Looking for hard-to-find bottles of Kentucky bourbon to toast the holidays or add to a collection? Get your bids ready as the Bluegrass State launches its first online auction of confiscated alcohol. Whiskeys up for sale include two bottles of Old Rip Van Winkle, a Blanton’s Single Barrel Gold in box with Japanese markings and a bottle of Four Roses Small Batch Barrel Strength 2011. The sale is the result of a new Kentucky law, which allows alcohol confiscated from closed criminal investigations by the state's alcoholic beverage control agency to be auctioned. Online bidding opens Wednesday and closes at midnight on Dec. 11. Proceeds will support programs promoting responsible alcohol use by adults and awareness programs for youths. “This is a really good auction,” Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, said by phone Tuesday. “There are some hard-to-find and rare bottles on there.” No estimate has been given on how much the auction might raise. “We look forward to seeing the response to this auction and have started planning additional auctions for 2025,” said Allyson Taylor, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. The auction features 32 bottles of alcohol and includes a “stock the bar” bundle with bottles of wine, vodka, rum and whiskey, the agency said. But the stars are the hard-to-find and rare bourbons up for sale. “It’s not every day you go to a liquor store and find a bottle of Blanton’s Gold," Gregory said. “You never go to a liquor store and find a bottle of Four Roses 2011.” The lineup includes bottles of E.H. Taylor bourbon, Blanton’s Single Barrel, Eagle Rare 10 yr., Weller Antique 107, Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Rye, Michter’s, an Old Forester gift set and more. A link to the online auction is available at ABC.ky.gov. Auction items cannot be shipped, so winning bidders must pick up items in Frankfort, the state said. The auctions will become a “can't miss opportunity” for bourbon connoisseurs, Gregory said. Previously, confiscated bourbon or other spirits could end up being destroyed, he said. “We don't like to see good bourbon poured down the drain,” Gregory said. Kentucky distillers produce 95% of the global bourbon supply, the Kentucky distillers’ group says.Mast Maja Maadi Director Ananth Raju Returns With ‘Capital City’, Trailer And Songs Out

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Facing record-breaking heat and a dwindling water supply, Utah farmers are experimenting with innovative crops to sustain agriculture in the arid West. Rancher Matt Redd, who operates Dugout Ranch near Canyonlands National Park, is among those leading the charge. On Redd's ranch, one field grows alfalfa under wheel line irrigation, while an adjacent field is planted with Kernza, a drought-tolerant grain that requires far less water. Even during Utah's scorching summer, Redd didn't irrigate the Kernza crop from July to September. "It looks good. It looks productive," he told local radio station KUER. "And it's taken less than half the water we've used on our irrigated pasture." Developed by Kansas-based agricultural researchers at The Land Institute, Kernza offers a sustainable alternative to traditional grains. Its roots stretch over 10 feet deep, enabling it to survive prolonged droughts, improve soil health and prevent erosion. Unlike annual crops like wheat, Kernza is a perennial, eliminating the need for yearly replanting and reducing diesel fuel use. The grain has already found its way into consumer products, from cereals to beer, offering new markets for farmers. Redd, who also serves as the project director for The Nature Conservancy's Canyonlands Research Center, is testing Kernza on his ranch to assess its potential for large-scale use in Utah. "Its potential to be both a grazing forage crop as well as a hay crop that uses less water—and takes less fossil fuels to plant—makes it a really good candidate for agriculture adapting to climate change in the Southwest," Redd said. However, challenges remain, not least the higher cost of Kernza seeds and the fact that they take longer to establish than other crops. Late last year, Redd planted his first 20 acres of Kernza and plans to expand with another field next spring. The success or failure of these experiments could play a vital role in encouraging other farmers in the region to abandon water-guzzling crops like alfalfa. The Colorado River, a vital water source for more than 40 million people that feeds Lake Powell and Lake Mead , has struggled in recent decades as agriculture and other water demands have piled up. Irrigation uses more than half of the river's water, according to data shared by NASA and published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment earlier this year. Alfalfa and other hay-like cattle feed consume most of that share—nearly a third of the river's total flow. "It's well known that crop irrigation is the largest water user worldwide," Laura Rocchio wrote for NASA. "The Colorado River Basin is no different; crops consume three times more water than all other direct human uses combined (municipal, commercial and industrial)." Redd envisions crops like Kernza, combined with advancements in irrigation technology, as key to securing the future of farming in Utah. He added, "There's no single silver bullet that will solve the challenges we face in this changing world. But this is one piece of the puzzle that can help agriculture remain sustainable." Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Colorado River? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.Shares of Diamcor Mining Inc. ( CVE:DMI – Get Free Report ) fell 16.7% during trading on Saturday . The stock traded as low as C$0.03 and last traded at C$0.03. 566,948 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 793% from the average session volume of 63,466 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.03. Diamcor Mining Price Performance The firm has a market cap of C$4.22 million, a P/E ratio of -0.63 and a beta of 1.38. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is C$0.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$0.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 617.97, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a current ratio of 0.05. About Diamcor Mining ( Get Free Report ) Diamcor Mining Inc, a junior mining and exploration company, identifies, acquires, explores for, evaluates, operates, and develops diamond-based resource properties. It holds interests in the Krone-Endora at Venetia project that consists of Krone 104MS and Endora 66MS farms covering a combined surface area of approximately 5,888 hectares located in South Africa. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Diamcor Mining Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Diamcor Mining and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Amritsar: A snatcher was shot in the foot by police when he attempted to snatch a rifle from an officer while trying to flee custody. Accused Suraj alias Mandi had been apprehended for snatching the purses of two NRI women. He was taken to the location where he had allegedly hidden stolen items. Amritsar police commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said Suraj, a resident of Bikhiwind, was arrested for snatching the purse of Rekha, an NRI from the UK, who was travelling in an e-rickshaw. He also snatched the purse of Premika Qureshi from Mauritius on Majithia Road. When he was taken to the spot where he claimed to have hidden the stolen items, Suraj attempted to snatch an assault rifle from one of the policemen. In response, ASI Jaskaran Singh fired from his service revolver, injuring Suraj in the foot. He was admitted to the hospital for treatment. Bhullar said Gurkirat, an accomplice of Suraj, is still at large, but efforts are ongoing to locate him. Both women expressed gratitude to the police for recovering their valuables, including passports, identity cards, and currency. We also published the following articles recently The Family snatched Ethan Pages phone forcing him into a chaotic foot chase NXT star Ethan Page, known for his heel persona, hilariously sabotaged a charity event in a recent social media video. Forced to participate, Page mocked the cause, only to have his phone stolen by The Family after refusing to post. The video, ironically promoting the charity, ended up online, showcasing Page's comedic villainy. 2 held in connection with snatching cases Guwahati police apprehended two individuals in separate snatching incidents. Arjun Malakar, from Umrangso, was arrested for allegedly snatching a mobile phone in Pub Sarania and was linked to another incident in Lachit Nagar. Police tracked him through the vehicle used in the crime. Bhaskar Kalita, from Kampur, was arrested near Gandhi Basti with a knife and OST tablets. Auto driver, aide arrested for phone snatching in Wazirabad In a late-night Delhi snatching, two men posing as autorickshaw drivers were apprehended. They targeted a pedestrian near Wazirabad, stealing his mobile phone before escaping in their waiting auto. A quick-thinking witness provided the vehicle's registration, leading police to 32-year-old Rohit Kumar and 28-year-old Suraj Sharma. Both have prior criminal records, and police recovered the stolen phone.

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Authorities in Pakistan launch operation to clear Khan supporters from capitalNo. 2 UConn falls again in Maui, losing 73-72 to Colorado on Jakimovski's off-balance layup

US stock indices pushed to fresh records Tuesday, shrugging off tariff threats from President-elect Donald Trump while European equities retreated. Trump, who doesn't take office until January 20, made his threat in social media posts Monday night, announcing huge import tariffs against neighbors Canada and Mexico and also rival China if they do not stop illegal immigration and drug smuggling. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Get the latest need-to-know information delivered to your inbox as it happens. Our flagship newsletter. Get our front page stories each morning as well as the latest updates each afternoon during the week + more in-depth weekend editions on Saturdays & Sundays.

