and inference. The solution provides rich benefits of explainability, transparency and predictability for all solution sets inside the AI stack. It addresses a high-demand and critical need for corporations and regulators around the world who are rapidly developing their own LLM models in every sector of public and private entities.The solution solves cross-border compliance, complex proof-of-authenticity, and data immutability via decentralized autonomous consensus and secure deployment and directly addresses concerns held by regulators and corporations around the world regarding data protection and authenticity for the rapidly developing use of AI and LLM models. The AI Data Lineage solution features: To view a demonstration of the solution click here. About Bridgetower Bridgetower Capital is a global leader and pioneer in the convergence of blockchain and AI, the most transformative technologies of the 21st century. Bridgetower's blockchain offerings include a customizable Web3 architecture with robust API layers and a full end-to-end Web3 platform. Bridgetower's AI services include AI modeling, training Large Language Models (LLM), offering GPUs as a service, and complete blockchain data authenticity and validation. Bridgetower is strategically located in global blockchain hubs including the United States , the UK, Switzerland and Abu Dhabi . About InterVision Systems InterVision is a leading IT managed services provider, delivering and supporting cloud, security and innovation for mid-to-enterprise and public sector organizations throughout the US. With 30 years of experience and one of the most comprehensive solution portfolios, InterVision drives business outcomes with an unparalleled focus on the customer and employee experience to help organizations be more competitive, compliant, and secure. The company has headquarters in St. Louis with locations in Boston , Richmond , Roanoke, Sacramento , San Francisco , Seattle , San Jose , Kosovo and India . Experience us at intervision.com . About ProvLabs ProvLabs (Provenance Blockchain Labs, Inc.) is a blockchain infrastructure technology company that provides mission-critical APIs and SaaS solutions that enable the deployment of real-world assets at scale on Provenance Blockchain. ProvLabs' solutions provide a frictionless path to Web3 enablement and are built specifically for Provenance Blockchain Network, the world's largest public Layer 1 blockchain network as measured by real-world assets with over $13 billion in total value locked and over $41 billion in supported transactions. Learn more at ProvLabs.io, and follow us on X and LinkedIn. Notes to editors Media contacts: Bridgetower Capital: Todd Wolfenbarger / todd@bridgetowercapital.com InterVision Systems: kate_johnson@blastmedia.com Alyssa Rinehart BLASTmedia for InterVision intervision@blastmedia.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bridgetower-capital-launches-sovereign-ai-data-lineage-solution-and-partners-with-intervision-systems-and-provlabs--facilitator-of-41b-of-financial-transactions--to-authenticate-ai-data-globally-302330822.html SOURCE InterVision

Happy holidays from all of us at the Duluth Police Department! I hope you are having opportunities to spend time with family, friends, and loved ones during this holiday season. As we look forward to a new year, it is time to reflect on 2024 and look ahead to 2025. ADVERTISEMENT Recruiting new officers continues to challenge our department and the profession. Our Professional Standards Unit attended numerous job fairs and took advantage of other outreach opportunities to engage with individuals interested in a career in law enforcement. The Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training Board is also exploring a new academy approach. This path may make it easier for people to transition to the profession. Minnesota currently offers the Intensive Comprehensive Peace Officer Education and Training Program, an option we are interested in. The program takes people with existing college degrees and offers them extensive training so they can become police officers. Currently, this program is only offered at Hennepin Technical College and Alexandria Technical College. We are hopeful this program will soon be available at Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College. This would be a tremendous opportunity for us to recruit local professionals into policing. We consistently look at ways to improve our community's and officers' safety. During the past year, we made significant improvements to our capabilities in critical incident response. We partnered with the Duluth Fire Department to integrate tactical emergency medical operators. These firefighters are specifically trained to respond with our Tactical Response Team on operations. This provides a heightened level of emergency medical response for community members and officers during these events. Our drone and crisis-response teams also train with our Tactical Response Team, a cross-training that ensures proficient staff and resources are available when a critical incident arises. An area of concern for all of us is downtown safety. Many of the issues we respond to in downtown Duluth are quality-of-life issues. Most often, these are not criminal offenses; when they are, they are most likely misdemeanors. While these are not the most serious crimes, these crimes do have a negative impact on our perception of safety. This past year, we changed our approach to downtown safety. These changes include the community policing unit, parking ramp infrastructure, and engagement with the downtown community. Traditionally, our community policing unit was tied to geographical boundaries and largely worked on issues within its own area. This year, we removed those boundaries and had them work as a team to address problem areas and people. This unit consists of our Community Engagement Problem Orientated Policing Unit, Behavioral Health Unit, and school resource officers. These units work together to identify strategies to address quality-of-life issues, unlike our patrol division, whose primary responsibility is responding to 911 calls and utilizing its unallocated time to be proactive; this unit’s job is to be proactive. The HART parking ramp, medical district parking ramp, and Tech Village parking ramp, all in downtown, underwent renovations and security enhancements this year. The enhancements were first made at the HART Ramp. Since then we have seen a significant decrease in crime and problems and a significant increase in cleanliness there. We expect to see the same result at the other two ramps once new security features are fully operational. ADVERTISEMENT We are launching an online crime map dashboard on our website as a commitment to building trust through transparency with our community. This dashboard will serve as another communication tool for people concerned about the activities that have been reported in their neighborhood. In 2025, we will continue to find innovative ways to keep our community safe. The use of technology continues to grow in our profession. This growth includes things like camera systems with AI, drones as first responders, and AI-assisted report writing. As a department, we will evaluate emerging technologies that may benefit our community as well as their possible unintended consequences. Our goal is to be innovative in reducing call response times and in increasing our ability to address areas of concern proactively. We appreciate the support of our city administration, City Council, and community as we continue to find ways to improve our public safety response. I wish you all a happy and healthy 2025! Mike Ceynowa is chief of the Duluth Police Department. He wrote this at the invitation of the News Tribune Opinion page.La Salle defeats Stetson 92-77

None

Rare Safavid carpets put on show at Tehran museum

has made it much easier to tell which case is which, either upon arrival at the airport carousel, or out in the field. Given that these are authentic Pelican cases, products sold through ColorCase are of the same quality and exceptionality as any other case bearing the Pelican name. Of course, this includes Pelican's lifetime warranty. ColorCase provided me with two cases to test. ColorCase had no input on this article, and no advance copy of this article was provided to ColorCase. I tested the larger Pelican 1595 Air ColorCase in trekking green with orange handles and latches. I also tested the carry-on sized Pelican 1535 Air ColorCase, in deep pacific with teal handles and latches. The new 1595 Air is a beast of a case. Positioned between the carry-on size and the largest checked baggage size, the 1595 was large enough for me to load all of my electronic gear for a headshot shoot in one case. Despite the fact that I jammed the case full of gear, I appreciate how light the Air versions actually are. I could easily roll it from location to location or check it with an airline. If I'm traveling by air, the case protects my gear, while its light weight means I can pack more options for each shoot without overweight fees. Given how much I'm traveling with my gear, this provides me with much-needed flexibility. The 1535 Air is designed to be the perfect carry-on. The original 1510s are quite heavy, weighing in at 12 lbs. The empty case alone takes up a good chunk of my carry-on allowance. The 1535 Air, on the other hand, is only 8.7 lbs. This means I can get more into my case. On my part, I'm fitting in an extra Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 in here. It seems that every single check-in desk employee at every airline is aware of how heavy Pelicans can be. I've never managed to get a Pelican by without a weigh-in. Using the 1535 Air gives me confidence that I'll be able to get my gear on board with me, where I can treat it with care if necessary. Pelican is proud of their super-light proprietary HPX Polymer that allows their cases to be light and crush-resistant. Pelican is known industry-wide for their robust cases. I work in extremely taxing environments. Some days I'm shooting in Canada's sub-Arctic, other days I'm somewhere below the Antarctic Circle, while other days see me in the middle of an African rainforest. Flying around the world with my gear for work is made much simpler with the Pelican Air cases. I can depend on their robustness while taking advantage of the lighter weight construction to pack more gear. The new Air cases also come with "Press and Pull" latches. I rarely use locks on my checked bags; if someone wants in, they'll get in. I do put zip ties on my cases as a minor deterrent. That said, the two-step process required to open the latches and then open the case means that an accidental spill is less likely. The 1595 comes with five of these multi-step latches. With this kind of security, there is only the smallest chance that this case will be opened accidentally by luggage workers at the airport. As I've mentioned before, I work in wet and very demanding environments. These Pelicans are certainly rain-resistant. Pelican Air cases are built with o-rings meeting IP67 ratings, sealing the contents of your case for up to 30 minutes while it's submerged in just over 3 feet of water. Related to the water resistance, there is also a pressure equalization valve on each of these Pelican cases. I didn't realize the value of this feature until we were out shooting and the temperature and related pressure changed