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he Juan Soto novel is behind us and now the New York Mets face a big dilemma in which slugger Pete Alonso is the main protagonist, and everything indicates that the slugger is about to leave the Metropolitans In his six years as a professional, Alonso has a track record of 226 home runs, with a .249 batting average and 586 RBIs, which has earned him four All-Star Game nominations, a Rookie of the Year award and two Home Run Derby victories. Steve Cohen's motto as owner of the Mets is to , a feat they have not achieved since 1986. And while the team shelled out more than $765 million for Juan Soto, it seems that other positions are not essential for the Orange and Blue. A matter of millions In this story, a new front of war opened between and , Pete Alonso's agent, in a battle where the Mets made it clear that they will not open the wallet like crazy. Dan Bartels, an analyst for the revealed the Mets' offer to Alonso. " ." If the Mets do not agree to Pete Alonso's requests, the hitter would be on the radar of two fierce National League rivals, the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies. If the Mets agree to pay the $200 million that Alonso is asking for, the New York club should consider the possibility of making trades, as the slugger is one of the most valuable assets in the offense. Alonso is no longer on the radar of major American League teams. The Yankees signed Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year deal and the Astros reached an agreement with Christian Walker on a three-year contract.None

Walmart’s DEI rollback signals a profound shift in the wake of Trump’s election victoryNexOptic Technology (CVE:NXO) Shares Down 20% – Should You Sell?Walmart’s DEI rollback signals a profound shift in the wake of Trump’s election victoryBoth Oklahoma and Providence are hoping they'll have key pieces back in place when the two undefeated teams square off in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Wednesday in Paradise Island, Bahamas. The Friars (5-0) are expected to have Bryce Hopkins available, according to a report from Field of 68. Hopkins was averaging 15.5 points and 8.6 rebounds last season before suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament Jan. 3. He returned to full-go practices last week, and Tuesday, Providence coach Kim English said Hopkins would be a "game-time decision" against the Sooners. "It's been a process," English said. "We're not rushing it." But English praised Hopkins' progress since the Friars' last game, Nov. 19, when Hopkins went through pregame warmups. "I thought he looked better than I remembered," English said. "He's been in our system for the past year. His patience, his understanding, his versatility on offense and defense ... it's been great to see him in practice." The Sooners (4-0) are hopeful that they'll get Brycen Goodine back. Goodine played for the Friars for two seasons from 2020-22 before transferring to Fairfield for two seasons and then to Oklahoma this offseason. Goodine suffered an ankle injury in the Sooners' opener Nov. 4 and has not played since. "He's a really tough kid and trying to push through it," Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said. "It will truly be one of those game-time decisions. He hasn't gone a full practice yet, just been pieces of practices." Playing with Goodine and Jadon Jones, expected to be two of the Sooners' top outside shooters, Moser said he's learned plenty about his team's offense. "When you're down those shooters, it's really a great weapon to know that a lot of other guys can knock down the open shot," Moser said. "It's been a huge takeaway." The Sooners have been led by Jalon Moore, who is averaging 18.8 points per game, and freshman Jeremiah Fears, who is averaging 15.5. Providence has been led by senior guard Bensley Joseph, who is averaging 11.8 points and 4.0 assists per game. Oklahoma has not played a game closer than 16 points yet this season, with an average margin of victory of 24 points. Providence has won its five games by an average of nearly 17 points per game. The teams will square off against either Davidson or No. 24 Arizona in the second round Thursday, with the winners playing each other in one semifinal while the losers play in a consolation semifinal. --Field Level Media

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WASHINGTON (AP) — One year after the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department was committed to holding accountable all perpetrators "at any level" for "the assault on our democracy." That bold declaration won't apply to at least one person: Donald Trump. Special counsel Jack Smith's move on Monday to abandon the federal election interference case against Trump means jurors will likely never decide whether the president-elect is criminally responsible for his attempts to cling to power after losing the 2020 campaign. The decision to walk away from the election charges and the separate classified documents case against Trump marks an abrupt end of the Justice Department's unprecedented legal effort that once threatened his liberty but appears only to have galvanized his supporters. The abandonment of the cases accusing Trump of endangering American democracy and national security does away with the most serious legal threats he was facing as he returns to the White House. It was the culmination of a monthslong defense effort to delay the proceedings at every step and use the criminal allegations to Trump's political advantage, putting the final word in the hands of voters instead of jurors. "We always knew that the rich and powerful had an advantage, but I don't think we would have ever believed that somebody could walk away from everything," said Stephen Saltzburg, a George Washington University law professor and former Justice Department official. "If there ever was a Teflon defendant, that's Donald Trump." While prosecutors left the door open to the possibility that federal charges could be re-filed against Trump after he leaves office, that seems unlikely. Meanwhile, Trump's presidential victory has thrown into question the future of the two state criminal cases against him in New York and Georgia. Trump was supposed to be sentenced on Tuesday after his conviction on 34 felony counts in his New York hush money case, but it's possible the sentencing could be delayed until after Trump leaves office, and the defense is pushing to dismiss the case altogether. Smith's team stressed that their decision to abandon the federal cases was not a reflection of the merit of the charges, but an acknowledgement that they could not move forward under longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Trump's