significantly. I heard my case hiss. This hissing equalization protects the waterproof value of the case. So, you can dunk me and my case in 90 degrees, and you can also dunk me in the Churchill River with the polar bears right around 30 degrees. If I wanted, I could even jump into an Antarctic polar plunge below freezing with my case. If I wanted. The IP67 rating also means that the cases will protect your gear from dust, making them ideal for both transportation and storage in dirty environments. Offering a wide variety of colors and the ability to mix and match your case with different color latches and handles makes pulling my case out of a lineup fast and efficient. Of course, a fluorescent orange case is going to attract the wrong attention in airports around the world. So, ColorCase offers a variety of muted but still distinguishable colors. You can also choose the typical Pelican black and accent your case with a unique handle and latch set. Unique is easier to see than the ubiquitous black. I feel this also provides me with a bit of extra security, as I can distinguish my cases in a pile of other Pelicans from a distance. This means I can tell if someone is rooting around in my now-unique case instead of their own. That being said, if you're using your case for storage or for local shooting, there are some wildly fun colors to choose from. The oxblood is striking a particular aesthetic chord, reminding me of my teenage and Doc Martens years. I really liked the three handles on the larger 1595. I could pick my case up from almost any direction and easily maneuver it into the back of my car using three different touch points. The three handles also allowed me to get a better grip and secure my case more than a typical one- or two-handled large-sized case. The 1535 has two handles. As a smaller case, it doesn't really need three handles. The main suitcase handle is robust and allows for a good ergonomic grip. However, the vertical handle is much narrower and bites into my hand when I'm packing a heavier load. I understand that this handle is narrower than the vertical handle on the traditional 1510 to save weight, but I'd rather have a few extra grams and a more robust and ergonomic handle. These aren't cheap cases. But it does bring to mind the often-repeated advice: buy something cheap and buy it twice. Given how sturdy these cases are, they're a buy-it-once type of investment. These are clearly expensive, but they will last. Perhaps you're not ready to go and buy a whole new series of cases. Thankfully, ColorCase has a huge selection of colored handles and latches to personalize your case. You can quite easily install these on a typical black Pelican and make your case easy to identify. Mark is a Toronto based commercial photographer and world traveller who gave up the glamorous life of big law to take pictures for a living.NEW YORK — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing . But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin , gold and other investments also drove higher. Here’s a look at some of the numbers that defined the year. All are as of Dec. 20. 1998 Remember when President Bill Clinton got impeached or when baseball’s Mark McGwire hit his 70th home run against the Montreal Expos? That was the last time the U.S. stock market closed out a second straight year with a leap of at least 20%, something the S&P 500 is on track to do again this year. The index has climbed 24.3% so far this year, not including dividends, following last year’s spurt of 24.2%. 57 The number of all-time highs the S&P 500 has set so far this year. The first came early, on Jan. 19, when the index capped a two-year comeback from the swoon caused by high inflation and worries that high interest rates instituted by the Federal Reserve to combat it would create a recession. But the index was methodical through the rest of the year, setting a record in every month outside of April and August, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. The latest came on Dec. 6. The number of times the Federal Reserve has cut its main interest rate this year from a two-decade high, offering some relief to the economy. Expectations for those cuts, along with hopes for more in 2025, were a big reason the U.S. stock market has been so successful this year. The 1 percentage point of cuts, though, is still short of the 1.5 percentage points that many traders were forecasting for 2024 at the start of the year. The Fed disappointed investors in December when it said it may cut rates just two more times in 2025, fewer than it had earlier expected. 1,508 That’s how many points the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by the day after Election Day, as investors made bets on what Donald Trump’s return to the White House will mean for the economy and the world . The more widely followed S&P 500 soared 2.5% for its best day in nearly two years. Aside from bitcoin, stocks of banks and smaller winners were also perceived to be big winners. The bump has since diminished amid worries that Trump’s policies could also send inflation higher. $100,000 The level that bitcoin topped to set a record above $108,000 this past month. It’s been climbing as interest rates come down, and it got a particularly big boost following Trump’s election. He’s turned around and become a fan of crypto, and he’s named a former regulator who’s seen as friendly to digital currencies as the next chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, replacing someone who critics said was overly aggressive in his oversight. Bitcoin was below $17,000 just two years ago following the collapse of crypto exchange FTX. 26.7% Gold’s rise for the year, as it also hit records and had as strong a run as U.S. stocks. Wars around the world have helped drive demand for investments seen as safe, such as gold. It’s also benefited from the Fed’s cut to interest rates. When bonds are paying less in interest, they pull away fewer potential buyers from gold, which pays investors nothing. $420 It’s a favorite number of Elon Musk, and it’s also a threshold that Tesla’s stock price passed in December as it set a record. The number has a long history among marijuana devotees, and Musk famously said in 2018 that he had secured funding to take Tesla private at $420 per share . Tesla soared this year, up from less than $250 at the start, in part because of expectations that Musk’s close relationship with Trump could benefit the company. $91.2 billion That’s how much revenue Nvidia made in the nine months through Oct. 27, showing how the artificial-intelligence frenzy is creating mountains of cash. Nvidia’s chips are driving much of the move into AI, and its revenue through the last nine months catapulted from less than $39 billion the year before. Such growth has boosted Nvidia’s worth to more than $3 trillion in total. 74% GameStop’s gain on May 13 after Keith Gill, better known as “Roaring Kitty,” appeared online for the first time in three years to support the video game retailer’s stock, which he helped rocket to unimaginable heights during the “ meme stock craze ” in 2021. Several other meme stocks also jumped following his post in May on the social platform X, including AMC Entertainment. Gill later disclosed a sizeable stake in the online pet products retailer Chewy, but he sold all of his holdings by late October . 1.6%, 3.0% and 3.1% That’s how much the U.S. economy grew, at annualized seasonally adjusted rates, in each of the three first quarters of this year. Such growth blew past what many pessimists were expecting when inflation was topping 9% in the summer of 2022. The fear was that the medicine prescribed by the Fed to beat high inflation — high interest rates — would create a recession. Households at the lower end of the income spectrum in particular are feeling pain now, as they contend with still-high prices. But the overall economy has remained remarkably resilient. 20.1% This is the vacancy rate for U.S. office buildings — an all-time high — through the first three quarters of 2024, according to data from Moody’s. The fact the rate held steady for most of the year was something of a win for office building owners, given that it had marched up steadily from 16.8% in the fourth quarter of 2019. Demand for office space weakened as the pandemic led to the popularization of remote work. 3.73 million That’s the total number of previously occupied homes sold nationally through the first 11 months of 2024. Sales would have to surge 20% year-over-year in December for 2024’s home sales to match the 4.09 million existing homes sold in 2023, a nearly 30-year low. The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. A shortage of homes for sale and elevated mortgage rates have discouraged many would-be homebuyers.

Acuity Brands AYI has outperformed the market over the past 5 years by 5.1% on an annualized basis producing an average annual return of 18.69%. Currently, Acuity Brands has a market capitalization of $9.96 billion. Buying $1000 In AYI: If an investor had bought $1000 of AYI stock 5 years ago, it would be worth $2,439.57 today based on a price of $322.64 for AYI at the time of writing. Acuity Brands's Performance Over Last 5 Years Finally -- what's the point of all this? The key insight to take from this article is to note how much of a difference compounded returns can make in your cash growth over a period of time. This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Vivek Ramaswamy's Read On American 'Mediocrity' Sparks Conservative Immigration Skirmish

Principal U.S. Mega-Cap ETF (USMC) to Issue Dividend of $0.15 on December 31stSEOUL, South Korea , Dec. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Energy Solution (KRX: 373220) has announced its launch of the 'Battery Innovation Contest (BIC) 2025' to identify and support the next groundbreaking battery technologies. Innovators from universities and research institutions worldwide are encouraged to submit proposals until January 31, 2025 , at https://bridge.lgensol.com/ . Since its inaugural competition in 2017, BIC has been LG Energy Solution's flagship research contest. This year's edition has been revamped to foster greater collaboration between academia and industry. Selected researchers will receive annual research funding of up to USD 150,000 annually. Additional funding may be granted to projects making significant achievements through extended contracts. Unlike previous iterations of the competition, 'BIC 2025' allows participants to submit proposals on specific topics pre-announced by LG Energy Solution. "By presenting specific research optics, we aim to go beyond merely supporting academia and maximize the mutual benefits between the industry and academia," said an LG Energy Solution spokesperson. To facilitate active collaboration, LG Energy Solution has introduced the ' BRIDGE ' system, a platform designed to manage open innovation programs like BIC. The system facilitates seamless collaborations with features that help teams working on joint research projects track their objectives and deliverables. LG Energy Solution has unveiled the preselected 18 research topics for collaborative projects on the ' BRIDGE ' platform, such Battery Safety diagnosis algorithm technology and New materials for LFP Batteries topic. At the same time, the contest retains its traditional format to ensure participants are free to propose completely original research ideas. All research proposals must be submitted