presidential victory set "at odds two fundamental and compelling national interests: On the one hand, the Constitution's requirement that the President must not be unduly encumbered in fulfilling his weighty responsibilities . . . and on the other hand, the Nation's commitment to the rule of law," prosecutors wrote in court papers. The move just weeks after Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris underscores the immense personal stake Trump had in the campaign in which he turned his legal woes into a political rallying cry. Trump accused prosecutors of bringing the charges in a bid to keep him out of the White House, and he promised revenge on his perceived enemies if he won a second term. "If Donald J. Trump had lost an election, he may very well have spent the rest of his life in prison," Vice President-elect JD Vance, wrote in a social media post on Monday. "These prosecutions were always political. Now it's time to ensure what happened to President Trump never happens in this country again." After the Jan. 6 attack by Trump supporters that left more than 100 police officers injured, Republican leader Mitch McConnell and several other Republicans who voted to acquit Trump during his Senate impeachment trial said it was up to the justice system to hold Trump accountable. The Jan. 6 case brought last year in Washington alleged an increasingly desperate criminal conspiracy to subvert the will of voters after Trump's 2020 loss, accusing Trump of using the angry mob of supporters that attacked the Capitol as "a tool" in his campaign to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence and obstruct the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's victory. Hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters — many of whom have said they felt called to Washington by Trump — have pleaded guilty or been convicted by juries of federal charges at the same courthouse where Trump was supposed to stand trial last year. As the trial date neared, officials at the courthouse that sits within view of the Capitol were busy making plans for the crush of reporters expected to cover the historic case. But Trump's argument that he enjoyed absolute immunity from prosecution quickly tied up the case in appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court. The high court ruled in July that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, and sent the case back to the trial court to decide which allegations could move forward. But the case was dismissed before the trial court could get a chance to do so. The other indictment brought in Florida accused Trump of improperly storing at his Mar-a-Lago estate sensitive documents on nuclear capabilities, enlisting aides and lawyers to help him hide records demanded by investigators and cavalierly showing off a Pentagon "plan of attack" and classified map. But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case in July on grounds that Smith was illegally appointed. Smith appealed to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but abandoned that appeal on Monday. Smith's team said it would continue its fight in the appeals court to revive charges against Trump's two co-defendants because "no principle of temporary immunity applies to them." In New York, jurors spent weeks last spring hearing evidence in a state case alleging a Trump scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex. New York prosecutors recently expressed openness to delaying sentencing until after Trump's second term, while Trump's lawyers are fighting to have the conviction dismissed altogether. In Georgia, a trial while Trump is in office seems unlikely in a state case charging him and more than a dozen others with conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. The case has been on hold since an appeals court agreed to review whether to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case.A group of 11 Chicago area teenagers have been hit with felony charges, including hate crimes, after allegedly using dating apps to lure and then beat two men in an act inspired by a social media trend, police said. The suspects, who remained unidentified because they are all minors, are implicated in two separate attacks that took place on the evening of July 8, the Mount Prospect Police Department said in a press release . The first victim to make a report was a 41-year-old man who came into the police station at approximately 9:45 p.m., saying he had been battered by a group of male teenagers in a parking lot at 606 West Northwest Highway earlier that night. The man said he had arranged to meet someone from a dating app at the location but was verbally and physically confronted by the group of teens, who also allegedly damaged the vehicle he arrived in. The victim relayed that the group then followed his car in their vehicles as he fled before he was eventually able to get away. Less than ten minutes after the 41-year-old came into the department, Mount Prospect officers responded to a similar report of a 23-year-old man being assaulted in the 400 block of See Gwun Avenue, the release stated. Upon arrival, the second victim told police he was also beaten by a group of teenagers, who also damaged his vehicle, after attempting to meet someone he connected with on a dating app. The man said that while he was being verbally accosted and battered, one of the teens slashed his tires. The victim said he was able to get back into his vehicle and drive to a nearby home to ask the residents to call 911. He was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The subsequent investigation, which involved reviewing surveillance cameras that captured the incident at 606 West Northwest Highway, led to police identifying the 11 suspects. “The investigation also found one of the offenders yelled a racial and another derogatory term during the incident, resulting in that juvenile offender being charged additionally with two counts of Hate Crime,” police said. The juvenile suspects, all charged with aggravated battery, criminal damage to property, and mob action, willingly turned themselves into the authorities in November and were transported to the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center in Chicago. While police did not specify what slurs were yelled during the incidents or what apps were used to lure the men, they said that “some of the teenage offenders got this idea through a viral social media trend they saw online.” “We are asking parents to take these incidents as an opportunity to talk with their teenage children about the seriousness of actively participating in these types of trends they see on social media,” Mount Prospect Police chief Michael Eterno said.