through the ' BRIDGE ' system. To protect the original ideas of every participant, LG Energy Solution has split the application process into two stages: initial proposals that provide concise information, followed by detailed proposals from a shortlist of candidates. This change aims to safeguard the ideas of researchers not selected for funding. "The BIC platform serves as a bridge of wisdom between members of academia and industry, driving technological innovation for the all-important battery sector," said Je-Young Kim , CTO of LG Energy Solution. "Through this initiative, we aim to provide differentiated value to our customers by strengthening our technology leadership." As of today, LG Energy Solution has supported 26 battery research projects through the 'BIC' initiative, with some evolving into large-scale projects that have received additional funding and resources. Thanks to the success of this competition, the company continues to establish partnerships with world-leading universities and research institutions, reinforcing its commitment to preparing the battery field for the future. About LG Energy Solution LG Energy Solution (KRX: 373220), a split-off from LG Chem, is a leading global manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, mobility, IT, and energy storage systems. With 30 years of experience in revolutionary battery technology and extensive research and development (R&D), the company is the top battery-related patent holder in the world with over 58,000 patents. Its robust global network, which spans North America, Europe, and Asia , includes battery manufacturing facilities established through joint ventures with major automakers. Committed to building sustainable battery ecosystem, LG Energy Solution aims to achieve carbon neutrality across its value chain by 2050, while embodying the value of shared growth and promoting diverse and inclusive corporate culture. To learn more about LG Energy Solution's ideas and innovations, visit https://news.lgensol.com . View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lg-energy-solution-hosts-battery-innovation-contest-bic-2025-to-foster-breakthrough-battery-technologies-302339134.html SOURCE LG Energy SolutionAtico Mining (CVE:ATY) Hits New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

The UK is at risk of a drastic slowdown in its transition to electric cars because of big disparities in the availability and cost of charging points, especially in poorer areas, a report says. The study, by the consultancy Stonehaven, argues that given rapid advances in batteries and car range, persuading more people to move to electric vehicles is now less an issue of technology than one of "urban management and social equity". It cites London, which has the UK's highest usage of electric cars, as an example of what the report's authors call a lack of coherent strategy over on-street charging points, which are left to individual councils to install. This has led to huge variations in provision, with one London borough, Harrow, having 63 charging points, compared with nearly 2,700 in another, Westminster. The report says the evidence points towards such infrastructure being disproportionately available to people in richer areas, and less so to those who would be more likely to benefit from being able to use an electric vehicle. The study, taking another example from London, says the two outer boroughs of Bexley and Havering have a combined 14,000 people who work in the transport and storage industries, and there are just 260 public chargers between them. By contrast, in the more central borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, 3,000 people have such jobs and there are more than 2,600 chargers. It notes, however, that public charging is only part of the challenge, given how much more expensive this tends to be than charging an... Peter WalkerNone

Scuffling Warriors try to take down solid ClippersConclave takes a look behind the curtain of one of the most mysterious traditions of Catholicism, the selection of a new Pope. The film adaption from Robert Harris' novel does not disappoint, as director Edward Berger does justice to the novel along with his own take. Advertisement Ralph Fiennes plays Cardinal Lawrence, dean of the College of Cardinals, in a tense drama that s more political than papal. Lawrence finds himself thrust reluctantly into the spotlight while still grieving the Pope, who seemed to know him better than he knows himself amid a crisis of faith. However, Fiennes' character steps up to the role of holding together a fractured group of cardinals, some with corruption and self-interest in their hearts rather than the greater good of the church. Advertisement Viewers can feel the tension at times. Berger's previous film was another critical success, a German language adaption of All Quiet on the Western Front, which one four Oscars. The atmosphere in this one plays out differently, but is equally as brutal. Lawrence must manage the egos of Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), a liberal who is more keen on the top job than he lets on, Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow) a Canadian cardinal who makes no secret of his ambition to be Pope, Cardinal Tedesco, a far-right Italian traditionalist, and Cardinal Adeyemi, a popular Nigerian candidate with conservative social views. All is not as it seems, and there is intrigue in the plotting throughout conclave. Isabella Rossellini is also brilliant in her role of Sister Agnes, a nun who knows more than some of the cardinals involved in plotting. Above all, Fiennes stands out and he may well be under consideration when Oscar season rolls around. ****Lakers trade Russell to Nets, get Finney-Smith