Add the Dodgers to the list of teams with confirmed in-person meetings with highly sought-after international free agent Roki Sasaki. The meeting is not a surprise – the Dodgers are considered the favorite to sign the 23-year-old Japanese right-hander. When Sasaki was officially posted by his Nippon Professional Baseball team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, on Dec. 11, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman called it a “major priority” for the Dodgers to sign him. The Dodgers are the sixth team known to have had meetings with Sasaki and his agent, Joel Wolfe. Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young confirmed in mid-December that his team had met with Sasaki. There have also been reports of meetings between Sasaki and the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants. At the Winter Meetings earlier this month, Wolfe said he has been contacted by more than 20 teams interested in signing Sasaki. Sasaki is expected to shrink the number of teams he is considering and hold a second round of meetings with those teams in 2025. Sasaki’s posting window closes Jan. 24. He cannot sign before Jan. 15, when the 2025 international signing period begins. “The best I can say is he has paid attention to how the teams have done as far as overall success, both this year and in years past,” Wolfe said at the Winter Meetings. “He does watch a lot of Major League Baseball. He’s paid attention to what his (World Baseball Classic) teammates have done. He’s talked to a lot of players, foreign players that have been on his team with Chiba Lotte. He asked a lot of questions about weather, about comfortability, about pitching development and just watching what other Japanese players in the major leagues are doing and how they are doing.” Unlike Yoshinobu Yamamoto (also a Wolfe client) who signed a record 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers last winter, Sasaki is not able to auction his talents to the highest bidder. Because he is younger than 25, he is considered the same as an international amateur and can only be signed for an amount in a team’s international bonus pool, which ranges from $5 million to $7 million. The same rule applied to Shohei Ohtani when he signed with the Angels in 2017. The 23-year-old Sasaki is considered one of the best pitchers in the world. He became the youngest pitcher to throw a perfect game in NPB in 2022 and tied Ohtani for the fastest pitch recorded in NPB history (102.5 mph). In four NPB seasons, he was 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Last season, he had some injury issues but went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 starts. Jeff Fletcher contributed to this story.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are climbing Thursday after market superstar Nvidia and another round of companies said they’re making even fatter profits than expected. The S&P 500 was pulling 0.7% higher, as of 2:45 p.m. Eastern time, after flipping between modest gains and losses several times in the morning. Banks, smaller companies and other areas of the stock market that tend do best when the economy is strong helped lead the way, while bitcoin briefly broke above $99,000. Crude oil, meanwhile, continued to rise. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 532 points, or 1.2%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.2%. Nvidia's rise of 1.4% was the strongest force pushing the S&P 500 upward after yet again beating analysts’ estimates for profit and revenue. It also gave a forecast for revenue in the current quarter that topped most analysts’ expectations thanks to voracious demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology. Its stock initially sank in afterhours trading Wednesday following the release of the results. Some investors said the market might have been looking for Nvidia's revenue forecast to surpass expectations by even more. But its stock recovered in premarket trading Thursday, and Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said it was another “flawless” profit report provided by Nvidia and CEO Jensen Huang, whom Ives calls “the Godfather of AI.” How Nvidia’s stock performs has tremendous impact because it’s quickly grown into Wall Street’s most valuable company at roughly $3.6 trillion. Its meandering up and down through the day dragged the S&P 500 and other indexes back and forth. The frenzy around AI is sweeping up other stocks, and Snowflake jumped 32.3% after reporting stronger results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company, whose platform helps customers get a better view of all their silos of data and use AI, also reported stronger revenue growth than expected. BJ’S Wholesale Club rose 9.1% after likewise delivering a bigger profit than expected. That may help calm worries about how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain, given high prices across the economy and still-high interest rates. A day earlier, Target tumbled after reporting sluggish sales in the latest quarter and giving a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season. It followed Walmart , which gave a much more encouraging outlook. Nearly 90% of the stocks in the S&P 500 were also rising, and the gains were even bigger among smaller companies. The Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks jumped a market-leading 1.9%. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, helped keep indexes in check. It fell 5.5% after U.S. regulators asked a judge to break up the tech giant by forcing it to sell its industry-leading Chrome web browser. In a 23-page document filed late Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice called for sweeping punishments that would include restrictions preventing Android from favoring its own search engine. Regulators stopped short of demanding Google sell Android but left the door open to it if the company’s oversight committee continues to see evidence of misconduct. Drops for other Big Tech stocks also weighed on the market, including a 2.4% slide for Amazon. In stock markets abroad, shares of India’s Adani Enterprises plunged 22.6% Thursday after the U.S. charged founder Gautam Adani, 62, in a federal indictment with securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud. The businessman and one of the world’s richest people is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company’s huge solar energy project on the subcontinent was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme. Indexes elsewhere in Asia and Europe were mixed. In the crypto market, bitcoin eclipsed $99,000 for the first time before easing back to roughly $98,250, according to CoinDesk. It’s more than doubled so far this year, and its climb has accelerated since Election Day. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to make the country “the crypto capital of the planet” and create a “strategic reserve” of bitcoin. Bitcoin also got a boost after Gary Gensler, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission who has pushed for more protection for crypto investors, said he would step down in January . Bitcoin and related investments, of course, have a notorious history of big price swings in both directions. MicroStrategy, a company that's been raising cash expressly to buy bitcoin, saw an early gain of 14.6% for its stock on Thursday quickly disappear. It was most recently down 10.7%. In the oil market, a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rose 2% to bring its gain for the week to 4.8%. Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 1.8%. Oil has been rising amid escalations in the Russia-Ukraine war. In the bond market, Treasury yields edged higher following some mixed reports on the U.S. economy. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.43% from 4.41% late Wednesday. One report said fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week in the latest signal that the job market remains solid. Another report, though, said manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic region unexpectedly shrank. Sales of previously occupied homes, meanwhile, strengthened last month by more than expected. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Yuri Kageyama contributed.Herbert tosses 3 TD passes and Chargers secure a playoff spot with a 40-7 rout of Patriots

The New England Patriots used their Week 17 game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday to honor one of the best players in franchise history: Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss, who recently announced that he had been battling bile duct cancer. Before the game, the Patriots flew a “Moss 81” flag as part of the team’s traditional field-taking ceremony: Lead us out 81 @RandyMoss pic.twitter.com/1HPOYb2CNr In addition, the Patriots displayed a video tribute on their jumbotron before kickoff. We got you Randy Today’s @GilletteStadium tribute for @RandyMoss ! #LetsMossCancer | #NEPats pic.twitter.com/4hrB79IDiz A former first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings , who showed immense potential from his rookie season on, Moss joined the Patriots via the Oakland Raiders in 2007. He quickly regained his form of old, and became a reliable player for the team over the next three seasons. While he was traded back to Minnesota early in the 2010 season, Moss remained a fan favorite in New England. His return to Gillette Stadium as part of the ceremony honoring Tom Brady this summer was concrete proof of that.

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart's sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are revaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups in business. The changes announced by the world's biggest retailer followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The risk associated with some of programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump's incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches -- the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President -- are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the November survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associated at Pew called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI," Glasgow said. "The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Last fiscal year, Walmart said it spent more than $13 billion on minority, women or veteran-owned good and service suppliers. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America's top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart's announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart's need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company no longer has explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer's ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart." Walmart's announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.